On May 1-3, a protest was held on the Quad of Utah State University to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
More than 500 people attended the first day of the protest, including USU students and faculty, as well as members of the community. Many protesters wore keffiyehs, a traditional Palestinian scarf, as a symbol of solidarity.
News crews from across the state watched as protestors marched around the Quad, sat in the grass listening to speakers, read names of Palestinians who died as a result of the ongoing Isareal-Hamas war, and worked on signs.
Speakers included Palestinians, activists, politicians and other prominent figures. The protest was organized by four USU students who saw other university protests going on nationwide and internationally.
One of these organizers, Samson Calderón Diltz, wanted to bring something similar to Utah.
“Before the U of U protest, we felt we needed something to happen here in Utah,” Diltz said. “Our main focus was
that we wanted it to be peaceful.”
The group’s goals were outlined in a post on their Instagram page, emphasizing their intentions and clarifying that they were not an encampment.
“We stand for and with Palestinians, those martyred,
those suffering, those persevering, as well as those who are with us here in Utah,” the post said.
The atmosphere was charged with emotion but remained peaceful, standing in contrast to other campus protests across the country.
Calderón Diltz expressed frustration with the way the media outlets portrayed the protestors’ methods.
“They were here in all six hours the first day just waiting for us to slip up, and when they realized that we actually were nonviolent, peaceful, they described us as subdued and just a handful of students,” Calderón Diltz said.
Grant Amjad Miller, a public defender running for Utah State House of Representatives, spoke on the final day of the protest.
“I find myself in a very unique situation of being a Utahn Palestinian American,” Miller said. “My mom is from the West Bank. She was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Jerusalem.”
Miller spoke about the trials his grandfather faced while living under Israeli occupation and stressed the importance of compassion and change.
“My grandfather, before he died, told all of us don’t just talk about changing the system, get in the system and be that change,” Miller said.
Much of the controversy surrounding the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict comes as a result of a long, convoluted history dating back to the end of the nineteenth century and historical anti-semitism.
However, Kris Carpenter, another one of the protest’s organizers, emphasized that their purpose was calling for a ceasefire, not to promote violence or hate towards Israeli people.
“We condemn any type of that antisemitism or islamophobia,” Carpenter said.
Calderón Diltz shared a similar sentiment when responding to claims of anti-semitism.
“I don’t really understand how to make that connection,” Calderón Diltz said. “There are Jewish Palestinians and there are Christian Palestinians, and there are white and
brown and black Palestinians.”
Miller ended his speech with a call to action, emphasizing the importance of activism and passion.
“You are the voice of the next generation. The next attorneys, the next politicians, the next community leaders,” Miller said. “These other folks, they know that at the end they’re not going to win and they’re scared of it, because they know that if they don’t win this then history is going to recognize that they’ve committed genocide.”
Calderón Diltz encourages everyone to come to their own decisions regarding controversial conflicts like this.
“I’m not going to sit here and tell you what you should think,” Calderón Diltz said. “I feel like it’s something that you have to look at for yourself”
Overall, organizers counted the protest as a success.
“This really was like a lovely experience where people could share and educate with each other. It’s just important to see that community come together and have a space to properly grieve and share,” Calderón Diltz said.
Aubrey Holdaway is a junior studying print journalism. She loves doing anything outside, the band Pinegrove and listening to hours of true crime podcasts in an effort to become invincible.
— a.holdaway@usu.edu
As the Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid experiences launching and processing delays, incoming college students across the country are enrolling for school without knowing if they will receive financial aid.
In response, Utah State University has extended its priority academic scholarship deadline for all incoming undergraduate students to June 1.
One of the biggest issues with the 2024-25 rollout of the FAFSA was the delayed application release. Typically, students can access the FAFSA on Oct. 1 of each year. However, the 2024-25 FAFSA form wasn’t available until Dec. 31, 2023 — a near three month delay.
Katie North is an assistant vice president and the executive director of new student enrollment.
“Normally, we award FAFSA federally in about February. This year, we were able to award federally for the first time last month,” North said. “I think because of that, a lot of students had to delay their decision on where they’re going to attend school because they didn’t know their financial packaging.”
As issues and delays occur, concerns about students making decisions without the full picture arise.
“The fear on our side is that students will not go to school, take a gap year or won’t move away from home because they haven’t had that full offer on the table,” North said. “We’re encouraging students to confirm enrollment early. They can always change their mind, but let’s help them get everything ready, so when that financial aid award comes, they haven’t missed those opportunities.”
These delays come as a result of a complete overhaul to the FAFSA as part of a nationwide effort to make the process more streamlined and amend the Federal Pell Grant Program.
Craig Whyte is an assistant vice president and the executive director of student financial services.
“The old FAFSA had been around for decades with minor, small adjustments,” Whyte said. “This year, it’s a complete revamp of the system.”
Changes include a significant drop in the number of questions, from the previous 100 to as few as 18. Tax information can now be electronically imported to the FAFSA from the IRS, saving time families would spend in search of old tax returns.
“Sometimes it’s going so quickly that students wonder if they did it right,” Whyte said. “They’re submitting it in five or six minutes, whereas before it was 28 to 35 minutes.”
Federal aid is now calculated based on the Student Aid Index instead of Expected Family Contribution to take a more accurate look at a student’s situation and ensure those who need financial aid receive it.
“The Department of Education and the federal government is trying to invest more into students to have the opportunity to pursue higher education,” Whyte said.
These changes have not just caused a delay in release, but a multitude of glitches and technical problems, which have furthered the setbacks of families trying to complete the form.
Many of these reported issues center around students or contributors with no social security number who are unable to access the form. Some of these glitches have either been resolved or given a
workaround, but there are still some with no given solution.
“We’re happy to visit with students that find themselves in this situation,” Whyte said. “It is something the Department of Education has been working on, but if students have questions, they can contact our office, and we can talk to them about what we’re seeing and refer them to the right department for one-on-one help.”
With how much the FAFSA has changed, Whyte said an adjustment period is to be expected.
“It’s not just revamping an application like a PDF or a webform,” Whyte said. “It was a very aggressive move forward in what was a system that was a little archaic in technology and capability.”
While many of the major hurdles in the new FAFSA release have been overcome, there are still many tweaks to be made and errors to be fixed between the current cycle and the next.
“I’m hopeful that between May and September — so the next four to five months — the Department of Education can get a lot of work done to launch the FAFSA as soon as possible,” Whyte said.
Lacey Cintron is majoring in psychology. She loves learning about the human mind, sharing stories and naps.
— a02388032@usu.edu
This summer, Thursdays can be used for learning shooting sports with the Weber County 4-H workshops. With groups meeting for archery and rifle shooting, youth can register to learn, no matter their preference or skill level.
Jake Toone leads the Archery Club, which began meeting on April 11 and will end on June 13.
Toone has done archery since he was eight and participated in several youth classes like the one he teaches now. His journey continued with special coaching, and he worked at two separate bow shops in high school. He then shot professionally for four years. He said he’s always been an outdoorsman who loves fishing and archery hunting as well.
Toone said he loves that archery is a sport he can do anywhere, but even more, he loves what it taught him.
“Archery is a very mental sport,” Toone said. “You have to be persistent. It teaches discipline.”
Toone said that a club meeting generally starts with basics and safety, but he tries to personalize his teaching
to the individuals.
“Most of it is letting the kids shoot and going off how they’re shooting,” Toone said. For those not interested in shooting arrows, rifles are another option. The Gunners Club started meeting on March 7, and their last day will be July 25. They alternate every other week between beginner and advanced clubs.
Brandon Wilson is a rifle shooting leader who has been handling firearms since a pretty young age.
“I grew up hunting,”
Wilson said. “I’ve always been into shooting in one way or another.”
Wilson was originally in the horse branch of 4-H, and he’s still active there. However, when he heard of the need for shooting sports leaders, he offered his services. He said he wanted to give recognition to Michael Bailey, his co-leader, and the rangemaster Zeke Swander for starting the club.
Wilson went through the necessary trainings and became a ranger safety officer. He said when it comes to rifles, safety is key. He attended several safety and rifle training courses, and he continues participating to keep himself sharp.
“I go to these and try to think, ‘What can I use that’s applicable for the youth?’” Wilson said. Wilson also ran through what a rifle club meeting looks like.
“The typical meeting starts as a 4-H meeting with the 4-H pledge,” Wilson said. “Then we go through the agenda for the day.”
Wilson then runs through safety,
covering the many things youth must keep in mind when working with firearms. He said the best way to teach is by engaging the group.
“Don’t be a drone,” Wilson said. “Empower the youth.” After he ensures they can deploy proper safety protocols, Wilson lets the kids begin practice, keeping an eye out and stepping in to teach when necessary.
Wilson shared that he loved the dedication it takes to become a true marksman. He said anyone can shoot a gun, but it takes effort to learn how to master hitting the target in one shot.
All the shooting leaders shared they want to help kids safely learn to do shooting sports.
“Just come,” Toone said. “I’ll take any skill level. I just want to get kids out shooting. It’s a ton of fun.”
For those interested in learning more, visit https://extension.usu.edu/weber/4h/shooting-sports/.
Ashley Dorius is a rising sophomore studying journalism with a minor in English. She would be devestated if Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce broke up.
— ashley.dorius@usu.edu
