Category Archives: Intentional Communities

As the weeks and months pass and I grow increasingly weary of social distancing, masks, and endless hand washing, I find myself wondering whether there is anything to gain from life in a pandemic. Dont get me wrong. I yearn for a return to "normal." But I am also an eternal optimist, and I cannot help but count the glimmers of goodness whenever I am faced with an obstacle.

I appreciate seeing businesses that were once open 24 hours a day closed at night and on holidays. I am grateful for employees able to be home with their families, and a step back from the instant gratification mindset that has become so prevalent in our lives.

I take greater pleasure in the limited social interactions that are now a part of my days. Running into a friend in the aisles of the grocery store has become a joyous opportunity to catch up. "How are you?" is a genuine question once again, rather than a distracted greeting that leaves no time for a reply.

I am touched by the politeness and courtesy that has reentered my encounters with strangers and friends alike. We wear masks to protect others. We ask before touching or approaching, in order to respect the boundaries of those we meet.

I love the ways in which communication has become more intentional. We no longer take contact with others for granted. We put more effort into reaching out. Just last week, my teenager sat down and drafted a hand-written letter to her aunt.

All around me, people are figuring out how to "do" community in the age of COVID. And these are lessons worth considering in our faith communities as well.

Maybe we need to stop planning twenty different services in a week to accommodate every preference or schedule. We need to be less concerned about meeting wants and more concerned about meeting needs, less focused on entertaining and more on worshiping.

Maybe we need to take more time to value our connections with one another. I have realized just how much I depend on my church community to support me in my life of faith. When we are again able to meet for fellowship hour after worship, we can focus more on conversations than on cookies.

Maybe we can do more to recognize and respect individual needs. Some people really do not want a hug pandemic or not. Others really do need us to stay home or practice better hygiene when we are not well. Showing up sick demonstrates carelessness, not dedication.

And maybe we can continue to be intentional in our communication with others. I am suddenly aware of how isolating it must be for church members who do not email now that this is the primary form of communication from my community of faith. I know I can do better to meet them where they are.

Of course, there are many more layers to these musings than I can fit in a single column, so please forgive my necessary oversimplifications. But I pray you will join me in seeking out the good where it can be found and yearning to come out on the other side of this with greater kindness, compassion, and understanding for the communities we are privileged to call our own.

Amy Long is an assistant priest at Grace Episcopal Church.

Here is the original post:

Amy Long: Community in the age of COVID - The Hutchinson News

As fires and a hurricane threaten communities across the U.S. this week, residents of low-income housing are at an especially high risk of financial and other loss resulting from the natural disasters, the Urban Institute has shown.

For one community in Galveston, Texas, Hurricane Laura expected to make landfall in Texas and Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane is just the latest in a long series of disasters that they say have been made worse by the way the Department of Housing and Urban Development has managed the situation.

Built in 1971 with 192 units, Sandpiper Cove is a privately owned apartment complex under HUD contract that allows tenants to pay 30% of their income after deductions, or a minimum of $25 per month, with HUD paying the difference. The property also sits directly in a high-risk flood area, according to FEMAs flood maps.

John Henneberger, co-director of Texas Housers, a Texas low-income housing information service, said their organization has been following Sandpiper Cove for nearly a decade. Because of its location relative to the seawall and lack of any sort of elevation, Henneberger said the 200-family complex floods in every hurricane.

When they flood, the tenants who suffer water damage lose their personal possessions, their furniture and their household belongings among other things. Theyre all low-income so most of them dont have renters insurance, Henneberger said. Then HUD comes in, gets the owner to basically patch up the apartment, which then leaves the tenants suffering a recouped financial loss that they cant bear.

When Galveston residents were issued a mandatory evacuation order on Monday ahead of Hurricane Lauras approach, Sand Piper Cove tenants were given a location for a bus that would evacuate them to Austin, but were not told where they would be going upon arrival. The uncertainty of where they are going is matched by what they will find when they return.

Because of repeated water damage, Sandpiper Cove has experienced a myriad of other problems including mold, sewage back-ups, broken air conditioners, buckling ceilings, rats and cockroaches, residents told the Houston Chronicle.

At the end of June, the non-profit law firm Lone Star Legal Aids Fair Housing team and housing civil right lawyers filed a lawsuit for Sandpiper Cove against HUD for intentional discrimination and its failure to relocate tenants after the property failed inspections and received a Notice of Default.

In a release, LSLA cited Rule-24 CFR 886.323 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which states that when a property participates in the project-based rental assistance program and it receives a Notice of Default, HUD shall provide a remedy for those tenants.

In the case of Sandpiper Cove residents, HUD wont let them move without a tenant choice voucher, despite the fact that these vouchers help families rent houses and apartments throughout Galveston. HUDs failure to provide assistance to these tenants violates its habitability regulations and its obligation to affirmatively further fair housing under the Fair Housing Act, the release said.

In Houston, LSLA filed claims against HUD and two other Section 8 project-based apartment complexes Coppertree and Arbor Court for similar complaints of inadequate living conditions in 2018, according to the National Housing Law Project.

Henneberger said Texas Housers has been working with residents of Sandpiper Cove to seek a meeting with HUD officials in Houston, as tenants pursue a more permanent and systemic solution to the problem. Currently, residents are seeking the option to receive Housing Choice Vouchers so they can leave their existing units for alternative housing.

Bottom line, the tenants are basically locked into these developments, by virtue of the fact that this is a project-based development and the tenant has no choice. If they want the rent subsidy, they have to live at Sandpiper Cove they cant take a voucher and go find a place that doesnt flood or a place that doesnt have mold or sewage problems or electrical problems, Henneberger said.

On Aug. 10, HUD announced it plans to allocate $472 million of CARES Act funding for low-income households. According to HUD secretary Ben Carson, Public Housing Authorities will use the money to make sure people have a decent, safe, and affordable place to call home.

For now, Henneberger, along with Texas Housers community outreach coordinator Ericka Bowman, are attempting to stay in contact with the residents of Sandpiper Cove as they make their way to Austin.

According to a report from CoreLogic, 431,810 single-family and multifamily homes along the Texas and Louisiana coast are at risk of storm surge damage from projected Category 4 Hurricane Laura, representing approximately $88.3 billion at potential risk for reconstruction cost value.

Follow this link:

Hurricane Laura the latest blow to residents of one HUD-subsidized community in Galveston - HousingWire

While it was crafting the Forward Dane reopening plan in May, Public Health Madison Dane County (PHMDC) sought advice and took suggestions from the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce (GMCC), provided the GMCC with a near-final draft of the plan a day before it was released publicly, and allowed GMCC staff to make edits to documents associated with the plan, documents obtained by Madison365 show.

PHMDC briefed other organizations including the University of Wisconsin, Madison Metropolitan School District and the United Way of Dane County on the details of the plan before it was announced, but did not solicit feedback from those organizations.

They also did not brief or seek input from elected County Board or Common Council members.

Not only were other organizations such as MMSD, United Way and UW Health not included in the drafting process, the Common Council and County Board of Supervisors and by extension the public were excluded from it as well. We were notified by press release, Alder Rebecca Kemble said in an email to Madison365.

Some elected officials said the involvement of GMCC in the crafting of the plan shows a deference to business interests on the part of PHMDC staff.

I think it shows a completely unfair influence of business and wealthy interests on policy making in Dane County, said County Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner, a member of the Health and Human Needs Committee. The stakes couldnt be higher when were talking about the health implications of peoples lives. Its very concerning.

The Forward Dane plan was essentially a business plan, lacking many elements of what a comprehensive public health plan should have contained, Kemble wrote.

Wegleitner also expressed concern that PHMDC did not consult the citys two ethnic business organizations the Latino Chamber of Commerce and Madison Black Chamber of Commerce.

Leaders of both organizations confirmed they were not briefed or consulted by PHMDC staff.

It just shows how narrow, and the lack of diversity actually involved in the decision making process, Wegleitner said. Its particularly disappointing when public health states that racial equity and social justice is a part of every aspect of their work, and theyre supposed to be a resource for the rest of the city and county when it comes to racial equity and social justice and this is the opposite, the exact opposite.

Unfortunately I dont think the county really is intentional and how they do their outreach to communities of color, said Jessica Cavazos, president of the Latino Chamber of Commerce. As an organization we constantly are trying to figure out ways to help with information in dual language and culturally appropriate outreach to reach those continually challenged by the system. Guidelines have to be made easy. And community outreach workers should go directly to those communities affected and share information on how to best operate their businesses or to give the proper resources in order to continue (to) help our hotspots how to stay safe.

Both PHMDC and GMCC staff say the GMCCs feedback did not significantly alter the core tenets of the plan, such as the metrics used to determine when the County could move to each phase of the plan or the proportion of capacity that restaurants and other businesses would be allowed to operate with under each phase of the plan.

Still, the fact that the GMCC was invited to give feedback when no other group was offered the same opportunity bothers Wegleitner.

I think top down policymaking that gives an unfair influence to moneyed interests whose first priority is not public health, but their bottom line, is going to result in bad policies because you dont have a diverse perspective in terms of setting the policies. Youre not being inclusive about who is able to give input on those policies, she said. I cant say how exactly the numbers would have been different if we were provided a more transparent, equitable and inclusive process, but certainly I think there would have had a much more input and it would have been much more fair and I expect the policies would look different.

The editing process

Multiple sources indicate that PHMDC staff briefed several groups about the details of the Forward Dane plan in early and mid-May. The briefings were given in the form of PowerPoint presentations in remote, online meetings. At that time, none of the groups were given drafts of the plan or documents associated with it.

Emails between GMCC staff and PHMDC Business Liaison Bonnie Koenig indicate that GMCC staff were briefed on the plan on Friday, May 15. GMCC President Zach Brandon told Koenig in an email that he would prefer to have been provided with a document, but that GMCC staff would provide feedback on what was presented.

The next day, Koenig emailed Brandon and GMCC Public Policy Manager Adam Barr to recap the suggestions they had made, which included, according to the email from Koenig, define capacity, expand capacity by using outdoor spaces, no more essential and non-essential, and several others.

The ideas you shared will be presented today as PHMDC continues to work towards finalizing this plan, Koenig wrote. I appreciate your willingness to partner now and into the future for getting the public health guidance to our business community. And I am grateful for all of your commitment to a safe, phased-in reopening, and agree that this needs to be balanced with supporting our economy and community confidence.

Later that day, Brandon emailed Koenig with additional suggestions, including Recommend using the ability to maintain social distancing as the metric for closed-to-the-public offices instead of capacity a piece of feedback PHMDC did not take and recommend clarifying indoor vs outdoor gathering limits and others. In that email, Brandon also wrote that it is exceedingly difficult to consider potential issues and conflicts without the actual document and access to the evolving decisions being made.

Koenig responded later that day, saying Brandons email with further suggestions arrived at the perfect time this morning during our discussions and was shared to all present. And, as you will see, many of these great insights have been incorporated to the extent possible My hope is that the final plan shares the balance of public health and our business communitys voice.

On Wednesday, May 20, Barr emailed Koenig to provide feedback on several documents intended to serve as template policies and guidelines to help businesses reopen.

Suggested edits included changing the word checklist to suggestions and removing all references to training.

In an interview, Brandon said the word training was removed because it could imply that a business was required to hire an outside trainer, rather than simply share new policies with staff.

PHMDC staff repeatedly told Madison365 that these documents are not part of the Forward Dane plan, but they are posted on the Forward Dane section of the PHMDC website. In an email to Madison365, PHMDC staff said the documents were meant to serve as template policies for businesses to safely reopen, but that businesses were welcome to create their own policy documents.

Given that we expect all businesses and workplaces in Dane County to use these documents, we were of course interested in piloting them with actual business owners and operators, PHMDC communications staff wrote.

On the evening of May 17, Koenig sent Brandon and Barr what she called an almost final draft of the Forward Dane plan. Records indicate that GMCC staff did not make any suggestions to change that document.

I think we felt like we had taken our shot, Brandon said in an interview. They didnt ask us to give inputs on the data and we (didnt).

The plan was released May 18 and Dane County began Phase One on May 26.

A United Way representative told Madison365 that United Way of Dane County was briefed on the plan but did not provide suggestions. A Madison Metropolitan School District spokesman said PHMDC and MMSD were in constant contact but he was unaware of any specific feedback given on the reopening plan. A University of Wisconsin representative told Madison365 that Chancellor Becky Blank was briefed on the plan, but was unable to say whether Blank or other university officials had offered feedback.

Its purpose is to reopen the economy

On May 28, Brandon appeared in a video conference hosted by Downtown Madison, Inc, where he said, The (Forward Dane) plan is thoughtful, and its also infinitely better than it was when it was in draft form, adding that business groups put a lot of time and effort into helping craft the plan.

He also acknowledged Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and County Executive Joe Parisi, along with PHMDC staff, who he said had the confidence to share early documents and early thinking with the business community.

I know that some elected officials have tried to twist those words and turn them into something that they certainly were not intended to (mean), Brandon said in an interview. So what I was acknowledging was that, as I would hope, the business liaison officer for public health (reached out) to us to have a conversation about the specific items that were about business reopening and how they would work and were they clear. We never changed, never had access to, the thinking or gave any input to, or made any changes, in the percentages, meaning the capacities at which businesses would be allowed to operate under the plan.

I think an important thing that not everybody grasped in the beginning and maybe dont grasp today is that Forward Dane is a reopening plan. Its purpose is to reopen the economy, he said. Thats what its designed to do. The inverse of focusing solely on public health is the lockdown. And so this is the easing of the lockdown. This is the finding that equilibrium between public health, the economy, and that confidence that I was talking about. Those three things have to stay in check in order for us to rebuild the economy and accelerate into and out of a recovery.

Brandon said GMCC was just doing its job to represent its members and the wider business community.

Our job is to represent business and, when appropriate, influence government. And even though thats our role, weve tried to do that in a way that acknowledges the importance of this moment in the role Public Health plays in keeping us safe, he said. Even when things arent clear, weve tried not to vilify them or to highlight that. Weve tried to work with them privately to say, Can we get clarification on this so that we can better help our members?

Brandon did acknowledge that the plan could have been shared more widely during the drafting process, and other groups could have been offered the chance to provide feedback, but also acknowledged that things were happening very quickly.

I think you should always be able to overshare, he said. Could it have been shared broader? I think the answer is yes, but we didnt have the mechanisms in place.I dont believe that anybody was trying to leave people out. I truly believe that there were better angels in this situation. I certainly am proud of the work that we did, but I do think that it was all done with good intentions. And I think its easy to go back and look at film and tape from the event and say, Hey, that didnt go the way it should have or could have, but we learned from it and can do better. And Im sure we can always do better. But I do believe in the better angels, its as if people are just trying to do as much as possible, as fast as possible, knowing the constraints that we all have.

Rhodes-Conway and Parisi both issued statements in response to a request for comment from Madison365.

Public Health of Madison and Dane County has done a great job under difficult circumstances building the states first public health orders on rapidly evolving science in the absence of guidance from federal and state levels, Rhodes-Conway wrote. The metrics guiding the Forward Madison plan are conservative meaning more protective of public health than others in the state. I urge other local governments in our state to adopt similar orders and make greater progress in curtailing this dangerous disease.

Parisi reiterated that PHMDC did not modify metrics or capacity requirements at the request of GMCC.

I think its worth noting that Public Health Madison/Dane County has the strictest public health guidelines in the state, he wrote. Public Health created a metrics oriented, data-driven plan in the absence of a cohesive state or frankly even federal blueprint that has left local units of government to make the choice to draft their own set of guidelines, or as we have seen in nearly every other Wisconsin County, have no restrictions at all.

After PDMDC allowed businesses to reopen under Phase One of the Forward Dane plan, and then move into Phase Two, it was forced to roll back to pre-Phase One levels on July 2 when cases in Dane County shot up in late June.

View post:

Public Health asked Chamber of Commerce to weigh in on reopening plan, angering some elected officials - madison365.com

On August 25th, 1991, Belarus declared its independence from the Soviet Union and Alexander Lukashenko a man not particularly well known to most people outside of the country until recently became its first president. This was a time of hope and promise for the people of Belarus, a move towards democracy and liberalism after years of repression. However, Mr. Lukashenko would not serve his term and pass the baton to a successor; instead, he remains in power to this day and has earned the label of Europes Last Dictator. Lukashenkos regime is currently facing the biggest protests in the history of the country, rocking the very foundations of his almost 3-decade old regime. The world looks on wondering if Lukashenkos time is up or whether he will be able to hold his dictatorship in place.

Just 10 days after the August 9th presidential election, Lukashenko has found himself on the ropes. The protests initially began as a backlash against what many claim to be a rigged election in which he claimed to have won 80% of the vote, while opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who was widely regarded as very popular received only 10% and then had to flee the country. The movement soon morphed into something much bigger than just a reactionary spate of anger, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 people demonstrating in Minsk last Sunday, the largest in the independent history of Belarus.

The protests took the Lukashenko regime by surprise and spread across the country even drawing factory workers to join the protests. Nick Kaeshko, an accredited independent election observer during the election, who witnessed the voter fraud first-hand described the protests as decentralized functioning as a grassroots movement led by individuals and small communities. The atmosphere in Minsk was one of hope for the future as Lukashenko was seemingly at the mercy of those whom he had oppressed for almost 3 decades.

The Lukashenko administration reacted violently claiming to have imprisoned over 7000 protestors whilst attempting to discredit the demonstrators as foreign agents. Reports of torture and abuse by the authorities spread quickly and many protesters have simply disappeared at the hands of the national guard. The violent clampdown initially failed to have the desired effect, and more people were driven into the streets by the horrific images of beaten and abused protestors that flooded social media and the international press. Despite the initial success of the demonstrators, there appears to be a shifting of the tide in favour of Lukashenko and his allies.

The government has successfully forced many of the factory workers back into line by threatening them with criminal punishments. As a result, they are more or less back to business as usual. The general population has suffered some morale loss as protestors have been relentlessly attacked by the national guard, loved ones have gone missing and the government has introduced martial law in all but name. The uprising now appears to be at a crossroads, as momentum slows and the government regains an element of control over the situation. Lukashenko hopes that the local population can be demoralized enough to stop major marches whilst the international community and press lose interest, thus preventing further international backlash against him and his government.

The European Union and the international community as a whole must use the powers they have at their disposal to support the people calling for their basic human rights: to freely elect those who decide the fate of their country. The EU has already responded to the situation by sanctioning members of the regime and refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the election. Thierry Breton, the EU Industry Commissioner, stated that It is clear that (the outcome of the Belarus presidential election) is not in line with the wish of the people, there has been unacceptable violence, and the rule of law is not respected. This pressure must be maintained by Europe in order to remind Lukashenko that what has happened will not be forgotten and that democratic world stands behind the demonstrators.

Furthermore, the inevitable role that Russian President Vladimir Putin plays and will continue to play in Belarusian politics must be recognized. Lukashenko pleaded for help from Putin as the gravity of his situation began to set in. Artysom Shraybman, a Minks-based political analyst, explained that Russia has agreed to intervene only if there is clear foreign aggression. Furthermore, Aleksandr Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Centre has pointed out that Putin intervening without support from the local population would be potentially disastrous for the Kremlin. As a result, Lukashenko is alone, condemned in the west by the EU and put on hold by his only powerful friend in the East. The European Union must maintain a dialogue with the Kremlin and make it abundantly clear that any intervention like what was seen in Ukraine will be punished severely. Lukashenko must be kept in isolation both from his allies and his foes.

The August 9th election bought members from all across Belarusian society together to fight for their freedom and justice in the face of a brutal leader, and now the fate of Lukashenko hangs in the balance. The intentional community and every person that believes in the basic human right to freedom must not let Lukashenko believe that he can continue to abuse his powers without reprisal. Ultimately, his fate will be decided by the people of Belarus and their will to fight for their freedom. This historic moment in Belaruss history will either be looked back on as the moment a dictator was almost removed or as the moment that the calls for freedom and progress were too loud even for a dictator as brutal and well established as Alexander Lukashenko.

Graduate in Politics and History interested primarily in the European Union, East Asian development, and the connection between conflict in the MENA region and the refugee crisis in Europe.

Related

More here:

The People Of Belarus Are Rising Up Against 'Europe's Last Dictator'. But Is The Tide Turning Against Them? - The Organization for World Peace

In the midst of Omaha's predominantly Black community, sits the Center for Holistic Development. Inside the mental health care service you'll find Doris Moore, founder and certified professional counselor. Doris said opening her doors specifically in North Omaha was intentional. "I recognized that there were behavioral health services being provided but none that really addressed the needs of the African-American community," said Moore.Moore has offered mental healing for nearly 20 years, her nonprofit organization serves everyone, but especially her nearby neighbors who are mainly people of color. "As an African-American, we have so much trauma in our history," said Moore. "We have racism that is a trauma within itself that has gone so unrecognized by everybody for the most part."With painful images of police brutality flooding social media, protests erupting across the nation and people of color facing COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate; some would think the Black community would be seeking out mental health resources, but the numbers show they are not. According to the American Psychological Association, only 1 in 3 African-Americans who need mental healthcare will actually receive it. The most recent numbers show that of more than 32,000 Nebraskans seeking community based services, just 8% were Black and 72% were white. One reason behind the lack of Black people seeking out mental health services could relate to the minuscule of Black people in the mental health workforce.According to the American Psychological Association, Black people make up 4% of the US psychological workforce. This lack of diversity leads many individuals in the Black community turning to church for assistance. Donna Stewart, a licensed psychological for Boystown Behavior Health is included in the 4%. "Pastors are called to preach," said Stewart. "I feel like being a psychologist was actually on a calling on my life from God."Stewart works in Boystown's South and North Omaha offices, mainly serving the Black and brown communities in each neighborhood. The psychologist says her goal is to destroy the stigma of therapy and relate to her clients.When asked what is the "stigma" associated with therapy, Stewart responded saying, "There's the stigma of, lack of a better word, appearing as if you're 'crazy'," said Stewart. "A stigma as if there's something seriously wrong with you."Both Stewart and Moore say representation in mental services is imperative, and it reminds clients that their counselor can relate to them and opens the door for healing."I can move much faster in a therapeutic situation, knowing that, that person working with me has some level of understanding of what background I come from, and what my environment is like," said Moore. "I have people that say if they had known therapy was this easy from the standpoint of engaging, then they would've come a long time ago."

In the midst of Omaha's predominantly Black community, sits the Center for Holistic Development. Inside the mental health care service you'll find Doris Moore, founder and certified professional counselor. Doris said opening her doors specifically in North Omaha was intentional.

"I recognized that there were behavioral health services being provided but none that really addressed the needs of the African-American community," said Moore.

Moore has offered mental healing for nearly 20 years, her nonprofit organization serves everyone, but especially her nearby neighbors who are mainly people of color.

"As an African-American, we have so much trauma in our history," said Moore. "We have racism that is a trauma within itself that has gone so unrecognized by everybody for the most part."

With painful images of police brutality flooding social media, protests erupting across the nation and people of color facing COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate; some would think the Black community would be seeking out mental health resources, but the numbers show they are not.

According to the American Psychological Association, only 1 in 3 African-Americans who need mental healthcare will actually receive it. The most recent numbers show that of more than 32,000 Nebraskans seeking community based services, just 8% were Black and 72% were white.

One reason behind the lack of Black people seeking out mental health services could relate to the minuscule of Black people in the mental health workforce.

According to the American Psychological Association, Black people make up 4% of the US psychological workforce.

This lack of diversity leads many individuals in the Black community turning to church for assistance. Donna Stewart, a licensed psychological for Boystown Behavior Health is included in the 4%.

"Pastors are called to preach," said Stewart. "I feel like being a psychologist was actually on a calling on my life from God."

Stewart works in Boystown's South and North Omaha offices, mainly serving the Black and brown communities in each neighborhood. The psychologist says her goal is to destroy the stigma of therapy and relate to her clients.

When asked what is the "stigma" associated with therapy, Stewart responded saying, "There's the stigma of, lack of a better word, appearing as if you're 'crazy'," said Stewart. "A stigma as if there's something seriously wrong with you."

Both Stewart and Moore say representation in mental services is imperative, and it reminds clients that their counselor can relate to them and opens the door for healing.

"I can move much faster in a therapeutic situation, knowing that, that person working with me has some level of understanding of what background I come from, and what my environment is like," said Moore. "I have people that say if they had known therapy was this easy from the standpoint of engaging, then they would've come a long time ago."

More here:

'We have so much trauma in our history': The need for diversity in mental health services - KETV Omaha

Weve all seen an image that says more to us than words could. Images and videos can invite you to read more when theyre bright, fun and interesting, but they can also be humbling, powerful and moving. They can add humanity and intimacy to a story when words allow comfortable distance. Intentional visuals and layout add movement, depth and intrigue to a story that words cant always capture, and the visual and layout desks want to help you see the full picture.

The visual staff consists of photographers, videographers and illustrators of all experience levels and interests, and its our responsibility to document all types of events around campus and provide a visual for every story. Weve been dedicated to covering sports, protests, cultural events, everyday life and political candidates in Oakland and the wider City area. None of us know exactly what this year is going to look like but we do know that we will continue to show you an up-close view of whatever goes on in and around Pitt.

Sarah Cutshall, Visual Editor

Im Sarah Cutshall, a senior environmental science major aiming to complete both the sustainability and public communication of science and technology certificates, and this will be my third year as the visual editor. Ive been with The Pitt News since my first semester, when I joined as a photographer.

I am thankful that The Pitt News has given me a reason to get out into the community and experience local issues firsthand. After I graduate, I hope to be involved in science communication and sustainability to broaden public understanding of our planet to somehow make the world a better place. I have a deep appreciation for the Pitt and Pittsburgh communities, for our environment, for my friends and for my houseplants.

Kaycee Orwig, Assistant Visual Editor

My name is Kaycee Orwig, and Im a junior film and media studies major with a minor in studio arts. I am so excited to be the new assistant visuals editor this year. I fell in love with photography in sixth grade, so when I got to Pitt I knew I had to put my passion to use somewhere. That place ended up being The Pitt News. I look back on those two years and realize how much my visuals editors taught me and how working for The Pitt News has helped me to realize my dreams of taking photojournalism into my career. I hope to do the same for the artists that are now on my staff, as they start where I was two years ago. Upon graduation in two years, I hope to do media production work for college and professional athletics or to continue working as a photojournalist.

Nathaniel Kohler, Assistant Visual Editor for multimedia

Im Nathaniel Kohler, a junior film and media studies major and the new multimedia editor. Ive been creating film and video for about a decade and have always had an interest in current events and how they impact my community. I couldnt be more excited to put my time and effort into informing the community through such an accessible medium like video. This is especially critical during a time in which being informed has never been more important. With The Pitt News putting more emphasis on our digital content, I hope to add yet another layer to the fantastic journalism this vital organization produces on a daily basis.

Maria Doku, Layout Editor

Im Maria Doku, a senior architecture major and the new layout editor. Ive been a part of The Pitt News since my sophomore year as a staff graphic artist. I have always been interested in news production, and it has been a great experience watching and working alongside other roles within The Pitt News. As an architecture major, I enjoyed applying design skills in my work as a staff graphic artist, and I am looking forward to continuing this process as layout editor.

Upon graduation, I will attend graduate school for architectural computation. As a grad student, I hope to join a student-led news organization such as The Pitt News, as the organization has provided me with such a great learning experience through both community engagement and insight on the operations of a news organization.

Read more:

Meet the Editors: Visuals and Layout - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

"I'm so bored."

"I hate feeling so alone."

"I'm just a burden."

My students shared how hard it was to persevere through this spring semester, nearly derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. My heart grew heavy hearing their stories, especially as mental illness took its toll on my students' well-being.

Now, as we begin a new school year, we face the challenges of coping with and preventing the spread of the virus as well as how to effectively engage young people if we're not cultivating rapport, respect and co-responsibility together in the classroom.

While matters of public health and academic quality are undoubtedly critical, I wonder if we're spending enough time improving our response to the mental health needs of our students. Competing for our attention amid concerns about student retention, revenue loss and pedagogical efficiency is a mental health crisis that has been simmering for years and is now threatening to boil over.

In her book iGen, psychologist Jean Twenge describes a "sudden, cataclysmic shift downward in life satisfaction" among young people. She warns this is "only the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to a mental health crisis made worse by screens that leave many young adults feeling more anxious, depressed and lonely.

As studies continue to show causative links between time spent using social media and higher rates of mental distress and social isolation, we have to find a way to interrupt the cycle of dependence on digital tools, which is especially challenging during stay-at-home orders and remote learning.

Reports like this one from the Council on Foreign Relations show that COVID-19 lockdowns have resulted in increased incidents of domestic violence and child abuse in many homes. There is preliminary evidence to suggest mental health is also worsening. Being sent home from school and work, displaced from places that give us a sense of meaning and purpose, disconnected from friends and colleagues, and wrestling with demoralizing questions about employment, risks of illness and death, access to health care and looming financial uncertainty have produced immense pressure, fatigue and fear.

This heightened level of stress burdens the mind and body with an extra "allostatic load" putting us on high alert, making it harder to get restful sleep, training us to be overly sensitive to external stimuli, imposing intrusive thoughts, and increasing feelings of numbness, detachment, depression, reluctance to contemplate the future and a higher likelihood of abusing alcohol and drugs.

Because people of color and those with lower economic security face discrimination and deprivation in access to healthcare, their allostatic load is even higher, causing even poorer mental health and compounding comorbidities, one reason for the disproportionately high numbers of illness and death in communities of color due to COVID-19.

The need to access safe and supportive spaces, consistent and nutritious meals, as well as resources to cope with physical, emotional and sexual abuse are some reasons why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that school-age-children return to classrooms this fall.

I am not arguing for in-person education in the fall. In the absence of a vaccine and without guarantees about universal compliance to wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing and other safety measures, students, staff, faculty, administrators and our friends and family will be at risk not only of contracting the virus, but also long-term health effects including damage to the lungs, heart, brain and immune system.

The essential question we need to ask ourselves as educators and members of Catholic institutions is how can we best encounter, accompany and empower our students in the midst of this crisis?

While it is true that lockdown and physical distancing have given us more time for solitude and silence, and some people have used this time for spiritual growth, self-care and being more intentional about their attachments in and beyond the home, others have been harried by trying to balance the demands of work and family at the same time and in the same space.

For many, extra family time has been a boon and blessing. For others, it has exposed old wounds and inflicted new ones. Our task is to tend to these wounds and seek new strategies for healing and prevention. This requires a collective effort spanning individuals and institutions oriented toward mercy, generosity and solidarity.

This requires much more than getting students to "mask up" or stay a safe distance apart; it also means being more attentive and responsive to our mental and emotional needs. We respond to and are shaped by our environments so if we teach in person, the extra spacing and layers of protection will make it harder to build a shared sense of rapport, respect and co-responsibility.

It is no small task to get to know people and build a sense of trust when half our faces are covered. If some students are present and others are tuning in through a screen, it will be even more difficult to cultivate the vulnerability and authenticity necessary for sharing honest reflections, tentative claims, clarifying questions, bold analysis and creative ideas for application.

If our only connection is through a screen, it is impossible see each other as whole persons, read body language (since a good deal of communication is nonverbal), respond spontaneously, and feel enough safety and trust to push the boundaries of our insights, inquiry and imagination.

Even while we rely on digital technologies to connect us, they are in many cases an impoverished if not exhausting experience of what it means to be human. And too many of us remain inattentive to the moral impact of spending so much time with our screens.

True, there are apps that can help us create consistent habits for self-care and mental health. FaceTime and Zoom can be helpful for connecting with others across distance, also serving as tools to facilitate regular check-ins with trained experts and peer mentoring programs. Surely many schools have created lists of available resources for students to access, but this assumes students will take the initiative to seek out assistance.

When we leave matters to individual choice to opt in or opt out, too many people get left out. If a student feels embarrassed or like an odd outlier or even worse, a burden or a failure he or she may suffer alone rather than reach out.

Formation happens more through relationships than individual dispositions or actions; we are what we repeatedly do together. For this reason, we have to be intentional about integrating self-care and mental health into our relationships as families, friends and communities for work, school or worship.

By leveraging existing networks as communities of practice, we can show that mental health is a priority by how we talk about mental health (as essential to everyone's health and wellbeing, not just an issue for those with a mental health condition), how we order our day (making time for prayer, reflection or meditation) and how we check in with each other (beyond "How are you?" and the trite "busy" or "fine" responses).

These are first steps toward building a culture of holistic health and well-being.

Beyond the personal and interpersonal levels, our institutions have to help us balance the demands of work and family life. Our government issued half a trillion dollars in aid to U.S. corporations but has yet to provide enough financial support to high schools and colleges trying to recover lost revenue from the spring, much less deal with whatever happens this fall.

Education is less about accessing knowledge than a process of reflection, analysis and application of learning in self-actualization. This happens through encountering texts and other learners, being in conversation together and developing relationships that make us more fully human.

Regardless of if or for how long we can open schools for in-person education, we will have to find new ways to relate through a screen so that our time together communicates not just support or accountability but an unceasing reminder to each and all: You matter, you belong and you are never a burden.

More than providing access to resources, we will have to be partners in creating campus cultures that welcome, affirm and empower.

[Marcus Mescher is associate professor of Christian ethics at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He specializes in Catholic social teaching and moral formation. His first book, The Ethics of Encounter: Christian Neighbor Love as a Practice of Solidarity, was published earlier this year by Orbis.]

See the original post here:

Creating campus cultures that welcome, even virtually, during the pandemic - National Catholic Reporter

From 18th century pirates to Occupy City Hall, the secret history of autonomous zones can help us envision what a cop-free world looks like

In his 1981 novel Cities of the Red Night, William S. Burroughs imagines an alternate history where the free pirate colony Libertatia lives on. According to legend, Libertatia was formed in late 17th century Madagascar under the leadership of Captain James Misson, a French-born pirate known for freeing slaves from captured ships. Opposed to the authoritarian social constructs of the day, Mission endeavored to create a utopian society where all colors, creeds, and beliefs could live freely; under his guidance, the pirates of Libertatia advocated against all monarchies, slavery and capital. While most modern scholars now agree that this version of Libertatia is probably fictionalized, secret islands once used for supply purposes did become home to pirate settlements in the 18th century where buccaneers, renegades, and freed slaves were thought to have established their own proto-anarchist society outside of government control.

The temporary autonomous zone, or TAZ, developed out of a historical review of these pirate utopias and went on to become a cornerstone of 19th century anarchist philosophy. Recently, autonomous zones have consumed the public imagination as police violently crack down on Black Lives Matter protests in major cities across America. In Seattle, protestors established a Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHOP) thats still affectionatelyor dismissively, depending on who youre talking tocalled The CHAZ; a cop-free, self-governing stretch of pavement mere feet from a police precinct. In nearby Portland, Oregon, a TAZ was set up across the street from federal Pioneer Courthouse, and was just as quickly shut down by authorities. New Yorks Occupy City Hall was originally intended as a call for defunding the NYPD by applying pressure to the City Council Budgetin the days leading up to the vote, hundreds of volunteers could be seen creating protest signs, making public art, dancing, and playing music in the crowded plaza. Protesters in Washington D.C. set up camp about a block north of the White House, erecting barricades tagged The Black House.

History is peppered with experiments in autonomous livingbut unlike the intentional communities seeking freedom at societys fringes, the TAZ often takes root at the heart of the dominant power structure and becomes a site of collective political response. As calls to abolish the police amplify and protest zones evolve into self-governing communities, its clear that Americans are fed up with the current system. The autonomous zones springing to life in major cities across the US are not experiments in perfecting a new way of living, but in showing us that an alternative way is possible.

Coined in 1990 by anarchist intellectual Hakim Bey (real name: Peter Lamborn Wilson), the term temporary autonomous zone refers broadly to the practice of eluding formal power structures using a combination of psychological liberation and socio-political tactics. As Bey explains in his radical manifesto of the same name, the purpose of the TAZ is to allow a group to experience a temporary utopian situation where individuals can operate outside the hierarchy of the governing body and achieve a level of absolute autonomy which can then be aspired to in day-to-day life. To this end, Beys definition of a TAZ is intentionally porous: it can be an art commune or a squat, a religious sect or a rave, as long as the principles conducive of the TAZ are embodied in the experience of free, unmediated human interaction outside the structures of State power. While the psychological autonomy and drive to mutual aid associated with TAZ could be considered an psycho-spiritual state or even an existential condition, Bey also emphasizes the need for it to manifest as a physical, geographic eventeven if only for a matter of hours, minutes, or days.

Protestors covered the plaza in art and protest signs, established a communal library, set up food services and meditation zones, and provided meals for the homeless.

For autonomous zones arising out of direct action, this limited lifespan is often the consequence of the physical proximity to the power structure theyre protesting. Perhaps the most well-known example of the protest-turned-TAZ is Occupy Wall Street, a movement which began in 2011 when protestors occupied New Yorks Zuccotti Park, located in the Financial District, in protest of economic inequality. The Occupy movement soon gained nationwide traction, with protestors setting up camp outside powerful political institutions to make their demands heard. Such is the case with New Yorks Occupy City Hall (later renamed Abolition Park), a 24/7 encampment established in downtown Manhattan with the goal of drawing national attention to the citys police budget. The movement soon took on a life of its own, with the encampment becoming a something of the de facto ground zero for Black Lives Matter protests in New York. At its peak, thousands of people crowded the plaza to watch the City Council vote; in the week prior, protestors covered the plaza in art and protest signs, established a communal library, set up food services and meditation zones, and provided meals for the homeless.

After the vote was released, life at the camp persisted, albeit with much smaller numbers. Protestors who remained expressed disappointment with the City Councils decision to shift only $1 billion from the police budget, viewing it as a smoke-and-mirrors trick that didnt reflect a meaningful shift in the nature of policing. Vocal-NY, the grass-roots group that had spearheaded the initial occupation, stepped back in the days following the vote, passing off food operations to another grass-roots organization, NYC Marchers.

I stayed on [at Occupy] because I dont feel we have accomplished our goal, said Randy Williams, a 38-year-old organizer with NYC Marchers who was among the hundred or so people still living at the space. I think the original objective of Occupy was too limited. The real goal is to tear down the system as a whole and restructure it from the ground up. There is no reforming the police, because the foundation will always be there.

What was successful about Occupy City Hall, Randy said, was the sense of community created at the encampment. It turned into one giant family where all races, all genders, all people from all different sorts of sexual orientations came together. Everyone helped each other. Everyone looked out for each other.

Frantzy Luzincourt, a 21-year-old organizer with Strategy for Black Lives, echoed this sentiment. It was almost a utopia; everything that was needed was available to everyone despite their socioeconomic status or background, he said in an email to Document. And all of the necessities were provided by the public. It demonstrated the potential we have as a society.

I think the original objective of Occupy was too limited. The real goal is to tear down the system as a whole and restructure it from the ground up. There is no reforming the police, because the foundation will always be there.

This ability to access a different mode of existence outside of the imposed power structure is one of the chief benefits autonomous zones can provide. The Temporary Autonomous Zone is not an exclusive end in itself, replacing all other forms of organization, tactics, and goals, Bey writes. Instead, he sees the TAZ as an opportunity to experience the enhanced quality of life associated with an uprising: a brief glimpse at the post-revolution utopia, without the violent backlash that often follows direct confrontation with the State.

But its hardly revolutionary cosplay; autonomous zones can play a concrete role in resisting authoritarianism, both by educating the uninformed and by providing a physical space for like-minded individuals to gather for direct actions. The public performance of a TAZ and the media attention that often accompanies it can serve to amplify the groups demands, launching the cause it sprang from into the spotlight.

In Guy Debords treatise The Society of the Spectacle, he describes the process by which rebellion is transformed into a product. Modern conditions of production prevail, all of life [presenting] itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.

This phenomenon is evident in the sudden uptick of brand activism in the US. As protests continue to sweep our nation, US civil rights groups have received a surge of pledges from corporations such as Walmart, Nike, and Sony Music totaling more than $450 million. This introduction of corporate wealth introduces concerns about the co-opting of radical movements by the establishment, which can then limit the groups ambition and maintain the status quo by channeling their demands for structural reform into more incremental change.

If all revolutions are bound to be absorbed back into the dominant power structure, the momentary nature of the TAZ is its best defense: it is an uprising that exists only in infancy, a poetic dream that evades the mechanism of State power through the tactic of disappearance. Bey views this quality of invisibility as a strength, asserting that the TAZ exists not only beyond control but also beyond definition, beyond gazing and naming as acts of enslaving, beyond the understanding of the State, beyond the States ability to see The State cannot recognize [the TAZ] because history has no definition of it the TAZ is a perfect tactic for an era in which the State is omnipresent and all-powerful.

In spite of this, some autonomous zones do crystallize into something more long-term, necessitating the advent of a new term, PAZ. One such example is Dial House, a self-sustaining anarchist-pacifist community located in rural Essex. Since the bohemian enclave was established in 1967 by artist, writer, and philosopher Penny Rimbaud, it has come to function as the base for cultural, artistic, and political projects ranging from avant-garde jazz events to Rimbauds anarcho-punk band Crass. The longevity of the creative community can, in part, be attributed to its more abstract relationship with protest; though Crass and Dial House both stand in broad opposition to war, religion, consumerism, and other negative aspects of mainstream culture, there is little that would provoke direct confrontation with the State. With this stability comes a note of compromise: though its impact may be felt, the permanent autonomous community must inevitably compromise some freedom to operate within the dominant power structure.

New York Citys autonomous zone came to an abrupt end on July 22, when cops showed up in riot gear and shut down the encampment without any warning. Abolition Park had been experiencing growing pains in the weeks prior, with residents seeking to square their differing motives for staying on after the vote. The remaining protesters aimed to refocus the conversation on abolition instead of police reform, but didnt have a concrete demand in sight; at the same time, many felt a duty to care for homeless individuals, who had come to rely on the encampment as a source of food, safety, and makeshift social services. The organizers remained optimistic about the camps potential, despite reports of squabbles and infighting among its residents; in its final days, they were making plans to revitalize the space with more sustainable infrastructure and cultural programming in the hopes that it would become a space for protestors to rest and recalibrate before getting back to the street, as journalist Michelle Lhooq observed in Rave New World, her newsletter on the intersection of politics, drugs and nightlife.

Before the encampment was shut down, Lhooq had been making plans to organize a protest-rave at Abolition Park to promote community healing and combat burnout. New York has been simmering in the summer heat like a pressure cooker, writes Lhooq. Communities have been splintered by tribalist feuds and social media warfare, crime rates are soaring, and after months of lockdown surrounded by a suffocating fog of darkness and death, New Yorkers are more on edge than ever. When that zone got abruptly shut down by NYPD, the idea shifted towards a community healing action Something to help us to recharge, and keep up the fight.

After careful deliberation, Lhooq teamed up with a group of activists, DJs, and rave crews to establish a therapeutic TAZ in a park in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. My experiences at no-cop autonomous zones showed me how these healing safe spaces are where trauma from social oppression can be purged without fear. At the same time, I knew that this concept had to be approached cautiously: it had to be politically engaged and purposeful, rather than an excuse for druggie hedonism, she told Document over email.

On August 8, activists gathered at Herbert Von King park to share knowledge, engage in healing rituals, and dance to live music; masks and social distancing were respectfully enforced, and people were asked to leave all non plant-based substances at home. It was, in other words, more harmless than the average house partybut thats not always enough to prevent a disproportionate crackdown from the State.

Nonviolent resistance has long been a feature of revolutionary social movements, from Mahatma Gandhis Indian Independence Movement to the clapping protests organized in Belarus. Anti-authoritarian groups like the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army explicitly leverage comically non-violent tactics to challenge the preconceptions of radical activists. But even this isnt always enough to prevent the use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators; in 2011, cops were seen body-slamming protestors for dancing inside the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in D.C. after a federal court decision declared it illegal.

Autonomous zones are accelerants to the causes they spring fromThey function as microcosms of a radical future that many are currently debating.

Because of their inherent subversion [of] the status quo, TAZs are seen as major threats to the power of the State, which is why they are shut down with such a disproportionate show of force every time, Lhooq told Document. Autonomous zones are accelerants to the causes they spring from. People who enter these spaces are quickly radicalized, and are able to both envision and literally embody a new vision of a cop-free society. The intense media scrutiny on these zones hijacks the attention economy and brings these questions and complications to the foreground They function as microcosms of a radical future that many are currently debating.

The sudden death of an autonomous zone doesnt indicate its failure, but its scope: the TAZ, as Bey describes it, is almost impossibly ambitious. To defy the state in its own backyard is a larger-than-life gesture of protest against a system that isnt working, not a perfect blueprint for its replacement. Instead of expecting the temporary autonomous zone to enact a utopian ideal of self-governance, we should embrace the function they provide: a chance for everyday Americans to visualize a better system, while fighting to improve the current one. As Oscar Wilde wrote in 1891, A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realization of utopias.

Excerpt from:

Better living through anarchy: Tracking the rise of the temporary autonomous zone - Document Journal

Technology assisted contact tracing (TACT), including contact tracing apps, have quickly become a component in many organizations and communities plans to combat COVID-19. Just as quickly as TACT entered the conversation, so did privacy concerns. In the haste to implement TACT solutions, there are concerns that TACT systems are not being narrowly tailored to achieve the goals of contact tracing, and that broader TACT operations may create unnecessary vulnerabilities to users privacy. The Country of Norway dealt with these privacy issues head-on when the countys data protection authority raised these tailoring concerns in June, determining that the app proposed a disproportionate threat to user privacy and requiring the country to entirely halt use of its nationwide contact tracing app.

It is not just privacy watchdogs who are policing the use of TACT and its privacy implications. The individual users and potential users have enormous influence over the effectiveness of TACT. Widespread adoption is crucial for the success of a TACT system, with some studies suggesting that 60% of a population would need to install and use a contact tracing app to effectively slow the spread. However, consumers privacy concerns can be a heavy barrier to adoption. TACT requires collection not only of static personal data about users, but also (depending on the particular technology used) locations, movements, and relationships between users. Privacy conscious consumers are particularly sensitive to location tracking, and many will not participate in a TACT system they do not trust to protect such personal and vulnerable data. This may be particularly true in the United States, where there is no national or uniform set of laws regulating how personal information may be collected or used by TACT systems.

While TACT systems by nature need to collect personal data about their users, there are technical and administrative safeguards TACT system vendors and authorities can take to assuage user concerns and reduce privacy risks to build the trust in the system that its requires to succeed. Norways fraught implementation outlines some of the privacy implications and risks associated with TACT that users are wary of, and those protective measures that organizations and communities should consider implementing in connection with any TACT system to help mitigate those vulnerabilities and protect user privacy.

A common concern raised by privacy experts and consumers alike is the scope of data being collected by TACT systems, with location data being a particular point of concern. Location data raises special privacy concerns not only because it is often difficult or impossible to anonymize with the potential to reveal detailed personal information (even without intentional use of names) about a users movements and associations, but also because it is not actually necessary for effective contact tracing. Norways contact tracing app collected location data, contributing to the national data protection authoritys determination that the app collected and stored more data than necessary to achieve its contact tracing purposes. Effective contact tracing typically identifies whether two users have been in close contact, not where they met. TACT systems like Apple-Googles joint solution use Bluetooth technology, measuring the strength of Bluetooth signal between the two users devices to determine whether two users have come in close contact with each other, to track potential contact between users without having to track their locations.

Another privacy concern raised by privacy experts, and cited by Norways data protection authority in its suspension of the nations contact tracing app, is the centralization of data collected through TACT. This become especially concerning for users when TACT data is centralized in the control of an authoritative entity like a government, employer or university, which may have particular power over the individual. Further, centralization, even in the hands of a good actor, makes data more vulnerable to attack by bad actors, as it creates one point of access, allowing the breach of a single source to result in the data of all users being compromised. TACT systems like the Apple-Google joint solution rely on minimal centralization, storing data collected through the solution locally on user devices until and unless a user voluntarily elects to push information, i.e. to report a positive test result, out to a central authority. This decentralized approach gives users more control over the use of their information, and reduces the risk of wide-reaching breach or abuse.

A lack of clarity as to how data is being collected through TACT systems will be used was the final nail in the coffin for Norways national contact tracking app, with the nations data protection authority citing the ambiguity as yet another concern resulting in its suspension of the app. Clarity as to use of the TACT data may be of particular importance in the United States, since there is no central privacy scheme guaranteeing protections for users or outlining permissible use of such information. This creates uncertainty both for individuals, who cannot be sure of what privacy rights or protections they may have, if any, with respect to their TACT data, and organizations and governmental authorities looking to implement TACT systems, who cannot be sure whether their use of the data may violate some component of the United States decentralized web of privacy regulations.

TACT system vendors and designers, as well as organizations and authorities looking to implement TACT systems, may want to take a cue from Apple and Google, who have publically committed to minimizing data used by their joint solution and to not monetizing the project. This kind of transparency and limitation on usage to the minimum necessary for contact tracing may both help build trust in users and reduce the risk of an entitys use of data running afoul of privacy regulation.

With the power to collect and use vital personal information of their users, contact tracing apps are a double edged sword in the fight against COVID-19, as the same data that can reduce a communitys vulnerability to the virus can increase the data subjects vulnerability to privacy violations. The information collected by TACT is not just protected as personal information, like health status and personal health information, but is also the type of information particularly vulnerable to abuse and stigmatization. Contact tracing app providers and technology vendors providing the foundational technology systems and services should be transparent about their privacy and data collection practices, and should commit to restricting their use of the data for contact tracing purposes. Organizational users, like governments, employers and universities implementing TACT systems should make similar commitments to limited use and transparency to reduce the risk of privacy violations and establish trust with users to encourage the pervasive use of the system required for it to be effective.

[View source.]

Read more:

Privacy Risks and Implications of Contact Tracing Apps and Related Technologies - JD Supra

Although fall 2020 enrollment remained steady compared to last falls numbers, Black student registration decreased with other minority groups conversely increasing. ORACLE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

Since the pandemic began, many have been confronted with challenges concerns over employment, finances and a shift into a remote world but at USF, enrollment numbers on the first day of fall 2020 classes remained relatively the same as they were last year.

Provost Ralph Wilcox on Tuesday presented to the USF Board of Trustees (BOT) an update for the 2020 summer and fall semesters, and total enrollment was encouraging 50,404 students across all three campuses, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, on the first day of fall classes.

[First-day enrollment] is quite remarkably 99 percent of the planned enrollment that [the BOT] approved, way back as part of our 2020 Accountability Plan, Wilcox said.

There are 288 fewer students enrolled at USF than there were last year at this time, according to Wilcox. This makes enrollment down less than 1 percent of the BOTs planned enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students from the 2020 Accountability Plan.

Were off to a pretty good start, said Wilcox. With an overall 3.1 percent increase with enrollment for summer plus fall, year over year and all of this in the midst of challenges that weve just never faced before.

Despite enrollment being down less than 1 percent, student credit hours are up nearly 1 percent, according to Wilcox.

The 2020 freshman class, which includes incoming students for the summer and fall semesters, also is the highest-achieving freshman class in USF history with an average Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) score of 1,312 and an average high school GPA of 4.18. For last years freshman class, the average was a 1,285 SAT score and 4.13 GPA.

Of course, our performance on the Tampa campus of 1,312 and 4.18 exceeds our goal for this year and, by a long stretch, it eclipses the statewide benchmark of 1,200 and 4.0 set for preeminence, said Wilcox. In fact, all three campuses exceed that preeminence benchmark.

The demographics of the 2020 enrollment numbers were also a part of Wilcoxs presentation, with enrollment for Black students having decreased compared to other minority groups on campus, which have increased, including those who identify as multiracial.

Overall we have a lot of work to do to impress a declining proportion of Black students enrolled at the University of South Florida thats down 4.3 percent from the total student population, said Wilcox.

Recruitment of Black students was also discussed in the presentation of the 2018-2019 Equity Report by Associate Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (DIEO) Cecil Howard and Vice President of Institutional Equity Haywood Brown.

Its no question that were stuck in a sustainable level of both Black students and white students and thats likely not to get any better without some intentional strategies, said Brown. So our goal is to be a little more intentional in our recruitment when it comes to Black students and brown students for that matter.

The DIEO has been working on creating relationships with local high schools in the area as a part of its recruitment efforts to increase Black enrollment. However, these recruitment efforts can be competitive as USF has to prove itself among other universities in and out of state that are also recruiting in the Tampa Bay area, according to Brown.

We need to be better known as a [university] if we are going to be able to get to those goals, said Brown.

The DIEO has also been working with USF alumni in their recruitment efforts through the Black Leadership Network, a partnership-based group focused on enhancing the educational and leadership opportunities of USF African American students and African American student initiatives through the support of scholarships and programmatic initiatives throughout USF and in our communities, according to the USF Foundation website.

This is what its going to take, its going to take our students and alumni to help us to get out there to do a better job with fewer resources, as we engage, said Brown. I will tell you that were engaging, you know, at the ninth- and 10th-grade level. Were going to have to start engaging at sixth- and seventh- and eighth-grade level.

We have to get there a little earlier and have South Florida be a partner with these school systems.

Brown is also recommending more resources for recruitment to reconcile disparities in representation at the faculty level.

Theyre not the worst numbers around, let me just say that, but we do believe this is room for opportunity, said Howard, regarding the demographic numbers for USF faculty.

Other plans are also in the works by the DIEO to develop a more diverse faculty at USF. As of right now, 65.38 percent of faculty are white.

As far as faculty is concerned, were already engaged in various programs that Dr. Wilcox can tell you about, Brown said. As far as graduate students are concerned, bringing in a more diverse group of graduate students, and creating a pipeline program so those graduate students become faculty, and those faculty become leaders.

These are absolutely active conversations.

While there are plans to make up for where USF is lacking in reaching its diversity objectives, there may be some achievements for the university coming soon in other ways.

We are organically moving toward becoming a Hispanic-serving institution, said Howard. We will reach that once we reach a number of 25 percent full-time [Hispanic] undergraduate students.

The Hispanic student population at USF has been growing since 2013 and made up 21 percent of the undergraduate student population in 2019.

USF also has the greatest population of Hispanic and Asian students compared to UF and FSU Floridas other preeminent universities. It has the second-highest percentage of Black students behind FSU.

But Howard made sure not to let the presentation of the information serve as a moment of complacency.

My caution to us is that we not rest on our laurels because we are outperforming our peers, but instead see how effective we can be at intentionally moving forward to increasing where we are, said Howard.

It was even suggested that USF change the way it measures its success, and broaden its comparisons in diversity to universities across the nation.

We know that were for the most part doing better than the other two preeminent universities, but we need to benchmark against the 36 public AAU institutions, and the 93 Research 1 public institutions across the nation, said Wilcox.

Despite the enrollment numbers only reflecting the first day of the fall semester, Wilcox remains hopeful that if the numbers were to change, it would be in a positive direction.

We do expect this enrollment to change. Generally, for the better, but who knows this year, generally to the better and by the end of this week, Wilcox said.

The university will have new enrollment numbers Friday once the window closes for students to either add or drop classes to their courses schedules.

See more here:

Despite the odds, first day of fall enrollment only slightly affected - The Oracle