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By: Martin Dreyfuss Transgender Student bathroom inclusion is a debated subject at all levels of government that crashes at the intersection of student inclusion and student safety. Presidencies have altered the national directive regarding transgender bathroom inclusion, the United States Supreme Court  outright refused to make a ruling on the issue, and Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs vetoed Superintendent Tom Horne’s guidance to not allow transgender bathroom inclusion. Amid the political and court conflicts, a local Arizona high school district received backlash from an Arizona congressional candidate and member of Turning Point America for allowing students to use the bathroom of their gender identity. According to Tempe Union High School District, the guidelines are not defined by politics; instead, Assistant Superintendent Sean McDonald says the guide ensures all students feel safe and included at Tempe Union High School District. “The [transgender] guidance is based on the most up-to-date case law and federal and state guidance. While the US Supreme Court has declined to make a definitive ruling, there has been one universal finding in the cases across the country. Courts have uniformly rejected challenges to a district’s transgender student accommodations that were brought by the parents of cisgender students,” said district legal counsel. These guidelines will aim to protect all students, including trans students like the son of  Arizona Trans Youth Parent Organization Executive Director Tami Staas. Sam Staas, 25, began his transition  13 years ago. He was initially told to use the nurse’s restroom as an accommodation; however, he refused due to the potential bullying or questions other students may ask. So, like 70% of trans students who have limited bathroom access today, Sam refused to use the bathroom throughout the school day. By forcibly holding his bladder, Sam risked health problems, such as permanent deformation of the bladder or even kidney failure, according to Piedmont Healthcare, which only compiles as the student continues to prohibit relieving their bladder throughout the day. “This is about helping all students. It is not a political thing for us. We want to support our transgender students as much as our cisgender students, and we will continue to do so,” said McDonald. On the other hand, Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne says that parental fears of allowing biological boys into the girls’ restroom causes many parents to question their children’s safety at school. Horne expressed the need for compromise and believes third-party bathrooms for transgender students are an adequate solution. “It is great to have sympathy for them, and we want them not to be discriminated against, but at some point when they get really aggressive, someone has to push back,” said Horne. Horne says he is for the rights and dignity of trans-students; however, he is not for biological boys using the girls’ restroom, as parents and students have described the experience to him as “traumatizing.” “I cannot stop the districts, but I certainly have the power of publicity to let them know that they are creating a terrible situation for girls and for their parents, and I predict parents will take girls out of the school if they do that,” said Horne. Although the backlash at the TUHSD board meeting was from members of political organizations not affiliated with the district, both Arizona Congressional Candidate Kelly Cooper and Turning Point USA Data Analyst Benjamin Larrabee expressed common fears of violence due to the inclusive bathroom policies. Larrabee said, “Stories from around the country are pouring in of the physical and sexual assaults because of policies like this. We all know in Loudoun County, Virginia, where a student was sexually assaulted because a man was allowed in the women’s restroom. We all have seen the videos coming out of Portland of a student suffering from gender dysphoria brutally beating another female student.” While there is no evidence that these incidents are commonplace, the possibility of a single parent’s child being subjected to violence is enough to cause fear and, in Horne’s belief, will cause parents to pull their children from school districts with bathroom access policies. McDonald’s is also responsible for directing school safety and inclusion, and to ensure all students’ safety, he has provided increased security measures to ensure student safety across the district. The measures include more security and security cameras, the recent expansion of the Care 7 Youth Specialist program, which provides “master level social work,” and the soon-to-be-released new safety guidelines for the district. In Arizona, there have been no attempts at laws because it is law that Arizona Education is locally powered, meaning that districts have direct control over the policies within their district. Districts’ freedom of action in Arizona coincides with parental freedom regarding where their child will attend school. Parents can utilize one of three separate methods in the state that allows parents and students to decide where the best environment for each student’s education is.

People in Arizona with a bachelor’s degree can switch careers and be paid as a teacher of record in a K-12 classroom, while simultaneously learning and earning an “Alternative Teacher Certification.” The method allows individuals to transition into a new career field without the hassle of gaining a new degree that, before the certification, was required to teach in Arizona. The certification is available through approved state agencies that include universities, third-party agencies and school districts, such as Tempe Union High School District. By making the transition, professionals can be a part of the solution for the statewide teacher shortage and innovative education methods, bringing industry experience to the classroom. “Arizona has a teacher shortage in particular subjects, grade levels and demographics of students. We have a shortage of special education teachers. We have a shortage of ESL/BLE teachers. We have a tremendous shortage of math and science teachers.” said Carolyn Ludlow, the assistant dean for Arizona State’s Mary Lou Fulton Teacher School. Both people in the traditional and non-traditional teacher certification space believe that professionals have significant experience and wisdom to offer students. According to the University of Melbourne, “career-changing teachers” offer real-world perspectives into the job market, which it said can make learning more engaging for students. However, professionals seeking this transition must understand that there “is a whole process, a whole way of thinking, and a whole way of presenting information, to finally get the students to understand it,” said TUHSD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Mary Keller. A person entering alternative certification will spend two years as the full-time teacher of record in a classroom, while also completing a two-year course to become educated about the day-to-day work within education. Oftentimes, the stress of teaching while learning to teach causes educators to leave the industry. “We have enough people who are certified in the state, in the country; we just don’t have enough people who want to be teachers. The issue is more about the workforce and the opportunities someone has once they get in the position: to stay, to retain and to spend their career there. It is not a supply issue as much as it is a workforce development issue,” said Ludlow. To better support incoming teachers, the state of Arizona, ASU and TUHSD have all implemented strategies to retain the incoming workforce. TUHSD’s certification program has implemented courses on the personal toolset needed to be an educator, an instructional coach in each high school, and an individual mentor to provide a  more supportive environment that aims to retain more educators. “We have an instructional coach for each high school, and those people specifically focus on our newer teachers. They will sit in the classroom and observe, they will then rehash how it went with the teachers, and sometimes those people will get up and model for them,” said Keller. Furthermore, the instructional coaches also substitute for the new teachers to allow them to attend seminars of “master-level teachers.” The supports are designed to teach prospective teachers how to lesson plan and manage a classroom, congruently utilizing mentorship and feedback to develop each person as an educator. “What we have tried to do here is put all these supports together so that we can truly make an effort that if you are coming to our school and working with our kids, we want you to be the best teacher possible,” said Keller. Arizona legislation has also allowed college students to become substitute teachers, giving prospective educators hands-on experience in the classroom, allowing them to earn while they learn. “Diving in head first at little increments, such as substituting, it can be really beneficial. Diving in head first when it is 100% all the time it can be stressful, but being able to do it as a substitute, I think, is a good little taste of what it is going to be like to be a teacher, ” said Lindsey Leggett, a senior in multilingual education at ASU. Finally, Arizona State is currently implementing  the “Next-Gen Education Workforce,” a new classroom model that aims to design “what the next iteration of schools should look like,” said Ludlow. “It involves teams of teachers who have a group of students, and there can be multiple configurations of how it plays out, but it could look like 100 students and four teachers, and within your teacher team, you have teachers who have expertise in some areas to where they take the lead,” said Ludlow. Support and retention of new educators is more important than ever, due to the number of students in education being at a historic low in the United States. According to Pew Research, in 1970, bachelor’s degrees in education comprised 21% of total degrees earned in the U.S., or 176,000 degrees in education. These numbers were the norm for decades. In fact, in 2000, education degrees still represented 19% of total degrees in the country. As of 2019-2020, there were only 85,000 degrees issued in education, or 4% of total degrees earned in the United States. Keller said,  “Education (majors) at some of our three major universities in the state are not even in the top 45 (for enrollment), and education majors tend to want to go to teach the little ones. So, the folks wanting  to go out to teach high school students has dwindled.” There are a multitude of reasons why fewer people are becoming teachers.  One pertinent reason is the pay, but a less discussed area is a lack of respect for educators. “There can be negative connotations when it comes to being an educator. People see you are not going to be paid as much; there is a dwindling level of respect for teachers nowadays, so I think people take that into account,” said Leggett. Leggett described the lack of pay and respect as a direct disconnect with today’s “American perspective,” which has caused the over 50% decrease in education majors over the last two decades. “At the end of the day, we show up for the kids. It doesn’t matter about the pay. It doesn’t matter about the respect you are going to get from people. We show up for the kids, and that is why we do our job,” said Leggett.

Down seven points with less than three minutes to go the Jets would go one, two, three, and out. I turned off the TV. I walked away. I accepted what was just another Jets loss. Then out of the shadows came the ghost of Flacco's past. In less than a minute, the Jets went from down 13 points to a 60-yard TD-pass to Corey Davis, an onside kick recovery, and a chance with no timeouts and 1:40 left on the clock. Nathan Zegura, the Browns senior media coordinator, said, the Browns "had it won, Nick Chubb had just scored the third of his three touchdowns, Jacoby Brissett was phenomal, Amari Cooper was Phenomenal... And yet it all comes down the final minute and fifty-five seconds." Dunk after dink, the NY Jets drove. Five yards and out of bounds all the way to the opposing 15-yard line. It would then be Garrett Wilson, who would catch his first career game-winning touchdown and second of the night. Flacco said about Wilson, " We know the lights aren't too big for him; he is grown up and ready to play in this league." With 22 seconds left on the clock, and the Jets up 31-30, the Browns were desperate to make anything happen. They started their drive with a 20-yard-run from Jacoby Brissett, resulting in the ball on the CLE 46 with 12 seconds to go. Needing 14-yards for the field goal, Brissett dropped back, scanned the field, and threw a dart right into the hands of opposing FS Ashtyn Davis. Game over. The New York Jets get their first win of the season and are now 1-1 going home to play Cincinnati . Despite the win, New York had an abundance of mistakes. Conklin had two fumbles and at least two other drops. Flacco threw receivers into dangerous situations several times and almost caused Wilson to get injured. Flacco also struggled to complete passes, with a completion of 59 percent, on 7 yards per attempt. Regardless, today is joy filled for Jets fans. A strong defensive performance, a four-touchdown game from the backup QB, and rookies Wilson and Breece Hall getting their first taste of the endzone. Game ball likely goes to Garrett Wilson. The rookie showed up with two touchdowns, one being the game-winner, not to mention fighting through pain after taking a clean hit in midair to his lower back. As for the Browns, the loss only moves their record to 1-1, as they attempt to keep the ship afloat for a Deshaun Watson return midseason. However, the loss will sting as it was their game to lose, and they did. Second-year head coach Robert Saleh is navigating the "always tough NFL,: and has the Jets sitting at .500 after week 2. Saleh said. "We love how this feels, and we got to find a way to stack them (wins) up." Saleh's praise extended to every facet of the team. The defense made big plays, the offense made big plays, and the special teams played an immaculate game that allowed New York to win. The special teams specifically dictated field position on returns and punts, executed extra points and field goals, and, most importantly, solidified a shot to win with an onside recovery.

Anticipation soared as the New York Jets took on the Carolina Panthers in this week 1 NFL preseason matchup. The number one overall pick, Bryce Young, made his NFL debut in today’s game. He has received immense praise from NFL hall of famers and analysts, despite never playing an NFL game. NYJ quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Panthers Hall of Famer Steve Smith both complimented the rookie. Smith said Bryce Young “has a veteran-like desire to absorb information, a rare trait in a rookie.” Young only played three drives, throwing four for six and 21 yards. The three-drive performance started with a third-down pass conversion but ended with three straight punts. Another young quarterback with eyes on his every move is NYJ backup Zach Wilson. Head Coach Robert Saleh started Wilson for the entire first half after only playing the first quarter in the NFL Hall of Fame game. Wilson’s first drive was a 13-play, 60-yard drive that ended in a 47-yard made field foal by Greg Zuerlein. The only scoring drive of the first quarter. Matt Corral would take over the quarterback duties for the Panthers to start the fourth drive in the second quarter. The former 2022 third-round pick would lead three, 3, and outs in the first half. The only touchdown drive of the first half would come with 2:06 left in the second quarter. Wilson would go 5/5 and throw a touchdown on the 8-play 61-yard drive. The drive’s crucial play came with 24 seconds left when Israel Abanikanda rushed up the middle for 26 yards to the Panthers’ 1-yard line. Saleh said Wilson was “poised” during a “bleed-out scenario” as he left the Panthers with eight seconds in the half. The Jets would dominate both time of possession and the scoreboard in the first half, leading 13-0. Despite the Jets’ defense starting zero of the team’s listed regular season defensive starters, the defense would hold the Panthers to only 54 yards and zero points in the first half. Jermaine Johnson II and Bryce Huff lead the defensive line. The edge rushers combined for a sack, four tackles, and three quarterback hits. The Panthers got the ball to start the second half, and on the eighth play of the drive, Jets defensive tackle Bruce Hector stripped the ball out of a standing Matt Corall’s hand. Hector, the former Philadelphia Eagle, was signed a couple of days before the game, and the immediate impact may make him someone to watch during Jets preseason. Tim Boyle would go on to relieve Zach Wilson of his quarterback duties to start the third quarter. Wilson would finish his performance throwing 14/20, 123 yards, one touchdown, and a 6.2 YPA. Boyle, who beat out Chris Streveler for the Jets’ third QB position, would only take six plays to throw an interception and give the Panthers’ offense another chance. That chance would start at the Panther’s 34-yard line, and despite Corall’s 4/4 passing and 4th down conversion, they would turn the ball over on downs on their 49-yard line. Boyle immediately rebounded; he led a 9-play 49-yard drive for a touchdown to extend the Jets’ lead to 20-0. Boyle went 4/4 and threw a touchdown to the undrafted free agent, tight end EJ Jenkins. Jenkins, 24 years old, was a WR at Georgia Tech; he is 6 feet 6 inches, runs a sub 4.6 40-yard dash, and has a 32-inch vertical, according to Sports Illustrated. After another Panthers turnover on downs, the Jets began running the clock out. Running backs Travis Dye and Damarea Crockett would lead a 15-play drive that lasted eight minutes and 41 seconds. The drive was finished with Boyle throwing a four-yard touchdown on fourth and goal. The Panthers used their timeouts, allowing one final drive to practice their two-minute offense. The drive lasted eight plays for 35 yards and a last-play interception to Jets cornerback Jimmy Moreland. The Panther’s rookies played decent throughout the game. Third-round pick linebacker D.J. Johnson and rookie safety Jammie Robinson each had three tackles. Meanwhile, Jets first-round pick Will McDonald IV had one tackle for loss and one sack, alongside sixth-round pick Zaire Barnes, who led the game with eight tackles.

Instead of being full of drama and angst, the Hard Knocks debut sent the same message Coach Robert Saleh stated in his first press conference two years ago. “All gas, no breaks” has been the mantra, and the film within each position meeting sent that same message was sent. Running backs coach Taylor Embree highlighted the daily competition, Linebackers Coach Mike Rutenburg focused on limiting mistakes, and Safety Coordinator Marquano Manuel preached details and "If that was your last play ever playing did you," hit your keys and give it your all. The star of the show was the star of the team, Aaron Rodgers. Every player on the team spoke about Rodgers, including veteran Defensive Tackle Al Woods; Woods said, “8 is cool as fuck. And it is nothing like all that stuff they say on TV.” The most critical moment of the show was Rodgers coaching Zach Wilson. Rodgers was showing Wilson how to avoid sacks, Wilson’s “lesson of the day.” Wilson appeared receptive, and he utilized those tips throughout training camp. Rodgers also complimented Wilson, he said ““The best no-look pass, besides me, is Zach Wilson.” High praise or not, Wilson must have impressed the team during the camp-wide no-look pass phenomenon. Another star of the show was Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Gardner graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, and the Hard Knocks crew filmed his graduation. Gardner said, “I had to meet my mom halfway when I was thinking about leaving for the NFL. I told her I would do it within a year.” The defensive rookie of the year was also shown on the field battling offensive rookie of the year Garrett Wilson. The first word both players mentioned when discussing their on-the-field relationship was “respect.” They battle regularly throughout practice, and based on their confessionals, they take an iron sharpens iron approach every day. That doesn’t mean there aren’t games at practice. The Quarterback room can be seen playing the “Pylon Game” after the team’s walkthrough. The goal is to hit the opposite pylon by throwing the football; however, the twist came from the movie “Baseketball,” each team can utilize psych outs. One example was a psych-out from Rodgers to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, two words, “Sean Payton.” Hackett proceeded to miss the pylon as the show transitioned rapidly to the Sean Payton comments about Hackett. Payton said Hackett’s coaching job with the Denver Broncos “was one of the worst coaching performances he has ever seen.” Aaron Rodgers responded to Payton’s comments about Hackett, who Rodgers called his “brother,” during an interview with NFL Network. Rodgers said, “It is very surprising for a coach to do that to another coach. It made me feel bad that someone who has accomplished a lot in the league feels that insecure that he needs to take another man down, and I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.” Hackett himself was shown to be an energetic ball of positivity. He was constantly demanding more of his players while celebrating their victories. Rodgers said, “At first, it seems like an act because he is always on,” however, his consistency in that approach is what the team believes makes Hackett the right fit. Throughout the episode, love was seemingly spread from one teammate to another. From teaching to joking, the team was always high-energy in training camp. Perhaps no more comradery was shown than during the HOF game in this season’s NFL debut. With two Jets HOF inductees being congratulated and lots of people getting cut, the focus throughout the game was essential to see. Chazz Surratt and Zach Wilson were highlighted throughout the first preseason game in Hard Knocks. Surratt had four tackles and an INT, causing Saleh to jump up and down in excitement. Wilson played minimally, throwing 3/5 for 65 yards. Coach Saleh capped off the game and episode making one thing clear, "We are so focused on the inside" and "the noise is for everyone else."

The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, two teams with a lot to prove entering 2023, took the field on August 3rd for the NFL season debut. The Hall of Fame game took place in Canton, Ohio, and tickets sold for a whopping average of $228—the highest average for any Hall of Fame game in NFL history. The game brought star power, including interviews with Hall of Fame inductees Joe Thomas, Demarcus Ware, Zach Thomas, Joe Klecko, Darrelle Revis, and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. While New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was interviewed, he was also one of many stars that did not play in tonight’s game. Both teams elected to rest nearly all listed regular season starters, including offensive rookie of the year Garrett Wilson, defensive rookie of the year Sauce Gardner, Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, and all-pro running back Nick Chubb. Nevertheless, the crowd at Tom Benson Stadium roared at kickoff as it was official, America’s most popular season had started. The Standouts Regardless of the outcome, both fanbases were tuning in to see the players vying for a coveted NFL roster spot. The Browns had standout performances from running backs John Kelly Jr. and Demetris Felton Jr. Kelly started the game with ten carries and 42 yards. Demetric Felton Jr. followed his performance with 7 carries 46 yards. Meanwhile, Hassan Hall pitched in 5 carries for 34 yards. Browns fans may have more depth than they realized to replace Kareem Hunt. Another Browns standout was Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The second-half quarterback went 8/11 for 82 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball six times for 36 yards. The Jets Offense did not have the same success. The team ran for 2.3 yards per carry while throwing under fifty percent. However, the first-half defense held the Browns to three points. The keys to the Jets first-half defense were Jamien Sherwood, who had five tackles and a forced fumble; Chazz Surratt, who had four tackles and an interception; and rookie Will McDonald IV had three tackles and a QB hit. Game Summary The game’s first drive immediately put the Jets defense on their heels, with Browns running back John Kelley Jr. and quarterback Kellen Mond driving the ball from one 25-yard-line to another in only six plays. Suddenly the Jets defense awoke, and a tipped pass by second-year defensive end Jermaine Johnson Jr., followed by a sack by Bryce Huff, halted the momentum. The stop set up a missed 49-yard field goal by Cade York. Leaving the score 0-0. The Jets continued to seize momentum on their second drive when Zach Wilson threw a dart to Jalen Naylor for 52 yards. That pass set up Greg “the leg” Zuerlein to make a 54-field goal. On the next possession, Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood continued to seize momentum with a forced fumble against Browns wide receiver Anthony Schwartz. The Jets then looked to Zach Wilson to take a two-score lead with the ball on the Cleveland 31-yard-line. After two short runs by Israel Abanikanda, Wilson would drop back and throw a tipped ball to go three and out. Thanks to excellent field position, the Jets still nabbed a 44-yard field goal. The score was now 6-0, in New York’s favor, heading into the second quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Wilson was promptly replaced by Tim Boyle. Wilson finished his game 3/5 for 65 yards passing and a 104.2 quarterback rating. Mond began the second quarter with a three-and-out, and the mistakes continued to pile up on the Browns next offensive possession. On the next possession, Mond led a one-play interception drive, intercepted by NYJ linebacker Chazz Surratt. After the interception, Boyle completed consecutive passes to training camp star Jayson Brownlee for 17 yards. Abanikanda continued to utilize his speed with a 10-yard touchdown run outside near the left pylon. The Jets now held a two-score lead over the Browns 13-0. Not to be outplayed in the season opener, the Browns responded with a 17-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. John Kelley Jr. continued to leave his mark against the Jets defense with four consecutive plays for 17 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Gipson’s 45-yard return set the Jets up for a 53-yard Field Goal as the half closed out. It was officially 16-7 New York at halftime in Canton. Boyle remained at the helm for the Jets in the third quarter, and after hitting running back Travis Dye in the head with the football, the Jets would go three and out and punt. Meanwhile, the running game would continue to be an issue for the Jets defense. The Browns subbed in Dorian Thompson Robinson to take over the starting quarterback position. After one incompletion, Robinson led an 11-play 93-yard touchdown drive. Running back Demetric Felton and Robinson combined for six rushing plays that resulted in 56 yards. Two drives into the third quarter, the Browns were only down 16-14. With Boyle at the helm, the Jets offense seemingly stalled. He finished the third quarter with a turnover on downs, and his night ended 6/11 for 61 yds. At the beginning of the Fourth quarter, Head Coach Robert Saleh inserted Chris Streveler in at quarterback for the Jets. Streveler did not get the Jets offense going. Strevler would lead a three-and-out on the first drive of the fourth quarter. And only complete one pass for the rest of the quarter. Meanwhile, Robinson took the field in charge of his offense, the Jets defense, and the clock. He led his second touchdown drive for nine plays and 78 yards and took another five minutes off the clock. With nine minutes left and the Jets down 21-16, Saleh and Strevler still did not answer. Instead, both teams would have a 6-play drive resulting in punts. After the Browns matched, Streveler would take the field for one last opportunity to take the lead. New York had the ball on their 45-yard-line, down 5 points, with 2:18 left on the clock. Over the next two minutes, Streveler would throw 1/6 for 11 yards, finishing with a 15-yard interception to seal a Browns 21-16 win.

By: Martin Dreyfuss Arizona State University has had a reputation as a party school for decades; however, over the last decade, ASU has transitioned into a highly respected educational institution. The university president, Michael Crow, has made immense strides toward what he called a "new American university," but some disagree with how the organization's president has approached ASU’s transformation. According to U.S. News and World Report, ASU has ranked number one in innovation for the last eight years and top 30 in law as of 2022. Prep scholar, another ranking site, ranked ASU's journalism program as top seven and their honors college as number one in the nation. Despite these highly accredited schools, ASU is not a top 100 university, according to U.S. News and World Report. Tara Williams, the newly named dean at the Barrett Honors College and expert in higher education, said, "It is really hard to change your reputation. It takes other people a long time to catch up to the work that has been done. ASU has continued to have innovative faculty, innovative research, and they have graduates who earn prestigious scholarships. ASU must continue to pile up the evidence. " According to the State Press, when Crow took the role of president in 2002, the school had been named America's number-one party school by Playboy Magazine. Furthermore, the American College and Health Association found increased risky behavior among intoxicated students at the university. Worst of all, the vice president of the associated student, Brian Buck, was featured in a porno at a university frat house, in 2002. Tuesday Mahrle, an ASU graduate of 2009 and adjunct professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, said, “While I don’t know details, I know within Crow’s first five-year plan was the goal to combat that party school stigma.” President Crow’s goal to destigmatize ASU as a party school would show success in the early 2010s. 2011 would mark the last year ASU would rank among the top party schools within the Princeton Review. Between 2012-2014 ASU demolished the university's Greek row and banned several Greek organizations for hazing, ending the party-school stigma, according to the State Press. Mahrle said, "I attribute that change, and the direction of the university, single-handedly to President Crow." ASU's staff and leadership have accredited Crow with developing an innovative university; however, not all members of the organization agree with the school's direction. Craig Allen, a professor at ASU for 32 years, said ASU's marketed improvements are overblown, and Allen criticized ASU's marketing as a “scheme" to attract more students. Allen said, "ASU constantly promotes its number one ranking. It may be number one in innovation, but they are weak in many other areas; ASU's overall ranking is not a top 100 university." Allen developed these criticisms from the evidence of other top universities containing a traditional campus and the belief that ASU has a misguided emphasis on public relations and marketing. Allen is primarily upset by ASU's promotion as a top university while lacking a traditional campus life or top 100 ranking. According to U.S. News and World Report, despite not possessing a traditional Greek row or campus life, ASU still ranked top 10 for first-year student experience. Mahrle, a student at ASU from 2005-2009, believes that campus life does not play a role in education as a student. Instead, traditional campus life is best for transitioning into adult life and learning life lessons. Williams said, "I do think it is essential for any university to have a vibrant community. However, as far as campus life, that community can be tailored to your student base." Both Mahrle and Williams commended ASU for its inclusion in education. Mahrle highlighted ASU's focus on the inclusion of admissions, while Williams highlighted the innovative expansions of higher education. ASU has designed innovative systems such as online education and honors access, and as outlined by Crow, has designed an education system that delivers the same education regardless of platform. Mahrle said that the innovative education system has created opportunities for anyone, even a “45-year-old single mother,” to get their degree. When discussing innovative education, Mahrle described ASU's online science programs. The program is equipped with virtual reality laboratories and animal cadavers shipped to the student's door. Mahrle attributes the innovation of ASU to the organization's ability to fail and quickly pivot under Crow's leadership. Williams said, "To me, innovation is about always being open to the possibilities of something new or an improvement we can make. To me, innovation is an experimental mindset." This experimental mindset is something that ASU's leadership and staff have both highlighted as a key in ASU's transition and is a consistent message spread across the faculty. Barrett requires each student to research an honors thesis over one year before defending it in front of a chosen board of educators. The student is provided a faculty honors advisor to both provide information and guidance through the thesis process. The thesis process is a significant reason that, according to ASU, the university is ranked ahead of Brown, Princeton, and the University of Chicago for research, despite four-time higher acceptance rates than those schools combined. Mahrle attributes this combination to ASU moving away from the prestigious university method. According to U.S. News and World Report, Arizona State currently has an admission rate of 88.4%, 20% higher than the national average. Furthermore, Arizona State is home to over 70,000 in-person and nearly 60,000 online students, utilizing a curriculum that emphasizes equal education across platforms. The honors college is competitive, but the honors college is also inclusive. Barrett is one of two honors colleges to expand admissions to over 5,000 students across four campuses and online. Mahrle said, "Historically prestigious universities have more applications than they can accept, and GPAs are off the charts. President Crow is moving away from that. Instead of making it seem so outside of reach, they are breaking down barriers."

John Henry Ramirez, 37, will be put to death on October 5, 2022, for the murder of convenience clerk Pablo Castro. Students at Arizona State and Kansas State University are against the execution. Ramirez is, without a doubt, guilty; he admittedly stabbed Castro 29 times with a serrated knife during a robbery in 2004. Ramirez was sentenced in 2008. Kansas State student Aleena Davis said, "It is not up to someone else to determine when a person dies." According to New York Times author Ruth Graham, Texas prosecutor Mark Gonzalez filed a motion to withdraw the 'death warrant'; however, Judge Bobby Galvin refused to overturn the warrant because he believed he did not have the authority. The decision to execute Ramirez begs the question of whether a judge can overturn a jury's ruling. Cordero Holmes, a 34-year-old ex-convict, and current public policy honors student at Arizona State University, said, "Yes, the judge is there to determine if the sentence is adequate." According to Graham, Ramirez's lawyer Seth Kretzer said that "the chances are not exactly good" for any last chance appeals and that preparation for a "constitutionally appropriate execution" was underway. While in prison, Ramirez developed a religious relationship with a Baptist priest named Dana Moore. Ramirez won an appeal to allow Moore to touch him and pray aloud during his execution. While the students were against the execution, they were for Ramirez's right to have his preacher touch and pray aloud during his lethal injection. According to Graham, four of Castro's nine children filed a brief to the judge to uphold the execution date; they said, "the (Ramirez) ordeal has denied peace and closure to them for almost two decades." Sean Bowman, an honors student at Arizona State University, articulated the side of everyday Americans. Bowman said, "It costs a lot of resources to keep people alive." Arizona has the fourth highest imprisonment rate in the country and spends over $1 billion a year on the prison system. Arizona had its first execution since 2014, on May 11, 2022, with the execution of Clarence Dixon, a blind, mentally insane individual, who committed a murder 30 years ago. 27 states have legalized the death penalty for various circumstances; however, current laws do not reflect the views amongst students in Arizona. College students ranging from freshman to junior, ages 19 to 34, agreed that the death penalty is unethical and that it is not up to humans to determine the death of other humans, regardless of circumstance. Holmes described a judge who lacked the authority to determine a convict's sentence but decided to step down from a federal position to help a convict overturn his sentence. Holmes said, "Chris Young was sentenced in a three-strike rule, and the judge had to abide by mandatory sentencing laws. The judge stepped down and helped Young get out of jail." Holmes said Judge Galvin took the easy way out, denying overturning Ramirez’s death warrant. The crime committed by Ramirez in Corpus Christi, Texas, has brought back the debate of ethics regarding the death penalty. District Attorney Gonzalez used ethics as his number one reason for the withdrawal of the death warrant. According to Graham, Gonzalez denied commenting after Judge Galvin denied the motion. As it sits, the death of Pablo Castro will result in the death of both the victim and the perpetrator.

By explicitly identifying people of discriminatory affiliations for opinions, we feed into the premise that we are all different. We must look past race, disability, faith, political biases, and other affiliations to look at a person. Angeline Taylor is a great professor, Ph.D. student, and writer. Not a great Christian professor, student, and writer. By labeling her as Christian or Black, we are backwardly saying she is excellent within her affiliations when she would be as great as a Jewish white man or Muslim Iranian. “We need to cover people, not because they are black or Asian or gay, but because they are people,” said equity, diversion, and inclusion teacher Kevin Benz. The goal to be diverse in the newsroom starts with identifying talent and putting it on display regardless of affiliations. Naturally, some expert journalists are Asian, Hindu, Autistic, or an immigrant; however, the former defines these individuals, not the latter. An example of taking E.D.I. too far was shown in an interview by Ian Cross of ABC 5; he interviewed Benz. Benz taught Cross to reach out to minority-specific experts, suggesting leaving out non-minorities from interviews. This is problematic as we start by looking at an expert’s discriminatory affiliations, not their depth of knowledge. I want to be clear in my statement. People shouldn’t be chosen as an expert based on any affiliation. They should be selected because they are the right person for the job. Beyond certain pitfalls I believe the teachings of E.D.I. are beneficial to the newsroom. Benz addressed the importance of listening to everybody in the newsroom and how we can understand various perspectives before reporting. “It is about more than your skin color; it’s about your background. It’s about how you grew up. Those different backgrounds can come into a newsroom to cover a story,” said Maria Hechanova, a reporter for CBS 5. Diverse backgrounds in the newsroom allow for conversations that lead to sympathy being shown in stories that otherwise may lack a level of sensitivity. These conversations allow us to understand affiliations that we may have unknowingly stereotyped. Benz also taught journalists the importance of recognizing our personal biases so that we can work on mitigating them. Often, we do not realize we have biases, and it takes a moment of awakening to realize them. Benz outlines how by recognizing these shortcomings, only then can one work on correcting them. “I have always had to strike a balance between being the black voice in the newsroom, while not being pigeonholed as the black reporter,” said Jamar Younger, communications coordinator for Arizona Charter Schools Association. Today we are actively working to include people of all affiliations, without stereotyping them. One of the most important steps humans have taken towards E.D.I. Going forward, we must create a foundation for E.D.I. to succeed into the long-term, and to succeed into the long-term we must not think it but live it. “Diversity and inclusion is something that, when it is happening, I don’t notice it. It’s like oxygen. You notice it when it is gone,” said U.S. House Representative Jennifer London. I believe this quote outlines how E.D.I. should work, and I believe the best way to accomplish that goal is through the nation’s youth. Children are moldable. They look up to us to create a better world around them, and if we teach them to respect one another and live by the golden rule, “treat others how you want to be treated,” then we may truly live in a world of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Our education system used to be the core of the American Dream. A tool that embodied the rise from lower to middle to upper class in this country. Today, that system is outdated and an international symbol of failure. According to Business Insider, the country ranked outside the top 10 in literacy of Mathematics, Languages, and Sciences. The first question we must ask is what is causing our educational failures? Experts point to high education costs, education discrepancies, outdated textbooks, and a lack of teachers. Honestly, they are all correct, and with this laundry list of problems, we are forced to conclude that fixing any single problem will only bandage a much deeper wound. Were Americans ever that smart? According to Cengage, at the beginning of the 19th century, many people in America were illiterate. Union jobs ruled the 20s, and the depression didn't leave money for college. It wasn't until WWII that America realized they had an education problem when the country turned away 5 million soldiers for their illiteracy. During WWII, America revamped its education system to focus on math, science, and languages. This altered focus resulted in the 40s and 50s ranking America number one in education globally. The golden era was short-lived, and our old problems arose again by the beginning of the 1970s. Debates about how school 'ought to be' taught shifted an educational focus on math and science back to woodworking and driver education, and in the 90s, Columbine altered the perception of American education again. These problems all piled together to render American Edu. mediocre. Today, there are more school shootings than ever; the education discrepancy from state to state is appalling; we are using our kids as the centerpiece of political debates, and according to NPR, the average American family is giving 1/8 of their annual income to the school. Fixing the problems: The last question we must ask is how do we start fixing these issues? We begin by admitting our system is awful, and we should learn from countries performing better than us. Finland, which is a top education system internationally, stopped assigning homework and gave students 20-hour school weeks. In America, children have 30-hour weeks on average and 13.5 hours of homework. In Italy, children spend 2 hours eating a four-course lunch meal, learning both etiquette and health. In America, the average food cost for students is comparable to prison food. Finally, many countries offer free education, and America charges 10,000 dollars a year on average. This brings up questions about how parents should teach their children, should their kids go to public school, can families afford private school, how can we provide our children with the best education system, and seemingly, is America the right country for my family? Sadly, these answers are often unclear and lead to crippling effects on our nation. I hope one day we can offer a better education for all children and provide nourishing meals and knowledge that nourishes their malleable minds. I implore American education actually to solve these problems.

photo attribution to patspulpit.com If you would've told Jets fans we would be 5-3 with two ROTY candidates going into a week nine game against Buffalo, we would have laughed in your face. If you then said to Jets fans, we will be 5-3 with Zach Wilson missing the first three weeks, and when he comes back, he will average nearly the same stats as his rookie year. No one in the meadowlands would listen to you. Yet here we are, and let me tell you that we Jets fans are more than grateful for the first half of this NFL season. Heck, I can barely believe it is happening. But it is not all peaches and plums in the Meadowlands. The NFL is still a Quarterback driven league, and still, Zach Wilson is not showing he is an NFL-caliber QB. The QB has three touchdowns and five interceptions while barely completing 55 percent of his passes and is towards the bottom of the league in every statistical category, and after losing rookie RB Breece Hall to a torn ACL, Jets fans are looking to Wilson to carry the offense the remainder of the season. It is not just me, and it is not just Jets fans who feel Wilson may not cut it in the NFL, either. Two young, talented receivers have requested a trade, and Elijah Moore, who had consistent playing time with Wilson, is severely upset by his lack of looks on the field with Wilson. In fact, Elijah Moore saw his targets drop in half this season once Wilson took over for the aging Joe Flacco and now seems to have played his last game as a Jet. The other receiver, Denzel Mims, is taking most of Moore's playing time as the organization tries to mend fences or deal with Moore. However, the consensus from Jets fans is not to get rid of Moore. So this begs the question for Jets fans, what does the organization do? On the one hand, the Jets would love nothing more than for Wilson to prove to be a stud; however, on the other hand, Jets fans would much rather trade for a competent QB and make the playoffs than watch the organization squander the best start to a season in a decade. So who could the Jets trade for? Furthermore, do you think they should pull the trigger? Some viable candidates for a trade would be Tyler Huntley, Cooper Rush, or Jordan Love, but that is if the team wants to stay young and develop a QB. Huntley, Love, or Rush would remain a backup throughout the season, forcing Wilson to step up or step out. Other candidates could include Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, or even Taylor Heinicke. This veteran would put Wilson on the hot seat, and if the season began to slip away, the veteran would be able to provide a solid and steady presence to right the ship. Does that mean any of those other candidates will be better than Wilson? Not necessarily, and that what-if is what is holding fans, coaches, and Joe Douglas to Zach Wilson. Regardless of circumstance, the organization should take a serious look at a strong veteran or young backup that could both apply pressure to Wilson and be a safety net if Wilson continues to fall apart.

At 27 years old, Jayson Blair was caught showing a blatant disregard for journalism ethics as he became a dark spot in the 171 years of publishing at the New York Times. The ethical issues occurred in the late 90s and early 2000s when Blair lied about source interviews, story details, and expense sheets, all while committing acts of mass plagiarism. This essay will first define the ethical case of Jason Blair, then define the ethical violations that Blair committed, and finally, discuss solutions for publications to avoid future ethical disasters. The former Chief Representative of Newspaper Recruitment at Maryland University, Christopher Callahan, said, "Mr. Blair is the most promising journalist, at his age, that I have encountered in my career in journalism and journalism education." (Folkenflik, 2004) According to an article by the Baltimore Sun, Blair would work under Callahan at CNS before receiving a student editor position at the Diamondback newspaper. Afterward, Blair would move on to prestigious internships at the Boston Globe and Washington Post. After just over three years at the University of Maryland, Blair withdrew from his studies to take a full-time internship with the NYT. (Folkenflik, 2004) While there is no ethical violation present, his hastiness would become a trait that would help Blair self-justify his catastrophe. (Grant, 2013) Despite a higher-than-average correction rate for an intern, the NYT promoted Blair to full-time staff reporter after two years. (Jrank) Seth Mnookin said in Blair's documentary that one of Blair's stories, about a Madison Square Garden Concert, "looked like something that should have been in the Onion." The story contained the incorrect ticket price, Blair misquoted President Clinton, and Blair even said that Bono and the Edge appeared when they did not. These high correction rates prove that Blair violated the SPJ code of ethics by allowing speed to excuse inaccuracies. However, editors consistently used his immense writing talent as justification to overlook ethical issues and give him the benefit of the doubt. Blair soon realized that if he stopped reporting his corrections, nobody would have known to correct them. (Grant, 2013) Blair's idea to stop self-correcting became a self-described "slippery slope" that caused him to develop a process so he would never have to leave New York City again. According to Blair, He would plagiarize small parts of many different articles, expand on details he felt they missed, and then publish the story. Blair said this method would only draw people to similarities but never to the conclusion of plagiarism. (Grant, 2013) According to a New York Times report on Jayson Blair's ethical catastrophe, his most infamous acts of mass plagiarism and fabrication were about "emotionally charged moments in recent history, from the deadly sniper attacks in suburban Washington to the anguish of families grieving for loved ones killed in Iraq." (Barstow, 2003) Blair also got away with not traveling by utilizing new, simple technology to lie about his expense sheet about where he traveled. Failure to verify his writing origin and expense sheets provides evidence of failure within the NYT verification process. When Blair was assigned the story of the missing soldier Edward Anguiano, his house of cards collapsed. A reporter for the San Antonio Express, Macarena Hernandez, was also assigned the story. When Hernandez first saw Blair's story in the NYT, she was upset, not because she recognized plagiarism, but because Blair did not call her while in Los Fresnos. A few hours later, Hernandez's editor called her phone. Hernandez's editor, only referred to as Dan in the documentary, made a highlight comparison of the Blair and the Hernandez story. Another editor of the San Antonio Express, Ron Rivard, said the similarities between the two stories "was remarkable, there was indefinite articles changed, verb conjugation, but it was literally word for word." Hernandez was shocked, and Blair knew plagiarism meant the end of his career. (Grant, 2013) Blair soon resigned from the NYT, and the newspaper launched an investigation into every story Jason Blair ever wrote. According to the former Chief Editor of the NYT, Howell Raines, the investigation was like "pulling a thread." (Grant, 2013) Blair had a total of 725 stories with the publication, and according to his documentary, his first public plagiarism was an article he published in high school. The investigation found violations throughout high school, internships including the Boston Globe, and of course the NYT. While Blair blatantly plagiarized Hernandez, Blair often knew how to plagiarize and fabricate small details, making the investigation a tedious nightmare. Blair did several interviews less than a year after being caught, including one with Katie Couric of NBC. During his interview, he discussed the stress of the industry, coupled with his drug addiction. Blair detailed how he would sit at home analyzing other stories, trying to piece together different articles, and fabricating details he felt they missed. Several times Blair described himself as "self-destructing"; however, he felt he could not ask for help. (Couric, 2004) By isolating himself, he utilized the decision-making process that Sissela Bok refers to as, conscious. Blair consistently failed to seek help from his family, friends, or professionals, thus relying on his conscious as his only reference for decision making. Bok outlines how this decision-making process is the most prone to ethical errors due to ease of justification and calls the process the least effective way to make decisions. Blair also exhibits Bok's narrow vision, where an individual looks at short-term goals while ignoring long-term consequences. One example of Blair's narrow vision was Blair justifying fabrication "just to make it another day." (Grant, 2013) Bok again says this is ethically ineffective. Now that we have defined the case of Jayson Blair and further analyzed how his decision-making process and vision towards goals was ethically ineffective, we will discuss the specific ethical violations Blair committed. The first and most prominent ethical violation in journalism is plagiarism. Not only is it one of the most prominent ethical violations we discuss in class, but it is also sufficient to expel someone from both university and the journalism profession. Blair plagiarized throughout his entire career, as outlined in his documentary. Under the same category of plagiarism is the fabrication of a story or details. According to the NYT report, Blair wrote stories that appeared to be from "Maryland, Texas, and other states" when he rarely left his apartment in New York. By recreating moments, he had never experienced, he fabricated feelings and details within one of the most respected national newspapers. (Barstow, 2003) Blair also violated more SPJ codes of ethics than he followed. One of the codes Blair violated was never to allow speed to excuse inaccuracies. Blair often lied about expense sheets and chose to write stories from his apartment. Although these acts saved Blair time, the acts also created a slew of inaccurate reporting and fabricated details. Even before Blair committed mass plagiarism at the NYT, Blair's extremely high correction rates provided evidence that Blair was more concerned with writing the story than telling the story. Another SPJ code Blair did not just violate but blatantly ignored was never deliberately distorting facts. Beyond Anguiano, Blair provides further evidence of distortion when he lies about his cousin dying in the attack of 9/11. This lie got him out of writing a memorial with other reporters at the NYT. Furthermore, his exceptional writing ability likely drew more attention to a false story than the hundreds of real stories. This example provides evidence of Blair breaking the following SPJ codes: 1. Never distort facts 2. Give a voice to the voiceless, 3. Boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience, and 4. Minimizing Harm. The one that stands out most is minimizing harm because his actions blatantly disregarded the voiceless and instead took away attention from mourning families processing acts of terror. Furthermore, by fabricating a memorial story, he lied about the depth of the human experience, selfishly adding tragedy to one of the most tragic days in American history. The Blair case further provides evidence for James Fallows' theory on the credibility gap between the press and the public. To fully outline how Blair contributes to James Fallows' theory of the credibility gap, we must look at Fallows' definition of the roles of the press. The first role of the press is to gatekeep mass amounts of information to determine what is essential for the public to know. By recreating moments Blair did not attend, Blair could not have known what to disclose beyond other public records, thus Blair relied on other journalists to gatekeep for him. Blair opens his documentary trailer and book by saying, "I lied, I lied, and then I lied some more." By doing so, he failed Fallows' second function of the press, the quasi-civic function. Fallows outlines the press's obligation to provide objective information for society to be a self-governing democracy. By fabricating details, it becomes clear that not only did Blair violate journalism ethics, but he also had no regard for being an ethical journalist. While there are many more ethical violations to discuss, Blair's failure to Seek Truth and Report it, is the last significant violation this essay will overview. Since Blair never left his apartment, he was not interviewing sources in person and not attending events he reported on. Blair did not seek the truth; thus, he was not reporting the truth. In summary, Blair committed several ethical violations, including failure to seek truth and report it, failure to minimize harm, failure not to distort details, failure to be a watchdog in the press, and failure to show any concern for journalism ethics. Blair committed countless ethical violations in his very short career, and in order to repair the damages caused to the credibility of journalism, this essay has compiled three solutions. The first solution would attempt to mitigate what Blair describes as a "self-destructive" mentality and implement mandatory monthly mental health checks. While many companies have open resources, some people will not request the help they need. By having a third-party therapist come in for monthly evaluations, publications will be more likely to recognize somebody going through a mental collapse. This idea is becoming more attainable amongst many corporations today and thus would also be logically attainable. The second solution is a more extreme version of what the NYT did after the resignation of Jayson Blair. The solution involves major publications creating a department of ombudsman and press critics. With a 24/7 news cycle, no one person can sift through every story posted about a single topic. Thus, the solution would have prominent publications such as the NYT create a team of ombudsmen and press critics for each paper division. These divisions include but are not limited to, political, police, feature, and all other types of news. The third solution ties back into a solution from memo #1. Before publishing a story, reporters must provide immediate verification of the location, writing origin, and sources to their direct editor. As previously discussed, some sources must remain publicly anonymous; however, a journalist can still provide proof of the source to the editor while maintaining the source's public anonymity. Verification of writing origin can be as simple as using Turnitin.com to cross-reference articles, as we do for students. Finally, since all journalists have mobile devices today, requesting a selfie with a time stamp for expense verification would be very easy. One or all of these measures would have prevented Blair from writing 725 stories for the NYT and mitigated the damages Blair caused to journalistic credibility. This essay offers a unique solution because nothing has reversed James Fallows' theory of the credibility gap; thus, a unique and drastic solution may be necessary. In conclusion, Jayson Blair is a cautionary tale of executives allowing talent to supersede ability. While Blair was an exceptional writer, he was not prepared for the job he undertook and slowly justified unethical methods of accomplishing his work. His ethical compass either disappeared or never existed, and his talent led him to be a national horror story for the journalism profession. It is not just a warning for individual journalists either; Blair is a large piece of the credibility gap between the press and the public that has led to the press boycott theory by James Fallows'. Today, journalists must recognize the flaws of Blair and other unethical journalists to attempt to restore our role as watchdogs and objective information providers for a self-governing democracy. Bibliography: Barstow, D., & Jonathan. (2003, May 11). Times reporter who resigned leaves Long Trail of Deception. The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/us/correcting-the-record-times-reporter-who-resigned-leaves-long-trail-of-deception.html Couric, K. (2004). A question of trust. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna4457860. Retrieved 2022. Folkenflik, D. (2019, January 30). The making of Jayson Blair. Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-as.blair23-story.html A Fragile Trust. (2013). A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at the New York Times. Retrieved 2022. Jayson Blair Biography - joined staff of the New York Times, covered d.c.-area sniper shootings. Joined Staff of the New York Times, Covered D.C.-Area Sniper Shootings - Reporter, Stories, Story, and Journalism - JRank Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://biography.jrank.org/pages/2500/Blair-Jayson.html Spj. (n.d.). Ethics case studies - Society of Professional Journalists. Society of Professional Journalists - Improving and protecting journalism since 1909. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.spj.org/ecs13.asp .