
“Prime Time with Athletes Unlimited” (Swerve TV photo)
Fordham University’s United Student Government (USG) plans to send a letter to members of Congress next Monday, June 30, urging them to reject the H.R.1 bill titled “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” The letter was authored by USG Executive President Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, and USG Executive Vice President Andrew McDonald, FCRH ’26. It […]
Fordham University’s United Student Government (USG) plans to send a letter to members of Congress next Monday, June 30, urging them to reject the H.R.1 bill titled “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” The letter was authored by USG Executive President Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, and USG Executive Vice President Andrew McDonald, FCRH ’26. It condemns the bill, which includes several funding cuts to federal programs, including student financial aid, and calls on members of Congress to oppose the bill.
“We call on you to reject this legislation, to defend the promise of education for all, and to invest in the future of this nation’s students,” the letter says.
“The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” is a reconciliation bill that includes $1.5 trillion in spending cuts as well as additional tax cuts. It was introduced to Congress on May 20 and was passed in the House of Representatives on May 22 with a vote of 215-214. Now, it is being considered in the Senate. While it has yet to pass both houses, President Donald Trump is urging Congress members to have the bill on his desk by July 4.
The bill contains a multitude of funding cuts, including to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare and Medicaid. The bill also includes $330 billion in funding cuts to higher education. Additionally, the bill will terminate subsidized loans for students and will terminate most loan repayment plans. It will also change the qualifications for Pell Grants by increasing the number of credits a student needs to be considered a full-time student from 12 to 15 credits.
The bill “contains a number of devastating cuts to public investment in order to allow for tax breaks to those who really don’t need them,” said Hjertberg. “And to see education included in the firing line, I mean, we’ve worked for so many years to make sure that education is getting the right amount of funding, and it’s still underfunded, and to see that, to see education in the crosshairs, is crushing.”
These funding cuts will impact millions of college students across the country, according to the Center for American Progress. According to a statement sent to members of the Fordham community by USG, 55% of Fordham students will see their federal aid cut or entirely canceled as a result of the bill. The statement further explains the impacts of the bill and calls upon members of the Fordham community to take action.
“We fight for Fordham. We fight for every student chasing a dream they were told they didn’t deserve,” the statement says. “And we fight because faith without action is empty, and justice without courage is impossible. This is our charge. This is our moment. And we will not be silent.”
Hjertberg says not enough people are talking about the impact the bill will have on federal student aid. While some are being very vocal about the impacts on programs like Medicare and Medicaid, they are forgetting about education, according to Hjertberg, which is why he thought it would be beneficial to write a letter to Congress highlighting the impact the bill will have on students.
The letter was written on June 12, after which Hjertberg sent it to the rest of USG and asked people to vote on whether to sign the letter. If USG members voted not to sign the letter, he would sign it from himself and McDonald, rather than from Fordham USG as a whole. But ultimately, with three members not voting and a final vote count of 19-0, USG members voted to sign the letter.
USG Senator Audrey Shooner, FCRH ’28, voted to sign the letter and said it is important for students to use their platforms to speak on topics such as this one.
“I’m against this bill,” Schooner said in an email. “I morally oppose this bill. It would hurt me, and it would hurt the people I care about. If I have the chance to formally oppose it as part of an organization I’m a part of, of course I’m going to do that. It’s my responsibility, both as a person and as a representative in USG, to use the platform I have to stand against harm like this.”
Hjertberg also sent the letter to a group chat via GroupMe that contains student body presidents from universities across the country and sent it to the Jesuit Student Government Alliance in hopes of getting students from other schools to sign the letter. In total, 14 student body presidents across the country, including from the University of Pittsburgh, Santa Clara University, Michigan State University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick and more, also signed the letter.
USG Vice President of health and security Aidan Costella, FCRH ’27 , said including students from other schools in the letter is beneficial to the letter’s success.
“I think if we’re able to gain momentum with other schools as well, I think there’s power in numbers and I think it’s important to show that students don’t agree with what’s going on,” Costella said.
According to Hjertberg, USG plans to send the letter to several Congress members, specifically House members who typically support higher education. They will also send it to Republican House members from New York, including Nicole Malliotakis and Mike Lawler. Further, they will send the letter to all House Democrats from New York and New Jersey in order to further generate discussion among House members about the impact of the bill on higher education.
University President Tania Tetlow, who previously sent an email calling students to take action against the bill, said that she is proud of USG for standing in support of higher education, according to Jane Martinez, director of media relations.
“This is a moment when their voices can have real power, and they can make a difference,” Tetlow said in a statement to The Fordham Ram.
Hjertberg said he hopes the letter can raise awareness among members of Congress and within the Fordham community about the impacts of this bill. Hjertberg fears that if the bill passes, dozens of universities across the country will close due to financial strain, which he says will not only impact students, but the economy as a whole.
“This bill doesn’t only impact higher education or what some see as the ivory tower, it impacts everybody, it impacts the farmer, the guy who works at your local bodega, everybody throughout the chain,” Hjertberg said.
Story Links TYLER, TEXAS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced the 2025 NCAA Division II Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams. Both the UT Tyler men’s and women’s track & field programs were recognized as USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams, marking the sixth consecutive year each has […]
TYLER, TEXAS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced the 2025 NCAA Division II Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams.
Both the UT Tyler men’s and women’s track & field programs were recognized as USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams, marking the sixth consecutive year each has earned the honor. In addition, four student-athletes from each program were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes.
To qualify as an All-Academic Team, programs must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, as certified by the institution’s registrar.
To be named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete, student-athletes must have at least a 3.25 GPA, be academically eligible for the NCAA Championships, and have finished the season ranked among the top 50 individuals or competed on one of the top 35 relay teams in the country.
Representing the Patriots men’s team were Brandon Arenas, Jackson Crysup, Landon Smith, and Ashton Turner.
Representing the Patriots women’s team were Kamaria Carr, Juliane Frueh, Aerin Thompson, and Bracie Vaughn.
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The Panthers have had the best GPA across Division III for three-consecutive years. Story Links The Middlebury women’s track and field team posted the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) across all three NCAA divisions. The Panthers, who combined for an impressive 3.89 GPA, garnered United States Track and Field and Cross Country […]
The Panthers have had the best GPA across Division III for three-consecutive years.
The Middlebury women’s track and field team posted the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) across all three NCAA divisions. The Panthers, who combined for an impressive 3.89 GPA, garnered United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team recognition, while 10 individuals were lauded with the organization’s All-Academic Athlete honors.
This marks the third-straight year that the squad owned the best GPA among Division III peers, while outpacing every men’s program regardless of division.
Earning individual praise for the second-straight year were Macy Daggitt, Mary Elliot, Anna Krouse, Audrey MacLean and Zoe Wang. Rounding out the honorees were Naomi Atwood, Addie Morrison, Bea Parr and Elle Thompson. MacLean and Parr earned the organization’s recognition in both cross country and track and field this year.
LEXINGTON, Kent. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named its 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award winners on Monday morning, with Rice University earning the honor for the 17th-straight year. The Owls also earned the distinction of being named to the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll, earning the honor by having a top 20% GPA […]
LEXINGTON, Kent. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) named its 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award winners on Monday morning, with Rice University earning the honor for the 17th-straight year.
The Owls also earned the distinction of being named to the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll, earning the honor by having a top 20% GPA in all of NCAA Division I.
Rice earned both distinctions by posting a 3.76 team GPA at the end of the school year.
To earn the honor from the AVCA, teams must carry a year-long grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale, or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.
This year, 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball teams earned the honor.
“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”
About the American Volleyball Coaches Association
The association’s mission is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development. The membership includes more than 10,000 collegiate, professional, high school, club, and youth volleyball coaches—primarily in the United States. The AVCA represents women’s volleyball, men’s volleyball, and beach volleyball coaches, and works to increase exposure and recognition for the sport of volleyball.
Melissa Seidemann (left) capped her remarkable water polo career last month when the 2008 College Park High graduate was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in a Southern California ceremony. Credited for “her incomparable skills as a center, lockdown defensive play at two meters and deceptive touch scoring from the perimeter,” Seidemann […]
PLEASANT HILL, CA (July 22, 2025) — Melissa Seidemann has racked up enough honors to fill an enormous display case and as a fitting exclamation point for her remarkable water polo career the 2008 graduate of College Park High School was inducted last month into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.
The former Falcon won three Olympic gold medals with the American water polo team at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 summer games before she retired from the sport after the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
College Park women weren’t done winning gold however, when ex-CPHS wrestler Amit Elor was a wrestling gold medalist last summer in Paris.
Seidemann swam and played soccer as a youngster. Her parents Mark and Bobbie helped her “discover a love for water” at an early age but she says it wasn’t until she was 13 or 14 that she began playing water polo.
She wasn’t sure about her ability taking on a new sport so she spent nearly a year practicing before she played her first game for the Devil Mountain Water Polo Club. It didn’t take long for her ability to be on full display.
USA Water Polo in announcing her selection as part of its 41st Hall of Fame class said Seidemann was “one of the most formidable defenders in Team USA history.”
The sport’s national body added, “One of the most versatile players in women’s water polo history, Melissa Seidemann quickly emerged as a world-class talent – and a nightmare for opponents – thanks to her incomparable skills as a center, lockdown defensive play at two meters and deceptive touch scoring from the perimeter.”
On the national and international stage those skills helped her win the three Olympic gold medals, three World Championship gold medals, three World Cup crowns, three Pan American Games golds and 10 World League titles as part of an unprecedented golden age for American women’s water polo.
At College Park Seidemann helped her teams to four straight North Coast Section playoff berths, reaching the semi-finals her sophomore and junior seasons and the quarterfinals the other two years. They won the DFAL championship in her MVP senior year and she was named a NISCA All-America. She also swam for the Falcons three years and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
Still in high school, she was a member of the 2006 US Youth National Team which won gold at the Pan-American Junior Games, where she was the leading scorer in the tournament with 20 goals. Seidemann was also a member of the Youth National Team, going undefeated in Australia in the summer of 2007 and on the American team that competed in the 2008 Global Championships.
“Once I found water polo, I wanted to reach the most elite level of competition possible. It wasn’t until my first taste with the Youth National Team in 2006 that I started dreaming about the Olympics. I remember a moment in 2011 when I was challenged to commit my mind and body to the process and will forever be grateful that I did,” Seidemann says.
She scored what proved to be the winning goal in the NCAA title game against Cal starting a women’s water polo dynasty at Stanford when the Cardinal won the 2011 NCAA championship, the first of their nine titles from 2011-2025.
After taking a year off to prepare for her first Olympic team, Seidemann claimed the 2013 Peter J. Cutino Award as the best player in the college game with 75 goals, helping Stanford reach the NCAA Tournament final. She was part of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2023.
Seidemann debuted for the US National team in 2010 and 11 years later in Tokyo became only the second female water polo player in history to win three Olympic golds. She retired after the Tokyo Olympics, but has stayed close to the game as both a club and high school coach in Orange County.
She brings her passion and purpose to this job just like she did in the pool as a player.
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.
“Prime Time with Athletes Unlimited” (Swerve TV photo) Kirk Sanderson July 22, 2025 Swerve TV is launching a new FAST channel, focused exclusively on women’s sports, on the Roku Channel and Pluto TV. “Swerve Sports,” with the tag line “Where Women Rule the Game,” is available now on Roku, with a scheduled Aug. 7 launch […]
“Prime Time with Athletes Unlimited” (Swerve TV photo)
July 22, 2025
Swerve TV is launching a new FAST channel, focused exclusively on women’s sports, on the Roku Channel and Pluto TV.
“Swerve Sports,” with the tag line “Where Women Rule the Game,” is available now on Roku, with a scheduled Aug. 7 launch on Pluto TV.
The new channel, which is launching with more than 30 distribution partners, offers fans round-the-clock access to women’s football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, gymnastics, boxing, rugby and more. It is the second channel from the Swerve TV team behind Swerve Combat, which over the past year has featured more than 200 live events and drawn 20 million viewers.
The team behind Swerve Sports says the decision to launch the new channel was driven by two signs of strong demand for more free, live-streaming women’s sports, particularly among Gen Z viewers. First, Gen Z sports fans want more live-streaming women’s sports, with basketball, gymnastics, and combat most in demand, according to research conducted with Toluna. Second, Swerve Combat’s weekly women’s fight night has consistently outperformed the other six nights of the week since launching in April 2024.
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Swerve TV’s executive team includes Chair Christy Tanner Tanner, who has created leading live-streaming multi-platform businesses for CBS and other global media companies; CEO Steve Shannon, who launched Roku’s content and advertising monetization business; and Head of Content Dan Keston, an award-winning producer and media executive. The Swerve Sports Advisory Board includes Amy DuBois Barnett, Rich Battista, Nathalie Bordes, Emily Christner, Roger Jackson, Susanne Mei, Michelle Milford Morse, and Matt Singerman.
“Swerve Sports is giving fans what they want – more women’s sports, free, live-streaming, 24/7,” Tanner said. “We’re creating new opportunities for the all-stars of women’s sports while leveraging the expertise of our all-star leadership team.”
“With the launch of Swerve Sports, we’re applying the same innovative approach that fueled the breakout success of Swerve Combat,” Shannon said. “We’re redefining what’s possible in women’s sports for fan engagement with athletes, teams, and leagues.”
In addition to live women’s sports, Swerve Sports will feature highlights, series and films about women athletes and those who have been pivotal in the advancement of women in sports. Content partners include Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball, Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball, Athletes Unlimited Softball League, Women’s Football Alliance, Red Bull, Outside, USA Cheer & Stunt, Freestyle Trampoline Association, Queen & King of the Court, Professional Fighters League, Invicta Fighting Championships, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, and Stihl Timbersports.
Regular programs on Swerve Sports include “Prime Time with Athletes Unlimited,” “Lunch Break with Outside,” “Weekend Adventures with Redbull,” and “Monday Night Football with Women’s Football Alliance.”
In addition to the Roku Channel, Swerve Sports is available now on Free Live Sports, Lights Out Sports, and Zeam. After the Aug. 7 launch on Pluto TV, Swerve Sports also will be available on Anoki and other platforms later in the summer.
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