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All politics is (mostly) local… this Saturday, May 1

Posted by & filed under Local Doings, Make a Difference.

image of vote button

Saturday, May 1 is election day across Texas. Municipalities around the state are deciding a variety of races including city council seats, school district/board seats, mayors, and even one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. So often the news is dominated by national politics, so much so, that the importance of state and local politics can be lost amongst the noise. It’s important to remind folks that so much of our everyday lives are governed locally.

The decisions our mayors, city councilors, county commissioners, school board members, district attorneys, sheriffs, and other local officials make impact our lives on daily basis. Property taxes and sales taxes fund our local governments and the people we elect to local offices make the decisions on how and what is taxed and who or what receives the funds. Our local governments make decisions about critical local infrastructure including power/electricity, water, roads, and parks. They make decisions on business permitting, new neighborhood development, road expansions and repairs, shopping districts, community policing, local resource control, and more. Our school boards make decisions about the education of our communities’ children including the facilities in which they learn or the modes by which instruction is delivered. The little things that impact our daily lives, those things which we may take for granted, are often the results of decisions made by our local government officials.

To make your voice heard and influence the local decisions that impact your life, turn out on May 1st to cast your vote in your local municipal race. If you’re unsure where to look for information or how to find out who’s on your ballot, the UNT Libraries and Government Information Connection have you covered. Check out our Voting and Civic Engagement Guide for links to voter information, including Vote411.org. For those in the North Texas region, The Dallas Morning News has a list of races and candidates and a tool to create a personal ballot.

Five Government Documents That Will Drive You Batty (in a Good Way)

Posted by & filed under Is That a Document?, Make a Difference, Special Days, Toys R U.S..

Mariana Fruit Bat

 

The government document specialists at the Eagle Commons Library can find information on any subject for you. For instance, we can find help you find a children’s book on bats, a conservation book on bats, a book about bat funguses, and even a list of places where you can go to see bats in Texas. Today is International Bat Appreciation Day, and we are standing by to meet all your bat information needs!

These are some of our favorite government documents and websites related to bats. They represent only a fraction of the information that is available at the Eagle Commons Library, but they are excellent examples of the kind of material you can obtain from government resources: 

 

Watching bats at Bracken Cave

 

Bat-Watching Sites of Texas

Home to 32 of the 47 species of bats found in the United States, Texas is without doubt the battiest state in the country! Texas also has the largest bat colony in the world (at Bracken Cave Preserve, near San Antonio) and the largest urban bat colony (at the Congress Avenue Bridge, in Austin).

This website from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will tell you the best locations and times for watching bats and provide tips on how to have a memorable bat-watching experience without causing harm to the bats or to yourself. The Bat-Watching Sites of Texas Guide is also available as a pamphlet.

 

 

The Adventure of Echo the Bat

 

The Adventure of Echo the Bat

This delightful picture book uses the story of Echo the Bat to introduce the concept of remote sensing to very young children. Illustrations show satellite imagery of the landscape, and when the reader opens flaps in the images (similar to windows in an Advent calendar), the ground-level view of the landscape appears. Lesson plans and activities and an Adventure of Echo the Bat Teacher’s Guide are available to help teach the concepts in this book.

Echo’s story has even been dramatized! You can view an The Adventure of Echo the Bat video on YouTube or stage your very own The Adventure of Echo the Bat puppet show. 

 

 

Diagram of a bat box

 

Bats, People, and Buildings: Issues and Opportunities

Many Americans are afraid of bats or view them as annoying pests, but bats play a number of very important roles in our ecosystem. With more than 1400 species, bats comprise the second-largest order of mammals (rodents are the largest), and by eating harmful insects, pollinating many species of plants, and dispersing seeds, they provide critical services to the ecology of our planet. And we all know that bat guano makes an excellent fertilizer!

This document explains how humans can support the bat population by incorporating bat housing into buildings and bringing bat-friendly habitat into neighborhoods.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also has detailed plans showing how to build a bat box to attract bats to your house. 

 

Bat with White-Nose Syndrome

 

White-Nose Syndrome

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease of hibernating bats caused by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of the bats. Since the winter of 2007–2008, millions of insect-eating bats in 35 states and seven Canadian provinces (as of March 2021) have died from this devastating disease, resulting in bat population declines that could have major impacts on the environment and agriculture.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been a leading contributor to the interagency response to WNS since 2008 and continues to provide ongoing scientific support to these efforts by performing fundamental research on bat ecology, fungal biology, and WNS epidemiology and pathology. This USGS webpage provides links to maps, publications, photos, videos, and other information to keep you up to date on the latest research.

A note to Texans: Although according to research conducted by Bat Conservation International and funded by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the fungus that causes WNS has been detected in six counties in the panhandle as early as 2017, so far no Texas bats have been found exhibiting symptoms of the disease. Visit the TPWD White-Nose Syndrome page for FAQs and to download the TPWD White-Nose Syndrome Action Plan. (On a side note, Texas bats were hit hard by the recent winter storm, but the total population is expected to recover.) 

 

 

Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

 

Emergence of Bat-Related Betacoronaviruses: Hazard and Risks

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not helped the bat’s reputation. Did the pandemic originate from bats? If so, could it happen again? Read this and other articles from the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database to keep up with the latest research.

Many other government agencies also have information on the potential connection between bats and SARS-CoV-2. For instance, a study from the U.S. Geological Survey with the catchy title Assessing the Risks Posed by SARS-CoV-2 in and via North American Bats: Decision Framing and Rapid Risk Assessment explores the possibility of whether infected humans might transmit the virus to American bats, and if those infected bats could serve as a source for new infection in humans, domesticated animals, or other wild animals—a terrifying scenario indeed, but also an opportunity to gain awareness and be prepared.

 

Would You Like to Know More?

We hope these resources have helped you gain some appreciation of the valuable contributions bats make to our lives. You can find many more federal and state government publications related to bats in the University of North Texas Libraries Catalog.

If you would like to know more about bats, or about any other topic, don’t hesitate to contact the Eagle Commons Library at govinfo@unt.edu 

Article by Jenne Turner and Bobby Griffith.

Texas Educator Annie Webb Blanton Had a Few Things to Teach Texas

Posted by & filed under Special Days.

Annie Webb Blanton

 

Annie Webb Blanton got her education career off to an early start, taking a job as a teacher in a one-room rural schoolhouse as soon as she graduated from high school at the age of seventeen.

While earning her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas, she continued to support herself by teaching elementary and high school, scheduling her college courses during the summers while school was out.

From 1901 to 1918, she taught English at North Texas State Normal College, an institution you may be more familiar with under its current name, the University of North Texas. Her no-nonsense textbook Review Outline and Exercises in English Grammar was adopted in classes across the country.

Blanton became active in the Texas State Teachers Association, and in 1916 she was elected its first female president.

With the help of fellow suffragists, who in 1918 had won the right to vote in Texas primaries, she ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction (forerunner of the current Texas Education Agency), defeated the incumbent by a large majority, and thus became the first woman in Texas elected to a statewide office.

Vote for Annie Webb Blanton for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

These are just a few of her myriad accomplishments as Superintendent:

  • Instituted a system of free textbooks
  • Revised teacher certification standards
  • Raised teacher salaries
  • Improved rural education
  • Promoted equality for women teachers

In 1920 she campaigned vigorously for the Better Schools Amendment, which amended the Texas Constitution to remove limitations on tax rates allowable by local school districts for support of their public schools, thereby reducing the state’s burden of the costs of public education.

After an unsuccessful run for Congress, Blanton earned a master’s degree at the University of Texas in Austin in 1923, then continued at UT as a member of the faculty. In 1926 she took a brief leave of absence to earn a PhD at Cornell, then returned to UT-Austin in 1927. In 1929 she founded the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International to promote the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. Blanton remained a member of the faculty at UT-Austin until her death in 1945. 

Would you like to know more?

  • Read more about Blanton’s extraordinary life in Pioneer Woman Educator: The Progressive Spirit of Annie Webb Blanton, by Debbie Mauldin Cottrell: https://discover.library.unt.edu/catalog/b2267747
  • Read some of the works authored by Annie Webb Blanton: https://bit.ly/3kILhbB (This might be the perfect opportunity to review the basics of English grammar in case you’ve forgotten!)
  • Explore thousands of photos, letters, and other documents pertaining to Annie Webb Blanton in the Portal to Texas History: https://bit.ly/3uQiSFp

“Everything that helps to wear away age-old prejudices contributes towards the advancement of women and of humanity.”
—Annie Webb Blanton

Article by Bobby Griffith.

Images:

Photo of Annie Webb Blanton circa 1900 – Collections, Special , Michelle Dotts, and Clio Admin. “Annie Webb Blanton Historical Marker.” Clio: Your Guide to History. December 19, 2016. Accessed March 25, 2021. https://www.theclio.com/entry/28674

Campaign material – “Concerning the Race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction” Circa 1917-1918, Jane Y. McCallum Papers. AR.E.004, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

Flyer – “Vote For Annie Webb Blanton for State Superintendent of Public Instruction,” Circa 1917-1918, AF – Biography – Blanton, Annie Webb, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. 

References:

“Annie Webb Blanton,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Annie_Webb_Blanton&oldid=995327040 (accessed March 25, 2021).

Debbie Mauldin Cottrell, “Blanton, Annie Webb,” Handbook of Texas Online,  https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/blanton-annie-webb 
(accessed March 25, 2021). Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

“Emancipation and Participation: Early Office Holders,” Austin History Center, https://library.austintexas.gov/ahc/emancipation-and-participation-early-office-holders-54447 (accessed march 25, 2021).

“Texas Originals: Annie Webb Blanton,” Humanities Texas, https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton. 

 

The Handbook of Texas Women Makes Sure History Includes Her Story

Posted by & filed under Data about Databases, Get Help, Special Days.



For decades, the Handbook of Texas—produced by the Texas State Historical Association in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin—has been one of the most popular sources of information about Texas history, geography, and culture. Its online incarnation has grown into the largest digital state encyclopedia in the country.

As with many popular historical and cultural resources, however, the contributions of women have too often been ignored or underrepresented. The Handbook of Texas Women takes a step toward correcting that imbalance by expanding and diversifying the contents of the Handbook of Texas with articles focusing on the historical and cultural achievements of Texas women. Today, International Women’s Day, provides the perfect moment to explore the rich resources of this unique reference work.

Entries in the Handbook of Texas Women, like all those in the Handbook of Texas, are researched and written by volunteer historians and professionals, reviewed by TSHA staff, vetted by scholars, and approved by TSHA’s Chief Historian before appearing online. New articles are developed as needed in response to current events, suggestions from users, and internal identification of topics that lack entries. These are all reviewed by the TSHA Chief Historian for consideration.

Authors make use of both primary and secondary sources—including materials such as books, census records, newspapers, military service records, obituaries, diaries, and letters—to create historically accurate entries.

The sources are compiled into a bibliography and updated regularly to provide readers with the most current scholarship. The editors on staff fact-check, copyedit, and format each submitted entry to for content, style, and accuracy, making sure that the language is appropriate for users at a middle school to college reading level.

eBook Series

Download these free Handbook of Texas Women eBooks to learn more about the contributions of Texas women:

Texas Women and the Vote: This eBook was released in 2020 to commemorate the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which was the federal amendment that recognized women’s right to vote. Read it to learn about the women who played a crucial role in woman suffrage and the longer voting rights movement.

Women Across Texas History, Vol. 1: Nineteenth Century and Before: This first volume in the Women Across Texas History series includes biographies of prominent women of early Texas, as well as numerous articles on the diverse ways women have contributed throughout the history of Texas. Pilots, activists, oil magnates, storytellers, scientists, ranchers, daughters, mothers — the number of women who have affected or influenced the history of our state is as vast as the Texas landscape itself.

Women Across Texas History, Vol. 2: Early Twentieth Century: This second volume continues the Women Across Texas History series, sharing the stories of women who fought for gender equality, shattered glass ceilings, and in myriad other ways have influenced the politics, economy, and culture of Texas. Texas women make Texas history, and their invaluable contributions in the past make it possible to build a stronger foundation for the future.

Content Bundles

These bundles feature curated content suitable to the needs and interests of several specific audiences.

Texas Educators Content Bundle: Teachers are in a unique position to tell the many stories from Texas women’s history to our state’s youth. Here you will find lesson plans, teacher workshops, webinars, reading lists, articles from Texas Almanac and Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and eBooks relating to Texas women’s history.

Texas Enthusiast Content Bundle: Texas enthusiasts are the TSHA’s most loyal constituency and are critical to helping spread and build on this content. Here you will find webinars, reading lists, articles from the Texas Almanac and Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and eBooks relating to Texas women’s history.

Texas Students Content Bundle: This bundle includes plenty of information to help you in your study of history both in and out of school. Here you will find webinars, eBooks related to women’s history, articles from the Texas Almanac, and student-written articles from the Texas Historian and Touchstone. 

Do You Want to Know More?

You can find many more resources related to women’s studies at the Eagle Commons Library. Our building is currently closed to the public because of the ongoing pandemic, but many of our physical publications can be requested at Willis Library, and electronic publications are available through the library catalog. Contact us directly at govinfo@unt.edu for answers to your questions or for help with your research needs. 

Article by Bobby Griffith.

Hot Springs National Park Turns 100

Posted by & filed under Special Days.


Our national parks have partially reopened after being temporarily closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions. This reopening comes just in time to celebrate the 100th birthday of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. Hot Springs was officially designated a national park on March 4, but its history goes back thousands of years.

Over 10,000 years ago, native inhabitants of the area came to the Ouachita Mountains to quarry novaculite for their stone tools and weapons. In 1771 French explorer Jean Bernard Bossu encountered Native Americans who partook of the allegedly healing waters on the lower east slope of Hot Springs Mountain.

In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Hunter-Dunbar Expedition to explore the to explore the “Washita” River and “the hot springs” in the southern reaches of the Louisiana Purchase, and in 1818 a treaty with the Quapaw Nation conveyed territory containing the hot springs to the United States. In 1832 the area was designated by Congress as Hot Springs Reservation, making it the oldest federally protected site in the country. Before long, the springs’ reputation spread, and a bustling spa city blossomed as visitors journeyed from across the United States to bathe in the or to “quaff the elixir.” On March 4, 1921, the name was officially changed to Hot Springs National Park.

During its heyday, the springs attracted such illustrious visitors as Babe Ruth, Helen Keller and the gangster Al Capone. Whether you’re a nature lover, history buff, or just into family fun, you too will something to enjoy at Hot Springs National Park.

Centennial Activities

If you happen to be in the park today or Saturday, you can participate in a number of celebratory activities:

For everyone’s safety, facemasks are required on federal lands and visitors are reminded to maintain social distancing wherever possible.

If you can’t be at the park in person, don’t fret! Whip up a batch of cupcakes and celebrate at home by watching a special anniversary video on social media that will be released by the Park on March 4 in conjunction with the event at the Fordyce. Interact with Hot Springs National Park on the following social media sites:

A centennial celebration such as this only occurs once every 100 years! Mark your calendars and make plans to join in on the celebrations all year long, either in person or online. For questions or additional information about the centennial, please contact Hot Springs National Park at (501) 620-6715 or visit the park online at www.nps.gov/hosp.

Selected Online Resources

Keep Up-to-Date on Events: Centennial events will be occuring throughout this entire year! Stay up to date on all the happenings in Hot Springs. From art and music to natural wonders, if you’re looking for something fun to do in Hot Springs, you’ll find it here

Request a Free Vacation Guide: Planning on taking an Hot Springs vacation this year? This free vacation-planning guide provides valuable information about Hot Springs National Park as well as lodging and places to stay attractions and fun things to do, an events calendar, and free discount coupons for Hot Springs hotels, restaurants, events, attractions and shops.

Get the Newsletter: Sign up for the Destination Hot Springs weekly newsletter for all the insider information on Hot Springs.

Follow the Blog: Read all sorts of interesting facts and stories about Hot Springs by following their official blog.

Explore the Media Room: Journalists and the general public can find press releases, free photos, logos, reports, and even downloadable Zoom backgrounds in the Hot Springs Media Room.

Visit the official Hot Springs National Park website at https://www.hotsprings.org/ for many more online resources.

Selected Resources at the Eagle Commons Library

Check the UNT Libraries Catalog for our many resources related to Hot Springs National Park. These are only a few of the publications available at the Eagle Commons Library:

Hot Springs National Park [brochure]
I 29.21:H 79 

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas [map]
I 29.6:H 79/9/ 2020 

The Golden Age of Bathing at the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center, Hot Springs National Park
I 29.2:B 32/4

Junior Ranger Archeology Program
I 29.171:AR 2 
Also online at https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo83556

Out of the Vapors: A Social and Architectural History of Bathhouse Row: Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
I 29.2:B 32/3 

The Waters of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas—Their Nature and Origin
I 19.16:1044-C 
Also online at http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo90737

Article by Bobby Griffith.

Tax Season is (almost) Here!!

Posted by & filed under Get Help.

image of tax forms

The 2021 Tax Season officially starts on February 12, 2020, meaning this is the first day the IRS will begin accepting tax returns (sorry to those that might have anxiously filed already). Here we will highlight a few things to know about this year’s tax season, how to get forms, help for filing, and a few other things of possible help or interest.

IRS.gov

If you haven’t visited the IRS website in awhile, you should! IRS.gov has always been a one-stop-shop for all things tax related, although it hasn’t always been intuitive or easy to navigate. However, the site has undergone quite a facelift and is much easier to use. The most frequently accessed and timely tax-related activities of tax payers and businesses are now front and center. These include accessing tax forms, tracking your return, filing for your Economic Impact Payment, or requesting Coronavirus Tax Relief. If, in the past, you feared visiting IRS.gov, fear no more. 

Tax Forms

Tax forms and instructions can be accessed at IRS.gov. The IRS has taken the care to put the most requested forms and instructions front and center. Tax filers needing forms beyond the most requested can search by form number or keyword. 

For those needing printed forms, many public libraries offer forms and instructions. Typically the most common or frequently requested forms are available at local public libraries.

If you’re in the city of Denton, Texas and would like paper forms, the Denton Public Library is here to help. At the time of drafting this post, the DPL is only offering curbside service. As a result of this service modification, the 1040 and 1040-SR Forms Booklet can be picked up at the front entrances of South Branch Library and Emily Fowler or at North Branch Library’s drive-through window from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. This booklet contains Forms 1040 and 1040-SR, Schedules 1 through 3 and Schedule LEP. If you need other forms or instructions, call at least 30 minutes ahead. Staff will print them and have them ready before you arrive. (Call 940-349-8752 and choose the General Questions option.)

Free File and Tax Prep Assistance

Free File

Though tax season hasn’t officially started, Free File is OPEN! As a reminder, Free File is a partnership between the IRS and many tax preparation filing websites. Free File is available to anyone though those earning over $72,000 per year have fewer free options. Here’s a breakdown of what’s available for those earning under and over $72,000.

Income $72,000 and below Income above $72,000
  • Free federal tax filing on an IRS partner site
  • State tax filing (free with some offers)
  • Guided preparation – simply answer questions
  • Online service does all the math
  • More about IRS Free File
  • Free electronic forms you fill out and file yourself
  • No state tax filing
  • You should know how to prepare paper forms 
  • Basic calculations with limited guidance

Free File Fillable Forms: Opens February 12, 2021

Free Tax Prep Assistance

The Denton County United Way is back this year with their VITA Tax Preparation service, which provides tax prep assistance to those that earned up to $58,000. The service kicks off on February 8, 2021 and will be completely virtual. 

For information about other free tax preparation services as well as services for specific populations, visit my colleague Bobby Griffith’s tax services post from March 2020.

Economic Impact Payments: what to know

If you haven’t received any or all of your COVID-related economic stimulus payments, you can check your payment status at IRS.gov. If you find that you have not received your payment, or if you do not normally file taxes, you  may qualify for the credit. See Recovery Rebate Credit for more information.

Taxes can be confusing and stressful, but they don’t have to be. If you find yourself in need of help, reach out to UNT’s Government Information Connection for help. If we don’t have the answer, we can connect you to someone that does. 

Take a Day On, Not a Day Off: MLK Day of Service

Posted by & filed under Local Doings, Make a Difference, Special Days.

MLK Day of Service


Many of us take a day off from work or classes on the third Monday in January to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This day has been designated a national holiday since 1983, but since 1994 it has also been designated a national day of service.

The MLK Day of Service provides an opportunity for all Americans to help bring Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community” a little closer to reality by engaging in action that helps solve social problems, working against the triple evils of poverty, racism, and militarism to create a society where all people can share in the wealth of the earth, and conflicts are resolved peacefully through a mutual commitment to King’s principles, philosophy, and techniques of nonviolence.

How You Can Be Involved

Learn More About Martin Luther King, Jr.

More information about Dr. King and his philosophy can be found at The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Shortly after Dr. King’s assassination, his widow Coretta Scott King established this nongovernmental, nonprofit organization to provide research, education, and training in King’s principles, philosophy, and techniques of nonviolence. The Center champions the causes of freedom, justice, and equality by working to eliminate poverty, build community, and foster peace. 

Other resources, including a large collection of online documents, are available at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute.

Other Ways You Can Make a Difference

Service to your community doesn’t have to be limited to one day a year! Learn more about ways you can become active in your national, state, and local community at the UNT Libraries Civic Engagement Portal.

Let’s each take some time on this special day to make a contribution to our community, keeping in mind these immortal words of Dr. King:

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?

Article by Bobby Griffith

87th Texas Legislative Session

Posted by & filed under Local Doings, Special Days.

texas state capitol chamber

It’s been a tragic and tumultuous few weeks for national politics and the United States. As a result of national goings-on, it might be easy to forget that today is the start of the 87th Texas Legislative session.

The 87th Texas Legislative convenes today, January 21 and ends on May 31, 2021. In light of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week and on going concerns over the spread of the Coronavirus, security at the Texas capitol has been increased and many lawmakers are sitting out the swearing in ceremony and considering the safest way to carry out the business of legislating.

So, what’s in store for the 87th Texas Legislative session? Of course, the budget. And redistricting of the Texas political boundaries. The 2020 Decennial Census, which serves as the basis for state redistricting, has been hampered by lawsuits, deadline changes, and a myriad of other issues hamper, including COVID-19. As a result, the release of the 2020 Census counts is still unclear. Despite these challenges, the 2020 Census was the first to provide opportunity to respond to the survey online. The Pew Research Center offers a synopsis of the challenges surrounding the 2020 Decennial Census.

In addition to these two massive undertakings — budget and redistricting — Texas lawmakers filed 1427 bills and resolutions they hope to be heard and decided during the 2021 legislative session. As residents of Texas, we can likely expect to see legislation and debates around local government authority, elections, police reform, property taxes, and marijuana legalization among many other issues.

There is no doubt, this session will be one to watch.

Here are a few resources to learn more about the 87th Texas Legislative Session and to follow goings-on at the Capitol:

Looking for money to pay for college?

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

green dollar sign

November is National Scholarship Month, a time to raise awareness of scholarship opportunities for current and future college students. We recommend that this fall, you take some time to search for scholarship opportunities. Keep a running list of opportunities of interest for which you are eligible, noting submission deadlines. There’s no magic date by which to apply for scholarships; each scholarship has its own unique deadline. Below are a few ways to find scholarship opportunities.

When applying for scholarships, it’s important to . . .

  • make sure you always read and carefully follow instructions. Scholarships can be very competitive. Reviewers often shrink the applicant pool by tossing out those applications that lack all the required documents or that indicate the applicant did not follow instructions.
  • track deadlines and do not wait until the last minute to complete an application. Many scholarships require an essay and you do not want to hastily throw something together. Allow time for editing and ideally, you should allow time for someone else to read and edit your essay too.
  • identify and talk to potential recommenders in advance. Many scholarships require letters of recommendation. Make sure you ask recommenders ahead of time and give them information about you, details about the scholarship, and instructions for submitting the recommendation letter. Consider asking more recommenders than you actually need, just in case.
  • tell your story. Make your application compelling by describing your career aspirations and interests. It’s important to construct a narrative that is well-written, free of grammatical and spelling errors, and that adequately addresses the prompt or question.

And finally, be sure to complete or update your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form every year, to receive federal student aid. Remember, even if you choose to decline federal student loans, you can only participate in the Federal Work-Study program and receive federal grants, such as the need-based Pell Grant, by completing the FAFSA.

Transgender Individuals and Public Policy: From “Bathroom Bills” to Employee Protection, 2016–2020

Posted by & filed under Guest Posts, Hot Docs, Keeping Tabs, Special Days.


Protest against SB 6, the Texas "bathroom bill"

The U.S. federal government response in recent years to matters related to transgender rights has skewed against recognition, dignity, and equality. 2016 started with an onslaught of proposed legislation and public policy measures aimed at negating the basic civil rights of transgender individuals in the United States. These developments have endangered both the physical health and mental well-being of the transgender community. Most notably the “bathroom bills,” which became headline news for months, inspired anger from the right and outrage from the left. However, in 2020, a landmark case emerged, Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the Supreme Court held that Title XII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects employees from discrimination based on gender identity (as well as sexual orientation). Given this case, as well as transgender military personnel recently receiving invitations to have a voice in military policy that directly affect them by providing testimony before the House of Representatives, the next four years appear to hold a promise of a better future for the transgender community in relation to the government. 

Below is a bibliography of titles, separated by subject, from the UNT Libraries, both from the catalog and from our Digital Libraries Government Documents collection that highlight public policy affecting transgender individuals from 2016–2020. 

Education  

    • This document covers the U.S. Dept. of Education efforts to protect transgender students.  
    • This report reviews whether Title IX, which prohibits discrimination “on the basis of sex” in federally funded education programs or activities, reaches claims raised by transgender students. 

Employment 

  • The Equality Act (H.R. 5): Ensuring the Right to Learn and Work Free from Discrimination: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, Hearing Held in Washington, D.C. (2019). Available from https://discover.library.unt.edu/catalog/b6376452 
    • Transcripts from a legislative hearing on the Equality Act to guarantee and expand civil rights protections for transgender (and LGBQ+) Americans, pros and cons presented in testimony.  

Housing 

    • Page 12 of this report notes that the Fair Housing Act does not expressly protect individuals from discrimination based on gender identity (or sexual orientation); further, it notes the challenges faced by transgender individuals’ ability to gain access to single-sex shelters in accordance with their gender identity.  

Military Service  

    • Page 16 of this report, “Table 2. Who Is Required to Register for the Selective Service?” indicates that, “Individuals who are born female and changed their gender to male,” are not required to register for selective service, yet, those “who are born male and change their gender to female,” are required to register for selective service.    
    • This is a handbook to aid transgender Service members with their transition, assist commanders with rules and regulations, and teach Service members of policies. 
    • Page 37–40 of this report has a section focused on “Transgender Service” highlighting some of the 2016/2017 policies affecting “transgender recruits.” 
    • This memorandum to the President recommends that the DOD adopt policies disqualifying “transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria” and those “who require or have undergone gender transition” from military service. Further, “transgender persons without a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria, who are otherwise qualified for service, may serve, like all other Service members, in their biological sex,” because, “by its very nature, military service requires sacrifice.” 
    • This report provides an overview of policies affecting transgender servicemembers in 2016/2017, cost of care for those servicemembers, and includes links to some existing research on these concerns.  
    • This report discusses the controversy regarding transgender individuals serving in the military, President Trump’s memoranda on the subject, and the four lawsuits challenging the President’s memorandums.  

Additional Resources

More information on the above topics can be found in the following databases: 

    • Provides access to information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities.  
    • The Congressional Research Service (CRS) works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for more than a century. CRS is well-known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan.  

 

Article by Julie Leuzinger, with contributions from Coby Condrey and Clark Pomerleau.

Photo of opponents of Texas “bathroom bill” (SB 6) protesting at the state Capitol in Austin by Eric Gay/Associated Press. From “Go all out to Go All In for Advocacy,” by Tammy Nash, in Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 33, No. 45, Ed. 1 Friday, March 17, 2017. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections. 

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