Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Fiscal Sustainability Of Retiree Health Care Benefits Among New York State School Districts, Robert Bifulco, Minch Lewis, Iuliia Shybalkina

Center for Policy Research

We examine spending on retiree health care as a percentage of revenues for a sample of New York State school districts. The fiscal burden of these benefits grew from 2010 to 2021, and big city school districts have faced the largest burdens. Assuming CBO forecasts regarding growth in health care costs and continuation of recent trends in revenue growth, we project that the burden of retiree health care benefits will exceed 10 percent of revenue by 2050. Projected burdens are greatest big city and high need rural districts. We discuss cutting benefits and pre-funding as possible policy responses.

“Model Minorities” In The Classroom? Positive Evaluation Bias Towards Asian Students And Its Consequences, Ying Shi, Maria Zhu

Center for Policy Research

The fast-growing demographic group of Asian Americans is often perceived as a “model minority.” This paper establishes empirical evidence of this stereotype in the context of education and then analyzes its consequences. We show that teachers rate Asian students’ academic skills more favorably than observationally similar White students in the same class, even after accounting for test performance and behavior. This contrasts with teachers’ lower likelihood of favoring Black and Hispanic students. Notably, teachers respond to the presence of any Asian student in the classroom by exacerbating Black-White and Hispanic-White assessment gaps. This suggests that the “model minority” stereotype can …

Robust Dynamic Space-Time Panel Data Models Using Ε- Contamination: An Application To Crop Yields And Climate Change, Badi H. Baltagi, Georges Bresson, Anoop Chaturvedi, Guy Lacroix

Center for Policy Research

This paper extends the Baltagi et al. (2018, 2021) static and dynamic ε-contamination papers to dynamic space-time models. We investigate the robustness of Bayesian panel data models to possible misspecification of the prior distribution. The proposed robust Bayesian approach de-parts from the standard Bayesian framework in two ways. First, we consider the ε-contamination class of prior distributions for the model parameters as well as for the individual effects. Second, both the base elicited priors and the ε-contamination priors use Zellner (1986)’s g-priors for the variance-covariance matrices. We propose a general “toolbox” for a wide range of specifications which includes the …

Mothers Of Disabled Children Faced Numerous Challenges During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Lutz, Sujung (Crystal) Lee, Baurzhan Bokayev

Population Health Research Brief Series

The COVID-19 pandemic changed life dramatically for most families, but particularly for families with a disabled child. Mothers of disabled children faced increased difficulties during the early months of COVID-19 compared to other families. Reduction in services, school closures, and managing paid work drastically impacted caregivers’ mental health. This brief summarizes results from a recent study on the challenges mothers of disabled children faced during the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring of 2020 in Central New York.

Combating Social Isolation And Loneliness Among Veterans After Separation From Military Service, Emily Graham

Population Health Research Brief Series

Half of U.S. veterans report feeling like they don’t belong in society after separation from military service. Lack of belonging is often associated with feeling socially isolated or lonely. These feelings may increase the risk of veterans experiencing poor mental and physical health outcomes. This brief explores the negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness on veteran health and wellbeing. It calls for expanded veterans programing that connects veterans to each other while mimicking the values veterans miss about military life, including camaraderie, identity, purpose, physical activity, and learning.

The Employment Situation Of Veterans: November 2022, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Veteran employment trends and statistics among various demographics during November 2022

How Has Grandparenthood Changed In Rural China?, Merril D. Silverstein

Population Health Research Brief Series

China’s rapid modernization and development have led to changes across Chinese society, including within the family. China is experiencing declining birth rates, meaning that fewer older adults are becoming grandparents. At the same time, there has been growing demand for grandparents to serve as caregivers for their grandchildren. This data slice examines the changes in grandparenting in rural China and calls for policies that decrease caregiver burnout, stress, and associated poor health outcomes.

“You Can't Self-Care Your Way Out Of A Broken System”: The 2022 Urban Libraries Trauma Forum, Leah T. Dudak, Lauren Comito, Christian Zabriskie

School of Information Studies - Post-doc and Student Scholarship

The Urban Libraries Trauma Study (ULTS) conducted by Urban Librarians Unite (ULU) examines trauma that urban public library workers experience in the workforce through their work with the public and interlibrary relationships. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and a trauma forum, this paper discusses the problem of trauma in the library. It demonstrates a grounded way to engage library staff in research and change. Finally, this paper concludes with ideas proposed by the forum participants to begin addressing trauma in the library workplace and provide areas to look to going forward.

Critical Information Literacy: An Annotated Bibliography, John Stawarz

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

No abstract provided.

Older Adults On Snap Experience Gaps In Benefits, Colleen Heflin, Leslie Hodges, Irma A. Arteaga, Chinedum O. Ojinnaka, Gabriella Alphonso

Population Health Research Brief Series

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest food and nutrition assistance program in the United States. Burdens associated with SNAP recertification often lead to administrative churn, when a household experiences a gap in SNAP benefit receipt. Older adults are at risk of experiencing benefit gaps, which may negatively impact their health and nutrition. This brief summarizes results of a recent study that examined administrative churn among Missouri SNAP participants aged 60 years and older. The authors call for program changes that reduce the frequency and duration of churn among older adults.

The Unequal Burden Of Long Covid, Marc A. Garcia, Catherine Garcia, Erin Bisesti

Population Health Research Brief Series

Racial/ethnic disparities in U.S. COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths have been well documented. However, less research has focused on racial/ethnic disparities in long COVID. This data slice summarizes data from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey and reports that although there are no significant racial/ethnic differences in overall activity limitations from long COVID, a higher percentage of Black and Hispanic/Latino adults report experiencing “significant” activity limitations compared to Whites.

Refugee Gardening: An Opportunity To Improve Economic Conditions, Food Security, And Mental Health, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Rashmi Gangamma, Bhavneet Walia, Anna Zoodsma

Population Health Research Brief Series

Every year, thousands of refugees enter the United States. Conditions prior to resettlement, such as exposure to conflict, persecution, and loss, as well as conditions after resettlement, such as isolation and adjustment to a new culture, impact refugee mental health, economic security, and food security. Refugee access to land and resources for gardening has been shown to have quality of life benefits, including enhanced food security and mental health outcomes. This research brief summarizes the results of a recent study that examined how community gardening may reduce food insecurity and adverse mental health among refugees living in Central New York. …

Against Wind And Tide: Alternative Case Studies Reflecting On Subject And Functional Librarians In A Hybrid Reality, Julia Gelfand, Ibironke Lawal, Jill Powell, Anne E. Rauh

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

No abstract provided.

State Policy & Politics Database (Sppd), Jennifer Karas Montez

Center For Aging and Policy Studies

The State Policy & Politics Database (SPPD) is a compilation of annual data on state policies and politics that are particularly relevant for population health. The SPPD includes several categories of policies, including labor and economic policies (e.g., minimum wage levels, right to work laws), social safety net policies (e.g., earned income tax credits, SNAP), behavior-related policies (e.g., tobacco taxes, opioid prescribing), as well as the political ideology of the states’ government and citizens. Most measures are available annually from 1980 to 2021.

State Policy & Politics Database (Sppd), Jennifer Karas Montez

Center For Aging and Policy Studies

The State Policy & Politics Database (SPPD) is a compilation of annual data on state policies and politics that are particularly relevant for population health. The SPPD includes several categories of policies, including labor and economic policies (e.g., minimum wage levels, right to work laws), social safety net policies (e.g., earned income tax credits, SNAP), behavior-related policies (e.g., tobacco taxes, opioid prescribing), as well as the political ideology of the states’ government and citizens. Most measures are available annually from 1980 to 2021.

Limited Cognitive Ability May Reduce Snap Participation Among Older Adults, Colleen Heflin, Dongmei Zuo, Gabriella Alphonso

Population Health Research Brief Series

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest food and nutrition assistance program in the U.S. For older adults currently on SNAP, meeting administrative requirements to remain on SNAP is difficult due to short recertification time frames, a lack of social support, and cognitive impairment. This brief summarizes results of a recent study examining the impact of cognitive decline on SNAP participation among adults aged 60 yrs. and older. Findings demonstrate that cognitive decline and living alone are associated with reduced SNAP participation, with older females being the most affected.

The Employment Situation Of Veterans: October 2022, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Veteran employment trends and statistics among various demographics during October 2022

Conservative State Policies Contribute To Higher Mortality Rates Among Working-Age Americans, Jennifer Karas Montez, Nader Mehri, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

The risk of dying during working ages (25 to 64) is high, rising, and unequal in the United States. Working-age mortality rates are much higher in some states than others. Part of the explanation may relate to differing policies across states that affect health. While some states enact policies that invest in people’s economic, social, and behavioral wellbeing, others enact policies that are potentially harmful to health. Using mortality data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this study examined how state policies on criminal justice, taxes, environment, firearms, marijuana, health care, labor, and tobacco were associated with …

The Cost Of Being A Woman: How Race And Education Affect The Gender Pay Gap, Erin Bisesti, Marc A. Garcia

Population Health Research Brief Series

The gender pay gap in the United States workforce has remained relatively stable over the past few decades despite women having more access to advanced education and higher-pay jobs than in the past. Inequities in earnings have lifetime impacts on women's mental and physical health. This brief explores pay inequities in 2020 by race/ethnicity, gender, and educational attainment. The authors find that Black and White women would need at least one additional education degree to earn as much as less educated men, and Latinx women would need two additional degrees to earn as much as less educated Latinx men. The …

Building Inclusive Stem Collections: Books By Bipoc Scientists, Hilary Wong

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

No abstract provided.

Connecting With Departments Through Impact Study: Nature Index Analysis For The University Of Rochester, Sarah Siddiqui, Jieer Chen

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

No abstract provided.

From Ho-Hum To Fun: Engaging Audiences With Game-Based Learnin, Lauren Mabry

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Are you ready to transform traditional slideshows and lecture-style presentations into exciting games that will have your audience actively collaborating, exploring, and learning? Let’s investigate multiple free(mium) tools that make it easy! Make sure to have an internet-connected personal device with you to participate in the fun.

Enriching University Of Rochester's Stem Collections With Resources About And By Bipoc Scientists, Susan K. Cardinal

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

You might think that the collections of a major library would be unaffected by cultural prejudices. However, even the University of Rochester's collections are sadly lacking in works by and about scientists of color. Our poster describes our work to rectify this situation in order to inspire current and future BIPOC students to go into STEM fields. One scientist who we feature is Joy Buolamwini, who recently earned her PhD from MIT’s Media Lab. She noticed that analyses of photographs are often biased, so she formed the Algorithmic Justice League to study and correct that problem. Our collections are more …

At The Corner Of Happy And Healthy: The Increasing Scope Of Pharmacists And What This Means For Healthcare, Sarah Lynch

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

No abstract provided.

Predictions About The Future Of Scholarly Communication: A Friendly Review Five Years On, Robert Boissy

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

No abstract provided.

E-Books Need Call Numbers To Be Discoverable, Henrik Spoon, Adam Chandler, Laura Daniels

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Call numbers play a central role in the ability of libraries to shelve books next to other books on the same or similar subject. With e-books making up an increasing proportion of library holdings, it is important that e-books can be e-shelved and discovered along with their print counterparts. At the start of 2021, e-books in the Cornell University Library Catalog did not have the same detailed classification numbers in their MARC records that print books receive. This hobbles attempts to make e-books available on virtual shelves for serendipitous discovery and to distinguish collections of e-books in related subjects like …

Learning Styles Reconsidered, Peter Tagtmeyer

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Study of individual differences in learning processes has a long history across several lines of psychology inquiry. Learning style theory (LST) is arguably a broadly recognized approach to education, embraced by educators theoretically and practically. Accommodation of individual learning styles with differential instruction is supported and endorsed globally, and well-funded. Yet empirical evidence in the literature that examines augmented learning achieved via learning styles accommodation in pedagogical practices is not compelling. Learning style theories are regularly researched in psychological and educational literature, and questions about the validity of findings persist. Currently LST research gives cause for many to regard learning …

Person, (Place,) Or Thing: Centering People With Caring Language And The Acknowledgement Of Performance, Kiley Jolicoeur

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

This presentation details remediation work done on harmful legacy metadata as part of the Syracuse University Libraries digital collections migration of the Sideshow Performers Collection, which contains digitized images from the Ronald G. Becker Collection of Charles Eisenmann photographs. The discussion focuses on deconstructing the legacy information and reconstructing it in ways that center the individual performer depicted, rather than portraying them as a medicalized specimen.

No session recording is available, but presenter's notes are included on the slides.

Older Immigrants Are More Likely Than Older Nonimmigrants To Experience Loneliness, Stephanie Zemba, Janet Wilmoth

Population Health Research Brief Series

Loneliness in older adults is a growing U.S. population health problem, especially among immigrants This research brief explores the impact of age at immigration on loneliness and considers factors such as health, socio-demographic characteristics, and engagement in volunteering on loneliness. Findings demonstrate the need for programs that promote social connection among older adult immigrants to combat feelings of loneliness.

Centering Student Labor: A Practical Examination Of Digital Library Experiences In The Lis Student Lifecycle, Grace Swinnerton, Heather C. Owen, Brie Baumert, Kamryn Lenning

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

This presentation was created as a summary of many previous presentations to emphasize the essential nature of student labor to the success of cross campus collaborations. Additionally, this presentation discusses the creation of a digital library for veterans and military families.