Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

On Paper, Off The Records, Valen Iricibar

Capstones

Argentina’s new non-binary ID cards (DNI in Spanish) were highly celebrated when they were announced in July 2021 via a presidential decree. Government agencies had until November 18th to update systems and databases to include the new gender marker “X.” But that didn’t happen, so those with the non-binary DNI are unable to access essential services. The Argentine government cited the national 2012 Gender Identity Law, which guarantees a DNI that fully reflects a citizen’s gender identity, as the basis for the measure. However, for many in the trans*, non-binary and gender non-conforming community, the decree was unnecessary to enforce …

More Than A Century After Problem Emerged, Manhole Explosions Still Injuring Dozens In New York City, Gaspard Le Dem, Gabriel Sandoval

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Since the early days of electrification, New York City has been rattled by manhole explosions –– underground blasts that injure residents, damage buildings, force evacuations, cause power outages and traffic disruptions.

Consolidated Edison, the city's largest electric provider, has for decades blamed manhole issues on bad weather and road salt that erodes underground wires. But some experts and former utility workers say lack of maintenance is at the root of the problem.

Meanwhile, city and state officials have failed to rein in the problem through weak laws and loose oversight. As a result, unsuspecting drivers and pedestrians continue to be …

From Muhammed To The Jobup: Engaging Malemployed Immigrants Through Journalism, Tiziana Rinaldi

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I focused my graduate work on the local community of malemployed immigrants. They are foreign-educated newcomers — medical doctors, pharmacists, teachers, lawyers and engineers, to name a few of their professions — who lack the resources to find skill- appropriate work in the U.S. They end up either unemployed or working at "jobs for which they’re overqualified or overeducated or both,” I wrote for NJSpotlight in 20171.

Using the social journalism method2 of engaging members of a chosen group to fill important if not crucial information gaps, I developed The JobUp, a series of free, offline educational events, as my …

Dios, Drogas, Dinero: ¿QuiéN Gana Con El Traslado De Adictos De Puerto Rico A Ee.Uu.?, Claudia E. Irizarry Aponte, Eliana Y. Perez

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For the last 25 years, evangelical leaders have been shipping off opioid addicts in Puerto Rico to cities in the mainland US, mainly New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia--under the promise they’ll receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation treatment, only to end up in unregulated transitional homes and flophouses where they don’t receive proper medical care or psychotherapy. In turn, many of these unregulated transitional homes, also run by evangelical leaders, may charge Medicaid kickbacks from their “patients.”

While this so-called “air bridge” from Puerto Rico to the U.S. goes back decades, it gained momentum from 2005 to 2014, when evangelical leaders joined …

The Realities Of Family Court And Child Abuse, Whitney Clegg

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Research shows that allegations of domestic violence, child abuse, and child sexual abuse are frequently discounted when raised in child custody litigation.'

Approximately 58,000 children are placed with physically or sexually abusive parents through family courts in the United States, according to Joyanna Silberg PhD, Executive Vice President of the Leadership Council.

Furthermore, because medical evidence in sexual abuse cases is so scant, and the burden of proof is so great, these cases are extremely difficult to prosecute. Unfortunately, fewer than 5 percent of child sexual abuse cases have medical evidence.

Protecting children in the middle of high conflict divorces …

Different Names For Bullying, Marco Poggio

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“There's all different forms of bullying,” says Steven Gray, a Lakota rancher and former law enforcement officer living in South Dakota. In this look into Gray’s life, we learn about two instances of bullying: the psychological and physical harassment that pushed his son, Tanner Thomas Gray, to commit suicide at age 12; And the controversial construction of an oil pipeline in an ancient tribal land that belongs to the Lakota people by rights of a treaty signed in 1851, which Gray sees as an institutional abuse infringing on the sovereignty of his people. Gray is involved in the movement that …

Us Small Arms To Syrian Rebels, Roberto Capocelli

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The capstone is an investigation into the procurement of Russian-style weapons by small companies to the US government for shipment to Syrian rebels, Iraqi and Afghani military. Through an analysis of procurement contracts, court records and audits the investigation unveils the checkered past of some of the company procuring weapons for the Special Operation Command.

Lives On Hold And Dreams Delayed, Andrew Menezes

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Increased demand for high-skilled foreign labor in recent years has led to an upsurge in applications for employment-based U.S. green cards. But the limits on the number of green cards given out each year have not changed in over two decades. This has caused a backlog in the legal immigration system leaving many immigrant workers from populous countries like India waiting many years to become permanent U.S. residents. Their legal status is entirely dependent on their jobs - they are often unable to accept promotions or switch employers easily in the interim. Any change in employment status could jeopardize their …

White Faces In A Black Movement: Why Their Voices Matter, Chauncey L. Alcorn

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This story follows the lives of two white activists in New York's Black Lives Matter movement. It examines the largely ignored impact white activists have had on the BLM movement and also explores the history of white activists in the abolitionist and Civil Rights movements. The climax details a highly-publicized spat between rival Black Lives Matter organizations that happened during a Dec. 4 protest to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Officer Daniel Pantaleo's non-indictment in Garner's death. My main character, a white male, was blamed for causing the rift and was asked to step down from his leadership position in …