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Issue Briefs

Each of our fellows thoroughly delved into a different issue impacting the Penn State community. Our analyses can be found on this page.

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HEALTH

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Refining Vaccine Protocols for the Safety of Students

By Matt Venable

“Refining Vaccine Protocols for the Safety of Students” addresses the growing threat to college student safety that parallels a growing anti-vaccine movement and proposes a potential solution for Penn State.

The Dire Need for Legislation on Post Mortem Reproduction

By Chloe Connor

This issue brief focuses on posthumous sperm retrieval, a procedure in which spermatozoa are extracted from a male after he has been pronounced legally brain dead, in hopes to inseminate a woman and reproduce. 

An Executive Order to Legalize Marijuana Federally

By Chris Funari

“Refining Vaccine Protocols for the Safety of Students” addresses the growing threat to college student safety that parallels a growing anti-vaccine movement and proposes a potential solution for Penn State.

Curing the Epidemic of Depression: Yoga and Meditation

By Adwait Chafale

With depression among students rising, are schools providing the building blocks to counter this issue? This issur brief discusses how yoga and meditation is not a religious practice and is beneficial towards decreasing depression

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ENVIRONMENT

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Funding Fuel Efficiency: a Fossil Fuel-Free Future

By Jaden Fields

How can we reach complete energy efficiency swiftly? “Funding Energy Efficiency for a Fossil Fuel-Free Future” of renewable energy sources reveals the need for financing to produce energy efficiency as quickly as possible.

Absence of Aqua: the Indian Water Crisis

By Nick Banerjee

How can the current water scarcity problem in India be solved? “Absence of Aqua: The Indian Water Crisis” is an issue brief that lays out several possible solutions to the current issue.

Penn State: Trashing Wasteful Habits

By Peri Newman

This issue brief focuses on how making the South Food District at Penn State more sustainable by taxing Styrofoam and using biodegradable products.

Reducing the Deforestation Rate of the United States

By Leon Kataw

"Reducing the Deforestation Rate within United States, 'written by Leon Kataw, helps place emphasis on the troubling issue of deforestation and the devastating effects it will have in our backyard.

Plastic is in the Past: Originally Nature's Salvation from Human Greed

By Ava Rysewyk

This issue briefs explores the modern issues with plastic production and consumption.

Restructuring the Dairy Industry: Stopping the Downfall of the Industry

By Hannah Conway

The U.S. dairy farming community has been stuck in a major financial crisis. As nearly all the local, small-scale farms across the nation are victims of the falling milk prices and the rise in large corporate-owned farms. A change in the current dairy industry’s marketing system could help dairy farmers climb out of their financial deficits.

The Impact of Fracking

By Sean Rendar

How is fracking detrimental to you and your community? To protect the many beautiful American landscapes and the people that reside within them, there must be adjustments made to current regulations and research done to combat the environmental destruction caused by fracking.

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NATIONAL POLICY

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"With Liberty and Justice for" Most

By Miranda Thompson

“‘Liberty and Justice for’ Most” is an issue brief that discusses the rising rates of  LGBTQ+ hate crimes and advocates for a strict hate crime law that protects this minority community in the state of Pennsylvania.

Impact of Eliminating DACA

By Harold E. Canizales

“Impact of Eliminating DACA” show how Dreamers will be negatively affected by losing their protections by the terminating of the DACA program.

Edification of Education: Putting Standardized Testing to the Test

By Olivia Tota

What are the effects of the high pressure and high quantity of testing on schoolchildren? "Putting Standardized Testing to the Test" reveals that the increase in required exams for students has little to no benefits.  

Artificial Intelligence: Education must Precede Regulation

By Michael Paluda

This issue brief addresses the social ramifications of Artificial Intelligence and Congressional Tech Illiteracy.  The issue brief proposes to bring back the Office of Technology Assessment to best educate and bring Congress up to date on technological issues.

Impact of Eliminating DACA

By Alexandra Yukish

"Dollar and Dignity" dicusses the growing, unaddressed problem of income inequality in the United States and seeks to provide answers to reduce the problem, including an analysis of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

"With Liberty and Justice for" Most

By Miranda Thompson

“‘Liberty and Justice for’ Most” is an issue brief that discusses the rising rates of  LGBTQ+ hate crimes and advocates for a strict hate crime law that protects this minority community in the state of Pennsylvania.

Edification of Education: Putting Standardized Testing to the Test

By Olivia Tota

What are the effects of the high pressure and high quantity of testing on schoolchildren? "Putting Standardized Testing to the Test" reveals that the increase in required exams for students has little to no benefits.  

A Modified Affirmative Action: 

Switching from Race-based to Class-based Affirmative Action in College Admissions 

By Sophia Datsko

Switching from race-based to socioeconomic-based affirmative action would maintain equal levels of diversity, and provide opportunities for all students battling struggle, without using race as a factor for consideration.

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CAMPUS CULTURE

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Epidemic Emergency: Campus Culture

By Grace Wang

“Epidemic Emergency: Campus Culture” discusses the rising issue of excessive alcohol consumption on college campuses and how to combat the problem of dangerous drinking habits.

Victims Deserve to be Heard

By Dayna Townsend

Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault are huge problems and many victims don’t speak out for a variety of reasons. In order to solve the problem, the victims need to be able to go back to the state of mind they were in before the attack happened, therefore the programs that need to be created need to fix those problems.

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