Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 9-20-19

National
Black Leaders Urge Congress To Pass ‘FUTURE Act’ To Create More
Opportunities In STEM For Black Students
Black leaders from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) are standing together to urge Congress to pass the “Foster- ing Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Edu- cation” (FUTURE) Act, H.R. 2486, sponsored by Rep. Alma Adams.
The U. S. House of Repre- sentatives is set to vote on Tuesday on the bill aimed at fa- cilitating continued diversifica- tion of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field, ensuring the preservation of our nation’s se- curity and economic growth, NBC reports.
If passed, HBCUs and MSIs (Minority-Serving Institu- tions) stand to gain $255 mil- lion annually in reauthorized mandatory funds to strengthen their outcomes in STEM ma- jors, among other disciplines.
Predominately Black Insti- tutions (PBIs), Hispanic-Ser- vicing Institutions (HSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universi- ties (TCUs) are also included under the FUTURE Act.
“In an era where state sup- port of higher education has been in a rapid decline in many parts of our country, our na- tion’s publicly-supported
HBCUs and PBIs can ill afford to lose the federal funding that is the lifeblood of some of the most impactful programming on our campuses,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, TMCF president and CEO, who represents pub- licly supported HBCUs, said in a statement, NBC reports.
On behalf of private HBCUs, UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax said in a statement on Friday (September 13), “Passing the FUTURE Act is the number- one priority for HBCUs right now, and it is UNCF's top ini- tiative.”
In fact, UNCF started the #ProtectingOurFUTURE cam- paign aimed at influencing Capitol Hill to renew the im- pactful mandatory funds.
“This effort has resulted in about 20,000 letters and phone calls being sent or made to Congress this month alone so far,” Dr. Lomax said. “We
want to make sure that the gains HBCUs and MSIs have made in diversifying the STEM majors and professions are not dealt a deathblow.”
Funding of this nature has proven to work. HBCUs ac- count for 10% of all African- American college students across the nation but account for 21% of all African-Ameri- can STEM graduates in the U. S. This can be directly attrib- uted to the 12 years of manda- tory funding from Title III of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
“The Title III, Part F fund- ing helps open the doors of op- portunity, and positively impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of students each year,” Dr. Williams said in the statement. “Indeed, ulti- mately, this funding is helping our students - not merely our institutions - not only to sur- vive, but thrive.”
DNA From Discarded Cigarette Lands Suspected Florida Serial Killer Behind Bars, PBSO Says
Palm Beach County detec- tives said Robert Tyrone Hayes murdered 32-year-old Rachel Elizabeth Bey, whose body was found by workers along the Beeline Highway on March 7, 2016.
"This is all about Rachel Bey," said Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aron- berg. "That's why we are here, and we will do justice for her." According to an arrest report, a DNA swab was taken during Bey's autopsy using a Sexual Battery Examination Kit.
Detectives said the test pro- duced a full DNA profile of the attacker, and that same profile matched an unidentified at- tacker from a homicide in Day- tona Beach from the late 2005, early 2006 time period.
Investigators eventually identified Hayes as a possible suspect, saying he lived in Palm Beach County and Day- tona Beach during the time of the murders.
According to Hayes' arrest report, on Sept. 13, 2019, agents with the Palm Beach
ROBERT TYRONE HAYES
County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Task force observed Hayes smoking a cigarette, then dis- carding the cigarette as he waited for a bus near his home. Agents collected the discarded cigarette and had it tested for DNA.
PBSO said Hayes' DNA from the cigarette matched the DNA found on Bey, as well as DNA from the Daytona Beach homicide case.
GM Workers Go On Strike First Time Since 2007
Tens of thousands of Gen- eral Motors workers officially went on strike at 11:59 p.m. ET Sunday after negotiations with the automaker broke down, the United Auto Workers union announced.
Why it matters: The UAW's GM members are now partici- pating in the nation's first auto strike in 12 years and the largest demonstration by any union against any U.S. busi- ness since UAW's last strike against GM in 2007.
The latest: Terry Dittes, the union vice president, told AP negotiations would resume at 10 a.m. Monday, but the strike was still expected to go ahead.
Context: UAW's GM mem-
A General Motors employee puts strike signs into a car in Westland, Michigan.
bers are steaming about the company's November 2018de- cision to "unallocate" 5 plants intheU.S.and1plantin Canada. They demanded that the company agree to a new labor agreement by Sept. 14. The company broke the dead- line Sunday morning. The strike affects about 46,000
hourly workers, per Axios' Joann Muller.
• Under the existing labor contract, GM can't close plants, except in the case of a sudden market downturn. However, the UAW sued GM for violat- ing the agreement, saying the company was using semantics to idle plants.
• The UAW is demanding fairer wages, affordable health care, profits, job security and a path for permanent positions for temporary employees.
• The UAW hoped that a new labor contract for its GM members would set the stan- dards for all labor contracts in the industry, benefitting its members who work at Ford and Fiat Chrysler.
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