Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon

The 2020 election was already shaping up to be one of the most consequential and contentious in recent memory, and then came the COVID-19 pandemic. While much about the future is uncertain, we know this: the election cannot be run as originally planned. Professor Amel Ahmed lays out what policymakers can do to ensure that all voters can exercise their right to vote, what research can tell us about these various proposals, and how we can ensure that the public knows everything they need to vote before November comes. For more on this topic: Check out Baker’s policy recommendation, Ensure Safe Elections for All Read her SSN brief, When Election Rules Undermine Democracy

Even at the best of times, accessing abortion care in the United States can be an arduous process. During a pandemic, the challenges only mount further. Clinics are closed down and, in some places, politicians have begun using COVID-19 to block abortion, calling it “nonessential” healthcare. Professor Carrie Baker explores whether telemedicine abortion could provide a solution, what barriers exist to implementing it, and what this all means for the future of reproductive rights in the United States. For more on this topic: Check out Baker’s policy recommendation, Increase Access to Abortion Pills via Telemedicine Read her column in Ms. Magazine

In cities and towns across the country, protests have erupted following the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and others. While many of the protests remained peaceful, others turned violent, with buildings being destroyed or looted and clashes breaking out between the police and protestors. In this archive episode, Professor Ashley Howard explains the history behind these protests, why protests sometimes turn violent, how governments often respond, and what the role of social media is in all of this. For more on this topic: Check out Howard’s interview in The Chronicle of Higher Education and her multiple pieces in The Black Scholar. Read her SSN brief, How U.S. Urban Unrest in the 1960s Can Help Make Sense of Ferguson, Missouri, and Other Recent Protests This episode originally aired on February 14, 2017.

Being a college student can be stressful enough, but when you’re an undocumented immigrant, there are many additional hurdles in your way. Dr. Sayil Camacho unpacks what it’s like to be an undocumented student at our nation’s colleges and universities, what more university administrators and faculty can do to support them, and how DACA and the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the program factor into it all. For More on This Topic: Read the report Camacho worked on with Roberto Gonzales, Kristina Brant, and Carlos Aguilar, “The Long-Term Impact of DACA: Forging Futures Despite DACA’s Uncertainty” Check out the webinar Camacho put together on Scholar Allyship with and for the Undocumented Community Find the essay by Itziri Gonzalez-Barcenas mentioned in the episode, Growing Up Undocumented

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it’s widely accepted that without a vaccine, life cannot go back to normal. But as it turns out, not everyone is on board. Over the last several years, an anti-vaccine movement has gained steam in the United States, with more and more people deciding to skip vaccines for themselves and their children. In this archive episode, Dr. Matthew Woodruff dives into the science and history behind vaccines and how we can better educate people on their value. This episode originally aired on August 8, 2017. For More on This Topic: Read Woodruff’s brief, Why "Personal Belief" Vaccine Exemptions Place Many Vulnerable Americans at Risk Check out his former podcast, Audiommunity

The scene is so common it’s almost cliche: two beautiful young people meet at a rowdy college party and drunkenly fall into bed together. American pop culture is fascinated by college hookups, but is casual sex really as widespread as it seems? Professor Lisa Wade breaks down who participates in hookup culture, what they get out of it, and as more students speak up about the problem of on-campus sexual assault, what role universities have to play in shaping their sexual cultures. For more on this topic Check out her book, American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus Read her opinion pieces in The Guardian, Time, and The Conversation  

In any sense of the word, the COVID-19 crisis can be considered a disaster. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives, millions have lost their jobs, and nearly everyone is experiencing a sense of shock at how quickly our world was turned upside down. But of course, the current crisis is also dramatically different from previous disasters, like hurricanes or wildfires. Professor Susan Sterett dives into how COVID-19 follows the same patterns of previous disasters and how it diverges, what we can learn from previous disasters to inform our current efforts, and how we can prepare for a future where the coronavirus will inevitably collide with other disasters. For more on this topic: Read Sterett’s paper, “Disaster assistance and legal accountability: care and surveillance” Check out the book she edited, Disaster and Sociolegal Studies

Every Thursday since America started locking down to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a tragic new number is released: the latest unemployment claims. Tens of millions of Americans have already filed for unemployment, and that number is likely to keep going up. Professor Anna Gassman-Pines lays out who is most affected by the dramatic economic downturn we’re seeing, what job losses mean for children, families, and entire communities, and how policymakers can help buffer against some of the worst effects of this economic crisis. For more on this topic: Check out Gassman-Pines’ memo with Professor Elizabeth Ananat for Econofact, Snapshot of the COVID Crisis Impact on Working Families Read her previous opinion piece for NJ.com, Long-term unemployment assistance helps families, communities

With the COVID-19 crisis spreading rapidly across the US, much attention has been paid to the hospitals on the front lines of this pandemic. But there is another set of healthcare providers that also has a crucial role to play in managing this outbreak: community health centers. Professor Peter Shin unpacks what exactly community health centers are, why they were established and who they serve, what role they have to play in the COVID-19 pandemic, and how policymakers can ensure their survival during this unprecedented time. For more on this topic: Check out Shin’s SSN policy memo, Invest in Community Health Centers Read his analysis of the current situation for the Milken Institute School of Public Health

We’re in April, as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. Today, the U.S. has more reported cases than any other nation on earth - a fact that may in part be due to testing levels, but could also be due to a series of massive public policy mistakes. In the U.S., the federal response has been chaotic, to say the least. And here’s one reason: President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi don’t talk to each other. The intense anger and distrust between Republicans and Democrats could literally be costing our nation lives. Lee Drutman explains how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it.  For more on this topic: Check out Drutman’s book, Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America Read his opinion pieces in The Atlantic, Vox, and The New York Times