On August 21, 2015, Juavah Lee's 24-year run as a key leader for the Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American populations at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities ended despite receiving a contract renewal in mid-June. On August 7, less than two months after receiving a renewal contract, he received a non-renewal notice of his position. Although Juavah pursued reassignment to another department/position, his request to be reassigned was denied by the Office of Equity & Diversity (OED). What OED failed to consider when they decided to push Juavah out of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE) was that he not only served as the Assistant Director of the center, but was a role model, a mentor, and a father to many. He was the bridge connecting generations of Hmong and Southeast Asian families to the University experience. Moreover, he was a representation of the University administration that we trusted. He served as one of the strongest advocates and voices for Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American students at the administrative level. And while he wasn’t the only one, through his actions and his initiatives, his leadership always took into consideration the everyday experiences of Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American students. With his absence, a crucial voice for our community has been silenced. Furthermore, Juavah’s non-renewal brings to light other changes that OED has begun to implement within its own programming particularly with the MCAE, changes which were made abruptly and with little to no tangible input from the student body, bringing into question issues of transparency within the OED as well as its leadership. Their actions demonstrate that they care little about the input of the student body they serve when making substantial and extensive changes across departments. The new vision for MCAE, "MCAE Forward," is one the structural changes OED has implemented. We believe that the new theoretical model "MCAE Forward" is in line with the university’s paradigm of institutional change founded on a crippling colorblind diversity and an equally damaging black-white binary that further marginalizes Hmong, Southeast Asian, Asian American students, as well as other communities of color who don't fit neatly into those two binaries. Ultimately we firmly believe that the leadership of the OED is thoroughly disconnected from the everyday experiences of Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American students at the University of Minnesota. We have yet to see any concrete plans or discussions on how to develop Hmong, Southeast Asian, or Asian American-specific led initiatives, and this is a problem.

The student loan interest rate is giving many Texas college graduates a struggling start to their post-graduate life. The fight to lower the Student Loan Interest Rate is an on-going battle that is affecting many recent college graduates as well as going to affect current students and young adults who desire to pursue a college education. This petition is to demonstrate the desire to lower the student loan interest rates. By lowering the student loan interest rate it show to many prospective students that the Texas Legislatures believes in their future success from furthering their education as well as receiving a post-graduate lifestyle that won't leave them struggling to meet their basic necessities.

Every few feet as I walk through the city, I see a homeless person. Statistically, the problem has become much worse--many more men, women and children have become homeless than ever before. I cannot stand idly by when solutions are within reach and people are living and dying in the streets in what is supposed to be a great city--Chicago.

It is past time to give tax relief to those who truly need it. The wealthy have many ways to avoid paying taxes while the poor and the middle class have very few. I call for equity and fairness for those of us who have labored long and hard to make this nation a better place and have been left out and marginalized by our leaders who seek only to enrich themselves and their supporters.

The Nyack Village Board is now poised to pass a text amendment to the village's waterfront zoning which would allow a higher, denser, development on the vacant parcels at Gedney Street. The text amendment is being rushed through to allow the unfortunate TZVista development to be built by the developer who built the Clermont Condominiums. The current zoning, the result of Nyack's previous experiences with waterfront development, should be kept intact to protect the character of our village.

Military aid provided through Plan Merida is used to repress social movements, indigenous groups and students throughout Mexico. Every Mexican has a close relative or friend or acquaintance that has been affected physically and economically by militarization. Without addressing the core issues pertaining to drug consumption in the United States, Plan Merida only enriches arms companies in the U.S. at the expense of the civilian population on both sides of the border.

Terra Linda is a suburban neighborhood with a small town pace, charm and an existing, appropriate population density. Constructing a behemoth of this sort will adversely affect the character and general culture of our neighborhood with unwanted traffic congestion, noise and light pollution, and an exponential increase in the number of residents and vehicles in a finite space.

We initiated this petition because we cherish our homes, our families, our neighbors, our cultures, our health and safety and, last but not least, this beautiful semi-rural area, which we believe is in danger. It is rare to find a community where one still has access to walk along the hills and look out onto nature.

Wall Street speculators are buying up neighborhoods across America. Their goal? Squeeze a profit out of struggling homeowners. Private equity firms and Hedge Funds have quietly amassed mortgage notes to 200,000 homes in communities around the USA -- and they're getting special treatment from the government to aid their conquests. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA) have refused to offer principal reduction to struggling homeowners, then they turn around and sell these troubled mortgages to Wall Street speculators at a deep discount. Our government agencies are supposed to work for American families -- not for the biggest financial institutions. Tell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop selling these troubled mortgages to Wall Street, and instead sell them to non-profits with a track record of offering loan modifications with principal reduction to help families stay in their homes!

Because my husband's and my parental rights to our children have been taken away in an unfair trial where the civil rights of my husband and I were violated.

Let's save Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus and the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence are partnering to ask Governor Brown to Sign SB 707 and stand up for safe K-12 schools and college campuses by limiting who can carry loaded, hidden guns in these places. Governor Brown has until October 11, 2015 to sign SB 707 and he needs to hear from his constituents right away. Currently, 39 states and Washington, DC prohibit people with concealed carry weapons permits (CCW) from possessing loaded, concealed handguns within K-12 school zones and 18 states (and DC) specifically prohibit concealed weapons on campus, while 24 allow colleges to determine concealed weapons' policy and 8 states allow guns on campus in some form. California is not one of these states but recently, the California legislature passed SB 707, legislation that would change current law so that CCW licensees could NOT carry loaded, hidden guns on school grounds or on a college campus. Certain exemptions to carry in school zones are made for law enforcement and military personnel. Please take a moment to sign this petition and share it. Thank you. Below is a list of organizations supporting passage of SB 707 California College and University Police Chiefs Association Association of California School Administrators Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (California Chapters) California Correctional Supervisors Organization California Narcotics Officers California Police Chiefs Association California School Boards Association California School Employees Association California State University Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus Coalition Against Gun Violence, Santa Barbara County County of Santa Barbara Courage Campaign Davis College Democrats Davis Joint Unified School District Fraternal Order of Police, California State Lodge Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence Long Beach Police Officers Association Los Angeles Police Protective League Los Angeles County Probation Officers Union Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association Los Angeles Unified School District Peace Officers Research Association Physicians for Social Responsibility Retired and Disabled Police of America Riverside Sheriffs' Association Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association Santa Ana Police Officers Association University of California, Office of the President Violence Prevention Coalition Women Against Gun Violence Youth Alive!