By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY

Crossing paths with dogs, cats and other animals is part of campus life for students at Eckerd College, a liberal arts school in Florida that allows pets to live in dormitories.

Sophie Nocera, an Eckerd senior, said she probably knows the names of pets better than her fellow students.

“That’s the case for a lot of the students,” said Nocera, who lives on the campus in St. Petersburg with her Border collie, Zuko. “When I’m walking my dog, I often hear, ‘Oh my god, hi, Zuko!’ It’s like I’m not even there.”

Some colleges and universities around the country welcome pets in campus residences, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Stephens College in Missouri.

For students, the companionship can help reduce stress, anxiety and homesickness. The colleges also see benefits for student engagement and helping them build connections with one another.

Federal law requires public and private colleges to allow service animals and emotional support animals in student housing. But growing numbers of schools are allowing pets, with various restrictions.

Not all animals are welcome on pet-friendly campuses

MIT allows only cats, in limited numbers and in preapproved spaces. At Eckerd, students can bring their family pets to live with them on campus after their first semester. The college requires pets to have been part of students’ home life at least six months before coming to campus and must not be venomous or aggressive.

Student Molly Cheer’s pet comfort cat, Louie, peers out of his shelter in her dorm room at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

At the University of Northern Colorado, students in three of the more than dozen residence halls on campus are allowed to have dogs and cats. The animals must be at least 6 months old and no more than 40 pounds. Students are limited to one pet. This fall, the school will have the most registered pets on campus since it began allowing them over a decade ago, said Jediah Cummins, executive director of housing.

“One of the markers of adulthood is, ‘Can I not just take care of myself, but can I take care of another living being?’ That’s an important part of this,” Cummins said.

Molly Cheer, a senior nursing major, said she chose Northern Colorado in part because of its pet-friendly policy. When she is stressed about school, she said, it helps coming home to Louie, the cat she adopted during her first year.

“Whenever I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I pick him up and cuddle him, and he just deals with it for as long as I need it,” she said.

Student Molly Cheer sits with her pet comfort cat, Louie, in her dorm room at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Eckerd has had pet-friendly dorms since 1973. Jack Layden, assistant dean for residential life and student engagement, said the college has hosted hundreds of animals, including rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, birds, guinea pigs, bearded dragons, geckos, turtles, snakes, frogs, fish, and even a tarantula.

Pets change the college experience for their owners

Nocera said Zuko has helped her meet other people on campus, as well as emotionally, when she struggled with a decision to change her major.

“I remember coming back to my dorm and just melting to the floor, and Zuko was right there. And I remember thinking, whatever happens tomorrow, I’m going to wake up, and I’m going to take him to the dog park. And, we’re going to go play fetch regardless of what my major is,” said Nocera, who is the staff director of Pet Life, a student-led department on campus tasked with administering the pet policy.

Sophie Nocera, 21, a senior at Eckerd College, poses for a photo with her dog Zuco on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Tina Russell)

At Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, Eva Chatterjee-Sutton saw the difference a pet can make when a first-year student was struggling to make connections before her mother suggested a puppy. After the dog’s arrival, the student became more involved in campus life, said Chatterjee-Sutton, vice president of student life.

“I think it’s absolutely changed her college trajectory and her connection with others on campus,” Chatterjee-Sutton said.

Residence halls set boundaries, get creative to support pet owners

Pet-friendly dorms require colleges to consider things like safety concerns, noise complaints, how to avoid agitating animals during fire alarm tests, as well as additional costs for cleaning, Layden said. Some schools charge a pet fee, which varies by school, type of pet and is often included in housing expenses. For example, at Stephens College, the annual fee for a dog or cat is $220, for a cage- or aquarium-dwelling pet is $50 and free for fish. Others require students to have liability insurance and roommate agreements. Pets are required to be restrained when in public, and most colleges require students to ensure their pets are healthy and vaccinated.

Eckerd and other colleges recognize pets’ role in their students’ lives at graduation ceremonies, allowing them to cross the commencement stage together in some cases.

“Having pets obviously isn’t for everyone, and that is totally OK,” Nocera said. “But for the people that it is a good fit for, it is so worth it. This upcoming year, I’ll be graduating, and Zuko will be in his little pet graduation ceremony, walking across the stage with me.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

After 38 years, 38 anthologies and two greatest hits collections, “The Best American Poetry” series is concluding with its 2025 edition.

David Lehman, who conceived the series in 1987, launched it in 1988 and has overseen it with a rotating list of guest editors ever since, made it clear that the decision to shutter the book series was his alone.

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“No, it’s my choice,” says the poet, writer and teacher during a phone interview on Thursday. “I think it’s time to undergo new adventures.”

The series publisher Scribner echoed Lehman’s words, sharing a statement about its conclusion, which arrives on Sept. 2. “‘The Best American Poetry 2025’ is the final volume in the acclaimed series, as founding editor David Lehman retires after 38 years of visionary leadership. Guest edited by poet Terence Winch, this landmark edition offers a vibrant selection of contemporary voices and serves as a fitting tribute to a series that has shaped and celebrated American poetry for nearly four decades.”

(For clarity, Mariner/HarperCollins’s “The Best American” anthologies of essays, short stories, mystery, suspense, science fiction, fantasy and more, aren’t going anywhere. “The Scribner series is completely separate from The Best American Series,” a Mariner rep says of its series, which first launched in 1915. “We are published annually with no end in sight.” The next batch hit stores Oct. 25.)

Covers of recent “The Best American Poetry” editions. (Courtesy of Scribner)

Lehman, who has a book of poetry coming out in February entitled “Ithaca,” says he’s proud of the decades he spent producing the project, as well as the writers and editors whose work has appeared on or influenced its pages, including Anne Carson, Billy Collins, Charles Simic, Denise Duhamel, Louise Glück, Natasha Trethewey, Major Jackson, Dana Gioia and many others.

The series demonstrates the richness and value of American poetry, he says.

“You’re representing all the diverse voices, the many kinds of poems, the many regions of our country, the many different schools or cliques or what have you. But we’re also, I think, representing poetry as an endeavor,” he says.

“The word ‘Best’ in our title makes an aggressive claim,” he says. “But it’s worth making that claim for poetry and to be able to give it a full heart and great enthusiasm. So I’ve done that and worked very hard on it, and I’ve had the good fortune of working together with 40 different guest editors who have ranged from John Ashbery, A.R. Ammons, Mark Strand, Louise Glück, Adrienne Rich, Robert Hass, Rita Dove – it’s quite a long list.

“The best part is the knowledge that one is working for an end greater than oneself,” he says. “You’re serving the art.”

Along with previous volumes and the final edition out Sept. 2, Lehman stresses the work can be found online at the Best American Poetry blog, Facebook page and weekly email.

By FARNOUSH AMIRI, JON GAMBRELL and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — France, Germany and the United Kingdom started a process Thursday to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, further isolating Tehran after its 12-day war with Israel saw its atomic sites repeatedly bombed.

The mechanism, termed “snapback” by the diplomats who negotiated it into Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, was designed to be veto-proof at the U.N. and is likely to go into effect.

It would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of its ballistic missile program, among other measures, further squeezing the country’s reeling economy.

The European move starts a 30-day clock for the sanctions to return, a period that likely will see intensified diplomacy from Iran, whose refusal to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors started the crisis. The U.N. General Assembly in September will also likely see Iran as a top focus.

The British, French and German foreign ministers suggested they viewed “snapback” as a way to spur negotiations with Tehran.

“This measure does not signal the end of diplomacy: we are determined to make the most of the 30-day period that is now opening to engage in dialogue with Iran,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on the social platform X.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he decried the move as “unjustified, illegal, and lacking any legal basis” in a call with his European counterparts.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will respond appropriately to this unlawful and unwarranted measure,” he said, without elaborating.

Iran has threatened in the past to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, potentially following North Korea, which said it abandoned the treaty in 2003 and built atomic weapons afterward.

Europeans warned Iran ‘snapback’ could come

The three European nations warned Aug. 8 that Iran could trigger snapback when it halted inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency after Israeli strikes at the start of the two countries’ 12-day war in June. Israeli attacks then killed Tehran’s top military leaders and saw Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei go into hiding.

The European nations triggered the sanctions process through a letter to the U.N. Security Council. France and the U.K. also requested that the 15-member council hold closed consultations Friday to discuss Iran’s noncompliance, according to a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss still-private information.

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There’s a slim chance diplomacy will create an opening to push back the Oct. 18 deadline, after which any sanctions effort will likely face a veto. Iran likely would need to resume direct negotiations with the U.S. and provide the IAEA full access to its nuclear sites to get such a delay.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the Europeans’ decision and said America “remains available for direct engagement with Iran.”

“Snapback does not contradict our earnest readiness for diplomacy, it only enhances it,” Rubio said in a statement.

Using the “snapback” mechanism also likely will raise tensions further between Iran and the West in a region still burning over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. As the measure was announced, Israel launched a strikes targeting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

“Iranian leaders perceive a sanctions ‘snapback’ as a Western effort to weaken Iran’s economy indefinitely and perhaps stimulate sufficient popular unrest to unseat Iran’s regime,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank said Thursday.

Iran appears resigned

Iran initially downplayed the threat of renewed sanctions and engaged in little visible diplomacy for weeks after Europe’s warning, but has engaged in a brief diplomatic push in recent days, highlighting the chaos gripping its theocracy.

In Tehran on Thursday, Iran’s rial currency traded at over 1 million to $1. At the time of the 2015 accord, it traded at 32,000 to $1, showing the currency’s precipitous collapse in the time since.

Outside a currency shop in Tehran, resident Arman Vasheghani Farahani told The Associated Press that “many of us feel a deep sense of uncertainty and desperation” over the currency collapse sparked by the nuclear tensions.

“Should we keep trying, or is it time to give up? And how long will this situation last?” he asked. “No official seems willing to take responsibility for what’s happening.”

At issue is Iran’s nuclear enrichment

Before the war in June, Iran was enriching uranium up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. It also built a stockpile containing enough highly enriched uranium to build multiple atomic bombs, should it choose to do so.

Iran long has insisted its program is peaceful, though Western nations and the IAEA assess Tehran had an active nuclear weapons program up until 2003.

It remains unclear just how much the Israel and U.S. strikes on nuclear sites during the war disrupted Iran’s program.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to allow the IAEA even greater access to its nuclear program than those the agency has in other member nations. That included permanently installing cameras and sensors at nuclear sites.

But IAEA inspectors, who faced increasing restrictions on their activities since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018, have yet to access those sites. Meanwhile, Iran has said it moved uranium and other equipment out prior to the strikes — possibly to new, undeclared sites that raise the risk that monitors could lose track of the program’s status.

On Wednesday, IAEA inspectors were on hand to watch a fuel replacement at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, which is run with Russian technical assistance.

European nations faced deadline

The deal’s snapback mechanism will expire Oct. 18. After that, any sanctions effort would face a veto from U.N. Security Council members China and Russia — nations that have provided some support to Iran in the past but stayed out of the June war. China has remained a major buyer of Iranian crude oil, something that could be affected in “snapback” happens.

Russia in recent days has floated a proposal to extend the life of the U.N. resolution granting the “snapback” power. Russia also is due to take the presidency of the U.N. Security Council in October, likely putting additional pressure on the Europeans to act.

Amiri reported from New York and Liechtenstein from Vienna. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As we inch into a new school year, and look forward to fall colors and football, it’s not a bad idea to squeeze in a few last meals cooked on the grill and served al fresco.

The nights are finally cooling, if only slightly, and in my backyard at least, fireflies are still calling out to each other at twilight with their fleeting, magical flashes of neon yellow.

The four deer that sleep behind my rhododendron bushes each night may have eaten every last thing I planted this summer, but life is still good when it comes to planning a tasty dinner.

As always in August, my favorite farmers markets and farm stands have come to the rescue with all sorts of colorful, fresh and locally grown produce. That makes it easy to fill up on things that don’t just taste great at mealtime, but also are actually good for this aging body.

Cooking and eating outdoors always puts people in a better mood. That’s especially true when the menu — like my beloved lightning bugs — is hyper-seasonal. There’s something so special about enjoying foods that are only available for a few months or weeks each year — not just because they’re flavorful, but also because they support local farmers. Often, they’re also more affordable.

With that in mind, I decided to take advantage of both the good weather and all the produce being harvested at its peak ripeness for my latest installment in the PG’s ongoing budget dinners series.

The main attraction on this week’s menu: a grilled chicken and vegetable entree that’s so simple to prepare that you’ll have time to make a homemade dessert. Start to finish, the dish takes only about 25 minutes once the grill is ready, and because all the ingredients are conveniently cooked together in tidy foil packets, there’s very little cleanup.

Chicken cooked over charcoal often is slathered in barbecue sauce before serving. In this recipe, the boneless breasts are nestled in an aluminum foil “boat” filled with sliced summer squash and cherry tomatoes, then topped with a tangy mustard sauce. The veggies steam as the chicken cooks, and everything comes out moist and tender.

“Hobo meals,” as these foil packets are sometimes called by campers, are great because they’re as versatile as they are easy. If you don’t like zucchini, substitute peppers, onions, carrots or whatever you like. For faster cooking, you also can cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

This three-course meal for four also includes my Americanized version of one of Italy’s most famous appetizers — a savory bruschetta — that shines a well-deserved light on the exceptional flavor of heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil.

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Finally, there’s the peach dessert that you can pop in the oven while the chicken sizzles on the grill. After all, who doesn’t love finishing a meal with something sweet and crunchy?

Crisps — a dish of baked, jammy fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of oatmeal, sugar and butter — never fail to hit the spot, especially when they’re topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They’re also relatively simple to prepare, which is a beautiful thing for those who don’t bake on a regular basis.

Total cost of this late-summer, nutritious meal for a family of four: $25.23, or just $6.30 per person. I overspent my budget of $25 by a quarter, but hey, just try getting an entire dinner at a fast-food joint for the same price that’s not loaded with unhealthy fats, sodium and calories.

Plenty of people are pretty cheesed off at what a meal for four can cost these days, especially if you eat out. The latest round of President Trump’s tariffs — which are expected to impact a majority of U.S. food imports — are only making us more anxious with the seemingly ever-present possibility of higher food prices.

But as this complete meal demonstrates, the cost of dinner doesn’t have to come with a gut punch.

So how did we do it?

For starters, I thoughtfully planned a menu to avoid impulse purchases or buying items I already had in my pantry or refrigerator. Then, I took advantage of the low prices you often find at farmers markets.

All of my veggies, in fact, were purchased from local farmers for far less than what I normally would pay for out-of-season produce at the grocery store. Everything from the summer squash ($1 each) to the tomatoes ($4 for a pint of cherries or 50 cents for each heirloom) to the shallots ($7 for a box of seven), basil ($1.50 for a huge bunch) and peaches (60 cents each).

I also paid only $4 for the loaf of ciabatta on which the bruschetta was built, and had enough left over for toast the next morning. That’s a bargain.

As for the chicken, rather than a famous national brand, I chose the one with the grocery store label that was on sale.

I’ll admit it takes some planning to create flavorful, complete meals that get the most bang for your buck. It also often requires ferreting through your fridge and pantry before you head to the store — with list and pen — to see what needs to be used up.

Even committed shoppers don’t always follow that cardinal rule of looking before buying: When my refrigerator broke earlier this summer, I found four jars of sun-dried tomatoes in oil on a back shelf along with multiple half-eaten jars of pickles, several dried-out lemons and a moldy plastic container of sour cream.

Other tips for smart shopping and meal budgeting: Look for sales, compare unit prices, buy in bulk if it makes sense (it doesn’t always!) and use coupons. Also, never shop while hungry — it’s so easy to reach for a high-priced, unhealthy junk food on an empty stomach! (My weakness is Zapp’s Voodoo potato chips.)

The menu that follows is designed for four, but depending on who’s eating, it may serve more. You’ll definitely have enough peach crisp left over for breakfast the next morning!

Bruschetta

PG tested

When vine-ripened local tomatoes are (finally!) in season, I eat them almost every day in sandwiches, on toast and tossed with a little olive oil and vinegar as a salad. But my favorite way to enjoy the fruit is as bruschetta.

Traditionally, marinated tomatoes are simply piled onto toasted or grilled bread, but I like to slice and fry mine in a little olive oil to make the dish both warm and extra crispy.

You’ll want to choose a bread that can stand up to the juicy topping without getting soggy; think a sturdy baguette or loaf of ciabatta. Allow the tomatoes to marinate for at least 15 minutes before using to maximize flavor, and don’t forget to add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan before serving.

For tomatoes

1 large heirloom tomato, diced
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For bread

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 1-inch slices ciabatta or baguette
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare topping: In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and grind of pepper, and toss to coat. Set aside while you fry bread.

Add olive oil to a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. (I used cast-iron). When oil is hot, add bread slices and fry until golden and crispy, then flip with tongs and cook for another minute. Remove to a platter.

Divide tomato mixture among the bread slices. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and serve.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Honey Mustard Chicken, Tomato & Zucchini

PG tested

It’s easy to dry out boneless chicken breast on a grill because the meat is so lean. But if you borrow a cooking technique from campers, and wrap them with veggies in a foil packet, you’ll get tender, juicy chicken and perfectly cooked vegetables every time.

Feel free to cook the chicken with any vegetable you like. I used a mix of yellow and green summer squash and added in half of a leftover bell pepper I found in my crisper.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot paprika
Large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium green zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; preheat 5 minutes. (I used a charcoal grill.)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Cook shallot and garlic, stirring occasionally, until light golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add whole-grain mustard, honey, Dijon mustard, paprika and red pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then continue to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, toss zucchini, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Season chicken with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Arrange 4 sheets of foil on a flat surface. Pull up sides to form a shallow boat. Divide vegetable mixture among packets. Portion chicken into four servings, then nestle each next to vegetables.

Spread tops of chicken with honey mustard sauce. Tightly fold foil packets to seal.

Grill, covered and rotating packets halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 18-20 minutes. Carefully open foil packets and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4.

— adapted from delish.com

Peach Crisp

PG tested

Peaches taste even sweeter when they’re baked and their natural sugars concentrate and caramelize. Here, they shine in an easy-to-prepare crisp made with brown sugar and oats adapted from one of my favorite baking sites, sallysbakingaddiction.com.

You don’t have to peel the peaches, but some don’t like the texture of the fruit’s skin so it may be a game-day decision based on who you’re cooking for.

For filling

5 cups sliced peaches, peeled or unpeeled
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For topping

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
2/3 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats (or quick oats)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, 9-inch square pan, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or any 2- or 2 1/2 -quart baking dish. Set aside.

Gently mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl, then spread into the baking dish.

Make the topping: Whisk brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or forks until the mixture is crumbly. Fold in oats. Sprinkle evenly over filling.

Bake for 45 — 50 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving warm. You can also serve room temperature or cold.

Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Serves 4-6.

— adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com

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