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

May 18, 2020

Reinvesting in Higher Education

Despite a steadily growing population,  yearly college enrollment in the United States has decreased for more than a decade. With a job market that increasingly demands educated professionals how is…  

May 12, 2020

Air Pollution Inequity in NYC’s Low-Income Communities & Covid-19: A Recipe for Disaster

On April 5, a study released by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health directly linked air pollution to the probability of more severe COVID-19 cases. It is now…  

May 4, 2020

It is Negligent to Solely Blame Preexisting Health Conditions for COVID-19’s Burden on Black Americans

COVID-19’s arrival in the United States has made it impossible to ignore that Black Americans are disproportionately burdened by disease and death. Yet, there is still a lack of understanding…  

April 13, 2020

The Other Danger of COVID-19: Why the Federal and State Governments Must Take Action on the Increased Threat of Domestic Violence During Social Distancing

As of April 6, 2020, just under 90% of Americans are under orders to stay at home to avoid the spread of COVID-19. For most people, home is safest place…  

April 7, 2020

How are we going to define our new “normal”? After recovering from COVID-19 our return to normalcy should not translate to complacency.

Within the past two weeks I have switched to remote learning, evacuated my dorm room, adjusted to working at home, and quarantined myself to a tiny studio apartment. My future…  

March 24, 2020

Without Undocumented Workers, the U.S Economy Would be a Disaster

The Trump Administration is not the first administration that has shown their true feelings toward immigrant communities. Regardless of party allegiance, every president has enacted xenophobic policies – even the…  

March 23, 2020

The Importance of Environmental Regulations

Human action has altered the environment in irreversible ways. In order to conserve and protect natural ecosystems, regulations were enacted with a focus on sustaining a healthy environment. However, the…  

New York City’s Segregated School System and the Opportunity Gap

Over the last fifty years, New York City has experienced a dramatic shift in both politics and racial demographics. Yet despite its increasingly diverse population and liberal policies, New York…  

February 27, 2020

The Dangers of Bulk Records Collecting in the U.S. is Still Prevalent and Under All of Our Noses.

On November 21, 2019, Congress temporarily extended the expiration date of Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, which allows the federal government to access domestic call records. This act…  

February 24, 2020

A Sacrosanct Institution: American Homeownership and Inequality

There are few things more American than the prototypical American home—apple pie aside—and there are few things of more value to Americans than owning this home. In politics, presidents and…  

December 11, 2019

Reforming the Cash Bail System

In San Francisco, 64-year-old Kenneth Humphrey spent a year in jail, held on a $350,000 bond he could not pay, after being accused of entering a man’s home and stealing…  

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…