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Student Forum Op-Eds, Discussions, Writing, and Recent Research, Contributed by Undergraduate Public Policy Program Students

December 9, 2019

Making CUNY Free Again

The City University of New York (CUNY) is at the cultural and intellectual center of working class life in New York City; a common resource taken for granted, but severely…  

Maternal Mortality in the United States

Worldwide, there have been  improvements and innovations in healthcare around the world which have led to a decline in the number of women dying from childbirth over the last 30…  

Addressing Food Waste on a National Scale

Food waste is a large problem in the United States. According to the USDA, 133 billion pounds of food were wasted in 2010; that food was worth approximately $161 billion. …  

Researching Asian Poverty in New York

There is a lack of disaggregated data on Asian poverty in New York City. Asians in poverty are hidden behind the veil of the “model minority” stereotype, which masks the…  

December 4, 2019

Voting Laws and Disenfranchisement

Voting rights in the United States have always been a problem since the nation’s founding in 18th century. Over the last 200 years, countless people have fought for their right…  

December 2, 2019

Policing the New York City Subway

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo believes one of the pivotal social problems beseeching New York City is public transit fare evasion. With Mayor Bill de Blasio’s support, the city employed…  

Containing the Opioid Epidemic

Prolonged use or misuse of opioids can result in addiction and withdrawal. Tolerance to the drug can prompt the user to start increasing the doses to experience the initial effect….  

October 30, 2019

White Nationalism: From ‘Fringe Ideology’ to National Security Threat

On August 3 2019, Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old from Allen, Texas, drove roughly 11 hours across the state to El Paso, where he opened fired in a Walmart, killing 22…  

October 28, 2019

Privatizing Public Housing

Government disinvestment in public housing has catalyzed its downfall across America. Without proper funding or adequate oversight, public housing facilities – some built as far back as eight decades ago…  

October 7, 2019

Vaping: A Public Health Crisis?

The past several weeks have seen the breathless reporting of a mysterious new public health crisis: lung injuries. E-cigarettes and vaporizers, which have infiltrated the pockets and backpacks of thousands…  

Social Determinants of Americans’ Health

Health care has emerged as a central issue in the 2020 presidential election to no surprise as access to health care continues to be a major problem in the U.S.,…  

September 24, 2019

Bangladesh: Sink or Swim

Storms, floods, and monsoons have been part of Bangladesh’s narrative throughout history. However, as climate change accelerates, it brings about a myriad of extremely devastating weather changes, such as cyclones…  

May 14, 2019

What is Holding India Back from Becoming a World Superpower?

Time Magazine names economic, military, political influence, innovation and culture/lifestyle as tenets by which to determine a global ‘superpower’. By this definition, a superpower exercises worldwide influence by way of…  

Another Chance: Making the “Ban the Box” Campaign a Nationwide Effort

The Ban the Box campaign is an effort to encourage removing questions about arrest history on job and educational applications. The campaign recommends avoiding such questions until a conditional job…  

May 13, 2019

New York Pushes for Progressive Reproductive Health Rights and Accessibility

On the 46th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade (1973), New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law the “most aggressive” abortion rights law in…