The goal was to show students one of the many options that are available when they graduate. “Some students may not know that you can have an actual career as a musician in the military, but many, many people do,” said Brad Ethington, director of University bands and professor of music.

Ainsley Brouse G’26, who is pursuing a master’s degree in wind conducting in the , says the extent of what military bands do was new to her when she came to college. “I think if I had seen that younger, before college, I think it would’ve made music seem more accessible and more achievable that there is not just one path you can go down, but there’s many, many paths that you can go down,” Brouse said.

After their performance, the musicians answered questions from students about what it means to be in a military band and to be a professional musician more generally. “Anytime you can interact with the very best people in your profession in any way, whether it’s just hearing a performance, getting to ask questions, meeting them, that’s only going to be a positive thing and provide benefits,” Ethington said.

Check out other highlights from Navy Week below.

Lt. Conor Sullivan ’15, G’18, L’18, fourth from left, spoke with students at the College of Law about opportunities in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. (Photo by Beth Kubala)

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Josh Jackson (left) and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Parker (center) pose with Chancellor Kent Syverud (right). The two senior Navy leaders took part in a roundtable discussion with the Chancellor as part of Navy Week ���ϲ����� to discuss enhancing partnerships between the military branches and higher education, to offer better opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders. (Photo by Charlie Poag)

Members of the U.S. Navy Band Northeast perform for College of Visual and Performing Arts students in the Setnor Auditorium in Crouse College during Navy Week ���ϲ�����. (Photo by Charlie Poag)

A member of the U.S. Navy Band Northeast performs for College of Visual and Performing Arts students in the Setnor Auditorium in Crouse College during Navy Week ���ϲ�����. (Photo by Charlie Poag)

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Josh Jackson (right) visited with students in the military visual journalism program in the Newhouse School.

Misty Fox, director of entrepreneurship and small business with the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, speaks during the “Doing Business With the Department of Navy” event, co-hosted by APEX Accelerators National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. (Photo by Charlie Poag)

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Josh Jackson, second from right, was honored as the Hometown Hero during the ���ϲ����� football season opener Aug. 31 vs. Ohio in the JMA Wireless Dome. (Photo by Charlie Poag)

Katherine Kidd

is an English Studies professor at ���ϲ����� who organizes a banned book read-out event each year. She took time to answer some questions about the new law and how this and other book bans can have far-reaching effects.

Q: Is there anything in particular about this latest banning effort that stands out to you?��

A: It’s hard not to think of it as part and parcel to the broader trend toward censorship and suppression of information, and the repression of marginalized identities, especially the aims of Project 2025, which seeks to create a conservative Christian social order by way of government restructuring.

The fact that almost all of Utah’s book bans this go-around are written by women and are about women’s experiences in the world, makes it pretty clear that there’s a correlation between the book bans and the ideology that drives Project 2025, as well as a correlation with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, etc. That it’s happening statewide in Utah is not entirely surprising, but I worry that Utah’s reputation with regard to its unique religious demographics can obscure the details of the actual law that passed and what it entails for the rest of the US.

The law passed there that has allowed for this banning is actually bananas. According to the law, a book can be banned if at least three of the state’s school boards determine the content is pornographic or otherwise offensive. That’s only 3 of over 40 statewide school districts in Utah. So, in Utah, if fewer than 10% of the districts deem a text inappropriate, the other 90%+ don’t have a choice in the matter. That kind of thing can happen anywhere, there are people actively working to make it happen everywhere, and those people have an agenda that goes well beyond books.

A silver lining is that for some authors and books, a banning or contestation can amplify the message. A book can become a best-seller and a cultural touchstone that people talk about for a long time because of a banning.

Katherine Kidd

Q: What kind of impact might it have on young readers and their teachers?��

A: As an English professor, book banning is a personal affront to the values that I hold dear. However, I teach young adults, so I have more freedom (as of now) to share texts that aren’t likely to be taught in elementary, middle, and high schools, regardless of whether there’s a ban.

I feel sad for the kids who won’t have access to certain books. It will be more difficult for some kids to find books in which they see themselves, or books that answer real and valid questions about life. Since even textbooks are susceptible to being deemed pornographic, I also worry that young people – especially young girls, gender nonconforming people, and racial and ethnic minorities – will be deprived of crucial lessons about themselves, the working and care of their bodies, and their histories. It is antithetical to education.

A silver lining is that for some authors and books, a banning or contestation can amplify the message. A book can become a best-seller and a cultural touchstone that people talk about for a long time because of a banning. I think Gender Queer��by Maia Kobabe is such a book. Without the backlash about one particular scene/set of panels, the book would be just one of many queer coming-of-age stories that came out that year. Now it’s everywhere, and loads of people have heard of it and read it. I teach it in one of my classes because of its cultural significance as well as its content. It is a success because it was deemed a problem. Still, that’s only the case with some books on some topics.

I read everything under the sun as a child and introduced myself to all sorts of texts that challenged my mind and offered alternative perspectives, and I wonder what my life and trajectory might have been if I had not had access to all those books.

P.S. Banning books by angel-person Judy Blume just makes you look like a cartoon villain.

Q: What can people do to push back on banning efforts that might be happening in their own community?

A: Keep yourself informed on local politics, especially those related to education. Read all the time and share what you’ve read with others. Support and use the public library. Hug a librarian (but ask permission first).

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Communications
cjmunoz@syr.edu

Jing Lei

is a professor at ���ϲ�����’s School of Education who focuses on technology integration in schools. She answers some questions about how teachers and school districts can address these concerns productively and harness AI as a tool for learning.

Q: According to the CDT survey, 52 percent of teachers say generative AI has made them distrustful that students have actually done the work themselves. And 68 percent report regularly using an AI content detection tool. How reliable are those tools?

A: AI detection tools give a “probability” of a piece of work being produced by AI, which, even if it’s 99%, doesn’t mean that it is certainly created by AI. The reliability of AI detector tools varies greatly, based on many factors including what algorithms and technology is used and how the tool is trained. They also suffer from biases, stereotypes, and the lack of contextual understandings. AI detectors should not be used as the sole source of deciding whether a piece of work is generated by AI. A teacher’s best tool in detecting any potential violation of academic integrity is their understanding of their own students. A teacher who knows their students well enough would not need an AI detection tool to determine if something is not right. That understanding and the human connection can never be replaced by any technology.

A teacher’s best tool in detecting any potential violation of academic integrity is their understanding of their own students.

Jing Lei

Q: How does this level of distrust and uncertainty impact students?

A: This level of distrust and uncertainty is harmful to everyone involved: it lowers teachers’ confidence in and passion for teaching, dampens students’ enthusiasm and decreases their motivation to learn, and harms teacher-student relationship—one of the most crucial elements in a healthy and productive learning environment. Particularly, a “false positive” accusation of plagiarism can be devastating to students and can have long-lasting detrimental effects on their educational aspirations.

Q: Only 28 percent of teachers say they’ve received guidance on how to respond to suspected AI use. What should district leaders consider as they set policies?

A: School districts need to help their teachers to develop a sound and evolving understanding of AI technology: what is AI, what AI tools and resources are available, what can AI tools do, what limitations do they have at this stage, what risks do they pose, why is it important for their students as well as themselves to learn how to use AI tools meaningfully, and how. To develop this understanding, districts need to provide learning opportunities, resources, and ongoing support to help teachers learn, explore, and experiment with AI tools in their classrooms. District level policy-making should involve important stakeholders: teachers, students, administrators, and parents and guardians, consider multiple perspectives, set equitable and inclusive guidelines, and leave room for flexibility based on contextual factors and the evolving nature of AI technology.

Q: How should teachers approach responsible AI use in the classroom? Are there lessons that will help students learn to productively use the technology while also avoiding some of these academic integrity concerns?

A: There are many ways that teachers can use AI technology with their students productively. For example, they can learn what AI technology can or cannot do,�� discuss the limitations of AI technology and the importance of human oversight, work together to clearly define what constitutes plagiarism with AI and what is acceptable use of AI, help students develop critical thinking through critically analyzing AI generated content to identify errors and biases, encourage students to using AI for personalized learning, and explore how AI is being used in various working context, etc. Through activities like these, teachers can help their students navigate how to productively use AI technology with academic integrity and to develop their digital citizenship.

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Chris Munoz
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Division of Communications
cjmunoz@syr.edu

is a professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department at ���ϲ�����’s School of Education. He shares some signs parents should watch for and tips to help their children feel more secure.

Derek Seward

Q: How can news about these types of disasters impact children?

A: Children are highly observant and often more knowledgeable about societal events than parents might realize. Recent disasters connected to traveling such as the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Boeing plane damage, and fire on the Carnival Freedom Cruise Ship may negatively impact children as their sense of safety and normality within the world can be jarred.

Q: What are some of the symptoms they might they exhibit?

A: Children may experience anxiety, stress, and fear that adults may not initially identify or connect to these traumatic situations. Parents might expect that their children will present with anticipatory anxiety leading up to a family trip that may include a mixture of increased excitement and worry about the upcoming vacation. However, children struggling with traumatic events may (a) have higher levels of anxiousness, (b) exhibit disturbances in their typical sleep patterns such as having nightmares, (c) feel physically ill, exhausted or have headaches; and (d) be highly irritable.

Q: How can parents address their children’s fears constructively?

A: Parents concerned about their children should consider:

• Providing information to their children about their trip including the destination, method of travel, and who will be traveling. Parents want to convey confidence about how carefully the trip has been planned. Use information to reassure and alleviate the children’s worries.
• Spend time with your children where you invite them to disclose their specific fears and emotions. Listen and respond to them by validating their anxiety about traveling or confusion about traumatic events. You might tell them it is okay to feel unsure, confused, or anxious about what has happened. Normalize this experience for the children.
• Talking about the circumstances of the tragic event(s). Help children to understand what has happened. Use language that is understandable to children. Avoid being overly descriptive or graphic.
• Modeling a demeanor that is calm, open, and reinforces safety can help children feel protected. When talking about the upcoming trip, be positive about the experience. Share your optimistic anticipations.
• Consulting with professionals who have frequent interaction with their children. These might include teachers and school counselors. These professionals can share their observations of potential problematic behaviors. But also, professionals can work collaboratively with parents to identify and address problematic symptoms.

��To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

���ϲ����� professors�� and both research information security.

Prof. Park calls the executive order a pivotal move to enhance the protection of Americans’ sensitive data at a national security level:

Joon S. Park

“Unlike previous effort, such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the European Union, which centers on individual privacy rights and consent, this order strategically addresses the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to foreign countries of concerns. Therefore, I believe the effective implementation of this order is crucial for mitigating the potential threats on Americans’ privacy and data protection against international risks, thereby reinforcing national security.”

Prof. Lemos adds that the ramifications of the issue go beyond individual privacy:

Filipe Augusto da Luz Lemos

“The President’s Executive Order marks a significant step in safeguarding citizens’ data and National Security, though its scope remains narrower than Brazil’s LGPD and the EU’s GDPR. It is easy to see how personal data has become a valuable asset for corporations, facilitating targeted advertisements that often prove intrusive. However, beyond commercial concerns, the misuse of such data for criminal purposes, including fraud and password breaches, underscores the critical need for protection. Moreover, the ramifications extend beyond individual privacy; the 2018 revelation of sensitive American military bases through geolocation data from the fitness app Strava underscores the national security implications. As AI capabilities advance, other nations’ exploitation of such data for identifying classified information poses a tangible threat, underscoring the importance of this kind of data protection measures.”

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Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
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After all the controversy, how has the framework changed and what could it mean for students? ���ϲ����� professor and educational policy expert took time to answer some questions.

Kal Alston

Q: How does the new framework compare to the last revision, and do you think it strikes an appropriate balance?

A: “The College Board helpfully included a chart of all the topics and materials suggested in both the February and December frameworks and noted the differences.�� Some topics were merged, in order to give space for (approximately) four new topics and one topic that was split into two separate sections.�� There were some new sources, a few removed or moved to the optional category.�� Having recently been to both the culture/arts and the history sides of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, I thought some of the changes reflected content of interest in the Museum (e.g., African Americans and Sports or sources from the Black Studies, Black Futures, and Afrofuturism).

I thought the original response to consult closely with the anti-intellectual forces that were clearly politicized and, frankly, anti-Black was the problem; the December framework seems to put the content back in the hands of experts in the field and leave some open space for teachers to supplement materials AND topics in a way that I see as respectful to the teachers, students, and the subject area.”

There would be no African American Studies without ongoing presses for understanding education/schooling as potential sites of liberation.

Kal Alston

Q: How can a course like this benefit students, and do you think its politicization will impact adoption among school districts?

A: “The purpose of the AP tests is to offer college level work in high school settings.�� These exam areas are optional and require teachers who are capable of preparing their students for the exam in the area selected. If there is a qualified instructor and student interest, I imagine that a school could and would add this course to the roster — particularly in states/school districts with either a requirement for instruction in African American history or significant students (of any race) who are interest in pursuing these studies at a more advanced level.

There was significant pushback from teachers and others that the College Board seemed to yield to ‘politics’, and I think school districts can make the case for offering the course based on the expertise of the constructors/contributors/reviewers. The curriculum is not ‘advocacy,’ it is a framework for studying content that is widely available at the college level and that is covered only in a limited way in any American history course.”

Q: How does the debate over this curriculum play into larger issues in education?

A: “Happily, we see “Intersectionality” returned to a topic heading, and the conceptual analysis carrying over into the next topic, “Interlocking systems of oppression.”���� There would be no African American Studies without ongoing presses for understanding education/schooling as potential sites of liberation. So, this particular attempt to dismantle this curriculum is both specific to this particular political moment and part of an ongoing struggle to expand educational opportunities and knowledge.

As the African American Policy Forum called for after the February edition of the AAS-AP:”

“More broadly, we call on responsible leaders at the College Board, in public education, and beyond to lend their considerable resources to support educators and students whose freedom to teach and to learn is compromised by state-sponsored repression and threats to their very well-being. In this pivotal moment in which illiberal censorship is cresting around the world, where the freedoms to think, to create, to teach, and to learn are at stake, it is a betrayal of democratic values for any responsible leaders to actively participate, to stand by or to capitulate to such destruction. Because we know that attacks on knowledge are fueling threats to freedom, and that repression in one place fuels its spread elsewhere, we call for global resistance to all efforts to destroy the vital tools that help us to imagine and create more equitable and inclusive futures for us all.”

–

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Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
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J. Christopher Hamilton

is a ���ϲ����� professor and streaming industry expert. He says that it’s not surprising that providers are exploring the idea but expects it to remain limited due to sensitivities like sharing user data, and he adds that discussions could instead lead to acquisitions.

“The streaming bundle is not a new phenomenon, especially when a large portion of the “bundling” activity is being facilitated through (i) non-content producing intermediaries like Verizon (i.e., a mobile carrier) bundling Netflix and Max, (ii) legacy media companies bundling their own services (i.e., Disney +/Hulu/ESPN) or (iii) streaming services that don’t pose a real threat to each other such as Paramount+ and Apple.”

I suspect a company like Apple or Amazon would pivot to making other streamers like Paramount+ an acquisition target before exploring a bundling package with a real competitor.

“Apple, a company that’s spending an estimated $7B on content this year and operates as the largest corporation in the world (by market cap), isn’t in competition with Paramount+. Its competition are tech giants like Samsung, Google and Microsoft. Even though both Apple and Paramount+ may have the lowest subscribers, approximately 40M and 60M, respectively, and the highest churn rates, Apple is focused on creating high-end and star-studded projects (The Morning Show, “Killers”, “Ted Lasso”, etc.) and not just flooding the market with more content. Apple is also establishing itself as a premier streaming aggregator through its streaming app and this foray into bundling other services beyond its own (Apple TV + with Apple Music and Apple Arcade) is well-aligned with that strategy.”

“Consumers will undoubtedly benefit from an increase in streaming bundles and streaming aggregators. However, we’ve yet to cross the Rubicon of seeing that kind of activity amongst real rivals that would be forced to share user data on their respective subscribers. I suspect a company like Apple or Amazon would pivot to making other streamers like Paramount+ an acquisition target before exploring a bundling package with a real competitor to mitigate churn or slow growth.”

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Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

is a ���ϲ����� professor whose area of research includes social justice and digital inequities. She says government intervention is needed to ensure access for all citizens.

“Internet access and use are integrated with all facets of life in the 21st century. This is especially true in the post-pandemic world. Education and employment spaces are no longer confined to physical structures, but rather, people now learn and work in diverse settings that require Internet connectivity. As such, depriving a person or community from digital connectivity means that children will not meet their full potential through educational attainment processes, and that adults will lack a full range of meaningful employment and of opportunities to improve their living conditions.

Governmental intervention is necessary to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to build a decent life…We cannot tolerate digital dark spots in our communities.

In addition, in a civic and democratic nation, citizens engage with government and their fellow citizens through diverse interactions that require Internet connectivity. The Internet has flattened our planet. As global citizens, we interact transnationally, and not solely with people within our national borders. Issues such as climate, outbreaks of diseases, and political conflict, which affect people in seemingly remote places of the world, are no longer confined to where they live. There is growing solidarity among people whose interests align and who advocate for similar objectives. Using the Internet, the young and old around the world collaborate on shared values, hopes and aspirations, and form networks that support their goals.

Governmental intervention is necessary to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to build a decent life. Unequal distribution of digital resources is an attempt to deprive an individual or group of their basic rights and impedes them from flourishing. We cannot tolerate digital dark spots in our communities. We are seeing the maturation of a civically engaged global generation that will not tolerate existing inequities and corresponding forms of exclusion. People around the world continue to engage in rigorous public debate and to demand change. Netizens who protest in public spaces in Tehran, Cairo, Minneapolis and DC are part of a broader phenomenon that seeks to enhance civil dialogue. This social awakening is gaining momentum and is an attribute of digital bridging, which is good for society and for the earth.

Good governance mandates that government facilitate and regulate the mechanisms of Internet access, from which public discussions unfold. Government should ensure that its citizens participate in this global forum and in the digitalized economy, through access to the Internet. Digital equity cannot be left to the invisible hand of the marketplace. It is counter-intuitive to think otherwise.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

J. Christopher Hamilton

is a ���ϲ����� professor with a background as a media executive and entertainment attorney. He took time to answer some questions about Disney’s plans and the potential implications for the industry.

What is the overall assessment from industry insiders about Disney buying out Comcast’s stake in Hulu?

“Overall, industry insiders think the Disney acquisition of Comcast’s stake in Hulu was an inevitable move that has the potential to benefit the future of Disney streaming. Disney previously announced that they want Hulu content to be on Disney + and the intention to create a “one app experience” combining the two. But like other streaming companies, Disney has been struggling with investor confidence and streaming profitability.�� Furthermore, streaming is a sinking ship these days and combining the two streaming services or trying to create bundle packages may not appeal to either of the services’ current audiences.”

How might other media companies/streamers respond to the move?

“Disney has been the market leader in streaming among the other legacy media companies. Netflix is even watching Disney’s revenue from ad-supported content to compare it to the potential variability of its AVOD offering, as well as trying to model a broader content offering (sports and gaming) based on Disney’s success.”

Like other streaming companies, Disney has been struggling with investor confidence and streaming profitability.

J. Christopher Hamilton

This come as Disney is raising prices on its services. How does this purchase play a role?

“Disney is experimenting with pricing, content, and their overall business strategy because they haven’t figured out how to properly balance it all while taking account of cost savings and their marketing spend. Even though they might be losing subscribers, those potential losses align with the promotion of their lower-tier ad-supported service and their new bundle called the Duo Premium, which combines Disney+ and Hulu, ad free, for $19.99 a month.”

Are there indicators that Comcast might have its own separate ambitions to raise prices for its streaming service?

“Peacock has been successful with advertising revenue but lacks large subscribers when compared to industry rivals. Although Peacock had 42 million signups, less than 10 million of those consumers were paying for the service due to it being free with Comcast cable and internet customers. But they don’t see Disney + and Netflix as their competition. They consider Roku and Amazon their rivals. Comcast is trying to prepare for where the customer is going (i.e., software/streaming applications and video games). Therefore, they likely won’t raise prices to invest in more content production or larger profit margins and risk losing their limited number of subscribers.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

Sean O’Keefe

is a ���ϲ����� professor and former NASA administrator. He says that FCC fines are likely to become more commonplace as the volume of satellite traffic increases – and that the international scope of the issue could lead to problems.

Prof. O’Keefe says:

“There are over 7,700 active satellites orbiting the Earth. That’s more than twice as many as there were just three years ago, and more than 1,300 than there were as this year began.�� Another 3,300 are inactive satellites, aimlessly orbiting space junk.

Most of the satellites – more than 80% of the operational and inactive – are orbiting in Low Earth Orbit – between about 100 to 1,200 miles from the Earth’s surface.�� For relative reference, Hubble Telescope operates at about 350 miles up and International Space Station between 225-275 miles generally.�� Everything at LEO altitude gradually declines thanks to Earth’s gravity. Many older satellites don’t have the capability to adjust altitude when orbit altitudes decline significantly.

There’s plenty of talking about this issue, but not a lot of listening, and ever less about solutions.

Sean O’Keefe

Space is starting to resemble the Wild West, and this is just the beginning. Thousands of satellites are queuing up for launch in the next 3-4 years – like Starlink.�� There’s plenty of talking about this issue, but not a lot of listening, and ever less about solutions.

There is no means or global entity empowered to enforce orbital positions.�� The world relies on good will and the means for regulatory agencies to levy fines when orbiting patterns change.�� Good luck collecting on an FCC fine issued for a Russian satellite that’s wandered off.

The UN is fretting over this, but unlikely to come to much of a resolution anytime soon – if ever.�� To be effective, every participant has to play.�� The likelihood of any international protocol being enforced by a global “policing” capacity is pretty remote. That requires UN nation state members to cede sovereignty.�� Not likely.

The UK is attempting to organize operational protocols around insurance underwriting. A similar effort hundreds of years ago introduced order to the maritime commercial shipping business that’s largely the framework to this day.�� Lloyd’s of London was founded and transformed the risk insurance industry.�� It may take a few more space collision accidents for standard protocols to be adopted, but again, it requires companies and nation states to participate by seeing this in their own self-interest.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Communications
cjmunoz@syr.edu

is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Inclusive Elementary/Early Childhood Education at ���ϲ�����, with extensive experience as both a principal and a teacher.��

Prof. Theoharis says the root of the problem is two-fold:����

“We are experiencing teacher and staffing shortages in schools as the result of 1) long-term issues and 2) recent stresses on the K-12 education system.�� First, the long-term issues stem from decades of policy and public discussion where K-12 schools are labeled as “failing” and the people who work in them are to blame. This is both an intentional attack on public schools by some and a disastrous consequence of the era of school accountability. This has led to an unchecked, multi-decade decline in young people going into teaching.�� Who wants to go into a field discussed and monitored as failing and the cause of our society’s ills?��

K-12 schools did not cause these shortages, thus they will not be able to solve them.

George Theoharis

Second, the recent stresses stem from the pandemic and right-wing/“parental rights” or more accurately, school censorship, organizing.�� The pandemic put unparalleled stress on many aspects of our society – including teaching and working in schools, where teachers and staff faced enormous challenges, significantly expanding the demands on them. That coupled with right-wing activists across the country yelling at school board meetings, telling teachers how to do their job, and in some places enacting policies that promote anti-democratic and inaccurate curriculum.�� This is driving people from the classroom and creating K-12 schools as unwelcoming spaces for new professionals.”��

Prof. Theoharis also says solutions need to come from outside of the classroom, calling for a major public investment in education:��

“The combination of the long-term and recent issues has led to the shortages we are experiencing across the country. This shortage is falling disproportionately on districts and schools that serve predominantly low-income and children of color. In response to this, much discussion is placed on how schools will solve these staffing shortages – that discussion is misguided. K-12 schools did not cause these shortages, thus they will not be able to solve them. K-12 schools will plug their staffing holes as best they can with creative “band-aid” solutions until a larger system issue is addressed. It is time for a massive investment of public funds in the preparation and retention of teachers, and a public reconciliation with the role and professional expertise of those who work year after year in K-12 schools.”��

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Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Communications
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Jennifer Karas Montez

Voting rights have come under scrutiny across the United States in recent years, with multiple cases before the Supreme Court this session. A new study by ���ϲ����� researchers suggests the issue has implications beyond politics. The study, led by sociology Professor , investigates the link between democratic erosion and rising deaths.

Montez says the team has been trying to better understand why the mortality rates of working-age adults in the United States are high and rising, predating the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies showed labor policies, firearm policies and more played a role but did not provide a full explanation. So the team decided to investigate a possible link to the weakening of democracy.

“Studies from other countries show that strong democracies invest in education, provide economic opportunities for all and make policy decisions that are aligned with people’s preferences,” Montez says. “One consequence is that stronger democracies have lower rates of violent crime and higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Some U.S. surveys indicate that even the perception of democratic erosion may lead to anxiety, depression, substance use and sleep problems.”

Democratic erosion can manifest in many ways, from purging eligible voters from the rolls, to not allowing absentee voting, to partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts. Montez points to North Carolina as a prime example. “Consider that, in 2018, even though Republicans won slightly more than 50% of the two-party vote, they took 77% of the state’s seats in Congress. That’s gerrymandering on steroids,” Montez says.

The study examines how changes in electoral democracy in the U.S. predicted changes in the risk of death among adults ages 25-64 from 2000-2019 using data from the and vital statistics data on deaths from all causes. The team found several links. “Some of the strongest evidence pointed to indicators of what we might call ‘social disfunction’ such as drug use, violent crime and incarceration,” Montez says. “Democratic erosion predicted significantly higher rates of deaths from drug poisoning and from infectious disease which can often result from intravenous drug use.”

The study estimates that if a particular state were to strengthen electoral democracy from a moderate level to a very high level, men’s all-cause mortality would be more than 3% lower within the next year. When looking specifically at drug poisoning and infectious disease deaths, that decline increases to an estimated 13%. If all states strengthened to a very high level, researchers estimate that more than 20,000 working age deaths could potentially be averted each year.

Researchers say solving the problem will take swift steps at both the state and federal levels. “Some key actions include banning partisan gerrymandering, improving voter enfranchisement, and reforming campaign finance laws,” Montez says. “Significant progress could be made if Congress passed legislation such as the Freedom to Vote Act, which was introduced in 2021. This national piece of legislation would make substantial improvements in voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance laws.”

The full study is published online by .

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Communications
cjmunoz@syr.edu

J. Christopher Hamilton

is a ���ϲ����� professor and entertainment attorney. He took time to answers some questions about the current state of streaming, and what the future could hold for the industry.

Q: It seems like there’s a lot of change happening quickly in the streaming market. What is behind some of these moves?

A: “Notwithstanding the fluidity of the streaming market at the moment, many of the decisions being made were inevitable and should not be a surprise. For instance, Disney would eventually need to reconcile Comcast’s 2/3rd equity stake in Hulu based on its need to create more strategic alignment among its multiple streaming platforms and Comcast’s right to compel Disney to take over its stake as of 2024. Warner Discovery’s restructuring and rebranding campaign (e.g., HBO Max to Max) was an inevitable pivot based on the AT&T’s failed acquisition turned spinoff debacle of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) which left WBD with more than $50B in debt from the transaction along with falling into the crosshairs of DC antitrust regulators.”

We will continue to see layoffs, shows being purged from streaming platforms to save on residual payments and massive swings to capture new domestic and international market share.

Q: How much of a role does new leadership play in these decisions?

A: “These seismic shifts among the media conglomerates are all taking place in the wake of leadership changes in their C-suites. Disney’s Bob Iger recently replaced Bob Chapek. Comcast’s Mike Cavanagh recently replaced Jeff Shell and a slew of ousted execs in the Warner Bros. camp such as former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, EVP and general manager of HBO Max Andy Forssell, and chair and chief executive officer of WarnerMedia’s studios/networks group, Ann Sarnoff were replaced by Kathleen Finch in a newly created role of chairman and chief content officer, US Networks Group, Chris Licht as chairman & CEO of CNN Global, and JB Perrette, formerly president and CEO, Discovery Streaming/International, assumed the role of CEO and president, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming/Interactive Entertainment. And, as we know, with new leadership comes new business strategies, bigger ideas and better innovations that distinguish the old guard from their predecessors while appealing to investors and Wall Street.”

Q: How do you see streaming services evolving in the face of ongoing challenges?

A: “As things continue to change amongst the media and tech juggernauts most things will remain the same such as cost cutting, cost containment, and agendas that support business growth amid a declining US economy, a massive WGA labor strike and the slow death of cable and broadcast television. Therefore, we will continue to see layoffs, shows being purged from streaming platforms to save on residual payments and massive swings to capture new domestic and international market share.”

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The film follows Caroline Sheridan, the current artistic director of ���ϲ����� City Ballet, during the earliest days of the pandemic when she was a dancer with the company. Producers Laiqa Hitt ’20 and Jared Bunn ’20 were inspired to make the documentary after featuring Sheridan in a news story for their broadcast class.

Originally intended to focus on a staging of the ballet “Cinderella,” the filmmakers pivoted to showcase Sheridan’s efforts to dance with her friends one last time before they left on work visas due to statewide shutdowns. “For the next two weeks, Laiqa and I shot every day and edited every night. We felt this force driving us to tell this story because we knew it had to be told,” Bunn says.

For Sheridan, the film was about clinging to her creativity and passion. “’Panacea’ became my way to take one of the darkest moments of my life and use it as inspiration to create something beautiful and meaningful for myself and for everyone around me who I could see were hurting,” Sheridan says.

The documentary has won a number of awards, and it has been a labor of love for Hitt and Bunn. “From the sleepless nights with mounds of homework from being a full-time college student to moving to Japan and still continuing to edit the film while trying to juggle time zones with Jared and Caroline, then being in the middle of the desert, without any cell service or Wi-Fi, somewhere in California on a Marine Corps exercise after working 18-hour days and still editing the film—one could say that my dedication has been tested many times,” Hitt says. “But, I am so happy that I didn’t give up and that the team was patient with us and continued supporting us no matter what.”

One of the team’s many supporters was Hitt and Bunn’s professor in the , . She praised their talent and determination to get the film made. “Life is a miracle, and anything is possible with determination and perseverance…and excellent storytelling. My heartfelt congratulations to Caroline, Laiqa and Jared for believing in the magic of ‘Panacea,’” Goenka says.

The filmmakers are excited for audiences to experience both the film “Panacea” and the original ballet that shares its name.

“The film re-inspires you to take on that dream you’ve always set aside and to have a full-length performance beside it will make you want to tackle that dream immediately,” Hitt says. “I hope the audience falls in love with Caroline’s story just as fast as we did.”

“I want them to really enjoy it and hopefully be inspired that no matter what life places in front of you, you can always overcome it and find your own ‘Panacea,’” Bunn says.

“Panacea” premieres at the Oncenter Carrier Theater on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23. You can find more information on the .

Baobao Zhang

is a political science professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. She is also a Senior Research Associate with the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute specializing in the ethics and governance of Artificial Intelligence. She answered some questions about the state of AI research and the concerns raised by the open letter.

The letter refers to an “out-of-control race” to develop technology that no one can predict or reliably control. How significant is this concern?

There is a race between major tech companies and even smaller start-ups that are trying to release generative AI systems, including large language models, text-to-image models, and multimodal models that work with several different types of media. The main concern is that these models are deployed across different settings without sufficient safety audits and guardrails. For example, earlier this year, we saw an early version of Bing’s chatbot powered by ChatGPT threaten, emotionally manipulate, and lie to users. More recently, we have seen many people being fooled by synthetic images (e.g., the Pope wearing a stylish puffer jacket) generated by Midjourney, a text-to-image AI system. Given that these generative AI systems are relatively general-purpose, it’s much harder for those developing or deploying AI systems to know what risks these AI systems could pose.

It’s critical that we study and anticipate how powerful AI systems can impact society before we deploy them.

Baobao Zhang

The letter also raises a number of ethical concerns about what we should allow machines to do. Do you feel there is enough ethical oversight at the companies where this technology is being developed?

I don’t think there is sufficient ethical oversight at the companies where these technologies are being developed. Given the economic pressures that these companies face, internal AI ethics teams may have limited power to slow or stop the deployment of AI systems. For example, Microsoft just laid off an entire AI ethics and society team that is supposed to make sure its products and services adhere to its AI ethics principles. At this point, I think ethical oversight should come from governmental regulation and public scrutiny. I think the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act is a step in the right direction because it scales regulatory scrutiny with risk. Nevertheless, we need to rethink how to classify risk when it comes to more general-purpose AI systems where some applications are high-risk (e.g., generating political news content) and some applications are low-risk (e.g., generating a joke for a friend).

What could a six-month pause on AI experimentation accomplish, and can we expect that enough governments and researchers would abide by that to make an impact?

I agree that we need to slow down the development and deployment of powerful generative AI systems. Nevertheless, a 6-month pause on AI experimentation is not particularly helpful by itself. We have to consider longer-term technical and governance guardrails for the development of more general-purpose AI systems. Furthermore, how can we ensure that AI developers abide by the 6-month moratorium? At a minimum, we would need to create a scheme to monitor how these AI developers use computing resources or a whistleblower protection program for those who want to disclose that their employer is violating the moratorium.

What should AI researchers consider as they push forward with new technology, and is there anything the general public should keep in mind as they see the headlines?

AI researchers should consider working with social scientists, civil society groups, and journalists as they develop new models. It’s critical that we study and anticipate how powerful AI systems can impact society before we deploy them. It’s a confusing time for the general public because there is expert disagreement about whether we are developing AI systems posing an existential threat to humanity. But there is expert consensus that generative AI could be hugely impactful, if not disruptive to how we work and relate to each other now and in the near future. One of the risks the open letter noted is the proliferation of “propaganda and untruth.” Harms from misinformation and disinformation are not new, but generative AI would allow bad actors to scale and personalize their campaigns greatly.

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Shiu-Kai Chin

The Biden-Harris administration recently unveiled a new aimed at protecting America’s digital infrastructure. It comes as high-profile attacks continue to target both government agencies and private companies.

is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at ���ϲ�����. He is affiliated with the university’s Institute for Security Policy and Law and is an expert in computer security.

Here, Chin helps break down the new strategy and looks at the roles government and corporations will play in securing critical infrastructure.

Just how big of a problem is cybersecurity, and why is it important to tackle it at the federal level?

Safety and security in cyberspace is a global wicked problem.�� That is, a problem that cannot be solved once and for all because of the myriad of stakeholders with differing views of what is adequate safety and security. Each stakeholder views the problem differently. The root causes evolve and are interconnected.�� This is very similar to other wicked problems such as climate change.

The federal government plays an important role in convening stakeholders nationally and internationally to gain consensus and international agreements on standards and acceptable behavior and minimum safety levels.�� Think about air travel and commerce. Think about arms control.

Safety and security in cyberspace is a global wicked problem. That is, a problem that cannot be solved once and for all because of the myriad of stakeholders with differing views of what is adequate safety and security.

Shiu-Kai Chin

What do you see as some of the key components of the administration’s strategy?

Important elements of the strategy include coordinating regulations, procurement, economic incentives, and R&D with the specific goal of making cyber-systems and cyberspace safe and secure as a realm of operations for people, business, and governments. For example, tech companies such as software and semiconductor manufacturers often focus on minimizing “time to dollars.” This type of thinking rewards companies who rush products to market with new and exciting features without worrying about cybersecurity. This effectively transfers risk to users while setting up de-facto standards for new products without much thought to security. “Leveling the field” means finding ways to reward companies and innovators who think about security from the start so that products with cybersecurity built-in from the start (much like safety is built-into to all our electrical appliances with UL certification) become the norm not the exception.

Do you feel the current strategy will have a measurable impact on future cyberattacks?

Yes, but it will take time.�� We didn’t arrive in this place a minute ago.�� Our problems started when, for understandable reasons, personal computers and the chips that powered them had all the security we used to have on mainframes stripped out of them (personal means only the owner has access, right?) and we networked PCs with the Internet. This invalidated an important design assumption in the development of PCs.

The emphasis on “zero trust,” i.e., all access and actions must be authenticated and authorized by enforcing appropriate policies, has “security by design” as a goal, as opposed to “bolt-on security” after a product is built with inherent security flaws that cannot be fixed. There are a lot of so-called legacy systems with poor security in operation.�� Things will get better to the extent that these systems are phased out of critical infrastructure and replaced by systems where security is part of the conceptual design of the system from the start.

What are some of the biggest challenges you foresee with implementing the strategy?

The emphasis on R&D leading to better authentication (identifying the source of requests and integrity of information) is good start to the problem of attribution in cyber attacks.

The harder issue is the balance of privacy and attribution.�� This is inherently an authorization or policy problem where the appropriate “good enough” policy is a trade-off among stakeholders.�� This where many difficult conversations will occur.�� Do we want a total surveillance state or the wild west?�� That’s a false dichotomy. We want something in-between where the trade-offs are made based on mission or situation.�� Protecting access to a biolab with pathogens that can trigger the next pandemic probably won’t value privacy as much as a public library giving internet access to people who cannot afford their own computers.

What else can/should be done to prevent attacks and mitigate damage to critical infrastructure?

Engineering exists to support society. Our profession exists in large part to provide critical infrastructure that is safe, secure, and operates with integrity and equity in mind.�� Our profession excels when we realize that “good enough” safety, security, integrity, and equity have no universally agreed-upon definitions for all cases, applications, and missions.�� It involves precisely and accurately identifying unacceptable losses to stakeholders for each mission and/or purpose. Once that is done, so-called “adult conversations” can happen where “good enough” is defined through trade-offs.�� Engineers, planners, folks in leadership know that it’s impossible to maximize all parameters simultaneously, e.g., you cannot simultaneously get the biggest, heaviest car with largest engine, while simultaneously maximizing fuel efficiency.

An adult conversation the US Government will have to have is the use of COTS – commercial off the shelf – products in mission critical systems and critical infrastructure.�� COTS products are built for the commercial market, often for home users (e.g., PCs).�� They are designed for benign operating environments, not military ones. Using COTS is like a SEAL team going to Best Buy and picking up someone from the Geek squad to deploy with them on a mission.�� The question is for any critical infrastructure system is should we prioritize cost over safety and security?

Jing Lei

“ChatGPT is not the first nor the last technology innovation that brings challenges as well as opportunities to education. It wouldn’t be a good idea to try to compete against technology, but rather to figure out how to work together with technology,” Professor Lei says. “For educators, the first step is to understand what ChatGPT can or cannot do (and it’s evolving), and then to consider how the use of a technology like ChatGPT might help to achieve learning objectives and educational goals.”

ChatGPT is not the first nor the last technology innovation that brings challenges as well as opportunities to education.

Prof. Lei says the key is to help students learn from and learn with the technonolgy. “For example, reviewing and critiquing works produced by ChatGPT can help students develop critical thinking skills, or students can practice creative thinking in giving original instructions to ChatGPT. Such technology forces us to be more creative with our teaching, in what to teach, how to teach, and how to assess student learning.”

Prof. Lei also offers some suggestions for educators who are concerned that students might use ChatGPT to cheat. “First, to focus on the learning objective instead of the format of assessment. For example, what’s the learning objective for students to write an essay? Are there other practices that can achieve the same objective? Second, find resources and support to detect AI work. Now there are websites and apps that can detect if a work is produced by AI, or specifically ChatGPT, and there will be more resources available.”

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“The rise has been particularly alarming over the last decade. And it’s a major reason why overall life expectancy in the US stopped increasing around 2010 and started to decline around 2014,” said co-author Jennifer Karas Montez, director of the Center for Aging and Policy Studies at ���ϲ�����. “While some states have invested in their populations’ wellbeing – for example, raising the minimum wage, implementing an EITC, expanding Medicaid, enacting clean indoor air laws – other states have either not invested or even divested. It’s this latter group of states where the lives of working-age adults are being cut particularly short.”

The decisions being made in state houses increasingly having life and death consequences for working-age Americans.

Jennifer Karas Montez

The researchers, including Jennifer Karas Montez, Nader Mehri, and Shannon Monnat of ���ϲ�����, analyzed data from 1999-2019. They combined mortality information from the National Vital Statistics System and state-level data on policy domains including gun safety, the environment, labor, and tobacco. Their study found that more liberal policies in most domains were associated with lower mortality, including some connections that were particularly notable.

“For example, more firearm safety policies are strongly connected to men’s suicide risk, with more liberal policies predicting smaller suicide risk,” Montez said. “Also interesting, we found that labor policies are strongly connected to alcohol-induced causes of death and suicide deaths for men.”

Researchers did find one domain where more conservative policies were associated with lower mortality. Conservative marijuana policies were associated with lower working-age mortality from suicide and alcohol-induced causes. But researchers caution that while the link between policies and mortality rates is straightforward in some cases, like tobacco use, others like labor are more complex.

“Labor policies like raising the minimum wage and mandating paid leave can help prevent economic hardship, allow workers to take time off when they are sick or need to care for loved ones without fear of losing their jobs or income, reduce stress, and prevent stress-related coping behaviors such as smoking and heavy alcohol consumption,” Montez said.

Researchers say their simulations estimate that changing to more liberal policies in the eight domains across all states might have saved more than 170,000 lives in 2019. The study concludes that fixing the high and rising mortality among working-age adults requires lawmakers to pay close attention to the policies they enact.

“The decisions being made in state houses increasingly having life and death consequences for working-age Americans,” Montez said. “Much of the narrative about the rising death rates of working-age Americans has pointed to opioid manufacturers and businesses leaving certain parts of the country. Our analyses points to another major player, and that’s state policymakers.”

The full study is published online by .

is a sociology professor at ���ϲ����� and director of the Center for Aging and Policy Studies.

is a postdoctoral fellow at ���ϲ�����’s Aging Studies Institute.

is a sociology professor at ���ϲ����� and the Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion and Population Health.

is a ���ϲ����� professor and faculty advisor for the university’s Esports Club. Prof. Hanson says the launch of Overwatch 2 clearly demonstrates how hard in can be to capitalize on a successful esports game, particularly when compared to other types of video games.

Chris Hanson

“Releasing more content for a lucrative media product with an established fanbase is certainly a familiar strategy in other entertainment industries such as the patterns of sequels to successful Hollywood films, or the renewal of television shows with large audiences. It is also common practice in video games, with some of the most profitable franchises like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed releasing sequels on a regular basis. But releasing a sequel for an esports game is an entirely different matter, as even minor changes could have profound impacts on gameplay and thus the professional players who play these games.”

Imagine the absurdity of the prospect of the NBA deciding to create “Basketball 2” or the NFL launching “Football 2”

“Imagine the absurdity of the prospect of the NBA deciding to create ‘Basketball 2’ or the NFL launching ‘Football 2’ with new versions that completely upend the existing games and their rules.�� As in these and other analog sports, rule tweaks and other fundamental changes do occur, but they tend to be implemented through gradual and iterative processes via formalized procedures in official structures such as leagues and players’ associations. The landscape of esports continues to rapidly evolve, but esports game companies, players, and their nascent leagues and player unions may yet have some things to learn from the successful professional sports and their related institutions that have been around generating revenue for a bit longer.”

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Starting Sept. 13, the University will launch an awareness initiative, Combating Food Insecurity as One University, highlighting efforts both on campus and throughout the City of ���ϲ�����—culminating with a donation drive at the ���ϲ�����-Purdue football game at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Salvation Army Director of Emergency Services Allison Brooks says addressing food insecurity is especially important now.

“The waiting room in our food pantry has been consistently full of local families who need food for months now and our shelves haven’t been this depleted since the recession in 2009,” Brooks says. “Food insecurity is a significant problem in Central New York, and we are thankful for our neighbors who continue to partner with us to combat hunger.”

Cydney Johnson, ���ϲ����� vice president of community engagement and government relations, says that this is an important call to action.

“Both on the University campus and in our ���ϲ����� community, we have neighbors struggling with food insecurity and we can all help. We hope to bring more awareness to this issue by supporting the very good and ongoing work that many are doing to combat hunger,” Johnson says.

At the Sept. 17 football game, the Salvation Army of ���ϲ����� will partner with the University to collect nonperishable food items for the Emergency Pantry. There will be drop-off barrels at 11 locations around campus approaching the JMA Wireless Dome ahead of the noon kickoff, and volunteers for the Salvation Army will collect monetary donations at Red Kettles stationed around the JMA Dome.

Currently, the pantry’s most-needed items include:

• Pasta sauce (no glass)
• Rice
• Canned beans
• Canned fruit
• Juice (shelf-stable cartons or plastic)
• Oatmeal

The Salvation Army’s food pantry has served more than 1,100 individuals in ���ϲ����� over the last month. It provides families and individuals with enough food for three meals per day for five days. Pantry staff also assist with completing applications for food stamps, WIC and other resources.

“The food drive before the ���ϲ����� vs. Purdue football game is one way to give to the community to combat the problem of food insecurity,” Johnson says. “We ask all of our neighbors and fans to bring non-perishable food items to donate. Barrels will be along the way into the JMA Wireless Dome, and we hope the University and ���ϲ����� community will help us help others!”

During the game on Sept. 17, there will also be a special ceremony during halftime recognizing the efforts of student and community leaders who work together as one every day to combat food insecurity.

On campus, there are several longstanding initiatives that make a difference in making sure people on campus and in the community who are in need have access to healthy food.

“Our students on the campus, along with the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry, work to provide assistance and food to support our friends who may need a helping hand. In the ���ϲ����� community, the need is significant,” Johnson says. “For our community members, their families and the children in our schools, food insecurity must be addressed, and we all can do our part.”

The offers food and personal care items at no cost to students at both ���ϲ����� and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF). The pantry, which has locations at both Hendricks Chapel and on South Campus at the Carriage House, 161 Farm Acre Rd., takes delivery of fresh vegetables when harvested or available from Pete’s Giving Garden, located on South Campus.

To support the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry, individuals or groups of people can donate food or personal care items; hold a food and toiletry drive; or volunteer at the food pantry. For more information, visit the .

A student organization, the , is a collaboration between ���ϲ����� and SUNY ESF. Student volunteers go to dining centers each night to pick up untouched food, which is then distributed to homeless shelters, transitional housing and guest homes in the local area.

Students can recover about 100 pounds of food from every meal from just one dining hall. In 2021, they recovered almost 11 tons of food, contributing to more than 18,000 meals for people in need.

In terms of outreach to the community, the University supports the Samaritan Center, through Hendricks Chapel and volunteers from across campus. The Samaritan Center has been providing hot meals to the ���ϲ����� community 7 days a week, all year long, since 1981. The center also offers case management support and access to services.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, Samaritan Center Executive Director Mary Beth Frey will be the presenter at Thursday Morning Roundtable starting at 8 a.m.

In another campus-community program, student-athletes support the work of Blessings in a Backpack, a nationwide program that provides food on the weekends to school-aged children in need. Each year, student-athletes take part in a fundraising effort for the ���ϲ����� chapter.

• is a professor of educational leadership with extensive experience as a principal and teacher. He says the teacher staffing shortage is due to a confluence of factors including safety concerns, increasing workload, and political controversies surrounding curriculum control.

Prof. Theoharis says:

“The weight of the current reality is driving people toward exhaustion and unfulfillment. Nationally and locally we are seeing a steady decline in people going into teaching.�� With fewer people going into the profession we find ourselves in a moment where teachers are not recognized or rewarded for the professional knowledge, skills and abilities they have. This is both a morale and staffing crisis without an easy or fast solution. Some would argue we are here because a sector of politics wants public schools to fail. Policies and rhetoric from the past 40 years and today are pushing us in that direction.”

• �� is a professor of educational leadership with a focus on amplifying the voices of youth of color and using their perspectives to transform school leadership. She says learning loss has been put in the spotlight by the pandemic, which magnified some already-existing issues. She says recent federal investment in summer enrichment is promising, but more needs to be done year-round to address multi-pronged issues that impact student learning.

Prof. Mauldin says:

“These issues must be addressed with not only intentional funding but also taking a critical look at the ecosystem of schools and rethinking what works well for students. This looks like truly supporting teachers beyond gift cards and “jeans” day. How do we value teachers as the experts and professionals they are? How might we better balance the ratio of school counselors to student body population? The residuals of the pandemic go beyond a few academic school years and students deserve to have continuous and adequate supports.”

��

You can read her full comments here.

• is the Director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, is the Executive Director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, and coordinates the Doctoral program in Special Education. They all recently commented on the U.S. Education Department’s plan to update federal mandates for how schools and colleges must accommodate students with disabilities. Their full comments are available here.

You can find more of our education experts .

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Courtney Mauldin

is a professor in the School of Education at ���ϲ�����. She took time to answer some questions about the state of education and how districts and parents can best support their children.

Q: How big of a problem has learning loss been through the pandemic?

“I find that the topic of learning loss has taken more of a front row seat as we continue to navigate the longstanding effects of the pandemic. However, our schools were already in a space of navigating high teacher turnover, inequitable distribution of resources, and a responsive instruction to students with diverse histories and identities. Considering this, learning loss might have been magnified in��new��ways throughout the pandemic, particularly by academic standards and achievement-based measures.”

Q: What should districts and parents be looking for to determine if kids need some extra help, and what should they be doing during the summer to promote learning?

“My conversations about navigating the pandemic with young people over the last year have really illuminated that many of them feel that if given the opportunity��to have an engaging experience such as project-based learning on relevant topics that they care about, attending art and cultural events relevant to their lives, and other enrichment that meets students at an engaging level, they would be excited about the return to schools. For so long, we’ve forgotten how vital student engagement is to shaping student investment in learning.�� I encourage parents to look into their local museums and arts and cultural centers for free programming and admission free days. There is a ton of deep and inquiry-based learning that happens in these spaces. For school districts, I think there is a tall yet important task of ensuring that students feel a culture of safety and belonging before implementing the newest “catch-up” initiatives — the culture of the schools and classrooms is always the pre-cursor to the learning that follows.”

Q: Aside from summer enrichment, is there more that districts can do to help students who may be falling behind and are there ways the federal government can/should help support that?

“The recent investment into summer learning by the federal government is a forward step in supporting students impacted by these last few years of the pandemic, especially the consideration of their social and emotional health. I appreciate that Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) is also taking into consideration the additional mental health supports needed for students at this time. School districts across the U.S. are navigating multiple concerns that range from school safety,��teacher retention,��decreased teacher autonomy, and more. My hope is that the federal government recognizes that there has to be a continuous investment in our teachers, students and families – they are key stakeholders in U.S. schools. While expanding summer learning is a forward step, there are multi-pronged issues plaguing our schools that also impact student learning. These issues must be addressed with not only intentional funding but also taking a critical look at the ecosystem of schools and rethinking what works well for students. This looks like truly supporting teachers beyond gift cards and “jeans” day. How do we value teachers as the experts and professionals they are? How might we better balance the ratio of school counselors to student body population? The residuals of the pandemic go beyond a few academic school years and students deserve to have continuous and adequate supports.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
315.278.5566
cjmunoz@syr.edu

is the director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion at ���ϲ����� and a professor of Inclusive Special Education and Disability Studies.

Prof. Ashby says:

Christine Ashby

“The passage of Section 504 was a landmark and hard-fought moment in the disability rights movement. It was a tremendous step toward ending disability-based discrimination and promoting full rights of people with disabilities in education and employment settings. But 45 years later, the promise of the law has not been fully realized. Far too many students lack access to appropriate supports and services and many face diminished opportunities and segregation from nondisabled peers. While the regulations in both 504 and IDEA communicate support for the idea of education in the least restrictive environment, many students continue to receive their education in highly restrictive settings. I hope that any update to 504 would strengthen support for inclusive education and make it easier for parents and guardians to exercise their due process rights.”

is a professor of Inclusive Education and Disability Studies at ���ϲ����� and coordinates the Doctoral program in Special Education.

Prof. Ferri says:

Beth Ferri

“Section 504 of the Rehab Act was certainly a landmark piece of legislation that we generally think of as passing in 1973. But it wasn’t until the protests that took place in April of 1977, which culminated in an almost 30-day sit in of a federal building in San Francisco led by activists like Judith Heumann and so many others that led to regulations that resulted in being able to enforce the law. Before those regulations, we didn’t really have any of the assurances that 504 promised.

Whether you are in a K-12 setting or university setting, 504, along with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, remains a bulwark of non-discrimination legislations that students rely upon in education contexts. 504 allows students to have necessary accommodation and modifications enabling them to participate equally and without discrimination. It also laid the groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Despite the importance of this legislation, it is also true that many students remain under-served by Section 504 and IDEA. First, 504 didn’t provide the necessary guidance for ensuring students with disabilities received an equitable education while schools were dealing with all of the upheaval and challenges associated with COVID.

Second, the assurances provided by 504 (and IDEA) have always benefitted white middle class families more so than families of color or those with less financial means, leading to uneven benefits associated with 504. This means that a poor student of color, for instance, might go without a necessary accommodation or educational service, while a more affluent family can leverage cultural and financial capital in ways that take unfair advantage of these provisions in ways that exacerbate other kinds of educational inequities.

Third, students with mental health issues often fall between the cracks in our schools—not qualifying for some services and often receiving less-than-adequate or appropriate supports. As more students suffer the fallout of COVID isolation and other forms of emotional distress, we need 504 to be a tool to ensure students get the kinds of supports they need.

Finally, I would love to see stronger language in both 504 and IDEA around inclusion – such that students are not given a false choice between 1) getting the services they need but in a segregated (or restrictive) setting or 2) being included with their peers, but having to forgo necessary services. We continue to conflate the level of service a child or student needs with the restrictiveness of their placement.”

is a disability law expert and the founder of the ���ϲ����� College of Law Disability Law and Policy Program.

Prof. Kanter says:

Arlene Kanter

“The promise of section 504 remains unfulfilled. Barriers still exist within the law and its regulations that make it difficult, if not impossible, for some qualified students with disabilities to access the accommodations and services they need.

Further the way in which section 504 and its regulations are currently written, and applied, they limit the types of damages that may be awarded to students and their families who prevail in section 504 cases.

Third, section 504 allows school districts, universities, and colleges to be relieved of any responsibility to remedy discrimination against students with disabilities if they can show that to do so would be an undue burden. Unfortunately, courts have found undue burdens leaving the students, themselves, with no remedy whatsoever. What that means in practice is that these students are effectively denied an education.

These are just some of the issues that I believe should be addressed in the current effort to amend section 504 regulations and to strengthen those regulations to provide greater protections for students with disabilities particularly in higher education.”

is a professor of Inclusive Education and Executive Director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at ���ϲ�����. She oversees InclusiveU, a federally-recognized model program for college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Prof Myers says:

Beth Myers

“Section 504 was an extraordinarily important part of the Disability Rights��movement. We are now 45 years into it, and 504 needs to be updated to reflect the��full scope of its intentions.��

The disabled activists who pushed 504 into legislation in the 1970s were revolutionary, and their work has influenced the lives of millions of people. We now have a new generation of Americans who need to be heard.��

We can view disability through a medical model, in which disability is internal to the person and needs to be rehabilitated, cured, or cared for. Alternatively, we can view disability through a social lens, where we recognize that the limitations disabled people face are imposed by our society and world. Instead of trying to fix the person, this view pushes us to fix the systems and supports around them.��

We recognize disability as an important part of diversity, and we celebrate that in all forms. That also means recognizing the hardships that disabled people face because of our societal structures, and pushing the system to be more supportive of the variety of bodies and minds that people have. It means supporting disabled people, families, teachers, and community members.

We still see discrimination against disabled students and families in schools every day. Thousands of children across the country don’t have access to the general education curriculum. Schools can be welcoming and nurturing, or they can be exclusionary and isolating for children with disabilities and their families. Inclusion should not be an afterthought or even something we have to accommodate. Inclusion and meeting the needs of disabled students needs to be a priority. Strengthening 504 is a step in that direction, but not the only one we need to take.”��

To request interviews:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
315.278.5566
cjmunoz@syr.edu