New Blog Posts

  • “Student Athletes, Not Employees”: NCAA’s Policy Plea to Congress

    “Student Athletes, Not Employees”: NCAA’s Policy Plea to Congress

    Julia Mattingly is a staff writer and first-year Ph.D. student. In the dynamic realm of collegiate athletics, a crucial moment is unfolding as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) appeals to Congress to navigate the future of college sports. Amid recent legal rulings, legislative challenges and shifting attitudes toward athlete rights and compensation, the NCAA is…

  • From Menstruation to Regulation: Understanding Data Privacy Laws and Period Tracker Apps

    From Menstruation to Regulation: Understanding Data Privacy Laws and Period Tracker Apps

    Kate Braddom is a staff writer and a first-year MPP student. In the era of online dating, wearable technologies and virtual workspaces, the emergence of ‘digital contraceptives’ seems almost inevitable. Especially as online sources of medical information and telehealth have begun to fill gaps in access to care, these technologies have become particularly important for many…

  • Regulating “Your Vagina’s New Best Friend”

    Regulating “Your Vagina’s New Best Friend”

    Kate Braddom is a staff writer and a first-year MPP student. Modern advertisements for menstrual products are filled with uplifting, empowering messages that target menstrual stigma and boast wellness and sustainability with slogans like “A Step Closer to Saving the Nature” and “Meet Your Vagina’s New Best Friend.” But it can be difficult for women to…

  • Bridging the gap: Reforming state democracies to reflect the public will

    Bridging the gap: Reforming state democracies to reflect the public will

    Julia Mattingly is a staff writer and first-year Ph.D. student. This past Election Day, Ohio became the seventh state in the nation where voters decided to protect abortion access after the landmark Dobbs ruling. Before the Ohio vote, statewide initiatives in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont had either affirmed abortion access or turned back…

  • School Voucher Programs: A Broad Analysis of Public Policy Implications

    School Voucher Programs: A Broad Analysis of Public Policy Implications

    Sophia Alejandro is a staff writer and a first-year MPA student. School voucher programs have long represented a complex and controversial policy approach to reframing school choice and public education as we know it. While advocates argue that the freedom for parents to decide how and where their children are educated is essential, critics argue…