Latest news with #Stough
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UI graduate student union compiles resources after campus learns of visa cancellations
University of Iowa graduate students are working to compile information and resources for international students worried about their visas. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) After news broke of a visa being revoked from an international graduate student at the University of Iowa, UI Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS) President Cary Stough said people immediately started asking the organization and him what can be done to help. Stough said he wasn't surprised to hear about the incident, the latest in a series of visa cancellations hitting international students across the country. International graduate students have been preparing for something like this to happen, he said — deactivating social media, checking on their visas, making sure their university documents are up to date and connecting with immigration lawyers. 'People are very, very terrified right now,' Stough said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX COGS is compiling resources and contacts to become a hub of knowledge for international students who need help, Stough said, while urging the UI to take a harder stance against actions that hurt its students. The graduate workers union sent out a news release to students and media with information and relevant services. UI Public Relations Manager Chris Brewer said in an email the university is 'aware of students who have been impacted' by changes to their visa, but no details can be provided due to privacy reasons. He did not respond to questions about university recommendations for affected students or procedures in the situation where Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, officials come to campus looking to detain a student. UI International Programs Dean and Associate Provost Russell Ganim alerted international students and scholars about the revoked visa Thursday morning through an email, which included contact information for the Iowa State Bar Association, UI Student Legal Services and the Iowa Law law clinic. 'International students and scholars are valued members of the Iowa community,' Ganim said in the email. COGS added to the university's list in its news release, naming the American Immigration Lawyers Association, IC Compassion, Iowa City Catholic Worker, Eschucha Mi Voz Iowa and the Prairielands Freedom Fund as helpful organizations in this matter. Many immigration lawyers who have spoken with COGS are saying if a student hasn't heard anything about changes to their visa then they shouldn't leave the country, Stough said. According to the release, if a student sees their student visa listed as revoked in the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS), they should connect with the UI Immigration Law Clinic to check their student status and discuss next steps. So far, communication has stayed primarily within departments relating to international students, Stough said. He was told by university officials that if ICE agents do attempt to enter classrooms or other private spaces on campus, involved parties should contact the university's Office of the General Counsel. International graduate students should also reach out to COGS members to plan how to keep themselves and others safe, the news release stated. 'If push comes to shove, we will protect our neighbors, our friends and our fellow coworkers here at the university to make sure that this is not only a safe space where they can continue to do research and teaching, but also a space where they're welcome,' Stough said. University administration should make their intention to protect international students public, Stough said, and gave the option of paying impacted students' legal fees as a good first step in offering support. If the UI continues to lose graduate students due to state and federal actions, either being forced to go or choosing to leave, Stough said eventually it won't have enough workers to teach courses. This would lead to lower undergraduate enrollment and the loss of revenue. 'The university should be standing up for its international students,' Stough said. 'Diversity here makes us great. It also connects us with a larger community throughout the world, and any infringement upon that should be against the university's mission.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Associated Press
19-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Reaching for the Sky
Lafayette-based FlyGuys uses AI to match drone operators with reality data clients across the nation. LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA / ACCESS Newswire / March 18, 2025 / As AI continues to evolve, Louisiana tech investor Joe Stough is leading the way with FlyGuys, which uses proprietary software to match supply and demand for drones. With a managed online marketplace business model, FlyGuys brings together over 14,000 Federal Aviation Administration-licensed drone pilots nationwide to assist clients and software companies in need of reality data. FlyGuys' clients work in various industries, performing tasks such as studying the productivity of a solar panel, inspecting utility poles, assessing the status of a commercial parking lot, or even modeling a cell tower. What unites them is a shared goal: easily finding and engaging drone operators to do work that would otherwise be difficult or dangerous for humans. 'Our drone operators are capable of delivering inspection reports quickly and with more precision than a human looking with their naked eye,' says Stough, CEO. Stough's extensive history as a global software creator and tech investor-with a focus on operational excellence-has given him valuable insight into the industry. He came to FlyGuys after successfully investing in the food delivery app Waitr, a company he eventually ran and took public. When common investors between Waitr and FlyGuys asked Stough to serve as a coach to the FlyGuys founder, he became an investor and was named Board Chairman. In 2022, Stough shifted gears and became CEO with the goal of elevating FlyGuys to a new level by bringing operational excellence processes to an already promising business model. How It Works Engaging FlyGuys is simple. Once clients submit an order for data capture using FlyGuys' proprietary cloud-based software, the AI platform sources the appropriate drone pilot based on location and experience, obtains a commitment from the pilot through a micro-contract, and coordinates the mission. Drone operators then confirm the job by a specified check-in confirmation date, ensuring no customer commitments fall through the cracks. 'Other companies deliver a similar service, but most narrow their focus to one or two vertical markets,' says Stough. 'FlyGuys is AI-agnostic by design, so there's no limit to the vertical markets we can access.' As partners to AI software companies and drone pilots or service providers, FlyGuys' pure horizontal focus makes it unique. The company also prides itself on delivering quality services however big it grows. Market response has been exceptional. After a significant investment in cloud-based software, FlyGuys' revenue exploded from $3.9 million in 2023 to $10 million in 2024. By 2025, the company is projected to grow an additional 100%, and over the next five years its annual revenue is on track to reach $100 million. 'But even that,' says Stough, 'is nowhere near the limit of FlyGuys' potential. 'The total market for these reality data-gathering products is in the billions,' he continues. 'It's a highly disruptive technology in a sizable but fragmented market with very little competition. And it's exactly the kind of technology that clients nationwide will need to grow into the future.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UI graduate workers worried about potential for year-by-year funding negotiations
A few University of Iowa graduate workers have expressed concern about potential contract changes that could destabilize their future studies. The UI said it is working to ensure all students — potential or current — of specific contract contingencies that are tied to funding. Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, or COGS, President Cary Stough said he spent much of Friday, March 14 speaking with faculty and university human resources staff to get more information on an alleged decision by the university to transition graduate student contracts from being funded through a set amount of years determined in the contract to being funded year-over-year. This announcement and the lack of available information about how it will be enforced and its ensuing impact has graduate students scared and worried. 'If they weren't already freaking out or feeling precarious, they're feeling extremely precarious now,' Stough said. More: 'Shell-shocked': Trans UI grad committed to local advocacy after new law strips protections Contracts for international students are among Stough's biggest concerns, noting that there could be impacts on student visas if their holder's funding is suddenly gone. According to a statement from the University of Iowa, provided over email by UI spokesperson Steve Schmadeke, 'graduate assistantship appointments have always been dependent on available funding,' with many UI programs having the information listed in admissions and employment communications. 'Given the current uncertainties in the funding environment, the university believes it is important to ensure that all prospective and admitted graduate students are fully aware of the contingencies that come with financial support,' the statement read. Some UI departments have already felt devastating blows from canceled funding, including the International Writing Program, Iowa Flood Center and Iowa Geological Survey. More: Nearly $1 million in grant funding for the UI's International Writing Program has been 'terminated' The UI said in its statement it 'is not aware' of any graduate student admission or employment offers being rescinded. At Iowa State University, some offers to prospective graduate students that hadn't been accepted yet have been rescinded due to funding uncertainty. More: Iowa State graduate students grapple with rescinded offers amid 'funding uncertainties' All university units with graduate students have been encouraged by the UI to 'clearly outline the contingencies that come with financial support in their admissions and employment offers' for both prospective and enrolled graduate students, according to the statement. 'This clarification does not reflect a change in policy or a withdrawal of any existing agreements,' the statement read. Stough said many, but not all, departments already had language like this in their contracts, but it has been expanded to the whole university now. His own contract as a doctoral student in the university's English department is slated for seven years, with the money to pay him earmarked for the duration of the contract. Going to a year-to-year policy could free up funds for areas seeing negative impacts of federal actions, like pausing funding and canceling projects. Templates of graduate teaching appointment letters from the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years both have 'availability of funding' listed as a determining factor in whether contract renewals are approved. The template for the upcoming academic year, listed online as being updated March 14, also lists funding availability as a contingency for appointment, while the current year template lists 'examples of possible contingencies,' but does not include funding. It does say different programs may have different examples to list when creating a specific appointment letter. More: UI graduate students rally for higher wages outside President Wilson's office With the current lack of information from the university on timelines and other information relating to potentially losing their funding, Stough said there are really only two options for graduate students who don't get funded — take on all of the cost burdens of graduate education without the aid that was previously provided, or drop out. 'That's really the stakes here,' Stough said. 'We don't get paid enough year-to-year as graduate workers, we know that, but we just certainly do not get paid enough to, if we're told we're not going to get funding, to turn around and start paying for our education.' Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@ This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Are University of Iowa graduate students facing funding cuts?
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UI graduate students concerned over contract funding uncertainty
Graduate students at the University of Iowa are voicing concerns about changes to their contracts to make funding year-to-year, which the UI claims has always been the norm. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) University of Iowa graduate workers are voicing concerns of potential contract changes destabilizing their futures, with the UI stating it is working to ensure all students — potential or current — know about contingencies in their contract relating to funding. Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, or COGS, President Cary Stough said he spent much of Friday speaking with faculty and university human resources staff to get more information on an apparent decision by the university to transition graduate student contracts from being funded through a set amount of years determined in the contract to being funded year-over-year. This announcement, and the lack of available information about implementation and potential consequences, has graduate students feeling worry and fear. 'If they weren't already freaking out or feeling precarious, they're feeling extremely precarious now,' Stough said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Contracts for international students are among Stough's biggest concerns, he said, as there could be impacts on student visas if their holder's funding is suddenly gone. According to a statement from the UI, provided over email by UI spokesperson Steve Schmadeke, 'graduate assistantship appointments have always been dependent on available funding,' with many UI programs having the information listed in admissions and employment communications. 'Given the current uncertainties in the funding environment, the university believes it is important to ensure that all prospective and admitted graduate students are fully aware of the contingencies that come with financial support,' the statement read. Some UI departments have already felt devastating blows from canceled funding, including the International Writing Program, Iowa Flood Center and Iowa Geological Survey. The UI said in its statement it 'is not aware' of any graduate student admission or employment offers being rescinded. At Iowa State University, some offers to prospective graduate students that hadn't been accepted yet have been rescinded due to funding uncertainty. All university units with graduate students have been encouraged by the UI to 'clearly outline the contingencies that come with financial support in their admissions and employment offers' for both prospective and enrolled graduate students, according to the statement. 'This clarification does not reflect a change in policy or a withdrawal of any existing agreements,' the statement read. Stough said many, but not all, departments already had language like this in their contracts, but it has been expanded to the whole university now. His own contract as a doctoral student in the university's English department is slated for seven years, with the money to pay him earmarked for the duration of the contract. Going to a year-to-year policy could free up funds for areas seeing negative impacts of federal actions, like pausing funding and canceling projects. Templates of graduate teaching appointment letters from the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years both have 'availability of funding' listed as a determining factor in whether contract renewals are approved. The template for the upcoming academic year, listed online as being updated March 14, also lists funding availability as a contingency for appointment, while the current year template lists 'examples of possible contingencies,' but does not include funding. It does say different programs may have different examples to list when creating a specific appointment letter. With the current lack of information from the university on timelines and other information relating to potentially losing their funding, Stough said there are really only two options for graduate students who don't get funded — take on all of the cost burdens of graduate education without the aid that was previously provided, or drop out. 'That's really the stakes here,' Stough said. 'We don't get paid enough year-to-year as graduate workers, we know that, but we just certainly do not get paid enough to, if we're told we're not going to get funding, to turn around and start paying for our education.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UI graduate student union begins bargaining with Iowa Board of Regents team
The University of Iowa graduate students union and Iowa Board of Regents presented initial union contract proposals Thursday. In this photo, Campaign to Organize Graduate Students members protest at an Iowa Board of Regents meeting on Sept. 27, 2023. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The University of Iowa graduate student union is seeking a 25% increase in wages over the next two years, leaving the union's president and members dissatisfied at the Iowa Board of Regents bargaining team's offer of annual 3% increases. The Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, or COGS, met with the Iowa Board of Regents bargaining team Thursday to start negotiations for its 2025-2027 contract. Both groups brought initial proposals forward, with COGS expected to send a formal response signaling their dissatisfaction with the board team's offering in the near future. Union President Cary Stough said the board bargaining team's suggested annual 3% increase in base salaries for the next two years for graduate students working as teaching and research assistants across campus is nowhere near the COGS request for a 25% increase over two years. 'We were not totally surprised, but we were disappointed,' Stough said. 'The crowd, at least when it was announced to them, were mixed with feelings of shame, anger, indignation, and we laughed because we knew that even after … presenting our months and months of research and data collecting, that they weren't going to listen to it at all.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX According to the union's current contract, the base salary rate for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is $21,969 for a 50% academic year appointment and $26,841 for 50% fiscal year appointment. Comparing the two organizations' initial proposals, Stough said the COGS contract was more than 25 pages compared to the less-than-five page document from the board bargaining team. In addition to the salary increases, which Stough said reflect rising costs of living in Iowa City, the union is seeking to move the first day they receive a paycheck from Sept. 1 to Aug. 1 to help pay for moving costs, university fees and more, and putting language about paid time off back into the contract. Stough said information on paid time off was removed from the union contract in 2017 and put in the university's Student Employment Standards. COGS included these topics in the proposed contract based on data from a bargaining survey the union sent to its members, Stough said. Board of regents spokesperson Josh Lehman said in an email COGS members are valued by both the board and the university, and they recognize that graduate education is a vital part of both the university's work and mission and higher education in general. 'The university recognizes it must maintain the competitiveness of the UI's graduate assistantships, in order to continue to attract and retain excellent graduate students,' Lehman said in his email. 'In addition to the contract proposal, the university covers all or most of the tuition and health benefits for graduate assistant employees with an appointment of 25 percent or greater.' About 100 union members and their supporters showed up for the bargaining session, Stough said, in order to show both the board and the state that they are an 'organizing force' that can coordinate quickly. Even with this showing, Stough said the union doesn't have faith in the board coming back with a proposal that meets all of their wants and needs. Stough said the union will send a formal response to the board bargaining team early next week, and the next closed bargaining session is set for Feb. 20. They will also follow up with questions from union members who couldn't be in the room during bargaining and send them to the bargaining team. 'We will be satisfied when we have our meeting on the 20th and they come back to us with a robust, more than two-page contract with a lot of stuff we asked to put back in,' Stough said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
