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Is the Diversity of Your School Accurately Reflected in Its Promotional Materials?

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Is the Diversity of Your School Accurately Reflected in Its Promotional Materials?

Days before Homecoming Week, the student homecoming committee, tasked with producing the video, posted it online. The outrage was almost instantaneous. Virtually every student in the video was white.

This is the story of a video that galvanized and divided a university plagued by a history of racist incidents, as told by the people who saw it happen. Black students in particular say the homecoming video crystallized a daily fact of life: They feel they are not wanted at the University of Wisconsin, where there are significantly fewer African-Americans per capita than in the state, which is mostly white. This fall, more than 30,000 undergraduates began the school year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fewer than 1,000 of them are African-American.

The video was never supposed to attract much attention.

The homecoming committee, a group of several dozen students, has a simple mission: celebrating the university during Homecoming Week with a string of events including a 5K run, blood drive and parade.

A video would boost the promotional aspect of it all, the students decided, a short, visual ode to school spirit. The committee enlisted student organizations to be filmed — among them Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically black sorority.

At the end of September, the video was finished and posted on Facebook. No one expected it to be seen very widely.

One evening, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha noticed that the video had been posted online.

Payton Wade, 21, a senior and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha: We were tagged on Facebook when they said a “thank you” to all of the organizations who participated in the video. And I watched the video and I realized that we weren’t in it.

Olivia Lopez, 22, a senior from Milwaukee who identifies as biracial: People started talking about it Monday, and they actually took it down off their website and their Facebook. But a couple of our peers had screen recorded it so that people could still see it and know what all the uproar was about.

Payton Wade’s Facebook page:

I am sharing this post because the Epsilon Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was asked to participate in this video and explain what we thought “home is” here at UW-Madison. Not only did we tell them what we thought home was but we also took hours out of our day to film as well and were told we would be in the video and notified when it was completed.

UW-Madison is home to students who see Black students as less than and unfit to be at this university. UW-Madison is home to Black students who fear for their safety because of the color of their skin.

Olivia Lopez: I was just like, how did they not realize how wrong this is?

Soon, the homecoming committee issued an apology.

Soon, the homecoming committee issued an apology.

Statement from the homecoming committee:

To promote student Homecoming, we recently produced a video called “Home Is Where WI Are,” and we invited various student groups to participate in the video. Unfortunately, not all the video images produced were included in the final product, including those of students from under represented populations.

We regret omitting those images and we recognized that, by doing so, we unintentionally caused hurt to members of our campus community.

We are sorry that our video failed to show the full breadth of the university experience and made members of our community feel excluded.

Students of color were upset, the university’s administration was scrambling and even many white students agreed that members of Alpha Kappa Alpha should have been included. But the video stirred a different feeling, too.

Emilie Cochran, a reporter for The Badger Herald student newspaper who covered the story: It made people uncomfortable, seeing a lot of people who look alike representing the university. And it woke people up, saying, this is actually what our university looks like.

The video had been deleted for more than a week, but it would not go away.

Copies that students had made were watched on phones in dorms, coffee shops and the student union. Campus newspapers covered the story, and so did The Wisconsin State Journal, in which a headline declared, “UW-Madison Apologizes for Now-Deleted Homecoming Video of Nearly All-White Student Body.” The students of the Homecoming Committee continued with their planned week of events before the homecoming football game, hoping the furor would die down.

Students of color pushed in the other direction. They formed a group called the Student Inclusion Coalition. Their suggestion was to use the upcoming game to address outrage over the video. The administration agreed to help make a new video. This one would feature students of color — and it would be broadcast at halftime.

As tens of thousands of students and alumni were gathered at Camp Randall Stadium to watch the Badgers face off against Michigan State University, the new video began to play:

Lesson of the Day: ‘When the Ocean Gives You Plastic, Make Animals’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘When the Ocean Gives You Plastic, Make Animals’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “When the Ocean Gives You Plastic, Make Animals” by Alex V. Cipolle.

The Washed Ashore nonprofit collects garbage on the Oregon coast and creates sculptures of animals whose health is endangered by the trash they are made of.

In this lesson, you will learn about the organization’s efforts, and in a Going Further activity you will examine and respond to various examples of political art.

What do you know about ocean pollution?

In her winning 2019 Student Editorial Contest essay, “Nothing Gets Between Me and My Sushi … Except Plastic, Maybe,” Sophie Lee writes:

As an Asian-American self-proclaimed millennial foodie, imagine the shock I experienced when I discovered a horrifying truth — plastic cuisine. Ubiquitous plastic extends beyond our surroundings — and invades our guts — through what we eat and drink. I first learned that sushi is chock-full of microplastics. There’s so much plastic in the water, churned down to the size of rice grains or smaller, and fish gobble it up. When the fish end up on our dinner plates, guess what? Our bellies receive an unsettling supplement that wasn’t on the menu.

In fact, a National Geographic study found microplastics in 114 marine species — with over half of them regulars in restaurants — meaning that my tummy acquires some uninvited non-digestible additives.

Even water isn’t safe! My parents often tell me to drink more water to wash down my food — but did they know that I was ingesting plastic too? A 2017 study by Orb Media found microplastic contamination in 83 percent of global tap water — with the highest amount, 94 percent, found in the United States!

What is your reaction to this student essay excerpt? Does it make you more concerned about the problem of ocean pollution? What questions does it raise? How do you think we as individuals and as a society can help alleviate the problem? How can we better educate ourselves and others on the issue?

Read the featured article, then answer the following questions:

1. The article begins, “Angela Haseltine Pozzi stands shoulder to shoulder with Cosmo, a six-foot-tall tufted puffin, on a cliff overlooking the blustery Oregon coast.” Who is Cosmo and what is he made of?

Birthdays

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Birthdays

How do you celebrate your birthday? Do you have any routines or rituals that you save especially for this day? A particular meal you eat? An activity you do? A group of people you spend the day with? What has been your most memorable birthday celebration and why?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find out more about the special dish this journalist makes for her children on their birthdays.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

COVID-19: How to prepare your home for coronavirus

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COVID-19: How to prepare your home for coronavirus

It’s hard to escape any news about the coronavirus at the moment, or its official medical term – COVID-19.

Although we’re seeing a lot of people respond to the news about this new illness in different ways, some reactions have been more extreme than others.

When it comes to online learning about the disease, we round up ways in which you can keep you and your family healthy in the home, and any prep you could do to your house to help in the long run.

Primarily,  it’s important for the public not to panic. People need to be taking the virus seriously of course, but there are cases of media scare-mongering currently taking place, which are, unfortunately, attributing to some cases of extreme public behaviour, such as stockpiling.

It’s important to keep in mind that although this is a new virus, and a vaccine is yet to be developed, we should keep calm, follow the government and NHS’s health advice, and put things into perspective about how these stats relate to other diseases (eg. the flu mortality rate).

When it comes to your home, there are a few things you can do to help stop the spread of the virus on a day-to-day basis.

Keep your regular cleaning schedule, but perhaps do it a little more often. Keep handwash and sanitisers readily available around the home, and remember to wash your hands thoroughly when you come in from outside. At least 20 seconds is recommended for a thorough clean, with warm water and soap.

High-alcohol products are recommended to kill the most bacteria, as well as the more traditional methods such as bleach (only on the recommended surfaces, of course). For more advice about keeping your home sanitised, head to the official NHS site.

Make sure everyone knows what to do, from the youngest to the oldest person in the house. Educate the little ones on how frequently they should be washing their hands, keep tissues handy for sneezes and teach them to catch it, bin it and kill it.

If you often travel on public transport, make sure your family knows to wash their hands once they get back home, and avoid touching too many things on the journey (especially their faces).

There is absolutely no need to panic buy. In fact, those who are doing so are causing more harm to others. This is especially detrimental for the elderly, those who may not be as mobile as others, and those who cannot afford to stockpile items.

Yes, make sure you can feed your household in the same way you would normally, but avoid buying extra toilet roll, soaps and gels or bags of pasta and rice – there simply is no need.

A total of 14 days self-isolation is being recommended to help prevent infection; so, if it comes to it, the most amount of time anyone in the household would likely be out of action, without hospital care, would be this time.

If you’ve been told to self-isolate then do so. However, unless you’re displaying symptoms, have called 111 (do not go to hospital, a GP or a pharmacy) and have been told to self-isolate, there’s no need to lock yourself away.

Sticking to the professional advice of the NHS, Health England and the government is vital to making sensible decisions during this time.

As part of our range of online courses focussed on professional learning online, we offer a free online course on COVID-19 with health advice from experts at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Enrol today.

Explore more commentary on coronavirus.

Learn the facts of the disease, and how to compares to other outbreaks. Discover how it’s affecting the sporting schedule, and its impact on the environment and the economy.

Category Coronavirus, Current Issues

How to Change Your Blogger Password

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How to Change Your Blogger Password

Change your blogger password in 4 easy steps with our tutorial

For your blog safety, you should keep your password difficult to guess and change it from time to time. Locating your account setting may be a little confusing so here is a quick guide on how to change blogger password.

It’s easy! Follow these 4 steps, and you’ll have it changed!

Changing blogger password

#1 Visit your Google account

Log into your Blogger Dashboard and go to the top right corner where your avatar is located.

Blogger Dashboard and location of your google accounts settings

#2 Access security settings

In the left menu, click the Security button and go to the second section on the right titled ‘Signing in to Google’

location of blogger password settings

#3 Verify yourself!

Google will ask you for your old password to verify that you are the owner of this account

Blogger login panel

#4 Change your blogger password

In the new window enter your new password and confirm it,

Change Blogger Password to keep your blog safe

That’s all! You have now changed your blogger password! Remember to write it down somewhere so you do not forget it.

If you will lose your password, remember that you can visit this Blogger page to restore it.

Keep your blog safe!

Changing your password from time to time is not the only thing you should do to keep your blog safe. It is really important to have a backup of your posts and design too.

Visit our tutorial on how to backup your blogger blog for more information.

If you will have any questions, make sure to post them in the comments below or send us an email.

Digest #141: Autism and Educational Settings

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Digest #141: Autism and Educational Settings

3) Good Practice in Autism Education (https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/autism-education) a Future Learn online course (free) by The University of Bath, @UniofBath.

Quote from the course description: “Currently there are many modalities of schooling for students with autism, including general special schools, autism-specific special schools, autism units within mainstream schools and being in a mainstream classroom. But what are the benefits and challenges of these different types of education? What are the implications for inclusion? What constitutes good practice within autism education? These questions are addressed in this course and are crucial for enabling children on the autism spectrum to be educated to their greatest potential.”

Digest #140: There’s an App for That

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Digest #140: There’s an App for That

These days we are all extremely busy! So, we’ll keep it brief. Check out these resources to help you manage your workflow and stay productive. Since we know you’re busy, we’ll keep the descriptions to a minimum today and let the descriptive titles speak do most of the talking!

What Students Are Saying About Being a Good Person, Conspiracy Theories and Facing Defeat

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What Students Are Saying About Being a Good Person, Conspiracy Theories and Facing Defeat

I think most people believe conspiracy theories because it makes them feel superior, they think they know things most people don’t, and people like to feel superior hence why conspiracy theories are really popular on youtube.

— shirley, fhs

I think conspiracy theories can be, and have been dangerous, but I think many of them are rooted in fear. The anti-vax movement has sparked lots of debate and has caused many people to attack anti-vaxxers and even send dangerous threats. However, many anti-vaxxer beliefs are probably rooted in fear. They most likely started with a few people who have had negative experiences with vaccines and other medical procedures. Because of the swelling amount of people who are anti-vaxx, children are getting otherwise more rare illnesses such as the measles/rubella.

Also, because of the dangers of fake news, it’s easier for people to endorse a conspiracy theory. People don’t know how to tell the difference between fake news/conspiracies and actual, legitimate, trustworthy information. Once a conspiracy gains traction and reaches a bigger audience of people, it’s hard for others to accept and seek out the truth.

— Tori Okorodudu, J.R Masterman, Philadelphia, PA

I think that sometimes conspiracy theories can be fun if they are not taken too seriously. If you just interpret them as a joke or an interesting, different idea then they are just entertaining and interesting to research what people believe. But once conspiracy theories are taken too seriously they can become dangerous.

— Kathleen S., J.R. Masterman

To me, conspiracy theories are just fun and interesting videos that don’t seem to pose any threat. It seems that most people are aware that the conspiracy theories aren’t real. I believe one of the reasons that conspiracy theories can become so popular is because of how outrageously wrong most of them are. People will share the videos because of how crazy they seem. I don’t think conspiracy theories are dangerous, most theories are popular because people think they’re just incorrect.

— Michael Huang, JR Masterman

Thanks for your comment! It does seem to be true that some portion of the audience watch conspiracy theories as entertainment. However, other conspiracy theories, such as QAnon, seem to be more nefarious and have begun to seep into the real world. See our article on that: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/us/politics/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory.html

— Jack Nicas, Reporter

Conspiracy theories have always interested me. A Youtuber named Shane Dawson used to make lots of videos about conspiracy theories. Some have to do with famous people, flat earth, the government’s secrets, etc. My family sometimes debates about them. Once, we had a whole 1 hour sit down about the earth being flat because my aunt-in-law is convinced that the earth is flat and the government is trying to trick us. We got into science, religion, beliefs, and a bunch of other stuff that can be possible evidence for our cases. In my opinion, I do think some conspiracy theories may be true, but the earth is definitely not flat.

— Seinnel Cruz, J.R Masterman

I watch youtube often. I sometimes watch videos about conspiracy theories by Shane Dawson, a popular youtuber. In his videos he states that he is not intending to imply that any of the theories are true, but that they could be. I love to think of the possibilities this world has. Thinking it’s not always at it seems is so cool to me. I like to get behind them and explore opportunities. Conspiracy theories, in my viewpoint, get people to think in ways they haven’t before. Yes they are dangerous if they are presented with wrong information, but most of the biggest theories aren’t.

— Katie, Hanover

I’ll admit, there have been many occasions that I heard about some crazy conspiracy theories and genuinely thought to myself, “oh my gosh, this has to be 100% true!” The most popular conspiracy theory, in my opinion, is the idea that the U.S. government is doing tests on aliens in the depths of Area 51. I have been hearing about Area 51 for as long as I can remember, but it got really popular last year. I mean, who wouldn’t want to believe that aliens exist and that the U.S. government is doing tests on them in the highly classified military base that’s in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. I totally believed it … and possibly still do.

— Mairead Benson, Hoggard High School, Wilmington, NC

What’s Going On in This Graph? | March 18, 2020

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What’s Going On in This Graph? | March 18, 2020

This graph, showing the percentage of American teenagers, ages 13 – 17, who feel certain problems are major or minor among people their age in their community, appeared elsewhere on NYTimes.com. The data is from a representative sample of 920 teens surveyed from September to November 2018.

By Friday morning, March 20, we will provide the “Reveal” — the graph’s free online link, additional background and questions, shout outs highlighting student comments and headlines, and Stat Nuggets.

  • What do you notice? If you make a claim, tell us what you noticed that supports your claim.

  • What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the graph?

The questions are intended to build on one another, so try to answer them in order. Start with “I notice,” then “I wonder,” and end with a catchy headline.

2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment online. Teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students say.)

3. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.

On Wednesday, March 18, our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.

4. By Friday morning, March 20, we will reveal more information about the graph at the bottom of this post. Students, we encourage you to post an additional comment after reading the reveal. How does the original article and the moderators’ comments help you see the graph differently? Try to incorporate the statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets in your response.

  • Read our 2019-20 introductory post, which includes the archives of past releases by topic and graph type.

  • Learn more about the “Notice and Wonder” teaching strategy and how and why other teachers are using this feature from our on-demand webinar.

  • Sign up for our free weekly newsletter so you never miss a graph, and add our 2019-20 “What’s Going On in This Graph?” live-moderated discussion Wednesdays to your Google calendar (3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8). Graphs are always released by the Friday before to give teachers time to plan ahead.

  • Go to the A.S.A. K-12 website, which includes This is Statistics, resources, professional development, student competitions, curriculum, courses and careers.

Word + Quiz: dustup

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Word + Quiz: dustup

: an angry dispute

_________

The word dustup has appeared in three articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 23 in “‘Q Ball’ Review: Shooting Hoops While Doing Time” by Jeannette Catsoulis:

In San Quentin State Prison, just north of San Francisco, the basketball team offers inmates both purpose and distraction, a chance to win in lives not characterized by victories. Those benefits, and many others, are the main focus of Michael Tolajian’s capable documentary “Q Ball,” which observes team members on and off the court, at worship services and in boisterous weekly matchups with visiting civilian teams.

…. Despite small digressions outside the prison walls (including one to speak with a murder victim’s mother), “Q Ball” feels superficial, its positivity somewhat forced. Emphasizing the rehabilitative rewards of the program — though its effect on recidivism, if any, is not quantified — the movie offers minimal access to nonplayers or prison staff beyond the soft-voiced cheerleading of the public information officer, Lt. Samuel Robinson. Issues pertinent to mass incarceration are skirted (the majority of faces on screen, for instance, are nonwhite), the players’ relationships with other inmates unclear. A violent dustup off the court, which the movie shows twice but doesn’t address, could make you wonder if the team’s privileges breed envy as well as pride.

_________

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