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

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…  

Period Poverty within the United States

Women make up half of the United States population and 70% of Americans in poverty. While food and employment are concerns for all impoverished people, women must also worry about…  

Gasping for Air in the Midst of the Opioid Epidemic

Once seen as a wonder drug, opioids were first introduced to the public under Purdue Pharma’s brand name OxyContin. It was a go-to painkiller for acute to chronic pain management….  

Let’s Get Physical: Exercising Your Right to Vote in New York State

Did you know that New York state ranks 40th in voter turnout?  During the 2018 midterm election, only 45.2% of eligible voters in New York showed up to the polls,…  

April 19, 2019

Title X Funding: Supporting Planned Parenthood

What happens when a widely known healthcare service such as Planned Parenthood loses the capability to provide all their services to the public? In recent news, our President of the…  

April 11, 2019

Health Care of Undocumented Immigrants

February 15, 2019 seemed like quite the average Friday for our country; however, in the eyes of our President, we were in a State of National Emergency. The Trump administration’s…  

March 18, 2019

When Racism Isn’t Enough: A Critique of Mathematical Justice

Since its founding in 2011, politicians and police departments have united in lauding PredPol (predictive policing) as the next stage of the “War on Crime.” PredPol is a private company…  

Plastic Bags: Flimsy, Convenient – and Dangerous

Plastic bags are, more often than not, used only once. They are flimsy, yet convenient. I am certain you can imagine a plastic bag whose entire lifespan and purpose consisted…  

December 11, 2018

Zero Waste: Possible in NYC’s Foreseeable Future?

The Department of Sanitation has created “Zero Waste Guidelines” in partnership with GrowNYC to reduce city government spending on waste. There are several reasons why New York City’s goal of…  

The Working Homeless: Economic Precarity of Low-Wage Workers

A recent article from the New York Times describes the difficulties faced by low-wage workers experiencing poverty despite being employed. The author documents Vanessa Solivan and her three teenage children,…  

United States Foreign Policy and its Role in the Refugee Crisis

What exactly is a refugee? Who defined the word, and who decides how many are let into the United States? The term “refugee” has been used frequently in numerous contexts…  

The Illusory American Dream: Poverty and Income Inequality in the United States

The American dream of economic success and wealth accumulation continues to slip away from the tired hands of most Americans because of low wages, unchecked poverty, and the sexist gender…