Latest news with #JavierReyes
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UMass Amherst designated ‘hostile campus' by Council on American Islamic Relations
AMHERST — The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its Massachusetts chapter has named the University of Massachusetts Amherst a 'hostile campus,' after its response to pro-Palestinian protests last spring and the year before. In a statement from the council on Tuesday, the group said UMass Amherst made discriminatory sanctions against students during their protests of the war in Gaza and demonstrated a 'pattern of neglect in addressing anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian harassment.' The council is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. In its response, the university said in an email on Thursday that the council's claims are 'riddled with significant inaccuracies.' A spokesperson for the Islamic council did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twenty-two universities were deemed hostile if they created a 'dangerous environment for anti-genocide students,' the council said in its statement. Harvard University in Cambridge is the only other Massachusetts school to get the hostile designation this year. Students, faculty and staff were encouraged to file a 'Report a Hostile Campus' form if they wanted the council to look into complaints reported about a university. Some of the claims against the university stem from an October 2023 protest when 57 demonstrators were arrested for protesting the war in Gaza and the university's investments in Raytheon, a weapons manufacturer. Last April and early May, students continued to protest the war, one of a number of protests around the country. A May 7 protest at UMass Amherst led to the arrests of 130 students and faculty. Participants, including community members, shortly thereafter called for the resignation of Javier Reyes, the university's then-newly minted chancellor, after he invited police to dismantle and disperse the demonstrations. In February, it was revealed that Reyes was interviewing for work elsewhere, with less than two years on the job in Amherst. Throughout the summer and into the fall, students faced academic and legal repercussions for participating in the protests. At the end of the summer, Reyes' Campus Demonstration Policy Task Force released a report on the university's updated policies and practices around student protests. The task force was made up of students, faculty and university leadership. Then in January, an independent review of the university's response to the May 7 protest and arrests found that campus administration 'acted reasonably,' but could have done more to protect its relationship with students. The Islamic council recently said in a civil rights report on unconstitutional crackdowns that Islamophobia 'continues to be at an all-time high across the country,' and 'viewpoint discrimination against those speaking out against genocide and apartheid was a key factor in many cases.' Last April, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights also began investigating the university after a 49-page complaint filed by Palestine Legal, alleging that the university had not been responsive to student reports about anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination on campus. UMass said in its statement on Thursday that the federal Office of Civil Rights is still investigating the complaint. The Department of Education's press office has not yet responded to a query from The Republican on the state of the inquiry. In its emailed response to the 'Hostile Campus' designation, UMass said many of the Islamic council's claims are 'false,' according to Emily Gest, associate vice chancellor for news and media relations at the university. For example, she said the organization's claims that UMass Amherst created a ban on 'tents, face coverings and essential protest materials' improperly linked users to an article about UMass Boston, a sister school. 'UMass Amherst has no such policies and is an entirely separate campus,' the statement said. Gest clarified that, at UMass Amherst, there is a review process for erecting any structures, including tents. Another erroneous claim made by the organization was that police used Tasers and pepper spray on the protesters, Gest said. The university said, 'No Tasers, pepper spray or any other crowd-dispersal tools were used in any demonstration response." The university also said it did not 'criminalize peaceful demonstrations.' "As the university has stated on multiple occasions over the past year, 'Nobody's right to free speech or right to peacefully assemble was infringed upon. The university's decision to engage law enforcement was based entirely on safety.' The fortified encampments, constructed of 2,000 pounds of wood and fencing installed by demonstrators, were not protected speech," the statement said. A final claim by the Islamic organization said three students were 'banned from studying abroad, leaving them scrambling for housing and alternative academic options' also was partially informed. The International Programs Office revoked eligibility for some students to study abroad for the upcoming winter/spring terms because of the disciplinary actions against them, but those were all dealt with prior to the study abroad period. 'No student received a study abroad ban and (were) fully eligible to apply for study abroad once any disciplinary sanctions were resolved,' the university said. Lawmakers decry FirstLight dam's 300-gallon oil spill into Conn. River Island Spice food truck catches fire, rendered unusable, owner says Religion Notes: June 5, 2025 Springfield first in the state to propose regulations banning 'gas station weed' Read the original article on MassLive.
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Javier Reyes hopes redemption garners call-up: 'I will make my door to the f*cking UFC'
Javier Reyes hopes redemption garners call-up: 'I will make my door to the f*cking UFC' If the door is closed and locked, Javier Reyes will bust down the wall to get into the room. Currently the No. 1 pound-for-pound prospect according to Tapology's North American rankings, Reyes (20-4) has had over 50 fights total between amateur and professional. However, the letters U, F, and C have not appeared on his resume in sequential order. "I'm out here for redemption after the last fight in LFA," Reyes recently told MMA Junkie through a Spanish-language interpreter. "It didn't go my way. I made a mistake. I feel good and efficient after my last fight, five or six weeks ago. The fight was real short, like a minute. I feel like I didn't even take a punch or nothing. I'm in the best shape of my life, and I'm out for redemption and to show the world why I'm Tapology's No. 1." Reyes, 31, returns to LFA seeking redemption. The lone loss in his currently 10-1 stretch came under the LFA banner in an interim title fight vs. Lerryon Douglas in August. Reyes has picked up two consecutive wins in other promotions since then, fixated on not letting one loss define him. "I never care," Reyes said. "You see my career. Unlike a lot of fighters and manager, who protect the kids, and don't want to take fights, I fight the toughest guys who are there. I don't care who it is. I'm coming for everybody. If UFC doesn't open up the door, I'm going to make my own door. That's a way to make doors. I take all the tough people. I'll fight anybody. I'm one of the toughest guys out there. I'm going to prove that to everybody again on Friday night. I'm the toughest guy." There are a number of motivators for Reyes, but perhaps none more so than wanting Colombia-born representation in the UFC. While he finished his camp in Arizona with Javier Torres, Reyes mostly self-trains with a small team in Colombia – further proving his love for his country. "I spent most of the time with Colombia," Reyes said. "I put a lot of time in here as well. But I have my own little team over there and I want to tell everybody, anything is possible. A lot of these guys leave. But sometimes, I train in the park. We train here and there and can prove to the world that even in Colombia you can do everything from your own home as well." On Friday at LFA 208, Reyes headlines vs. Chris Mecate (10-2), a fighter who trains under Cub Swanson. Given the marquee placement and difficulty of opponent, Reyes sees this as an unofficial Dana White's Contender Series fight. The event takes place at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, Calif. and streams on UFC Fight Pass. "I'll say one thing. I'm not just a fighter," Reyes said. "I like finishing fights. Even if in my last fight in LFA I got finished, I came to finish. I don't come to fight for a decision. I come out to finish the person, to finish the toughest guy in front of me – anybody. That's how I'm going to make my door to the f*cking UFC. I come to finish. I come to fight. I don't want a decision. I come to prove I'm the best."
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UMass students' legal status restored after visas revoked
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – Thirteen UMass students who had their visas revoked have had their student immigration status restored. New strain of bacteria in tick discovered at UMass Amherst The University says that the Office of Global Affairs and other offices are working with each of the students on a case-by-case basis to advise them of their next steps. UMass Amherst is currently home to over 5,000 international students. The UMass students were among thousands of foreign students who had their legal status restored following a policy change from the Trump Administration late last week. The administration had faced lawsuits from lawyers arguing students were at risk of deportation for minor infractions or even charges that were previously dismissed in court. UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes said the University was never notified by the federal government about the revocations. While the University was never notified about the revocations, UMass Chancellor Reyes said they only saw an update in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System database. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
More UMass Amherst student visas revoked
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – Additional UMass Amherst students have had their visas revoked, bringing the total number of students up to 13. Last week, five students had their visas revoked following the Trump Administration's crackdown on immigration. UMass Amherst is currently home to over 5,000 international students. More international students get visas revoked, immigration attorney says they have little protections UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes said the University was never notified by the federal government about the revocations. It's currently unclear why the students visas were taken away. 22News Reporter Sara Bien-Aime is following this story and will provide updates on 22News starting at 5 p.m. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Visa revoked for Emerson College international student, school says
Advertisement It's 'important to note that we have no reason to believe that this student was targeted for protest-related activity,' he said. Last week, University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes said President Trump campaigned on a promise to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. His administration's targeting of international students appeared to begin last month when federal agents detained Columbia graduate student On March 25, university's response to the pro-Palestinian movement and calling for divestment from Israel, was detained in Somerville near campus by masked ICE agents. Advertisement In the past two weeks, more colleges and universities have learned that their international students have been stripped of their visas, without prior notice or explanation, and in many cases, have also had their legal residency status terminated. The schools include Arizona State, Cornell University, North Carolina State, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas, and the University of Colorado. Locally Harvard University, Northeastern University, Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts campuses in Boston and Amherst say they discovered that the federal government has declared that some international students are no longer in the country legally, 'As we enter this final month of the academic year, I encourage everyone in our community to do their best to remain focused on what matters most: academics, enrollment, and supporting one another,' Bernhardt said in his statement. 'I also urge our community to resist the external and internal pressures that seek to inflame and divide us. Emersonians are creative, compassionate, and committed, and our collective strengths and shared values will help us through even the most challenging times.' Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
