Digital Commons Network^™

Inside The Gen Z Vote Across Gender And Race, Juliet La Sala

Capstones

This capstone examines how two people from two different Gen Z groups are navigating the 2024 U.S. election. One story revolves around a young woman adopting a U.S. version of South Korea’s 4B Movement and another reflects on a Gen Z Arab American responding to the Israel–Hamas war. Through reported stories and interviews, it explores how personal experience, gender and ethnic violence, and political disillusionment shaped these young voters’ choices and activism. Sierra Bee's story is in light of Trump's election and Liam's is right before the 2024 election took place. Together, the pieces highlight how global events and identity-based …

The Next Drug Epidemic Is Legal: The Nation's Kratom Problem Is More Complicated—And More Harmful—Than It Seems, Elizabeth Walsh

Capstones

This two-part health and science investigative piece reports how kratom and its offshoots have quietly fueled a lucrative and legal addiction epidemic for the last decade. While kratom’s derivative alkaloid 7-hyrdoxymitragynine made headlines this year and as the DEA is poised to ban the strong derivative, “natural” kratom and other kratom-derived products will remain. This piece tracks the history of the 'gas‑station opioid' crisis in the U.S. over ten years: what was thought to be an innocuous southeast Asian supplement has become multi-billion dollar industry built on gray‑area laws, marketed falsehoods, and regulatory loophooles.

Part 1: The ‘Gas Station Opioid’ …

Gowanus Faces A Hidden Threat Beneath Its Neighborhood Boom, Emma J. Rosenberg

Capstones

This article investigates urban redevelopment, climate change and environmental contamination in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood. The Gowanus Canal itself has been a designated EPA Federal Superfund Site since 2010, this designation does not apply to the land surrounding it where legacy industrial contamination still exists. This includes coal tar from former manufactured gas plants which poses a risk to groundwater and indoor air. Under a 2021 rezoning plan, large-scale residential redevelopment is rapidly moving forward, rising groundwater and increased flooding associated with climate change may exacerbate contaminants. Utilizing agency documents, Community Advisory Group meetings, and conversations with residents, advocates, officials and …

Recortes Federales Amenazan La Ayuda A Sobrevivientes De Violencia Doméstica En Nueva York, Ilvea Lezama Melendez

Capstones

Este reportaje examina el impacto de los recientes recortes federales en el financiamiento de organizaciones sin fines de lucro en Nueva York. Esas que brindan servicios a sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica y dependen en gran medida de subvenciones federales y fondos públicos para operar refugios, líneas de ayuda en crisis, servicios legales, consejería y apoyos culturalmente específicos. La reducción de recursos ha provocado interrupciones en los servicios y una disminución en la capacidad de atención, justo cuando la demanda de apoyo por parte de las sobrevivientes dentro de comunidades inmigrantes. A través de entrevistas con proveedores de servicios y expertos …

Nyc Falls Behind In Climate Resources For Pregnant And Postpartum Moms, Jada Simon

Capstones

The U.S. still holds the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations around the world. While national rates have since seen a slight decrease, Black mothers still see high maternal death rates in comparison to white mothers, showing that racial disparities in maternal death rates are still apparent. In NYC, the reason for these disparities are not just unequal access to quality healthcare, but also the poor living conditions of neighborhoods in the city that are made up mainly of minoritized groups. So far, it has gone unconsidered that that the maternal mortality and climate crises are happening concurrently. This …

Enduring The American Dream, Edward Grattan

Capstones

Martha and Rene - both Colombian nationals – have made the difficult decision to self-deport from the United States in the midst of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented immigration crackdown and deportation campaign. After working as day laborers in The Hamptons, New York for nearly eight years, the couple shares their experience of leaving their current life behind as anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy escalates across the country.

The Trump administration has transformed the landscape for immigrants living in the United States, regardless of documentation status, by eliminating paths for legal residency, charging The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency with …

Two Major Ontario Hospital Labs Bought Research Dogs From U.S. Breeder With Troubled Pastdogs Bred For Scientific And Medical Testing Suffer Abuse As The Scientific Industry Increasingly Turns To Alternatives For Research., Allison Hunter, Mary Beech, Sami Marshak, Kate Morano

Capstones

The purpose-bred dog breeding industry for research is little known. Each year, thousands of dogs are bred for scientific and medical testing, supplied to research facilities by a handful of major commercial breeders. But gaps in enforcement and regulation have allowed abuses to persist, even as the industry increasingly turns to alternatives to animal testing. Animal rights advocates have been decrying the treatment of these dogs. A federal Inspector General report found lax oversight of the industry, raising further concerns about how dogs are treated. This story was reported in collaboration with the Investigative Journalism Bureau, based in Toronto, and …

Relief, At A Cost: New Bill Forces Landlords To Offer Ac, But Leaves Tenants With The Bill, Niamh Mcauliffe

Capstones

As summers in New York City are getting hotter and hotter every year due to climate change, lack of home air conditioning is a serious issue. A newly passed City Council bill would require landlords to provide air conditioning upon tenant request. While advocates see the legislation as a necessary step to protect tenants from the dangers of extreme heat, there are still unresolved questions around energy affordability, costs and implementation.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XgVilwyn6ncwVbslr1UcdP6p-3OwGQAseHXMY3EYCeY/edit?usp=sharing

The Glow Up Guide: Chicago Edition : Housing + Stability After Foster Care, Lucila M. Baptiste

Capstones

For my practicum, I examined what “independence” looks like for young people aging out of foster care and how the transition to adulthood is shaped by housing instability, rising living costs, and uneven access to support. Using an engagement journalism approach, I centered lived experience and community-informed reporting to document the challenges young people face as systems shift responsibilities onto them often quickly and with limited safety nets.

This practicum pairs narrative reporting with a practical, service-oriented resource component designed to be useful beyond the classroom. The project draws on interviews, field reporting, and collaboration with people closest to the …

News You Can Use: What Mississippi's Maternal, Infant Health 'F' Means, Marvis Herring

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – When Mississippi received another "F" on the March of Dimes 2025 Report Card for maternal and infant health, it reinforced what many families already know: pregnancy and childbirth can be far more complicated than they appear.

Maya Health In The Days Of Deportation Discussion And The Case Example Of Colectivo Vida Digna, Guatemala, David W. Barillas Chon

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Health inequalities and health racism have a long history in the Americas, as in Guatemala and the United States. Drawing upon testimonies and case examples from the Maya non-profit Colectivo Vida Digna [Guatemala]. Barillas-Chon reveals how some Maya in Guatemala have organized to overcome historic and current challenges and are now working with Maya who have returned from the US.

A Conversation With Judge Stephanos Bibas, Stephanos Bibas, Kevin C. Walsh

Catholic University Law Review

On Friday, March 28th, 2025, the Catholic University Law Review hosted its annual spring symposium: Traditional Judicial Power & Doctrinal Development, which included a conversation between Judge Stephanos Bibas and Professor Kevin C. Walsh. The conversation covered topics such as standing, severability, and preliminary injunctions. This is a transcript of the conversation, and the text appears substantially as it was delivered.

From Disciplinary Silos To Cyber-Transdisciplinary Networks: A Plural Epistemic Model For Agi-Era Knowledge Production, Cristo Leon, James Lipuma

STEM for Success Resources

This article extends a keynote from the 16th IMCIC 2025, offering a framework for academic institutions navigating the epistemic shifts prompted by artificial general intelligence (AGI). It argues that traditional disciplinary (Mode 1), interdisciplinary (Mode 2), and transdisciplinary (Mode 3) approaches are increasingly insufficient to address the complexity and plurality of AGI-era knowledge production. Drawing on critical communication theories—such as the Kuhn–MacIntyre thesis on incommensurability, the Bataille–Lyotard notion of invention, Nicolescu–Ostrom's governance frameworks, and Haraway–Scholz's situated knowledge—the article introduces Mode 4: cyber-transdisciplinarity.1 This mode conceptualizes AGI as an epistemic co-agent, enabling real-time mediation, synthesis, and redistribution of knowledge between human …

Sleep Menus: A Personalized Approach To Enhancing Patient Rest And Improving Sleep Quality, Justin W. Dorman

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Sleep disruptions among hospitalized patients can negatively impact healing, recovery, and patient satisfaction. Hospital noise remains a persistent barrier to restful sleep, yet previous hospital-based noise reduction strategies have shown limited sustained success. This quality improvement project aimed to enhance patient-perceived sleep quality by implementing a patient-centered Sleep Menu offering patients earplugs or sound machines. A pre-post design was employed, using the Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) to assess patients' sleep quality before and after the Sleep Menu intervention. Sixty patients were approached; 25 chose earplugs, and 7 selected the sound machine. Despite environmental decibel levels remaining above the WHO recommendations …

3l Jayden Boudreau Earns Prestigious Skadden Fellowship, Maurer School Of Law - Indiana University

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

The Skadden Fellowship Foundation announced this week that 3L Jayden Boudreau is one of only 34 law students from across the country—and the only one from an Indiana law school— that has been selected as a 2026 Skadden Fellow, one of the most prestigious honors in public interest law.

The award will support Boudreau’s innovative ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, focused on protecting the rights of queer and transgender youth in school settings through legal advocacy and systemic policy engagement. He will spend two years in New York City, working at the national headquarters of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Anne Frank In Translation, Museum Of History And Holocaust Education

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Exhibits

Anne Frank’s status as an icon of Holocaust history and literature was not inevitable, but instead represents a complex interplay between her story’s resonance for young people around the world and the abiding efforts of individuals-- family members, protectors, publishers, critics, playwrights, artists, curators, composers, actors, performers, and educators-- to translate her story from context to context and generation to generation.

Beyond Rosie: Women In World War Ii, Museum Of History And Holocaust Education

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Exhibits

Rosie the Riveter is the iconic symbol of women's involvement in World War II. She is one part of a larger story about the many ways women contributed to and were affected by war. World War II changed the everyday social, cultural, and economic realities of life in the United States, especially for women. Beyond Rosie: Women in World War II explores the lives of women in World War II.

The Fight For Civil Rights: Mlk And The Foot Soldiers Of The Movement, Museum Of History And Holocaust Education

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Exhibits

No abstract provided.

Enduring Tension: (En)Countering Antisemitism In Every Age, Museum Of History And Holocaust Education

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Exhibits

Image of Jewish Woman during World War II Traveling Exhibition—KSU Addresses the History of Antisemitism Curated by the Museum of History and Holocaust Education, explores the long history of anti-Jewish bias in the United States within an international context. The exhibit asks two critical questions: Must we live with hate? And if we believe that hatred must be combated, what are the best ways to do so? Enduring Tension is generously funded by the Breman Foundation based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is presented by the Kennesaw State University Museum of History and Holocaust Education in partnership with the William Breman …

Service, Citizenship, And Civil Rights, Museum Of History And Holocaust Education

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Exhibits

Generously funded by a grant from the Breman Foundation of Atlanta, Service, Citizenship, and Civil Rights is a ten-panel traveling exhibit that traces the history of veterans with a focus on those who have experienced marginalization due to membership in various identity groups. Through connection, communication, shared struggle and common experiences, veterans have found ways to push for civil rights and recognition within the military and beyond.

Refuge Or Refusal: Turning Points In U.S. Immigration History, Museum Of History And Holocaust Education

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Exhibits

Five key moments emerge as turning points in U.S. immigration policy: 1790, 1882, 1924, 1948, and 1965. This exhibit explores the impact of these turning points and the factors that influenced them, from global conflicts and economic conditions to cultural trends and social aspirations.

December 19, 2025 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Rules Of Decision, Judicial Power, And The Valid Rule Requirement, John Harrison

Catholic University Law Review

Some current Supreme Court debates that concern seemingly specialized issues raise fundamental questions about the role of the Constitution in the legal system and the role of the courts when they decide constitutional issues. In recent years, Justice Thomas has suggested that the doctrines of First Amendment overbreadth, so-called third-party standing in cases involving constitutional liberty, and statutory inseverability call on federal courts to exceed their role under Article III. Justice Thomas maintains that when courts apply those doctrines, the courts decide cases not before them. Building on the work of Professor Henry Monaghan, this article argues that those concerns …

Facial Challenges, Remedies, And The Judicial Power, Natalie R. Schmidt

Catholic University Law Review

The Supreme Court has long maligned facial, as opposed to as-applied, challenges to the constitutionality of statutes, warning that they are disfavored and difficult to win. But recently, in his separate opinion in Moody v. NetChoice, LLC, Justice Thomas has launched a stronger attack: facial challenges are improper exercises of the judicial power. Facial challenges, he asserted, require courts to go beyond the case or controversy before them, improperly distort standing doctrine, and thus violate Article III of the U.S. Constitution.

This Symposium Piece addresses Justice Thomas’s charge head on, arguing that facial challenges do not implicate the judicial …

Rethinking Judicial Power & Remedial Restraint, Caprice L. Roberts

Catholic University Law Review

This Article maintains that groundbreaking Supreme Court cases reshaping judicial power and restraint are frequently remedies centric. The much- anticipated ruling in Trump v. CASA illustrates this correlation. Interpreting traditional equity, the Supreme Court circumscribed federal judicial power to issue universal relief. The Court relied on Marbury v. Madison to bolster its reasoning on the limits of judicial power. Ironically, both cases denied any remedy while enhancing the potential for future judicial power. Whether via judicial review and supremacy power or the Court’s future ability to now be the only federal court able to issue universal remedies—the Court’s role in …

Disregarding Severability, Kevin C. Walsh

Catholic University Law Review

The infirmities of severability doctrine have elicited increased attention at the Supreme Court. In his application of severability doctrine for a five-Justice majority in United States v. Arthrex, Inc., Chief Justice Roberts began to reformulate the doctrine in a way that can free the Court from the misleading mental imagery conjured by the conception of courts as “severing” provisions from a statute. Roberts's reformulation more properly depicts the relevant judicial activity to be judicial disregard of statutory rules to avoid unconstitutional applications of law rather than judicial severance of textual provisions to fix a problem that inheres in the …

Ud In The News Dec. 13-19, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Faculty contributed to The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Conversation and Catholic World Report. Local media reported on $5 million in gifts from former board chairs for UD's new student health and wellbeing center.

Journal Of The Arts And Special Education: Volume 5, Issue 2

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

No abstract provided.

Hip-Hop Culture As A Catalyst For Belonging Among Black Male High School Students Who Stutter, Antonio L. Ellis

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

This ethnographic study explores how Hip-Hop culture fosters belonging, identity, and agency among six Black male high school students who stutter in a public charter school in Baltimore, Maryland. Grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy, DisCrit, and Hip-Hop pedagogy, the research draws on participant observation, interviews, and field notes to examine how students use freestyling, beat-making, and cyphering as expressive tools. Findings reveal that Hip-Hop repositions stuttering as rhythmic expression, cultivates emotional safety through peer collaboration, and challenges deficit-based speech norms. Participants described Hip-Hop spaces as sites of affirmation where their voices were valued and their identities celebrated. The study calls …

Keeping It Real: Hip-Hop Based Education In A Mathematics Classroom, Michelle J. Cook, Elizabeth M. Hughes, Jonte C. Taylor

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Hip-Hop based education (HHBE) infuses elements of Hip-Hop culture into teaching and learning. Growing research shows that HHBE engages students, validates students’ identities and lived experiences, and supports academic success. In this article we share how HHBE can be used in mathematics with a focus on teaching word problem solving strategies. Using vignettes and real-life examples, we illustrate how creative elements of Hip-Hop (i.e., breakdancing, graffiti art, DJing, MCing, knowledge of self) naturally enhance mathematics and word-problem solving instruction. Educators can sample/adapt strategies shared to create HHBE lessons to meet the interests of their students with disabilities. We hope that …