SBS Newsletter – May/June 2013
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Alumni News Chef Jessica Wood '00 (journalism/political science) is working on a new project, WildWood Catering, in Rhode Island. The concept of WildWood is simple, inspired food that tastes like the earth, the wind, and the rain. Enjoy this recipe for summer garden salad and one-pot pasta featured on the Rhode Show. James "Whitey" Bulger put Globe writers Kevin Cullen '81 (journalism) and Shelley Murphy on his witness list, presumably to vindictively keep them out of the courtroom during testimony. In an Opinion piece, Cullen writes what he'll say if he is called as a witness, including: "I believe Whitey Bulger is a deeply cynical and vicious criminal who made millions by killing..." Former Minutemen football player and Super Bowl champion James Ihedigbo '07 (sociology) is featured in Sandals in the Snow. Written by his mother Rose (who earned her EdD at UMass), the book details her family’s introduction to American life from their native Nigeria to Amherst. David Rouse MLA '80 is the new managing director of research and advisory services at the American Planning Association. Read more... Dave Strader '77 (communication) is a play-by-play announcer for "NHL on NBC" and "NHL on NBC Sports Network." He also broadcasts the Stanley Cup Finals in English on the NHL's international feed. Read a recent article about his interactions with announcer Pierre McGuire during the Bruins' second round of the Stanley Cup finals. In California Atty. Chris Locke '75 (sociology) of Farella Braun + Martel LLP has been inducted into the Legal Aid of Marin’s (LAM) Marin Justice League. The Marin Justice League honors donors, volunteers and staff of LAM for defending the rights of clients and advocating on behalf of all who seek justice. Locke’s induction honors his 25 years of service to LAM, where he has served as a volunteer attorney, member, and past president of the board of directors. Tracey Mullane '99 (STPEC) has joined The New England Foundation for the Arts, supporting NEFA’s grantmaking, contacts, and fundraising database, as well as other IT needs. Read more... Paul Butkus '88 (environmental design) has been promoted to associate at Pirie Associates Architects, one of New Haven, CT’s top architecture firms. Drew O'Brien '90 (journalism/history), former chief of staff for Sen. John Kerry and longtime aide to Mayor Thomas Menino, has been appointed as U.S. State Department’s Special Representative for Global Partnerships Initiative. Read more... The Boston Globe featured a story about Brittany Loring '06 (political science/psychology), who is recovering from injuries sustained in the Boston Marathon bombing. Jamie Bearse '95 (journalism/political science) is president and CEO of ZERO, The Project to End Prostate Cancer. An 11-year veteran of the organization, Bearse has held many roles and responsibilities within ZERO including Chief Operating Officer and most recently Chief Strategic Officer. Beth (Martin) Davalos '90 (sociology) was featured in FIU (Florida International University) Magazine in an article on her work, titled "Meet the homeless children next door and learn what Beth Davalos MS ’94 is doing to help them." 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 Elizabeth Chilton (anthropology), SBS's associate dean for research, is serving as the STPEC Interim Program Director through fall 2013, after which Sigrid Schmalzer (history) will take over the helm. Prof. Randall Bausor (economics), a highly original scholar who has worked on a wide variety of theoretical topics, has retired, effective June 1. Among other things, he has written on the analysis of non-equilibrium in economics, rational expectations, microeconomic theory and dynamic economic systems. He often employs specific areas of mathematics such as chaos theory and graph theory to understand economic phenomena. At its publication, his early work on non-equilibrium was referred to as "a breath of fresh air." Kevin Young (political science) has published Gridlock: Why Global Cooperation is Failing when We Need It Most. The book is co-authored with David Held (Durham University) and Thomas Hale (University of Oxford). It was a good spring for sociology Ph.D. candidates: Sonny Nordmarken won the Graduate Student Paper Award from the Sociology of Emotions Section of the ASA for his paper, "Everyday Transgender Emotional Inequality: Microaggressions, Micropower Dynamics, Emotional Exertion, and Cisgender Emotional Leisure." Chris Smith received a 2013-2014 Graduate School Fellowship—one of a small number given in a tight competition with students from departments across campus. Sharla Alegria won a Graduate School Dissertation Research Grant. We are sorry to report the death on May 12 of Prof. Paul Procopio (landscape architecture and regional planning). He taught landscape design for 36 years and retired in 1983. Read more... SBS in the News Telegram & Gazette, 6/13/13, WBUR, 6/11/13. At a public hearing with state lawmakers who are considering raising the minimum wage, work by Andrijit Dube (economics) is cited. Daily Kos, 6/12/13; Boston Magazine, Boston Business Journal, Springfield Republican, Eagle Tribune, Telegram & Gazette, 6/11/13; Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown leads all potential candidates in next year’s Massachusetts gubernatorial race, according to a UMass Poll released June 11. Springfield Republican, 6/10/13; Boston Magazine, Fox News (Boston), 6/6/13. The results of a statewide UMass Poll released June 6 shows Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey with an 11-point lead over Republican Gabriel Gomez among likely voters in the Massachusetts special U.S. Senate election on June 25. Power Engineering, 6/12/13; Forbes, 6/10/13. The Political Economy Research Institute has released the Greenhouse 100 Index, which ranks U.S. companies on the basis of their greenhouse gas emissions. Electrical power companies lead the list with the U.S. government placing fourth, partly because it owns power plants through the Tennessee Valley Authority. The index is based on 2011 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Springfield Republican, 6/12/13; WWLP-TV 22, 6/11/13. At a public hearing with state lawmakers who are considering raising the minimum wage, work by research associate Jeannette Wicks-Lim (Political Economy Research Institute) is cited. Hartford Courant, 5/3/13. A columnist writing about the debate in Connecticut about raising minimum wage cites a study by Wickes-Lim that found raising the rate helps low-income families move closer to the federal poverty threshold, but isn’t enough to get people out of poverty. Quartz.com, 6/12/13; The New York Review of Books, 6/6/13; The News [Pakistan], Globe and Mail [Canada], 6/5/13; Financial Advisor, 6/4/13, TruthDig, Dollars & Sense, 6/1/13, Huffington Post, 5/31/13; PBS NewsHour, Quartz, The American, 5/29/13; 5/27/1; MSNBC (video/Martin Bashir), Bloomberg, Breitbart.com, FoxNews.com, Yahoo!Finance Canada, The Times of London, Socialist Worker, 5/28/13; Huffington Post, Japan Times, Wall Street Journal, 5/27/13; Wall Street Journal, Stanford Review, Business Insider, Houston Chronicle [via Business Insider], 5/26/13; Caijing.com [China] Gigaom, 5/24/13; New York Times, 5/22/13; New York Times, The New American, Socialist Worker, 5/21/13; All Africa, Daily Trust [Nigeria], 5/20/13; New York Times, Business World [India], Daily Star [Lebanon], The Reporter [Ethiopia], 5/18/13; Christian Science Monitor, Alaska Dispatch, Orlando Sentinel, Jamaica Gleaner, Farmer’s Exchange [Ill./Mich.], Pasadena Sun [Calif.], Farm Forum, Farm and Dairy, 5/17/13; Maclean’s [Canada], VTDigger, 5/16/13; Dissent magazine, 5/15/13;The Moscow Times [Russia], 5/14/13; Progressive Farmer, 5/13/13; Milwaukee Journal, Ilsole24ole [Italy], 5/11/13; Investors.com, 5/10/13; BBC News, Market Watch, 5/9/13; National Review, Tri-State Livestock News [S.D.], 5/8/13; Boston Public Radio, Investors Business Daily, 5/7/13; The Japan Times, 5/6/13; Washington Post, Boston Globe, 5/5/13; Boston.com, 5/4/13; Aljazeera.com, 5/3/13; Toronto Star; Edmond Sun [Okla.], 5/2/13. International and national news coverage continues apace about an April "bombshell" report by economics graduate student Thomas Herndon, Michael Ash (economics and public policy), and Robert Pollin (economics), co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute. It highlights serious errors in the Reinhart/Rogoff study used as the framework for austerity policies across the U.S. and internationally. The UMass report found flaws in the methodology of data selection in the original study, as well as a basic spreadsheet error, that when combined, significantly altered the impact of a high national debt ratio on gross domestic product. The story was reinvigorated worldwide after another UMass economics professor, Arindrajit Dube, crunched the corrected Reinhart-Rogoff data. His conclusion—low growth leads to higher debt because of higher social costs, more stimulus spending and lower tax revenue—completely contradicts the lines Reinhart-Rogoff drew between cause and effect. Springfield Republican, 6/12/13. Prof. Emeritus Anthony Harris (sociology) says improved emergency room treatment of trauma patients is at least partially responsible for driving down homicide rates in large cities such as New York City. Some people argue the decline in the murder rate is caused by stricter stop-and-frisk tactics used by police. Yahoo! Finance, 6/11/13. M.V. Lee Badgett (economics), director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration, comments about how the federal ban on gay marriage has negative health insurance implications for same-sex couples. KNAU [NPR], 6/10/13. Badgett discusses a new study that finds the poverty rate for same-sex couples is higher than for straight couples. Industry Week, KazakhstanNews.net, 5/28/13. A study led by Badgett states that policies that support LGBT workers are linked to positive business outcomes. UPI, 5/19/13. Badgett is interviewed about the recent legalization of same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Wall Street Journal, 5/3/13. Badgett comments about why accurate statistics about the rate of divorce among same-sex couples are hard to find. Several factors, she says, tend to artificially inflate the apparent divorce rates. The Real News Network, Environmental Leader, 6/11/13. Michael Ash (economics and public policy) discusses about the Toxic 100, an index that identifies the top U.S. toxic polluters among the world’s largest corporations. Huffington Post, 6/10/13; Politifact, 6/7/13; The Maddow Blog, 6/5/13; Washington Post, 6/4/13. Sheldon Goldman (political science) says Senate Republicans are obstructing President Obama’s judicial nominations more than ever. He has calculated an Index of Obstruction and Delay which will be published in July's Judicature Journal. The Real News Network, 6/9/13. Robert Pollin (economics), co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, addresses why local and state governments are firing teachers and closing schools even though investing in schools creates more than twice as many jobs as military spending. New York Times [Sunday Review], 6/8/13. Research by sociologists Joya Misra and Michelle Budig is cited in an op-ed article about the inequality in pay faced by working mothers. Council on Contemporary Families, 6/7/13. A report released by this nonprofit agency includes an overview of Misra and Budig's research with a link to the publication of their work in Social Politics (Oxford University Press). Inside Science TV, 6/4/13. Dean Robert Feldman comments about the new TV show "Graceland" in which many undercover agents must maintain cover stories (aka lies). BBC World Service "The Why Factor," 5/17/13. Feldman discusses why people lie. Reuters.com, 6/11/13. A news story discusses what Nancy Folbre (economics) says is the golden age of human capital losing its shine. New York Times (Economix blog], 6/10/13. Folbre writes about falling ROI on a college education, pointing out many of the issues on both the supply and demand sides. The Dish, 6/3/13. Blogger Andrew Sullivan cites Folbre as one of the national voices warning about the negative effect of allowing student loan interest rates to increase if Congress fails to act by July 1. New York Times [Economix blog], 6/3/13. Folbre writes about loan costs facing current and prospective college students. New York Times [Economix blog], 5/27/13. Writing about the employment prospects for recent college graduates, Folbre cites American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault's 2013 UMass Amherst commencement address. New York Times [Economix blog], 5/20/13. In the wake of the collapse of a Bangladesh garment factory that killed more than 1100 workers, Folbre blogs about social responsibility efforts by major companies. Crain’s Cleveland Business, 5/16/13. A recent New York Times article by Folbre about community/small business partnerships, which cites the Cleveland area's Evergreen Cooperatives is highlighted. New York Times [Economix blog], 5/13/13. Folbre addresses how some localities are shifting business development efforts away from attracting large, multinational corporations and companies, opting instead to help small businesses get started and stay viable. New York Times [Economix blog], 5/6/13. Folbre writes about the growing gap in public approval between small, local businesses and large global businesses. Time, 6/3/13. Brad Tuttle (journalism) writes about the rising cost of visiting big name theme parks such as Walt Disney World in Orlando, where a daily ticket, with taxes, is now more than $100. Time, 5/17/13.Tuttle examines the recent struggles of retailer JC Penney. Time, 5/15/13. Pointing out that the two weeks surrounding Memorial Day will see increased enforcement of seat belt laws, Tuttle notes that the “Click It or Ticket” event is being promoted by the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and carried out by state and local police. Time, 5/14/13. Tuttle writes about Internet gambling and how some of the arcade games at the children’s restaurant Chuck E. Cheese resemble gambling games. Time, 5/11/13. Tuttle discusses how beer companies are touting what they claim are new advances in designing beer cans. Time, 5/6/13. Tuttle writes about the popularity of pizza and why many restaurant chains are expanding their pizza offerings. Huffington Post, 6/2/13.Huffington Post, 6/1/13; Huffington Post, 5/31/13. A series of articles by UMass Amherst investigative journalism students address issues related to sexual assault on college campuses. Daily Hampshire Gazette, 6/1/13. Whitney Battle-Baptiste (anthropology) presented the keynote address at the annual Sojourner Truth celebration in Florence, MA, on May 26. Dollars & Sense, May/June 2013. Even though the unemployment rate has declined over the last few years, Alejandro Reuss (labor relations) shows that policy makers and businesses are devoting little effort to creating jobs. Los Angeles Times, 5/25/13. Sut Jhally (communication) is quoted in an article about Google’s involvement in the production of the new film, “The Internship.” Charlotte Business Journal, 5/24/13. In North Carolina at a meeting of Health Care Justice, a Charlotte chapter of the Physicians for a National Health Program, Gerald Friedman (economics) discussed the potential economic benefits of North Carolina adopting a single-payer model for health care. Charlotte Observer, 5/13/13. Announcement that Friedman will speak in Charlotte, N.C. about the need for a single payer, universal health care plan, invited by Health Care Justice, a local chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. Huntington News [Ky.], 5/24/13. An opinion piece on infrastructure spending cites a report by economists Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier (Political Economy Research Institute) that found among various industries military spending created the fewest jobs per billion dollars spent. Daily Hampshire Gazette, 5/23/13 [subscription required]. An article examines UMass Amherst’s first MOOC (massive open online course), which was launched in May. “Building a Basic Website,” taught by Brian McDermott (journalism) has enrolled 1,000 students. McDermott and John Hird, senior associate dean of SBS, are quoted. US News & World Report, 5/17/13. Raymond La Raja (political science) details the particular characteristics of Democratic Rep. Ed Markey and GOP nominee Gabriel Gomez that may sway Massachusetts voters in June’s special U.S. Senate election. Daily Hampshire Gazette, 5/17/13 [subscription required]. A column, coauthored by doctoral student Deborah Keisch Polin (anthropology), examines the role and costs of charter schools, particularly in the Northampton, MA, public school system. Monthly Review, 5/16/13. An opinion piece by Prof. Emeritus Richard Wolff (economics) examines the role that global economic development played in the collapse of the Bangladesh garment factory that killed over 1,100 workers. Times-Union [Albany, N.Y,], 5/12/13. An article about the New York state park system quotes Jack Ahern (landscape architecture and regional planning), an expert who argues the park system is no longer serving the needs of the 21st century. Aljazeera.com, 5/1/13. Paula Chakravartty (communication) co-authors a story about the garment factory disaster in Bangladesh and efforts to hold corporations and businesses accountable for such tragedies. 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, 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. |
