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Uncategorized

The Next Fight: DOJ and Congress after the Mueller Investigation

Presently, we are in an interlude. The Mueller investigation is over, but Congress and the public have not yet seen the special counsel's report. Around 5:00pm on Friday, March 22nd, Attorney General William Barr sent a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, notifying them that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had concluded his investigation … Continue reading The Next Fight: DOJ and Congress after the Mueller Investigation

economics, Human Rights, technology

Science-Fiction to Reality: A Novel Approach to the Crisis of Automation

By: Ian Schneider Novels have the potential to  provide insights on the world, both good and bad, that would normally pass by unnoticed when taking in society as a whole. Throughout everyday life, citizens are forced to engage with all aspects of society at once, often dulling our awareness to the extent or severity of … Continue reading Science-Fiction to Reality: A Novel Approach to the Crisis of Automation

Education, environment, Human Rights, Michigan, Uncategorized

The Empire Strikes Back: State Takeover and its Effect on Communities

State takeover is the assumption of control of a school district or municipality by the state as the result of fiscal insolvency and/or lack of academic achievement. Takeover eliminates the control and ability of local communities to appoint democratically elected and locally responsible officials in favor of a state-appointed emergency manager.  The job of the … Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back: State Takeover and its Effect on Communities

economics, Education, Health Care, Human Rights, Rethinking Communities

“Necessitous Men Are Not Free Men”: The Case for FDR’s Second Bill of Rights Today

By: Brian Krause  On January 6th, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his historic eighth State of the Union address and inspired the American people with his famous Four Freedoms. The freedoms of speech and worship, with the right to live without fear and want, were spoken to be as inalienable as the rights laid … Continue reading “Necessitous Men Are Not Free Men”: The Case for FDR’s Second Bill of Rights Today

MSU

10 Ideas: Holding Universities Accountable for their Sexual Assault Prevention Policies Through Student Input

Thesis:  Currently, Michigan State University reviews its sexual assault prevention and response policies without sufficient feedback from students, thus Michigan State should make the process more accessible to student concerns. This will allow policies to more actively reflect campus realities and changes. Background & Analysis: In response to the well-publicized indictment of former Michigan State doctor … Continue reading 10 Ideas: Holding Universities Accountable for their Sexual Assault Prevention Policies Through Student Input

Education, MSU

MSU Needs more than a Resignation

One year ago Larry Nassar’s trial showcased the negligence and lack of accountability of MSU’s administration. After the trial, resignation of MSU President Louanna K. Simon, the appointment of former Michigan Governor John Engler as Interim President, numerous investigations, an announcement of a closed-presidential search, a Board of Trustees election, the closing of the Healing … Continue reading MSU Needs more than a Resignation

foreign policy

The U.S. Military: Its Expansion, its Impact, and Its Role

Despite 80% of Americans placing their confidence in the military and that it “will act in the best interests of the public,” most of the American people have no idea how expansive the military is as an institution in the modern era or the realities of military life. Less than one percent of Americans currently … Continue reading The U.S. Military: Its Expansion, its Impact, and Its Role

Human Rights

Thinking Local for LGBT Nondiscrimination

Since the moment that Trump was inaugurated, his administration has made direct attacks on the rights of LGBT citizens and undermined the progress made by generations of activism. As of 2018, twenty-eight states including Michigan, still lack explicit legal prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing. Due to … Continue reading Thinking Local for LGBT Nondiscrimination

foreign policy, Human Rights

Turning Back the Clock on Human Rights

By: Katarina Huss and Vishnu Kannan  Since the 2016 election, commentators, former officials, and scholars have worried over the state of the “liberal international order.” The order, established in the aftermath of the Second World War, refers to the framework of international institutions, laws, and norms which have reduced war and promoted economic well being … Continue reading Turning Back the Clock on Human Rights