A new law signed by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs last week authorizes the state’s four Division I universities to directly pay students for their name, image and likeness.

Senate Bill 1615, which went into effect on May 7, states that universities cannot classify athletes as employees.

The law also allows universities to engage with third-parties to “facilitate opportunities” to compensate athletes without enforcement from the NCAA or other governing bodies.

“The bill allows the university to partner with a third-party entity that is dedicated to secure deals beyond the university’s brand, creating more NIL opportunities for students,” Jason Corriher, Arizona senior associate athletic director for strategic communications, told Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services.

The timing of the legislation comes as college athletic department await a ruling in the House vs. NCAA settlement. California federal judge Claudia Wilken is expected to approve a $2.8 billion settlement that would, among other things, allow schools to directly pay athletes a portion of an athletic department’s revenues, capped at $20.5 million, beginning July 1, 2025.

If the settlement is rejected, schools could still pay athletes directly if their state governments allow.

Braly Keller, director of collegiate services and insight for NIL firm Opendorse, praised the bill, saying on X that “Arizona quickly went from one of the shortest and more dated NIL laws to a robust policy.”

Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois championed a first-of-its-kind Missouri NIL bill in 2022 during her time as Mizzou’s AD. That bill allowed high school recruits to earn NIL as long as they sign with a school in the state.

Reed-Francois told the Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe that the Arizona legislation will keep the state competitive in the evolving NIL landscape.

“SB 1615 ensures the University of Arizona has the tools and structure to remain nationally competitive in recruiting and retaining top student-athletes,” she said. “The bill provides greater clarity around the rights and protections of student-athletes engaging in NIL activity.”

The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. TJ Shope (R-Coolidge), gives universities at least one new way to raise money that can be shared with athletes: 50/50 raffles.

Arizona previously required that half the money raised through raffles be distributed to a pre-selected entity like a charity. Under the new law, universities can disperse raffle revenues to athletes.

For example, If Arizona Stadium holds a 50/50 raffle this fall and $100,000 are put in the pot, the Arizona athletic department can hold on to $50,000 and use it to pay athletes.

The raffle funds are an avenue for Arizona athletics to raise the $20.5 million that can be paid directly to students under the pending House settlement.

Arizona will spend most of the $20.5 million on football and men’s basketball players, with the remaining money going towards athletes in other sports.

By Sky Strauss, Staff Writer

Drake Holloway announced his plans to attend State Technical College to study computer network and cybersecurity during an event with his fellow seniors Thursday morning, knowing that just up stairs, his real passion was out on display.

Decision Day wasn’t the only thing happening at Mexico High School. Gooch Gym had been turned into an art gallery where the art club was hosting its annual showcase.

The gallery, which is held every year, is open to anyone who wants to participate and includes work from both the high school and middle school. Almost every bit of wall space is covered in works of art and large displays are spread around the gymnasium.

“We like to show off,” said Holloway, who thinks the spotlight often misses the smaller groups like art club. “We like having the art show so we can show that we do have talent, we do have interest, even if we’re not shown to the world.”

For Holloway, inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. For example, one of Holloway’s prize-winning “best in show” creations, a clay sculpture of Snoopy in a green checkered plane, was inspired by a video game he was playing with his cousin.

Like many of the artists in the show, Holloway has competed in various art competitions across the state.

Linda Malott, a Bulldog educator in charge of art club, prom, student council and travel club, will find art competitions throughout the year and encourage her students to participate.

“I am very involved in getting them showing in different college-level art competitions,” said Mallot. “We enter a lot of contests and we’ve won a lot of awards.”

Jyllian Whitworth, a senior, has been competing in art competitions with Malott’s encouragement for three years now. She has won many awards for her acrylic paintings.

“I really started competing my sophomore year and this is where it has taken me,” Whitworth said.

For Whitworth, art class was her space to calm down and find herself.

“This class isn’t composed of exams and studying – it’s really exploring what you want to do,” said Whitworth. “It’s kind of like my little zen hour.”

Next year, Whitworth will be attending Drury University to study psychology with a minor in communications and advanced scientific analysis and a certificate in wrongful convictions. The hope is to one day be able to implement art into her career through art therapy.

Mallot said her students’ involvement in the art world sets the MHS art program apart from other schools.

“We do a lot of community service,” she said. “We paint faces, last summer we painted all the murals in the animal shelter, we painted the ‘smile you’re in Mexico.’”

That, combined with the numerous art classes available to students has not only allowed the program to grow, but to provide students with a more diverse portfolio.

This year’s gallery is unique as a lot of art was for sale.

“Most of my kids are raising money to go to Europe next year,” said Mallot.

Half of the money raised from art sales will also go to a memorial scholarship in honor of Jane Norman, a retired MHS art teacher who recently passed.

Zellen Duncan, a junior, was selling pixel stickers to raise money for the art club. He also had an extensive display in the show which featured multimedia pieces from his independent studio classes.

Duncan wants to become an art teacher like his father.

“I have been drawing since I was little because my dad is also an art teacher,” said Duncan. “From kindergarten to now I have just been drawing random things.”

Evie Peterson, a senior, is also planning to become an art teacher. She will attend College of the Ozarks to study art education.

“I would tell any little kid, if they’re trying to draw something and it’s not working, focus on that one thing,” said Peterson.

Peterson, who implements a lot of bright colors into her work, also had a few pieces available for sale. The decision on what to sell comes from feeling alone.

“If I don’t feel a connection to it, but I feel like other people might, they can have it because they will just get stacked up in my room somewhere,” she said.

The art show is just as much a fundraiser as it is a way to see just how far the students have come throughout the year.

“It has been a very fulfilling program – I really love it,” said Mallot.

Whether you ask the aspiring art teachers, future therapist or the information technology bound hobby artist, the opinion is unanimous: art can be for anyone.

“We have a very good community and nobody is going to dis you for having ‘bad art,’” said Holloway. “We’ll just call it abstract.”

Daily Nurse is proud to name Kaitlyn Donovan our Nurse of the Week, recognizing her exceptional ability to balance the rigorous demands of graduate nursing school, a full-time role as an ICU nurse, and a standout athletic career on Illinois State University’s Division I gymnastics team.

Donovan, a South Lyon, Michigan native and current grad student at Illinois State’s Mennonite College of Nursing, flips, vaults, and balances—literally and figuratively—through a schedule that would overwhelm most. By day (and night), she’s a nurse at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center’s intensive care unit. By morning, she’s on the mat, perfecting her floor routine and pushing her Redbird team toward a Midwest Independent Conference title.

“It seems like a lot when you look at it on paper, but it’s not as hard as it seems,” Donovan says modestly. “I’ve always been passionate about nursing, and I knew this is what I wanted to do after I graduated. I wasn’t sure if I’d take my fifth year of gymnastics, but now I’m so glad I did.”

Donovan’s dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed by her coaches or colleagues. Head gymnastics coach Bob Conkling is still in awe:

“She does a 12-hour nursing shift and comes in at 7 a.m. and goes straight into our workout. She’s always prepared, always ready. I honestly don’t know how she does it, but she seems to be able to handle it.”

Originally hoping to land a part-time nursing role, Donovan pivoted when a full-time night shift in the ICU opened. Instead of walking away, she leaned in—meeting separately with her coach and manager to ensure everyone that she could make it work. And make it work, she has.

Donovan credits her success to routines and discipline—habits she honed over years in competitive gymnastics.

“Time management is something every Division I athlete has to learn,” she says. “When you’re done with class for the day, do you take a nap? Or do you finish your homework early so you can go to bed early? That’s kind of the thing that you have to continually ask yourself.”

The challenges haven’t been just logistical. As any ICU nurse can attest, the emotional toll can be heavy. She’s had rough nights, difficult patients, and those devastating moments when a life is lost. But she holds fast to the purpose of her work.

“But the good times outweigh the bad,” Donovan said. “I’ve seen a lot of patients who were really, really sick, make it and pull through, and they come back, and they cry and hug me and say, ‘Thank you,’ and that’s the really rewarding part.”

That emotional reward has cemented her path in nursing. Donovan has already accepted a position at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where she’ll work full-time while completing the final two years of her family nurse practitioner master’s program online through Illinois State.

Outside of scrubs and leotards, Donovan finds joy in the simple things—prepping meals, painting, crocheting, and caring for her two cats. She also cherishes her wide support network, which includes fellow student-athletes, nursing classmates, and her brother, Tommy, a member of Illinois State’s football team.

“Maybe it’s because it’s my last year here,” she reflected, “but I’ve been feeling a lot of gratitude lately for all the things I have in my life.”

And just like she lands her final pass in a gymnastics routine, Donovan is closing out her college years the same way she faces every challenge—with balance, purpose, and an unshakable smile.

Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Little East Conference recently announced their postseason awards for the 2025 season and Abby Weiterman was recognized from her performance for the Owls in her freshman season.
 
Abby Weiterman, a freshman catcher from West Bend, Wis. was named to the LEC All-Rookie Team as the catcher from her first season with KSC. Weiterman was trusted from the Owls from the start as she was one of just four Owls to start every 38 games of KSC’s 2025 season. Weiterman batted .265 at the plate with a .660 OPS. She recorded 31 hits in her 117 at bats, which included seven doubles and a triple. Her 21 RBIs were tied for the second most on the team on the season, while her 18 runs scored were the fourth most on the Owls. Weiterman also went 2-for-2 on stolen bases on the year and threw out five runners behind the plate for the Owls. Her best game at the plate on the season came against SUNY Brockport on the Owls’ spring break trip as she went 3-for-5 at the plate, and she accounted for half the Owls’ runs by batting three in and scoring two herself. Over the Owls’ four game win streak early in April, Weiterman has seven hits, including three doubles, while driving in seven runs and scoring three herself.
 

BREMERTON, Wash. – Following a second-round score of 4-over par 292 – the sixth-best total among the 14-team field on Tuesday – the Kansas State men’s golf team remains in the hunt for a top-five finish at the 2025 NCAA Bremerton Regional held the par-72, 7,167-yard Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club.
 
The Wildcats are vying for a finish in the top five to advance to the first NCAA Championship in program history. They hold a 36-hole score of 6-over par 582 to reside in fifth place. There are six teams within 10 shots of each other that are battling for the final three spots to qualify for the championship.
 
“Today was a bit of a grind,” head coach Grant Robbins said of a course that has played nearly four shots over par per player over the first two rounds. “We kind of gave away a few shots on our first nine, but they did a great job of battling all day to keep us in contention. We are right where we want to be going into tomorrow. We know our good golf is good enough. It is a matter of going out, staying committed to our game plan, playing our game and seeing what happens.”
 
Behind team leaders Florida and Arizona State – which are at 25-under par and 16-under par, respectively – South Carolina is in third place at 2-under par 574, and Colorado in fourth place and five shots ahead of the Wildcats at 1-over par 577.
 
Right behind K-State is Charlotte at 7-over par 583, while South Florida and Utah are tied for seventh place at 8-over par 584.
 
K-State was led on Tuesday by senior Kobe Valociek, who recorded a round of 1-under par 71. He was able to neutralize four bogeys on the day with three birdies in addition to an eagle on the par-5 6th hole. A former transfer from Virginia Tech, Valociek tied his best score in five career regional rounds with the 71 he produced during the final round of the 2024 NCAA Austin Regional, which ended up being his final 18 holes as a Hokie.
 
A native of Peoria, Arizona, Valociek improved 11 spots on the leaderboard during the second round, and he enters Wednesday’s final 18 holes in a tie for 21st place at 1-over par 145.
 
Senior Cooper Schultz remains in the top 10 following a round of even-par 72 on Tuesday, which included a trio of birdies. The Andover, Kansas, native is in a three-way tie for sixth place at 4-under par 140, just two shots back of a three-way tie for third place.
 
Another senior, Ian McCrary, is tied for 35th place at 4-over par 148 after an up-and-down second round of 4-over par 76 on Tuesday that included five birdies.
 
Nicklaus Mason battled to a round of 3-over par 75 as he countered six bogeys with birdies on his first hole – No. 10 – and two of his final three holes. The senior from Shawnee, Kansas, enters the final round tied for 48th place with a 36-hole score of 7-over par 151.
 
Freshman Erik Sabelström Holmberg shaved six shots off his first-round score by tallying a 2-over par 74 on Tuesday. The Stockholm, Sweden, native is tied for 63rd place at 10-over par 154.
 
Kansas State ranks fourth in the field in both par-3 (9-over par) and par-4 (12-over par) scoring, while they are sixth in total birdies (34) and seventh in both pars (103) and fewest bogeys (37).
 
A pair of Florida players reside at the top of the leaderboard as Matthew Kress is in first place at 10-under par 134, while Luke Poulter is one shot back.
 
The Wildcats begin the final round of the 2025 NCAA Bremerton Regional on Wednesday with tee times off No. 10 starting at 8:30 a.m. (PT) as the Wildcats are paired with Colorado and Charlotte. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.

 

Let’s face it — transitioning from a high school senior into a first-year college student, while certainly exciting, can be a stressful and intimidating time.

Moving away from home can be daunting, especially when it means living with a roommate, possibly a completely random one.

However, something that students will come to realize is that despite one’s best efforts, whether you went random or are rooming with someone you already know, differences will undoubtedly arise. It’s simply the reality of living in an 11-foot by 15-foot unrenovated dorm (thank you Porter Hall).

Here are some do’s and don’ts of living with a roommate. First-years listen closely.

Do: Get to know your roommate. Whether initial introductions seem natural or forced, I’ve always found that you will undoubtedly have at least some commonalities in trying to get to know someone.

Regardless of ethnicity, beliefs or background, we can all relate to one thing: each one of us is among more than 49,000 students here at University Park.

Getting to know your roommate can help make leaps and bounds in terms of connecting two different people who may have met each other by chance.

Don’t: Get too worked up over arising issues. It can be difficult to execute when push comes to shove, but oftentimes, living in a tiny dorm room causes small issues to gradually snowball into bigger ones. Whether it’s a nagging pet peeve your roommate has or general disagreements, small issues that shouldn’t warrant much attention unintentionally become bigger when living in such cramped quarters..

Many times, these issues can be easily solved by talking with your roommate and recognizing the conditions in which you both live at the time.

Do: Have fun with your roommate. Believe it or not, college can be a lot of fun. With tons of outside activities to do on campus or downtown, along with hanging out in the dorms or commons, there’s no shortage of entertainment at Penn State. Don’t even get me started on the phenomenon that is tailgating during football season.

Try to find things that interest both you and your roommate or if you’re feeling bold enough, get out of your comfort zone and try something new. From laser tag to axe throwing to pottery painting, State College offers nearly everything to those willing to give it a try.

Don’t: Mess with stuff that isn’t yours. I feel like this goes without saying, but if it’s not your property, without your roommate’s permission, don’t mess with it.

Regardless of what it may be, if your roommate doesn’t want you touching it, just don’t. Living with someone new can be challenging enough as it is without having to worry about personal boundaries. If it isn’t yours, don’t assume you have a right to it.

Do: Find a good study spot outside of the dorm room. Whether it’s somewhere on campus or at one of the countless businesses downtown that welcome students, Penn State offers an unlimited number of study spots.

From the Pattee and Paterno Library in the heart of campus to Webster’s Bookstore Cafe, there are plenty of places for students wanting a change of scenery.

Such a change can help to minimize roommate issues, as both parties aren’t constantly in direct proximity to each other all the time.

Don’t: Be messy beyond reason. Nobody likes a slob. I say “beyond reason” because, as a college student who knows the habits of other college students, people get busy. When people get busy, sometimes cleanliness unfortunately becomes a second thought. However, please, please, please try your best to keep a tidy enough space that is manageable.

Students can become a bit careless, but try to stay conscious of it, as your roommate certainly will be if it starts to get bad and creeps its way onto their portion of the room.

Living with someone new, especially in such tight conditions and in an unfamiliar place, can be challenging. Unless you’ve had to share a bedroom with siblings in the past, for most, it is a brand-new experience. However, just because it’s a new experience doesn’t mean it has to be a bad one. With a little effort, communication and respect, you may just find yourself a best friend for years to come.

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