The Stylus

The effect of Trump’s border and immigration

Zaire Ervin Reporter

As the Trump administration transitions the U.S. to a new era of immigration enforcement, immigrant college students may face uncertainty regarding their next steps. A series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump drastically change immigration policies, border security and pathways to legal status.

One of the most immediate changes involves the declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, allowing the U.S. military to continue constructing physical barriers and deploy armed forces for border security. The administration has also sought to clarify the military’s role in immigration enforcement, prioritizing territorial integrity and national security.

The return of the “Remain in Mexico” policy complicates the asylum process, requiring applicants

Record lows hit Parkville

Audrey Hentges Reporter

Temperatures stayed at a record low in the local Kansas City area this January, with the lowest temperature hitting -9 degrees Fahrenheit. These cold temperatures and winter storms kept Kansas Citians inside almost all of January, causing dangerous driving conditions and record snowfalls in just one month. Some have deemed this “winter wonderland” weather to be Kansas City’s “Polar Vortex.” What exactly is a polar vortex?

The MIT Climate Portal defines the polar vortex as the area around the poles of the Earth. These areas have strong counterclockwise cold winds that typically cause the vortex to stay tighter and closer to the northern and southern poles. During the winter, these areas expand and cause larger areas to be affected by the harsh winds

See Snow on page 7

PHOTO/Audrey Hentges

Ice and snow covered the riverfront in Parkville after record-breaking weather hit Kansas City in January.

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February 7, 2025

to wait outside the U.S. for court hearings. The administration plans to end the “catch and release” policy, which previously allowed undocumented individuals to remain in the country while awaiting trial.

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security has rescinded its sensitive locations policy, which previously restricted immigration enforcement at

See Immigration on page 7

Broadcasting Club hosts talent show

Zaire Ervin Reporter

The Broadcasting Club at Park University is hosting its inaugural talent show this year.

Auditions for the Talent show will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. at McCoy Meetin’ House. Those auditioning should TV-14 appropriate music/materials.

The Talent Show will be held on Thursday, March 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. at McCoy Meetin’ House

Come showcase your talent and learn about the broadcasting club!

February 7, 2025

Spotify Wrapped 2024: Where did it go wrong?

Abby Beagel Editor-in-Chief

Like many people, I used to love Spotify Wrapped. It felt like a little reward at the end of the year—a fun way to reflect on all the music that soundtracked my life over the past 12 months. Wrapped was always accurate, always personal, and always something worth getting excited about (or embarrassed over, depending on the year).

But this year? Not so much.

Back in high school, I switched from Apple Music to Spotify specifically because of Wrapped. At the time, Apple had nothing like it, and I wanted to be part of the annual data-drop excitement. Transferring over 10,000 liked songs wasn’t easy, but I was convinced it would be worth it. And for a while, it was. But lately, it feels like Spotify has lost sight of what made Wrapped special in the first place.

Now, ironically, Apple Music’s Replay is doing it better.

This year’s Wrapped results had a lot of people wondering if Spotify even used real data. Social media has been flooded with complaints — users questioning why their top songs don’t make sense, why their stats feel off, and why their Wrapped barely changed from last year despite completely different listening habits.

And don’t even get me started on the genre labels. Every year, Spotify seems to get weirder with these, but 2024 might be the winner. People have been getting results with terms so random and niche they sound AI-generated (they are) — except not in a cool way, more in a thismakes-absolutely-no-sense way.

Spotify said May was my “Pink Pilates Princess Roller Skating Pop” moment. I think I played a Sabrina Carpenter song once — maybe that’s where that came from. August was my “Wild West American Football UK Drill.” Your guess is as good as mine. Yes, it is real. And yes, you’re right — the U.K. is not in America.

My No. 1 artist is Lana Del Rey. It just doesn’t add up. I’m disappointed in you, AI.

Then there’s the new AI storytelling elements, which were supposed to make Wrapped more engaging but just ended up making it feel less personal. The Music Personality feature, for example, was meant to sum up listening habits, but a lot of people found their results generic or flat-out wrong. The Your Music Evolution feature, designed to show how music taste changed over time, didn’t have much depth. And the AI-generated podcast, narrated by “DJ X,” was an interesting idea in theory, but in reality, it felt awkward — like listening to a robot try to hype you up about music you already know you like.

Apple Music actually does a better job at this now.

Something about this year’s Wrapped also felt... off. More and more people are starting to feel like Spotify is using Wrapped to push certain artists and playlists instead of genuinely reflecting what people actually listened to.

Sure, it’s expected that the biggest names in music — Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Drake — will dominate the charts. But indie fans, in particular, have noticed that Wrapped seems to overemphasize songs from curated playlists, even if they only played them a handful of times. And it’s hard not to wonder: Is Spotify prioritizing certain artists because of deals with record labels? There’s no solid proof, but it wouldn’t be surprising, considering how streaming platforms operate.

Here’s the part that stings the most:

Unlike Spotify Wrapped, which drops once a year, Replay updates in real time. Users can check their stats anytime, track listening trends, and get a breakdown of top albums and total listening hours. In other words, it provides everything people actually want from Wrapped — without the unnecessary AI fluff.

If Apple’s Replay had been this solid back when I made the switch, I probably wouldn’t have even left. But at this point, I’ve been on Spotify for years, and moving 10,000-plus liked songs again sounds like a nightmare. So for now, I stay.

Despite all the complaints, Wrapped will still take over social media every December. It’s too much of a tradition at this point. But if Spotify wants to keep users engaged long term, it needs to get back to what made Wrapped special in the first place: a clean, accurate, and personal reflection of the music that shaped our year. Otherwise, next year might be the year I finally go through the hassle of transferring everything back to Apple Music.

Editor-in-chief

Abby Beagel

Assistant Editor-in-chief

Matalyn Smith

Reporters

Audrey Hentges

Danny Burger

Zaire Ervin

Editors

Destiny Pearson

Halle Magee

Adviser

Melody Alexander Staff List

PHOTO COURTESY/Spotify

A case for prayer: Finding peace in chaos

Danny Burger Reporter

It’s not a secret for anyone who knows me — I grew up in the Christian faith. Pretty much from my earliest memories I can say that my family was in the pew every Sunday. My grandfather was a pastor for a time, my mother would sing in the various choirs and worship teams. After high school, I even worked as a Youth Intern at my church. At this point in my life I seriously considered becoming a Youth Pastor myself.

But life happens as it always does, and over time, my relationship with organized religion changed. To some I have backslid and abandoned everything I claimed to believe in. There probably isn’t a day that my 90-something year old Grandmother isn’t praying for my mortal soul. I have to say, no matter how much I wish the conversation would change, there’s a comfort in knowing she’s still trying desperately to check my name off her to-do list.

When I grew up, instead of becoming a pastor like I had thought, I served in the military. I worked on F-16s. And I came home with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. (At least Jonah got a whale… Come on…)

There are things you don’t know how to prepare for when you leave the service. How your brain never fully shuts off. How loud noises make your body react before your mind even catches up. How sleep becomes this impossible game of trying to outrun your own thoughts. There were nights when my body was exhausted, but my mind refused to rest. Times when my thoughts spiraled, my anxiety spiked, and my own brain became the enemy.

Sometimes it was a whispered, “Just let me get through this.”

Sometimes it was a deep breath and a desperate hope that the thoughts in my head would just slow down. But in those moments, I found myself clinging to something familiar. No matter what my stance is now, I can’t shake the memories of bedtime prayers as a kid. The way my mom would pray when a tornado tore through town while we huddled in the hallway. The whispered prayers in hospital rooms, hands clasped, voices low.

I remember how safe it felt. The warmth. Like, no matter how uncertain or chaotic the world was, there was always this one thing we could do. One thing to make it all go away for a moment. I know what some of you might be thinking — prayer is just talking to yourself. And sure, if you don’t believe in a higher power, that might be exactly how it feels.

But here’s the thing: Even if there’s no divine response, prayer still seems to do something.

So, let’s strip away the religious aspect for a second. What’s left? At this point, I can practically hear my old Sunday School teacher gasping in horror. I’m sorry Mrs. Beverly.

I’d argue that prayer, in its simplest form, is a moment to be vulnerable. It’s a pause. A deep breath. A way to admit to yourself, if no one else, that you don’t have all the answers. That you need something to hold onto right now.

Maybe that something is faith. Maybe it’s just a moment of quiet in a loud and overwhelming world.

It’s why people pray before big decisions. It’s why they pray huddled in the hallway while tornados pass by. It’s why even people who don’t consider themselves religious sometimes find themselves whispering, “Please let this work…” under their breath when life throws them into uncertainty.

Illustration/Adobe Stock

Maybe it’s not about changing the world. Maybe it’s about changing us.

Neuroscientists like Andrew Newberg have studied what happens in our heads when we pray, and the results are kind of cool. Prayer activates the brain’s prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for focus and problem-solving — while calming the amygdala, which handles stress and fear. Another study by Uffe Schjoedt in 2008 found that personal prayer lights up the same areas of the brain we use for social interaction.

In plain terms? Prayer might actually help people feel safer and more in control, even when nothing about their situation has physically changed. For someone like me — someone dealing with PTSD — that’s huge.

For me, it’s a coping tool. Maybe I don’t pray the way I used to, sure. But that act of stepping away from the chaos, of focusing my mind on something other than fear or stress — it helps. Whether you believe in God or just believe in the power of quieting your own mind, the effect is real. Maybe that’s why so many people, even those who struggle with faith, find comfort in these moments — it’s not necessarily about getting an answer; it’s about feeling like somehow in some way you’re being heard.

Many religious traditions have things like the Christian contemplative prayer. The Islamic religion has dhikr. Others, like the Buddhist faith, use meditation. Even for those who don’t believe in a higher power, the act of meditation can serve as a grounding ritual. A chance to reset, to refocus, and maybe find a little peace.

Whether whispered in the dark before bed, spoken in the midst of a crisis, or simply held in silent thought, it offers comfort, connection, and peace. And maybe, just maybe, that’s enough.

At the end of the day, I’m not here to tell you what to believe. I know plenty of people who pray, plenty who meditate, and plenty who just take deep breaths and hope for the best. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: whether it’s a whispered prayer in a hospital room, a deep breath before a big moment, or an exasperated, “Give me strength…” when dealing with rush hour traffic — it all kind of serves the same purpose.

And if my old churches did excommunicate me for saying all this, well… at least I know someone, somewhere, is still trying to cross me off the to-do list.

CAMPUS LIFE

Handshake: Jobs, internships, and seasonal opportunities

Abby Beagel Editor-in-Chief

Looking for a job, internship or summer opportunity? Handshake is Park University’s official career platform, designed to connect students with employers and career resources. Whether you’re searching for a part-time job, seasonal work, an internship or a full-time career, Handshake provides new opportunities daily — locally, nationally and globally.

• Find jobs and internships from employers actively hiring Park students

• Explore seasonal and shortterm opportunities perfect for summer or school breaks

• Access career fairs and networking events hosted by Park University

• Get resources to improve your resume and job applications

If you’re a student at Park University, your Handshake account is already set up — just log in with your Park ID (same credentials as MyPark and Canvas) and follow the

prompts to activate your account.

For questions or help with Handshake, visit Dan Gerber in the library (Norrington Room 206) or contact him at daniel.gerber@park.edu.

For additional career support —

like resume help, interview prep or career planning — reach out to the Career Development Center at careerdevelopment@park.edu.

Start exploring Handshake today and take the next step toward your future!

Valentine’s day has not always been about love and romance

Mati Smith Assistant Editor-in-Chief

As we all know Valentine’s Day is about love. But how did this holiday start?

The true history of Valentine’s Day was started within the Catholic and Protestant faith.

History accounts the story of a Roman priest named Saint Valentine who helped Christian couples get married, for which he was imprisoned. While in prison, Valentine tutored a blind girl who was an official’s daughter, which caused the official and his family to switch to Christianity. Both of these incidents angered the Roman Emperor, Claudias II. In his eyes, he thought married men were poor soldiers and that Christians were against society. Saint Valentine was eventually beheaded by Roman Emperor Claudias II on Feb. 14, 269 A.D.

Another historical account details the story of another Saint Valentine, a bishop of Terni who helped a student whose head had been stuck between his knees for three years. After curing the student, his family converted to Christianity. He was then ordered by Pre-

fect Placidus of Rome to sacrifice to the pagan gods and Valentine refused. Valentine was later beheaded on Feb. 14, 269 A.D. His body was buried slightly outside of Terni, Italy. By the 5th century, his tomb became a sacred place that people would visit.

In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I created a feast day to honor St. Valentine. The Christian feast day would happen on Feb. 14, and was held in the Catholic church.

In ancient Rome, Feb. 15 was associated with the Pagan Festival of Lupercalia. The Pagan Festival was looked at as a fertility festival that was known to involve animal sacrifices and matchmaking. The festival was originally not associated with the Protestant faith, but early Protestants would often try to celebrate Protestant holidays on the Pagan Festival dates in an effort to draw more people into their faith. This is where some of the Pagan festival traditions merged with Protestant traditions. Later, the St. Valentine feast and Pagan festival of Lupercalia were merged together.

Around the 14th or 15th century, Valentine’s

Day became associated with romance, or love. Some say there were two Saint Valentines, but others think it is the same person due to the stories being similar.

Valentine’s Day was not always about having a romantic partner to spend it with. This story illustrates how no matter the faith or relationship status, anyone can celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Black History Month 2025: A time to reflect, celebrate, and educate

Destiny Pearson Editor

As we hit the month of February, communities across the United States are honoring Black History Month 2025, a time dedicated to celebrating the rich history, culture, and contributions of African Americans. This annual monthly celebration serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and achievements of Black individuals throughout history, while also shedding light on the ongoing struggles for racial equality and justice.

Why February?

Black History Month is reserved in February to coincide with the birthdays of two important individuals in the fight for Black freedom, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Douglass, an escaped slave from Maryland, became a leading abolitionist in Massachusetts and New York. He then gained fame for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings.

He wrote three autobiographies describing his experiences as an enslaved person. His first, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” (1845),

became a bestseller and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition. Next is Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation issued on Jan. 1, 1863. As the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war, the proclamation declared, “…that all persons held as slaves…” within the rebellious states “…are, and henceforward shall be free.” Both of these individuals symbolize the significant fight for equality. Historian Carter G. Woodson, often called the “Father of Black History,” selected this month when he established Negro History Week in 1926. The celebration expanded to a full month in 1976 during the U.S. Bicentennial. Why It’s Important Black History Month offers a critical opportunity to honor the achievements of African Americans in shaping the nation’s history. From cultural contributions in music, art, and literature to groundbreaking advancements in sci-

ence, technology, and civil rights, the observance highlights stories that are often overlooked in mainstream narratives. It also encourages reflection on the systemic challenges that persist, such as racial disparities in education, healthcare, and criminal justice.

Celebrating and Educating

This year’s theme, “Empowering the Future Through Knowledge and Action,” emphasizes the importance of learning from the past to build a more equitable future. The theme encourages people to go deeper into the history and visit museums, search for more information, and show respect and honor. As Black History Month continues, it invites everyone to not only celebrate the achievements of African Americans, but also to commit to understanding the struggles and triumphs that define their history. By engaging in meaningful dialogue and education, we honor the past while working to create a better future for all.

Opinion: Assessing the many fun media moments at 2025 inauguration

Halle Magee Editor

Another inauguration has come to pass. On Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. All over social media platforms are videoed experiences of the inauguration. Some kept traditional, but also some that showed tradition can be fun too. Those fun moments turned viral. Here’s a written exploration of some of those key moments.

Fashion was a big hit during this inauguration, from Melania Trump’s viral hat moment to the respectable outfits of Jill Biden, Usha Vance and Ivanka Trump. Melania’s hat was the main conversation piece.

Some went viral for different reasons. Lauren Sanchez, an American journalist and author, gained some traction from her outfit. The outfit consisted of a white suit with exposed cleavage. Some heated

discourse between influencers and Sanchez has sprouted because of controversy.

Trump also commented on Melania’s hat, “She almost blew away,” which gained chuckles all around the room. Then, “You’ve been a great First Lady, a beautiful and a great First Lady,” he said.

Moving to other antics, Hillary Clinton — U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State, former First Lady to the 42nd president of the United States Bill Clinton, and more — was captured having a good laugh at Trump’s comment on changing the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”

Carrie Underwood was the celebrity singer at the 2025 inauguration. She was chosen for the singing of “America the Beautiful.” There were some technical difficulties, which required Underwood to sing a cappella at the U.S. Capitol.

In addition to these highlights, more videos continue to come out regarding the events that happened that day.

Donald Trump kisses Melania Trump on the cheek at his 2025 inauguration. The first lady’s hat by American designer Eric Javits was a much-talked about accessory during the day’s events.

PHOTO COURTESY/Library of Congress

Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who was influential in the movement for abolition.

PHOTO COURTESY/AP News

NEWS

Fate of TikTok in the U.S. still unknown as Trump pauses ban

Mati Smith Assistant Editor-in-Chief

TikTok has become the most debated app inside and outside the U.S. Supreme Court. Many are confused on why the U.S. wants to ban the app TikTok. The U.S. is not the only country that has investigated TikTok or has banned the app completely. In July of 2020, TikTok was banned in India due to border issues between China and India.

It all started around 2017 when the company Bytedance bought Musical.ly and rebranded the app now known as TikTok. TikTok started to become popular around 2019 and 2020 — when the COVID-19 pandemic started. In December of 2019, TikTok became the second most downloaded app in the world.

Around this time, in October of 2019, the U.S began investigating the app to ensure that it is safe for U.S. users because of Chinese ownership. By December of that same year, the U.S. banned TikTok from

all military phones.

In the height of the pandemic, in July of 2020, President Donald Trump considered banning TikTok due to the spread of misinformation about COVID-19.

Trump’s resolution to this problem was to have the original owners Bytedance sell the app to a U.S. company before he left office. This plan fell through because President Joe Biden took office and postponed the TikTok ban altogether.

After the switch in administrations, talk about a TikTok being ban stopped.

TikTok later came out with a new set of guidelines to combat harmful content being posted to the app in February of 2022.

Not long after, in April of 2022, TikTok became the top downloaded app in the world.

But just a few months later, in June of 2022, it was announced that the Bytedance company/employees had access to the U.S. user data through TikTok.

Right after this came to light, TikTok announced that user data had been trans-

ferred to U.S.-based servers. Not much was said after the data was transferred.

Then, in March of 2024, the House of Representatives passed a bill called the TikTok Ban-Or-Sell Bill. In April of 2024, President Biden signed the bill. Not long after, Bytedance sued the U.S. Federal Government, claiming the ban on TikTok was unconstitutional.

Administrations have switched again, and on Dec. 27, 2024, Trump tried to withhold the TikTok ban until he got into office to reach “political resolution.”

The case between Bytedance and the U.S. Federal Government resulted in the ban of TikTok to go into effect on Jan. 19, 2024. The evening of Jan. 18, the app went offline in the U.S.

But only 12 hours later, on the day the ban was to go into effect, TikTok was up and running again for those who kept the app on their phones. It was then restored because President Trump granted an extension to the app. However, anyone in the U.S. who deleted the app or didn’t

have it before no longer have access to it.

TikTok is no longer on any app stores in the U.S. and its future is still uncertain.

The TikTok app briefly shut down before Trump paused the ban.

Opinion: TikTok ban is censorship disguised as national security

Abby Beagel Editor-in-Chief

For a moment, we really thought it was over. On Jan. 18, TikTok users across the U.S. braced themselves for what seemed like the inevitable — one of the biggest digital blackouts in modern history. Some have compared it to Vine shutting down, but that’s not the same. Vine had a natural decline. It lost users, failed to evolve and ultimately faded out on its own. TikTok is different — it’s thriving, massively influential and being ripped away from users by force. Then, barely 12 hours later, our screens lit up with a message thanking Donald Trump for saving the app. Excuse me? The same man who pushed the ban in the first place? The irony is almost comical, but let’s not be fooled — this was never about data security. It was about power,

control and, most of all, jealousy.

The U.S. government doesn’t care about protecting Americans from China’s data collection. If it did, officials would be looking at companies like Meta, Google or even Amazon — entities that harvest and monetize personal information on a much larger scale. But they’re not. Because this was never about our data. It’s about the fact that they don’t own it. TikTok’s algorithm is simply unmatched, and the U.S. can’t stand that something this powerful and influential isn’t in its hands. Even more than that, officials hate that they can’t control the narratives being pushed on the app. They can’t curate the discourse, can’t filter what goes viral and can’t manipulate the flow of information the way they can with traditional media or U.S.-based social platforms.

And let’s talk about the real cost of a

ban. Millions of American creators, artists and small businesses rely on TikTok for exposure and income. There isn’t another platform that comes close in terms of reach. Instagram Reels? Not comparable. YouTube Shorts? A poor imitation. The unique magic of TikTok’s For You Page has fueled digital creativity, and the government’s attempts to wipe it out show a blatant disregard for the people whose livelihoods depend on it. TikTok isn’t perfect — I’ve written about its faults and its impact on Gen Z’s mental health — but that doesn’t justify a government-enforced ban.

This is censorship, plain and simple. We’re being told that this is about national security when, in reality, it’s about the U.S. wanting control of a platform it didn’t build. Officials don’t want to protect us from foreign influence — they want to monopolize the influence them-

selves. And if they can’t own it, they’d rather kill it. The irony got even funnier when people started flooding to RedNote and attempting to learn Chinese. I’m sure that’s not the outcome the government wanted. Now, the very people they wanted to “protect” from Chinese influence are engaging with an actual state-run social platform. Talk about a backfire.

If this ban does go through, it won’t just be the loss of an app. It will be a dangerous precedent — one that signals the government can strip away digital freedoms under the guise of “security.” The fight for TikTok isn’t just about keeping a social media platform alive. It’s about resisting a power grab disguised as patriotism.

And we should all be paying attention.

PHOTO COURTESY/ Vanessa Pacheco

Park University softball and baseball to start the season

Halle Magee Editor

The softball and baseball season for Park University’s teams out of Parkville, Mo., is about to kick off, and there are plenty of games to look forward to.

To recap, Park’s baseball team made it to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round after getting an automatic bid for receiving runner-up at the Heart Conference Tournament. With such a performance last year, baseball has

big shoes to fill for this upcoming 2025 season.

The last conference tournament softball made it to was in the American Midwest Conference (AMC). To date, softball hasn’t made it to the conference tournament in the Heart Conference since moving from the AMC to Heart in 2020.

Caroline Riffer, a senior and the center fielder for the Pirates softball team is excited about softball and baseball this year.

“Not only am I excited about our seasons, but we also get to celebrate the 150-year

Park volleyball teams NAIA top 10

Abby Beagel Editor-in-Chief

The Park University Parkville campus volleyball teams will start the 2025 season ranked nationally. Both the women’s beach volleyball and men’s volleyball programs, led by head coach and director of volleyball Mike Talamantes, are ranked in the NAIA Coaches Top 10 poll.

The women’s beach volleyball team starts the year at No. 4 after reaching the national quarterfinals in 2024. The

Snow

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and temperatures lurking within the zone. Climate change and global warming are most likely affecting this. Though it has not been confirmed just yet, many researchers are trying to figure out the exact cause of the intense weather shifting. Most climate scientists currently believe that the more intense global warming becomes, the harder it will be to contain and predict the polar vortex. The polar vortex has a tight “jet stream” that keeps it contained most of the time. If the Earth continues to warm, scientists speculate that the stream will become weaker, allowing

milestone of Park University’s establishment through gameplay. Our team (softball) is looking very good and promising,” she said.

Pirates will look to secure their fourth consecutive appearance at the NAIA Women’s Beach Volleyball National Invitational, which will take place April 24-26 in Greeneville, Tenn.

The men’s volleyball team begins the season ranked No. 6 after just missing the national tournament last year. The Pirates will compete for their sixth national title and aim for a return to the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship, set for April 29-May 3 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

for the escape of excess cold snaps. What can we do to combat this globe from warming? Turn off unused lights at home, make sure your TV is off at the end of the night, use heaters and air conditioners responsibly, and don’t use AI. AI is one of the most complicated systems to run via multiple computers, every time you generate a prompt, paper, or idea from AI instead of just searching on Google, it takes up ten times the amount of energy and resources. When all is said and done, it is just about actively choosing to protect our planet, by reducing the electricity we use and by being more conscious of ourselves. Stay warm and stay present!

There are a lot of exciting games and events to be a fan of this year. The Pirates hope to see your support through attendance.

Immigration

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places such as schools and universities.

Jayme Uden, Chief Human Resources Officer at Park University, has stated that the school has not been contacted by law enforcement regarding immigration enforcement but advises students to follow campus policies when interacting with authorities. Faculty, staff and students should refer law enforcement officers to Campus Safety or Human Resources and should not provide personal information to individuals outside the university community, in accordance with FERPA regulations and university policies.

The administration is also moving to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely, stopping new refugees from arriving. A presidential proclamation intends to end asylum entirely for those crossing the border without legal status, leading to immediate removals without the option for an asylum claim. For college students who rely on asylum protections, legal advocacy groups such as the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights (formerly CAIR Coalition) recommend seeking legal counsel as soon as possible to explore options for maintaining residency status.

Another major shift in immigration policy includes the attempt to end birthright citizenship, a right granted under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The order reinterprets the clause, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” limiting citizenship eligibility based on parents’ legal status. Legal experts say this policy will likely

Visit ParkAthletics.com for both teams’ schedules.

face multiple court challenges.

An executive order also calls for increased vetting and screening of immigrants while identifying criminal cartels as terrorist organizations, accelerating deportations for those linked to these groups. The administration is prioritizing deportations of individuals with criminal backgrounds and gang affiliations.

Immigrant advocacy organizations warn that these changes could impact students who depend on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections or other legal pathways for residency. Staying informed and seeking professional legal guidance as soon as possible are crucial steps for those affected.

Experts suggest that immigrant students consult an immigration attorney to understand their individual circumstances and legal options. Monitoring policy updates through credible sources and advocacy groups can help students anticipate challenges and act accordingly.

Park University students can contact Campus Safety at campussafety@ park.edu (816-584-6444) or Human Resources at hr@park.edu (816-5846595) for guidance on law enforcement interactions.

Depending on individual circumstances, students may explore employment-based visas, student visas, extending academic programs or other legal options for maintaining residency. As these policies continue to change, immigrant students should take proactive measures to protect their legal status. Park University has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity and global citizenship and advises students to exercise caution in sharing personal information.

February 7, 2024

Kansas City Chiefs clinch spot in the Super Bowl third year in a row

Mati Smith Assistant Editor-in-Chief

On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs went head-to-head for a spot in Super Bowl 59 — a highly anticipated game where 57.4 million people tuned in. The Kansas City Chiefs came out with yet another win and will take on the Philadelphia Eagles for the second championship game in two years.

This will be the third time in a row that the Kansas City Chiefs have made it to the Super Bowl. It’s also the forth time in a row they’ve won the AFC Championship. This fact has left Chiefs fans excited — and anyone not a Chiefs fan mad.

This was not an easy game to watch. It was a close game until the

end, when Josh Allen attempted a fourth down conversion but was unsuccessful, putting the Kansas City Chiefs in the lead. The play became controversial when fans challenge the ref’s calls, arguing that Josh Allen got first down. In the end, the Kansas City Chiefs won 32-29.

The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Washington Commanders in the 2 p.m. game on Jan. 26, ending the game 55-23.

Super Bowl 59 is set to be at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb. 9. Rapper Kendrick Lamar will be performing for the halftime show with other special guests not yet released.

If the Kansas City Chiefs pull out another win at Super Bowl 59, history will be made as the first team to win the Super Bowl three times in a row.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles be able to stop this from happening?

The Chiefs celebrated their AFC Championship win over the Buffalo Bills, including Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, left; Andy Reid, above; and DeAndre Hopkins, his mother, Sabrina Greenlee and godmother, Frances Hicks, below.