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Vol. 1 Issue 11 PantherNOW.com Monday, April 10, 2017 DEVOS GOES PUBLIC The secretary of education makes first visit to a public university during the panel. DeVos, Republican billionaire, faced a difficult confirmation by the Senate over her lack of education administration experience with Vice President Mike Pence giving a historic tie breaking vote to get the required numbers of vote to be confirm. During the roundtable discussion, faculty and students, such as Idaykis Rodriguez, a post-doctoral student, voiced concerns over the accessibility of education and federal funding, particularly for a commuter school that is minority-majority. “FIU serves as a beacon of hope for a lot of our students in order to achieve that American dream,” Rodriguez said during the panel. The future of undocumented student immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was also brought up by Tarkiu Menberu, an Ethiopian doctor participating in the school’s foreign physician retraining program to become a nurse. According to DeVos, besides pushing for more STEM and STEAM programs, the new administration is taking on a “bigger picture, larger look” approach and is looking to see what programs and initiatives are the most effective for students and instructors. Once these programs are identified, the department will be able to target these resources more effectively to help them “flourish,” while defunding those that aren’t working, DeVos said. PHOTO COURTESY OF MEDIA RELATIONS DeVos also reiterated Secretary John F. Kelly’s words, United States Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, gets tour of Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health saying that the new administration is “sensitive” to DACA Sciences accompanied by students and President Mark B. Rosenberg. students and that they have no intention of searching for After visiting CARE Elementary, a Christian school in students in the schools. MICHELLE MARCHANTE Overtown, FIU was the second stop DeVos made Thursday “We have an obligation to care for the students that are Staff Writer and is the first public university she visited as the Secretary in the schools and in the system,” said DeVos. of Education for what Rosenberg called a “listening tour” But Francesca Riccio-Ackerman, a junior majoring On Thursday, April 6, faculty and students met with to NBC6. in biomedical engineering and the newly elected senator U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and President “I’m very honored to be here and very much interested for engineering, is worried that these are empty promises Mark B. Rosenberg at the Nicole Wertheim College of in hearing from you about your experiences here, what and doesn’t understand why FIU would accept her visit Nursing and Health Sciences for a roundtable discussion things you are finding to be particularly strong and and only allow a select group of students to participate in the on the current and future state of education while student successful, what some of your challenges are, and what SEE DEVOS, PAGE 2 protesters voiced their opposition outside. you see as your opportunities for your future,” DeVos said BISCAYNE BAY SGA Election Results Following the elections held on April 4 and 5, winners were announced on Laverne Cox to visit BBC Thursday, April 6 at MMC and BBC. Check PantherNOW.com for full story this week. MARYBETH LORETTA Cox was a great person to reach The impact of Cox’s message Contributing Writer out to the LGBT community, is one of hope and overcoming Adelson said. adversity, Adelson said. He Transgender actress and “To have someone speak further explained the relevance activist Laverne Cox will speak about the LGBT community, and of transgender issues around the about acceptance, inclusion, the not only… reach out to those country referring to recent laws LGBT community to University people but she’s also speaking regarding transgender people students in an event called ‘Ain’t about acceptance and being who using public bathrooms. I a Woman: My Journey Through you are, being true to yourself “…I don’t remember the exact Womanhood.” and I think that can really resonate statistic but they [transgender “Before we even found out with all of FIU students,” he said. people] are actually being killing NIA YOUNG/PANTHER PRESS about Laverne Cox, we knew we Cox, whose lectures Adelson at an alarming rate so for her to Krista Schmidt, elected president of SGC-MMC celebrates with her wanted to get someone that spoke described as “topnotch,” feels speak on something like that … party by jumping in the fountain outside the Graham Center. about the current political climate students will greatly be impacted people that are not a part of the and current social issues that are by her. LGBT community or people that happening so we were looking “…They’ll feel more confident don’t know much about it, having through people and Laverne Cox in themselves because seeing this her speak on it … will really get to just really fit that mold of who person that’s so confident and so a lot of ears and impact a lot more we wanted,” said Jamie Adelson, sure in herself … her energy and people,” said Adelson. director of lectures at the Student what she stands for will pass on to The event will be at 6:30 Government Council at BBC. the students and they’ll feel more in the Wolfe University Center For the event, which will confident in themselves seeing Ballrooms and free for students. be on April 11, SGA sent out a what she’s gone through and For faculty, staff and alumni, survey to students with a list of seeing her journey,” said Adelson. tickets will cost $5, and starts at potential speakers including Jesse “They’ll feel that and say ‘OK, I $15 for the general public. Visit: DANTE GONSALVES/PANTHER PRESS Williams, Gina Rodriguez but can get through this that’s going https://go.fiu.edu/lavernecox to Elected winners of the SGC-BBC winners are announced in the with the current political climate, on in my life…’” purchase and RSVP. Wolfe University Center with Roary. 2 Panther Press – Monday, April 10, 2017 NEWS PantherNOW.com NATION & Students protest Betsy DeVos’ visit DEVOS, PAGE 1 school her whole life, and didn’t put learning assistant in the Chemistry her children in public school and isn’t Department, explained his role in WORLD BRIEFS discussion. a supporter of public school, she must bridging the communication gap “If she is against public education, think that publics schools are not doing between students and professors, and China urges ‘restraint’ after U.S. why are we opening our arms and saying well, that they are failing,” Riccio- how the school has seen success with we are so honored that she came to Ackerman said. “But as secretary of active learning. DeVos, he said, appeared airstrike on Syrian airfield visit?” Riccio-Ackerman said to Student education, you would think that she to be engaged with the concept of guided Media. would want to fix that but instead she’s independent learning prior to class. BEIJING _ China on Friday warned against DeVos has been a strong promoter saying ‘no, let’s take more money away “That is a new way of teaching “the escalation of tension” in Syria after President of charter schools, school vouchers, from them.’” and all the test grades have gone up,” Donald Trump launched an airstrike on a Syrian the privatization of schools and school The focus of the administration, Wood said to Student Media. “You can government air base, adding a surprise twist to his imagine that for chemistry, physics and two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. all these guys that usually struggle in The U.S. launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles these classes, having a percentage of the at the base late Thursday in response to a chemical class that is passing go up 20-40 percent weapons attack in Syria earlier this week that killed is huge.” dozens of people in a rebel-held area, many of them According to Rosenberg, this idea of children. being active is part of FIU’s culture, and Thursday’s airstrike marked the first direct U.S. is not just promoted for the classroom, military action against the government of Syrian but for the community as well, as the President Bashar Assad since Syria’s civil war recent Dance Marathon showed. began in 2011. “Part of our effort is to encourage Thousands march against students and faculty to take responsibility,” Rosenberg said. “If we South African President Zuma, don’t take responsibility, who will? If but unity remains elusive we don’t get engaged, who will?” There was never going to be a march of a Prior to the roundtable, DeVos met million people, but even before Friday’s protests in private with Rosenberg to discuss in South Africa calling for President Jacob Zuma important University issues such as to resign, members of his party were deriding the pell grants, internships, tuition, the demonstrations as the once-off roar of privileged RIYA MAGIYA/PANTHER PRESS STEM Transformation Institute, and white people.