/articles/2018/05/consumer-sentiment-in-florida-increases-for-the-first-time-since-january-1.html

Consumer sentiment in Florida increases for the first time since January

May 1, 2018
Mark Girson
BEBR

After two months of decline, consumer sentiment among Floridians increased six-tenths of a point in April to 98.1 from a revised figure of 97.5 in March.

Among the five components that make up the index, three increased and two decreased.

“Overall, Floridians are slightly more optimistic. The gain in April’s confidence came from the perceptions and expectations regarding Floridians’ personal financial situation. These numbers increased for women as well as those aged 60 and older,” said Hector H. Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

Perceptions of personal financial situations now compared with a year ago rose 5.5 points from 91 to 96.5, the greatest increase of any component this month. Similarly, perceptions as to whether this is a good time to buy major household items like appliances increased 3.1 points from 101.1 to 104.2.

“Increases in these two components show that opinions regarding the current economic condition improved among Floridians in April,” Sandoval said. 

Of the three components that represent expectations about future economic conditions, one increased and two decreased. Expectations of personal financial situations a year from now went up 3.2 points from 105.9 to 109.1. In contrast, expectations of U.S. economic conditions over the next year plummeted 6 points from 96.4 to 90.4, the greatest decline in this month’s reading. Additionally, expectations of U.S. economic conditions over the next five years decreased 2.9 points from 93.3 to 90.4.

“Despite the large decline in short- and long-run confidence in the national economy, opinions are split among the population by age. Those under age 60 have strong negative expectations, while those aged 60 and older hold positive opinions,” Sandoval said. 

Overall, economic indicators in Florida continue to be positive. The labor market in Florida continues to strengthen, with more jobs added on a monthly basis. Since January 2017, labor force participation reached 10 million, and with the exception of December 2017, participation has increased every month. Regardless of increased participation, the unemployment rate has remained unchanged at 3.9 percent for the past seven months.

In March, 173,100 jobs were added statewide, a 2 percent increase compared with a year ago. Among all industries, professional and business services gained the most jobs, followed by leisure and hospitality, construction, and education and health services.

Additionally, personal income in Florida increased 3.8 percent on average in 2017, compared with 3.1 percent for the nation, according to estimates by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Net earnings -- the sum of wages and salaries, supplements to wages and salaries, and proprietors' income -- contributed most to this increase in personal income. Construction was the largest contributor to the earnings increase in Florida, growing 8.7 percent compared with 5.2 percent for the nation.

“Overall, consumer confidence is increasing, but expectations of future economic conditions may predict a significant change in this trend,” Sandoval said.

Conducted Apr. 1-26, the UF study reflects the responses of 361 individuals who were reached on cellphones, representing a demographic cross section of Florida.

The index used by UF researchers is benchmarked to 1966, which means a value of 100 represents the same level of confidence for that year. The lowest index possible is a 2, the highest is 150.

Details of this month’s survey can be found at http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/csi-data

Society & Culture
/articles/2018/05/for-high-school-baseball-pitchers-extra-throws-on-game-day-add-up-but-go-uncounted-1.html

For high school baseball pitchers, extra throws on game day add up but go uncounted

May 1, 2018
Doug Bennett

For high school baseball pitchers, limiting throws during a game helps to prevent fatigue and injuries. But nearly half the number of pitches — ones thrown during warm-ups and in the bullpen — are typically not counted, adding significantly to a pitcher’s risk of injury, new findings by University of Florida Health researchers show.

Excessive pitching is one of the main risk factors for elbow and shoulder injuries among high school baseball players. That’s why the Florida High School Athletic Association limits 17- and 18-year-old players to 105 pitches a day. After observing and counting nearly 14,000 pitches by 115 starting pitchers in North and Central Florida during the 2017 high school baseball season, the researchers found that 42.4 percent of the players’ throws were unaccounted for in teams’ pitch counts.

This is how uncounted pitches add up: The typical player threw about 69 pitches during game action, the researchers found. When warm-ups and bullpen activity were counted, the mean number of pitches per game swelled to more than 119. The findings were published recently in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.

All of those extra pitches should be counted to determine the true number of pitches thrown and to possibly reduce the risk of overuse injury, said Jason Zaremski, M.D., an assistant professor of orthopaedics in the UF College of Medicine and the study’s lead author. The study is the first to reveal the true volume of pitches that players throw, he said.

The stakes are high for pitchers. Previous research has found they suffer the majority of shoulder and elbow injuries among high school players, typically from overuse. Zaremski and his colleagues wanted to know why pitching injuries haven’t decreased despite pitch-count limits enacted in 2016 and better awareness of other known risk factors.

“The volume of pitches being thrown is much greater that what is being counted. It’s not just the effect of one game. Overuse has a cumulative effect over the course of a month, a season or a career,” Zaremski said.

In addition to making pitchers more susceptible to injury, Zaremski said excessive throwing can have other effects, such as changing their pitching motion, reducing their pitch velocity or reducing their ball control.

The study did not make a correlation between pitch counts and injuries. Next, Zaremski plans to begin studying the forces that are put on pitchers’ arms based on how they are pitching.

Knowing pitchers’ true workloads, he said, can be a useful tool for making changes to their regimens that will help them avoid injuries.

“This re-emphasizes the importance of preparing your arm in the off-season and preseason for the rigors of the regular season. If you don’t do that, your arm is going to break down — particularly as you get older and can start throwing harder,” he said.

One possibility is building up pitchers more in the off season so their arms are better prepared for the regular season. Another potential approach is having pitchers build themselves up more slowly at the beginning of the season. Zaremski said this idea may be bolstered by data from Major League Baseball, where the lowest injury rates occur in August and September, when the season is winding down.

“Their bodies have become used to the season,” he said. “They’ve become used to the workload.”

For high school athletes, their coaches and parents, Zaremski stresses several things: Prepare players’ arms for an upcoming season with a comprehensive pitching program; participate in a full-body, “kinetic chain” training program that optimizes energy transfer and efficient, effective movement; and use high-speed video or video analysis of the pitching motion.

While resources can be scarce at the high school level, Zaremski said those practices could reduce injuries that result from chronic overuse. Coaches, players and parents also need to be keenly aware of the total number of pitches on game day — not just the ones during game play.

Still, monitoring a player’s pitches is just one part of avoiding injuries, he noted. Other factors also are at work, including players’ participation in other sports that can limit their time to prepare for baseball season. Likewise, overuse injuries can be more of a hazard in warm-weather states where high school-age athletes play baseball nearly year-round.

About the researcher: Jason L. Zaremski, M.D. is an assistant professor in the UF College of Medicine’s department of orthopaedics and rehabilitation and co-medical director of the UF High School Sports Medicine Outreach Program. He has also been a physician for high school, college and professional sports teams.

Science & Wellness
/articles/2018/05/the-deadliest-drug-in-america-at-center-of-va-nominee-withdrawal-alcohol-1.html

The deadliest drug in America at center of VA nominee withdrawal: alcohol

May 1, 2018
Jamie Smolen

A UF addiction specialist explains why alcohol remains the country’s deadliest drug, even as opioid addiction, which kills more than 42,000 people a year, garners more attention.

File 20180427 135825 1nml6eu.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
Alcohol abuse leads to more deaths each year than opioid addiction. Malochka Mikalai/Shutterstock.com

Jamie Smolen, University of Florida

For the first time in a while, pundits and politicians were talking about the drug that kills more people than any other each year in the U.S.

I’m talking about alcohol, which upstaged opioid abuse in news coverage recently, but only after Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson withdrew his name for consideration to head Veterans Affairs, in part because of allegations that he has abused alcohol. Jackson has denied any problem with alcohol.

This provides an opportune time to discuss the seriousness of alcohol abuse.

Alcohol contributes to 88,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, more than double the number of people, 42,000, killed by heroin and opioid prescription drug overdose in 2016. Excessive drinking accounted for one in 10 deaths among working-age adults.

In addition, more than 66.7 million Americans reported binge drinking in the past month in 2015, according to a report by the surgeon general.

As someone who has studied alcohol use disorder for over 15 years and who has treated thousands of patients who have it, I think it’s a major, yet often poorly understood, public health problem.

A social lubricant

Alcohol can be a quick and easy way to get into the spirit of a celebration. And it feels good. After two glasses of wine, the brain is activated through complex neurobiochemical processes that naturally release dopamine, a neurotransmitter of great importance.

When the dopamine molecule locks on to its receptor located on the surface of a neuron, or basic brain cell, a “buzz” occurs. It is often desirably anticipated before the second glass is empty.

This image shows an illustration of a man drinking a pint of beer, indicating how the body metabolizes alcohol and the organs that this alcohol affects. Wellcome Images via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

There are those, however, who drink right past the buzz into intoxication and, often, into trouble. For them, the brain starts releasing the same enjoyable dopamine, no different than what happens in the casual drinker’s, but it doesn’t stop there. A compulsion to binge drink can result.

Binge drinking, defined as drinking five or more drinks for men and four for women on the same occasion on at least one day in the past 30 days, is a medical condition that victimizes the comparative malfunction of the pleasure circuits in the brain.

The three stages of addiction

The alcohol addiction process involves a three-stage cycle: binge-intoxication, withdrawal-negative affect, and preoccupation-anticipation.

It begins in the neurons, the basic type of brain cell. The brain has an estimated 86 billion of these cells, which communicate through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.

Neurons can organize in clusters and form networks in order to perform specific functions such as thinking, learning, emotions and memory. The addiction cycle disrupts the normal function of some of these networks in three areas of the brain – the basal ganglia, the extended amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.

The disruptions do several things that contribute to continued drinking. They enable drinking-associated triggers, or cues, which lead to seeking alcohol. They also reduce the sensitivity of the brain systems, causing a diminished experience of pleasure or reward, and heighten activation of brain stress systems. Last, they reduce function of brain executive control systems, the part of the brain that typically helps make decisions and regulate one’s actions, emotions and impulses.

These networks are critical for human survival. Unfortunately for the binge drinker, they become “hijacked,” and the bingeing continues even after the harmful effects have begun.

Because binge drinkers’ brains feel intense pleasure from alcohol, there is a powerful motivation to binge drink again and again. What may begin as social binge drinking at parties for recreation can cause progressive neuro-adaptive changes in brain structure and function. The brain is no longer well enough to function normally. Continued partying can transition into a chronic and uncontrollable daily pattern of alcohol use. These maladaptive neurological changes can persist long after the alcohol use stops.

Your brain on alcohol

During the binge-intoxication stage, the basal ganglia rewards the drinker with pleasurable effects, releasing dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for the rewarding effects of alcohol and creating the desire for more.

With continued bingeing, the “habit circuity” is repeatedly activated in another part of the basal ganglia called the dorsal striatum. It contributes to the compulsive seeking of more alcohol. This explains the craving that is triggered when a binge drinker is driving by a favorite bar and can’t resist pulling in, even after a promise to go directly home after work.

During the withdrawal-negative affect stage, there is a break from drinking. Because the reward circuit has a diminished ability to deliver a dopamine reward, there is far less pleasure with natural, safe experiences such as food and sex, compared to alcohol.

During abstinence from alcohol, stress neurotransmitters such as corticotropin-releasing factor and dynorphin are released. These powerful neurochemicals cause negative emotional states associated with alcohol withdrawal. This drives the drinker back to alcohol to gain relief and attempt to reestablish the rewards of intoxication.

Regions of the brain are affected differently by alcohol. Surgeon General's Report on Addiction

After a period of abstinence from alcohol, which may last only hours, the drinker enters the preoccupation-anticipation stage. This involves the prefrontal cortex, where executive decisions are made about whether or not to override the strong urges to drink. This part of the brain functions with a “go system” and “stop system.”

When the go circuits stimulate the habit-response system of the dorsal striatum, the drinker becomes impulsive and seeks a drink, perhaps even subconsciously. The stop system can inhibit the activity of the go system and is important especially in preventing relapse.

Brain imaging studies show that binge drinking can disrupt the function in both the go and stop circuits. This interferes with proper decision-making and behavioral inhibition. The drinker is both impulsive and compulsive.

An illness that can be treated

Scientific evidence shows that this disorder can be treated.

The FDA has approved three medications for treatment that should be offered whenever appropriate. There is well-supported scientific evidence that behavioral therapies can be effective treatment. This includes recovery support services, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

The ConversationMost importantly, it is important to know that alcohol use disorder is a brain disorder causing a chronic illness. It is no different from diabetes, asthma or hypertension. When comprehensive, continuing care is provided, the recovery results improve, and the binge drinker has the hope of remaining sober as long as lifelong treatment and maintenance of sobriety become a dedicated lifestyle choice.

Jamie Smolen, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Florida

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Science & Wellness
/articles/2018/05/public-interest-communications-scholar-addresses-doctoral-commencement-1.html

Public interest communications scholar addresses doctoral commencement

May 4, 2018
Ann Christiano

Ann Christiano is the Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications and the director of the Center for Public Interest Communications. Formerly a senior communications officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Christiano also directs the frank gathering, which brings hundreds leaders from around the world who are working at the front lines of social causes, as well as scholars and funders together in Gainesville to share the best of what they know. Her speech is below.

Good morning.

Today, we are here to celebrate you and your commitment to scholarship. You’ve honed your ability to ask big questions and find their answers. You’ve trained to become athletes in the discipline of curiosity.

Today, I call on you to go a step further — to become virtuosos of curiosity.

When I think of virtuosos, (start video) I think of Alessandra Ferri, who was a prima ballerina at the Royal Ballet and world-famous--particularly for her portrayal of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She was at the top of her field, recognized as one of the greatest in the world. And then she left the Royal Ballet to join American Ballet Theatre. Why? Because she didn’t think she had achieved her potential.

As you watch her, you feel Juliet’s passion for Romeo. She’s extraordinarily technically proficient. But look at her. She is as gifted as a storyteller as she is a dancer.

And today, we honor another virtuoso who created dozens of iconic moments of her own. Ms. Rivera, I grew up in a ballet studio, I have idolized you and I never imagined in my craziest aspirations that I would get to be on stage with you.

But here it is, it’s happened.

And we’re both wearing really unflattering outfits.

When I think of virtuosos, I also think of Kev Marcus and Will B. of the duo Black Violin. Let me show you.

They are classically-trained artists who grew up in Fort Lauderdale. They merged their music with hip-hop for a sound that’s unlike anything else, and transcended their art form.  They use their music to overcome stereotypes and the discrimination they’ve faced.  Kev has said of those stereotypes: "I'm kind of glad for it because it gives me a goal of something to try and debunk."

The term “virtuoso” is often associated with these kinds of brilliant performances.

What we often forget is “virtuoso” can also be used to describe “an experimenter or investigator — particularly in the arts or sciences.”

Let me introduce you to Nicolay Vavilov, a Russian geneticist and botanist. He grew up amidst famine, and was certain that the end to world hunger lay in finding and protecting seed and plant types that could thrive under a range of conditions. Vavilov made expeditions to 64 countries, learning countless languages along the way. Under his leadership, the Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry acquired millions of specimens.

But when Stalin came to power, he supported those without scientific training including a pseudo-scientist named Lysenko,  Vavilov was thrown into the Gulag. Ironically, this brilliant scientist who had devoted his life’s work to ending famine died of starvation just two years into his 20-year sentence.

His legacy doesn’t end there.

In the summer of 1941, German troops entered Russia, and by September Leningrad was under siege. (slide: siege of Leningrad) Scientists at Vavilov’s plant institute knew they had to protect the seeds from the Germans and their starving compatriots. They barricaded themselves in the institute, taking turns to protect the seeds from the Germans, their fellow Russian--and an infestation of rats.

The German siege wore on for more than three years.  800,000 Russians died. As food sources inside the institute dried up, the scientists were faced with a terrible decision. They could eat the seeds and roots that they had worked so hard to collect and preserve—or they could die of starvation.

You know what they chose.

The institute remains, and the seeds they gave their lives to protect. It is still one of the largest seed banks in the world, though you might argue that like those plant geneticists and botanists who died so heroically in the Vavilov Institute, science is still under siege. 

A recent paper from the Pew Research Center shows that only 40 percent of Americans report strong trust in scientists. In March, researchers at MIT published a study showing that—on Twitter--fake news can travel as much as six times faster than the truth.

It feels like scientific inquiry--and the truth itself--is under threat.

Today, the stakes may be different than those scientists faced during the dark days of the siege in Leningrad, but they are no less important.

There is a narrative that scientists are not good communicators. That they’re content to tuck their work away in journals and share it at sparsely attended academic conference sessions. That they are counseled not invest time in working with the news media because they will be misunderstood and misquoted and will never be admitted to the National Academies of Science.

I don’t know where this narrative originated.

But I don’t believe it—there’s too much evidence to the contrary. Science is filled with virtuosos who shared their stories and challenged themselves to engage people in their work who don’t share their expertise.

Einstein was certainly one of them. He was—of course--a brilliant physicist who changed our understanding of time. He was also goofy and kind

I love this picture of him in his fuzzy slippers on the front porch of his home on Mercer Street in Princeton.

He is quoted as telling a new mom that the surest way to guarantee her child’s intellect was to read him fairy tales and more fairy tales. As a lover of stories and storytelling, I couldn’t agree more.

Lisa Scott, an associate professor in UF’s psychology department who is here today, has the science to back Einstein up. She studies infant brain development and learning. Her research shows that reading particular kinds of stories at specific stages of development can improve babies’ cognition.

That’s her own daughter, in Lisa’s lab. Lisa had published her work in several academic journals, but she wanted to get it to parents. Her previous efforts working with the news media hadn’t gone well, so she decided to write an article for the Conversation, a news site that uses academics as reporters and journalists as editors

and provides opportunities for academics to share research with non-expert audiences. Her article got picked up in dozens of publications. As of today, it has hundreds of thousands of reads, and appeared in the Washington Post, Scientific American and most importantly for her goal to reach parents, Parents magazine. Oh—and the revelation? Read your kids books that include characters with names.

David Prevatt is an associate professor here at UF in civil and coastal engineering. He’s a structural engineer who is passionate about buildings, and he studies how strong our houses are in the face of major wind events like hurricanes and tornadoes. Recently, he showed me an image of a neighborhood surrounding a school in Moore, Oklahoma taken from the air days before a tornado hit

He showed me a second photo taken after the tornado. 40 percent of the buildings in the tornado’s path were leveled. He said, “What’s so frustrating to me about this is that I had published a paper just a few years earlier—that had it been applied—would have saved many of those houses.

“But,” he added,  “that’s not even the thing that frustrates me most.”

And then he showed me a paper of his from the 1990s, that said the same thing.

Another from a different scholar had been published in the 1970s (image of journal article) on a similar topic.

Another published in 1968 

and one published one hundred and twenty one years ago

He held up his hands in frustration, shaking his head.  He said: “This knowledge isn’t making its way from the journals into the design plans of builders. We have known for more then 100 years how to prevent this kind of damage.”  With that, David told me, “I can’t just keep turning out more research papers. I have to be an advocate for the truth.”

Today, in addition to continuing his research, David is developing an app to help home buyers better evaluate their homes for resiliency and make minor modifications that could save their lives and livelihoods.

Andy Selepak, whose office is just down the hall in the College of Journalism and Communications from mine, was telling me one day about his goal to share more of his work about media effects with the news media. But when he started down this path, some of his senior colleagues discouraged him. They told him he was likely to be misquoted. Or his comments could be used out of context.

His response: “And what will they do with my silence?”

The world requires more of you than to be great in your discipline and communicate with your peers. Each of the virtuosos I’ve told you about today stepped out of their path to push themselves not simply to the top of their field, but to the top of their potential.

For each of them, becoming a virtuoso required them to become great storytellers who opened themselves to new opportunities and shared those vulnerabilities with others. They didn’t just tell better stories. They became them.

The path to becoming the best version of yourself isn’t  straight or obvious. You are on a quest, and a magnificent one. 

You can choose to be like Alessandra Ferri, or Kev and Will. Or Ms. Rivera. Or Lisa Scott or David Prevatt. Or Andy Selepak.

Maybe you’re Vavilov, travelling the world to collect and add to a massive collection of seeds that will protect our future. Or like the scientists, sacrificing to make the world a better place.

You are the story. Be a story whose plot twists fascinate others and inspire them to find their own. That takes transparency, honesty, and a willingness to let others see your flaws, uncertainties and failures. 

What does this mean on a practical level? It means that you are required to explain why your quest matters to people who are not experts. Enter their worlds, don’t just expect them to come to ours.

Why does it matter so much that we should take these precious moments on your day of triumph and celebration?

I don’t share these stories simply as advice for a brilliant career and a happy life. The world requires the truth that only you can share. Scholarship and science can bring us back to the truth and to our best selves as humans in a pluralistic society.

If you do this, you will clear the path into the ranks of the virtuoso.

And when you do,

you will ignite others with your passion. 

You will make others’ faith in the academy burn brighter. 

Who better than the virtuosos of curiosity to lead us to the truth that will make us all our best selves? Who better than you?

Thank you.

Campus Life
/articles/2018/05/broadway-icon-chita-rivera-visits-uf-students-1.html

Broadway icon Chita Rivera visits UF students

May 7, 2018
Alisson Clark

After decades on Broadway, Chita Rivera had plenty of stage secrets to share when she visited musical-theater students at the University of Florida. But her foremost advice applies to any field: “Don’t lose your sense of humor,” she said. “It will get you through a lot of stuff.”

The two-time Tony-Award winner received an honorary doctorate at the University of Florida’s commencement ceremony May 4, where three College of the Arts students performed in her honor. Then she joined students, faculty and donors for a question-and-answer session led by professor Tony Mata, the head of UF’s musical theater program. 

“What’s your secret for having such amazing passion for theater for over 50 years?” Mata asked.

“Insanity,” Rivera laughed.

Rivera reflected on her roles in the original cast of “Guys and Dolls,” “West Side Story” and “Bye Bye Birdie,” her upcoming Tony Lifetime Achievement Award, and what it was like to win a Presidential Medal of Honor, which she wore pinned to her commencement regalia. When she complimented senior Valerie Torres-Rosario, who sang “Somewhere” during the ceremony, Rivera mentioned a casting call for an upcoming “West Side Story” movie. Torres-Rosario’s classmates shouted out the good news: Torres-Rosario had already auditioned — and got a callback. Rivera jumped up to give Torres-Rosario a congratulatory hug.

“I’m just thrilled to death to be here,” Rivera said. “I’m not going to forget you guys.”

Students, faculty and staff from the College of the Arts with Chita Rivera

Campus Life
/articles/2018/05/president-fuchs-addresses-newest-gator-graduates-1.html

President Fuchs addresses newest Gator graduates

May 7, 2018
President Kent Fuchs

UF President Kent Fuchs addressed graduates over the weekend during spring commencement ceremonies. His speech is below.

Before we begin, I want to say as I did at yesterday’s graduation, that we are so proud of the nearly 10,000 students who are UF’s Spring 2018 graduates.

Yesterday, we inappropriately physically rushed a number of students across this stage.

I want to apologize personally, and on behalf of the University of Florida. I want our students to know that we have changed that practice, and we want each of you to know we celebrate with you...your graduation and your accomplishments

…

Graduates, I am so happy that you have completed your exams, papers and projects,

and that together this year we survived Tide Pods, and the stiff-armed dance.

Your graduation from the University of Florida is an incredible achievement … one that will remain with you forever … one that no one can ever take away:

Today, you graduate from one of the nation’s great and greatest universities!

I love two things about commencement ceremonies.

First, this is the day we are celebrating the achievements of you, our students.

Today we are celebrating every one of you.

Second, I’ve come to love the pomp, pageantry and regalia of commencement, and how it represents a community of scholars.

Just look at what all of us are wearing.

For my regalia, I get to wear this robe and this gold chain.

It’s officially known as the “chain of office.”

But I call it my “president’s bling.”

The chain is etched with the names of all previous UF presidents, and this medallion includes a 1.3 carat diamond.

The diamond was manufactured in collaboration with our materials science and engineering department.

UF researchers engraved the diamond with tiny one-micron photographs of all the previous 11 presidents using a focused ion beam.

The photographs are so small they can only be seen with an electron microscope.

Someday, when they etch my tiny photograph on the diamond, I am going to insist that

I’m holding a wiener dog.

Or maybe the photo will be a selfie!

My colleagues’ regalia here on the platform represents their alma maters, particularly where they obtained their graduate degrees.

When you cross the stage for your individual recognition this morning, you’ll shake the hand of your college dean.

Let me show you some of their regalia.

Would the Associate Dean of the College of Design, Construction and Planning, Abdol Chini, please stand?

Dean Chini’s regalia represents his alma mater, the University of Maryland at College Park, where he earned his doctorate in structural engineering.

Thank you Dean Chini.

Would the Dean of the College of Journalism, Diane McFarlin, please stand?

Dean McFarlin earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from our very own UF College of Journalism and Communications. The color of her hood, which she describes as “burgundy,” signifies the journalism degree.

She says that the color clashes with orange and blue and might seem more suitable for a certain university up the road in Tallahassee. But, Dean McFarlin is hugely proud to wear her hood and to represent journalism! Thank you Dean McFarlin.

Would the Dean of the College of Health and Human Performance, Mike Reid, please stand?

The three bars on Dean Reid’s sleeves and blue trim on his robe signify his PhD degree, which is in physiology. His orange and blue hood reflects his alma mater, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He’s also wearing a medallion

from the University of Kentucky, where he was a professor and chair before coming to UF. Each of his sons wore the very same medallion when they graduated the University of Kentucky.

Thank you Dean Reid.

Graduates, along with your tassels representing your disciplines, many of you are wearing personally customized mortarboards.

Some of you shared photos of your decorated mortarboards on social media, and there are some great ones here today.

I decided for the first time in the history of commencements that the president should also decorate his mortarboard!

In researching the tradition of commencements and our regalia, I discovered Stephen Wolgast, a journalism professor at Kansas State University who studies the history of academic dress.

Mr. Wolgast edits The Transactions of The Burgon Society which was “founded to promote the study of Academical Dress.”

Yes you heard correctly.

I did say “academical.”

And graduates, you certainly look “academical” today!

We spoke by phone with Professor Wolgast in his office at Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas.

He explained that our robes trace their origins to the common clothing of medieval Europe and the earliest universities of the 1100s.

Those universities were connected to religious orders, so scholars wore simple robes to indicate their humility.

Professor Wolgast said that in the U.S., the first references to academic robes occur in the 18th century, before the American Revolution.

At Columbia University in New York City, the fifth-oldest U.S. university, students were required to wear robes all the time, like uniforms.

Mr. Wolgast said this was done to discourage students from misbehavior, such as visiting a seedy neighborhood nearby.

I wonder what it would be like here at UF if we had such a policy.

Midtown would never be the same!

If we were to require students to always wear robes, it would only be fair if we required the same of the faculty … and maybe the President should always wear a wig!

The tradition of gowns faded between the Revolution and the Civil War but returned for commencement ceremonies as universities transitioned from elitist to public institutions in the latter half of the 19th century, including here at UF.

This renaissance was aided by a single enterprising graduate of Williams College named Gardner Cottrell Leonard.

Gardner either didn’t get to wear a gown, or didn’t like the one he did wear, at his Williams commencement ceremony in 1887.

Subsequently he visited England to study regalia and began writing articles and speaking about it in the U.S.

In fact, we owe the various colors for the disciplinesin tassels and hoods entirely to Gardner’s creativity.

He chose green for medicine, for example, because it reminded him of the color of herbs used in healing.

Many of Gardner’s ideas were codified in the 1896 Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume, the basis for commencement regalia to this very day.

I love how this commencement ceremony celebrates your individual achievements.

Indeed, we will recognize your personal accomplishment in a few minutes when each of your names is read aloud as you cross the stage.

Yet this ceremony also identifies us as an “academical” community of scholars, bonded across centuries.

In this, we join other scholars across the globe while affirming we are part of our own unique University of Florida community.

As students, you’ve grown tremendously from being part of this community and all the many smaller communities within it.

You’ve learned how to work together in the micro-communities we call teams.

You’ve nurtured personal passions with like-minded students in groups and campus organizations.

You’ve felt the power of becoming one with thousands of others in the stadium or here in the O’Dome in the community of fans.

Being part of a community can sometimes be difficult, as you may have discovered when you struggled with fellow students you didn’t agree with, found hard to work with, or who had different visions.

But communities can also have an enormous impact, greater than simply the achievements of the individuals in the community.

The power of a community can be profound, indeed transformational, particularly when people with different talents and different life experiences work effectively together.

Let me give two examples --

More than 10,000 people start fundraising campaigns through GoFundMe every single day, ]and more than $5 billion has been raised through this community of philanthropy.

In the world of science, citizens around the globe are crowdsourcing scientific progress that no single individual could accomplish on their own.  

Here at UF, even I took part in a crowdsourcing effort last month, led by the Florida Museum of Natural History, to catalogue butterfly species online.

There is nothing more beautiful than an orange and blue butterfly!

The power of a community can also be very personal. 

Just think about the person you are today, compared to the person you were on the day you first arrived here on campus.

The difference in you arises from two things:

First, what you have learned and achieved on your own …and second … and even more important … what you have learned about working and living in a community and what you have been able to achieve because of the UF community.

Graduates, my request, as you leave UF, is that you will strive to build, be part of, and lead communities wherever you are headed – for you have only just begun to experience the power of community.

Indeed, your potential for creating, being a part of, leading and harnessing the power of communities is greater than any graduating class before you.

Your communities can consist of just a handful or thousands of people.

Your communities may be broadly enabled with technology, or they may be local and physical.

I encourage you to embrace these communities, from your new coworkers to your new neighbors, from your new urban centers to suburbs to rural lands.

With your UF degree, you will achieve great things as individuals.

I know you will achieve even more by being a member and leader of your new communities.

Through the power of your communities, the UF Class of 2018 will make a difference in the grand challenges facing our world, including poverty, healthcare, shelter, food and water for all the planet’s people.

I also know that you will make a positive difference in the local communities where you live and work, and in the lives of those you encounter throughout the remainder of your life.

Finally, although you are about to become a member of many new communities, I ask that you never leave your UF community.

However much change you experience beyond this campus in the coming years and decades, the University of Florida will always be here, and we will always be here for you.

In researching commencement traditions I learned that the phrase “alma mater” means “nourishing mother.”

Graduates, we are a family.

I can’t be your nourishing mother, but I’ll always be your Gator dad!

Let me leave you with an old Irish blessing that expresses my personal affection for each one of you.

May the sun shine gently on your face.

May the rain fall soft upon your

May the wind be at your back.

May the road rise to meet you.

And may the Lord hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Until we meet again.

Graduates, congratulations!

Campus Life
/articles/2018/05/dont-expect-professors-to-get-fired-when-they-say-something-you-dont-like-1.html

Don’t expect professors to get fired when they say something you don’t like

May 8, 2018
Frank LoMonte

Despite calls for their ouster, public university professors who utter offensive things enjoy free speech protection. The director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information argues for a different response to what those professors say.

File 20180503 153881 4d8zcy.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
Public university professors enjoy great protections when it comes to free speech. Lightspring/www.shutterstock.com

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida and David Jadon

A college professor lashes out on social media with a caustic political opinion. Online commentators explode with outrage and demand firings.

Does the university stand behind the instructor and accept a reputational beating? It depends both on the law and the fortitude of campus administrators.

Fresno State University’s Randa Jarrar is the latest to incite condemnation with her stream of celebratory Twitter posts marking the April 17 passing of Barbara Bush. Jarrar denounced the former first lady as a “witch” and an “amazing racist.” For good measure, the English professor taunted her critics by boasting that tenure protected her from being fired.

Jarrar’s situation isn’t uncommon. Professors from Kansas to Connecticut have provoked online outcry with incendiary posts about touchy social or political topics.

What’s noteworthy is that Jarrar has toughed out the criticism and remained on the job. Social media firestorms often end professors’ careers.

Last year, a Drexel University political scientist resigned after a flippant tweet that stated all he wanted for Christmas was “white genocide.” The tweet followed other comments in which the professor expressed disgust with the military and called white people “inhuman” for mistreating minorities.

Around the same time, a visiting professor at the University of Tampa lost his job after tweeting that Hurricane Harvey, which killed more than 100 people, was payback for Texas’ support of Republicans.

One difference is that, unlike Drexel or Tampa, Fresno State is a public university. And at public universities, the First Amendment limits the ability of supervisors to penalize distasteful speech.

As researchers with the University of Florida’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, we’ve spent months digging into the rights of public employees when they speak with the news media. While Jarrar was publishing directly and not through a journalistic intermediary, the same constitutional principles protect her speech and that of all state employees – within limits.

The workplace and the First Amendment

It’s well-established by decades of case law that the First Amendment prevents government agencies – including states that run many universities and community colleges – from restricting the content of citizens’ speech, or punishing them after the fact for what they say. When a private employer, including a private college, fires someone over a social media post, there’s no constitutional violation.

At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that the government has valid interests in being able to provide services efficiently. As a result, employee speech that interferes with workplace harmony can be restricted or even penalized with a firing.

So is a professor at a state-run college more of a citizen – or more of an employee?

In a 2006 case, the Supreme Court upheld disciplinary action against a government employee who wrote a memo undermining his supervisor, a California prosecutor. The justices said employees give up their First Amendment protection when they speak “pursuant to official duties.”

But more recently, the Supreme Court backpedaled. In 2014, the justices unanimously overturned the firing of an Alabama community college employee who blew the whistle on misspending at his state agency. Speech doesn’t lose protection, the court ruled, just because it is about information learned on the job.

The First Amendment especially applies to comments about prominent political figures and political issues. To the relief of bloggers and talk show hosts everywhere, speech does not lose protection merely because it is insulting or mean-spirited. So even uncivil name-calling about the Bush family is difficult for a state agency to restrict.

If Jarrar was tweeting as part of her job duties, she’d have no First Amendment protection; the speech would belong to her employer. But political commentary is probably beyond the job description for an English literature professor. So her tweets are entitled to at least some constitutional protection.

And the First Amendment may apply even more forcefully when the speaker is a college instructor.

Do professors represent a ‘special’ class?

Outside of higher education, it’s become common to see public employees fired for caustic social media posts. Teachers, principals, police officers and firefighters have all lost their jobs for thoughtless excesses – whether real or perceived – on Facebook or Twitter.

Even for employees of state or local government, legal challenges often fail. Employers can prevail by producing enough complaints to show that the speech upset workplace morale or undermined public trust.

But in higher education, academic freedom is a cherished value. The term refers to the latitude that college educators are given to explore provocative ideas in the classroom, even unorthodox ones.

In cases brought by professors in North Carolina and Washington, federal courts have given greater free speech protection to college faculty than ordinary government employees would enjoy.

Stephen Salaita, a professor of American Indian studies, obtained an US$875,000 settlement in a lawsuit against the University of Illinois, when his job offer was withdrawn following outrage over his Twitter posts criticizing Israel. Salaita’s case shows how limited a public university’s options are in responding to indecorous speech by faculty members, particularly posts made on personal time about political concerns.

Tweet and counter-tweet

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote in 1927 that the proper response to “evil” speech is “more speech,” not suppression or punishment. Like all government executives, college presidents can freely voice disapproval of obnoxious speech to distance their institutions from it.

That’s just what Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro did. In informing the public that Jarrar wouldn’t be disciplined for her off-duty tweets, Castro disavowed the speech as “contrary to the core values of our University.” Castro is also holding two forums to air public sentiments about the Jarrar controversy.

The Supreme Court has described college campuses as a “marketplace for ideas,” and the marketplace has largely disdained Jarrar’s choice of words.

The ConversationSocial media speech is easily avoided, and remarks like Jarrar’s quickly dissipate if ignored. If the marketplace greets the next professorial online rant with a yawn and a click of the “unfollow” button, then the message will fail to find an audience – and the market will have spoken.

Frank LoMonte, Director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, University of Florida and David Jadon, Law Clerk

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Society & Culture
/articles/2018/05/making-a-cleaner-greener-environmentally-safe-sunscreen-1.html

Making a cleaner, greener, environmentally safe sunscreen

May 8, 2018
Yousong Ding

A UF medicinal chemistry professor and her colleagues have discovered a natural sunscreen made by microbes that may be better for humans – and the environment as well.

File 20180502 153873 1d823dg.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
Ingredients in many sunscreens are bleaching coral and harming marine life. www.shutterstock.com

Yousong Ding, University of Florida

As the temperatures rise and Americans swarm to the beach, they slather on sunscreen to protect against the sun’s harmful UV radiation that causes skin cancer. As they splash and swim, few give thought to whether the chemicals in the lotions and sprays are safe for marine organisms such as the fish and corals living in these coastal zones.

The bad news is that mounting evidence suggests that certain chemicals in these radiation filters are bleaching the corals and killing fish. The good news is that there is a greener, cleaner and safer alternative in the works.

The sunscreens widely available belong to two major categories: physical and chemical. Physical sunscreens contain tiny minerals that act as a shield deflecting the sun’s rays. On the other hand, chemical sunscreens use many synthetic compounds that absorb UV light before it reaches the skin.

Killer chemicals

But these lotions wash off in water. For example, for every 10,000 visitors frolicking in the waves, about 4 kilograms of mineral particles are washed into the beach water each day. These minerals catalyze the production of hydrogen peroxide, a well-known bleaching agent, at a concentration high enough to harm coastal marine organisms. In fact, up to 14,000 tons of sunscreens are released into the water each year. Active ingredients in these sunscreens, minerals and synthetic organic compounds, are putting 10 percent of the global reefs under stress, including 40 percent of coral reefs along the coast.

One of these ingredients is oxybenzone, a synthetic molecule commonly used in chemical sunscreens and known to be toxic to corals, algae, sea urchins, fish and mammals: A single drop of this compound in over 4 million gallons of water is already enough to endanger organisms. Unfortunately, its concentration in coastal water is already significantly higher than its toxic limit, though not yet deadly, and might be accelerating coral bleaching. To save their marine ecosystem from further destruction, legislators in Hawaii passed a new law banning chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone and another harmful ingredient, octinoxate. The law will take effect January 1, 2021.

Sunscreen from algae

A flask of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 that was used to produce shinorine. The green color comes from the chlorophyll, which is a natural part of the bacterium. Shinorine is clear. Dr. Guang Yang, CC BY-NC-ND

Protecting ourselves from UV rays is nothing new. Many organisms including microbes, plants and animals have evolved ways to guard themselves. These organisms produce small molecules that absorb UV rays and block radiation from entering cells and damaging the DNA. Unlike physical and synthetic chemical sunscreens, these naturally available compounds are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. As such, these natural products have the potential to be safer compounds for commercial sunscreens.

In my laboratory in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, we are interested in combing the world for naturally occurring chemicals that have applications in health, agriculture and environment. Recently, my colleagues and I have discovered a more efficient way to harvest shinorine – a natural sunscreen produced by microbes called cyanobacteria.

Shinorine belongs to a family of natural products, called mycosporine-like amino acids, and is made up of two amino acids and one sugar. Many aquatic organisms exposed to strong sunlight, like cyanobacteria and macroalgae, produce shinorine and other related compounds to protect themselves from solar radiation. The cosmetics industry is already infusing products with shinorine as a key active ingredient. Commercial supplies of shinorine come from marine red algae that grows slowly in large tidal pools that experience frequent environmental changes. That means that conventional extraction method is time-consuming and unpredictable.

To ramp up shinorine production, we sought a fast-growing strain of cyanobacteria that would thrive under predictable conditions. This took a lot of work! We decoded the genetic blueprints – genomes – of more than 100 varieties of cyanobacteria from marine and terrestrial ecosystems and selected one, Fischerella sp. PCC9339, to cultivate in the laboratory.

To our delight, after four weeks this strain produced shinorine, but unfortunately not enough. To produce more we then transferred a set of genes that encode the instructions to make shinorine, into one freshwater cyanobacterium (from Berkeley, California), Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which grows fast with just water, carbon dioxide and sunlight. Using the engineered cyanobacterium, we produced a quantity of shinorine comparable to the conventional method – but we did it in just a few weeks instead of one year that’s needed to cultivate red algae.

The ConversationBy advancing the method to produce more shinorine and other UV-absorbing natural products, we hope to make “green” sunscreens more available – to protect our skin and the lives of the creatures we are so eager to see.

Yousong Ding, Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Science & Wellness
/articles/2018/05/rethinking-commencement-1.html

Rethinking commencement

May 8, 2018
UF News

This spring, the University of Florida graduated nearly 10,000 students during 15 ceremonies. On May 5 at one of the commencement ceremonies, a marshal, whose role was to serve as an usher, aggressively and physically rushed graduates as they were walking across the stage to receive recognition.

These actions disproportionately affected students of color and are not in line with UF’s stated institutional values. Social media and the international press reported on the event, broadcasting stories and videos from students whose celebrations were forcefully interrupted.

Sunday morning, President Fuchs issued a statement and apologized in each subsequent ceremony that weekend. He also personally reached out to the 22 students who appeared to have been directly impacted.

On Monday, the marshal, who is a faculty member, was placed on paid administrative leave pending a full review.

While the president issued apologies following the ceremony, images show him sitting nearby as the behavior occurred.

In a video addressed to students, faculty and staff, the President stated, “The University of Florida and I failed to provide an appropriate event for all of our students so that they could be celebrated and that they could celebrate their graduations.”

UF has experienced an outpouring of reactions from students, alumni and community members. Among them, the Black Student Union and the UF Association of Black Alumni (ABA) shared their concerns and recommendations. Their letters can be read here.

On Tuesday, the University announced the formation of a task force to provide a comprehensive review of the UF commencements. Dr. David Parrott, vice president for Student Affairs, and Ian Green, student body president will serve as co-chairs. The University is in the final stages of a search for its first Chief Diversity Officer. That individual is expected to serve on the task force along with the senior director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs and other University stakeholders.

The task force is charged with soliciting ideas and suggestions on how to re-conceptualize commencement for students.

“All of our students, through their hard work and dedication, have earned their moment to be celebrated. I am immensely proud of all our graduates,” Fuchs said.  “This incident is an opportunity to reaffirm our institutional commitment to improving campus climate, while recognizing that we have work to do.”

Campus Life
/articles/2018/05/7-things-we-learned-about-royal-weddings-from-the-uf-libraries-1.html

7 things we learned about royal weddings from the UF Libraries

May 11, 2018
Alisson Clark
UF Libraries

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s May 19 wedding approaches, UF News turned to the more than six million books, 1.5 million e-books and millions of pages of online resources at the University of Florida Libraries for some fascinating facts about royal weddings.

    1. Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding gifts included an ostrich-feather cape from South Africa, a necklace of 96 rubies from Burma and a thousand blankets from Uruguay for London’s poor. Mahatma Gandhi even sent her a shawl he had knitted himself. 

      2. Queen Victoria’s wedding cake weighed 300 pounds and measured 9 feet around. Queen Victoria's royal wedding cake

        3. The popularity of watching royal weddings on TV isn't new: More than 500 million people worldwide watched the wedding of Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Princess Anne, in 1973. 

          4. When King Henry III’s sister Isabella married the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1235, the emperor gave the king three leopards from his private zoo. The cats went to live at the Tower of London, giving rise to the royal menagerie that persisted there for 600 years. 

          Towrlndn.JPG

          5. Broadcaster Audrey Russell covered Princess Margaret’s 1960 wedding from a “flying coffin” — her designated spot in Westminster Abbey was an open-sided scaffold teetering hundreds of feet above the crowd. She covered another royal wedding three years later from the same spot.

          6. More than 70 countries from Barbados to Vanuatu issued postage stamps to commemorate the the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981.

          princess Diana and prince Charles stamps

          7. Already binged "The Crown" and want more young Elizabeth? UF students, faculty and staff can see clips from the original 1947 TV coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding and plenty more royal-wedding content through the UF Libraries’ access to the streaming service Kanopy.

          screen shot of Kanopy video of queen

          Sources: “Two Centuries of Royal Weddings,” “Invitation to a Royal Wedding,” “The Tower Menagerie,” “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: A Diamond Celebration”

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/snagging-card-skimmers-uf-nypd-team-up-to-stop-them-1.html

          Snagging card skimmers: UF, NYPD team up to stop them

          May 9, 2018
          Steve Orlando

          Credit card skimmers – electronic devices criminals stick on ATMs and gas pumps to secretly suck up your sensitive financial information – may have finally met their match.

          University of Florida researchers have teamed up with the New York City Police Department’s Financial Crimes Task Force to deploy the “Skim Reaper,” a device that instantly detects the presence of a skimmer, allowing law enforcement and merchants to take action before the card's data can be stolen.

          Real-world trials are already underway – UF built five detectors for NYPD, which is deploying them in all five New York City boroughs for field testing. Preliminary UF tests show the device is able to detect skimmers with high reliability. Consumers may be able to get their hands on one in six to nine months, and it may be small enough to fit in your wallet.

          “Payment card skimming remains a popular crime, and attackers can easily get into the business using a few inexpensive parts purchased over the Internet,” said Patrick Traynor, co-Director of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity (FICS) Research at UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Traynor helped develop the skimmer detector.

          Lt. Gregory Besson with the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force, said card skimmers are a rapidly growing problem.

          "In New York City, we saw a surge in ATM skimming in the past few years, as evidenced by the increase in devices recovered by our agency, the NYPD,” he said. “In 2015, we recovered 48 devices, and two years later that number had doubled to almost a hundred devices in 2017. Correspondingly, our arrests more than doubled for the same period, from 48 skimming-related arrests in 2015 to 134 skimming arrests in 2017.

          “The big takeaway is that we're always seeking new innovative ways to tackle this growing crime type, and we welcome trying new tools that would aid us towards that goal."

          Card skimming costs more than $2 billion a year globally in fraudulent charges, according to the website ATM Marketplace. Credit card skimmers come in two varieties: those that are placed inside a legitimate card reader – think of those security stickers on gas pumps showing they’ve been inspected and are clear of internal skimmers – and those that have their own card reader, known as overlay/insert skimmers.

          Criminals can attach an overlay skimmer to an ATM, gas pump or in-store payment terminal in seconds, park nearby and collect data via Bluetooth as customers to use their cards. They often return a few hours later, retrieve the skimmer and leave unnoticed.

          Overlay skimmers are far more common than the internal type because they’re easy for criminals to install and difficult to detect. It’s those overlay skimmers that the new detection device was designed to snag.

          The skimmer detector prototype works like this: A plastic card the same size of a credit or debit card is inserted into the card reader. The detector inspects the card slot and alerts the user if the reader in unsafe.

          In the real world, a consumer could simply insert the detector into the reader before using his or her own credit or debit card. The detector would immediately notify the consumer if something is wrong.

          “While more-secure chip cards are becoming more common, their universal use, especially in ATMs and gas pumps, is likely years away,” Traynor said. “That means those old-fashioned swipe cards with the magnetic strips on the back will be around for the foreseeable future – along with their vulnerabilities.”

          Until the skimmer detector is available to the public, law enforcement officials offer these tips for consumers to protect themselves:

          • Wiggle the card reader before you insert your card. If it feels loose, don’t use it.
          • Cover your hand while entering your PIN, even if you think no one is watching.
          • If the security seal on a gas pump card reader is broken or has been tampered with, don’t use it.
          • Use gas pumps close to the building and in view of the cashier
          • Use a credit card, not a debit card.

          “Vendors and law enforcement need better tools to protect this payment channel, said Nolen Scaife, a doctoral researcher who worked on developing the skimmer detector. “That’s precisely what this research has set out to accomplish, and we believe that this tool will go a long way in the fight against card skimmers while allowing payment terminal operators to continue leveraging their existing equipment.”

          Science & Wellness
          /articles/2018/05/florida-high-school-seniors-selected-to-prestigious-award-programs-at-uf-1.html

          Florida high school seniors selected to prestigious award programs at UF

          May 10, 2018
          Mark Law

          The University of Florida has named eight Florida high school seniors to the Lombardi Scholars Program and three to the Stamps Scholars Program. Each year, students who exemplify former UF President John V. Lombardi’s commitment to academic excellence, community service, leadership and public responsibility are selected as recipients of this prestigious award program.

          Stamps Scholarships (www.stampsfoundation.org) are made possible by generous funding from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. The Stamps Foundation seeks to reward exceptional students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, and innovation. Stamps Scholars participate in biennial national conferences with a network of scholars from nearly 40 schools across the country.

          Florida high schools were invited to nominate two students, and scholars for both programs were selected from 278 nominees and 22 finalists. The Lombardi program is in its 17th year, and this is the ninth year of the Stamps Program at UF. Both programs choose students from the same applicant pool who receive the same financial package and participate in the same enrichment activities. All scholars spend five weeks participating in a study program in Merida, the capital of the Yucatan, Mexico, during the summer before they begin at UF, and receive support for overseas leadership experiences for the following three summers. Scholars are members of UF’s Honors Program.

          The 11 students who have accepted the Lombardi and Stamps scholarships beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year are:

          LOMBARDI SCHOLARS

          Grethel Aguila is a senior in the Cambridge program at Miami Springs Senior High School in Miami Springs, where she leads the school’s chapter of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and serves as Secretary-General of Model UN. Aguila was appointed to the Miami-Dade County Youth Commission in 2016 and elected secretary this year. Based on her interests in politics, language, culture, and public health she plans a career in global health with a goal to deliver quality healthcare to impoverished communities and countries. Aguila will major in medical geography in global health with a minor in Arabic.

          Payton Bogert is a senior at Oviedo High School in Oviedo, where she serves as president of Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta. Bogert is an AP scholar with Distinction and traveled to Japan on scholarship last summer with AIG’s High School Diplomats program. Profoundly hearing impaired, she successfully advocated for closed captioning on The Florida State Assessment test resulting in permanent change for thousands of deaf/hard of hearing students throughout the state. Bogert has worked extensively to help raise awareness and funding for pediatric cancer and plans on majoring in biology, ultimately pursuing a career as a pediatric oncologist.

          Xander Boggs is a senior at Edgewood Junior / Senior High School in Merritt Island, where he serves as president of the senior class and defense captain of the lacrosse team. He has been named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist and an AP Scholar with Distinction. Music and the arts are a large part of Boggs’ life. He is the cello section leader in the Edgewood orchestra, has been an All-County and All-State musician, and has represented his troupe as a State Thespian. Boggs plans to major in cello performance and pursue a career in medicine.

          Ron Cahlon is a senior at Nova High School in Davie, where is founder and president of the Jewish Student Union and has holds board positions in the National English Honors Society, National Science Honor Society, and Student Government. Outside of school he enjoys serving as a counselor and mentor for younger children through his community synagogue and through the Friends of the Israeli Scouts and was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award for commitment to community service. Cahlon intends to major in civil or environmental engineering.

          Emma Donnelly is an AP Scholar with Distinction and attends the International Baccalaureate Program at Eastside High School in Gainesville, where she is president of the International Thespian Honor Society, captain of the swim team, and secretary of the National Honor Society. Donnelly mentors local elementary and middle school performing arts students and directed the Creative Academic Sports Camp in summer 2017 providing a free, educationally diverse summer camp to children from low income families. Currently, she leads Empowered Voices of the Youth, a forum to organize youth in response to gun violence, with assistance of the River Phoenix Center for Peace Building. Donnelly plans to major in anthropology.

          Luz Mata is a senior at Belleview High School in Belleview, where she serves as president of the Anchor Club and the National Honor Society and captain of the women’s cross country team. Outside of school, she volunteers with the Youth United Way of Marion County and is cofounder and president of the Marion County Students Against Destructive Decisions Youth Administration Board. In preparation for a career in pediatric surgery, she attended the University of Florida’s Health Care Summer Institute in 2017 and plans to major in biomedical engineering before earning an M.D.-Ph.D.

          Jacob Orlick is a senior National Merit Finalist in the International Baccalaureate Program at Thomas Richard Robinson High School in Tampa. He enjoys competing in the Future Business Leaders of America and American Legion Oratorical contests on the district and state level and serving his community as a member of the Tampa Mayor’s Youth Corps and volunteer with the Veterans History Project. Orlick explored a career in public service as an intern for Congresswoman Kathy Castor and a Senator at Florida Boys State in 2017. He plans to major in accounting at UF.

          Hannah Townley is an AP Scholar with Distinction and President of the Class of 2018 at George Jenkins High School in Lakeland. She has earned over 1000 hours of community service through her work with local literacy programs and the YMCA. In the YMCA’s Youth in Government program, where she serves as Speaker of the House, Townley leads the high school legislative program and mentors middle school students. As a Youth Advocate for the YMCA, she advocated to US Congress and the Florida Legislature on matters of children’s rights and public health. Townley plans to major in international studies and economics before pursuing a law degree.

          STAMPS SCHOLARS

          Jonathan Gant is an AP Scholar with Distinction at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, where he is founder/president of the chemistry club and captain of the debate team. Throughout high school, Gant has conducted independent research in chemistry, competing in local and state science fairs. He spent the summer of 2017 as a high school fellow in the Boston University Research in Science and Engineering Program, working in an organic chemistry lab alongside faculty and graduate students. In addition to science, Gant is active in the arts. He is part of his school choir, sang in the Florida All-State Concert choir and competed at the ICHSA (International Championship of High School A Cappella) quarterfinals. He plans to pursue dual degrees in physics and mathematics with the aspiration to become a research scientist.

          Corey Ryan is a senior in the Cambridge Program at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, where he serves as captain of the wrestling team. Corey has earned ‘Top in Country’ scores in Cambridge AS Level Physics and AS Level Environmental Management exams and has also been recognized as an AP scholar and National Merit Finalist. He serves as a junior leader in his Boy Scout troop and has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with a Gold Palm. Active in his church, Ryan works as a Sunday school teacher’s aide and was named the Altar Server of the Year. He plans to major in civil engineering with a minor in Environmental Science and pursue research in innovative public works technologies.

          Sarah Tatum is a National Merit Finalist and National AP Scholar at West Orange High school in Winter Garden, where she serves as President of a 500-member National Honor Society chapter. Under her leadership, NHS accumulated thousands of hours of community service on local and international projects. Tatum accumulated research experience as a participant in UF’s Science Quest and Explorations in Biomedical Research programs and at Harvard in the summer of 2017 studying regenerative medicine. She plans to study microbiology and cell science with a minor in bioinformatics in preparation for a career in immunology and public health.

          Campus Life
          /articles/2018/05/why-do-we-hate-making-financial-decisions-1.html

          Why do we hate making financial decisions?

          May 14, 2018
          Alisson Clark
          Warrington College of Business

          The advice to use your head, not your heart, might not be helpful after all

          We make tough decisions all the time, but choices relating to money send many of us running in the other direction. The science of decision-making offers some explanations for why we do this: We’re befuddled by too many choices, content to defer to our partner, or think we don’t have the expertise to do a good job.  

          Consumer behavior expert Aner Sela thought there was more to the story. His research points to another reason, driven by our stereotypes about money matters.

          “There’s something that feels very cold and unemotional about financial decisions,” explained Sela, a marketing professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. “The more we see ourselves as emotional decision-makers, the more we see financial decisions as something that’s just not for us.”  

          That aversion leads us to put off things like funding a 401(k), refinancing a mortgage or managing credit-card debt, which hurts our long-term financial health. Sela and co-author Jane Jeongin Park, now with the City University of Hong Kong, expected perceptions of emotional decision-making to have a similar effect on choices in other complex areas, such as health-care. But in their study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, the phenomenon applied only to decisions about money — and it persisted even after the researchers controlled for how knowledgeable or confident participants were about personal finance. 

          “It surprised us how unique and how extreme these effects were when it came to financial decisions,” Sela said.

          UF Warrington College of Business professor Aner Sela

          Sela and Park’s findings suggest that the longstanding advice to use your head rather than your heart when it comes to money might be counterproductive if it causes people to avoid those choices. 

          The good news: study participants were less likely to avoid financial decisions when those exact same choices were reframed as decisions about their lifestyle. That’s a hack you can use to tackle a money matter you’ve been putting off. Try to picture the pleasant outcome you’re creating down the line, not the icky decision facing you right now, Sela says.

          He also suggests that just acknowledging the forces at work on us can help us overcome them. Knowing that our reluctance has more to do with our perceptions than our abilities can help us move beyond our financial foot-dragging, Sela says.

          The study’s insights could also help employers, policy-makers and financial-product providers present information in a way that makes us more likely to engage instead of run screaming. Sela points to Twine, a financial-planning app for couples, as an example of a warmer approach. 

          “It treats the whole thing as a game, encouraging couples to think about how they would like their life together to be in the future,” he said. “Those types of products or interventions can really go a long way.”

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/finding-sea-level-rise-solutions-in-st-augustine--1.html

          Finding sea level rise solutions in St. Augustine

          May 14, 2018
          Alyson Larson
          Florida Climate Institute, Sea level rise

          Science & Wellness
          /articles/2018/05/trish-ring-pays-it-forward-with-11-million-gift-for-ufs-psychology-department-1.html

          Trish Ring pays it forward with $1.1 million gift for UF’s psychology department

          May 15, 2018
          Gigi Marino

          Psychologist and equine coach Trish Ring received her master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Florida in the 1990s. At the time, she juggled graduate studies, children and household duties — all as a single mother. Ring recently gave a gift of $1 million to the UF Department of Psychology to endow a dissertation fellowship so that future Ph.D. students will be able to focus completely on their research and dissertation.

          “The Trish Calvert Ring Dissertation Fellowship is a life-changing opportunity for our most outstanding graduate students, affording recipients support to focus on research while completing their doctoral degrees,” Julia Graber, interim chair of psychology, said.

          Additionally, Ring gave $100,000 in support of psychology graduate students to pursue their research and present at conferences.

          "As a graduate student at UF, I benefited greatly from the support of donors whose gifts provided scholarships and grants,” said Dr. Ring.  “It simply would not have been possible to finish my research, raise a family, and work as a psychology intern without financial support.  I'm grateful for that support and for the excellence of my education.  It truly changed the course of my career.  This is simply a way of giving back."

          Ring’s philanthropy already is helping UF students with a previous gift of $100,000. As Graber explained: “Over the past several years, Dr. Ring has made gifts that supported the professional development of nearly 100 students in our doctoral training programs. These gifts have provided research support, opportunities for dissemination of their research and networking with leaders in the field that have had a lasting impact on the careers of our students.”

          These gifts will strengthen the department, which in turn will benefit students on the job market, Graber added.

          “The impact of her gifts begins with doctoral student research and professional development but will be expressed throughout their subsequent careers in their future research, teaching, practice and outreach,” she said. “Our program, as a whole, benefits immensely from having these prestigious awards, raising our profile in line with being a top psychology department.”

          Ring and her husband, Carl, reside in Memphis, Tenn., and have the Blue Star Ranch in Cashiers, N.C., where they are known for their generosity to the community. Earlier this year, the Rings established the Trish Ring Endowment for Child Health and Well-Being at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

          Ryan Marsh, assistant vice president of Development and Alumni Affairs, said, “Trish and Carl are such a warm, giving and compassionate couple. Their philanthropy to the University of Florida has had a profound effect on the lives of nearly 100 students. Their new gifts illustrate their commitment to helping young people achieve their personal and professional goals.”

          Ring’s gift is one of the latest to support the university’s Go Greater fundraising campaign, the most ambitious in UF history, and a cornerstone in the University of Florida’s continued rise as one of the nation’s leading public universities. The $3 billion initiative is among the largest active campaigns for a public university. It is the university’s fourth campaign since 1986, and is expected to conclude in fall 2022.

          Science & Wellness
          /articles/2018/05/what-is-doxing-and-why-is-it-so-scary-1.html

          What is doxing, and why is it so scary?

          May 16, 2018
          Jasmine McNealy

          A UF telecommunication expert weighs in on the ease with which a dedicated sleuth can piece together all sorts of identity breadcrumbs people scatter around the internet, aggregating them to reveal private information in a very public way.

          File 20180511 135202 16r572u.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          It’s worrying, and potentially dangerous, when someone peels back the curtain of another’s identity. The Conversation, from Brian A. Jackson/Shutterstock.com and Kansas Department of Transportation via AP, CC BY-ND

          Jasmine McNealy, University of Florida

          It’s almost a given that you have personal information available online. Beyond social media and online discussion boards, there are public records of property ownership and voter registration, as well as massive databases of financial information assembled by credit-rating agencies.

          Taken individually, many of these pieces of information are benign. So you cast a ballot in the 2016 presidential election, have a child enrolled at a particular public elementary school, or once posted a comment on a local newspaper site objecting to institutional racism. A great many people know those things – even strangers. The harm doesn’t come until someone figures out how to put these pieces together and then publishes it all online.

          This kind of revelation is called “doxxing,” an old internet term that comes from the idea of collecting the documents, or “docs,” on a person. The effort to discover and reveal personal information, of course, long predates the internet.

          And it is not only hackers who doxx. In a recent research study I found that news organizations have doxxed commenters who posted on articles. In online communities, where people are often anonymous, violating someone’s privacy like that is considered aggressive – and for some people, what’s come after being doxxed has been downright dangerous.

          A trail of breadcrumbs

          It’s not surprising that information has value – particularly information related to people’s identities, interests and habits. This is, after all, the age of big data, social media and targeted advertising. The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal is just one of many events in which regular people found out just how much personal information is available out on the internet.

          People also found out how little power they had over their information. Generally, people want, and think they have, control over who knows what about them. Individual identity is in part performance: People decide and change who they are and how they act in different places, around different groups.

          This is particularly true online, where many sites and services allow users to be anonymous or pseudonymous or to hide their information from other users’ searches. Often, of course, each site itself has some private information about users, like an email address, for delivering service-related notices. But online platforms seem to offer users a measure of control over their identity and personal information.

          Losing control

          That control is not complete, though, and is not an accurate measure of personal privacy. Users leave digital traces behind, registering on more than one site with the same email address, posting under the same username (even if a pseudonym) on multiple forums, or even using similar phrases in different contexts. In addition, many sites track what network addresses their users connect from, which can reveal the location and other details of a person who regularly spouts particularly virulent propaganda.

          When someone connects these digital traces, and shares them with other people – often strangers, or even the wider public – they take away their target’s control over private data. Those people often seek to hold the person who is doxxed accountable for their actions, whether that’s perpetuating or opposing online hate, or failed romantic relationships.

          In a recent case with relatively mild consequences, a Temple University professor was revealed as involved with an online account nicknamed “truthseeker,” which had posted at least one anti-Muslim comment on a right-wing website and had also promoted various conservative conspiracy theories.

          The ConversationMore severe cases have resulted in online and real-world harassment of women in the gaming industry, prank calls to summon police to a politician’s home, and even death threats against a person and her family. Doxxing, ultimately, makes data into a weapon.

          Jasmine McNealy, Assistant Professor of Telecommunication, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/the-orgasm-gap-picking-up-where-the-sexual-revolution-left-off-1.html

          The orgasm gap: Picking up where the sexual revolution left off

          May 16, 2018
          Laurie Mintz

          A UF psychology professor discusses the “orgasm gap” that remains even after the sexual revolution made it acceptable for women to have premarital sex and the cultural forces that drive the gap.

          At the core of the 1960s sexual revolution was “female sexual empowerment.” It fell short of this goal. Specifically, while the revolution made women having intercourse before marriage acceptable, it didn’t lead women to have equally pleasurable sexual experiences.

          This assertion comes from my vantage point as a sex researcher and educator. I teach human sexuality to hundreds of college students a year. As a teaching and research tool, I anonymously poll students regarding their sexual experiences and compare the results to published research. Both sources provide striking evidence of an orgasm gap between women and men. This spurred me to write a book to foster pleasure equality. “Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters – And How to Get It” aims to expose, explain and close the orgasm gap.

          The orgasm gap exposed

          One study of college students found 91 percent of men and 39 percent of women always or usually orgasm during sexual encounters. While this study didn’t ask about the sexual context, another revealed that the gap is larger in casual sex than relationship sex. Women were found to orgasm 32 percent as often as men in first time hookups and 72 percent as often in relationships. This study didn’t specify that the sexual encounters include activities that could result in orgasm. When I specify this, 55 percent of male students and 4 percent of female students report always orgasming during hookups.

          The orgasm gap isn’t limited to students. Among a nationally representative U.S. sample, 64 percent of women and 91 percent of men said they’d orgasmed at their most recent sexual encounter.

          Clearly, there’s an orgasm gap. But, what are the cultural reasons for this gap?

          The orgasm gap explained

          Some say the gap isn’t cultural but due to the elusive nature of women’s orgasms. Yet one landmark study found that when masturbating, 95 percent of women reach orgasm easily and within minutes. Four minutes was the average time that sex researcher Alfred Kinsey found it takes women to masturbate to orgasm. Orgasm isn’t elusive when women are alone.

          It’s also not elusive when women are together. One study found that orgasm rates don’t vary by sexual orientation for men but do for women. Lesbians are more likely to orgasm than heterosexual women.

          What do lesbian sex and female masturbation have in common? They focus on clitoral stimulation. One study found that when women pleasure themselves, almost 99 percent stimulate their clitoris.

          Yet, when with male partners, especially casual ones, women forgo the clitoral stimulation needed to orgasm. A survey conducted by a women’s magazine found that 78 percent of women’s orgasm problems in heterosexual sex are due to not enough or not the right kind of clitoral stimulation. An academic study found that receiving oral sex and touching one’s clitoris during intercourse increases orgasm rates and that these behaviors occur more often in relationship sex than casual sex.

          Women not getting clitoral stimulation, especially in casual sex, is a major reason for the orgasm gap. This leads to a more nuanced question: Why aren’t women getting the stimulation they need?

          A double standard and a lack of knowledge

          The first reason is ignorance of the clitoris, fueled by our sex education system. Best-selling author Peggy Orenstein pointed out that sex education ignores the clitoris, teaching only about women’s internal organs. No wonder a study found that over 60 percent of college students falsely believe the clitoris is located inside the vaginal canal. Many of these students also mistakenly believe that women orgasm from intercourse alone. In actuality, only a minority can. Depending on the way the questions are worded, 15 percent to 30 percent of women say they orgasm from intercourse alone. When I ask students, “What is your most reliable route to orgasm?,” 4 percent answer penetration alone.

          Yet, by failing to teach this in sex education, we leave people to rely on media images. Orenstein asserts that porn has become the new sex ed. One false image portrayed in porn, and mainstream media, is that it is normal, indeed ideal, for women to orgasm from intercourse. This false belief is a main culprit in women not getting the stimulation they need to orgasm.

          But research tells us it’s not the only culprit. Knowledge of the clitoris increases women’s orgasm rate during masturbation but not during partnered sex.

          Women’s pleasure may not be a high priority in casual sex especially. Stas Ponomarencko

          So, what in our culture is preventing women from bridging the gap between self and partnered pleasure, especially in casual sex? Researchers in one study found that young adults believe that in casual sex, women’s pleasure is less important than men’s pleasure. They concluded that while it is now acceptable for women to engage in casual sex, it is not acceptable for them to seek sexual pleasure outside of a relationship. They say we have a new sexual double standard.

          This takes us full circle, but begs two questions. Why is it important to close the orgasm gap? How can we do so?

          The orgasm gap closed

          On a surface level, closing the gap is important for equal access to pleasure itself.

          Some scholars believe that closing the pleasure gap can empower women to say no. Sylvie Bouchard/Shutterstock.com

          On a deeper level, scholars connect pleasure equality and sexual consent. They say learning about sexual pleasure empowers one to communicate one’s desires to others, making it less likely to be coerced, or to coerce others, into unwanted sex. A number argue for sex education reform. A position paper by the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine also advocated for reform, saying abstinence-only education “reinforces gender stereotypes about female passivity and male aggressiveness.” While the position paper didn’t suggest teaching about pleasure in sexual education, others do.

          Information on pleasure, masturbation, the clitoris and orgasm is taught in commonly used sex education programs in Dutch schools. So is information on abstinence, birth control, consent, communication, sexual decision-making, and the difference between porn and real sex. The Dutch have lower pregnancy and STI rates, and three times less sexual violence than the U.S.

          Connecting sexual violence and the orgasm gap, one writer declared: “Let 2018 be the year we demand more than freedom from sexual harassment and abuse. This year, it’s time we demand pleasure.”

          The ConversationTime magazine said the #MeToo movement was simmering for years. It seems that a related sexual revolution for pleasure equality is also emerging.

          Laurie Mintz, Professor of Psychology, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/amy-hass-named-uf-vice-president-and-general-counsel-1.html

          Amy Hass named UF vice president and general counsel

          May 17, 2018
          Angie Brown

          University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced today that, following a national search, Amy Hass has been selected as vice president and general counsel. Hass has served as interim vice president since July of 2017, and joined the UF Office of the Vice President and General Counsel in 2006.

          Prior to joining the University of Florida, Hass was a litigator with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP in Atlanta and New York. While in private practice, Hass represented financial services companies and individuals in a wide range of government enforcement proceedings, civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, arbitrations and internal corporate investigations.

          Hass graduated with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and received her undergraduate degree from Furman University. She is a member of The Florida Bar and the State Bar of Georgia and is admitted to practice in all state courts in Florida and Georgia. Hass is also admitted to practice in the Northern and Southern U.S. District Courts of Florida and the Northern U.S. District Court of Georgia.

          Campus Life
          /articles/2018/05/mark-kaplan-named-uf-vice-president-for-government-and-community-relations-1.html

          Mark Kaplan named UF vice president for government and community relations

          May 21, 2018
          Angie Brown

          University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced today that, following a national search, Mark Kaplan has been selected as the university’s new vice president for government and community relations. Kaplan, who has worked in government and community relations at the state, national and local levels over the course of his career, will join UF on June 7.

          “Feedback that emerged from this national search indicated an appreciation for Mark’s collaborative and effective work as demonstrated in a range of settings—public, private and nonprofit,” Fuchs said. “I know he will be a wonderful asset to our university.”

          Kaplan’s experience includes serving as the senior vice president for public affairs for the Mosaic Company, a Fortune 250 company. Prior to joining Mosaic, Kaplan served as chief of staff to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, directing the executive office’s day-to-day operations, developing and implementing strategic programs and initiatives, handling crisis management and overseeing coordination of 23 state agencies. He has also served as president and general counsel for the Carlisle Development Group LLC, a developer of affordable multifamily rental housing, and as executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, which sets affordable housing policy and finances development and purchases statewide.

          Kaplan graduated with highest honors from the Florida State University College of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in political science from the University of Florida. He is the current chair of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society.

          Campus Life
          /articles/2018/05/a-peek-into-the-lives-of-puerto-rican-muslims-and-what-ramadan-means-post-hurricane-1.html

          A peek into the lives of Puerto Rican Muslims and what Ramadan means post Hurricane

          May 22, 2018
          Ken Chitwood

          A UF expert on Global Islam shares his conversations with Muslims in Puerto Rico, who added depth to his understanding of their rich history and struggles.

          File 20180516 155573 1iweii.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          Muslims praying in Puerto Rico. AP Photo/Tomas van Houtryve

          Ken Chitwood, University of Florida

          For Juan, Ramadan is a balancing act. On the one hand is his religious faith and practice. On the other is his land, his culture, his home: Puerto Rico.

          Although he weaves these two elements of his identity together in many ways, during Ramadan, the borderline between them becomes palpable. For the Puerto Rican Muslims like Juan, the holy month of fasting brings to the surface the tensions they feel in their daily life as minorities – and as Muslims among their Puerto Rican family and Puerto Ricans in the Muslim community.

          That is even more true this year in the wake of Hurricane Maria, the storm that made landfall in the southeastern city of Yabucoa on Sept. 20, 2017, and devastated parts of Puerto Rico. Even today, many parts of the island are without essential services, such as consistent electricity and water or access to schools.

          I met Juan in 2015, when I first traveled to Puerto Rico in an effort to better understand the Puerto Rican Muslim story as part of my broader research on Islam in Latin America and the Caribbean. What I have found, in talking to Muslims in Puerto Rico and in many U.S. cities, is a deep history and a rich narrative that expands the understanding of what it means to be Muslim on the one hand, and, on the other, Puerto Rican. This Ramadan, Muslims in Puerto Rico are using the strength of both these identities to deal with the havoc of Hurricane Maria.

          The history of Muslims in Puerto Rico

          Muslims first came to the island as part of the transatlantic colonial exchange between Spain and Portugal and the “New World.” There is evidence that the first Muslims arrived with the explorers in the 16th century. Many “Moriscos,” or Iberian Muslims, came to the Caribbean bypassing several Spanish laws that prohibited them from coming to the Americas and served as merchants and explorers. Some were taken as slaves.

          Enslaved Muslims from West Africa also came to the island beginning in the 16th century. While exact numbers are not known, scholars believe they were significant. These Muslim slave communities did not thrive, or even survive, but Islam established itself across the Western Hemisphere. It became the region’s “second monotheistic religion” thanks to Muslim slaves, former slaves and maroons – Africans who escaped slavery and founded independent settlements. These Muslims left their mark and contributed to the culture and history of the continents.

          Due to conversion to Catholicism or the adoption of Afro-American religious traditions such as Candomblé or Santería the influence and presence of Islam in the Americas faded over time. There is no evidence of direct links between present-day Muslim communities and the enslaved Muslims who came before.

          Today’s Muslim communities largely comprise recent immigrants from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria, with some descendants of the late 19th- and 20th-century immigrants. Ethnically speaking, nearly two-thirds of Puerto Rico’s Muslim population is made up of Palestinian immigrants, living in places like Caguas and San Juan, who came fleeing political turmoil or to pursue business interests.

          Recent conversions

          In recent years some Puerto Ricans have been reverting to the religion of their ancestors: Islam. In each of Puerto Rico’s nine mosques, researchers have found an increasing number of recent local converts. There is no accurate measure, but anecdotal evidence suggests rising numbers.

          How do they wrestle with their identity as both Muslim and Puerto Rican?

          Straddled between a predominately Arab Muslim population on the one hand and their avowedly Puerto Rican families, neighbors and co-workers who imagine Islam as a religion foreign to Puerto Rico, converts to Islam struggle to marry the two identities they now claim. They are in search of a “Boricua Islamidad” – a unique Puerto Rican Muslim identity that resists complete assimilation to Arab cultural norms even as it re-imagines and expands what it means to be Puerto Rican and a Muslim.

          Puerto Rico Islamic Center at Ponce in Barrio Cuarto, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Roca Ruiz, CC BY-SA

          When I first met Juan at an Eid al-Fitr celebration, the festival of breaking the Ramadan fast, at the San Juan Convention Center in 2015, the 40-something man said, “I came to Islam by asking questions: about the ills of society, the difficulties of life.”

          For Juan, Catholicism, the religion adopted by his ancestors when they converted, was too confusing. The doctrine of “tawhid” in Islam – the oneness of God – was, as he saw it, simpler than what he believed to be the complex theology of the Trinity. Furthermore, he felt that Islam called for a higher morality and sense of self-discipline. And so, he “reverted” – that is, returned to the faith of his birth and the heritage of his Iberian forebears in al-Andalus, in what is modern-day Spain.

          But Juan, like many other converts, is also searching for a sense of authenticity in his new community. While Juan finds that his Muslim brothers and sisters appreciate him, he still feels marginalized because of his cultural background. He finds ways to express his “Boricuan” (a term for resident Puerto Ricans, derived from the island’s indigenous name Borinquen) pride and his Muslim identity by sporting a “taqiyah,” a short, rounded skull cap, decorated with the Puerto Rican flag.

          Another Puerto Rican convert from Aguadilla, Abu Livia, lives in this tension as well. He told me during an interview, “Too often we hear people say you have to wear certain clothes, speak a certain language, look like an Arab, talk like an Arab, behave like an Arab.”

          Not just Juan and Abu Livia, as I found in my research, but many other Puerto Rican Muslims are looking toward Andalusia, or Moorish Spain, to search for their roots and define who they are in a Puerto Rican society that claims a mixed background of indigenous, African and European influences.

          ‘Puerto Rico se levanta’

          Puerto Rican Muslims not only look across the Atlantic. They also look within themselves and are finding ways of expressing their Muslim faith through the symbols and struggles of Puerto Rican culture, whether it be their flag, their family traditions, or in how they respond to the trials of Hurricane Maria.

          Following up with Juan after a year of struggle in the wake of the storm, he said, “Puerto Ricans are proud, committed, strong, and ‘pa’lante’ (moving forward). And that includes Muslims.” After the destruction of Hurricane Maria, the month of Ramadan, held special meaning for him. It held hope for “renewal.”

          “‘Puerto Rico se levanta,’” he said, meaning Puerto Rico will rise, and “this Ramadan it will do so in the prayer, fasting, and charity of Muslims to help one another and their fellow Puerto Ricans prepare for a better future today and forever.”

          For Juan, this is just another way his Puerto Rican identity helps him be a better Muslim. As he said, “We will fast this month, but we already know what it means to be in want.”

          The ConversationThis incorporates elements of an earlier article published on June 23, 2017.

          Ken Chitwood, Ph.D. Candidate, Religion in the Americas, Global Islam, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/an-expert-explains-why-new-guidelines-were-needed-1.html

          An expert explains why new guidelines were needed

          May 23, 2018
          Li-Ming Su

          The chair of UF’s Department of Urology unravels the confusion over screening for prostate cancer, the second deadliest cancer among men.

          File 20180518 42200 t7yp70.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          A blood test can reveal whether the level of a protein produced by prostate cells is elevated. Ontakrai/Shutterstock.com

          Li-Ming Su, M.D., University of Florida

          The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recently updated and modified its controversial 2012 recommendation to abandon routine screening of all men using the prostate cancer screening blood test called the prostate specific antigen or PSA test. The USPSTF is a government task force comprised of members from the fields of primary care and preventive medicine that currently makes evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services.

          The updated recommendation is that all U.S. men between the ages of 55 to 69 should consider PSA screening, after discussing the risks and benefits with their doctor. The panel recommended that men older than 70 should not undergo screening.

          The 2012 recommendation was of great concern to physicians who treat prostate cancer, survivors of the disease, and those at high risk due to race or hereditary factors.

          As a urologist who treats and has cared for prostate cancer patients for 17 years, I witnessed firsthand how the controversies of PSA testing in 2012 led to significant confusion in both physicians and patients alike. The confusion may also have resulted in delay in diagnosis and an increase in the late-stage prostate cancer. A study released May 22, 2018 reported an increase in late-stage incidence and that deaths from prostate cancer had stopped decreasing.

          The scope of the problem

          The prostate gland, a small organ that is part of the male reproductive system and is situated between the bladder and urethra, is involved with urinary, fertility and sexual function. Cancer of the prostate gland is a result of uncontrolled growth of abnormal prostate cells within the gland. Early prostate cancer in its microscopic stage is commonly associated with no symptoms whatsoever, whereas advanced prostate cancer can spread beyond the prostate, into surrounding lymph nodes, and to the spine and other organs, resulting in pain, suffering and even death.

          According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. men, behind lung cancer. One in 9 men will be diagnosed with the disease in his lifetime and 1 in 41 will die from prostate cancer.

          PSA: A helpful but imperfect test

          In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the PSA blood test, in addition to a digital rectal exam, to screen for prostate cancer. The PSA test measures a protein in the bloodstream called prostate-specific antigen that is produced by cells in the prostate gland. Certain conditions of the prostate, including an enlarged prostate, prostate inflammation, infection or prostate cancer can all cause an increase in PSA.

          As such, PSA is a prostate-specific test but not necessarily a cancer-specific test. In other words, an elevated PSA does not always indicate the presence of cancer, yet may trigger the need for a prostate biopsy and expose a patient to the potential risks of pain, infection and bleeding only to find that no cancer exists.

          Despite this, PSA testing has been invaluable in allowing physicians to detect prostate cancer at an earlier and more treatable stage. If PSA testing were abandoned, as recommended by the USPSTF in 2012, physicians would have to rely solely upon physical examination alone for cancer detection, which would risk detecting the disease too late. This, we feared, would translate into cancers that may already have spread beyond the prostate gland where treatments are far less effective.

          To treat or not to treat: A troubling, complex disease

          Prostate cancer is a complex disease, not only from a diagnosis, but also from a treatment standpoint. As with many cancers, early detection can be life-saving. But not all prostate cancers are lethal; some grow slowly and will never threaten a man’s life or even health. Determining which cancers are dangerous and therefore require treatment has been a great challenge.

          Prior to 2012, widespread PSA screening increased the detection of potentially aggressive prostate cancers, but it also led to the overdiagnosis of slow-growing, nonlethal cancers. Treatment of these less aggressive cancers, although curative, left men with unwanted side effects of treatment, such as erectile and urinary difficulties. Therefore, finding the right group of men who benefit the most from prostate cancer screening and treatment based on age, risk factors and life expectancy is at the root of this controversy.

          The screening guidelines change for PSA testing

          Prostate cancer survivor and teacher Michael Jackson. African-American men with a first- or second-degree relative may be at higher risk and therefore may need more aggressive screening. National Cancer Institute

          Prior to the 2012 recommendations by the USPSTF, screening using both the PSA and digital prostate examination was recommended on an annual basis for all U.S. men. Because of concerns about overtreatment, however, a USPSTF panel in 2012 examined the evidence surrounding PSA testing. The panel released its recommendation against routine PSA testing for all men based on a lack of convincing evidence of a survival benefit to widespread PSA testing.

          Based on a national survey, there was an immediate 40 percent reduction in PSA testing performed by primary care physicians in the first year after the 2012 recommendation. More concerning, 65 percent of these physicians also stopped performing digital prostate examinations, therefore abandoning any form of prostate cancer screening.

          Physicians began to see a disturbing trend. More men diagnosed with prostate cancer had aggressive disease, as well as metastatic cancer that had already spread beyond the prostate gland. In sharp contrast, the introduction and utilization of PSA in the early 1990s resulted in detecting prostate cancer at an earlier and more curable stage with less advanced, incurable disease at diagnosis.

          In response to the 2012 recommendation, the American Urological Association performed its own review and determined that:

          • The subgroup of men who gain the greatest benefit to routine PSA screening are between the ages of 55 and 69.
          • A relaxed screening interval of every two to four years versus annually may reduce the harms of overdiagnosis.
          • Patients should have a discussion about their individual risk and the potential benefits of PSA testing with their physician, especially in men with higher than average risk (i.e. African-Americans and those who have many first- and second-degree male relatives with a history of the disease).

          In addition, to address the concern of overtreatment, urologists have moved to a more selective approach toward treatment of cancers, especially those that are of low risk of progression and spread.

          For such cancers, urologists have begun to increasingly advocate a monitoring strategy called active surveillance and advised treatment only if and when the disease begins to show early signs of growth. These recommendations addressed the concern of overtreatment by reducing the unnecessary and premature exposure of men to adverse treatment-related side effects.

          Many state legislatures released their own prostate cancer screening recommendations based upon their unique patient population. For example, the Florida Prostate Cancer Advisory Council (PCAC) recommended that men who are at higher-than-average risk, including African-American men and Caribbean men of African ancestry, be encouraged to get tested as early as age 40. Both populations are present in Florida at a higher percentage than the national average.

          Men 55 to 69: Talk to your doctor about PSA testing

          The author counsels an older patient at UF Health in Gainesville, Fla. Mindy Miller/UF Health, CC BY-SA

          The recent revised recommendations included a review of evidence published since 2012. The USPSTF panel concluded that men aged 55-69 years should consider periodic PSA screening, citing a small benefit of reducing death from prostate cancer in this age range. However, the panel discouraged testing in men older than 70 and were unable to make specific recommendations for men at increased risk for prostate cancer based on race and family history.

          Although the new USPSTF recommendations more closely align with the national urologic association and most major physician group recommendations, the national group and the Florida advisory council believe that even the current recommendations fall short. They do not address men with especially high risk for prostate cancer as well as healthy men 70 and older, with a greater than 10-year life expectancy, who in our view still benefit from PSA screening.

          The ConversationBased on the new guidelines, I hope that PSA testing will be on the minds of men. I urge them to talk candidly with their physician about whether prostate cancer screening including a PSA test and a prostate examination is right for them based upon their individual risk. The message is clear that the answer is not to stop PSA screening altogether, but to screen smarter and treat smarter based upon each man’s unique circumstance.

          Li-Ming Su, M.D., David A. Cofrin Professor of Urologic Oncology and Chair of the Department of Urology, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Science & Wellness
          /articles/2018/05/crowdfunding-for-scientists-1.html

          Crowdfunding for scientists

          May 23, 2018
          Alisson Clark
          Center for Latin American Studies, Tropical Conservation and Development, UF/IFAS

          Emilio Bruna and Bette Loiselle’s students shoot videos, create websites and design flyers, but they’re not communications majors — they’re graduate students in tropical conservation and development, and they’re learning how to fund their work.

          The University of Florida class, which began in 2014, prepares future scientists and other professionals for a world where increasingly stiff competition for grants means they'll have to get creative to find support — financial or otherwise.

          In the class, each student runs a crowdfunding campaign for a real project. During the spring semester, one raised funds to protect wild cats in India’s Pakke Tiger Reserve, another to improve health infrastructure in Northern Uganda. 

          PhD student Suman Jumani made this video to promote her crowdfunding project, which exceeded its $1,200 goal.

          Some of them will continue crowdfunding. Others will hate it and never try it again. That’s OK, Bruna says, because they’re learning to show the importance of their work to people outside their field.

          “They start the semester thinking fundraising is about getting money from people, and they learn that philanthropy is about a shared vision, a common interest in solving a problem,” Bruna said. “They’re not begging for money. They’re asking people to go on a journey with them.”

          For Bruna, that realization started with literal journeys through Amazon forests. As a post-doc at Brazil’s National Institute for Amazonian Research, one of the world’s leading sites for studying deforestation, he’d watch high-profile visitors’ eyes glaze over as scientists drowned them in data and jargon. Bruna, however, used a different approach: He took them for hikes in the forest and told them stories about what they were seeing. His approach quickly made him a go-to liaison for politicians and other celebrity visitors.

          “It’s about learning the right language to talk to people, but that’s not something you learn in graduate school. That experience helped me realize this would be a useful course,” he said.

          In addition to crowdfunding, the course offers hands-on lessons in things like social media, event planning and direct mail, plus advice on working with corporations and foundations, capital campaigns and planned gifts. Bruna hasn’t found any universities offering a similar course: Some teach scientists the basics of fundraising without hands-on experience, while hands-on classes are geared toward future fundraisers and non-profit managers.

          guest speaker David Houghton, WildLandscapes International

          Guest speaker David Houghton of WildLandscapes International visits the class.

          Loiselle, the director of UF’s interdisciplinary Tropical Conservation and Development program, and Bruna (who, like Loiselle, has a joint appointment in the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation department of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) created the class without any crowdfunding experience. They pulled best practices from around the internet and tried them out with their students, learning as they went and adjusting as needed.

          In the three semesters the class has been offered, the crowdfunding campaigns have raised more than $23,000 from hundreds of donors. When Leandra Merz took the class in 2014, the non-profit she founded had provided 12 scholarships for orphans and other vulnerable teens in rural Zambia, where she was a Peace Corps volunteer. Merz realized that to be effective, she also needed to provide housing, food, health care and emotional support to her scholarship students. Through the crowdfunding project, a letter-writing campaign and a fundraising event, all part of the class, she raised $22,000, and within the year built a student-life center. The following year, it welcomed 18 students. She’s hoping to reach its 40-student capacity within three years, then expand again.

          Leandra Merz in front of a brick building in Zambia

          Leandra Merz in Zambia

          “I used to feel awkward asking people to donate to my cause, as if it was a favor,” Merz said. “Now, I try to re-frame it as giving people the opportunity to participate in our project. There are a lot of people that really appreciate the opportunity to improve education and make a difference in the lives of these students.”

          The crowdfunding project helps fund the students’ research, but the networks they’re creating can benefit them far into the future, Bruna says. By raising their public profiles and articulating why their work matters, “the students realize that their audience is much larger than we think it is. There are people all over the world motivated to care about the work we’re doing — if we know how to reach them.”

          Global Impact
          /articles/2018/05/hiv-lies-dormant-in-the-brain-increasing-the-risk-of-dementia-but-how-1.html

          HIV lies dormant in the brain, increasing the risk of dementia, but how?

          May 24, 2018
          Doug Miller

          A UF Ph.D. candidate explains that while drugs have been developed to treat HIV and AIDS, the virus can nevertheless lie dormant in the brain, increasing the risk for conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

          File 20180522 51127 1bblm3c.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          HIV becomes dormant in the body and can hide in brain cells. Joseph Lebowitz, Dr. Min Lin, and Dr. Habibeh Khoshboue, CC BY-SA

          Doug Miller, University of Florida

          The HIV virus, which causes AIDS, has long been known to target and disable cells of the immune system, which are responsible for fighting off invading microorganisms and for suppressing malignant cancers. More recently, researchers also learned HIV not only targets immune cells in the bloodstream but also in the brain and spinal cord and that HIV can lie dormant in a person’s body for many years.

          My mentor, Dr. Habibeh Khoshbouei, has been working on this problem and learned that one consequence of HIV in the brain is that age-related diseases develop much earlier. This includes neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as an increased susceptibility to drug addiction.

          Our lab wanted to learn why.

          HIV effects persist despite treatment

          HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is shown budding out of an immune cell, which the virus infects and uses to replicate. NIH, via Wikimedia Commons

          For more than 20 years, powerful drug combinations of antiretroviral drugs have been available to treat people with HIV infection, and these agents have dramatically raised life expectancy for HIV-infected patients from 36 to 49 years of age.

          Though combinatorial antiretroviral therapies (CART) reduces viral loads to undetectable levels in the blood, HIV can hide within the central nervous system, where it can integrate into the genomes of brain cells called microglia – the immune cells of the brain.

          In the brain, HIV continues to produce viral proteins and damage both infected and non-infected cells in the brain, boosting the risk for dementia, addiction and other neurological problems. Everyone with HIV will experience this, since HIV integrates into the genome and CART has issues crossing into the brain. The question is: why?

          HIV proteins dysregulate dopamine signaling

          To answer this, we used a mouse in which we can control the levels of HIV viral protein in order to probe the link between HIV infection and neurological disease.

          Our lab discovered that an HIV protein, called HIV-1 Tat, reduces the level of an important protein required for the production of a dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain.

          Dopamine is produced by neurons in the central nervous system and by immune cells in the blood. Using a confocal microscope to see fine details, my colleagues and I carefully examined the dopamine producing areas in the brains of mice containing HIV-1 Tat protein and were surprised to discover that the neurons were alive. But, many that normally produced dopamine were unable to produce as much. We also found that an enzyme necessary to make dopamine, called tyrosine hydroxylase, was no longer detectable in some neurons. This suggests that the mice can’t make as much dopamine.

          When microglial cells secrete the HIV-1 Tat protein, it is able to enter dopamine neurons and lower their activity so that they produce less dopamine. That reduces their ability to communicate with other cells in the brain, which can disrupt the ability to move and reward related behaviors. Also, low levels of dopamine in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra is a hallmark of Parkinson’s and predisposes patients to depression and addiction to drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine.

          The results of our research, published in the journal Glia, reveal how HIV patients are more vulnerable to neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions that are somehow tied to disrupting dopamine levels in the brain.

          The ConversationThere is clearly more to treating HIV that curbing levels of the virus in the blood. The medical community needs treatments that reverse the long-term consequences of HIV infection in the brain.

          Doug Miller, PhD Candidate, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Science & Wellness
          /articles/2018/05/the-right-wing-origins-of-the-jerusalem-soccer-team-that-wants-to-add-trump-to-its-name-1.html

          The right-wing origins of the Jerusalem soccer team that wants to add ‘Trump’ to its name

          May 24, 2018
          Tamir Sorek

          A UF sociology professor discusses why the team’s eagerness to associate itself with Trump and his brand of politics makes sense.

          File 20180516 155555 1iowx7j.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          Throughout its storied history, the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team has won 13 state titles. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

          Tamir Sorek, University of Florida

          In a nod of appreciation to Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the Israeli soccer club Beitar Jerusalem announced that it would like to change its name to Beitar “Trump” Jerusalem.

          The willingness of a major sports team to openly embrace a polarizing politician might come as a surprise to American sports fans. In the U.S., teams are generally loathe to publicly embrace particular politicians or candidates, lest they needlessly alienate segments of their fan base.

          I study the cultural dynamics that shape Israeli political identities, and sports in Israel are a powerful political sphere. Unlike American sports teams, Zionist sports federations were originally organized along political fault lines in the first half of the 20th century, with political rivals competing on the playing field.

          Beitar Jerusalem is closely aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, and its fans have long viewed themselves as political and economic outsiders. When it’s viewed through this lens, the team’s eagerness to associate itself with Trump and his brand of politics make sense.

          The team of Israel’s forgotten Jews

          In 1923, the Beitar movement was founded in Latvia. A Revisionist Zionist youth movement, it differed from mainstream Zionism in a few key ways: It promoted a more aggressive expansionism, seeking to establish a Jewish state on both sides of the Jordan River; it assumed a belligerent posture toward the British government in Palestine; and, eventually, it adopted anti-socialist views.

          In 1936, David Horn, who chaired the local Beitar branch in Jerusalem, recruited some Revisionist activists to establish the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club. Many of them belonged to the Irgun, an underground militia that launched attacks against Arab and, later, British targets. In the 1940s, because of some players’ affiliation with underground militias, British authorities expelled them.

          After the state of Israel was established in 1948, Beitar’s image as a bastion of opposition only hardened.

          In Israel’s early years, the socialist Mapai party was the country’s most powerful political party. Hapoel, the country’s largest soccer federation, belonged to the General Federation of Labor in Israel and, therefore, was closely aligned with Mapai.

          Beitar Jerusalem, on the other hand, tended to attract outsiders and the oppressed as fans.

          During the 1950s and 1960s, Jerusalem absorbed many of the Jews who emigrated en masse from Arab and Muslim countries – people who, in Israel today, are called “Mizrahim.” These immigrants, especially those from Northern Africa, often found themselves looked down upon, discriminated against, and relegated to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder and the margins of the political system. Those who didn’t belong to the ruling Mapai party suffered from additional discrimination in employment and housing.

          In those years, Beitar attracted the sympathy of many Mizrahim, and the team’s circle of fans evolved into a kind of political and cultural opposition.

          Politically, the team continued to be identified with the right-wing Herut party that was populist, anti-socialist and committed to territorial expansionism. Its bleachers, meanwhile, boomed with songs and slogans borrowed and adapted from old Sephardi Jewish religious tunes. Until the early 1980s, the government-monopolized media – run by Jews of European origin – often excluded these songs from the airwaves.

          Success on the pitch – and at the ballot box

          Over time, Beitar transformed from a team with a local following to one with a large national fan base. Its close ties to Likud leaders probably helped build its following and winning the state cup tournaments in 1976 and 1979 – just around the time Likud seized power in 1977 – caused the team’s popularity to explode.

          The ascension of Likud founder Menachem Begin to prime minster in 1977 ended 29 years of Israeli Labor Party rule. AP Photo

          Throughout the 1980s, the overlapping affiliations of Likud, the Mizrahi people and the Beitar soccer team crystallized. Beitar Jerusalem’s successes during the 1980s and 1990s – three championships and three state cups – made the team popular among a wider circle of fans, which included even some Arab citizens.

          However, the team remained especially popular among the people who were once called “the second Israel” – the lower-class Mizrahim.

          While Beitar’s right-wing leanings are nothing new, since the 1990s a new vocal segment of its fan base have expressed anti-Arab attitudes. Beitar remains the only professional soccer team in Israel to have never signed an Arab player. The fan organization La Familia, established in 2005, has close ties with the country’s far-right politicians and it openly identifies with the outlawed Kach movement, which seeks to install a theocracy and expel all Arabs from Israel and the territories it occupied in 1967.

          The front office has made some attempts to bring Arab players on board, only to be rebuffed by their fans. Today, some hardcore fans consider anti-Arabism inherent to the identity of the club. Their repertoire of slogans and chants includes some rather profane anti-Arab and anti-Muslim messages.

          What’s behind the racism?

          Scholars of Israeli society have tried to explain why many Mizrahi Beitar fans espouse nationalistic, hawkish and, at times, Arab-hating views. Some point out that the Mizrahim are in competition with Arabs over the same low-paying jobs. Others argue that, in a political atmosphere that stigmatizes Arab identities and discriminates against Arabs, Mizrahim feel the need to reject Arab elements of their identity.

          At the same time, there are other soccer clubs, like Israel’s champion Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Bnei Yahuda, that have a big Mizrahi fan base. These teams signed Arab players, and their Mizrahi fans didn’t organize to prevent their inclusion.

          Beitar Jerusalem F.C. soccer supporters cheer during a match against the Arab team Maccabi Umm al-Fahm F.C. AP Photo/Bernat Armangue

          So what’s going on with Beitar Jerusalem? Since 1967, when Israel occupied East Jerusalem and annexed it against the will of its Arab residents, the city has been a hotbed of political extremism and violence. This political atmosphere interacts with Mizrahi fans’ feelings of marginalization; together, they can lead to hostile attitudes toward Arabs.

          There are obvious parallels between Beitar Jerusalem’s fan base and the supporters of Donald Trump who feel politically and culturally marginalized – or, as Trump describes them, the country’s “forgotten men and women.” In this context, the team name change makes sense.

          It’s unlikely, however, that it will be officially implemented.

          First, it contradicts the bylaws of the Israel Football Association, which states that teams can only be named after dead people.

          Second, many Beitar Jerusalem fans are vocally opposing the proposed name change on social media.

          Trump, as an ally of Netanyahu, is very popular among these fans. But the team name has remained the same for all 82 years of the club’s existence.

          The ConversationIn their view, tradition trumps political expediency.

          Tamir Sorek, Professor of Sociology, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/uf-taps-proven-leader-as-its-first-chief-diversity-officer-1.html

          UF taps proven leader as its first chief diversity officer

          May 29, 2018
          Steve Orlando

          The University of Florida has named Antonio Farias, currently vice president for equity and inclusion/Title IX officer at Wesleyan University, as its first chief diversity officer and senior advisor to the president.

          Farias will assume the new post effective July 9. His annual salary will be $280,000.

          In his new position, Farias, 52, will hold a cabinet-level spot while overseeing universitywide efforts to advance equity, diversity and inclusion, and establish a new standard of inclusive excellence.

          “I am thrilled that Antonio will be joining the University of Florida,” UF President Kent Fuchs said. “He has a strong track record and enjoys tremendous respect at a national level. We created this position because UF, like many other Southern universities, has a legacy that includes not always welcoming people of diverse backgrounds. This is a significant step in addressing the cultural changes that must continue to take place at the University of Florida. Antonio is well-equipped to tackle these challenges.”

          At Wesleyan, where he has worked since 2013, Farias has worked closely with the offices of Academic Affairs, Admissions, Student Affairs, and University Relations on issues of inclusion and equity as they relate to race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, political affiliation, and national origin in the areas of recruitment, admission, retention, hires, promotion, and fundraising. He has been responsible for maintaining proper university reporting procedures and policies as they pertain to federal and state laws.

          From 2005 to 2013, Farias was chief diversity officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where as the inaugural CDO, he helped develop a metrics-driven, leadership and values centered inclusion and diversity strategy for the academy that eventually shaped strategy for the 47,000-member organization. He also developed retention programs for faculty as well as students of color, first-generation students, women, LGBTQ, and students of various faith/non-faith backgrounds; implemented pre-orientation programs for first-generation and students of color; and conducted inclusion and diversity workshops throughout the Coast Guard leadership framework. Prior to that, he held positions at Mercy College, Hunter College and Colgate University, all in New York.

          “As a product of public education, and an educator who has been graced with seeing real lives impacted by educational opportunities, I’m deeply honored to have been selected as the inaugural CDO at a time when UF is poised to make the next great leap in excellence. My wife and I very much look forward to fully immersing ourselves in the Gainesville community and contributing to the Gator Good.”

          Farias said he looks forward to meeting with UF student, faculty and staff and members of the Gainesville community soon after his arrival.

          Farias holds a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature and a master’s degree in comparative ethnic studies, both from the University of California, Berkeley. He later earned a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside.

          Campus Life
          /articles/2018/05/consumer-sentiment-in-florida-increases-for-the-second-month-in-a-row-1.html

          Consumer sentiment in Florida increases for the second month in a row

          May 29, 2018
          Mark Girson

          Consumer sentiment among Floridians increased 2.6 points in May to 100.6 from a revised figure of 98 in April.

          This marks the second reading over 100 since March 2002, the first being January of this year.

          Among the five components that make up the index, three increased and two decreased.

          Of the two components that decreased, perceptions of personal financial situations now compared with a year ago showed a greater drop, 2.4 points from 96.1 to 93.7, falling the most among respondents aged 60 and older. In contrast, overall perceptions as to whether this is a good time to buy a major household item like an appliance increased 1.2 points from 104.6 to 105.8. Respondents aged 60 and older were the only demographic to experience a decrease in this indicator.

          “Despite the overall increase in confidence and the opposing opinions between these two components, they indicate that opinions regarding the current economic conditions have worsened slightly among Floridians in May,” said Hector H. Sandoval, Director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. 

          Expectations of personal financial situations a year from now declined 1.9 points from 107.6 to 105.7 and expectations of U.S. economic conditions over the next year increased substantially by 11.3 points from 91.2 to 102.5, the greatest increase in this month’s reading. The latter is particularly strong compared with a month ago among those aged 60 and older and those with income levels under $50,000. Finally, expectations of U.S. economic conditions over the next five years increased 4.6 points from 90.5 to 95.1. These three components represent the expectations about future economic conditions, which show a general increase among Floridians.

          “Overall, Floridians are more optimistic, and the gain in May’s confidence came mainly from consumers’ future expectations about the national economy in the medium- and long-run. Notably, these expectations are shared by all Floridians regardless of their age or socioeconomic status,” Sandoval said.

          Economic activity in Florida continues to expand with more jobs added every month. In April, 178,400 more jobs were added statewide compared with a year ago, an increase of 2.1 percent. Among all industries, professional and business services gained the most jobs, followed by construction, leisure and hospitality, and education and health services. The Florida unemployment rate has remained unchanged at 3.9 percent for the past eight months. Furthermore, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis , real gross domestic product in Florida increased 3.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017. The real estate and rental and leasing industry and the construction industry contributed the most to the increase.

          “Despite the ups and downs, consumer sentiment has been very favorable over the year and has remained quite stable since the beginning of 2018. Looking forward, we anticipate consumer sentiment to remain high in the months to come,” Sandoval said.

          Conducted May 1-24, the UF study reflects the responses of 358 individuals who were reached on cellphones, representing a demographic cross section of Florida.The index used by UF researchers is benchmarked to 1966, which means a value of 100 represents the same level of confidence for that year. The lowest index possible is a 2, the highest is 150.

          Details of this month’s survey can be found at http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/csi-data

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/butterfly-expert-tom-emmel-has-died-1.html

          Butterfly expert Tom Emmel has died

          May 29, 2018
          UF News

          Internationally known lepidopterist Tom Emmel died Saturday apparently of natural causes while traveling in Brazil. In April, a butterfly Emmel collected as a teen in Mexico was recognized as a new species and named in his honor. Below is the original story about that recognition.

          In 1959, a then-teenage lepidopterist Thomas Emmel collected 13 fawn-colored butterflies in the highlands of Mexico.

          Nearly 60 years later, those butterflies are finally being recognized as a new species by his colleague Andrew Warren, who named the butterfly Cyllopsis tomemmeli to honor Emmel, now 76 and an internationally recognized Lepidoptera expert at the University of Florida.

          It’s a fitting tribute to a dedicated scientist and his lifetime devotion to understanding butterflies and sharing his knowledge and passion with the world.


          Tom Emmel in 1949 with his butterfly collection. Photo courtesy of Tom Emmel.


          “He’s the only person who ever collected it, and it was on this remarkable expedition when he was 17 years old,” said Warren, senior collections manager of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at UF.

          Warren and a team of colleagues published the species name and description today in the journal Zootaxa.

          Back to 1959: Emmel nabbed the specimens on a three-month expedition through southern Mexico and British Honduras, where he accompanied ornithologist L. Irby Davis to record bird songs. Davis had offered him a simple deal: If Emmel would manage the parabolic reflector at dawn and dusk, he could spend the rest of his time collecting butterflies, his primary interest.

          By the end of the trip, Emmel had collected several thousand specimens, including the nine male and four female Cyllopsis tomemmeli he netted at the edge of a pine-oak forest in Chiapas, a state on the Mexico-Guatemala border. At the time, he knew only that they were satyrs, describing them in his notebook as “medium-sized, velvety brown with row of odd-shaped blue ocelli on hind wings, underside very colorful with bands.”

          The satyrs traveled with Emmel, founding director of the McGuire Center, for decades and through several cross-country moves before finally landing at the center on the University of Florida campus. Grouped with other unsorted Cyllopsis butterflies, they garnered little attention until last fall, when Warren recognized them as an undescribed species.

          That’s when serendipity stepped in.

          “I pulled out that drawer and immediately thought, ‘That’s new,’” Warren said. “I went upstairs to Tom’s office and said, ‘Hey, what were you doing on March 26, 1959?’ Tom said, ‘Oh, well, it was a beautiful sunny morning. I was in the highlands of Chiapas.’”

          A few days later, Emmel was at the Xerox machine, copying the detailed field notes he’d taken on the satyrs in 1959.




          The butterfly’s underside, left, shows the jagged bands characteristic of Cyllopsis. Emmel described the butterfly in his notebook as “medium-sized, velvety brown with row of odd-shaped blue ocelli on hind wings, underside very colorful with bands.” Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace.


          Naming the species after Emmel was a natural choice, Warren said.

          Although other scientists have scouted the same Mexican highlands, no other Cyllopsis tomemmeli specimens are known besides Emmel’s.

          His legacy also includes his mentorship of countless professional and amateur lepidopterists, including Warren, who was a high school butterfly enthusiast when he first met Emmel at a summer butterfly biology workshop.

          “He has supported me in my research in various ways ever since,” Warren said. “He’s inspired a lot of people over the years, not just in Lepidoptera but in a lot of fields. He also founded the only institution in the world that’s solely dedicated to butterfly and moth research. That was Tom’s big vision, and he made it happen.”

          Cyllopsis tomemmeli rounds out the total known species of Cyllopsis butterflies to 30. Cyllopsis are adept at carving out a home in small pockets of habitat, which could explain why this species has not been rediscovered, Warren said.

          The butterfly is about 2 inches wide and dusky brown with jagged red-brown bands on the underside, a characteristic feature of Cyllopsis species. Also notable are two pairs of spots flanked by lines of metallic scales that Warren thinks mimic the eyes and legs of jumping spiders.

          Females are slightly paler than males, and male Cyllopsis tomemmeli have furry scales, likely scent distributors, Warren said.

          By the time Emmel traveled to Chiapas, he had already been studying and collecting butterflies for nearly a decade. He was 8 years old when his father made butterfly nets for him and his brother John, unsuspectingly launching a lifelong obsession for both.

          “He thought we would be interested,” Emmel said. “To his great surprise, and eventually regret, it consumed us as a hobby and finally became a profession for me and a continued avocation for my brother.”

          Emmel said Cyllopsis tomemmeli, a new species hiding in plain sight, is an example of the value of museum collections.

          “The fact that something can be preserved for future students and professional people to study at a time when new techniques are available to verify the discovery is very important,” he said. “It shows just how long specimens can be preserved, hundreds of years in a museum, and still be invaluable to understanding the changes that have occurred. Climatic change, pesticides, heavy metal pollution in the air – all that is recorded in the wings and bodies of butterflies.”

          Study co-authors are Shinichi Nakahara of the Florida Museum and the UF department of entomology and nematology, Jorge Llorente-Bousquets and Armando Luis-Martínez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Jacqueline Miller of the Florida Museum.

          Nakahara is supported by funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

          Campus Life
          /articles/2018/05/uf-to-partner-with-walmart-in-new-education-benefit-for-associates-1.html

          UF to partner with Walmart in new education benefit for associates

          May 30, 2018
          UF News

          Benefit includes options for associates to earn a college degree without incurring student loan debt

          Walmart today unveiled a new associate education benefit designed to remove barriers to college enrollment and graduation. The program reflects the company’s commitment to train and educate workers to advance in the jobs of today -- and the future. 

          In partnership with Guild Education, a leading education benefits platform, Walmart associates will be able to access affordable, high-quality associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in Business or Supply Chain Management. Under the program, which will be made available to all U.S. associates, Walmart will subsidize the cost of higher education, beyond financial aid and an associate contribution equivalent to $1 a day. Degrees will be offered through the University of Florida Online, Brandman University and Bellevue University – nonprofit schools selected for their focus and outcomes on serving working adult learners.

          “In partnership with Walmart, we are pleased to provide an educational opportunity for their employees through UF Online, the University of Florida’s online undergraduate experience,” UF Provost Joe Glover said. “This partnership is a wonderful example of how a public, research institution can apply 21st century teaching technologies to enable these employees to pursue a valuable degree while remaining in the workforce. Everyone wins.”

          Said Greg Foran, CEO of Walmart U.S.: “Investing in the personal and professional success of our associates is vital to Walmart’s future success. We know training and learning opportunities empower associates to deliver for customers while growing and advancing in their careers.”

          Highlights of the program include:

          AFFORDABLE

          Under the program, the associate contribution to a college degree would be just $1 a day. Walmart will subsidize the cost of tuition, books and fees and students will not need to pay any upfront costs to attend classes, eliminating the need for student loan debt and addressing one the biggest hurdles that keep people from returning to college.

          Additionally, associates can jump start their path to completion by earning college credit for paid training at Walmart Academies. Thousands of associates have already undergone academy and skills training equivalent to more than $210 million in college credits. This will save associates both time and money in completing their degree.

          RELEVANT

          Walmart selected universities with a unique focus on serving working adult learners and top outcomes for the working adult demographic. Additionally, Walmart collaborated with the universities to tailor the curriculum to relevant skills for jobs and advancement across industries, both today and in the future.

          ACCESSIBLE

          Working with three universities that include both competitive and open-access programs, Walmart provides all associates a place to start. The goal is for all associates who apply for admission to be accepted. These universities have a programmatic dedication to high graduation rates for their students.

          SUPPORTED

          From day one, associates will receive support from a Guild Education coach on everything from the application and enrollment process to selecting the appropriate degree and getting credit for prior college and work experience. This type of counseling has been shown to help students complete their degree.

          Walmart has kicked off what might be the nation’s most scalable approach to creating educational opportunity for America’s workforce, now available to its U.S. associates and their families,” said Rachel Carlson, chief executive officer and co-founder of Guild Education. “Walmart is also leading innovation at the intersection of workforce development and higher education by helping associates earn college credit for their on-the-job training.”

          Walmart is also committed to an independent evaluation of the outcome of its new offering. The Lumina Foundation has agreed to research and measure the impact and effectiveness of the offering and will work with the Walmart team to share the findings.

          “Walmart is making a significant investment in its workforce that will not just help the company, but help shift how our society moves towards more affordable and accessible pathways for individuals to be recognized and rewarded for their work-based skills and knowledge, resulting in high-quality, relevant credentials. We applaud Walmart’s efforts, “said Jamie Merisotis, president and chief executive officer of the Lumina Foundation.    

          “I commend Walmart for trying an innovative strategy to increase the skills and post-secondary education of its workers and for committing to having the Lumina Foundation conduct and independent evaluation of the program. I look forward to studying Lumina’s findings,” said Alan Krueger, professor of economics, Princeton University.  

          ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OFFERINGS

          Walmart’s new education program underscores the importance of education in helping associates prepare for the future. College degrees in supply chain management or business are just one part of a broader approach to preparing the workforce to succeed today and into the future. Initiatives include:

          • Developing a broad suite of offerings across roles and levels to help associates from frontline to executive levels develop job-related skills for advancement.
          • Walmart covers the complete cost for associates and eligible family members for earning a high school diploma or GED.
          • Associates and eligible family members have access to tuition discounts, financial aid assistance and education coaching across Guild’s broader network of more than 80 accredited, nonprofit university partners, including schools, such as The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Columbia University and Purdue University made available through edX.
          • Access to professional development courses including college prep, leadership training and ESL.

          These programs are available to full-time, part-time and salaried Walmart U.S. store, supply chain, home office and Sam’s Club associates.

          For more information, visit https://ufonline.ufl.edu/admissions/employer-pathways.

          About Walmart

          Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 270 million customers and members visit our more than 11,700 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2018 revenue of $500.3 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com , on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart  and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

          Campus Life
          /articles/2018/05/how-stacey-abrams-black-girl-magic-turned-georgia-a-bit-more-blue-1.html

          How Stacey Abrams’ ‘black girl magic’ turned Georgia a bit more blue

          May 30, 2018
          Sharon Austin

          UF’s director of African American Studies discusses Abrams’ historic bid for governor of Georgia and assesses her chances for a win that would make her the first black female governor of any American state.

          File 20180523 51127 11ofj9w.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          Abrams savors her victory. AP Photo/John Bazemore

          Sharon Austin, University of Florida

          On May 22, 2018, Stacey Abrams, an African-American, 44-year-old former attorney, Georgia General Assembly House minority leader and Yale Law graduate beat former attorney white Georgia state legislator Stacey Evans in the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary. While the race was hard-fought, the outcome was lopsided with Abrams winning 423,163 (76.5 percent) votes over Evans’ 130,234.

          As a professor of political science and African-American studies, I was very interested in this election’s outcome. Although African-Americans and women participate frequently in the political process, few people from these groups win elections – especially at the statewide level.

          Although Georgia is known for infamous, segregationist governors like Lester Maddox, this campaign which pitted a white woman against a black woman was largely absent of overt racial appeals. The campaigns of both women appealed to liberals and moderates. Evans’ campaign strategy heavily focused on building a coalition among African-Americans, Latinos, women, youth and other progressives by emphasizing issues such as educational and job opportunities, voting rights and an end to crime.

          Abrams campaign platform was remarkably similar, but she also emphasized the need for LGBTQ rights, energy jobs, veterans’ rights and small business development. Abrams benefited from the “linked fate” philosophy among African-Americans that influences them to prefer black candidates because of their interests in advancing their individual and group interests. She also had more experience registering voters than Evans did, after having served as the director of the New Georgia Project that registered thousands of black, Latino and Asian-American Georgia residents who usually don’t vote.

          History in the making?

          This “battle of the two Staceys” was historic because two women competed as major contenders in a Georgia gubernatorial primary for the first time in its history.

          Abrams becomes the first female nominee and the first black nominee of a major party for a Georgia governor’s race. If she wins in November, her victory will add to the small number of women who have served as state governors, the even smaller number of African-Americans, and she will become the first black female governor of any American state.

          There have only been four black governors in American history. In 1872, Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, a Republican, served as Louisiana governor for 34 days while incumbent governor, Henry Warmoth, faced impeachment.

          The other African-American governors were Democrats. More than 100 years after Pinchback served, Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder became the first black elected governor of a state in 1989 and served for one term. The others were Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and David Paterson of New York.

          Nearly half of American states have never had a female governor. Forty-six women are running for governor this year, which is much more than the previous record of 34 female gubernatorial candidates in 1994.

          Black girl magic

          So, what does Abrams need to do to win?

          First, she needs to shore up her support among Democrats by encouraging a high turnout. Early Democratic primary turnout results indicate that the Democratic turnout is higher in this year’s primary than the primaries of four years ago. In 2014 and 2016, Republican turnout averaged about 61 percent and Democrats about 37 percent in early and absentee votes. This year the Republican turnout rate decreased to 53 percent while Democratic turnout increased to 46 percent.

          Black voters can make or break Abrams’ victory. Their numbers have grown steadily over the last few decades. For example, in 1990, 27 percent of the state’s population was African-American. That percentage grew to 32 percent in 2016.

          Abrams must find a way to motivate black voters into turning out on Election Day, while also winning as many white and Hispanic votes as possible. This won’t be easy. Black turnout has steadily declined in Georgia during the post-Obama years. In 2016, black turnout declined to 59 percent from a high of 66 percent in 2012. During the 2014 midterm elections, only 41 percent of black registered voters participated in the state’s elections.

          In particular, Abrams must take advantage of the power of the black female swing vote. “Black girl magic” is the term used to describe black female beauty, intellect and empowerment. African-American women have emerged as a solid bloc of reliable voters for the Democratic candidates they favor. In 2016, 94 percent of them voted for Hillary Clinton, while 53 percent of white women supported Trump.

          In the 2017 Alabama U.S. Senate race, the 98 percent black female vote for Doug Jones tipped the scales of the election in his favor and allowed him to defeat Roy Moore.

          The ConversationThe key question that remains after the euphoria over the historic significance of having a serious black female contender for governor is, “What does this mean for Donald Trump?” If Georgia elects a black female governor who has the ability to mobilize black, female, progressive, young and other minority voters, will it tip Georgia’s scales from the red side to the blue side?

          Sharon Austin, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of African American Studies, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Society & Culture
          /articles/2018/05/federal-judge-rules-trumps-twitter-account-is-a-public-forum-1.html

          Federal judge rules Trump’s Twitter account is a public forum

          May 23, 2018
          Clay Calvert

          UF’s Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication discusses the implications of the judge’s ruling that a Twitter account used for public purposes is a public forum protected by the First Amendment.

          File 20180524 51135 12psfdb.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
          The president uses his Twitter feed to make official announcements. AP Photo/J. David Ake

          Clay Calvert, University of Florida

          A federal judge in New York has ruled that President Donald Trump cannot block people from following or viewing his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account. While the case will likely be appealed and could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, the decision is a resounding victory for the First Amendment right of citizens to speak to and disagree with government officials in the social media era.

          The judge’s ruling is not a surprise to me, as director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida. That’s because it is grounded in the well-established principles of protecting political speech and barring government discrimination against people engaged in public discourse based on their viewpoints.

          Sure enough, the judge found that Trump blocked Twitter followers from his account “indisputably … [as] a result of viewpoint discrimination.” In other words, Trump cannot block people simply because they criticize him or his policies.

          That issue was never really in question in this case, though. The main debate was whether the president’s personal Twitter account was a public forum governed by the First Amendment. More traditional public forums are physical places owned by the government, such as sidewalks, parks and auditoriums. Peaceful public speech and demonstrations in those venues cannot be stopped based on what is being said without a compelling government interest. Twitter, however, is not a real-world space. And it’s run by a private company.

          The judge’s ruling found, however, that the company has less control over the @realDonaldTrump account than Trump himself and White House social media director Dan Scavino – also a public official. Their power includes the ability to block people from seeing the account’s tweets, and “from participating in the interactive space associated with the tweets,” in the form of replies and comments on Twitter’s platform.

          Also key was the fact that the @realDonaldTrump account is used for governmental purposes. Specifically, the judge found that “the President presents the @realDonaldTrump account as being a presidential account as opposed to a personal account and, more importantly, uses the account to take actions that can be taken only by the President as President” – such as announcing the appointments and terminations of government officials.

          The ConversationThis ruling brings the Supreme Court’s longstanding free speech doctrine into the social media era.

          Clay Calvert, Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication, University of Florida

          This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

          Society & Culture