Higher Ed ReWired

About This Episode:

In many parts of the U.S., comprehensive sex education is startlingly absent. With only 16 states mandating contraception education, 34 states focusing primarily on abstinence, and 13 states lacking age-appropriate and evidence-based standards, the current landscape of sex education is fragmented. This disparity becomes even starker when considering that seven states legally prohibit LGBTQIA-inclusive sex ed.

The implications of this patchwork system go beyond high school. As a significant number of students enter college unprepared to address sexual health, relationships, and consent, universities are now faced with a pressing dilemma: Should they take on the responsibility of providing sex education? Could this potentially mitigate the issue of sexual assault on campuses?

Join us on Higher Ed Rewired as we delve into this critical topic, asking the question: “Should college students receive sex ed as a part of their collegiate education?”

Featured on This Episode:

• Dorian Solot is a sexuality and relationship educator who has written for and taught students of all ages, from kindergarten to senior citizens. She has given over 1,000 presentations around the United States on sexuality. She is the co- author of several forthcoming books for young children about bodies and reproduction and the creator of the Under Your Wing sexuality education video series for parents and caregivers of children ages five through seven.
• Jennifer Hirschis Professor and Deputy Chair for Doctoral Studies in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences and co-Director of the Columbia Population Research Center. A medical anthropologist and a 2012 fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Hirsch’s research agenda spans five intertwined domains: the anthropology of love; gender, sexuality, and migration; sexual, reproductive and HIV risk practices; social scientific research on sexual assault and undergraduate well-being, and the intersections between anthropology and public health.
• Jessica Adams Nelson is the Program Director for the Wellness Promotion & Violence Prevention Center at St. Norbert College (SNC). Before SNC, Jessica worked in a variety of places around the country. She has been housing coordinator and victim advocate at Wise Women Gathering Place, program director for a transitional home in Baltimore, Md., and victim advocate in Door County.
  
  co-author-director

Resources for This Episode:

• SPACE toolkit
• California State University Title XIX Resources
• National Sexual Assault Hotline

About This Episode:

In this enlightening episode, we dive deep into an often-silent challenge faced by plus-sized students in the realm of higher education. Despite more than two-thirds of adults in the US being over a size 14, there exists an underlying bias against students based on their body size, overshadowing their academic achievements. From unsettling findings at Cal State Long Beach and Mt. St. Vincent, revealing stereotypes about GPA perceptions and team collaboration preferences, to tangible obstacles like inaccessible campus resources, the gravity of the situation is undeniable. Join us as we shed light on the firsthand experiences of these students, engage with researchers unraveling the complexities of weight stigma in academia, and explore solutions that can pave the way for a truly inclusive campus culture. Dive into a discussion on the tangible effects of this bias and the steps universities can take to rectify this deep-rooted prejudice.

Featured on This Episode:

• Terah Jay Stewart serves as an assistant professor of higher education and student affairs at Iowa State University. His research and writing focus on people, populations, and ideas that are hyper marginalized and/or have stigmatized identities including college students engaged in sex work, fat students on campus, and identity-based student activism. He also does conceptual and empirical work on antiblackness in non-black communities of color. His work often centers on critical disruptive onto-epistemological frameworks and theories to destabilize dominant ways of knowing and being; including Black/endarkened feminist, womanist, and afro pessimist perspectives
• Andrea Melrose serves as the Associate Director of Student Affairs at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. She has penned the dissertation titled, “What’s the Big Fat Deal?: The Experience of Fat Students in College.” In her work, she delves into the experiences of fat students on college campuses, shedding light on their encounters with anti-fat bias and discrimination. Moreover, she delves into the policy and practical implications that aim to enhance the experiences of fat college students, advocating for a diverse and inclusive campus environment.
• Laurie Cooper Stoll is a distinguished professor of Sociology within the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. Her research focuses on educational inequalities, gender-blind sexism, and critical weight studies. She has authored two significant books: "Race and Gender in the Classroom," which received the 2015 Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award from the Race, Gender, and Class Section of the American Sociological Association, and "Should Schools Be Colorblind?"

Resources for This Episode:

• 2013 Study in Obesity Review
• Nutrition Journal
• California State University, Long Beach Study
• Mt. St. Vincent Study
• Weight bias in graduate school admissions
• Fat On Campus

About This Episode:

In this episode we uncover the surprising ways a degree can serve us throughout our careers. Our esteemed guests, all accomplished alumni from various fields, share their personal experiences of how their education has equipped them with lifelong adaptive skills that have proven invaluable in unexpected ways. Discover how social factors, vital knowledge, and unique perspectives gained from a degree have helped our guests thrive in diverse industries. From transitioning to new roles to shifting careers, we'll explore the remarkable stories of those who have found success by applying their education in unconventional ways. Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the lasting value of higher education beyond the classroom

Featured on This Episode:

• Anna Lee is the Co-founder and Head of Engineering of Lioness, the women-led sexual wellness company that built the world's only smart intimacy device that improves understanding of intimate satisfaction through biofeedback data and science. Anna was previously a mechanical engineer at Amazon, launching the Amazon Dash Button’s original concept and the Kindle Voyage Page Press Technology. She has most recently been named Forbes 30 Under 30 and Anna has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley. 
• Elaine Petralli is the executive director for Rambler Sparkling Water. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in child and family Development from Stephen F. Austin, a university out of Nacogdoches, Texas. 
• Matthew Doyle is a TV literary Agent at Verve Talent & Literary Agency. He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia.

Resources for This Episode:

• Anna Lee in Forbs Magazine
• Rambler Sparkling Water
• Verve Agency

ChatGPT is the latest in the rapidly growing realm of AI programming. The program understands and responds to human language, which has been shown to be beneficial in assisting students in higher education by providing personalized support and resources and creating interactive learning experiences. However, the darkside to AI programs such as ChatGPT is the ever-growing use in cheating by generating answers to assignments or exam questions.

In this episode, we explore how ChatGPT presents both opportunities and challenges for traditional teaching methods, ultimately highlighting the importance of balancing technology and innovation in the classroom. First, we will speak with an assistant professor who shares why he believes ChatGPT is detrimental to both students and instructors. Next, we have a discussion with a philosophy professor who demonstrates how ChatGPT can positively alleviate administrative work both inside and outside the classroom. The show wraps up with an interview with an Associate Provost for Academic Programming, who led a task force in creating guidelines and best practices for ChatGPT. Through the different perspectives presented, we examine the topic of how ChatGPT is pushing the boundaries of higher education.

Featured on This Episode:

Jeremy Weissman is an assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University, where he teaches in the Department of Humanities and Politics. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Dr. Weissman's research focuses on American politics, with particular interests in political parties, interest groups, and political behavior. As an educator, Dr. Weissman is dedicated to engaging students in critical thinking and analysis of political issues and encouraging them to become active and informed citizens.

Antony Aumann is a professor of philosophy at Northern Michigan University (NMU). He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan and has been teaching at NMU since 2001. Dr. Aumann's research interests include the philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics. He has published articles in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and Synthesis.

Anne Marie VanDerZanden is an academic administrator and Associate Provost for Academic Programs at Iowa State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota and has been a faculty member at Iowa State since 1996. In her current role, Dr. VanDerZanden oversees all academic programs at the university, working to ensure that they meet high standards of academic excellence.

Resources for This Episode:

Resources for This Episode:

• Chat GPT – Open AI
• Nova Southeastern University
• Northern Michigan University
• Iowa State University
• Business Insider – Chat GPT and Cheating

About This Episode:

Of the 160,000 American students who studied abroad, in the 2019-2020 academic year, only 5.5 percent were Black.  Although the percentage of Black students who travel abroad was slowly increasing, the impact of COVID-19 lowered the percentages - yet another example of how the Black community was disparately affected by the pandemic.

In this episode, we take an in-depth look at the importance of preparing and supporting Black students to travel abroad. Through insightful interviews with three distinguished guests, the episode offers valuable insights into the topic. The first guest, an experienced faculty member with two decades of experience creating study abroad programs for Black male students, shares their knowledge on the development and preparation of such programs. The second guest, a current student, offers a unique perspective on their interest in traveling abroad and how their approach differs from conventional study abroad programs. Lastly, we hear from a Cal State LA graduate, who shares how her experience in Ghana transformed her understanding of what Blackness means. 

Featured on This Episode: 

Tiffany Rogers Bussey is the Director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Morehouse University. Dr. Bussey earned her doctorate in business administration and Master of Science degree in strategic management from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, U.K. She also received a master’s in business administration from George Washington University in Washington D.C and a baccalaureate degree in economics from The College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey.

Mekhi Graham is a student is a junior at Morehouse and is working with Dr. Bussey to prepare for his very first study abroad program.

Alesia Miles recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Cal State LA and studied abroad in Ghana.

Resources for This Episode: 

Morehouse University

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Morehouse University

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education

Morehouse Pan-African Global Experience (MPAGE)

African Americans and College Education by the Numbers - UNCF

About This Episode:

Instituted by executive order in 1965, affirmative action is a race-conscious policy that aims to address discrimination and provide equal access to education and jobs.  Since its inception, organizations have opposed its implementation arguing that it is unfair, unnecessary, and unconstitutional and today, it is once again under review by the Supreme Court.

In this episode, we explore the ongoing debate surrounding affirmative action. We speak with various experts including an affirmative action researcher and an Education Equity Manager to provide a comprehensive understanding of the issue. They discuss the potential consequences of eliminating Affirmative Action and alternative methods to promote diversity in higher education.

Featured on This Episode: 

Tiana Loving is a third-year student at Florida A&M University College of Law and the President of the Black Law Student Association

Peter Arcidiacono is Professor Arcidiacono specializes in research involving applied microeconomics, applied economics, and labor economics. His research primarily focuses on education and discrimination. 

Sally Chen is the Education Equity Program Manager at Chinese for Affirmative Action in San Francisco. Chen graduated from Harvard where she studied history and literature as well as studies of women, gender, and sexuality.

Dr. Luke Wood is a Distinguished Professor of Education and Dean of the College of Education at San Diego State University, he is an expert on the education of African Americans and Latinos. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley. His current research focuses on identifying and examining effective educational practices for African American and Latino males at all levels of education. 

Resources for This Episode: 

Affirmative Action

Black Law Student Association at Florida A&M University

Chinese for Affirmative Action

SFFA v. Harvard Collage

Community College Equity Assessment Lab

About This Episode:

Activism in higher education has a long history going back to the 1930s, starting with opposition to the military, racial discrimination, and support for labor unions. Nowadays, on-campus activism is widespread and research shows that student activism can disrupt taken-for-granted norms by providing more context to campus leaders on what is important to students, creating a symbiotic relationship. 

In this episode, we speak with to three different people who have practiced activism within the higher education system. First, we will hear about Sebastian Andrews, an undergrad at Stanford, and how the university nurtured his existing interest in environmental policy, evolving his activism skills even further. Then we speak with Esder Chong, a dreamer who went to college not wanting to be an activist. But when challenged, she grew her activist skills and her network, so she could get resources and legal aid for other DACA students at her university. Last, we’ll hear from Miriam “Mimi” Pichey, an activist whose work started at Brown University fifty years ago tells us how the culture of activism at Brown inspired her and her friends to generate social change on campus and in the nation.

Sebastian Andrews is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and is an environmental policy activist from Denver, Colorado. During high school, he created Youth Sustainability Board, a student-run organization that offers teens throughout Colorado a platform to pioneer sustainability initiatives in their schools and greater communities. 

Esder Chong earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Rutgers University. She recently completed her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has previously completed her Master’s in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar. During her time at Rutgers University Chong founded RU Dreamers, a student organization aimed to empower undocumented communities through education. 

Miriam "Mimi" Dale Pichey attended Brown University and graduated with a concentration in her own formulation, Art and Archaeology. At Brown, she was heavily involved in political activism on campus and in the Providence community. She later earned an M.B.A. at Boston University. Throughout her career, Pichey has remained involved in activism, continuing to support anti-war movements, women’s rights, gay rights, environmental issues, and civil rights including anti-deportation

Resources for This Episode:

• Youth Sustainability Board
• TheDream.US
• RU Dreamers
• Women of Brown United

LAbout This Episode:

In April 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7, also known as the “Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act” or the “Stop WOKE act”. This bill prohibits teaching certain concepts related to race and sexual orientation in schools. This is just one legislative act across the country that attempts to limit academic freedom. So why are foundational American values, free speech, and academic freedom being increasingly threatened in academia? And what can higher education faculty and students do to protect their first amendment right to free speech?

In this episode, we will speak with the president of the American Association of University Professors about how to define these rights, campus activists who are involved in filing a lawsuit against the Stop Woke act about how it affects them personally, and we’ll hear legal co-counsel on how this case reflects broader legislative trends in America. 

Featured on This Episode:

Governor Ron DeSantis serves as the current Governor of Florida. DeSantis earned a Doctor of Law from Harvard Law School and earned a Bachelor's in history from Yale University. DeSantis served as a lieutenant in the United State Navy and later as Special Assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida. 

Dr. LeRoy Pernell is a Law professor at Florida A&M University and the previous interim dean of the College of Law at Florida A&M University. Dr. Pernell earned a law degree  from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government from Franklin & Marshall College.

Dr. Irene Mulvey is the current president of the American Association of University Professors or AAUP. Dr. Mulvey holds a Ph.D. from Wesleyan University and has taught mathematics at Fairfield University for 37 years. 

Jeanette Nuñez is the first Latina to serve as Florida Lieutenant Governor. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Political Science. Lieutenant Governor Nuñez has served as an adjunct professor at Florida International University.

Johana Dauphin is a senior at Florida State University studying International Affairs with a concentration in Urban and Regional Planning. Her post-grad plans are to attend law school and continue to advocate for marginalized communities.

Eulalia Jiminez is a mother of 6 children, a holistic therapist, a small business owner, and the Moms for Liberty Miami chapter chair. 

Alexis Johnson serves as a Litigation Fellow at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Johnson received her law degree from Columbia Law School and received her bachelor's degree in English Literature from Yale University.

Resources for This Episode:

• House Bill 7 “Stop WOKE Act”
• Legal Defense Fund
• Idaho professors are not allowed to talk about abortion 
• Tenure

About This Episode:

According to the Census Bureau, California’s population grew three times more in the last ten years than available housing units. As enrollment at the University of California and California State University systems increased, the statewide housing shortage has made it challenging for campuses to address the situation. State policies around housing have also made it difficult to fix the widening gap between affordability and student housing. 

In this episode, as a case study, we take a closer look at the housing situation in Santa Cruz and the policies that have perpetuated the crisis. We will speak with a team of researchers and professors at UC Santa Cruz, a local attorney, and a current California Senator about future policy changes that can bring more affordable housing to students. 

Featured on This Episode:

Gary Patton is a law professor at UC Santa Cruz and practicing environmental law as a sole practitioner in Santa Cruz. He served on the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors from 1975 to 1995 as Third District Supervisor. Patton earned a JD at Stanford Law school and a B.A in History at Stanford University. 

Steven McKay is an associate professor of Sociology and Director of the UCSC Center for Labor Studies. He earned aPh.D. in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in Political Economy of Industrial Societies at the University of California-Berkeley. Runs the project No Place Like Home together with Miriam Greenberg.

Miriam Greenberg is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Together with Steve McKay, she runs the project No Place Like Home, on the experience of the affordable housing crisis in Santa Cruz County.

Senator Nancy Skinner was first elected to the state Senate in 2016 after completing three terms in the state Assembly. Senator Skinner currently serves as chair of the Senate’s Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and vice-chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, earning both a B.S and an M.A.

Resources for This Episode:

• UC Santa Cruz
• CEQA: The California Environmental Quality Act
• No Place Like Home
• AB 1930

About This Episode:

The current housing crisis for students cannot be ignored. A survey conducted in 2019 found on-campus that most students in California have experienced some type of housing insecurity with the highest risk being students from marginalized communities. The traditional on campus basic needs centers are not enough to help the students in this crisis and universities are now trying to adapt their programs to be able to further help students and keep them in college. 

In this episode, we speak with the executive director of the Center for Equitable Higher Education at CSU Long Beach about the current student housing crisis; a student who shares his real-life experiences with the struggle to find housing; and a former case manager who created the Crisis Assistance and Resource Education Support program at Sacramento State by using data and personal stories from students in need. 

Featured on This Episode:

• Rashida Crutchfield is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach. She earned a Master of Social Work at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from CSULB.  She worked for the National Conference for Community and Justice in Long Beach and the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri before serving on the Covenant House California staff. She is currently the executive director of the Center for Equitable Higher Education.

• Danielle Munoz is a licensed therapist and case manager who was working on Sacramento State’s behavioral intervention team. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Davis and a Master's of Marriage and Family therapy from CSU Sacramento. 

• Marissa Islas is one of the Basic Needs Housing and Education Coordinators at the UC San Diego Basic Needs Center. She earned a Bachelor in Global Health, Psychology Minor from The University of California, San Diego. 

• Kameo Quenga is a Basic Needs Housing & Education Coordinator at the UC San Diego Basic Needs Center. She earned a Bachelor of psychology from San Jose State University and her Master of Higher education and Student Affairs from the University of San Francisco. 

Resources for This Episode:

• Center for Equitable Higher Education
• California State University, Long Beach
• UC San Diego Basic Needs Center
• CSU Student Well-Being and Basic Needs