This November Maryland voters will decide on four major ballot questions addressing same-sex marriage, expanded gambling, undocumented immigrants’ access to higher education and the new congressional map, and ad spending is expected to reach into the millions. “We haven’t seen anything like it in modern history,” Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy, told the Baltimore Sun. “It is going to be a political junkie’s absolute dream.” Norris commented more directly on the gambling referendum in the Maryland Daily Record and Baltimore Business Journal. He told the Record that the referendum ad campaign will “probably… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun, Daily Record and BBJ
Political science professor Thomas Schaller’s latest Salon column asks, “Will Asian voters swing the election?” Nearly 6% of the U.S. population is Asian American — an estimated 18 million people — but when it comes to elections this diverse group often gets lets attention than African Americans and Latinos. Some are now calling these overlooked voters a “sleeping political giant,” but without a firm sense of how their votes might affect the 2012 presidential race.Schaller writes, “the Asian American vote remains fluid as a result of its ethnic, religious and national heterogeneity, and the often stark differences between immigrant and… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in Salon
Gul Seckin, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, has contributed a chapter to the Encyclopedia of Cyber Behavior, three new volumes that aim to synthesize the scientific knowledge of cyber behavior across a wide range of disciplines, from medicine and business to the social sciences. Seckin’s chapter is titled “Cyber Behaviors of Self Health-Care Management.” She writes: As the technologies for health management develop, it becomes more important to explore the health management behavior of computer-connected patients. This chapter aims to serve this purpose by discussing the background and current state of knowledge about how usage of the Internet technology affects… Continue Reading Gul Seckin, Sociology and Anthropology, Publishes on Cyber Behavior
Gov. Martin O’Malley has called for a special legislative session on gambling next month in what the Baltimore Sun has dubbed “a high-stakes political bet that he can prevail in a struggle over one of the most contentious issues facing Maryland.” O’Malley would like to expand gambling in Maryland through a proposal that he says would add $100 million in revenue to next year’s state budget. A win could bolster his image as an effective leader both within the state and nationally. But what are his chances? Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy, told… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
This week’s Huffington Post article “Owning Yes We Can” highlights the inspiring work of UMBC’s Student Government Association (SGA), which the authors call “a national model…of student organizing and empowerment.” They focus on SGA’s successful effort this spring to organize student opposition to state budget cuts that would have led to a dramatic tuition increase. “Many would not have been able to stay in school with 15-20 percent increases in tuition expenses,” explained SGA member Meghan Carpenter. “I am so proud of what students from different organizations were able to start. We showed that students can make a change not… Continue Reading UMBC Student Government in Huffington Post
UMBC political science professor Roy T. Meyers has been named recipient of the Frieder Naschold Award for Excellence in Scholarship in the Field of Public Management for his paper “The Remarkable Case of Disappearing Earmarks in the United States: The Limits of Transparency Reforms” (download full pdf).The Naschold Award recognizes the best paper presented at the conference of the International Public Management Network (IPMN) and is given once every other year. Meyers will formally receive the honor at the IPMN 2013 Conference in Siena, Italy.Meyers also recently participated in the Memos to National Leaders project, coauthoring four memoranda (full PDF)… Continue Reading Roy T. Meyers, Political Science, Receives Naschold Award
Earlier this summer, UMBC Associate Professor Ilsa Lottes (Sociology and Anthropology) presented a lecture on human rights at the Center of Excellence in Sexual Health Education at JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä, Finland. Lottes traveled to Finland as a Fulbright Specialist in the areas of sexual health and research methods. Lottes is an expert on sexual and reproductive health in both the United States and Finland, with much of her research focusing on the views of college students. In this lecture, Lottes describes the basic principles of human rights and how sexual rights have been incorporated into human… Continue Reading Ilsa Lottes, Sociology, Presents Human Rights Lecture in Finland
After an ATV accident in 2006, Matt Courson was paralyzed from the waist down and given a 1% chance of walking again. Thanks to aggressive physical therapy at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, he was able to walk across the stage to receive his UMBC diploma just five years later—a moment captured by the Baltimore Sun and featured on CNN’s “Human Factor.”Courson attended a celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the Kennedy Krieger Institute this week. He told CBS News, “This place has done so much for me, the therapists, the doctors…they are family to… Continue Reading Matt Courson ’11, Political Science, on CBS Baltimore
When the Maryland General Assembly’s special legislative session is held on Monday to hash out remaining budget issues, will it be in violation of the Open Meetings Act? The Daily Record asked this question yesterday, responding to Gov. O’Malley’s previous statement that he would not recall lawmakers unless a compromise was reached beforehand, which has raised red flags for some observers. Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy, suggests the argument could be made, but ultimate some degree of pre-agreement is helpful to ensure that the special session is fruitful. If nothing substantive comes out of… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in The Daily Record
The Catonsville Times reports that a Baltimore County police officer who had a heart attack and collapsed while jogging at UMBC last week has been released from the hospital, thanks in part to the efforts of two UMBC students who responded to the incident. Chris Tingley, a volunteer EMT and junior studying emergency health services, stopped at the scene and began performing CPR while student Antigone Cox called 911 and stayed on the line with a dispatcher. Both Tigley and Cox visited the police officer in the hospital during his recovery, which police Capt. John Spiroff has called “remarkable.”
Patch.com today focuses on the employment challenges facing military veterans. Highlighted in the article is UMBC financial economics major and former staff sergeant Stephanie Gilbert, who has had difficulty finding a summer internship despite a high GPA, military leadership experience and fluency in Arabic. This is not a unique experience among veterans. The article notes that Maryland’s unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans was nearly 2% higher than the rate for non-veterans in 2011. UMBC’s Fritzie Charné-Merriwether, who works on veterans’ issues in Student Affairs, says a notable challenge in matching student veterans with employers is translating their military… Continue Reading UMBC Student Veterans in Patch
As Maryland legislators work to resolve budget woes and gaming disagreement through possible special sessions, Laura Hussey, assistant professor of political science, argues in the Gazette that separating the budget and gaming discussions into two special sessions will make it more difficult for the gaming expansion to pass. Why? Initial slots legislation was considered alongside possible tax increases in 2007 and was passed as an effort to resolve that year’s challenging budget situation. Hussey suggests that if the current budget issue is solved separately, it will be harder for proponents to suggest gaming is a fiscal necessity. “I don’t think… Continue Reading Laura Hussey, Political Science, in the Gazette
