**Soldier killed by IED**

KANSAS STATE – A Fort Riley soldier died from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan this week. Spc. Garrett Fant, 21, of American Canyon, Calif., was on patrol in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province when an IED detonated on Sept. 26. This was his first deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Fant was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy
Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. He joined the Army in March 2009 as an indirect fire infantryman. Fant’s awards include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star and the Army Service Ribbon.

-Kansas State Collegian_

**Somerville, Medford ratings rise**

TUFTS UNIVERSITY – Standard & Poor’s downgraded the United States’ long-term credit rating from AAA to AA+ last month, while Somerville and Medford experienced increases in their credit ratings earlier in the year.

S&P upgraded Somerville’s rating from AA to AA+ in March, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone told the Daily. Medford’s rating was also upgraded earlier this year from A to A+, according to Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn.

S&P independently assigns credit ratings to markets, institutions and governments based on their own research. The United States’ current rating, AA+, indicates “a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments,” while its previous rating, AAA, shows “extremely strong capacity,” according to S&P requirements.

Somerville and Medford’s ratings place them in better financial positions than ever before, hopefully attracting additional investment, Curtatone and McGlynn said.

McGlynn described Medford’s A+ rating as a “strong rating for us.”

At the end of the 2010 fiscal year, Somerville reported its total net assets at $141.6 million, according to a public document titled “Report on Examination of Basic Financial Statements.”

“Somerville’s credit rating continues to go up because of strong financial management and focus on economic development,” Curtatone said.

Investment in the city will ideally allow the city to not raise local taxes, Curtatone noted.

-The Tufts Daily_
By Lizz Grainger

**Students of Color Conference comes to UC Davis**

UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIA – DAVIS — UC Davis will be hosting the annual Students of Color Conference on campus this year.

The three-day conference, which begins Nov. 11 and ends Nov. 13, will feature public speakers, workshops and community meetings that specifically aim to bring participants together to acknowledge issues and awareness of community, identity and solidarity.

“This last year at (UC Santa Barbara), interested UC Davis students started asking the question, ‘how can we become more involved in this event?'” Amanda Gonzalez, a senior chemistry major and co-chair for SOCC, said in an email.

SOCC is open to all students from any school, said Edward Montelongo, ASUCD ethnic and cultural affairs commission chairman.

“This is a unique environment that looks at issues that affect students of color in higher education and it becomes a positive effort,” Miguel Espinoza, ASUCD senator and fundraising chair for SOCC, said. “This is supposed to be for students, by students.”

The conference expects at least 1,200 participants to attend. Two hundred are estimated from UC Davis, but there may be more, Espinoza said.

“We hope that by holding this conference at the beginning of the year it will encourage students to seek out organizations that interest them,” Espinoza said.

-The California Aggie_
By Alicia Kindred