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The Patent System is Failing to Promote Pharmaceutical Innovation
By Christina Del Greco The U.S. Patent and Trademark Organization exists to manage intellectual property within the United States, which includes granting patents. While there are multiple types of patents, the most commonly known is the utility patent, or a patent on something that is useful. The requirements for a
Police Qualified Immunity is a Dangerous Loophole
By Yuliya Shyrokonis Despite a global pandemic, protestors across the United States took to the streets last summer to condemn widespread police discrimination and brutality. Data show that police forces killed 1,096 Americans in 2019. Black Americans were three times as likely to be killed by police per capita than
A New Horizon for English Language Education: How the Biden Administration Can Get it Right
By Yezenia Sandoval For English Language Learners (ELLs), the appointment of Miguel Cardona, a former English Language Learner himself, as the Secretary of Education suggests a promising future in strengthening bilingual education programs across the nation. However, these programs face significant challenges; to ensure their success, the new administration should
The “Gay Civil War”: How to Grapple With Public Shaming in a Health Crisis
By Mark Minshen Lee When images of crowded house parties and pool romps at New York’s upscale Fire Island made their way across gay Twitter last July, the condemnation was swift. Amid a deadly pandemic, how could so many people blatantly ignore public health guidelines and put others at risk?
Racial Justice Demands Broad Student Debt Cancellation
By Kyle G. Southern, Ph.D. and Charles H. F. Davis III, Ph.D. Today, more than 44 million Americans owe more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt—the largest source of debt next to home mortgages nationally. Contrary to President Biden’s recent statements in response to a town hall question about
The Health Equity Case for Reparations
By Amani Echols Over the past year, racial health inequities have been pushed into the national spotlight. Prompted by the Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and the stark reality that the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities, racism
COVID-19 and the Crisis of Migrant Worker Housing
By: Alexa Kort and Matthew Dunn For migrant workers across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an interrelated set of crises. Along with the dangers of the virus itself, migrant workers─who are overrepresented in industries that require in-person work─are experiencing increased housing instability as rent payments become overwhelming
For Pregnant Women During the Pandemic, Doulas are More Important than Ever
By Sarah Javaid As the first wave of people receive the COVID-19 vaccine, pregnant women—not included in clinical vaccine trials until this month—have been given confusing and contradictory advice: the CDC recommends that pregnant women consult their doctors before getting the vaccine while the World Health Organization advises against pregnant
Ancient Solutions to Current Problems: The Case for Restorative Justice
By Yuliya Shyrokonis There are nearly 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States—more per capita than any other country on Earth. Taxpayers pay an average of $36,299.25 per year for every inmate in federal prison. However, in the nine years following release, 83 percent of former inmates released in
Criminal Fines are Taxes on the Poor
By: Katherine Donelly A traffic ticket should not land you in prison–or in a lifetime of debt. But our current system of punishment leaves many with fines that they cannot pay. Soon these fines compound, and the prospect of paying off this debt becomes less and less realistic. Suddenly, your
To Diversify STEM Graduate Programs, Eliminate the GRE
By: Aníbal Tornés Blanco, Biology PhD student at the University of Michigan If you have ever applied to a graduate program, you very likely had to take the standardized Graduate Record Examination (GRE). While historically this exam has been a central part of the application package for most masters and
Georgia’s Unique Runoff System, a Product of Institutional Racism
By: Shaher Zakaria Last Tuesday, all eyes were on the two Senate runoff elections in Georgia. Because the elections would decide control of the Senate, President Trump made two visits to the state to rally Republican voters for Republican Senators David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler. President-elect Joe Biden, who