SBS Newsletter – February 2012
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Upcoming Events Thu, March 1. Zube Lecture Series: Chris Huntress MLA/MRP '99 will discuss the Athletic Field Planning Design and Construction. 4:00 p.m., Hills North, 105 Procopio Room. Light refreshments will be served. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. For a complete listing of the Zube Spring Lecture Series, click here. Wed, March 7. 19th Annual Multicultural Film Festival (fifth screening of the series). “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator,” directed by Pamela Yates. 7:30–9:30 p.m., 137 Isenberg School of Management. Free and open to the public. Curated by the Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies. Co-sponsored by UMass Amherst, the College of Humanities & Fine Arts; the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences; the University Museum of Contemporary Art; Department of Languages, Literature and Cultures; UMass Arts Council. Mon, March 12. Speaker: Joe McGinniss, celebrated author of The Selling of a President, 1968 and The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin. 4-5:00 p.m., Cape Cod Lounge. For more SBS-related events, go to the SBS Events Calendar. Alumni News A Boston Globe article about Mitt Romney being a bulldog on closing corporate tax loopholes when he was governor of Massachusetts heavily references Alan LeBovidge '64 (economics). He was head of the Department of Revenue at the time, and "Romney let LeBovidge off the leash," allowing him to raise millions in the process and earning the title "the Closer." LeBovidge is a member of the SBS Dean's Advisory Board. Chris Greer '88 (economics) is global head of capital introductions at Citi Prime Finance. In an article in MarketWatch (BusinessWire) about their report, "Day One & Early Stage Investor Allocations to Hedge Funds," that sheds light on the most important factors investors consider when assessing day one/early stage opportunities, Greer explains survey results. He also is quoted in a Reuter's article about the same topic. Greer is a member of the SBS Dean's Advisory Board. Chelsea Dugan '11 (journalism) is a full-time account coordinator at Schwartz MSL, a healthcare and technology PR firm in Waltham, Mass. "I work primarily on healthcare accounts, such as GE," Dugan writes, "but have recently been added to a tech team and am embracing the opportunity to learn some new things." Emily Grund '10 (journalism) is a year and a half into her Peace Corps service, serving as an education volunteer in the Philippines. She writes, "It has been a challenging and life changing experience so far.... I am currently working on a project with my school to develop a remedial reading program. Thanks to a few organizations, I was able to get some books donated for the students but, due to a lack of other resources such as visual aids, proper training modules, school supplies and more, I applied for a Peace Corps Partnership Grant [that is now] posted on the Peace Corps website [calling] for donations. Once the grant is fully funded, I will have access to the money to purchase these resources for my school and successfully finish my project. The original request was for $2,191.71 [and] after several donations we are now [seeking] $1,326.71. Thanks so much for your consideration." Sara Afzal '10 (journalism) is a communications assistant at MIT Sociotechnical Systems Research Center, a cross-disciplinary research center at MIT that is focused on the high-impact, complex, sociotechnical systems that shape the world. Since July William Delker '92 (political science) has been a Superior Court justice in New Hampshire. Delker was nominated by Governor John Lynch, who praised Delker's "sharp intellect and command of the law" and his "deep commitment to justice and fairness." Previously Delker was senior assistant attorney general, in charge of the state’s Cold Case unit and handled much of the state’s Supreme Court appellate work in the conviction and death sentence against Michael Addison, convicted for the 2006 murder of Manchester police officer Michael Briggs. Delker also has been an adjunct professor of law at Franklin Pierce Law Center and the Massachusetts School of Law. The Atlantic published an article by PhD candidate Tovar Cerulli MA '11 (communication) that discusses his transformation from a vegan to someone who eats some animals and is now a hunter. Cerulli is the author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian's Hunt for Sustenance. His doctoral research focuses on food, hunting, and human relationships with nature. Bill Gallagher '01 (journalism) was line producer for the 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" and was at the ceremony. Read the on-deadline piece for Yahoo! Sports about Tom Brady's disappointment with the Super Bowl result, by Dan Wetzel '94 (journalism). Other journalism alumni also covered the Super Bowl: Neil Carroll '11 and Mike LaCrosse '10 for Channel 40 (Springfield, MA); and Steve Buckley '78, Dan Duggan '06 and Chris Evans '95 (photos) for the Boston Herald. Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen '81 (journalism) wrote a column about how this year’s Super Bowl, which featured Victor Cruz '10 on the Giants and James Ihedigbo '07 (sociology) on the Patriots, might prove to be an excellent advertisement for the school and a boost for efforts to move the football program up to the top level of competition in the country. Read more... Please send us your news! Also, view upcoming alumni events, sponsored by the Alumni Association, on their Events Listing. And check out MaroonCentral, the Alumni Association's online community. This is a FREE social networking service that encourages communication and professional networking among alumni and students through class notes, profiles, a searchable directory, and more. Faculty and Department News ESPN's Rob King discussed the role of race in sports coverage with sports journalism students in Jena Janovy's class. Assoc. Prof. Jillian Schwedler (political science), spent the first anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution in Le Kef, Tunisia, learning more about the transformations that have taken place. According to Schwedler, “before the revolution ever reached Tunis, it unfolded in smaller towns throughout the country—spreading from Sidi Bouzid to Bou Zayen, Kassrine, Thala, Ghafsa, Le Kef, and Jendouba.” Schwedler has recently released two publications: Revolution in the Arab World: The Long View (Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, 2011) and "Le Kef is Still on Fire: A Mountaintop View of the Anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution" (Jadaliyya, 2012). Prof. Carol E. Heim (economics and public policy) presented a Visiting Fellows Colloquium entitled "Who Pays, Who Benefits, Who Decides? The Political Economy of Urban Infrastructure in Nineteenth-Century Chicago and Twentieth-Century Phoenix" at All Souls College, Oxford, in January. Asst. Prof. Angelica Bernal (political science) has received a Faculty Research/Healey Endowment grant for her work on radical populism and presidential constitutionalism in Latin America. "This recent turn to constitutionalism represents a challenge to the conventional understanding of populism and reveals new, under-studied dynamics of presidential power," she says. Time has recently published three stories by lecturer Brad Tuttle (journalism): "The Price is Righter," about how JC Penney's new CEO is trying to revolutionize the department store shopping experience, and "The Plug-in Surge," about the newest hybrid and electric cars, and "Gas Prices Usually Fall in February—but Not This Year", which addresses rising prices that are likely to be significantly higher by springtime. The first two stories require a subscription, but the third is available to the public. Kudos to Tuttle! Asst. Prof. Rahsaan Maxwell (political science) has received a Faculty Research Grant to conduct a survey of racial and ethnic minorities in contemporary Britain, which experienced an unprecedented increase in racial and ethnic minority migrants after WWII. He will assess factors that led minorities to identify with the nation and their particular racial or ethnic group. Asst. Prof. Stuart Shulman (political science), director of the Qualitative Data Analysis Program at UMass, is part of a $395,458 grant from the National Science Foundation which seeks to integrate computer, information, and social sciences to "develop a model of organization influence on legislative outcomes." Joya Misra (sociology) recently took over the editorship of Gender & Society. She and her team, Randy Barrios, Laura Heston, and Elisa Martínez (all from the sociology department at UMass Amherst) are pleased to announce the release of the first issue under their leadership. Congratulations to a hard working crew. See table of contents. "Rethinking Culture: Organized Pro Bono and the the External Sources of Law Firm Culture," by Steven Boutcher (sociology), has been accepted for publication in the University of St. Thomas Law Journal. SBS in the News CBS News Money Watch, 2/29/12; Hartford Courant, 2/28/12. Based on his research, Arindrajit Dube (economics) testified before state lawmakers in Connecticut that raising the state’s minimum wage is likely to result in job losses. Daily Hampshire Gazette, 2/29/12. Ralph Whitehead (journalism) says Republican presidential candidate, former Gov. Mitt Romney, is likely to win next week’s Massachusetts primary election, but it won’t give him much of a momentum boost. Al Jazeera, 2/28/12. On the one-year anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East, Jillian Schwedler (political science) says the question is not whether there are revolutionary changes in the air, but whether these changes are part of a new epoch where dictators and the old order are giving way to something else. The Australian, 2/28/12. M.V. Lee Badgett (economics), director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration, comments about the debate underway on legislation in Australia that would approve same-sex marriage. Washington Blade, 2/24/12. Badgett says in the U.S., proponents of legal same-sex marriage have found themselves on the offensive in states such as Maryland and New Jersey. 936 ABC Hobart [Tasmania], 2/23/12. Badgett in a radio interview notes that if Tasmania became the first state in Australia to legalize same-sex marriage, it could be worth $100m to the state through tourism. The Guardian [U.K.], 2/13/12. Badgett comments in a story about how the economy in the state of Washington could see a $88 million windfall now that lawmakers there have legalized same-sex marriage. It is estimated that $57 million could enter the state economy in the first year. Hurriyet Daily News [Turkey], 2/27/12. Gerald Epstein (economics), co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, says Turkey’s Central Bank should consider implementing a Tobin tax to help cut risks deriving from hot money flows into the economy. New York Times [Economix blog], 2/27/12. Nancy Folbre (economics), pointing to efforts to make corporations focus more on long-term planning and less on short-term profits, notes that publicly-held companies are most likely to have a short-term focus while private companies are more willing to invest a higher percentage of assets into planning for the future. New York Times [Economix blog], 2/6/12. Citing research by Jennifer Hickes Lundquist (sociology), Folbre discusses how the U.S. military has created a system that relies on teamwork and an emphasis on increasing social contact and collaboration for soldiers to move up the ranks, and how this has significantly reduced racial and ethnic conflict. New York Times (Economix blog), 1/30/12. Folbre says traffic snarls are costly to the country’s economy and notes that if drivers were forced to pay a premium to drive in the most congested areas they would find other ways to get around. Such a plan would boost mass transit, encourage bicycle use and clean up air fouled by vehicles, she says. Springfield Republican, 2/25/12. Ray La Raja (political science) notes that as soon as super PACs see one side or the other gaining an advantage in the Massachusetts Senate race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren (who are currently running about even), they will begin spending on negative advertising. Chicago Tribune, 2/21/12; U.S. News & World Report, 2/17/12. La Raja comments on Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown’s decision to co-sponsor legislation, allowing employers to opt out of requirements to provide healthcare coverage for religious or moral reasons. He says there is a big chance for a backlash if likely opponent Elizabeth Warren can use the issue to connect Brown to the religious right. Daily Hampshire Gazette [subscription may be required], 2/17/12. La Raja comments in a story about why Democrat Elizabeth Warren, who likely will oppose U.S. Sen. Scott Brown in the fall election, has been so successful with fundraising in the Northampton/Amherst area. Chicago Tribune [from Reuters], 2/24/12. Sheldon Goldman (political science) comments about how Barack Obama may become the first president in the last half century to finish a full term without appointing any judges to the U.S. appeals court. In addition to intense partisan bickering in the Senate over all of Obama’s appointments, the political calendar also is working against getting judicial appointments approved in this election year. New England Public Radio, 2/20/12. Amy Schalet (sociology) thinks the American public's views about teenage sex aren't always well reflected in the barrage of media reports around the issue. Daily Hampshire Gazette, Amherst Bulletin, 2/10/12. Lengthy story features Schalet, author of Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens and the Culture of Sex that discusses differences in attitudes about teen sex between Dutch and American parents. She says overcoming these differences is through comprehensive sex education. Defense Aerospace.com, 2/17/12; PressTV.com, 2/21/12. A study by the Political Economy Research Institute that found that government spending on defense is the least effective way to create jobs is cited. Daily Hampshire Gazette [subscription may be required], 2/17/12. Steve Fox (journalism) writes an op-ed about how he would like to find a way to bring opposing sides together in his hometown of Shutesbury where a vicious battle over whether to build a new library is taking place. The Online Journalism Review, 1/27/12. Fox writes about the need for a new Twitter ethos that puts primary value on checking information prior to forwarding it quickly to other people. WGBY-TV 57 “Connecting Point,” 2/7/12 (sorry, the clip isn't available). Amel Ahmed (political science) discusses the political situation in Egypt, one year after the “Arab Spring” uprisings. She also references her website that monitors the democratization movement in Egypt. GlobalPost, 2/2/12. A report on new findings that only 1 in 3 Americans want to marry cites research on unmarried adults conducted by Naomi Gerstel (sociology) and a colleague at Boston College. Vermont Public Radio, 2/1/12. Continuing her series on the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in Vermont, adjunct faculty Nancy Cohen (journalism) conducts an interview with a couple whose home was washed away. Determined to find a new home, they discuss the challenges of being in limbo. Commonwealth Magazine, 1/31/12. Rachel Roberts '12 (journalism) looks at the work of Charles Grandson IV, principal of Springfield’s High School of Commerce, one of the state’s lowest-performing schools. Springfield Republican, 1/30/12. Ray La Raja and Jesse Rhodes (political science) and Steve Fox (journalism) discuss the growing influence of money on political campaigns as illustrated by the huge spending by candidates and so-called super PACs in Florida. The Real News Network, 1/30/12. Robert Pollin (economics), co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, discusses President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech as well as his research showing that if banks began lending money they are holding in reserve then it would significantly reduce unemployment. WBEZ 91.5 [Worldview], 1/27/12. Enobong (Anna) Branch (sociology) discusses her book, Opportunity Denied: Limiting Black Women to Devalued Work, and the critically acclaimed movie "The Help." Live Science, 1/27/12; Scientific American, 1/26/12. A new study by Brian F. Schaffner (political science) finds that concerns about race may have meant that President Barack Obama received 3% less of the presidential vote than if he were white. Schaffner says this margin could be enough to decide a close election. The study of the 2008 presidential election found that as many as one-fifth of voters cared about race more than other considerations when casting ballots. The research was published in the December issue of Political Psychology. A Word from SBS Gifts from alumni and friends are vital to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Your investment allows us to create remarkable opportunities for today’s—and tomorrow's—students. If you are already a donor, please accept our sincere thanks. If not, please consider a gift to SBS for your department, student financial aid, a purpose that speaks to your personal experiences and priorities, or an unrestricted designation. To make a gift online, click here. Or, send a check to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Draper Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 40 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003-9244. Questions? Contact James Mallet, 413.577.1700. We welcome feedback related to this newsletter, the college in general, specific concerns, or topics of interest. Please address all correspondence, including story ideas, to Sabine Cray, director of communications and marketing. If you wish to add your name to the mailing list, or if you wish to unsubscribe, please contact us. If you have had a change of address, email or other personal information, you can update it online. The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences respects your privacy. Your contact information will not be shared with anyone unrelated to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. |
