Author: TheConversation

By Jerry Kang, Distinguished Professor of Law and Asian American Studies; Founding Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, University of California, Los Angeles In two cases challenging the use of race in college admissions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the educational benefit of racial diversity is no longer what it once called a “compelling interest.” These decisions effectively end race-conscious college admissions. In my view, as a legal scholar of implicit bias and critical race studies, they do not end discrimination against Asian Americans, which was the advertised goal of the lawsuits. The cases against Harvard and...

By Aaron Pilkington, PhD Candidate at Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver There will be only one winner in the war that has broken out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. And it is neither Israel nor Hamas. In an operation coined “the Al-Aqsa Storm,” Hamas, whose formal name is the Islamic Resistance Movement, fired thousands of rockets into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters infiltrated Israel by land, sea and air. Hundreds of Israelis have been killed, more than 2,000 injured, and many taken hostage. In response, Israeli Prime...

By Charles O. Stanier, Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa; Gregory Carmichael, Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa; and Peter S. Thorne, University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, Professor of Environmental Health, University of Iowa Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke. While Western states have contended with smoky fire seasons for years, the air quality alerts across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this summer reached levels never seen there before. The smoke left the air so unhealthy in Philadelphia on...

By Karyn Amira, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston When Mitt Romney announced his intended retirement from the U.S. Senate on September 13, an excerpt was published from his upcoming biography, in which the 2012 Republican presidential nominee told author McKay Coppins, “A very large portion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.” This claim would have been startling 15 years ago. For decades, the Republican Party has been the party of conservatism and a champion for the Constitution. Romney is clear that Donald Trump, who leads what he calls a “populist” and “demagogic” portion...

By Steven Berkowitz, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus The hospital where I practice recently admitted a 14-year-old girl with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to our outpatient program. She was referred to us six months earlier, in October 2022, but at the time we were at capacity. Although we tried to refer her to several other hospitals, they too were full. During that six-month wait, she attempted suicide. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common story for young people with mental health issues. A 2021 survey of 88 children’s hospitals reported that they admit, on average, four...