Author: TheConversation

By Melanie G. Long, Assistant Professor of Economics, The College of Wooster Financial services play a major role in the economic lives of most Americans, from the moment their paychecks are directly deposited into a bank account to the loan taken out to buy their first home or car. Yet over 12 million people – about 6% of U.S. adults – cannot access these services because they do not have a bank account. Economists call these individuals financially excluded or the “unbanked.” Being unbanked is costly, both financially and in terms of missed economic opportunities, and afflicts communities of...

By David L. Di Maria, Associate Vice Provost for International Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore County U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, made a decision on July 6 regarding international students in the U.S. that will affect far more than just the roughly 970,000 international students themselves. Based on what I know about the power and influence of higher education in the U.S., this decision could increase the tuition American students pay, cost thousands of jobs throughout the nation and erode America’s stature in the world. Under this new rule, international students may stay in the country only...

By Phillip I. Lieberman, Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University Faced with a range of serious patient reactions to the COVID-19 disease, doctors and nurses have sometimes struggled to find viable treatment options. But when we examine faith-based responses to the virus, spiritual guidance has proved even more elusive. Guidelines for faith leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage groups to clean surfaces and limit meetings or gatherings. But they do not address the emotional effects that COVID-19 victims, and those of us who live in fear of contracting it, might experience. Religious figures such as Pope Francis...