Higher education institutions are increasingly more focused on the prestige and branding of the university rather than the quality of education offered at the institution. This emphasis on reputation has translated from institutions towards students, who are now more than ever considering the prestige of the university they attend over the types of courses or educational opportunities offered by...
Ishani Desai, a journalist covering Kern County courts and public safety for the Bakersfield Californian, was found in contempt on May 24 after refusing to hand over her unpublished notes of a jailhouse interview to a defendant in criminal proceedings. Desai and her attorney have asserted that the threshold requiring a reporter to turn over privileged work in accordance...
Today’s mortgage rates have been steadily increasing from approximately 6% in the past few months. A mortgage is a financial agreement between an individual and a lender that allows them to borrow money to purchase or refinance a home. If the homeowner fails to pay back the mortgage, the lender has the right to take your property. While these...
Calls for the resignation of California Senator Dianne Feinstein, age 89, have swept the U.S. Senate due to her multiple months' absence due to shingles. Entering the Senate floor two weeks ago in a wheelchair, Senator Feinstein's return to Washington weighs heavily on Democrats as her vote is essential to President Biden’s upcoming confirmation hearings of judicial nominees. However,...
Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed four medical-related bills this May, one of which will pave the way for medical discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender. Senate Bill 1580, which is ridiculously named the Physician’s Freedom of Speech despite applying to far more than speech, puts limits on medical boards, which now cannot hold practitioners accountable for refusing...
Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, announced his campaign for president this past Wednesday in an audio chit-chat via Twitter. Standing by his side was Republican mega-donor David Sack and the world's worst billionaire, Elon Musk. Launching his campaign with embarrassing technical difficulties, reflective of Twitter's failing infrastructure since the termination of half their staff, DeSantis declared war on “wokeness.”
In order...
A psychology professor who applied for a tenure-track position at UC Santa Cruz is suing the campus and UC for first amendment violations over a requirement that faculty applicants submit a statement detailing their experience with "diversity, equity and inclusion," or DEI statement. Specifically, UCSC’s prompt stipulates that faculty applicants must provide examples of past contributions to diversity, showcase...
Berkeley associate professor of environmental science, policy and management Elizabeth M. Hoover, recently made a statement apologizing for claiming Native ancestry. In a personal essay published on her website, she apologized for incorrectly identifying as Native American her whole life due to incomplete information. She also apologized for any harm she may have caused while identifying as Native. In...
Certain words that were once censored, or considered derogatory for their negative connotations against specific groups, are now being challenged and have made their way into mainstream linguistics. Those in the groups affected by the slurs are reclaiming the negative history and proudly using them to diminish their effects. The issue of reclaiming slurs, however, lies in the party...
The California Senate is considering a bill that aims to significantly change the parameters of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act. This legislation was critical in preventing the involuntary and indefinite commitment of individuals by the state. The LPS Act did not aim to end involuntary commitment or endanger public safety but rather to prevent the inappropriate detainment of patients that would...