By Nicole Chan

Catch up on our stories and highlights this week.

UMD students share their experience at the No Kings protest  

By Lena LaJoy

People marched through the National Mall in Washington, D.C on Oct. 18, carrying signs and chanting to protest what they describe as the Trump administration’s corruption.

The movement, titled “No Kings,” occurred in all 50 states on the 18th, with over 2,700 events held and seven million people attending the nationwide protests.  It aims to remind Americans that we are a democracy and that Trump’s efforts, like gutting healthcare and education programs, targeting immigrants and rigging voting maps will not be tolerated, according to the No Kings website.

Zoe Knott, a sophomore public policy major, said the No Kings protest provided students with the opportunity to stand up for their rights, since many policies enacted today by Trump’s administration directly impact college students.

The College Park Metro Station is only about a mile from the university’s campus, so Washington, D.C. was easily accessible for the protest. On the metro, people played music on speakers, danced and chanted even before walking to the protest. Knott said the atmosphere throughout the protest made her feel seen, since she was surrounded by people with the same vision for change. 

At the protest, speakers including Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Bill Nye and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont talked to the people in attendance on a stage in the middle of the march. Knott said that people even began chanting ‘Bill’ when Nye took the stage. 

“To be part of it was something so special…everyone there has the same vision, maybe you disagree about some things, but you have one common interest,” Knott said. 

Dining Services 2025 Harvest Festival Promotes Sustainability and Fall Fun

By Clare Roth

On Oct. 22, dining services hosted its annual Harvest Festival in front of South Campus and 251 North dining halls to promote sustainability on campus, according to Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications for the Department of Dining Services, Bart Hipple. 

On-campus organizations like Terps Recycle, the Campus Pantry, Terp to Terp and the Department of Transportation tabled to educate students on sustainability and campus resources for the festival. 

The event had games that taught people about food waste prevention, as well as less educational activities such as cornhole, and pumpkin painting for students to enjoy. 

There were also many local vendors, like The Posh Mallow, Cuttid and Sesame Crochet, that stuck around after the weekly farmers market, held in Tawes Plaza, for the festival.

The pumpkins for painting along with the specialty food served at the dining halls in honor of the event were sourced directly from the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Terp Farm in Upper Marlboro according to Hipple. This helped raise awareness of the university’s local produce and sustainability efforts  in a fun and enjoyable way for students.

“It’s fun … it’s at no additional cost beyond living on campus…and anybody can participate,” Hipple said.

Featured Image: A No Kings protest flyer. Photo by Monique James.