What’s Actually Happening to Work Study Next Year

By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer

Over the course of the past week rumors have been swirling about concerns over changes to work study for the upcoming year.

“There isn’t going to be any work study next year”

“They’re only giving work study to freshmen next year”

“People who have never had work study will have priority next year”

“Regis is going to take our federal funds”

I am sure many students have heard one variation of the rumor or another, however there is no need to panic. 

Though it is true that work study will be changing, the changes are not as crazy as many may think. Federal and state granted work study will remain the same, no changes will be made if you have been granted work study from either of these sources. Similarly, department funded work study will also remain, however this varies from department to department and the amount of funds they are willing to use for work study purposes. That being said, if your current position is department funded or you received federal or state work study, you can expect to come back to it in the fall. If your current position does not fall under these two parameters, discuss with a department head the possibility of being paid through them in order to keep your position.

The main change that sparked a majority of these rumors was the elimination of Regis University funded work study. Regis funded work study will no longer be an additional option for students that do not qualify for need based work study. In the past, Regis work study was awarded to students that were not eligible for federal or state work study who still wanted to work on campus. However, with this no longer being available for the upcoming year there are still options for individuals who want to work on campus without federal or state work study. Work study through departments will remain a viable option for students, though job hunting may require more research into where the funds for the job are coming from.

What You Need to Know About the Women in Biden’s Cabinet

illustration source// fivethirteight

By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer

Joe Biden’s recent win for the presidency did more than make Kamala Harris the first Black, south-Asian woman to be vice president. The cabinet Biden announced is set to increase diversity all around, by nominating what he claims to be the most diverse presidential cabinet in history. His cabinet includes people of various races and ethnicities, but also an impressive mix of women. The cabinet includes nine women, five of whom are women of color. 

Without further ado, we have the women nominated for Biden’s cabinet.

Marcia Fudge, nominee for secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Marcia Fudge is a Democratic African American woman from Ohio. Marcia Fudge’s notable political history includes being a U.S. representative for the state of Ohio and mayor of Warrensville Heights Ohio. Her beliefs are closely aligned with far-left Democratic views and she is to manage multiple programs in the housing division. In addition to this, Fudge aims to increase affordable housing and rent assistance.

Fudge’s confirmation hearing was held on January 28th, 2021.

 Jennifer Granholm, nominee for secretary of Energy

Jennifer Granholm is a member of the Democratic party, a former attorney general of Michigan, and former governor of Michigan. She is a strong believer in climate change and has spoken out on the need for clean energy jobs. However, in the past this position has been a front for nuclear weapons, so this new direction will hopefully focus on climate policy.

Granholm’s confirmation hearing was held on January 27th, 2021.

 Deb Haaland, nominee for secretary of the Interior

Deb Haaland is a Native American woman enrolled as a member of the Laguna Pueblo. Deb Haaland has served as New Mexico’s vote director for Native Americans and as the chair of New Mexico’s Democratic party. As a Native American, many are hoping she will undo previous wrongs done to the native populations. Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary, where she will oversee natural resources and tribal land.

It is currently unclear as to when Haaland is to have her confirmation hearing.

 Gina Raimondo, nominee for secretary of Commerce

 Gina Raimondo is the governor of Rhode Island and was the previous treasurer of the state. She is a Democrat who is credited with helping to boost the economy in Rhode Island. Once confirmed, Raimondo will be tasked with reporting to Biden with information regarding businesses, universities, and the economy.

Raimondo’s confirmation hearing was held on January 26th, 2021.

 Janet Yellen, nominee for secretary of the Treasury

Janet Yellen was a member of the Federal Reserve Board of governor for a total of 11 years; she is also known for chairing the council of economic advisers during the Clinton administration. She is an economist who has worked with past presidents and even the Federal Reserve Bank. As secretary of the treasury, she will be tasked with advising on domestic and foreign finances and other economic issues.

Yellen was confirmed on January 26th, 2021.

Isabel Guzman, nominee for administrator of the Small Business Administration 

Isabel Guzman has served as a California office of small business advocate and deputy chief of staff to the administrator of the small business administration. The state of many small businesses are not well during the pandemic, however, many believe Guzman can help small business owners. As the administrator of the Small Business Administration, she will be responsible for overseeing programs to assist small businesses in various areas.

The confirmation hearing for Guzman has yet to be scheduled.

 Avril Haines, nominee for director of National Intelligence

Avril Haines served on the senate foreign relations committee and as deputy director of the CIA. With her previous history with the spy agency, it was no surprise that she was Biden’s pick for the position. As director of national intelligence, Haines will be tasked with overlooking the National Intelligence Program and reporting these matters to Biden.

Haines’ was confirmed by the Senate on January 27th, 2021.

Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. trade representative 

Katherine Tai is a Chinese American with both her parents originating from mainland China. Katherine Tai has served as the chief for the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and has also worked on trade cases at the World Trade Organization. Having been nominated for representative, she is to coordinate international trade and commodity. Tai is to be put in charge of trade agreements like the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Though her confirmation has yet to be scheduled, we can expect it to occur in the coming weeks.

Neera Tanden, nominee for director of the Office of Budget Management

Neera Tanden is an Indian American woman, daughter of two Indian immigrants. Neera Tanden is known for working on several Democratic presidential campaigns and helping draft the Affordable Care Act. Biden will be the third president Tanden works under, having previously worked with Clinton and Obama. As the director of the Office of Budget Management, Tanden will be tasked with managing Biden’s budget.

Tanden’s confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled. 

What you Need to Know About Who is on the Colorado Ballot

By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer

Though I’m sure as we approach election day everyone has heard about the presidential candidates, however, not everyone is sure of what else is on the ballot. When voting, there are federal and state positions looking to get filled that not everyone knows about. Out of state students who especially don’t know what views some candidates have can be inclined to only vote for the president. With that being said, here is a quick guide to individuals running for federal office on your Colorado ballot.

Running for senate there are 5 candidates, two of which do not have much of a presence in the media. Of the three well known candidates we have John Hickenlooper, Cory Gardner, and Stephan “Seku” Evans. John Hickenloper is the democratic candidate known for being former governor of Colorado, mayor of Denver and even running for president. Hickenlooper’s views include abolishing the death penalty, raising the federal minimum wage, and keeping the electoral college. Cory Gardner is the republican candidate known for having served in the Colorado House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives and is running for reelection into the Senate. Gardner believes in keeping the death penalty, supports the second amendment, and wants to invest in transportation. Stephan “Seku” Evans is the Unity candidate known for his previous affiliation with the black panther party. Evans is well known for his work against nonviolence and community service work.

Also, up for election is representative to congress with five candidates on the ballot and three with adequate representation of their ideologies. Shane Bolling is the republican candidate that lacks much representation in the media despite being affiliated with a major party. Diana DeGette is the democratic candidate known for serving in the Colorado House of Representatives and her representation in Congress. DeGette is against teenage vaping, supports the Colorado Wilderness Act, and wants to lower the price of insulin. Jan Kok is the candidate from the approval voting party best known for co-founding The Center of Election Science. Kok does not want further gun restrictions, believes the federal government is preventing economic recovery, and wants approval voting in federal elections. Paul Noel Fiorino is the candidate for the unity party, known for previously running for the U.S. Senate, governor of Colorado and mayor of Denver. Fiorino supports a strong military and tax paid public higher education.

There are several other items on the ballot, and I strongly encourage you to research further and form your own opinions on state offices and the candidate’s political views. This is a summary of what each of the well-known federal office candidates support and though it is not extensive, I hope this offers some help when filling out your ballot. 

What You Need to Know About Resubmitting your FAFSA

By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer

The Federal Application for Student Aid opened the 2021-2022 application October 1st, so it is time to once again reapply for aid. This is something most students have done before and should be generally familiar with. If you have decided in the past to not apply for whatever reason, I strongly encourage you to apply this year for the opportunity to get federal aid you missed out on in the past. The process is tedious but worth the time spent.

The first thing you should do is sign in at fafsa.gov and verify you have your FSA ID and password. If this is your first time applying, you must create an account using your personal information like name, date of birth, and social security number. Once you have your login information in order, log in and either verify the information you put in last year’s application, or fill out the different categories as you go through them for the first time. As you review it make sure to make all the appropriate changes needed and make sure you put Regis University (001363) as your institution.

About halfway through the application it will ask you to link your account to either your IRS tax report (or a parents) or if you would rather input that information by hand. Make sure if you are inputting information on your own that it is all correct, since this will influence the amount of aid you are eligible to receive. Lying on your application is not only illegal but will also affect further aid available to you. 

Once everything is completed and ready for submission, go over it one more time to verify everything is in order, then submit. Though the official deadline for the 2021-22 FAFSA is June 30, 2022 it is extremely important to get it filled out and submitted sooner rather than later. You can access the FAFSA application by going to fafsa.gov  or by going to the financial aid tab on the Regis University website and clicking “Applying for Financial Aid”.