WFU in the news: June 10-23, 2024

FEATURED NEWS

On Juneteenth, freedom came with strings attached
By Charles Blow | The New York Times
As Corey Walker, the director of the African American Studies program at Wake Forest University, emphasizes, the idea of freedom, particularly for Black people in this country, is continuously being negotiated and contested, so “Juneteenth marks a moment in the ever-evolving and expanding project of American democracy. It is a project that is never complete. It is never fulfilled, even at the moment of Juneteenth. And it’s one that is ever evolving to this day.” – 6/18/2024

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Staff engagement survey reveals low morale at Pittsburgh Public Schools
By Jillian Forstadt | WESA-FM (Pittsburgh, PA)
Less than a third of survey respondents felt that Pittsburgh Public Schools’ mission was “reflected in the day-to-day activities of the organization.” That can be demoralizing for teachers, said politics professor Sarah Dahill-Brown. “It’s all the more demoralizing if teachers are put in the position where they know what the right thing is, but they don’t have the opportunity to do it. Or they don’t have the resources and support and time and space and staff to do it.” – 6/18/2024

This year’s Pride Month is a time for optimism, not despair | Opinion
By Marie-Amélie George | Miami Herald
Law professor Marie-Amélie George writes: “For the LGBTQ+ community and allies, June is a month of joy and celebration, marked by lively Pride parades that draw millions of supporters. This year, however, a legislative onslaught has tempered the revelry. In the first six months of 2024, state legislators across the country have introduced 515 bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community. The situation is so dire that the Human Rights Campaign has declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans.” – 6/10/2024

EPA faces ‘difficult choices’ with budget cut
By Kevin Bogardus | E&E News
The agency has managed to make do with less, according to Stan Meiburg, who served 39 years at EPA, including as acting deputy administrator during the Obama administration. “I will say that as with everybody else a level budget is, in fact, a cut because of inflation and extra costs,” said Meiburg, executive director of Wake Forest’s Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability. “But the effort in terms of nominal numbers appears to have been to keep the agency’s budget at pretty much the same level it was in 2023.” – 6/20/2024

Opioids lawyers offer investors piece of $100 million-plus win
Bloomberg Law
A law firm set to earn more than $100 million for its work on opioids cases is packaging its fees and selling it to investors as a security. “It’s getting more systematic, the sophistication level is rising and it’s bringing in new actors,” said law professor Samir Parikh, who studies mass torts financing. “Whether it’s good or bad is hard to say. What you could argue is it’s weaponizing mass tort litigation that must be terrifying to defendants.” – 6/17/2024

How can Boric bring peace to southern Chile?
By Gene Kuleta | Latin American Advisor
“These measures have proven inadequate in stemming the violence and have also drawn criticism from international human rights organizations,” said politics and international affairs professor Peter Siavelis. “With looming municipal elections in 2024 and a presidential election in 2025, Boric will likely maintain a hardline stance and pass the problem on to his likely rightwing successor.” – 6/21/2024

Judge Cannon considers Jack Smith’s appointment today—What to know
By Alison Durkee | Forbes
Legal experts are unsure whether Cannon—a Trump appointee—will similarly strike the ex-president’s challenge down, however, with Katy Harriger, an expert on special counsels at Wake Forest University, telling The Washington Post that while past precedent “would suggest a judge who knew the law would quickly dismiss such claims … in our current political and legal climate, nothing is a sure thing.” – 6/21/2024

Transitions
By Julia Piper | The Chronicle of Higher Education
A. Kimberley McAllister, director of the Center for Neuroscience and professor at the University of California at Davis, has been named vice provost for research, scholarly inquiry, and creative activity at Wake Forest University, in North Carolina. – 6/20/2024

REGIONAL & TRADE

20 best entry level jobs of 2024
Employee Benefit News
“The number one thing to look for in early career roles is whether or not a job offers career and professional development opportunities,” said Mercy Eyadiel, associate vice president and chief corporate engagement officer. “If you see things like college tuition benefits, training and development or mentorship programs, this is a great sign that this organization is committed to your professional growth and success.” – 6/18/2024

“From East to West” review
BBC Music Magazine
“There’s a breathtaking heft to the works which bookend this selection – the title work and the closing The Texture of Creation, thanks to the addition of the brilliant Onyx Brass. American composer Locklair really knows how to pack a punch, even without such adornments; the Royal Holloway singers shine in what is a largely an a cappella programme,” writes BBC Music Magazine on Locklair’s most recent release. – 6/25/2024

LOCAL

NC legislature clears controversial campaign-finance bill
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
“Under the provision in the law being considered, these 527 groups could make donations to the North Carolina Republican party or North Carolina Democratic Party, which can in turn use these funds to benefit Republican and Democratic candidates for governor or other state offices,” said politics professor John Dinan. – 6/12/2024

WAKE FOREST NEWS

Fish, the U.S. Supreme Court and the balance of power in the federal government
By Cheryl V. Walker | Wake Forest News
By the end of the month, the U.S. Supreme Court must decide Loper Bright Enterprises vs. Raimondo, a case about commercial fishing and whether the federal government can compel the owners of commercial herring fishing vessels to pay for expert observers on their vessels. The case is about much more than fish, says Stan Meiburg, executive director of Wake Forest University’s Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability and an expert on environmental regulation. – 6/24/2024

Forsyth County students thrive in WFU’s Freedom School
By Keri Brown | Wake Forest News
School is out for many students as summer break kicks in full swing, but that doesn’t mean learning will stop for some Forsyth County students. Nearly 70 children will embark on a six-week journey of literacy enrichment and college campus immersion at Wake Forest University’s Freedom School. This year’s program runs from June 17 to July 26. – 6/17/2024

WFU’s Educating Character Initiative announces 2024 Capacity-Building Grant recipients
By Cheryl Walker | Wake Forest News
The Educating Character Initiative (ECI), a part of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, has awarded 41 grants of up to $50,000 to institutions nationwide seeking to educate and embed character in their distinctive contexts of higher education. – 6/12/2024