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Florida Students Against Gun Violence Making an Impact

FILE - Angelina Lazo, center, an 18-year-old senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who said she lost two friends in the shooting at her school, joins other gun control proponents with placards at a street corner in Coral Springs, Florida, Feb. 16, 2018.
FILE - Angelina Lazo, center, an 18-year-old senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who said she lost two friends in the shooting at her school, joins other gun control proponents with placards at a street corner in Coral Springs, Florida, Feb. 16, 2018.

Students from the high school where 17 people were shot and killed last month have created a grassroots movement over gun violence that has spread across the United States.

“#NeverAgain: Pick up a pen,” reads a tweet by @NeverAgainMSD, an organization of students using social media to raise awareness about gun violence in the United States. “Write a letter(s) (handwritten or typed) directed to the White House and the President.”

MSD stands for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which was attacked by a young man using an assault rifle Feb. 14. Since then, MSD high school students have rapidly turned that tragedy into an organized political movement.

“Include experiences and what you wish to see changed *Submit copies of the same letter or submit multiple letters 2) Put the sealed letter(s) in an envelope with your name and the words “White House” on the outside. 3) Leave the letters at your school’s designated drop box.”

MSD student activists have focused on the National Rifle Association, a highly influential political lobbying organization that defends the rights of Americans to carry guns.

Measuring impact

The students have had success in pressuring some companies to publicly cut their ties with NRA partnerships. Major American retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart, LL Bean, REI and Kroger, which sold assault rifles, said they would take them off the shelves.

Dick’s and Walmart said they would not sell weapons to anyone younger than 21, as well. Walmart also said it would remove items from its website that look like assault weapons, such as pellet guns and toys.

“To all companies who severed ties with the NRA, those personally affected by their influence on legislation thank you,” tweeted Emma Gonzalez, a student activist from MSD who spoke out soon after the mass shooting.

Despite the students’ success in drawing attention from retailers and the news media, their impact on lawmakers remains unclear.

On the federal level, the Republican-held Congress is considering a bill called STOP School Violence Act that grants $50 million to schools for training and reporting, but does not address gun control directly. In the Senate, a vote on gun control this week has been delayed. And although President Trump made comments last week that seemed to indicate he supported tighter restrictions on gun sales that have been opposed by the NRA, it’s not clear that it is leading to any substantive change in federal gun laws.

There have been stronger indications that some U.S. states may move forward with gun restrictions.Florida’s governor signed new legislation that tightens gun control regulations, and allows for armed school staff members.

Social media amplifies message

The students’ massive following on social media have emerged as a powerful tool in their movement. Gonzalez, or @Emma4Change, has more than 1 million followers on Twitter, more than @NRA’s 608,000.

David Hogg, another MSD student activist — @davidhogg111 — has nearly 430,000 followers, mostly since the Feb. 14 shooting. Their school’s #NeverAgain movement Twitter account, a hub of students organizing rallies, has about 140,000 followers.

That exposure has allowed students to raise money and received guidance from well-established organizations, like Everytown for Gun Safety and The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, that started out as grassroots efforts against gun violence.

Celebrities like George and Amal Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, and Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg each donated $500,000 to the #NeverAgain activists and the March for Our Lives, according to a report from Time’s Money section.

“#studentsstandup and we will continue to follow. You are a beacon of strength,” wrote Josh Gad, an actor in “Book of Mormon” and “Frozen,” on Twitter.

“These kids are asking the hard questions and being persistent in a way that should have been done by the adults years ago. #studentsstandup,” tweeted Liz Froment — @LFroment — a business writer in Boston.

For all of the support they have received on social media, there are vocal critics.

Collins Idehen, a gun-rights advocate and attorney who hosts a program on NRA TV, criticized the students on a channel that claims an online audience of more than 1.3 million.

“We somehow have devolved so far in this country that we literally blame gun owners for these shootings...Y’all insist on only having the conversation with yourselves & waging war with #NRA. You’re not waging war against a machine. You’re waging war against people.”

Despite the criticism, a major measure of the student’s reach comes Wednesday, when students across the United States are planning to walk out or school and hold rallies in support of more restrictions on guns, to try to prevent the next mass shooting.

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Competition grows for international students eyeing Yale

FILE - The Yale University campus is in New Haven, Connecticut, on Dec. 4, 2023.
FILE - The Yale University campus is in New Haven, Connecticut, on Dec. 4, 2023.

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Student from Ethiopia says Whitman College culture made it easy to settle in

FILE - This May 18, 2021, photo shows a woman typing on a laptop in New Jersey.
FILE - This May 18, 2021, photo shows a woman typing on a laptop in New Jersey.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

Claremont Colleges student gets a shock when she heads home to Shanghai

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012, photo, students walk through the campus of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012, photo, students walk through the campus of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University aims to ease transition for international students

FILE - A recent graduate wears a garment with their graduation year April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.
FILE - A recent graduate wears a garment with their graduation year April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College offers prospective students tips on applying and thriving

FILE - People enter the campus of Morehouse College, a historically black school, in Atlanta, Georgia, April 12, 2019.
FILE - People enter the campus of Morehouse College, a historically black school, in Atlanta, Georgia, April 12, 2019.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

  • Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
  • Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
  • Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

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