Humanities & Society

Election turnout among young people of color, including African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans, may drop by nearly 700,000 voters in states with new photo ID laws, a decline that could impact presidential contests in battleground states, a new study suggests.

A new study suggests an estimated 46.3 percent of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were the victims of bullying. The study originated at the Brown School and is part of a pioneering program of research on adolescents and adults with autism led by Paul T. Shattuck, PhD, assistant professor. Lead author Paul Sterzing, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Social Welfare of the University of California, Berkeley, completed this study when he was a student at the Brown School.

The “No More ‘Too Big to Fail’” rallying cry is unrealistic, says Cheryl Block, JD, federal taxation, budget and bailout expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “When the next really big economic crisis arises, Congress is unlikely to stick to its ‘no bailout’ pledge,” she says.

Before classes began at the Brown School, students, faculty and staff went out into the St. Louis area Aug. 25 for the annual Brown School Community Service Day. A video captures the program at Gateway Greening, one of 21 area agencies for which students, faculty and staff provided service. “It’s nice to start off the year ‘walking the walk,’” says Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD, professor at the Brown School.

The Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies will kick off its two business plan competitions at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6. Combined, the Olin Cup and YouthBridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition will award more than $200,000 in funding for new commercial and social ventures.

According to the New York Times, Penguin will publish first-person account of the bin Laden raid written by a Navy SEAL. Kathleen Clark, JD, national security law expert and professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, discusses the process for publishing this type of book.

Karen Tokarz, JD, dispute resolution expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, says that criticisms about foreclosure mediation programs – currently under review across the country – are not supported by research and appear to be based on misunderstandings of the process.

First amendment expert John Inazu, JD, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, argues in a USA Today opinion column that evangelicals are wise to join the legal fight over the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate.

The Brown School’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Washington University in St. Louis was recently accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The accreditation provides national recognition of the quality of our program, says Edward F. Lawlor, PhD, dean of the Brown School and the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor. “This unique program teaches students to address public health issues through the lens of many different disciplines.Accreditation will provide students and alumni expanded job opportunities, fellowships, and doctoral admissions.”

Exposure to stress can increase the risk for violent behaviors and depressive symptoms for African-American young adults. Different types of stress, particularly racial discrimination, can influence the level of this risk, finds a new study by Lorena Estrada-Martínez, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.