Latest news with #SimmonsUniversity
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘Systemic failure': At the State House, Muslims tell stories of Islamophobia, advocate for permanent civil rights commission
Sumaira Afzal, a Muslim advisor at Simmons University, said she supports the bill because of the instances of discrimination she's heard about in the city and state. There was no question, she said, as to whether those instances had gone up after the Advertisement 'It's important for me to talk to my representatives and convey our concerns so we can make this state and community a safe space for everybody,' she said. Advertisement Attendees also lobbied for the State Senator Jamie Eldridge and state Representative Vanna Howard, both Democrats, are the lead sponsors of the so-called Muslim Commission Bill. Eldridge said he introduced the bill because there is no commission to support Muslim civil rights, as there are for other minorities, including the 'The truth is, Massachusetts has long benefited from the strength and contribution of its Muslim residents, but that hasn't been matched by recognition in our state government,' Eldridge said. The senator, who represents the Middlesex and Worcester district, said he's heard 'very challenging, very heartbreaking' stories about harassment faced by Muslim constituents. 'And we know that Islamophobia has only increased in the past few months, few years,' he said. Attendees broke out into groups to lobby dozens of representatives throughout the day. One group was comprised of about 30 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Alhuda Academy in Worcester. At the Massachusetts State House, the Council on American-Islamic Relations - MA hosted a legislative briefing on Muslim lobby day to advocate for several bills protecting Muslims in Massachusetts. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Accompanied by four teachers, they filed into the office of Sen. Robyn Kennedy, a Democrat from Worcester, and detailed some of the challenges they faced, including bullying and harassment in their own neighborhoods. Another group of three met with Democratic Rep. Rob Consalvo's legislative aid Emily Carrara. Kynza Khimani, who graduated Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2024, told Carrara that many community members at the university experienced harassment for wearing hijabs, and she once came across people in Harvard Square yelling that 'Islam is for terrorists.' Advertisement 'The [commission] would establish a permanent body to study and respond to the issues facing Muslim communities in Massachusetts, like civil rights, education, and public safety, which is now, more than ever, really necessary for our communities,' Khimani told Carrara. Legislators and their aides largely indicated support for the bill, lobbyists said. Toward the end of the day, multiple advocates read out victim impact statements from people represented in court by CAIR-MA. Others shared their own stories of harassment, including Aimen Tahir, a recent high school graduate. Tahir said she was once 'chased down the hall' in her freshman year of high school because someone wanted to 'comment' on her hijab. 'Every year, I feel the heat of everyone's faces upon me during the moment of silence for 9/11, as if I'm the perpetrator of criminal when I wasn't even born at the time,' she said. Fatuma Mohamed, the director of youth advocacy for CAIR-MA, said the increase in harassment is a 'systemic failure' and 'growing crisis.' 'Muslim students across Massachusetts are being harassed, silenced, and left behind, without the structures in place to protect or support them,' she said. Mohamed said the commission wouldn't 'fix everything overnight' but could be a tool to build systemic change. 'It will signal to Muslim students that their state sees them, values them, and is committed to protecting them,' she said. Advertisement Emily Spatz can be reached at
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trust in leadership may be barometer for company health, report finds
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. Amid rocky waters in the economy, one metric may stand out in analyzing organizational health: leadership trust, according to Aura Intelligence, an artificial intelligence and data platform that helps firms with decision making. Employees' sentiment toward their leaders is 'the most sensitive early indicator' of organizational health, Aura Intelligence said; such sentiment declined 'significantly' in sectors that faced layoffs, compliance controversies and 'sudden RTO mandates.' Notably, however, the data also showed that employee satisfaction increased after structured returns, which could indicate that a good execution of a return-to-office plan may ameliorate the issue of a mandate. The report was based on insights gathered from 20 million company profiles on its platform, Aura Intelligence said. Whether workers can trust company leadership plays a large role in worker retention and resiliency, a Gallup report from February implied. Many workers look to company higher-ups as a source of hope and a beacon of clear direction, the report said. To gain trust, leaders need to be open to conversations with workers and be inclusive, good listeners and willing to be vulnerable, experts previously told HR Dive. Generally, poor communication at work can prevent workers from thriving, especially women, a March report from the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Simmons University grad says ex-NFL coach stole intimate photos in class action lawsuit
A former Simmons University cross-country runner has filed a class action lawsuit, claiming her alma mater failed to protect her and hundreds of thousands of other female student-athletes' personal data. The graduate — identified only as a Plymouth County woman who attended Simmons University, located in Boston, from 2012 to 2016 — said she is a victim of Matthew Weiss, a former coach at the University of Michigan and Baltimore Ravens. Weiss, 42, was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on March 20 on two dozen counts, accusing him of stealing the medical and personal data of more than 150,000 student-athletes from 2015 until January 2023. The charges came more than two years after Weiss was dismissed as the University of Michigan assistant football coach for 'inappropriately' accessing computer accounts. Weiss specifically went after about 3,300 female student-athletes from 100 different universities based on where they went to school and their 'athletic history, physical characteristics and sexual preferences,' the class action suit read. He accessed the young women's social media, email and cloud storage, and 'downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos that were never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners,' the suit read. The Plymouth County woman and former Simmons cross-country runner, who filed the lawsuit on Monday in Boston federal court, was notified by the DOJ that she was a victim in Weiss's criminal case on March 31. In the Massachusetts suit, Weiss is named with Simmons University and its trustees as defendants, along with Pennsylvania-based data company Keffer Development Services LLC. Keffer owns a medical record system known as 'The Athletic Trainer System,' the suit reads, which records student-athlete health data, including treatment histories, injuries and diagnoses, photos and insurance information. It also tracks personal details such as height, weight, mental health and demographics. The plaintiff, 'Jane Doe,' accuses both Simmons and Keffer of not upholding their duties 'to protect the private data of student athletes stored within their systems and to have controls in place to prevent gross invasions of privacy as occurred in this case,' the suit read. A spokesperson for Simmons University said the school cannot comment on the pending litigation, but that it takes protecting its students' information seriously. ' ... We want to emphasize that we take matters of student privacy and online security extremely seriously and remain committed to protecting our community,' a statement from the spokesperson read. Doe's suit said she and her class action members endured the 'invasion and loss of privacy, loss of dignity, humiliation, embarrassment, and severe emotional distress' from the access of their information. The plaintiffs seek a jury trial, along with upwards of $5 million monetary awards in compensatory, nominal and punitive damages, and reimbursement for attorney costs. This class action suit is the latest legal action by a former or current U.S. college student with ties to their school's athletic department taken against Weiss and their schools since his indictment. Four other University of Michigan students filed class action suits at the end of March. Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Heriberto Flores, founder of troubled NE Farmworkers Council 'All Access PD: Grand Rapids' new episode tonight - Where to stream free Second homicide victim found near Salem Walmart identified as Oregon man Mass. man faces attempted rape, kidnapping charges after attack on female Uber driver Police identify 5 involved in attack on college student in downtown Boston Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Taunton police identify decomposed body found in river
A Taunton man found dead in a river on Friday afternoon has been identified. Samuel Stovall, 51, was identified as the person who was pulled from the Mill River in Taunton on April 25, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. Stovall, who was known to Taunton police as homeless, was found by people walking by the water behind 43 Chandler Ave. at around 3:40 p.m. on Friday. Stovall's body had 'obvious signs of decomposition,' the district attorney's office said. His death is not believed to be suspicious, the office said. The investigation into Stovall's death is ongoing, the office said. State police detectives with the district attorney's office and members of the Taunton Police Department were at the scene on Friday. Simmons University grad says ex-NFL coach stole intimate photos in class action lawsuit Boston Mayor Wu leads Josh Kraft in new poll, but pressure points arise Mass. casino winner: Jackpot won from 'wild' slot machine 19-year-old shot and killed in New Bedford Renowned actress dies in New England weeks before turning 101
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Lawsuit filed against Simmons University, former football coach for alleged cyber sexual assault
BOSTON (WWLP) – A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the District of Massachusetts against Simmons University and a former football coach for failing to protect students. Fired Ludlow teacher's lawsuit against town, school officials dismissed The action was filed on behalf of Jane Doe and others against Matthew Weiss, Simmons University, and Keffer Development Services. The suit alleges that these parties failed to protect students from Weiss, who is now under federal indictment. Weiss, a former University of Michigan and Baltimore Ravens coach, was indicted in March for allegedly downloading the information of over 150,000 student athletes, using it to hack into the social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of over 2,000 primarily female college student athletes. The complaint details a years-long cyber scheme in which Weiss exploited vulnerabilities in over 100 universities' databases nationwide. He faces 24 charges, 14 counts of unauthorizes access to computers and ten counts of aggravated identity theft. 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.
