(Photo Courtesy of NPR) “Pope Francis giving the Urbi et Orbi at his last public appearance on Easter Sunday.” Tristin Henson Connector Editor Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, died last week on Easter Monday at 88 years old. The first Latin American pontiff and second non-European Bishop, he was elected in 2013 and…
Harvard’s billion-dollar fight with Trump hits home for UMass Lowell’s future
(Photo courtesy of AP) “Harvard University community rally on April 17th.” Conor Moyer Connector Editor On April 21st, Harvard University sued the Trump administration over its sweeping cuts of more than $2 billion in federal funds. With more than $9 billion at risk in total, it’s the sharpest confrontation yet in a campaign by the…
Banned but not silenced: teen musicians and veterans defy Trump concert cancellation
(Photo Courtesy of CBS) “Equity Arc student musicians perform with veterans.” Conor Moyer Connector Editor Last year, 30 teenage musicians from across the country received the honor of a lifetime when the United States Marine Band selected them to perform alongside it in Washington, D.C. The Marine Band, known as “The President’s Own,” has performed…
Students at UMass Lowell worried about the potential impact of presidential executive orders on education and funding
(Image Courtesy of AP News) “Trump speaking to reporters after he signs executive orders to end DEI.” Sam Murray & Fabienne Bien-Aime Connector Contributors There has been confusion and worry among members of UMass Lowell about changes the university might face following the Jan. 20 and 21 executive orders banning programs that promote diversity, equity…
President Trump’s “Ending Radical Indoctrination” executive order changes K-12 education in a novel way
(Image Courtesy of UMass Lowell) “Coburn Hall, home of the UML School of Education” Jack Vollaro and Elaine Costa Connector Contributors In January, President Trump signed an executive order intent on “ending radical indoctrination” in education nationwide. Executive Order 14190, passed nine days into the President’s second term, outlines proposed changes to how schools discuss…
Trump and Vance show the administration’s thoughts on “diplomacy” toward Ukraine
(Photo courtesy of CNN) “Things got heated when Trump and Vance clashed with Zelenskyy during a White House meeting on Friday.” Nate Coady Connector Staff President Trump got heated again this past Friday at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was meant to be a discussion about granting the U.S. access to rare…
Haitian Protected Status revoked, Lowell braces for impact
(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell) “Haitian immigrants currently housed at UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center” Tristin Henson Connector Editor On February 20th, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem decided to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants. Now slated to expire in August 2025, it was originally meant to end in February 2026 due…
“No radical change”: Trump Admin designates cartels and criminal organizations as terrorists
(Photo courtesy of NPR) “President Trump signing an executive order regarding cartels in January” Nate Coady Connector Staff Following through on an Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump in January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday February 20 that the State Department will be designating eight criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations…
