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Congratulations to Mohsen Jalali for receiving and accepting a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the political science department at Midwestern State University in Texas. He was hired to teach in Global Affairs, American politics and Middle Eastern politics. Congratulations to Mohsen and kudos to his Dissertation Chair, Regine Spector.

Paul Musgrave comments on heightened interest in the foreign policy of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar after Republicans ousted her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.“Since she came into office, Rep. Omar has been not just an officeholder but a symbol of a diverse country and a broadening of the Democratic caucus. In some ways, she’s sought out a prominent role — but in other ways, it’s her opponents who have made her prominent,” Musgrave says. “Now, she’s freer to act and represent not only her constituents but broader groups precisely because she’s prominent and credible on these issues.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Roll Call, 6/8/23)

The UMass Center for Research on Families granted a $5000 dissertation award to PhD Candidate Luz Maria Sanchez. The award will support her writing on the impact of humanitarian diasporic policies on exiled individuals and families. (UMass Center for Research on Families)

Jesse Rhodes, political science and co-director of the UMass Amherst Poll, spoke to students from five area high schools on the theme of voting rights during a Law Day event organized by the Northwestern district attorney’s office at the Hampshire County Courthouse. Rhodes explained why voting matters, highlighting the fact that younger people are much less likely to vote than older people. Eighteen-to-29-year-olds are the most diverse generation in U.S. history, he said, and their political priorities — climate change, racial justice, reproductive rights — are different from those of older generations. (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 5/4/23)

El País, Spain's daily newspaper, has published the article "El mito de la democracia racial" by UMass Political Science PhD Graduate Ana Maria Ospina. Ospina argues that the idea that Colombia is a mestizo nation and that Colombian culture is the happy result of a mixture of cultures prevents critical reflection on the inequalities generated by the historical exploitation of ethnic communities. (El País)

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Outstanding Mentor Award: Camille Barchers, assistant professor of landscape architecture and regional planning (LARP), and Meredith Rolfe, associate professor of political science. This award recognizes SBS faculty who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the mentorship of students. (News Office, 05/04/2023)

 

Findings from a 2021 UMass Poll are cited in reporting on efforts in California to pay reparations to descendants of enslaved Americans. The poll found that found that 64% of Democrats and 86% of Black Americans support reparations.(Fox News, 5/14/23; News Office release)

Ph.D. candidate Adam Eichen is co-author of an opinion piece supporting a bill before the Massachusetts legislature that would restore voting rights to convicted felons. Eichen, who is also a fellow at the UMass Amherst Poll, cites the Poll’s recent findings that 49 percent of Massachusetts residents support the change. (CommonWealth, 5/9/23)

Paul Collins, legal studies and political science, comments about hearings being held by the U.S. Senate on enacting a code of ethical conduct for the U.S. Supreme Court to operate under. Chief Justice John Roberts has communicated to the senator leading the headings via letters, providing a nonbinding “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices,” but Collins says, “Absent a code of conduct there’s no way to enforce the disclosure of any of this information because the justices are basically enforcing it themselves.” (KatuKOKH, WPEC [West Palm Beach, Fla.], KMPH [Fresno, Calif.], KBFX [Bakersfield, Calif.], 5/3/23)  (EL PAÍS [Spain], 5/6/23; non-paywalled English translation viewable at The Limited Times).

 

Jesse Rhodes, political science, is scheduled to participate in the American Bar Association’s Law Day 2023 event in Northampton on May 4. The topic for the event is “Voting Rights Are Human Rights,”  and features Smith College Professor Carrie Baker, University of Massachusetts Amherst Professor Jesse Rhodes and a performance by students from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School’s mock trial team. (Greenfield Recorder)

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