Two farm workers died during a recent heatwave in Washington and Oregon. While this is outrageous, it’s not unusual. Farm workers die in hot weather every year.
Opinions
A Dangerous Moment for Academic Freedom
The state of Florida just passed a law that — to put it mildly — grossly violates academic freedom. Under the new bill, recently signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, students and faculty will be surveyed about their political views to ensure “intellectual freedom and ideological diversity.”
Opinions
The Cynical War on ‘Critical Race Theory’
One conservative activist is weaponizing resentment over diversity trainings into an all-out, red-baiting culture war.
Opinions
Address the Stagnation That Paved the Way for Trump
Donald Trump won’t be around forever. But the political crises his attacks on democracy have caused will outlive his one-term presidency.
Opinions
Trump’s Lies About Immigrants Should End With His Presidency
As Donald Trump leaves office, it’s worth remembering how he first launched his campaign: by calling immigrants “murderers” and “rapists.”
Opinions
Failing Students Need Support, Not Blame
As the semester ends, I fear many of my students will fail my class. Most will pass, thanks to their hard work and a generous grade curve, but I’ve never had this many students failing or dropping the course before.
Opinions
The Coming Battle Over Vaccines
With the new COVID-19 vaccine available, Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans can begin to achieve herd immunity by next summer. Herd immunity occurs when so many people are immune to the virus that it can’t spread, because an infected person won’t have anyone left to spread it to.
Opinions
We Need a Safety Net for Parents
This week my students turned in papers relating news articles to what they learned in class about parenting. Every single student’s paper is about how the pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.
Opinions
Where Have I Heard These Trump Lines Before?
Rory McVeigh wrote The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan, a study of the KKK in the 1920s, in 2009 — long before Donal Trump became president. But it could almost be about Trump today.
Opinions
Colleges Are Still in Uncharted Territory
In a few weeks, I begin my semester as a teaching assistant in an undergraduate sociology class. I am not sure what to expect.