The Black Student Union on Florida State’s campus was founded in 1968 with its sole purpose of being the voice and representative for black and minority students on campus. Its mission statement is to “remember our past, build on the present and fight for our future, so that jointly and strongly Black students on Florida State’s campus could be…
Opting-In: Women as Agents of Their Own Subordination.
Fringe male supremacy groups have increasingly gained mainstream notoriety in recent years. From being tackled by major new sources to being tweeted about by Elon Musk, many of these groups no longer live in the shrouded corners of the internet. Male supremacy movements are garnering increasing popularity online and gaining more support than ever, however,…
Honors Thesis Spotlight: Transparency and Accountability in the World Bank: Internal Accountability Mechanisms and Their Failings.
One of the most important questions to ask of any organization is whether it fulfills its purpose: does it do what it was designed to do? This question is frequently difficult to answer. Internal reviews tend to be biased in favor of the group; after all, if a group is auditing itself, it wishes to…
The K-12 Wage Gap in Florida: Economic Implications and Future Outlook
This post first appeared on the Devoe L. Moore Center blog. K-12 teachers in the United States are tackling a long-term battle with low salary growth rates. According to the data from the Employment Policy Institute, teachers are paid lower relative to similarly situated professional workers. While the average worker’s salary in Florida has steadily increased over…
Meet a Social Scientist: Dr. Ponder from Human Geography.
What is your name?Dr. Sage Ponder. What kind of work do you do in the College?I am an assistant professor in the Geography Department at The Florida State University. I teach, do research and engage in service in the department, profession and community. Why did you decide to become an academic? There was a particular…
Humanities Graduates in High Demand in Business World
The post first appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat. A bill intending to discourage students from enrolling in majors that “do not directly lead to employment” is winding its way through the Florida Legislature. Unfortunately, this bill seriously misunderstands the nature of current labor markets. A person’s major does not necessarily lead to employment in any…
Florida Can Make Better Choices and Improve Outcomes by Embracing Evidence-Based Policymaking
The LeRoy Collins Institute at the Florida State University recently released a report that provides a blueprint for a better approach to making state policy and budget decisions by using rigorous evidence to inform these choices. Florida is widely known as a low tax/low services state, and it faces growing challenges. We rank 35th among…
Honors Thesis Spotlight: Perception of Charter Schools: A Study of Latinx Parents’ Engagement in School Choice
This pilot investigation studies the priorities, perceptions, and tactics of Latinx and Hispanic parents in Miami-Dade County as they navigate the school choice marketplace through interviews with nine parents of school-aged children about their experiences regarding the school choice system. The research questions for this project were as follows: What considerations do Latinx parents…
Swarming tornadoes
This post first appeared on the Florida State University’s Department of Geography News & Chair’s Blog. The violent winds of tornadoes are one of the most dangerous natural hazards on Earth. While relatively rare in any one location they often occur in swarms. I’ve been working with graduate student Zoe Schroder to answer the question of whether…
Meet a Social Scientist: Dr. Fang from Urban and Regional Planning
What is your name? Dr. Kerry Fang What kind of work do you do in the College?I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. I teach, do research and engage in service in the department, profession and community. Why did you decide to become an academic?The academic lifestyle is very attractive…
