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Top 20 Universities with Military Programs in 2023

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Top 20 Universities with Military Programs in 2023

Veterans and active duty service members can find several degree and certificate programs to make it easier to return to civilian life after military service. Flexible class schedules, course credit for military experience, and veteran-specific counseling and career services are just a few of the ways these military colleges go above and beyond to meet the needs of our nation’s heroes.

Veterans can benefit from these programs by learning how to leverage their prior military experience to advance in their chosen fields. Military colleges that offer military programs can be an excellent resource for anyone looking to continue their education, learn a new trade, or experience something new.

Schools that offer military programs are a great option for high school students looking to get a head start on their college careers. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs are a common way for military colleges to incorporate a military perspective into more regular degree programs.

This article will look at the best colleges with military programs in the US We will also discuss what to consider when choosing a college with military programs to help make your decision process easier.

Let’s go straight to it.

Also Read: 10 Best Grants for Military Spouses in 2023 | APPLICATION GUIDE

Table of Contents.

Are Colleges With Military Programs Right For You?

How to Choose What Type of Colleges with Military Programs is Right for You

How committed are you to pursuing a career in the military?

Do you want to be surrounded by civilian students or immerse yourself in a military environment with other cadets?

Are you a competitive applicant?

How do finances affect your decision?

#1. US Naval Academy

#2. US Military Academy (West Point)

#3. US Air Force Academy

#4: Virginia Military Institute

#5. The Citadel

#6: Valley Forge Military Academy

#7. Georgia Military College

#8: US Merchant Marine Academy

#9. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

#10. US Coast Guard Academy

#11. La Salle Institute

#12. New Mexico Military Institute

#13. Massachusetts Maritime Academy

#14. Marion Military Institute

#15. California State University Maritime Academy

#16. University of Central Missouri

#17. Florida Institute of Technology

#18. University of North Georgia

#19. Texas A&M University

#twenty. Norwich university

Frequently asked questions in universities with military programs

Are Colleges With Military Programs Right For You?

When deciding between a military college and a civilian university, there are several details to consider. First of all, how eager are you to join the military and receive training? He doesn’t enroll in a program that will force him to spend years of his life serving in the military once he graduates unless he is truly committed to doing so.

Can you stand the very controlled and hierarchical atmosphere of a military college?

Do you thrive in a relaxed environment where you can focus on your studies without interruption, or do you want to be challenged in both your physical books and intellectual endeavors?

Do you want to experience the special bond you will have with other cadets?

How to Choose What Type of Colleges with Military Programs is Right for You

There are a variety of pathways available to you if you want to combine military education with higher education. You can join the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at any college or the cadet program at certain maritime colleges as well as service academies, senior military schools, and junior military colleges.

If you’re trying to figure out what type of school would be best for you, there are a few things to think about:

How committed are you to pursuing a career in the military?

Service academies are a great option if you want to serve in the military once you graduate. You must attend a Military College if you want to receive military training but are not sure if a military career is for you.

Do you want to be surrounded by civilian students or immerse yourself in a military environment with other cadets?

Joining an ROTC program at a conventional university is the best option if you want the best of both worlds: the camaraderie of peers and the discipline of the military.

Attending a service academy may be the best option if you want to learn and grow among others who share your interest in becoming a military officer.

If you’re interested in military training but also want to mix it in with some civilian college students, look for one of the SMCs that accepts non-cadet students.

Go to a Military Junior College for two years and then transfer to a four-year university to get the best of both worlds: the cadet experience and traditional college education.

Are you a competitive applicant?

Competition for admission to service academies is fierce. Your chances of being nominated or admitted to an academy will drop unless you have stellar academic credentials. You may choose to apply to a less competitive SMC if your grades and test scores are below those of the typical student in the academies.

You can also enroll in an Early Commissioning Program at a Military Junior College. If you are determined to attend a service academy, you can complete a Service Academy Preparation Program at a Military Junior College.

Also See: Ten Secrets to Selecting the Best Military School

How do finances affect your decision?

However, money is always a consideration, so hopefully, it won’t be the deciding factor. If you’re looking for the best possible financial arrangement, look no further than military academies. But with the help of scholarships, you can have a similar experience at a Higher Military College or a Junior Military College.

Top 20 Colleges with Military Programs in the US

Many universities and colleges include military programs for those who want to serve their nation or enter the military as a profession. Students enrolled in these programs can earn their bachelor’s degree in addition to their military training and education.

Based on criteria including academic excellence, military resources, and overall student experience, this article will showcase the top 20 institutions with military programs.

#1. US Naval Academy

Founded: 1845

Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Acceptance rate: 8.4%

Average Annual Tuition: N/A

The United States Naval Academy has the most competitive admissions process, but graduates can look forward to a rewarding career in the Navy or Marine Corps. The United States Naval Academy has an admission rate of less than 9%, making it the most competitive service school.

Like the other federal service academies, the USNA offers those lucky enough to be accepted free tuition and a monthly stipend. The United States Naval Academy is the second oldest of the five United States military schools that train officers for the Navy and Marine Corps.

At the mouth of the Severn River and the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the United States Naval Academy (like West Point) stands on the site of a former fort. Its proximity to Washington, DC, is a great advantage for high school students seeking the nation’s various service academies.

The beautiful and historic campus is home to Division I track and field, which competes annually against Army and Air Force schools. Like West Point and the USAFA, the Midshipmen need a nomination from a member of Congress and agree to serve upon graduation.

Officers-in-training may have a broad education to the Bachelor of Science level. The US Naval Academy has a reputation for producing some of the highest-paid graduates of any four-year university.

Midshipmen uphold the Concept of Honor and develop their historical traditions like their counterparts at other military academies. This is the best university with military programs.

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#2. US Military Academy (West Point)

Founded: 1802

Location: West Point, New York

Acceptance rate: 9.6%

Average Annual Tuition: N/A

Another one of the best universities with military programs is the US Military Academy.

West Point has the most significant heritage and culture of any military academy since it set the standard. With a student body size of around 4,300, the United States Military Academy (USMA) is roughly on par with the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).

West Point and The Academy are common nicknames for the United States Military Academy. Before the American Revolution, the university served as a military stronghold.

The picturesque New York City campus is the oldest of the five American service academies and offers stunning views of the Hudson River. Many high school students dream of attending West Point to serve their country, but only a small percentage of applicants are accepted.

The government will pay for your college education if you are one of the lucky few. Several significant historical sites, buildings, and monuments on the West Point campus contribute to the institution’s status as a national landmark.

Officer candidates, or cadets, seek a Bachelor of Science degree. Academics, military leadership, and participation in interscholastic athletics are necessary measures of success.

The Honor Code requirements include “no lying, cheating or stealing” and are one of four criteria used to evaluate each cadet’s performance. The United States Military Academy is the first university in the country to award an officially recognized civil engineering degree.

Graduates are typically commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States military, although they may alternatively apply for an interservice appointment in another branch of service. Students and alumni of the school are known as “The Long Gray Line”. Among its ranks are many US Presidents, Generals, and Medal of Honor recipients.

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#3. US Air Force Academy

Founded: 1954

Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Acceptance rate: 11.9%

Average Annual Tuition: N/A

Although relatively young, the Air Force Academy has quickly become one of the best colleges with military programs for prospective students. One of the most picturesque campuses in the United States is home to the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).

Those accepted into the competitive academy receive free education, despite the high standards required. The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) was established in the 1950s, making it the newest of the five service schools in the country.

After graduating from the Air Force Academy, cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force and receive a Bachelor of Science degree. Competition for admission to the academy is intense, and candidates must obtain a congressional nomination to enter.

On average, there are 1,200 cadets in each entering class, and only 20% graduate. A cadet’s future should be in the United States Air Force or the new Space Force.

The principles of “Integrity First,” “Service Before Self,” and “Excellence in All We Do” serve as a compass for the Air Force Academy. Military training, academics, athletics, and personal growth are his four pillars of success.

All cadets must practice intercollegiate or intramural sports in addition to their military training.

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#4: Virginia Military Institute

Founded: 1839

Location: Lexington, Virginia

Acceptance rate: 53.1%

Average annual tuition: $18,862 per year (in-state), $45,706 per year (out-of-state)

VMI’s dedication to the military is unwavering, as the institution only accepts cadets as students. The Virginia Military Institute is another prominent American Senior Military College (VMI).

You’ll find America’s first publicly funded four-year military senior college in Lexington, Virginia. Unlike other top-tier military colleges, VMI only accepts cadets as students.

These young men and women in uniform can earn various bachelor’s degrees while serving in the Corps of Cadets. Therefore, rigorous academics and physical training are combined with harsh military discipline on campus.

There are now 14 academic programs across the spectrum of STEM and liberal arts available at the Virginia Military Institute. Mandates ROTC enrollment for all students.

Although it has been called “the West Point of the South”, the structure of this institution distinguishes it from the academies of the federal military service. More than 1,700 students are enrolled in the academy this year; They may pursue civilian occupations or accept officer commissions in the United States Armed Forces.

Distinguished VMI alumni include US Cabinet officials, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a Medal of Honor recipient. This is one of the best universities with military programs.

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#5. The Citadel Military College

Founded: 1842

Location: Charleston, South Carolina

Acceptance rate: 81.1%

Average annual tuition: $12,516 per year (in-state), $34,988 per year (out-of-state)

With more than 2,300 students and staff, The Citadel has one of the largest uniformed corps of any American university. The Citadel competes in several Division I sports, making it one of the top military universities in the country.

The Charleston-based school is one of the best universities with military programs in the United States. It offers more than 20 specializations in its 18 departments (spread across 5 faculties).

The public University has a department of military studies differentiated from the rest of its academic offer. There’s a group of cadets from South Carolina based at the Citadel.

At 2,300 strong, it is one of the largest uniformed organizations in the US The intellectual and military discipline and physical rigor of the Corps of Cadets go hand in hand.

The Corps of Cadets requires all members to join ROTC. Each cadet can choose from five different schools, including Engineering, Science and Mathematics, Business, Education and Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Another unique aspect of cadet life is the disproportionately large number of women and minority residents. The Citadel also offers a program for veterans to help them return to school and finish their studies.

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#6: Valley Forge Military Academy

Founded: 1928

Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania

Acceptance rate: 100%

Average Annual Tuition: $29,975 per year

The Corps of Cadets program at Valley Forge Military Academy and University stands out because it is completely student-run. Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VRMAC) in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is an expensive but distinguished military institution.

The military high school serves as both a public two-year college and a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school for students in grades 7 through 12. In keeping with Army custom, VRMAC is like a regular military academy.

Graduates can choose between military service and other professional opportunities. A distinctive feature of the Valley Forge Corps of Cadets is that it is run by students from top to bottom.

VRMAC is the only US military group to follow the British traditions of rank, practice, and ceremony. Additionally, the Corps of Cadets is the only institution in the United States that maintains a conventionally mounted battalion comprising a cavalry unit and an artillery battery.

A cadet at “The Military College of Pennsylvania” must pass an exam and receive a “Cap shield” before enrolling in the school. To join the Corps of Cadets, each cadet must pass a board and obtain a “Cap Shield” that shows her status.

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#7. Georgia Military College

Founded: 1879

Location: Milledgeville, Georgia

Acceptance rate: 100%

Average Annual Tuition: $6,480 per year

The residential ROTC program at Georgia Military College (GMC) is relatively modest. There is a wide variety of courses available at Georgia Military College (GMC).

Middle school, high school, a military college, and an Advanced Placement high school are part of the military-focused educational complex. It receives state funding but is independent of the Georgia University System.

Located on the grounds of the historic Georgia State Capitol, the main building is historically and architecturally significant. About 250 ROTC undergraduates and cadets live on campus full-time.

More than a thousand students make the daily trip to the relatively small school. The Army Early Commissioning Program includes only four military high schools in the United States, and Georgia Military College is one of them.

After two years, graduates become officers in the United States Army. Students completing a two-year program at the University of North Georgia are eligible for a transfer scholarship to the state’s top military college, where they can earn a four-year (UNG) degree.

Georgia is the only other state to have a junior and senior military college. Georgia military college is also one of the best colleges with military programs in the US.

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#8: US Merchant Marine Academy

Founded: 1943

Location: Kings Point, New York

Acceptance rate: 22.2%

Average Annual Tuition: $1,080 per year

College tuition at the United States Merchant Marine Academy is among the lowest in the country for colleges with military programs. The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) is inexpensive compared to other military colleges.

In-state and out-of-state students spend less than $1,000 per year in tuition. The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) educates officers in the maritime and military sectors of the United States military.

Students are “midshipmen” and study subjects including maritime law and maritime engineering. You will also learn international law, customs, naval navigation, and ship management.

There are five US service academies, and USMMA is one of them, but it doesn’t get as much attention as Air Force, Navy, or Army schools. You can pursue five majors at the Bachelor of Science level at the US Merchant Marine Academy.

Maritime logistics and security, marine engineering, and shipping fall under this category. A vast list of famous and respected people have graduated from USMMA.

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#9. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Founded: 1872

Location: Blacksburg, Virginia

Acceptance rate: 70.1%

Average annual tuition: $13,620 per year (in-state), $31,908 per year (out-of-state)

One of the largest universities with a military program is Virginia Tech University, which has both military and civilian programs. In common parlance, Virginia Tech is an abbreviation for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

You can find the main Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg. The school stands out as it is one of only six top military colleges in the United States to hold this distinction.

Nearly 35,000 students attend the school’s prestigious ROTC Corps of Cadets program. This public institution ranks second among Virginia higher education institutions in student body size.

Students can choose from 280 different majors and degree options at Virginia Tech. In US News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s best universities, the public university is ranked 74th.

Due to its Corps of Cadets program, Virginia Tech is also routinely voted one of the “Most Innovative” universities. It is one of only three public schools in the United States with a military academy and a regular student body.

At Blacksburg’s main campus and cadet barracks, more than a thousand cadets make their homes.

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#10. US Coast Guard Academy

Founded: 1876

Location: New London, Connecticut

Acceptance rate: 15%

Average Annual Tuition: N/A

To a greater extent than it should be, the United States Coast Guard Academy flies under the radar. Although not as well known as others on our list, the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is one of the best service schools in the country.

It is the second smallest compared to the other four US military academies. The Coast Guard Academy trains its cadets to become officers in nine different specializations.

However, a congressional nomination is not needed for admission to the USCGA, unlike other US military academies. The student’s ultimate goal is to become commissioned officers after completing their Bachelor of Science degrees.

After graduation, students are commissioned as ensigns in the Coast Guard and must serve on active duty for five years. Performance-based learning encompasses academics, fitness, leadership, and character education.

The United States Coast Guard Academy is unique in that it does not charge its students tuition and provides them with a modest stipend for their time and effort. Traditions at the Coast Guard Academy, such as “Swab Summer”, have been around since the establishment of the school.

Several well-known United States Coast Guard admirals are among the graduates.

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Don’t Forget To Read: Top Best Military Schools For Girls Around The World

#11. La Salle Institute

Founded: 1850

Location: Troy, New York

Acceptance rate: 100%

Average Annual Tuition: $14,150 per year

Upon completion of the La Salle Institute, students can continue their training in a military establishment. There is a private university with a military program on the East Coast called the La Salle Institute.

The impeccable history of the prestigious institution dates back to 1850. Instituto La Salle educators have twice received the designation “School of Educational Excellence” from the US Department of Education.

It has a high acceptance rate and helps students get into elite universities and colleges, such as military service academies. Since the late 19th century, La Salle’s college preparatory school has included an Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) curriculum.

HVCC’s dual credit program offers flexible course schedules and college credit possibilities for high school seniors interested in a military career. Numerous prominent politicians, businessmen, engineers, and judges are among the graduates of the La Salle Institute.

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#12. New Mexico Military College

Founded: 1891

Location: Roswell, New Mexico

Acceptance rate: 42.3%

Average annual tuition: $4,530 per year (in-state), $14,534 per year (out-of-state)

The ECP program at “The West Point of the West” trains students to become officers. In the town of Roswell, New Mexico, locals and visitors alike can find the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI).

Nearly a thousand high school and college students enlist in the public military college. It is the only university with a military program in the West that receives funding directly from the federal government.

Several high-ranking military officers are among the notable graduates. NMMI’s rigorous intellectual and physical preparation is well known.

One hundred students go to one of the top five US military academies after completing the Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program (ECP), which trains students for officer positions.

Duty, honor, and success are the creed of the New Mexico Military Institute. A two-year college, known as “West Point of the West,” offers BA and BS degrees.

Honor, integrity, and responsibility are central to his unique approach to education.

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#13. Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Founded: 1891

Location: Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Acceptance rate: 83.2%

Average annual tuition: $9,728 per year (in-state), $26,106 per year (out-of-state)

Although not required, many Mass Maritime graduates want to join the military out of state to earn their degrees. Mass Maritime and MMA are the standard abbreviations for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Mass Maritime) is the second oldest state maritime academy in the country. The public university offers both undergraduate and graduate education in marine-related subjects.

In the late 19th century, Mass Maritime became a training school for deck officers and engineers in the United States Merchant Navy. Although many military college graduates serve in the active or reserve forces of the United States armed forces, this is not a requirement of the institution.e

USTS Kennedy is a beautiful student training ship. The students prepare the ship to travel to various countries in the Caribbean.

You will learn deck and engine watches, maintenance, and emergency drills as students alternate between classroom and laboratory at-sea training. Two notable alumni are Captain Richard Phillips and George W. Duffy.

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#14. Marion Military College

Founded: 1842

Location: Marion, Alabama

Acceptance rate: 55.9%

Average annual tuition: $9,418 per year (in-state), $15,418 per year (out-of-state)

In terms of military education, Marion Military Institute is among the best institutions in the United States. Marion Military Institute (MMI) is a public military college in the southern United States.

The oldest junior military college in the United States, this venerable school was founded in the mid-1800s. It is also one of only four junior military colleges in the United States.

Marion has fewer than 400 full-time students, making it a competitive school. Many Army programs, including ECP and ROTC, are at MMI.

The second option allows qualifying cadets to become Second Lieutenants after only two years of college study. Students interested in applying to one of America’s top-tier service academies can also check out the SAP (Service Academy Program).

Finally, interested parties might consider enrolling in the first two years of the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps or the Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course (PLC). Among MMI’s illustrious graduates are some prominent US military generals.

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#15. California State University Maritime Academy

Founded: 1929

Location: Vallejo, California

Acceptance rate: 66.3%

Average annual tuition: $7,056 per year (in-state), $18,936 per year (out-of-state)

You can find the campus in the warm and welcoming state of California. The California State University Maritime Academy is one of the state’s public educational institutions.

The Maritime Academy is one of 23 campuses that make up the prestigious California State University system. Additionally, it is the only maritime academy in the United States located on the Pacific coast.

There are one master’s and six bachelor’s degrees available at this school. According to US News & World Report’s “Western Regional Colleges” rankings, Cal Maritime University is the best public university in California.

Although continuing to serve one’s nation in the military after high school is not required, several opportunities exist for those interested. Less than a thousand students attend this school.

The Cal Maritime curriculum emphasizes the integration of theory and practice, technology and culture, and global understanding and leadership. The annual Golden Bear training ship is a highlight of the educational experience.

Students can learn maritime security and policy from experts from around the world through school-sponsored study abroad programs.

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#16. University of Central Missouri

Founded: 1871

Location: Warrensburg, Missouri

Acceptance rate: 64%

Average Annual Tuition: Average. cost after aid $14K

The University of Central Missouri is a public institution of higher learning in Warrensburg, Missouri, offering its students a wide range of disciplines. The military program at the University of Central Missouri is one of the best in the country.

Veterans and active duty service members can take advantage of the educational benefits of this program. The program is to help students achieve academic success by giving them access to military tuition assistance, veteran benefits, and other services.

The institution also has a team committed to facilitating the transition to university life and meeting the unique academic and personal requirements of military students. The University of Central Missouri is proud of its reputation as a pioneer in meeting the educational needs of the US military.

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#17. Florida Institute of Technology

Founded: 1958

Location: Melbourne, Florida

Acceptance rate: 70%

Average Annual Tuition – Average Cost After Aid $31K

The Florida Institute of Technology is a private institution of higher learning in Melbourne, Florida, USA, offering a wide range of majors and specializations, including engineering, business, and international relations. Students at the institution may join ROTC and other military-focused clubs and organizations.

Veterans and active duty military personnel can find support through FIT’s extensive military program. Veterans can get help adjusting to civilian life and furthering their education and careers through this program.

There are a number of resources available through the program, including help with schoolwork, guidance in choosing a career path, and money for college. The program also helps military spouses and dependents, including help with job placement and internships.

The Florida Institute of Technology will ensure the professional and academic success of military service personnel, veterans, and their families.

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#18. University of North Georgia

Founded: 2013

Location: Dahlonega, Georgia

Acceptance rate: 81%

Average Annual Tuition: Average Cost After Aid $10K

The University of North Georgia is a public institution of higher learning in Dahlonega, Georgia. It is home to several highly regarded departments and programs, including engineering, commerce, and international relations.

Students at the institution may join ROTC and other military-focused clubs and organizations. North Georgia University prides itself on its extensive military education offerings. Veterans and active duty service members can take advantage of the many benefits this program offers.

Tutoring programs, academic advising, career guidance, and other forms of counseling and guidance are part of these offerings. The institution also houses several programs for veterans to facilitate their readjustment to civilian life.

The stated goal of the program is to provide all servicemen with the tools they need to achieve academic and career success in college.

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#19. Texas A&M University

Founded: 1942

Location: College Station, Texas

Acceptance rate: 63%

Average Annual Tuition: Average Cost After Aid $19K

Located in the city of College Station, Texas, engineering, business, and international relations programs are just a few of those available at Texas A&M University, a public research institution.

There is also a strong military program at Texas A&M, giving students access to Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and other military-focused initiatives. Texas A&M University is proud of its long history of military service and the many resources it provides to veterans and current service members.

To facilitate veterans’ readjustment to life on campus, the University provides them with an Office of Veterans Services, a Veterans Success Center, and an Office of Military Education and Transition. Many financial aid opportunities, including scholarships, are available to veterans and active duty military at this University.

Additionally, the institution has a strong ROTC program that provides students with military training alongside academics. Texas A&M University is proud of its commitment to serving the educational and professional needs of our nation’s military personnel and veterans.

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#20. Norwich university

Founded: 1819

Location: Northfield, Vermont

Acceptance rate: 74%

Average Annual Tuition – Average Cost After Aid $24K

Norwich University, based in Northfield, Vermont, is a military institution that offers courses in various disciplines, including engineering, commerce, and international affairs. They provide students with a strong military education and training and various athletic and extracurricular options.

Norwich University, in Northfield, Vermont, is a private institution of higher learning. As the forerunner of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and the oldest private military institution in the United States, it holds a special place in American ROTC history.

Army ROTC, Air Force ROTC, and Naval ROTC are just a few of the military programs available at the University. It is the University’s largest and most attended program, training students to become officers in the United States Army.

Students interested in serving as officers in the United States Air Force or Navy may join the respective Air Force ROTC or Navy ROTC programs, respectively. For education and military training, Norwich University is second to none.

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Frequently asked questions in universities with military programs

How do you get into a military academy?

The application procedure for military academies is usually quite similar to that of traditional institutions. High school transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, and reference letters are generally required materials for college applications. One must meet very strict requirements to enroll in one of the best schools in the world.

Why do people go to military academies?

There are various motivations for enrolling in a military academy. Although not all military academies require graduate service, some students attend these universities for that purpose. Some people are more interested in attending one of the government academies, where they can study for free for a commitment to duty when they graduate.

Can you go to college and be in the military?

The military is a popular choice for college students. Military personnel can continue their education at any time at an army university or at a more conventional institution. Many people go to college before joining the military, but those already in the service can continue their education, and those serving overseas can take advantage of distance learning opportunities. It is not uncommon for veterans to go back to school after retirement.

Do I have to finish college before joining the military?

If a person wants to serve in a technical capacity, such as an engineer in the military, they must first finish college. Various educational opportunities are available to service members during and after their time in the military. Members of the armed forces can complete their degrees before enlisting or after leaving the service; in either case, they are likely to get financial backing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are a variety of colleges that offer excellent military and veteran programs. There is something for everyone, from large public universities to small private colleges.

Whether you’re looking for a traditional college experience or a more specialized program, these Top 20 Military Colleges offer several options to help you achieve your educational goals.

With the right resources and support, you can find the perfect school to help you achieve your academic and career goals.

#Best military #Military #Military School

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abledcareservices · 2 years ago

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thekolsocial · 4 years ago

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Prominent Egyptian Actor's Transgender Son Stirs Debate

New Post has been published on https://thekolsocial.com/prominent-egyptian-actors-transgender-son-stirs-debate/

Prominent Egyptian Actor's Transgender Son Stirs Debate

[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” content_text_aligment=”” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Prominent Egyptian Actor’s Transgender Son Stirs Debate

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”26px”][vc_column_text]

Hesham Selim’s transgender son hopes spotlight on him changes views.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”26px”][vc_column_text]As the transgender son of a prominent Egyptian actor, Noor Hesham Selim was thrown into the spotlight when his father surprised television viewers by speaking openly about his transition, but he hopes this will help change attitudes. While homosexuality is not outlawed in Egypt, it is a conservative Muslim society and discrimination against LGBT+ groups is rife, with gay and transgender people facing instances of assault and torture, according to Human Rights Watch.

Selim, 26, said he had struggled for 18 years to settle with his identity as transgender, finally nervously confessing about eight years ago to his father, prominent actor Hesham Selim. To his surprise, his father immediately supported him, even offering assistance for his transition. He then told Egyptian TV talk show “Sheikh Al-Hara” in May that “my daughter … has now turned to be my son Noor”, firing up debate in Egypt.

Selim said he was surprised by the level of support he had received since and hoped speaking publicly would make people more aware about the challenges trans people faced. “Most people support, encourage and accept me but when I receive negative comments I try to have a conversation with them. If they choose to stay mean, then I just ignore them,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

Selim said that coming out publicly, however, was just one of many stages in the path to live as a trans man. He is currently struggling to be identified as a man in Egypt as the authorities refuse to change his papers. His national ID expired two years ago and he could not be issued a new one because his transition was not complete without official approval from religious authorities, medical specialists and the government.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”26px”][vc_single_image image=”21988″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”26px”][vc_column_text]The coronavirus has also created additional challenges for trans people left struggling to access hormone therapy and counselling services with surgery postponed or cancelled. Selim said he managed to buy his hormone medication in bulk before the lockdowns. “I’m good during coronavirus lockdown but if I had not bought my medicine in bulk, I’m not sure what I would’ve done or how I would have gotten them,” he said.

Gender reassignment surgery is legal in Egypt but has always been a long, complicated process requiring psychological evaluations for at least two years, medical and hormone treatment, and permits from doctors and religious authorities. After completion of transition, a report is submitted to the Interior Ministry requesting permission to change gender designation on ID cards.

Reda Eldanoubki, a lawyer and a human rights activist with the Women’s Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, said there was no law in Egypt to regulate this process, which was overseen by a committee linked to the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, a national association of medics. This gender correction committee includes a member from Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, the central authority in charge of issuing religious edicts or fatwas. But Eldanoubki said the committee had not really functioned since 2014 due to the non-attendance of Dar al-Ifta member who objected to gender transitions without medical grounds.

Committee head Osama Abdel Hay said a deal was reached with Dar al-Ifta in 2017 to send cases for approval to the Islamic Research Academy at Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning with a fatwa committee, but few had been approved. “The religious institution in Egypt is opposing gender reassignment operations because it changes the creation of God,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A spokesman at the Interior Ministry would not give details on the number of applications or the number approved but asked for a written request to seek information.

Eldanoubki said such challenges getting official ID could affect the careers of trans people as they cannot join any company or institution with papers that contradict their physical appearance. For now Selim is working as a freelance carpenter. “Wood making has always been a big passion,” said Selim, who lives in the resort town of Hurghada on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. He said he may consider going into acting in the future but for now he did not want to be in “the public eye”.

“People here think they have the right to dictate how your life goes so I’d rather not give them the chance to tell me their opinions,” he said, adding everyone should all be afforded the same human rights regardless of sex or gender. I do not think governments are really putting in any effort to fight for transgender rights. I think transgender people are doing that work.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″]

[vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”footer-3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” content_text_aligment=”” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”26px”][vc_empty_space height=”26px”][vc_column_text]Editing by Belinda Goldsmith, Thomson Reuters[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

#Africa #Human Rights #Inequality #LGBTQ+

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sciencespies · 4 years ago

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The Great Koala Rescue Operation

https://sciencespies.com/nature/the-great-koala-rescue-operation/

The Great Koala Rescue Operation

I arrived on Kangaroo Island bracing myself for the sight of acres of blackened trees and white ash, but I had not expected the parasitic bright green vines wrapped around almost every charred trunk, glowing phosphorescent in the sunlight. This was no parasite, I learned. It was epicormic growth, bursting directly from the burnt trunks themselves, a desperate bid for photosynthesis in the absence of a leaf canopy.

The growth looks nothing like a eucalyptus tree’s normal adult leaves. It’s soft and waxy, with rounded edges instead of long pointy tips, and it blooms from cracks in the trunks or right from the tree’s base, rather than along the branches where leaves typically grow. It is beautiful, and also very strange, in keeping with the surreal phenomena that became almost commonplace over this past apocalyptic Australian summer, even before the coronavirus pandemic further upended life as we know it. A few weeks earlier, in Sydney, I’d watched red-brown rain fall to the ground after rain clouds collided with ash in a smoke-filled sky. During a recent downpour here on Kangaroo Island, burnt blue gum trees foamed mysteriously, as if soap suds had been sprayed over them.

Even in less strange times, Kangaroo Island can feel like the edge of the earth. Although it sits fewer than ten miles off the southern coast of Australia, about 75 miles from Adelaide, it is a geographical Noah’s Ark; its isolation from the mainland 10,000 years ago because of rising seas transformed it into an ecological haven. It is vast and rugged, with dramatic views of bush or sea- or cliff-scapes in every direction. National parks or protected wilderness areas make up a third of the island’s 1,700 square miles. Much of the rest of the island is farmland or privately owned backcountry. In recent years, the island has rebranded itself as a high-end tourist paradise, with unspoiled wilderness, farm-to-table produce, fresh oysters, and wine from local vineyards. But while there are luxury accommodations here and there, the island’s few small settlements feel decidedly unglamorous, befitting laid-back country and coastal towns.

Left, Kangaroo Island sits a few miles off the coast of South Australia. Right, at the height of the fires, in January, most of the island’s western half was ablaze, as seen in these images based on data from a NASA satellite.

(Guilbert Gates; NASA Worldview (2))

The fires started here in December, after dry lightning strikes on the island’s north coast and remote western bushland areas, and then escalated and jumped containment lines, ripping through the island in early January, with high winds and hot temperatures fueling the front. Two people died, and hundreds of properties were affected, many of them farms. Tens of thousands of stock animals were lost in the blaze. While the bushfires all over Australia were horrific, burning more than 16 million acres—nearly eight times the area lost to fire in Brazil’s Amazon basin in 2019—people around the world focused on Kangaroo Island because of the relative scale of the fires, which consumed close to half the island, as well as the concentrated death and suffering of the island’s abundant wildlife, including wallabies, kangaroos, possums and koalas. Wildlife experts worried that certain vulnerable species endemic to the island, such as the glossy black-cockatoo and a mouse-like marsupial known as the Kangaroo Island dunnart, might be lost forever.

Flinders Chase National Park, the vast nature preserve encompassing the island’s western edge, is closed indefinitely. There were rumors that parts of this natural bushland, which depends on fire to propagate, might never fully regenerate, because the heat from the fires was so intense that the soil seed bank may have been destroyed. Climate change researchers are warning that while fires in Australia are “natural,” they’re now so hot and frequent that even fire-adapted plants don’t have the chance to recover. A major fire burned 85 percent of Flinders Chase just 13 years ago. Matt White, an ecologist at the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, in Victoria, told me the fires are almost certainly decreasing biodiversity, despite “the oft-repeated rhetoric about the resilience of Australian flora.” Now the fires are out, and the immediate danger has passed, but life on the island is very far from normal. On certain parts of the northern coast, coves are silted with ash, black tide marks on the sand. Outside several towns are signs directing people to a Bushfire Last Resort Refuge, a chilling reminder of how bad things can get.

A lone koala clings to a charred trunk in a severely burned plantation of eucalyptus trees.

(David Maurice Smith)

Kangaroo Island’s east coast, where I disembarked from the ferry, seemed relatively unscathed, but as I drove west through the central agricultural area, known as the Heartlands, I crossed a line into devastation. The color palette shifted from the beige and olive green of roadside scrub to charcoal trunks and scorched leaves in shades of orange, an uncanny simulacrum of autumn. The deeper into the fire grounds I went, the more the shock of that green epicormic growth scrambled my perceptions, as did the long green shoots of grass trees, emerging from their blackened, pineapple-shaped trunks. These trees are pyrophytic—they thrive after fires.

In Parndana, a small agricultural town, I saw a handwritten sign outside a makeshift store offering free groceries to families affected by the fires. A newsletter posted in a gas station reported on wineries going under, tourism businesses destroyed, and burned buildings requiring asbestos cleanup. In a roadside café near Vivonne Bay, on the south coast, I found mental health pamphlets and notices of counseling services and depression hot lines for a community reeling from losses. An Australian Psychological Society handout was stacked on the counter: “Now, a few months after the fires, many people are feeling tired and stressed, and they know that their daily struggle isn’t going to be over any time soon.”

The news media’s fixation on the island as the fires raged has created a complicated legacy for any reporter who turns up a month or two later. I was aware of being viewed with distrust by locals who’ve felt justifiably used in the media storm’s sudden descent and then abrupt disappearance. The press attention, combined with social media’s refraction of certain stories into trend roller coasters, has had the undeniable upside of an outpouring of genuine sympathy and generosity. An effort to recruit 120 volunteers to set up food and water stations for wildlife throughout devastated areas, organized by Australia’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was inundated by more than 13,000 applications in a matter of days. Online crowdfunding has raised close to $2.5 million for Kangaroo Island bushfire recovery. But there’s a downside, too: a trading in the suffering of others. In the midst of the fires, one foreign journalist demanded of a shellshocked local resident, “I want to see burnt animals, and where those two people died.”

The immediate compassionate response of people pulling together in a crisis is now wearing thin. Tendrils of suspicion are snaking their way through the community, as locals assess the distribution of government and crowdfunded resources. Almost everybody has their heart in the right place, but the reality is that these decisions are political and contested. Old divides are widening—between, say, stock farmers in the Heartlands and those motivated to protect the island’s unique wildlife, to say nothing of the divide between locals and outsiders.

Tens of thousands of koalas were killed in the island blaze, and an additional number perished from starvation or dehydration after the blue gum plantations where they lived were destroyed.

(David Maurice Smith)

The remains of a Tammar wallaby. Where the fires raged, populations of kangaroo and wallabies were devastated; up to 40 percent of the island’s unique kangaroo subspecies may have been killed.

(David Maurice Smith)

In every conversation, whether with a lodge manager, the owner of a feed business, or at the corner-store café, people wanted me to know that they’re upset about the way resources were being distributed. Special anger was reserved for rogue operators who have raised huge amounts of cash for wildlife work on the island, but with no real right to be there. Many singled out a Japanese outfit, reportedly run by a guy who turned up on the island with good intentions but zero clue. He had set himself up in a house in Kingscote, the island’s largest town (pop. around 1,800), and without coordinating with any recognized wildfire rescue operations was bringing in koalas from the wild that were healthy and didn’t need rescuing. Yet he had raised a small fortune through his organization’s website, from good people donating to the wrong cause. One islander told me, “I never realized disaster would be like this. At first, everyone helped. Then it got scary. It became about money, fame, randoms making an absolute killing.”

* * *

Kangaroo Island was given its modern name by the British navigator Matthew Flinders, who sailed the HMS Investigator to its shores in March 1802. The island was then uninhabited, but archaeologists later found stone tools and other evidence that ancestors of modern Aboriginal Tasmanians lived there thousands of years ago, at least until the island was cut off from the mainland, and possibly afterward. Rebe Taylor, a historian, writes that the Ngarrindjeri people of the coast opposite Kangaroo Island call it the “land of the dead,” and have a creation story about rising seas flooding a land bridge to the island.

Flinders and his men were amazed to find kangaroos—a subspecies of the mainland’s western greys—that were so unused to humans that they “suffered themselves to be shot in the eyes,” Flinders recalled in his expedition notes, “and in some cases to be knocked on the head with sticks.” In gratitude for this meat after four months without fresh provisions, he named it Kanguroo Island (misspelling his own). The French explorer Nicolas Baudin, sailing the Géographe, was disappointed not to have arrived before his English rival—their ships crossed paths as Flinders was leaving the island—but Baudin took 18 kangaroos with him, in the name of science. He made two of his men surrender their cabins to the animals in a bid to keep them alive. Baudin himself died from tuberculosis on the return journey, but some of the kangaroos survived, and they reportedly became part of the menagerie outside Paris owned by Napoleon’s wife, the Empress Josephine.

The recent fires killed as many as 40 percent of the island’s 60,000 or so kangaroos, yet worldwide attention has focused mostly on the fate of the koalas. At least 45,000 koalas, or some 75 percent or more of the island population, are thought to have died, and the crisis has revived an old controversy, with battle lines drawn anew between those who believe the koalas don’t deserve all the attention they’re getting and those who do.

Koalas have always had the species advantage of being considered cute, cuddly Australian icons, but they are not native to Kangaroo Island. They were introduced by wildlife officials only in the 1920s, from a breeding program on French Island, off mainland Victoria, with a founding population of fewer than 30 animals. The effort was an early attempt at conservation; habitat loss and hunters trading in their fur had driven koalas on the mainland to near extinction. Since then, the island had become overpopulated with koalas, which some people think are in danger of eating themselves out of house and home. In fact, since the late 1990s a government-run koala sterilization program has tried to stem population growth, not only for the koala population’s sake but also because the animals wreak destruction on native vegetation, including rough-bark manna gums, a type of eucalyptus that is key to preventing soil erosion, and paddock trees.

Charred eucalyptus trees sport green epicormic growth— shoots emerging from cracks in the bark to give the trees another chance at life.

(David Maurice Smith)

New growth springs from the trunk of a charred blue gum tree after the bushfires on Kangaroo Island.

(David Maurice Smith)

In addition, tens of thousands of koalas lived in eucalyptus plantations owned by a timber company with plans to harvest and export those trees; those animals would have to be moved eventually. Finally, the Kangaroo Island koalas are so highly inbred that some experts argue they may be of little use in bolstering northern Australia koala populations, which are classified as vulnerable.

Some wildlife advocates believe that preventing species extinction, or saving species that are endemic or unique to the island, should be the priority. They argue that funding would be better channeled toward specialists working to save the few remaining Kangaroo Island dunnarts, or Tammar wallabies (which are almost extinct in mainland South Australia), or pygmy possums, or endangered glossy black-cockatoos, which mainly feed on the seeds of casuarina trees (many of the trees burnt), or Ligurian bees, introduced in 1885 and believed to be the species’ last genetically pure population in the world.

Island farmers, meanwhile, feel that wildlife has unfairly consumed all the attention when so many stock animals burned during the fires. Many local farming families are descended from soldier-settlers who were given parcels of land after each of the world wars, which they worked hard to make productive in difficult circumstances. (The island’s natural soil quality is so poor, and the lack of surface water so severe, that most British colonists backed by the South Australian Company who settled the island in 1836 left after just five months.)

One islander confided to me that, while he felt bad for the farmers, stock animals are “replaceable,” and often covered by insurance, but wildlife is not; and while it may seem from news media coverage that Australia cares about its wildlife, the government in fact has an appalling track record when it comes to protecting wildlife and biodiversity. “Australia is a global deforestation hotspot,” Suzanne Milthorpe, from the Wilderness Society Australia, told me. “We are ranked second in the world for biodiversity loss, and three unique animals have gone extinct in the last decade alone. In comparison, the United States’ Endangered Species Act, which contains real protections against harm and habitat destruction, has been 99 percent successful at preventing extinction.” (Critics of American species conservation efforts point out that less than 3 percent of listed species have recovered sufficiently to be removed from protection.)

The koalas on Kangaroo Island were also fortunate in being able to be rescued at all; many were found sheltering high enough in the treetops to have escaped the flames. Hundreds were saved, treated and survived, and many were set free. Even young, orphaned koalas that must be bottle-fed and tended by hand would survive in captivity. By contrast, kangaroos and wallabies often couldn’t outrun the fires, and most of the rescued animals were badly burned and had little chance of recovery.

All of this helped me understand why legitimate, professional koala rescues on the island really do matter, and why the stakes feel so high for those who are skilled at and committed to this grueling work. For people desperate to help in the aftermath of the fires, rescuing and treating injured koalas and relocating koalas stranded in devastated forest areas has become a kind of humane religion, something to cling to and thus avoid descending into despair. Each and every rescue becomes a small but holy and tangible act to stem the wider suffering.

* * *

As soon as the story began to circulate, during the fires, that the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, outside Parndana, had become the impromptu center for the emergency treatment of burned wildlife, the place was inundated with journalists. The largely open-air park, which was already home to 600 or so animals, including snakes, wombats, cassowaries and an alligator, is owned by Dana and Sam Mitchell, a couple in their late 20s who moved to the island in 2013, after meeting while working at a wildlife park in Victoria. Journalists turned up even as the fires were burning, sleeping uninvited on the floor of the park’s café, barging into the Mitchells’ house at all hours.

This, to be fair, had some positive outcomes. An Australian TV channel, for instance, arranged for a popular home renovation show to build a wildlife hospital in the park, and the Mitchells have raised more than $1.6 million through crowdfunding to pay for professional veterinary costs, new buildings for wildlife care, and an islandwide koala rescue and rehabilitation program.

Yet it was overwhelming, too. Dana had to evacuate twice with their toddler, Connor, during the peak of the fires, while Sam stayed with staff and other family members to defend the property; the park and its animals were spared only after the wind changed direction as the fires were bearing down.

Meanwhile, hundreds of injured wild animals were brought to the park by Army personnel, the State Emergency Service and firefighters. As the roads reopened, many locals also began to arrive with injured wildlife, unsure where else to take them. Since the start of January, more than 600 koalas have been brought to the park, though not all have survived. Kangaroos with melted feet and koalas with melted paws had to be put out of their suffering. Orphaned baby koalas, called joeys, arrived with ears or noses burnt off. There were severely dehydrated older koalas with kidney disorders, and possums and wallabies blinded by the heat. “We were having to make it up on the spot,” Sam told me. “We were just a small wildlife park. These animals weren’t my responsibility, but nobody else was doing anything. The government wasn’t giving any direction.” In the first weeks, they operated a triage center out of a tin shed, with no power.

Sam and Dana soldiered on, and by now they have an impressive setup for koala rescue, treatment, rehabilitation and release. Behind their house is a series of brand-new buildings and dozens of koala enclosures, tended to by vets and veterinary nurses from Australia Zoo, Zoos South Australia, and Savem, a veterinary equivalent of Doctors Without Borders, as well as trusted local volunteers.

Oliver Funnell, a veterinarian at Zoos South Australia, and veterinary nurse Donna Hearn attend to an injured koala at the Wildlife Park.

(David Maurice Smith)

A hospitalized koala has pink spots on its paw that are healed burn areas.

(David Maurice Smith)

Sam has a grim sense of humor to help deal with the trauma of the past months, but he and Dana are physically and emotionally exhausted, as is everybody I met on the island. I felt bad asking them to retell their experiences during the fires, the ins and outs of how they survived, aware of the symbolic violence of being forced to perform your own private trauma for outsiders over and over again. Yet they did so, graciously, describing the unusual warning of white ash hitting the park even before the smoke. Desperate for sleep after staying awake several nights, Sam eventually brought a blanket outside and laid it on the grass, setting his phone alarm to go off every 15 minutes. He was worried that if he slept inside he wouldn’t see the fire coming.

In spite of their fatigue, they welcomed me into the joey clinic one morning. Dana was in the middle of individually bottle-feeding some 15 baby koalas while also caring for Connor. He was toddling around holding a branch of acacia and following the family dog, Rikku, who is remarkably tolerant of human babies and a tiny kangaroo named Kylo that likes to practice its boxing on the dog’s face. Staff and volunteers swirled in and out of the clinic, eating breakfast, getting medical supplies, asking about treatment plans. Dozens of rescued, slightly older joeys under 18 months old live in enclosures outside, since they no longer depend on milk, along with 30 older koalas with names like Ralph, Bonecrusher and Pearl; the number changes constantly as they recover enough to be released. Dana sat on a sofa cradling a baby koala they’d named Maddie, feeding it a morning bottle of Wombaroo, a low-lactose formula. When Maddie was rescued, she weighed just two pounds. “She had no burns when we found her,” Dana said, “but also no mum.”

Dana Mitchell feeds an injured baby koala at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, which Mitchell owns with her husband, Sam. The park has treated more than 600 koalas since January.

(David Maurice Smith)

Nearby sat Kirsten Latham, head keeper of Australia Zoo’s koala program, holding 10-month-old Duke, who was swaddled in a towel. He was rescued in January with second-degree burns and was missing several claws—which are crucial for tree-climbing—and had to be fed with a syringe before he started taking the bottle. “You have to really concentrate when you’re feeding them, as they can aspirate the milk when they’re young,” Kirsten said. “It helps to wrap them in a towel and keep a hand over their eyes, because when they’re drinking from their mums they keep their heads tucked right into the pouch, where it’s dark and quiet.” These feedings are done three times a day, and it can take each person three hours to feed all the baby koalas during a mealtime.

* * *

In the clinic’s kitchen, I found Kailas Wild and Freya Harvey, both fit and sunburned, wearing black T-shirts and cargo pants. They were studying a map of the island’s plantations and natural bushland, planning their next koala rescues. They are old friends and skilled climbers, and have been on the island for weeks, doing the dangerous work of climbing the tall, burnt blue gum trees to reach koalas perched at the very top, sometimes as high as 80 feet.

Kailas is an arborist and volunteer for the State Emergency Service in New South Wales, and Freya is currently based in New Zealand, but they both dropped everything to go to Kangaroo Island as soon as they realized their tree-climbing skills could help save wildlife. Kailas drove the 900-odd miles from Sydney to the ferry terminal in Cape Jervis in his pickup truck, sleeping in the back along the way, and bringing it across to the island on the ferry. It took them a little while to earn Sam’s trust; his classic Australian suspicion of “blow-ins” has been compounded by having been let down by others who turned up offering help but haven’t followed through. But now that they have it, I can see the three of them have formed a close-knit team, daily coordinating koala rescues and treatment.

Kailas Wild, an arborist from Sydney who aided rescue efforts on the island, with a young kangaroo. He saved more than 100 koalas.

(David Maurice Smith)

The ground rescue crew that Kailas and Freya have been working with is a local family of four: Lisa and Jared Karran and their children, Saskia and Utah. They live near Kingscote, where Jared is a police officer. They’ve spent almost every day since the fires out in the bush rescuing animals. At first, the ground was so hot it was smoking, and they had to wear special boots so the soles didn’t melt. Now the risk is falling trees. They work up to 12 hours a day, the kids uncomplaining and involved, outfitted with gloves and hard hats, handling the koalas like pros, and accompanying Jared for long drives at the end of each day to release rehabilitated survivors into a distant unburned plantation. As of last count, they’ve helped rescue 143 koalas.

Outside the clinic, in a nearby field, a Robinson R44 helicopter had just landed after an aerial survey using a thermal-imaging camera to locate koalas by detecting their body heat; this is one of several ways that Sam and the rescue team are now experimenting with technology to find where koalas are clustered and whether those habitats are burned or still viable. Sam was paying a lot to rent the helicopter, and the results have been promising, but Sam is still learning how to operate the infrared camera from the air—it’s no easy feat to adjust the focus and pan-and-tilt speed while fine-tuning koala heat signatures from inside a moving helicopter—and the data is complicated to interpret.

At this phase of the recovery effort, the goal is no longer strictly to rescue injured koalas and get them to the hospital for treatment. The team is also trying to figure out if koalas remaining in the wild have enough food to survive. The fear is there will be a second wave of koala deaths, from starvation. The team is also experimenting with drones, and Thomas Gooch, founder of a Melbourne environmental analytics firm called the Office of Planetary Observations, has donated recent satellite-observation maps that display vegetation cover to identify areas that have burned.

California wildlife rescuer Douglas Thron and environmentalist Freya Harvey launch a drone outfitted with an infrared camera to spot stranded koalas.

(David Maurice Smith)

A newer member of the koala rescue team is Douglas Thron, an aerial cinematographer and wildlife rescuer from Oakland, California, who was brought to the island by Humane Society International. In the 1990s, Thron used to take politicians and celebrities up in a little Cessna to show them the impact of clear-cutting old-growth redwood forests in California. Last year, he spent months after California’s devastating fires, and in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian, using a custom-made drone to spot dogs and cats trapped in the debris.

Douglas had been on the island since late February, using his drone—configured to carry an infrared camera and a 180x zoom lens and spotlight—to help the team identify where in the vast acreage of burnt blue gum plantations there were koalas needing rescue or resettlement. So far, he had spotted 110, of which 60 had been rescued.

Douglas, Kailas and Freya had spent most of the previous night in the bush, using the drone to do thermal imaging and closer spotlighting of the treetops in the darkness, when it’s easier to see the koalas’ heat signatures. From the ground, Douglas used a video screen attached to the drone controls to identify ten koalas in one section of a burnt eucalyptus plantation. Today, it would be up to the ground rescue team to head out and see what they could find by daylight.

* * *

“We were calling it Pompeii,” said Lisa Karran as we drove past a tragic tableau of carbonized Tammar wallabies huddled in a clearing beside rows of burnt blue gums. The hardest part, she said, was seeing the incinerated family groups together—baby koalas holding onto branches beside their moms, dead possums and kangaroos with their young beside them.

Standing amid rows of charred trunks, Utah, who is 13, was readying the koala pole—an extendable metal pole with a shredded feed bag attached to the end, which the climbers shake above the koala’s head to scare it down the tree. Saskia, who is 15, held the crate at the base of the tree. Jared had spotted this particular koala—“because I’m koalified!” he joked—curled right at the top of a black trunk with no leaves.

Upper left, a climber wielding a “koala pole” persuades an animal to leave its towering hideout and descend to the ground, where rescuers could examine it and crate it for later treatment. Upper right, Rescuers placed vegetables in devastated areas to feed animals. Some 13,000 people applied for 120 openings for volunteers to distribute food and water. Below, Utah Karran, 13, releases a recovered koala into an intact blue gum plantation. Karran and his sister and parents spent two months rescuing animals at risk.

(David Maurice Smith)

The luminous epicormic growth was sprouting from many of the trunks around us. The rescue team had begun to wonder if this growth, which is known to be more toxic than mature leaves, as the tree’s natural defense against insects and animal browsing while the tree itself struggles to survive, might be making the koalas sick. Some of the koalas they’d seen eating it, and had subsequently brought in for treatment, had diarrhea or gut bloat. They’d also observed koalas eating dead leaves rather than epicormic growth, suggesting the animals may not find it an ideal food source. Koalas are naturally adapted to the toxins in eucalyptus leaves, with gut flora that help digest the leaves and flush out the toxins. But the higher toxicity levels of the new growth may be beyond their tolerance. Ben Moore, a koala ecologist at Western Sydney University, said that there are no detailed studies that directly compare the chemical makeup of epicormic growth with adult leaves, but he hypothesized that any dramatic change in a koala’s diet would change that individual’s microbiome, and in turn affect its gut function.

In recent weeks, the group has rented a mechanized crane, which makes it easier to get to the tops of the trees, but there are still many rescues where the koala is so high up that Freya or Kailas need to clip in and use the arborist’s technique of throwing a weight and line to climb the burnt and brittle trees, and then shake the koala pole above the animal’s head. Typically, a koala grunts or squeals and climbs down a trunk amazingly fast. After Lisa or Utah plucks it off the trunk at the bottom and places it in a crate, it becomes surprisingly docile, gazing up at its human saviors.

The first koala rescued that day was underweight, and others had pink patches on their feet signaling healing burns, but some were healthy enough, the group decided, to be released elsewhere without needing to be checked by vets at the Wildlife Park.

Out of the hundreds of koalas that volunteers and staff have rescued, many are being raised in captivity. Older koalas are released into intact eucalyptus plantations.

(David Maurice Smith)

Hours and hours passed like this in the hot plantations. It was gripping to watch. Each rescue had a unique emotional texture—a dramatic arc of growing tension as those on the ground waited for the climbers to encourage the koalas down, the adrenaline spike of grabbing the animals behind their strong necks and getting them into the crate, and the communal relief if they were found to be healthy. Each of the ten koalas rescued that day was found almost exactly where Douglas’s drone had spotted them the night before.

During one rescue, a koala kept up a plaintive high-pitched wail but would not budge from its perch. Freya and Kailas both had to clip in and climb up in order to coax it down. Once on the ground the team knew this koala was seriously unwell: its paws were covered in fresh blood, from the loss of several claws—a sign of previous burns or infections. Kailas, in particular, was devastated, and sobbed openly. They knew from experience what fate awaited this koala. Later that night, after its condition was checked at the Wildlife Park, it was euthanized.

The next day, Kailas made his 100th rescue. It also happened to be Jared’s last day doing rescues with his family. The next Monday, he’d be back at work as a police officer. “There’ll be criminals robbing the bank, and I’ll be gazing up into the trees, looking for koalas,” he said wistfully. He’d been scrolling back through his photos, and had been struck by a picture of Saskia and Utah swimming in the sea the day before the fires started, two months before. “Every day since, it’s just been so different,” he said. “I was thinking this morning that I want to get back to that.”

At dusk, the Karrans drove out to one of the only plantations that didn’t burn, called Kellendale. They had six healthy koalas in the back seat and the trunk of their SUV, rescued from plantations with no leaf cover for food. After the eerie silence of another long day spent in burnt plantations—not a single insect hum or bird song—it was a joy to see a flash of pink from the belly of a rose-breasted cockatoo, and to hear the soft, wavelike rustling of living eucalyptus leaves in the breeze. It felt like paradise.

Utah and Saskia released the koalas from their crates one by one, and the family laughed together as one of their feistiest rescues, a female koala with lovely fluffy ears, sprinted for a tree, climbed about 15 feet up, then stopped and stared back down at the humans for a good long while. Then she climbed higher, cozily wedged herself in the fork of a branch, and held on tight as the narrow trunk rocked in the wind.

#Nature

#05-2020 Science News #2020 Science News #Earth Environment #earth science #Environment and Nature #Nature Science #News Science Spies #Our Nature #outrageous acts of science #planetary science #Science #Science Channel #science documentary #Science News #Science Spies #Science Spies News #Space Physics & Nature #Space Science #Nature

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aliceviceroy · 6 years ago

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Rachael Denhollander’s college-aged abuser began grooming her when she was 7. Each week, as Denhollander left Sunday school at Westwood Baptist Church in Kalamazoo, Mich., he was there to walk her to her parents’ Bible-study classroom on the other side of the building. He brought Denhollander gifts and asked her parents for her clothing size so he could buy her dresses. He was always a little too eager with a hug. The Denhollanders led one of the church’s ministries out of their home, which meant the man would visit their house regularly, often encouraging Rachael to sit on his lap, they recalled.

The man’s behavior caught the attention of a fellow congregant, who informed Sandy Burdick, a licensed counselor who led the church’s sexual-abuse support group. Burdick says she warned Denhollander’s parents that the man was showing classic signs of grooming behavior. They were worried, but they also feared misreading the situation and falsely accusing an innocent student, according to Camille Moxon, Denhollander’s mom. So they turned to their closest friends, their Bible-study group, for support.

The overwhelming response was: You’re overreacting. One family even told them that their kids could no longer play together, because they didn’t want to be accused next, Moxon says. Hearing this, Denhollander’s parents decided that, unless the college student committed an aggressive, sexual act, there was nothing they could do.

No one knew that, months earlier, he already had.

One night, while sitting in the family’s living room, surrounded by people, the college student masturbated while Denhollander sat on his lap, she recalls. It wasn’t until two years later that she was able to articulate to her parents what had happened. By that point, the student had left the church. Moxon was furious that her church community hadn’t listened. But she never told anyone what had happened to Rachael. “We had already tried once and weren’t believed,” Moxon says. “What was the point?”

Today, Denhollander can see how her church, which has since shut down, failed to protect her. But as a child, all she knew from her parents was that her abuse had made their church mad and that she wasn’t able to play with some of her friends. She blamed herself — and resolved that, if anyone else ever abused her, she wouldn’t mention it.

And so when Larry Nassar used his prestige as a doctor for the USA Gymnastics program to sexually assault Denhollander, she held to her vow. She wouldn’t put her family through something like that again. Her church had made it clear: No one believes victims.

Across the United States, evangelical churches are failing to protect victims of sexual abuse among their members. As the #MeToo movement has swept into communities of faith, several high-profile leaders have fallen: Paige Patterson, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was forced into early retirement this month after reports that he’d told a rape victim to forgive her assailant rather than call the police. Illinois megachurch pastor Bill Hybels similarly retired early after several women said he’d dispensed lewd comments, unwanted kisses and invitations to hotel rooms.

So many Christian churches in the United States do so much good — nourishing the soul, comforting the sick, providing services, counseling congregants, teaching Jesus’s example, and even working to fight sexual abuse and harassment. But like in any community of faith, there is also sin — often silenced, ignored and denied — and it is much more common than many want to believe. It has often led to failures by evangelicals to report sexual abuse, respond appropriately to victims and change the institutional cultures that enabled the abuse in the first place.

Without a centralized theological body, evangelical policies and cultures vary radically, and while some church leaders have worked to prevent abuse and harassment, many have not. The causes are manifold: authoritarian leadership, twisted theology, institutional protection, obliviousness about the problem and, perhaps most shocking, a diminishment of the trauma sexual abuse creates — especially surprising in a church culture that believes strongly in the sanctity of sex. “Sexual abuse is the most underreported thing — both in and outside the church — that exists,” says Boz Tchividjian, a grandson of Billy Graham and a former Florida assistant state attorney.

As a prosecutor, Tchividjian saw dozens of sexual abuse victims harmed by a church’s response to them. (In one case, a pastor did not report a sexual offender in his church because the man had repented. The offender was arrested only after he had abused five more children.) In 2004, Tchividjian founded the nonprofit organization Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), which trains Christian institutions in how to prevent sexual abuse and performs independent investigations when churches face an abuse crisis. Tchividjian says sexual abuse in evangelicalism rivals the Catholic Church scandal of the early 2000s.

Diagnosing the scope of the problem isn’t easy, because there’s no hard data. The most commonly referenced study shows how difficult it is to find accurate statistics. In that 2007 report, the three largest insurers of churches and Christian nonprofits said they received about 260 claims of sexual abuse against a minor each year. Those figures, though, exclude groups covered by other insurers, victims older than 18, people whose cases weren’t disclosed to insurance companies and the many who, like Denhollander, never came forward. In other words, the research doesn’t include what is certainly the vast majority of sexual abuse. The sex advice columnist and LGBT rights advocate Dan Savage, tired of what he called the hypocrisy of conservatives who believe that gays molest children, compiled his own list that documents more than 100 instances of youth pastors around the country who, between 2008 and 2016, were accused of, arrested for or convicted of sexually abusing minors in a religious setting.

The problem in collecting data stems, in part, from the loose or nonexistent hierarchy in evangelicalism. Catholic Church abusers benefited from an institutional cover-up, but that same bureaucracy enabled reporters to document a systemic scandal. In contrast, most evangelical groups prize the autonomy of local congregations, with major institutions like the Southern Baptist Convention having no authority to enforce a standard operating procedure among member churches. This means researchers attempting to study this issue have to comb through publicly available documents.

That’s what Wade Mullen, the director of the M.Div. program at Capital Seminary & Graduate School, did as a part of his PhD dissertation. He collected reports of evangelical pastors or ministers charged with a crime in order to understand how evangelical organizations respond to crisis. Over 2016 and 2017, Mullen found 192 instances of a leader from an influential church or evangelical institution being publicly charged with sexual crimes involving a minor, including rape, molestation, battery and child pornography. (This data did not include sexual crimes against an adult or crimes committed by someone other than a leader.)

His findings help explain a 2014 GRACE report on Bob Jones University, one of the most visible evangelical colleges in the country. The study showed that 56 percent of the 381 respondents who reported having knowledge of the school’s handling of abuse (a group that included current and former students, as well as employees) believed that BJU conveyed a “blaming and disparaging” attitude toward victims. Of the 166 people who said they had been victims of sexual abuse before or during their time at BJU, half said school officials had actively discouraged them from going to the police. According to one anonymous respondent, after he finally told the police about years of sexual abuse by his grandfather, a BJU official admonished him that “[you] tore your family apart, and that’s your fault,” and “you love yourself more than you love God.” BJU officials declined to comment for this article.

After he finally told the police about years of sexual abuse by his grandfather, a BJU official admonished him that ‘[you] tore your family apart, and that’s your fault,’ and ‘you love yourself more than you love God.’

That same year, 18 volunteers, staff members and interns at the Institute in Basic Life Principles (including many underage girls) accused its founder, Bill Gothard, of sexual harassment, molestation and assault. Gothard had enormous sway over a small but tight-knit collection of evangelical home-schooling families around the country. One of those families was the Duggars, stars of a TLC reality television show. Josh Duggar, the eldest of 19 kids and former executive director of the conservative Family Research Council’s political action group FRC Action, lost his job after reports that he molested four of his siblings and a babysitter as a teenager. For years Duggar’s abuse stayed hidden as his parents and an Arkansas state trooper — now in prison himself on charges of child pornography — declined to disclose the crimes. (The suit against Gothard was dropped. Duggar’s actions are now outside the statute of limitations. Neither responded to requests for comment.)

Sovereign Grace Churches (SGC), an influential chain of congregations, many located on the East Coast, allegedly failed to report sexual abuse claims during the ’80s and ’90s to the authorities and caused secondary trauma to victims through pastoral counseling, according to an extensive investigation by Washingtonian magazine. In one instance, an SGC pastor allegedly told a wife whose husband sexually abused their daughter to remain with him. When she asked how she could possibly stay married to a man attracted to children, she was told that her husband “was not attracted to his 11-year-old daughter but rather to the ‘woman’ she ‘was becoming.’ ” Two years into the husband’s prison sentence, SGC pastor Gary Ricucci wrote in support of his parole using church letterhead, and the church welcomed him back to the community after his release.

The wife no longer attends. Asked to comment on these episodes, SGC Executive Director Mark Prater emailed a statement: “We encourage all of our churches to immediately report any allegations or suspicions of abuse to criminal and civil authorities, regardless of state law or the passage of time.” He cited a program implemented in 2014, the “MinistrySafe child safety system,” that teaches member churches how to deal with reports of abuse. Ricucci — who, like other local pastors, does not answer to SGC officials — did not respond to requests for comment.

The evangelical defense of God-fearing offenders extends to the political realm. Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said President Trump’s “grab them by the p—y” comments and other crude language didn’t matter because “all of us are sinners.” During Roy Moore’s recent Senate campaign, a poll conducted by JMC Analytics of likely Alabama voters found that 39 percent of evangelicals were more likely to vote for Moore after multiple accusations that he’d initiated sexual contact with teenagers when he was in his 30s. “It comes down to a question [of] who is more credible in the eyes of the voters — the candidate or the accuser,” Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the evangelical Liberty University, said at the time. “… And I believe [Moore] is telling the truth.”

Jerry Falwell, left, president of Liberty University, said he believed Senate candidate Roy Moore instead of the women who accused him last fall of sexual misconduct. Moore, right, lost a special election for Senate in Alabama late last year after several women said he had made sexual advances toward them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. (Falwell: Alex Wong/Getty Images; Moore: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

It was the same message 7-year-old Denhollander heard: Stay silent, because the church won’t believe you.

Why are so many evangelicals (who also devote resources to fighting sex trafficking or funding shelters for battered women) so dismissive of the women in their own pews? Roger Canaff, a former New York state prosecutor who specialized in child sexual abuse, tells me that many worshipers he encountered felt persecuted by the secular culture around them — and disinclined to reach out to their persecutors for help in solving problems. This is the same dynamic that drove a cover-up culture among ultra-Orthodox communities in New York, where rabbis insisted on dealing with child abusers internally, according to several analysts.

But among evangelicals, there is an added eschatological component: According to a 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center, 41 percent of Americans believe that the end times will occur before 2050. In some evangelical teachings, a severe moral decay among unbelievers precedes the rapture of the faithful. Because of this, many evangelicals see the outside world as both a place in need of God’s love and a corrupt, fallen place at odds with the church. (“New Secularism is an attempt to undermine and destroy Christianity,” warned a headline in Christian Today a few years ago.)

This attitude could explain the 2017 case of an assistant pastor at Agape Bible Church in Thornton, Colo., who was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting an adolescent girl. The police investigation revealed that church leaders and the girl’s father agreed not to contact the police because the “biblical counseling” received within the church was sufficient to handle the case. According to an officer who interviewed the father, “His interest was in protecting the church and its reputation more than protecting his daughter.”

Partly, church leaders tend to circle the wagons out of arrogance. “I’ve worked with churches across the theological spectrum, from fundamentalist to progressive,” Tchividjian says. “They say: ‘I’m the man God’s placed in charge. I have the Bible. I know how to handle this.’ ”

But another, less visible problem is the overall attitude toward sex. Sexual sin is talked about constantly, and extramarital sex is considered a heinous moral lapse. (A student at Patterson’s seminary who told him she’d been date-raped was disciplined for being in the man’s room) It stands to reason that churches don’t want to air an epidemic of wickedness among their flocks.

When congregants believe that their church is the greatest good, they lack the framework to accept that something as awful as sexual abuse could occur within its walls; it is, in the words of Diane Langberg, a psychologist with 35 years of experience working with clergy members and trauma survivors, a “disruption.” In moments of crisis, Christians are forced to reconcile a cognitive dissonance: How can the church — often called “the hope of the world” in evangelical circles — also be an incubator for such evil? “Christians must decide whether to give into the impulse to minimize the disruption of the abuse, or let themselves see a serious problem in their community and deal with it,” Langberg says. “It’s when they find out if they truly believe what they say they believe.”

As an adult, Rachael Denhollander once again found herself at the center of one of these disruptions. The church she attended, Immanuel Baptist in Louisville, was actively supporting former SGC president C.J. Mahaney’s return to ministry. Mahaney had been asked to step down from his role in 2011 because of “various expressions of pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment and hypocrisy.” In 2012, a class-action lawsuit held that eight SGC pastors, including Mahaney, had covered up sexual abuse in the church. Mahaney and the SGC claimed vindication when a judge dismissed the lawsuit for eclipsing the statute of limitations. In 2016, Immanuel Baptist Church repeatedly invited Mahaney to preach at its weekend services.

Denhollander says she told her church’s leaders this was inappropriate, as Mahaney had never acknowledged a failure to properly handle allegations of sexual abuse under his leadership. But the church ignored her, and when Denhollander went public with accusations against Larry Nassar in the Indianapolis Star, a pastor accused her of projecting her story onto Mahaney’s. When she persisted, he told her she should consider finding a new church. (Maheney did not respond to requests for comment.)

“It is isolating and heartbreaking to sit in a church service where sexual abuse is being minimized,” Denhollander says. “The damage done [by abuse] is so deep and so devastating, and a survivor so desperately needs refuge and security. The question an abuse survivor is asking is ‘Am I safe?’ and ‘Do I matter?’ And when those in authority mishandle this conversation, it sends a message of no to both questions.”

At an untold number of Christian churches and institutions, the silence on sexual abuse is deafening. Statistically, evangelical pastors rarely mention the issue from the pulpit. According to research from the evangelical publishing company LifeWay, 64 percent of pastors said they talk about sexual violence once a year, or even less than that. Pastors drastically underestimate the number of victims in their congregations; a majority of them guessed in the survey that 10 percent or less might be victims. But in 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 4 women (women make up approximately 55 percent of evangelicals) and 1 in 9 men have been sexually abused. There is no evidence suggesting those numbers are lower inside the church.

Those who do publicly preach on sexual abuse are often stunned by the response. Kathy Christopher, a pastor to women at Christian Assembly Church in Los Angeles, first spoke on the topic while sharing the story of her own abuse. Immediately, fellow survivors opened up about their experiences, Christopher says. “Sadly, my story was not an unusual story. It was heartbreaking to see how many people needed to talk about this trauma in their past.”

When a judge sentenced Nassar for molesting hundreds of young girls, Denhollander was there; she spoke at length in the courtroom, reminding Nassar that the Christian concept of forgiveness comes from “repentance, which requires facing and acknowledging the truth about what you have done in all of its utter depravity and horror, without mitigation, without excuse, without acting as if good deeds can erase” it.

It was a word of warning for a community that, writ large, has been complicit in minimizing or enabling rape, molestation and emotional abuse within its walls. Denhollander also said that one of the prices she paid for calling out Nassar was losing her church, referring to her experience at Immanuel Baptist.

When the pastors there saw Denhollander’s statement, they began to understand the damage they had done. In a statement released by email this week, the board said the church had sinned in its treatment of the Denhollanders and had sought their forgiveness. (Denhollander says she accepts the apology.) Officials also said that SGC pastors will no longer be speaking at their church while accusations against them remain unanswered. “In the last few months God has increased our sensitivity to the concerns of the abused,” the statement reads. “He has called us to look at our own shortcomings as pastors. He has allowed us to seek and receive forgiveness from those we have failed.”

Immanuel Baptist Church faced a choice, the same one before many American churches today: Face the sin in their midst and make the church a place that follows the biblical command to care for the powerless and victimized — or avoid the disruption and churn out another generation of silenced victims who learn, like Denhollander did, that the church isn’t safe.

#churchtoo #rape culture #christianity

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awarenesshealing · 4 years ago

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Counselling Services Central Coast

#Counselling Services Central Coast #Counselling Therapy Central Coast #Hypnotherapy In Sydney #Hypnotherapy in Central Coast

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technologiespiner · 2 years ago

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jethomme · 6 years ago

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California Voters: Vote YES on Proposition 10--Fairness to Renters paying in excess of 30% of their income on rent.

Make it clear to greedy developers and unscrupulous landlords that the rent is too damn high! We’re counting on grassroots supporters to step up and vote for Proposition 10 on November 6. Your vote and your voice COUNT! Give the right of city self-determination back to each city government = local control. People on fixed incomes like retirees, veterans, and others require reasonable rents. Median home values have increased by 80% since 2011. More than half the renters in the state of California spend MORE than 30% of their income on rent (Haas Institute for Fair & Inclusive Society, UC Berkeley).

Vote for fairness, or do not be surprised at budding chaos.

Partial list of endorsements follow:

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin (fmr)

State Senator Ben Allen

State Senator Connie M. Leyva

State Senator Kevin De Leon

State Senator Ricardo Lara

State Assemblymember David Chiu

State Assemblymember Laura Friedman

State Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher

State Assemblymember Mike Davis (fmr)

State Assemblymember Phil Ting

State Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer

State Assemblymember Rob Bonta

State Assemblymember Tony Thurmond

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin

Berkeley Rent Board Member Igor Tregub

Berkeley Rent Board Member Leah Simon-Weisberg

Beverly Hills Vice Mayor John Mirisch

Culver City Vice Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells

Culver City Councilmember Daniel Lee

El Cerrito Mayor Gabriel Quinto

Emeryville Mayor Ken Bukowski (fmr)

Fontana School Board Member Mary Sandoval

Fowler Mayor Don Cardenas

Highland City Mayor Pro Tem Jesus Chavez

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti

Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu

Los Angeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo

Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin

Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz

Los Angeles City Councilmember Robert Farrell (fmr)

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn

Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl

Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member George McKenna

Malibu City Councilmember Lou La Monte

Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel

Mountain View Councilmember Pat Showalter

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf

Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb

Oakland City Councilmember Desley Brooks

Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan

Redlands City Councilmember Eddie Tejeda

Richmond Vice Mayor Melvin Willis

Richmond City Councilmember Jovanka Beckles

Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin (fmr)

San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen

San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer

San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim

San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin

San Jose Councilmember Don Rocha

San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez

Santa Barbara Community College Board of Trustees Vice President Jonathan Abboud

Santa Clara City Councilmember Nassim Nouri

Santa Cruz City Councilmember Chris Krohn

Santa Monica City Councilmember Kevin McKeown

Santa Monica City Councilmember Sue Himmelrich

Santa Monica City Councilmember Tony Vazquez

Santa Monica Rent Board Member Caroline Torosis

Santa Monica Rent Board Member Nicole Phillis

Tulare City Council Member Jose Sigala

Ukiah Mayor Phil Baldwin (fmr)

Vallejo School Board Member Ruscal Cayangyang

West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath

West Hollywood City Councilmember Lauren Meister

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City of Berkeley

City of Beverly Hills

City of Oakland

City of Palm Springs

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Los Angeles Times

Sacramento Bee

ColoradoBlvd.net

The Daily Californian

East Bay Express

Hoy Los Angeles

KnockLA

San Francisco Bay Guardian

Santa Maria Times

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDERS

Housing California

Affordable Housing Alliance

Affordable Housing Network of Santa Clara County

Berkeley Student Cooperative

Christian Church Homes

Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO)

East LA Community Corporation

Esperanza Community Housing Corporation

Marty’s Place Affordable Housing Corporation

Mission Economic Development Agency

Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)

Oakland Community Land Trust

Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH)

Tenderloin Housing Clinic

Thai Community Development Center

TRUST South LA

Venice Community Housing Corporation

Women Organizing Resources Knowledge and Services (WORKS)

TENANT/HOUSING RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

Housing NOW! California

Tenants Together

Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives

Alameda Renters Coalition

Anti-Eviction Mapping Project

Arcata Lazy J Homeowners Association

Asian Law Alliance

Berkeley Tenants Union

Beverly Hills Renters Alliance

Bill Sorro Housing Program (BiSHoP)

California Coalition for Rural Housing

Causa Justa / Just Cause

Chinatown Community for Equitable Development

Coalition for Economic Survival

El Comite de Vecinos del Lado Oeste, East Palo Alto

Comite de la Esperanza

De Rose Gardens Tenant Association (DRGTA)

East Bay Housing Organizations

East Palo Alto Council of Tenants Education Fund

Equity Housing Alliance

EveryOne Home

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California

Gamaliel CA

Glendale Tenants Union

Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League

Homes for All

Homeless Student Advocate Alliance

Housing 4 Sacramento

Housing Long Beach

Housing Rights Committee San Francisco

Hunger Action Coalition Los Angeles

Inquilinos Unidos

Isla Vista Tenants Union

LiBRE (Long Beach Residents Empowered)

Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN)

Los Angeles Tenants Union

Manufactured Housing Action

Mountain View Tenants Coalition

Oakland Tenants Union

Orange County Mobile Home Residents Coalition

Pasadena Tenants Union

People of Color Sustainable Housing Network

People Organized for Westside Renewal (POWER)

Poverty Matters

Property Owners for Fair and Affordable Housing

The Q Foundation

Renters of Moreno Valley

Sacramento Housing Alliance

Sacramento Tenants Union

Sanctuary of Hope

San Diego Tenants United

San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition

San Francisco Tenants Union

Santa Ana Tenants United

Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR)

Shelter for All Koreatown

Sonoma County Manufactured-Home Owners Association

Sonoma Valley Housing Group

South Pasadena Tenants Union

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)

Students United with Renters

Union de Vecinos

United for Housing Justice (SF)

United Neighbors In Defense Against Displacement (UNIDAD)

Uplift Inglewood

Urban Habitat

TENANT LEGAL SERVICES

Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus

BASTA

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation

Center for Community Action & Environmental Justice

Centro Legal de la Raza

Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto

Crow & Rose, Tenant Lawyers

East Bay Community Law Center

Eviction Defense Center

Eviction Defense Network

Inner City Law Center – Los Angeles

LA Center for Community Law & Action

Law Foundation of Silicon Valley

National Lawyers Guild – Los Angeles

Public Advocates

Public Counsel

Public Interest Law Project

Western Center on Law and Poverty

LABOR & WORKERS RIGHTS

California Labor Federation

AFSCME California People

AFSCME Local 3299

AFT Local 2121

AFT Local 1521

Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace & Justice

California Faculty Association

California Federation of Teachers

California Nurses Association

California Teachers Association

Central Coast Alliance United For A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE)

Employee Rights Center San Diego

Humboldt and Del Norte Counties Central Labor Council AFL-CIO

International Union of Painters & Allied Trades Local 510

Jobs with Justice San Francisco

Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Los Angeles Black Worker Center

Oakland Education Association (OEA)

National Union of Healthcare Workers

Painters & Allied Trades 36

Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers Retirees

San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Central Labor Council

SEIU California

SEIU Local 1021

SEIU Local 99

SEIU Local 221

SEIU Local 521

SEIU Local 721

SEIU Local 2015

SEIU USWW

UC Student-Workers Union UAW Local 2865

United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America UAW Local 5810

UFCW Local 770

Unite HERE Local 11

Unite HERE Local 2850

Unite HERE Local 2

United Educators of San Francisco

United Taxi Workers of San Diego

United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA)

Warehouse Worker Resource Center

POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

California Democratic Party

Green Party of California

Peace and Freedom Party of California

Our Revolution

AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund

Alhambra Democratic Club

Americans for Democratic Action Southern California

Bernal Heights Democratic Club

Bernie Sanders Brigade

California Progressive Alliance

Chicano Latino Caucus of the California Democratic Party

Democratic Socialists of America

Democratic Socialists of America East Bay

Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles

Democratic Socialists of America Orange County

Democratic Socialists of America Peninsula

Democratic Socialists of America Pomona Valley

Democratic Socialists of America Sacramento

Democratic Socialists of America San Diego

Democratic Socialists of America San Francisco

Democratic Socialists of America Santa Cruz

Democratic Socialists of America Silicon Valley

Democratic Socialists of America Ventura County

East Area Progressive Dems

El Dorado County Democratic Party

Feel the Bern Democratic Club Los Angeles

Green Party of Santa Clara County

Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club

Humboldt County Democrats

Inland Empire for Our Revolution

International Socialist Organization

Los Angeles County Democratic Party

Napa County Green Party

NorCal4OurRevolution

North Valley Democratic Club

Our Revolution

Our Revolution East Bay

Our Revolution Progressive Los Angeles

Our Revolution Santa Ana

Our Revolution Ventura County

Party for Socialism and Liberation – SF

Peninsula Young Democrats

Progressive Democrats of America California PAC

Progressive Democrats of America San Fernando Valley

Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains

Richmond Progressive Alliance

San Bernardino County Young Democrats

San Diego Central Committee of the Peace and Freedom Party of CA

San Diego County Peace and Freedom Party

San Francisco Berniecrats

San Francisco County Democratic Party

San Francisco Latino Democratic Club

San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party

San Luis Obispo County Progressives

San Pedro Democratic Club

Santa Monica Democratic Club

Socialist Alternative Los Angeles

Socialist Party of Ventura County

Stonewall Democratic Club

UC Berkeley Young Democratic Socialists of America

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club

West Hollywood-Beverly Hills Democratic Club

CIVIL RIGHTS/LIBERTIES ORGANIZATIONS

ACLU of California

ACLU of Northern California

ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties

ACLU of Southern California

Advocates for Black Strategic Alternatives

African American Cultural Center

American Indian Movement Southern California

APGA Tour

API Equality – LA

Black Community Clergy & Labor Alliance

Brotherhood Crusade

CARECEN

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA)

Committee for Racial Justice

Council on American-Islamic Relations California (CAIR)

Dellums Institute for Social Justice

Fannie Lou Hamer Institute

Institute of the Black World 21st Century

Latino Equality Alliance

Los Angeles Urban League

MLK Coalition of Greater LA

Muslim Public Alliance Council (MPAC)

National Action Network Los Angeles

National Urban League

Services Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) San Jose

Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Southern California

United Native Americans

Urban League of San Diego County

Youth Justice Coalition

HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS

Access Support Network San Luis Obispo & Monterey Counties

AIDS Healthcare Foundation

APAIT (Special Service for Groups)

Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement

Black Women for Wellness

Latino Health Access

San Francisco Human Services Network

Sierra Foothills AIDS Foundation

St. John’s Well Child & Family Center

Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases (WORLD)

SENIOR ORGANIZATIONS

California Alliance for Retired Americans

Monterey County Area Agency on Aging

Senior and Disability Action

Social Security Works

FAITH INSTITUTIONS & LEADERS

Rev. James Lawson

AME Ministerial Alliance – NorCal

Bend the Arc – Southern California

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Social Justice Committee

California Church IMPACT

Cheryl Ward Ministries

Christian Church Homes

Church Without Walls – Skid Row Los Angeles

Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice – Los Angeles (CLUE)

Congregational Church of Palo Alto

Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)

Congregations Organizing For Renewal (COR)

First AME Church – Los Angeles

Greater Long Beach Interfaith Community Organization (ICO)

Holman United Methodist Church – Los Angeles

Inland Empire African American Pastors

Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity

Jewish Center for Justice

LA Voice – PICO Affiliate

Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California

McCarty Memorial Christian Church – Los Angeles

Multi-faith ACTION Coalition

Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

Oakland Community Organizing – PICO Affiliate (OCO)

PACT: People Acting in Community Together – PICO Affiliate

PICO California

Poor People’s Campaign of California

Sacramento ACT – PICO Affiliate

Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church

Unitarian Universalist Faith in Action Committee

STATEWIDE, REGIONAL & LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

ACTICON

Advancement Project California

Alliance for Community Transit – Los Angeles (ACT-LA)

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE Action)

Allies for Life

All Peoples Community Center

ANSWER SF

Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)

Associated Students of UC Santa Barbara

Block by Block Organizing Network

Brave New Films

California Bicycle Coalition

California Calls

California Environmental Justice Alliance

Californians for Justice

California for Progress

Californians for Safety and Justice

Californian Latinas for Reproductive Justice

California Partnership

California Reinvestment Coalition

Chicano Latino Caucus of San Bernardino County

Chispa

Coalition to Preserve LA

CDTech

Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council – Los Angeles

Committee to Defend Roosevelt

Communities for a New California

Community Coalition

Consumer Watchdog

Courage Campaign

Creating Freedom Movements

Crenshaw Subway Coalition

D5Action

Dolores Huerta Foundation

The East Oakland Collective

East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice

Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to End Poverty in Contra Costa County

Environmental Health Coalition

Friends Committee on Legislation of California

The Fund for Santa Barbara

GLIDE Foundation

The Green Scene TV

Ground Game LA

The Hayward Collective

Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council – Los Angeles

Hyde Park Organizational Partnership for Empowerment

Indivisible SF

Inland Empire United

Inland Empowerment

InnerCity Struggle

Justice House

Kenwood Oakland Community Organization

Korean Resource Center

LA Forward

Latino Economic Development Center

Latinos United for a New America

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability Central Valley

League of Women Voters of California

League of Women Voters of Los Angeles

Liberty Hill Foundation

Livable California

Los Feliz Neighborhood Council – Los Angeles

Million Voter Project

Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc.

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote

Neighbors United – San Francisco

9to5 Los Angeles Chapter

North Bay Organizing Project

Orange County Civic Engagement Table

Organize Sacramento

Pasadenans Organizing for Progress

People for Mobility Justice

Places in the City

PolicyLink

Pomona Economic Opportunity Center

Progressive Alliance – San Bernardino County

Progressive Asian Network for Action

Public Bank LA/Revolution LA/Divest LA

Rampart Village Neighborhood Council – Los Angeles

Right Way Foundation

Rubicon Programs

RYSE Youth Center

Sacred Heart Community Service

Sero Project

SF Neighbors United

The Sidewalk Project

Sierra Club of California

Sierra Club of San Gorgonio Chapter

Silicon Valley De-Bug

Skid Row Coffee

Sociedad Organizada de Latinas Activas

Solidarity – Bay Area

SolidarityINFOService

Southeast Asian Community Alliance

South of Market Community Action Network

STAND LA

Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE)

University of California Student Association

Urban Tilth

Velveteen Rabbit Project

Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council – Los Angeles

Working Partnerships USA

Xochipilli Latino Men’s Circle

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