Marquette University In the News

Marquette In the News

Dr. Stefan Schnitzer, Mellon Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, discussed Lianas — long-stemmed, woody vines found in the tropical forests — and the new findings that trace their evolutionary history back to a common disturbance to the young plant’s development: the lobed stem. “This is exciting because it’s one step away from saying that this leads in perfectly to understanding how lianas do what they do,” Schnitzer said. “Whereas trees all tend to be the same shape, lianas are all over the place.”

Dr. Cedric Burrows, assistant professor of English in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, discussed commonly used terms that have racist origins. For example, Burrows said, the phrase ‘sit Indian style,’ which is often associated with stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans, has been replaced with ‘criss-cross applesauce’ and is used “usually because of a lack of cultural knowledge. The words or phrases have become so institutionalized in society that people often do not know the origins of the words.”

Dr. Timothy McMahon, associate professor of history in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, commented on the impact of former Marquette Irish studies professor and author Dr. Lawrence J. McCaffrey, who passed away in May at the age of 94. "Anyone who studies Irish history in the U.S. and Irish American history in the U.S. has read Larry McCaffrey or did meet him at some point,” McMahon said.

Amy Lovell, founder and board president of local nonprofit REDgen, was profiled by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after being named a “Woman of Influence” by the publication. Lovell created REDgen, which stands for Resilience Through Education for a new generation, to not only offer supportive dialogue to those impacted by acts of self harm, but dialogue to help prevent those acts from happening. Lovell, with her husband Marquette President Michael R. Lovell, also has launched Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM) to address trauma.

Dr. Robert Smith, Harry G. John Professor of History in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, helped create an online civil rights history camp called “Liberation Sessions: An Online Civil Rights History Camp for Youth,” which has been featured on a list of five things to do in August in Milwaukee. The camp introduces users to conversations on issues such as police brutality, Jim Crow laws and the civil rights movement.

Dr. Risa Brooks, Allis Chalmers Associate Professor of Political Science in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, discussed whether President Trump could involve the military in the event of a disputed election. “In so many ways it looks like the military is going to have to be thinking about its role in domestic politics in ways it normally doesn’t,” Brooks said.

Dr. Phillip Rocco, assistant professor of political science in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, discussed President Trump’s executive orders aiming to reduce the price of prescription drugs. “The plan would allow for what’s called ‘reference pricing’ of drugs that allow the government to negotiate with drug companies based on international reference prices — which would potentially mean a lot of savings,” Rocco said. “The structure of it and the reaction from the pharmaceutical industry suggests it would have substantial consequences if implemented, but that it is unlikely that it is actually going to go into effect. The places where we are seeing the biggest movement are also the places where there seems to be the most election year politicking rather than substantive policy making.”

Dr. Abdur Chowdhury, professor emeritus of economics in the College of Business Administration, discussed how rising prices of home cleaning products amid the coronavirus pandemic are leading more customers to buy online and are creating more “black market” sales. "(This is) when something is not available in the open market, but it's available to you if you pay an extra price or go through an underground economy," Chowdhury said. “If a store sells a product at a higher price, a consumer can complain to the Consumer Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and then they can start an investigation."

Dr. Alan Ball, professor of history in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, spoke about the makeup of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Ball tracks and analyzes the court’s decisions. In April, Ball found Justices Rebecca Bradley and Brian Hagedorn were more likely than other conservative justices to break from their ideological colleagues in the past court term. “Brian Hagedorn seems to be the least predictable," Ball said. "He’s the one that seems most likely to go his own way — the one (who is), to put it another way, most difficult for conservatives to keep in the fold."

Dr. Simon Howard, assistant professor of psychology and director of the Psychological Social Inquiry Lab in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, discussed Black Lives Matter as a decentralized movement and how the Black Lives Matter hashtag has been instrumental in raising awareness and spreading information. “It’s basically cyberactivism. Everyone can play a role because not everyone feels comfortable protesting or being in the streets,” Howard said. “It’s not the end all, but we see how monumental it is when people all over the world are tweeting #BlackLivesMatter and protesting anti-Black police violence in counties like South Africa and France.”

Questions about In the News? Contact Shelby Williamson in the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-6712.

Connect with Marquette on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.