THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SINCE 1896 • VOLUME CXXVI, NO. 100 Thursday, February 27, 2020 An interview with USG presidential candidate Josh Crow Last week, the Editorial Board for the good ones we have, and DC: You have more expe- interviewed the two candidates frankly start calling out the ad- rience in the upper levels of for the USG presidential elections, ministrators who have bad ones USG than the other candi- which will occur from March 3-5. with us, so there starts to be a date. How do you think that’s Today, we share with you our in- pressure for us to move towards prepared you to take on the terview with Josh Crow, edited for a system where everyone works presidency? length and clarity. A full transcript with us. JC: Most importantly, I know can be found online at dailycam- DC: How would you mea- how to deal with student govern- pus.com. sure and define success in ment, as does my running mate concrete terms for your ad- Alex. Which sounds like a silly Daily Campus: What do ministration? little thing, but for anyone who you see as the current rela- JC: We want — this is very has any experience with the stu- tionship between USG and ambitious — but we want by dent government, you know it the administration, and what the end of next year for every- can be frankly a pain in the ass would you like to change one to be able to point to some- to work with, and that’s a huge about that relationship? thing and say USG has done learning curve for somebody Josh Crow: I think it depends that for me. Right now, we are who has no experience inside the on what part of administration going around talking to a lot of organization to overcome. you look at. We tend to treat groups, and the first question Something I hope to do, and administration as a monolith we always ask is “What has Alex hopes to do is we can take as administration tends to treat USG done for you that you can our experience to help streamline the student body as a monolith, point to?” There hasn’t been that process and make it easier but it’s not and neither are we much of a positive response to digest for people outside, and … Something me and Alex are in that regard. So, focusing on that’s honestly the biggest place I Josh Crow interviews at The Daily Campus. Last week, the Editorial Board interviewed Crow as part of The Daily Campus’s hoping to do is prioritize the those programs as executives think [my experience] comes in. coverage of the USG presidential elections. PHOTO BY KEVIN LINDSTROM, good relationships we have, that target the issues students STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/THE DAILY CAMPUS thank those administrators care the most about. See CROW, p. 4 ‘Thrive Not Survive’ Student Mental Health March Students protest for mental health reform at board of trustees meeting demands CMHS reform by Mike Mavredakis by Naiela Suleiman STAFF WRITER CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT [email protected] [email protected] A group of University of Connecticut students protested Students chanting and holding posters took to the University of at the university’s board of trustees monthly meeting Connecticut seal Wednesday, demanding better mental health Wednesday morning to push the board to increase fund- care from the university’s Counseling and Mental Health Ser- ing for mental health care. vices (CMHS). “The most important thing is that students are Katherine Morris, founder of UConn Collaborative Or- expressing that they are caring for one another, ganizing (UCCO), put together the demonstration that and they are not feeling that care from the uni- marched from the seal to the board of trustees meeting versity,” Dean of Students Eleanor JB Daugh- in Wilbur Cross. erty said after the students spoke. “That is a “We are here because mental health has been an is- gap that should not be their experience, they sue my entire time here at UConn, but more promi- should feel welcomed and cherished by ev- nently the fact that two of our students committed eryone. If we are failing to do that, we need suicide within a month of each other,” Morris said. to address that.” “That’s how we ended last semester and how we The students, led by UConn Coalition for started this semester.” Collaborative Organizing (UCCO) President Morris said that many of the problems with Katherine Morris, an eight-semester cogni- CMHS lead back to insufficient funds. tive science, anthropology and master’s in “We have a list of questions for the university, public policy student, spoke at the begin- but we basically just need more care,” Morris ning of the meeting for approximately an said. “We need more options available and more hour and a half, providing a face and a equality in those options. We need more diver- variety of personal stories for the board sity and practitioners. We need more funding to consider in their handling of mental and more staff to support the students.” health reform going forward. Danny Mitola, a seventh-semester sustain- “Continuing pressure and making able plant and soil systems and English major, sure that they are actually carrying out said he was not surprised by the lack of mental things,” Morris said on the path for- healthcare on campus. ward. “Avoiding falling into the trap of “I was not surprised, and that’s not a good having a task force and meetings, where thing,” Mitola said. “I had a tough time my you can say that you are doing something freshman year, so if there was more support but all you’re really doing is having these and fewer wait times when getting help for meetings.” mental health, maybe things would have been Once the public comment section of the different.” meeting ended, the board swiftly passed Mitola said the administration is not seeking all the items on their agenda, according to student input. University Spokeswoman Stephanie Re- “We are here, and we need help and we are itz. asking for help and they should provide that Reitz also confirmed that Trustee Scott help,” Mitola said. Cowen had handed Gov. Ned Lamont his Students said the administration is not pri- letter of resignation after the passing of his oritizing mental healthcare the same way they do wife. physical healthcare. After waiting more than 20 minutes past “I really think it’s blasphemy, I walk around and the listed start time for the meeting to be called I can’t even believe this is happening,” Riya Benkat, to order, the student protestors walked over be- second-semester marketing major said. “Especially at hind university officials to get right into view of a university like UConn that prides itself on being sup- the Board. They remained there for the duration portive of its students, so we are being supported physi- of the testimonials. cally but mentally there is just nothing.” “It came out of just wanting to be seen, I think,” Benkat said her own connections to mental health Abhishek Gupta, an eighth-semester biology and brought her to the march. sociology major, said on moving the protest into view. “Mental health is regular health and I think that’s impor- “The way meetings are structured, they tend to be a lit- tant to understand,” Benkat said. “I have personal ties and tle bureaucratic in nature, and it follows a strict ordered have seen the effects of mental health up close. You really don’t setting, but we didn’t want to be seen as people on the side- know what it’s like ‘til you’re standing in those shoes so it’s impor- lines.” tant to be here to help people understand the extent of mental health.” See BOARD, p. 3 See MARCH, p. 3 For more... dailycampus.com The_DailyCampus The_DailyCampus The Daily Campus Tweet of the Day Vaughn Juan TO THE RIGHT | PAGE 4 BIONIC PANCREAS | PAGE 5 BASKETBALL | PAGE 12 @_BeautifulBeast Sanders pays homage to Diabetes management made Mid-week sweep for UConn Just talked to my baby cousin communist dictators simple she’s a statistics major at UCONN. I feel old af 02 Thursday, February 27, 2020 • DailyCampus.com News In case you missed it What happened this week beyond UConn All The Small Things by Taylor Harton ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR DR. LESLIE SHOR ON HOW LOOKING AT [email protected] THE STUFF IN SOIL CAN HELP THE CLIMATE Kobe Bryant Wrongful Death Lawsuit Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant and mother of Gianna Bryant, who were both killed in a helicopter ac- by Grace McFadden environment.” Shor said that termites are cident in January, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT Shor’s research on roots has somewhat unique in their the helicopter company, Island Express Helicopters, Inc., ac- [email protected] looked at mycorrhizal fungi in ability to break down those cording KTLA5. The lawsuit alleges that the pilot of the heli- particular. These are organisms same materials that would be copter, Ara Zobayan, was negligent and careless and should Humans spend a lot of time and that help extend the network of useful for humans and con- have grounded the helicopter until the extremely foggy energy shaping their environ- roots to be able to reach more nu- vert them into energy. conditions cleared up. The lawsuit also states that Zobayan ment, but University of Connecti- trients and water. “The termite can take wood failed to properly assess the weather and failed to control the cut Associate Professor of Chemi- Shor discussed how currently, and grind it up and convert it helicopter.