April 8, 2020 

Top News

Marquette experts provide commentary on coronavirus

Dr. Charles Franklin, director of Marquette University Law School Poll, described how election laws were not written to anticipate the current pandemic. “We are in an unprecedented moment, and the statutes and laws weren't written with a situation like this in mind,” Franklin said. “We have had a gigantic surge in request of absentee ballots — more than 1 million — and we have no idea at this moment how many of those will get sent out in time or how many people will show up in person on Tuesday to vote. This is uncharted water."

Story appeared in the Chicago Tribune, April 3, 2020

Franklin also spoke with the Los Angeles Times for an April 3 story about the approval of state governors versus national leaders in response to coronavirus. “Governors have been seen as more clear and decisive about their actions, and they’ve gotten a lot of credit,” Franklin said. “Trump has been less consistent in his rhetoric about how we should think about the crisis, but the consequences of those actions are less clear.” 

Dr. John Su, vice provost for academic affairs, commented on the university’s decision to implement a pass/not pass policy for the spring semester after the spread of coronavirus resulted in the cancellation of in-person classes and the quick rollout of a virtual learning system. “(The policy) is saying we recognize that some (students) will not get the grade (they) would have otherwise gotten, and we want to account for that,” Su said. “We want to give (students) that option to continue to succeed.” 

Story aired on Wisconsin Public Radio, March 31, 2020

Prof. Dana Cook, professor of practice in the Opus College of Engineering, discussed how she teamed up with two others to enter the Department of Defense’s Hack-a-Vent Innovation Challenge, in which participants worked to design a ventilator that costs under $300. Of more than 170 submissions, Cook’s team was a semi-finalist. “We have the mechanical design completed and the next part is to do the softer implementation,” Cook said. “(The DOD) advised we continue working on it. We can update our documentation and resubmit. It’s good to see all of these people from different backgrounds and capabilities come together to solve problems.” 

Story aired on WISN-TV (ABC 12), April 3, 2020

Dr. John Baworowsky, vice president for enrollment management, Dr. Sarah Feldner, acting dean of the Diederich College of Communication, and Greg Cronkite, director of marketing and fan engagement for Intercollegiate Athletics, discussed the various ways departments across the university are adapting to the changes presented by the coronavirus. 

Story appeared in the Catholic Herald, April 7, 2020

John Sweeney, director of recreational sports, shared how the university is connecting with students virtually about health and fitness after the spread of coronavirus ended in-person classes. “Our fitness director has been sending out weekly, or more, workout routines for at-home workouts, as well as tips on how to deal with stress, isolation and other issues that might be happening now due to the ‘stay-at-home’ orders,” Sweeney said.

Story appeared in Campus Rec Magazine, March 31, 2020

Andrew Hunt, director of the Center for Real Estate, discussed the center’s recent survey of brokers, bankers and developers that found the coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a six-month impact on the real estate industry. Nearly 115 responders expected a quarter or fewer of their tenants to ask for help with April’s rent. “Most people are really asking for tenants to work together with them, to say 'show us your distress, show us what you’re doing as we work on this,” Hunt said.

Story appeared in the Milwaukee Business Journal, April 1, 2020

Meredith Black, head women’s lacrosse coach, described what she is doing to “parent through the pandemic.” “We are trying our best to still create good habits and stick to a regular schedule,” Black said. “One thing we have started (which is embarrassing that we didn’t do it before) was having my 5-year-old learn to make her bed every morning and do some other morning “chores.” This is a good time to actually take the time for her to learn how to do this and for it to become a habit. If she does her chores, we are going to do a camp out in our basement."

Story appeared in US Lacrosse Magazine, April 1, 2020 

Dr. Enaya Othman, associate professor of Arabic, and Dr. Lee Za Ong, assistant professor of psychology — both in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences — are continuing research for the Arab and Muslim Women’s Research and Resource Institute amid the “safer-at-home” order in response to coronavirus. 

Story appeared in the Wisconsin Muslim Journal, March 31, 2020

Marquette news

The Marquette University Law School Poll released April 1 was cited in dozens of stories nationwide for its latest results, which found strong support for government actions to control the coronavirus pandemic, even as the poll also showed these actions to be having a substantial financial impact on voters.

Stories appeared on or in The Hill, Associated Press, Politico, NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS News, CBS News, FOX News, Washington Post, Bloomberg News, Los Angeles Times, Wisconsin State Journal, Mic, Madison.com, Kenosha News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,Milwaukee BizTimes, WITI-TV (FOX 6), WITI-TV (FOX 6), WDJT-TV (CBS 58), Spectrum News, and dozens of other outlets nationwide, April 1-2, 2020

Dr. Julia Azari, associate professor of political science in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, co-wrote a piece on the strategy that goes into democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden choosing a running mate. Azari found that “vice-presidential choice often reflects broader dynamics in the party. In this view, the nominee often chooses a running mate who connects with some broader goal of the party or who helps appeal to some faction or ideological bloc in the party that is not well represented by the candidate at the top of the ticket.” 

Story appeared on FiveThirtyEight, March 31, 2020

Dr. A.Jay Wagner, assistant professor of journalism and media studies in the Diederich College of Communication, discussed his research on open records laws in Oklahoma. The state ranked last among 10 states surveyed. “Hostility was common in Oklahoma. While in Mississippi, which ranked next-to-last with 92% compliance, disinterest was frequent,” Wagner said. 

Story appeared in The Oklahoman, April 1, 2020

Dr. Nicholas Jolly, associate professor of economics in the College of Business Administration, commented on how Racine County’s 34% increase in average weekly earnings from December 2018 to December 2019 has to do with hours worked. “In December 2018, the average number of hours worked in this county was 33.4 per week, Jolly said. By last December, the number had grown to 35.7 hours, a 6.9% increase. 2018’s weekly earnings numbers were below those of 2017. It could have been a slightly anomalous year.” 

Story appeared in the Racine Journal Times, April 5, 2020 

Dr. Felicia Miller, chair and associate professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration, discussed the growing popularity of hard seltzer drinks. Miller said younger generations are less gender-specific about their identity in that a person’s choice of alcohol used to say a lot more about the person, whereas today's drinkers care less about what drink specifically is in their hand, as long as it's a social lubricant. "It's a prop," Miller said. "That's the reason you see some really highly stylized packaging that doesn't look like it fits on the same aisle as Bud Light and Miller Lite and Coors. They've created this hybrid product and product category, and that's appealing to a broader range of consumers." 

Story appeared in Men's Health, April 3, 2020