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In April 2023, the New York State Board of Regents unanimously voted to prohibit mascots, team names, and logos with any connection to Indigenous peoples in public schools. This move was made to ratify a notice sent months before by the New York State Education Department to public schools to change any mascots depicting Native Americans that do not have explicit permission from local tribal leaders or face removal of school officers and the withholding of state aid. Although dozens of schools began the process of changing mascots, school districts such as Massapequa stood fast. Eponymously named after the Massapequa tribe, the school district uses a chief mascot throughout the town and at Massapequa High School. The slogan Once a Chief, always a Chief can be often found on residents T-shirts and heard throughout the area. In a letter sent by the Massapequa Board of Education to the New York State Board of Regents, the council stated that the mascot was more than a symbol to Massapequa, and stated that we in Massapequa will not sit idly by while an unelected group of officials tries to remove our history. However, according to JP OHare, a spokesman for the state’s Education Department, the Massapequa school district did not make an attempt to ask permission from local Indigenous leaders. Disrespecting entire groups of people is wrong in any context, but especially in our schools, where all students should feel welcome and supported, OHare said in an interview with the New York Times. Now, two years into the conflict, President Trump has added another wrench in the Board of Regents ruling. Taking to Truth Social on Monday, the president affirmed his support for the Massapequa Board of Education. Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population, Trump said. By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my highly capable Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to fight for the people of Massapequa on this very important issue. Federal funding at stake in broader DEI fight So far, it is unclear what power McMahon may actually have to oppose state education law. Fast Company reached out to the Department of Education (DOE) for comment. Nevertheless, attention like this from the Trump administration should not be taken lightly. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools that have enacted what the administration considered to be unfair diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In response to the presidents comments, the Massapequa School Board released a statement thanking Trump for speaking out, local media reported. We are honored that President Trump has recognized our efforts and brought national attention to our cause. His support is a powerful affirmation of what were fighting for. Fast Company was unable to reach the school board for further comment as its press mailbox was full and email requests bounced back. We also reached out to the New York State Education Department and the National Congress of American Indians. We will update this post if we hear back.
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E-Commerce
As the impact of President Trump’s tariffs comes into focus during the coming months, hundreds of thousands of workers could stand to lose their jobs. Economists have warned that the tariffs could drive up the unemployment rate, and many experts fear they could spark a recession. This upheaval could place additional stress on the current unemployment insurance program, which already fails to adequately support laid-off employees and other Americans struggling to find work.While unemployment benefits continue to be a key resource for workersoffering relief to one in six U.S. adults when unemployment surged during the pandemica new report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) illustrates that they fall short of offering the level of support that workers say they need. The limits of unemployment benefits Of the nearly 1,500 workers surveyed, about one in five said they found that unemployment benefits were “not adequate to meet their financial needs,” though this figure varied by state. Since unemployment benefits vary from state to state, the average percentage of wage replacement could be anywhere from 29% in Alabama to 49% in Washington, according to NELP. In states where coverage was less generous, workers were more likely to express that their benefits were inadequate. Barriers to accessing benefits But the system also seems to be riddled with inefficiencies that make it difficult for people to receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Many respondents said they faced challenges when trying to navigate unemployment benefits, between tech issues and delayed payments. This was exacerbated during the pandemic but continued afterward, per the NELP survey. While fewer applicants had issues with payments overall, they continued to experience underpayment and delays receiving checks, not to mention being denied benefits outright. (In fact, the share of applicants who were incorrectly denied benefits doubled from 9% to 18% in the aftermath of the pandemic.) How employers can help Employers, too, can play a significant role in how people navigate these benefits. Nearly a third of workers said their employer had a hand in how they approached unemployment benefitsand 19% claimed an employer actively discouraged them from applying for benefits. On the other hand, employers were more likely to encourage highly paid and educated workers to seek out unemployment benefits. There was also some correlation with location, with workers receiving more assistance from employers in states like New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The study indicates that Americans are in need of more generous unemployment benefits and expanded eligibility, in addition to basic improvements to how they access those benefits. At the same time, it reaffirms that any access to those benefits can be a crucial source of support for people facing unemployment, mitigating food insecurity and helping families manage the steep cost of medical bills and mortgage payments. With the looming threat of job losses, more workers may come to rely on those benefits to make ends meet.
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E-Commerce
The higher education community is pushing back against the Trump administration’s treatment of colleges and universities. On Tuesday, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a global membership organization, published a joint statement condemning the administration’s ongoing threats to withhold federal funding from colleges and universities.“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the letter reads. “We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion,” it said, adding: “We must reject the coercive use of public research funding.” More than 170 university, college, and scholarly society presidents signed the letter, including those from the Ivy League institutions of Harvard, Brown, and Princeton, as well as heads of liberal arts schools and community colleges.The statement comes as tensions between higher education institutions and the current administration have been heating up in recent weeks. On Monday, Harvard University said it filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging Trump’s decision to freeze $2.2 billion in funding was unlawful. “Today, we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement announcing the suit. “We stand for the truth that colleges and universities across the country can embrace and honor their legal obligations and best fulfill their essential role in society without improper government intrusion.” In its complaint, Harvard accused the government of failing to follow procedures set by federal civil rights laws and said the government was attempting to “coerce and control” the university by denying necessary funding. The federal funding freeze came after Harvard refused to bend to the administration’s demands, which included giving the administration information on students who may be participating in political activism it disagrees with; banning masks on campus; and ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement on Monday, per CNN. Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege. As the Trump administration has revoked student visas and detained students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campuses, which the administration has called antisemitic, the reaction from colleges and universities has differed broadly from school to school. While some institutions have stood fiercely behind their detained students, others have seemed to bow to Trump’s demands. Columbia University has expelled, suspended, and revoked the degrees of some students who had participated in political protests. However, Tuesday’s letter might be a sign of whats to come, as it is the largest collective effort among university and college heads to push back against the administration thus far.
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E-Commerce
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