What it means to be ‘Out in STEM’

A WELCOMING COMMUNITY What it means to be ‘Out in STEM’

BY KATE EWING

@mariakewing e Out in STEM club is the perfect haven for any queer STEM majors feeling lost in the shu e of campus life looking for community. e oSTEM club is a 501(c)(3) nonpro t organization dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community at the University of Arizona. ey hold weekly meetings at the LGBTQ+ Resource Center on Tuesdays at 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Brianna Hoegler, the president of the oSTEM UA chapter, is studying geosciences with a concentration in Earth, oceans and climate.

Hoegler explained that the club is a professional association that helps queer scientists develop their skills and expand their networks.

“Our big two goals are building community for queer STEM students on campus and to empower those students to succeed in what they want to do,” Hoegler said. e organization’s main mission is to empower LGBTQ+ individuals to succeed in their respective elds by utilizing their unique viewpoints and talents. e organization also strives to create a world where queer people can be safe and supported. oSTEM puts on diverse programming and events to tailor to the needs of their di erent members. With the club having members in several di erent majors, it is important that they do various activities and hold all types of events so that everyone gains something from the experience.

Some of the social events they have had include an annual egg drop engineering challenge, rock painting and an end of the year picnic. ey also foster personal development by holding skills workshops, like resume building events or having eld scientists talk to the members about their work.

“I was one of those people who signed up for like twenty clubs,” Hoegler said. “oSTEM was one of the very small handfuls of clubs I decided to stick with.” oSTEM o ers conferences each year, some of which Hoegler has attended. She believes that she may not have met the people she knows or learned about topics like gender discrimination in arti cial intelligence without the club and these conferences.

“Getting to go to conferences and network with employers and grad school recruiters has been amazing,” Hogler said.

Sydney Brandt, the vice president of oSTEM, is an information science and technology major. She became a member three years ago.

Brandt moved from Phoenix to Tucson during her freshman year. At this point in time, Brandt felt like she didn’t have many connections with the queer community.

Brandt recalled leaving a class and ending up at the club fair where the former oSTEM president was tabling alone with a rainbow banner. She said this caught her eye, and she decided to stop and chat with him about the club.

“ at’s where I’ve met most of my closest friends at the [UA],” Brandt said about the impact oSTEM has had on her life. “It’s one of the most impactful communities I’ve had the privilege of being in.”

Now she helps plan the events that helped her get over imposter syndrome. She said that oSTEM has helped her value her own skills and talents. With encouraging words from other members in the club, Brandt feels that she’s improved her professional abilities.

She hopes to help other students who are moving here to nd the community she did her freshman year at oSTEM.

“What’s cool about last semester and this semester specifically is we are having a lot of new people drop in, even for like a meeting or two,” Brandt said.

She said that people have continued to find out about their club through the oSTEM website or the newsletter they put out. She is very excited to have people drop in because she thinks it is very valuable and can give people the chance to build their network.

For more information about oSTEM, check out their Facebook page or visit them at the LGBTQ+ Resource Center.

ELI RAHAMIN | THE DAILY WILDCAT

VICE PRESIDENT SYDNEY BRANDT (left), Treasurer Zach Hills, Social Chair Carson Collins and President Brianna Hoegler pose in the LGBTQ+ Resource Center on Feb. 15. The four are a part of oSTEM, a club dedicated to LGBTQ+ identifying students in STEM.

SURVIVOR SUPPORT Con dential support: e UA Survivor Advocacy Program

BY SUSAN BARNETT

@susan_a_barnett

A program aimed at helping students deal with sexual or gender-based violence at the University of Arizona is run by just four people: two advocates, a supervisor and a graduate intern. e Survivor Advocacy program, like many others, was started through student advocacy in 2018.

“Right now, it’s just small because that’s what our funding is,” said Makele White, a survivor advocate. “ e program has just been such a small thing that I don’t think a lot of people know about us.” e program o ers a wide range of resources and support: emotional support, physical and emotional safety planning, help in requesting academic accommodation and assistance in obtaining safe housing. eir website o ers oncampus and o -campus resources, state and national resources, resources for undocumented students and for male survivors.

“ e main thing that we do is advocacy,” White said. “[And making students] feel like they have somebody with them that can advocate on their behalf and navigating the systems that sometimes aren’t set up to help survivors.”

If a student reports sexual misconduct to the Office of Institutional Equity, both parties “meet with an investigator to present their perspectives, and provide witnesses or information, to bring an advisor to the meeting and to ask questions and seek clari cation,” according to the Dean of Students website.

If a student reports sexual misconduct to either the Tucson or University police department an investigation may take place. An officer will be sent out to gather details about the event and possible evidence, according to the City of Tucson website.

Unlike other organizations that handle sexual violence cases — like the University of Arizona Police Department, the Tucson Police Department and the Office of Institutional Equity — the Survivor Advocacy program is completely confidential.

“Survivor [Advocates] are not mandated reporters,” White said. “That allows survivors to kind of have a little bit more control over their story.”

The program helps all students who have experienced sexual or gender-based violence. It does not conduct investigations or look further; it is in place to simply support students with whatever course of action they want to take. Whether that be going through the justice system, making a university complaint or simply dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic experience.

“It doesn’t matter how long ago or how recent students experienced gender-based violence, we’re here to support them,” White said.

To refer yourself or someone who is experiencing sexual or gender-based violence, visit survivoradvocacy.arizona.edu.

“We understand that sometimes after something happens, it takes a while to be able to reach out and ask for help and that’s okay,” White said. “Whenever students are ready to talk, we are ready to listen.”

Highlighting some of Arizona’s best athletes

BY JAKE FAIGUS

@jake_faigus

JENNIE FINCH

e conversation for best women’s athlete in Arizona history usually starts with pitcher and batter Finch.

While at Arizona, Finch set numerous pitching records and became the face of Arizona softball as many people now know it. She played for the Wildcats from 1999-2002 and helped lead the Wildcats to a College World Series appearance in each one of her four years, and she helped win it during her junior year.

Her numerous accolades include: most consecutive wins at 60, a three-time All-American, MVP of the College World Series in 2001, and when she left Arizona, she was the career leader in strikeouts, shutouts, innings pitched and was tied for the lead in no-hitters at No. 8.

She was in the top 10 for home runs, RBIs and walks when she left, and she even ranked No. 6 and No.7 all-time for a careerwinning percentage in the Pac-12 and the NCAA.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLIN PRENGER | ARIZONA ATHLETICS

JENNIE FINCH, UA ALUMNA, points across Hillenbrand Stadium at the Red-Blue alumni game on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. Finch has struck out multiple MLB players thanks in part to the aerodynamics of her pitch according to engingeering professor Ricardo Valerdi.

BEAU LEONE | THE DAILY WILDCAT

AARI MCDONALD DRIBBLES DOWN the court in a game against Standford on Jan. 13, 2019, in McKale Center. McDonald would score 17 points for the Wildcats, but it would not be enough to beat Stanford.

AARI MCDONALD

What McDonald accomplished at Arizona was amazing. She was a guard at Arizona for three years after initially going to the University of Washington but ended up transferring to Arizona, following Adia Barnes.

She burst onto the scene in 2018 and helped get Arizona o to a hot start before it won the Women’s National Invitational Tournament and set the stage for years to come. e next year, the team was set to make an NCAA Tournament run, but COVID-19 cut the year short.

McDonald returned for her senior year and helped lead the team on a magical run in the NCAA Tournament. e team made the Final Four for the rst time and then got to the National Championship game as well, and McDonald put the team on her back against Indiana University Bloomington and University of Connecticut, before ultimately falling just short to Stanford after she missed the nal shot.

In three years, she was a three-time All-American, three-time All-Pac-12 and three-time All-Pac-12 Defense. She was also a twotime Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was also the overall Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2021.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM

Sorenstam’s career at Arizona is one for the record books, even if it was briefer than some other athletes. e Swedish golfer moved to the U.S. to play at the University of Arizona. She won the individual NCAA Division I Championship as a freshman in 1991. She was the rst freshman and rst non-American to do it, and she nished as the NCAA Co-Player of the Year, also the rst Wildcat to earn the honor. She won the then Pac-10 Title during her sophomore year also. She nished both her freshman and sophomore years as an All-American. During her two years at Arizona, she won seven individual titles and helped Arizona win 14 titles as a team. She was only in Arizona for two years, but those two years can be only be described as complete dominance.

ADIA BARNES

ere’s so much to be said about Barnes both as a player and now head coach. Her coaching career speaks for itself.

She turned around a program that was known for being in the basement of the Pac-12, she led the team to a WNIT Championship in her third year and then COVID-19 shut down the promise of the team she had her fourth year.

In her fth year, the team broke out and went on a magical run through the tournament to the championship before losing.

In her playing days, she was widely regarded as the best women’s basketball player to ever play at Arizona at the time. She was the rst Arizona player to win the then Pac-10 Freshman Player of the Year, and then in her sophomore year she helped lead the Wildcats to a WNIT Championship title, and she was named the WNIT Tournament Most Valuable Player.

She also helped lead the Wildcats to their rst NCAA Tournament appearance in her junior year. ey won their rst game, but later lost to higher-seeded Georgia. roughout her career, she set 22 Arizona individual records including career points and rebounds. She also still holds some of those records today. She was also the rst Arizona player to ever be drafted to the WNBA.

DELANEY SCHNELL

A 2020 Olympic silver medalist, Schnell has left a mark at Arizona. In her freshman year, she was an AllAmerican in the 1-meter dive and was named the Pac-12’s Women’s Freshman Diver of the Year, and she also finished with the highest score on her team. She finished with the highest scores on the team that year in the prelims in both the platform and the 3-meter at that year’s Pac-12 Championships.

Her sophomore year she improved and was an AllAmerican in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform dive. She scored the highest at the 3-meter and platform dives at the NCAA Championships.

COVID-19 wiped out her junior year, but she had her best year ever this past year. She medaled in the synchronized platform dive with silver.

She was an All-American in the platform and 1-meter and was the Pac-12 Champion in those events as well. She was the Pac-12 Diver of the Year and even broke the Pac-12 and school record for the platform dive with a score of 383.35.

RECRUITING PROFESSORS

Initiative empowers women in faculty

BY VIC VERBALAITIS @VicVerb

Similar to a vast majority of universities across the country, the University of Arizona o ers tenure to professors who showcase excellence in their respective elds. However, the distribution of male and female tenured faculty has not always been equal. e Daily Wildcat spoke with Andrea Romero, the vice provost of faculty a airs at the university, to get a better understanding of how the UA has made e orts to increase the diversity of its tenured faculty over the last decade.

“I think that’s an ongoing conversation,” Romero said. “How do we support all faculty, and especially groups that are still underrepresented like female faculty?”

In 2011, only 28.7% of the tenured faculty at the UA were women. A decade later, women make up 34.3% of the tenured faculty at the university, an increase of almost 6% according to the UA’s statistics. In addition to that, 46.9% of the tenure-eligible faculty are women, an increase from only 43.1% in 2011.

In comparison to peer institutions across the nation, the university fares well in terms of its diversity between male and female faculty. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as of fall 2018, women only made up about 31% of the total full-time professors in universities across the country.

“I would attribute a lot of that to our hiring process,” Romero said. “We’ve worked really hard to make sure that our hiring process is unbiased and fair, and that we really make sure we get a wide range of candidates that come in to be considered.”

In addition to promoting the diversity of faculty at the university, the administration has made e orts over the past few years to improve the conditions for female faculty at the university. A recent example of this is the new human resources initiative, which guarantees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for faculty members who are parents or caregivers. is initiative provides promise in establishing a more accommodating workplace environment for female faculty members.

Implemented on Jan. 1, the expansion doubled paid parental leave for faculty from six to 12 weeks, and it applies in the case of birth, adoption, foster placement, guardianship, stillbirth or surrogacy. For female professors like professor Joellen Russell, this new initiative is a step in the right direction for the UA.

Russell is a distinguished professor of biogeochemical dynamics at the UA, and she said she faced di culties from the university when she had her two children. Russell had to use sick days to recover following the birth of her children, since at the time the university did not o er paid maternity leave.

“I had two kids, who are now 11 and 14, and there was no maternity leave,” Russell said. “I’m so glad we’ve xed that now. It’s become a better place to work.”

FIGHT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS

OPINION: e feminist revolution helped us get here

BY PAYTON TOOMEY

@PaytonToomey

Over the past 100 years, feminism has worn many faces. We have experienced three waves of feminism, each extremely di erent than the wave that came before it. e rst wave’s main goal was trying to cement that women deserve the right to vote and other basic rights. is idea was the rst of its kind and extremely radical for the time. Women were starting to make their voices heard and thus began the women’s su rage movement. ey recognized the injustices in their society and decided to speak up and make a change. eir bravery sparked a movement that is still alive today.

In the second wave, the focus switched from ensuring women have basic rights to ghting for liberation. Women had received the right to vote, but that was not enough for them and they began to call out the other injustices they noticed in the world. e success in the women’s su rage movement was inspirational for those in the second wave of feminism and pushed them to continue their ght. e new platforms the movement took on contained equal treatment in the workforce, reproductive rights and the ght against the objecti cation of women. e continuation of previous ghts and the introduction of new platforms is a de ning trait of the feminist movement that continues to this day. e third wave started in the 1990s. It included the #MeToo movement and has a heavy emphasis on reproductive rights and the inclusivity of all identities.

When taking a deeper look into the third wave of feminism that we are in today, it can be considered as a more accepting movement that recognizes the accomplishments of those behind them and strives to build on these in the now. is wave of feminists grew up watching the many women that were breaking the glass ceiling and they have had countless role models. Being born in 2001, I have grown up seeing women in STEM, politics, entertainment and more and never thought that any career path was impossible for me just because I was a woman.

Along with the visibility of women in power that I grew up with, I also grew up seeing the many e ects that the drive of those in the feminist movement can have on policy and society. I have marched, heard the pleas of women, and over time these pleas became reality. is encouragement has strengthened me and those around me and allowed us to see the possibilities of keeping up a ght.

Today the feminist movement is as strong as ever but somewhere in these waves the meaning of the word “feminist” got clouded by the stereotypes that have been built up over the duration of the movement. Feminists have been placed in a box and faced with a negative connotation, completely discounting an entire demographic of the movement. ese stereotypes were created by those who were threatened by women’s realization of their worth and what they deserve.

It was not until the late 90s that women began to lose this image of a stereotypical feminist and start to recognize the various multidimensional women behind the movement. e movement today thrives on its inclusivity of every demographic. Feminism has become intersectional, taking on the ght for not only women but also other identities who are underrepresented today. roughout the early 2000s, a realization has been made that throughout history there has been too much emphasis on straight, white women in the movement and that intersectionality is crucial in ensuring that injustices are xed.

Those in this movement today are fearlessly fighting for equality and are being led by those before them who have boldly paved the way.

CAITLIN CLAYPOOL | THE DAILY WILDCAT

PROTESTERS GATHER AT THE “Rally for Abortion Justice” on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in Jácome Plaza.

— Payton Toomey (she/her) is the Opinions Editor and a junior majoring in journalism and information sciences and eSociety

COURTESY HASENSTAB BROTHERS COURTESY SHANNA REGISTER

JENNY NGUYEN, president of the UA Gaming Club and UA senior. SHANNA REGISTER, varsity Valorant player for UA Esports.

COURTESY BRAELYN SMITH COURTESY CAYLA BELCHER

BRAELYN SMITH, UA alumna and Twitch streamer in Arizona. CAYLA BELCHER, Varsity Overwatch & Rainbow Six Siege player for UA Esports

Female gamers pave the way in male-dominated eld

BY SELASSIE WILSON

@starrflower16 e video game industry is lled with hundreds of millions of players worldwide, yet there is still a lack of female representation within gaming communities.

A once male-dominated eld, video game centers and groups have shifted in recent years, extending acceptance to women who are equally as interested and quali ed as their male counterparts.

Here at the University of Arizona, the Esports program is home to hundreds of women gamers. According to its website, UA Esports o ers gamers varsity-level video game competitions and career advancement.

Jenny Nguyen, a senior studying information science & eSociety, is the president of the UA Gaming Club and spoke about the importance of women’s representation in gaming communities.

“I feel that it’s very important to have women representation within the gaming community. When I rst joined the club back in 2017, I can recall counting only two to three other women involved with the club. Now there is a signi cant amount of women actively participating in our club events, applying for leadership positions and chatting in our discord,” Nguyen said via email.

According to NPR, for years, the gaming industry has been highly geared towards male audiences. From storylines and character development, right down to gamer safety that many male players take for granted, the video game industry has long been a space made for men.

For female gamers, this can feel isolating, according to Natalie Benton, a UA pharmaceutical science freshman and varsity Rocket League player for UA Esports.

“ ere’s kind of this expectation that I have to do well. I wouldn’t actually get on voice chat or make it known that I was a woman in online spaces because the vibe would change completely. I would hop in a voice chat and I would tell my team ‘Hey, we’re starting’, and it goes from ‘oh you’re cool’ to ‘we’re going to lose the game,’” Benton said.

Madeline DeLeon, a UA freshman, is a varsity Super Smash Bros player for UA Esports and noted similar experiences to Benton. DeLeon explained that men often expect poor performance from female gamers, something she has fought hard to combat.

“Being a girl in the gaming community is more anxiety and rage-inducing than it should be. People automatically expect you to be bad at the game, or to only be there because of the guys or something stupid like that,” DeLeon said.

Spaces like Twitch and YouTube have made e orts in the past few years to become more gender-inclusive, according to British Esports. Braelyn Smith, a 2016 UA College of Fine Arts alumna, is a Twitch streamer who runs a women’s coworking space in Arizona.

“I have had a small amount of trolls and harassment being a woman on Twitch, but honestly I have had a really nice time overall. e negative messages I do get I often don’t see because they are deleted by my mods before I have a chance to read them. I used my social media following to grow my Twitch, and my social media pages are around 85% women following or more, so my Twitch community is heavily female as well. is has been nice because it’s created a really safe space for women and nonbinary folks,” Smith said.

According to Diamond Lobby, involvement from women in video games has been heightened in recent years, especially in the sector of voice acting. Valorant, a widely known video game, recently introduced their newest character, Neon. Neon is voiced by Vanille Velasquez, a Filipino voiceover actress, who has been able to bring her own personality to life in the video game.

“Other than recording the lines and occasionally adding some of my own or tweaking some, I’m very grateful for even just that little contribution that I do because that doesn’t happen all that often. ey gave me some form of creative freedom, and I’m very thankful for that,” Velasquez said in a Zoom conference. e impact of Valorant’s rst female Filipino character has been both recognized and appreciated here on campus, with members of UA Esports noting the new wave of diversity for the gaming industry.

Shanna Register, a senior studying information science and eSociety and games and behavior, is a gamer for the varsity Valorant team at UA Esports. Register spoke about how Neon’s character and Velasquez’s role have impacted the gaming community.

“It was just so awesome seeing this entire community of people hyping up this Filipino girl. I know people from the Philippines, and they really liked it as well. It was really cool seeing that diversity,” Register said. “It’s interesting to see how impactful it was seeing these people really appreciate her like that.”

According to CNBC, the rise of the Nintendo Switch consoles since 2020 helped bring attention to the gaming community. Video games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley became a way for people to relax from their stressful dayto-day lives and helped improve mental well-being for many players. Emma Teece, a UA environmental science senior, plays on the varsity CounterStrike: Global O ensive team for UA Esports. According to Teece, gaming has helped improve her overall happiness as well as brought her closer to people with similar interests.

DeLeon had similar remarks to Teece and noted the importance of UA Esports’ acceptance of women gamers, expressing how some players never experience this.

“Girls can play videos games, it’s not that complicated. When you buy a game, there’s no ne print written on the case that says boys only. I think the reason for the lack of gender diversity is not due to a lack of girls who play games, but rather a lack of an accepting and encouraging community that understands that games are for everyone,” DeLeon said.

UA women in STEM share experiences and advice

BY SUSAN BARNETT

@susan_a_barnett ere is a long history of inequalities and glass ceilings for women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women made up 27% of STEM workers in 2019, up from 8% in 1970 but were still vastly underrepresented. On the other hand, men make up 52% of all U.S. workers but 73% of STEM workers. e Daily Wildcat talked with four female professors at the University of Arizona in the STEM eld to get an up-close look at their career and the advice they have for future generations of women in STEM.

Monica Kraft

Kraft is a professor and the chair of the Department of Medicine. She is also the deputy director at the UA Health Sciences Asthma and Airway Diseases Research Center and a contact principal investigator at the Banner Health All of Us research program. She has been at the UA Health Sciences Center since 2015. Daily Wildcat: Did you encounter any obstacles when you entered the eld because of your gender? Monica Kraft: I’m in a very male-dominated eld … . ere aren’t as many women, although now there are many more women in pulmonary critical care than when I started out. When I was in my fellowship, there were six fellows a year and I was the only woman. I had to seek advice from wise mentors; both men and women helped me navigate some of these situations. I would say they weren’t the majority, but it de nitely happened and it still happens today, so it’s just something to sort of be aware of. Especially as you move up into the higher levels of leadership, it’s still there.

DW: Do you still see some of the same gender issues that you had to deal with?

MK: It’s gotten much, much better. I think that certainly as young women are moving into the sciences, there’s really a desire to embrace that. I would say [with] women and students of color, there’s just much more thought and desire to really have a, diverse investigative

pool, if you will. We just want diverse investigators because I think they bring diversity, and diversity brings really, really interesting opinions [and] ideas to the table and it only enhances sciences. DW: What advice do you have for women who are thinking of getting into the STEM eld? MK: Find your passion, and don’t be afraid to go for it. And really, if you’re able to, create a mentor team for yourself. It used to be we always chose one person if our mentor team needed it, and certainly, depending on the situation you’re in, then you can have those go to people to talk about. They’re going to be men and women to talk about career development versus maybe a mentor for your particular scientific path versus somebody completely out of the field that can help you with even the work-life balance of trying to really create and sustain a career in science because that takes a little thought to get it COURTESY right.

MONICA KRAFT STEM student resource

e UA’s STEM Learning Center is a university-wide center that supports e orts to recruit and retain a diverse population of learners into a robust STEM pipeline, according to their website, where they also o er consultations for students. e center has won the INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine’s 2021 Inspiring Programs in STEM award, as well as the 2020 Examples of Excelencia award. Both awards promote equality and focus on underrepresented students graduating with a STEM degree, such as rst-generation college students, transfer students, ethnic minorities and students with disabilities.

Carol C. Gregorio

Gregorio is a professor and the department head of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. She is the co-director of the Sarver Heart Center and director of the Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program. Additionally, she is the assistant vice provost of Global Health Sciences and a director at UA Health Sciences Global and Online.

DW: What motivated you to get into this field and do all the work that you have done and contributed to?

Carol Gregorio: I’ve always loved science. I just love knowing how things work. I’ve loved biology for as far as I can remember. It just comes down to solving questions that I find are important. I just find the problem solving part of it really fascinating and being able to use state of the art equipment and being surrounded by fantastic colleagues here.

DW: Do you have any advice for any women who are thinking about getting into the STEM field or who are in the STEM field right now?

CG: Well, I hope they find it fun. It’s a tough job because you could be working for months without discovering something new, so know not to give up. If someone’s struggling, make sure that they ask for help and that they collaborate because we can’t be all experts in everything. Present data as much as possible and really seek feedback.

COURTESY CAROL GREGORIO

Reyes Sierra-Alvarez

Sierra-Alvarez is a professor of chemical and environmental engineering. She got her undergraduate and masters degree in Spain but moved to the Netherlands for her doctorate in environmental technology. She’s been at the UA since 2001. DW: What interested you to go into your field of study?

Reyes Sierra-

Alvarez: I studied chemistry in undergrad and over time I became more interested in environmental sciences. I wanted to do something that was interesting and would have a positive impact on the environment, and also something that was meaningful for me.

DW: What barriers did you encounter when you first entered your field?

RSA: A lot of economic obstacles. I come from a modest family and my parents don’t have a degree [from a] university. I have six brothers and sisters, so they couldn’t pay for all of us to go to college. I was also the first female Ph.D. student in the department in the Netherlands. I’m from Spain, so there were cultural barriers — there were many differences and you had to learn how to navigate and learn the codes and rules of the country, but luckily that only took some practice.

COURTESY REYES SIERRAALVAREZ Elizabeth “Betsy” Arnold

Arnold is a professor and curator at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology where she studies fungal ecology, evolution and systematics. DW: What barriers did you encounter when you first entered the field?

Elizabeth Arnold:

I am fortunate that I COURTESY had excellent mentors ELIZABETH ARNOLD who helped me navigate barriers. They were real — but at the same time, lower than the barriers faced by many others. So, when I think of this question, I think of my privileges and aim to help others not encounter those barriers today.

DW: Why is it important to have diversity in STEM?

EA: A positive change in STEM is the shift away from the ‘lone genius in his ivory tower’ model to an understanding that much of modern scienti c work is collaborative. STEM elds do not yet re ect the diversity of our society. When STEM teams are diverse, they bring together new perspectives, di erent questions and new ideas — and they have the tools to support the next, diverse generations of STEM scholars.

DW: What advice do you have for women in the STEM field?

EA: I feel that a career in STEM is one of the best jobs we can have. It’s hard but innovation, discovery, teaching, mentoring and making a difference; what could be better? There is a whole generation of us here ready to help bring the next generation of diverse scholars forward. In a sense, it’s the most important thing we can do. Please reach out to us — we are here and ready to help.

Showcasing the work of female

CARLY MARKOVICH | THE DAILY WILDCAT

A PORTRAIT FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHER Carly Markovich’s sister. Markovich writes, “For this photoshoot, I wanted my sister to express the opposite feeling of how the photo looks. We played around with a lot of different props, but I think this one became my favorite because it reminds me of a crown. I like the contrast of that idea and the colors with the look on her face.” “FOR THIS PHOTO, I wanted to capture a reflection on growing up and leaving your childhood behind. I used a piece of glass to experiment with the reflections and this is one of my favorites that came out of the photoshoot. The fallen tree represents moving out of the house you grew up in,” Carly Markovich said of the photo.

CARLY MARKOVICH | THE DAILY WILDCAT

THE EYE OF BOBBIE LYONS, Daily Wildcat photographer Catlin Claypool’s grandmother, looks sharply into the lens of the camera. Claypool wrote that she took this picture of her grandmother because she is interested in what an eye can reveal about a person.

CAITLIN CLAYPOOL | THE DAILY WILDCAT

PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS Showcasing the work of female Daily Wildcat photographers

JACKIE CABRERA | THE DAILY WILDCAT

A PROCESSION MAKES ITS way into the church of the Three Kings on Jan. 7 in Cajititlan, Mexico. Due to COVID-19 protocols this year, only a limited number of performers and news media were allowed into the church for mass. THE THREE FIGURES OF the wise men are carried during the yearly procession in their honor on Jan. 7 in Cajititlan, Mexico. There is a procession in honor of the wise men every year, usually one day after Three Kings Day.

JACKIE CABRERA | THE DAILY WILDCAT

CARLY MARKOVICH’S SISTER POSES for a simple portrait. The image is a double exposure; Markovich writes, “I thought these fit well together, and I love how the lighting comes in from above.”

CARLY MARKOVICH | THE DAILY WILDCAT

OPINION: e University of Arizona needs to stand in support of the Equal Rights Amendment

Many collegeaged students have not put too much thought into what the Equal Rights Amendment is. A lot vaguely understand that it works to ensure gender equality in the United States constitution, but do not think about how it can affect universities and the legal rights of college students. The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed amendment to the Constitution that guarantees equal legal rights for Americans regardless of sex. It is vital that college students and universities across the country recognize the significance and take steps to implement the ERA because it affects all genders and marginalized groups.

On Jan. 27, Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., presented HJ. Res. 28, a resolution to the House recognizing that the Equal Rights Amendment has met all legal conditions to be recognized as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

“It is long past time to cement gender equality in our nation’s most important text, the Constitution, once and for all. With the ERA, we secure equality under the law for women and all marginalized genders,” stated Congresswoman Maloney. The inequality women and marginalized genders face on a day-to-day basis cannot be tolerated, and both college students and the University of Arizona need to recognize that.

We as students need to push ourselves and the University of Arizona to ght for the ERA’s guarantee of gender equality and stand up for anti-discrimination policies that could make the UA a more equitable place. Women and people of all genders are continuously facing a plethora of challenges due to a lack of legal protections — but the acknowledgment of equal rights in our constitution and on our campus should not be one of them.

Shira Griffith, the state director of Generation Ratify California, a youth-led movement to ratify the ERA, states that colleges across the country should, “update the Title IX policies and other equity policies to reflect the ERA.”

Not only should the UA and colleges across the country support the ERA, but they should also begin to take steps to ensure that the ERA is reflected and required in education. If the UA were to enforce and support the ERA, it would greatly alter and benefit students by changing how public institutions deal with Title IX processes and regulations. Title IX prevents discrimination on the basis of sex within education, however there are many loopholes within Title IX that the ERA can close, benefiting the lives of women and marginalized genders across campus.

If the UA and universities across the country choose to implement the ERA, “colleges will have to update their equity policies to reflect the much-needed changes in this country,” Griffith reaffirms. This can cause major changes that would ensure survivors receive just treatment, discriminatory practices and policies are eliminated and a clear judicial standard for every issue relating to discrimination based on sex is addressed.

Dianne Post, the head of the ERA Task Force in Arizona states that there is, “nothing wrong with a state school supporting a national constitutional amendment,” and that the impact of support from universities could put, “pressure on the legislature to get this done.”

We need to urge the UA to apply the ERA to provide equal rights to all students on campus. If you are a student who wants to get involved, Post said that students can advocate through educating about the importance of the ERA, lobbying your own state legislators and using the ERA to argue when faced with discrimination.

I insist that all students remain aware of this critical piece of legislation. It affects every single one of us.

BY SOPHIA HAMMER

@sophiahammer8 If we want to begin to care about equal and accessible education for all at the UA, we need to include in our discussions the importance and need for the ERA. We need to drive the UA to do what is right and that is reflect the ERA in all its policies and practices.

COURTESY OF TINA VO

STUDENTS ACROSS ARIZONA PARTICIPATED in an Equal Rights Amendment ribbon tying event to educate others about the ERA in Gilbert, Ariz. at Discovery Park on Jan. 26, 2022.

—Sophia (she/her/hers) is a freshman majoring in family studies and human development and global studies. She loves to write on pieces concerning politics that affect the Tucson and the UA community

SOCCER RECORD BREAKER Jill Aguilera: Arizona’s golden goal

BY ASHER BOOKSPAN @abookspan

Jill Aguilera bent over and pulled up her socks as she patiently waited for the whistle to be blown for the penalty kick attempt that would break the 1-1 tie in overtime.

She looked at rival ASU’s goalkeeper Julia Ortega and knew exactly what she was going to do. e whistle blew, she lined up the shot to the left side of the net and red the ball past ASU’s Ortega for her recordshattering 33rd career goal and nal win with Arizona soccer.

“Once I hit it, I knew that she had already leaned to the wrong side, and knew that she couldn’t recover to get to that side,” Arizona forward Aguilera said.

Already one of the most proli c players in Arizona soccer history, breaking that record was just one moment in her storied career.

A soccer player from the start

Raising her in Redwood, California, Julie Eshelman knew that her daughter had something special even when she began to play in elementary school.

“I knew when she started to play that she could go far because she had the speed and you can’t teach speed,” Eshelman said, “And she would just blow past these kids and score.”

So they did, getting her involved with a local club named Juventus Zebre SC. Aguilera continued to improve and played for her high school, Woodside, where she also set the goal-scoring record with 105 goals.

Committed to her teams

When Tony Amato, Aguilera’s head coach throughout her collegiate career took a coaching job at the University of Florida, she put her name in the transfer portal. After a phone call with newly hired head coach Becca Moros, Aguilera decided to stay for her nal season.

“I kind of kick myself a little bit for even trying to leave or thinking that I should. It was very impulsive and I’m happy that I didn’t go through with it,” Aguilera said.

Aguilera only left a team once in her career and it is not for the reason most would suspect. She quit an Olympic development team to be able to give her all to her club and high school teams before moving on to college.

A less than ideal beginning

Her career did not start o as planned, tearing her ACL before her freshman season began. She tried to make as big of an impact as she could, screaming on the sidelines, and motivating teammates. She was inspired and ready to return to the eld.

“After she was done crying, she was like, ‘Ok, let’s go. I want surgery. I want rehab. Let’s go. I want to get back on the eld,’” Eshelman said.

Aguilera continued to work on her comeback, returning her sophomore season. She immediately made an impact, scoring 24 goals during Amato’s time as head coach.

Amato’s strategy was that if Aguilera or teammate Jada Talley got the ball while running towards the goal it would give them the best opportunity to score.

“As a result, they scored a crap ton of goals together.” Amato said.

Not only did she score goals under Amato, but she was also often his plane buddy on trips to away games and helped him through the worries of traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She was always super supportive, and she would bring extra wipes and hand sanitizer. When I was sitting next to her, she helped lm a social media thing where we’re wiping down the seats and stu before we got in it during COVID,” Amato said.

Super senior year

Even during a down year for the program, Aguilera stayed positive in her fth and nal year with the team.

“ e whole team means a lot to me. is year was de nitely one of the happiest times that I’ve had, even through all the losses. It’s the happiest I’ve ever been on a team,” Aguilera said.

Aguilera’s scoring ability was showcased again for the Wildcats in her nal season, scoring another 9 goals, her nal being the golden goal against ASU. e nal 2 goals came against ASU to tie and break the scoring record held by Mallory Miller.

Head coach Moros knew that Aguilera would give it her all even in a developmental year for the team.

“She cares a ton about the program and the team, and I think she always led with that, regardless of what she was talking to, or what level of experience they had,” Moros said.

While many focus on what Aguilera can do on the eld, she is dedicated to her academics, teammates and family o the eld as well.

COURTESY OF AVRY FRANK | ARIZONA ATHLETICS

JILL AGUILERA (14) CELEBRATES WITH her teammates Ava McCray (3), Madison Goerlinger (18) and Quincy Bonds (11) on Nov. 5, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. Aguilera scored the winning goal in overtime to beat ASU 2-1.

CAREER STATISTICS Played 92 games (program record) 33 goals (most in UA history) No. 2 all-time in points with 81 (Courtesy of Arizona Athletics) More than a goal scorer

After earning multiple Pac-12 and CoSIDA academic awards, Aguilera graduated in 2020 with a degree in general studies with an emphasis in sports and society and is working towards her master’s degree in real estate development.

“It’s mainly being able to transform a house into like a home, turning it into something that the client or family really wants,” Aguilera said.

Arizona goalkeeper Hope Hisey said it was a bittersweet feeling to realize she will not play with Aguilera next year.

“You have teammates and then you have teammates who you know are going to be your lifelong friends, and she’s that for me,” Hisey said.

Not only is she known for being a diligent student and good friend, it is also known how important Aguilera’s family is to her, according to Hisey and her mom. Her grandmother taught Aguilera one of the most important life lessons she has learned.

“To be laughing for as long as you possibly can. I honestly think that has extended her life because of how much she laughs and just enjoys life,” Aguilera said.

A legacy left

Aguilera was picked up by team Chicago Red Stars in 2020 and has made the preseason roster for this year’s National Women’s Soccer League season. As she prepares for the next step in her career, she can close her chapter with the University of Arizona with a sound mind.

“It means the world because all I’ve ever wanted to do is make an impact on the team in any way, shape or form that I possibly can. I can’t score without, somebody assisting or somebody assisting the assist,” Aguilera said, “And in from interviews since my freshman and sophomore year, I don’t care who scores as long as somebody is scoring, and we’re winning and being successful.”

Fresh season, fresh start

After a 5-13 season in her first year, Arizona soccer head coach Rebecca Moros is ready to show what she can do in year two

BY AUTUMN FROITLAND @DailyWildcat

Last summer, the Arizona soccer team had a vacant coaching position and very little time to ll it. e challenge of getting to know the team, building a sta and preparing for the season less than a month before the rst game, can be a hard sell. Luckily for Arizona, Rebecca Moros is always up for a challenge.

During the hiring process, Moros, 36, spoke with her childhood and college teammate Lorraine Quinn about collegiate soccer. At the time, Moros was the assistant coach for the professional NY/NJ Gotham FC. She wanted a better understanding of the college game and Quinn was her go-to, as she had coached at the collegiate level.

Both women knew Moros could be successful coaching college soccer.

“She had said to me at the end of one of those conversations, ‘so I’ll call you back when I’m hired,’” Quinn said.

Carving down the mountain

From playing soccer in freshly plowed parking lots during New York winters, stepping her cleats in various arenas with multiple teams or traveling overseas for the best and most di cult part of her career, Moros’ experience with the game is unique.

She picked up the soccer ball around 7 years old. She excelled and continued to develop each year, but her passion for the game developed on its own because she did not grow up in a family-centered around sports.

“I grew up in a very academic family,” Moros said. “ ere were very few sports on in my house, of any kind. Sports was something you did because it was healthy and social and because you loved it. I loved playing. I loved being outside. I loved all of it.”

Moros grew up with older sister Sarah Moros and younger brother Nathan Moros. All three siblings played sports, but Becca was the breakout athlete.

“I remember we did our rst ski trip when we were little and Rebecca being the best athlete in our family, out of all the siblings,” Nathan Moros said. “We were all falling down face rst, and she is just carving down the mountain.”

While Becca Moros was most often playing soccer, Nathan Moros said she was dedicated to her studies and doing her best to excel in anything.

College and the pros

Both Becca’s academic and athletic skills led her to play at Duke University.

“ e academic and athletic balance … is probably the thing that tipped me over,” Becca Moros said. “I got to campus, and it was beautiful and sunny and everybody seemed happy. I just had such a good feeling when I got there, I knew just walking around that it was the right place to be.”

After graduating with a degree in psychology, she was drafted in 2009 by Washington Freedom in the sixth round of the Women’s Professional Soccer draft. e WPS folded in 2012 and Becca found a new challenge. She spent three months training in Tokyo, before deciding to call it her home.

Becca played for two years in the Japanese Nadeshiko League. She learned a new culture, language and a di erent way of playing.

“It was the best and the hardest thing I’ve ever done … I was isolated and lonely and illiterate,” Becca Moros said. “But I fell in love with the language, I studied a lot and I absolutely loved the soccer there. It’s still to this day the best soccer I ever played, on the best team I ever played on.”

Her new challenge was o the eld, thousands of miles away, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Mom is the center of the family. When mom’s not doing well, that’s a big deal,” Nathan Moros said. “It was de nitely very di cult for her, and I would imagine it was one of those times where she has to ask herself, ‘what right now is the most important thing?’”

Her mother recovered and Becca returned to the U.S. and played an additional six years in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Introducing the new coach

Professional soccer was not the end for

Becca Moros. All that experience led her here.

“I think I was made to do this. I think everything in my career was not set up for me to have the best playing career that I could have, but I do think it set me up to be the best coach that I can be,” Becca Moros said.On June 16, 2021, Becca Moros was announced as the new head coach at the

University of Arizona.

“We were all really excited,” said Arizona soccer redshirt senior Jill Aguilera. “Not only because she played in the NWSL and has a lot of experience, but also because she was a female coach.”

Becca Moros’s role at Arizona made her the youngest soccer coach in the Pac-12.

She added Quinn as the assistant coach and prepared for the fall.

“It’s really hard to come in and not know your players as people,” Becca Moros said. “You’re building trust while you’re in season, so our number one goal was to make sure that they knew that we cared about them.”

Seven weeks after she was hired, Becca Moros took the eld with former head coach Tony Amato’s squad. e team, comprised of 28 players — 19 underclassmen, including nine freshmen — nished with a 5-13 overall record and was 2-9 in the Pac-12.

Two upperclassmen shined during Becca’s rst season: junior Hope Hisey led the conference in saves for over 10 weeks and her 102 saves was one of the best goalkeeper seasons in program history. Aguilera became the highest scorer in program history with 33 goals. is spring, Becca Moros makes the UA team her own. She has recruited seven new players, including Angela Barron, a member of the Under-20 Colombian National Team.

“I’m excited for a spring season with them,” Becca Moros said. “I’m excited to be able to train and work on things without that immense amount of pressure and I’m excited to know them.”

JACOB MENNUTI | THE DAILY WILDCAT

ARIZONA SOCCER HEAD COACH Becca Moros (left) and Arizona Athletic Director Dave Heeke (right) hold up an Arizona soccer jersey during Moros’s introductory press conference in McKale Center on July 19, 2021.

“I think I was made to do this. I think everything in my career was not set up for me to have the best playing career that I could have, but I do think it set me up to be the best coach that I can be.” — REBECCA MOROS, HEAD COACH