In June of 2023, Biola University President Dr. Barry Corey released an internal email statement announcing the closure of the centralized Division of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and the opening of the decentralized Unity in Diversity Advisory Council. In an internal email last Thursday, the president introduced Talbot chair and professor of theology Dr. Uche Anizor as his co-chair to lead the council. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to disband all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In this episode, host Reagan Glidewell interviews junior psychology major Ashley Newman about her letter to the Office of the President published in The Chimes last Friday, and the implications of a decentralized D&I office at Biola. Last academic school year, Newman served as the Vice President of D&I for Biola’s Student Government Association (SGA). She shares her perspective as a student who worked closely with Biola’s D&I division and explains the concerns she included in her letter. They mention Biola’s Unity Amidst Diversity statement and 2021 Strategic Diversity Plan.

More information about this week’s headlines: Biola University clubs; Sudan famine; President Biden pardons

Last week, numerous fires sprung up across L.A. county. The Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires have burnt over 60 square miles, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing over $250 billion in damages. For more information about the wildfires, see the Los Angeles Times’ Wildfires Map and its ongoing coverage of the fires.

In this episode, host Hope Li interviews Chimes news editor Olivia Kam about her most recent Chimes article about ways the Biola community can support those affected by the fires in the greater Los Angeles County. They mention a GoFundMe created to support Rosemead Psychology professor Tania Abouezzeddine after the Eaton fire, which has raised 190% of its $15,000 goal.

More information about this week’s headlines: South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol detained; Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Newscaster Jake Russo brings news of an attempted airport heist in Chile, the death of two US citizens traveling across Mexico and news regarding North Korea's Kim Jong-un's family.