University Tenure and the Legal System: Procedures,Conflicts, and Resolutions

Abstract

To better understand the increasing legal presence in cases and disputes involving tenure, the authors analyzed materials from court cases, employment law, and higher education. This analysis yielded knowledge about ways in which tenure as a contract, credentials as evidence, and due process contribute to orderly tenure procedures, thereby averting some legal conflicts. Academic, legal, and ethical perspectives were used to explore these concepts and to consider their implications for social work faculty confronted by the dual demands of academia and tenure review. Guidelines are provided to assist faculty in dealing with tenure review and dispute resolution in appeal and dismissal.     

Resistance,Space and Political Identities: The Making of Counter-Global Networks

Activists in seven US cities were interviewed about why they thought people in their communities mobilized against alcohol-related problems. The data were analyzed in light of the focus on resource mobilization theory in the social movement literature. In contrast with claims that resources are the primary catalyst for change, informants emphasized the role of grievances, and to a lesser extent, bridging factors that caused residents to be more aware of or frustrated by problems, and thus ready for change. Resources seemed to provide necessary but insufficient conditions for explaining movement participation, suggesting that, to be effective, resources must be channeled to address and be linked to the grievous social conditions of inner city communities.     

Subsequent child protection contact for a cohort of children reported to child protection prenatally in one Australian jurisdiction

Repeated reporting to child protection is common. One approach to early intervention is for jurisdictions to receive and respond to child protection concerns raised before children are born. Despite this, little research has comprehensively examined subsequent child protection contact for those first reported prenatally. This study aimed to examine the subsequent child protection contact for up to a two-year period for a cohort of children who were reported about prebirth. Child protection administrative data were extracted for 640 children reported for a concern about an unborn child in a single jurisdiction during 2014. Data about child protection contacts included reports, investigations, substantiations and out-of-home placements for children reported prenatally. Of the 640 children, 79% reported about prenatally also had contact with child protection between birth and age two. From birth and up to age two, children reported prenatally had between zero and 21 reports. Twenty-two per cent of the children reported prenatally were removed from their birth parents and placed in out-of-home care prior to age two. These findings highlight the importance of intervening and supporting families prior to and during pregnancy to reduce harm to children and reduce the need for contact with child protection.     

Roadmap to recovery: Reporting on a research taskforce supporting Indigenous responses to COVID‐19 in Australia

In April 2020 a Group of Eight Taskforce was convened, consisting of over 100 researchers, to provide independent, research‐based recommendations to the Commonwealth Government on a “Roadmap to Recovery” from COVID‐19. The report covered issues ranging from pandemic control and relaxation of social distancing measures, to well‐being and special considerations for vulnerable populations. Our work focused on the critical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; this paper presents an overview of our recommendations to the Roadmap report. In addressing the global challenges posed by pandemics for citizens around the world, Indigenous people are recognised as highly vulnerable. At the time of writing Australia's First Nations Peoples have been largely spared from COVID‐19 in comparison to other Indigenous populations globally. Our recommendations emphasise self‐determination and equitable needs‐based funding to support Indigenous communities to recover from COVID‐19, addressing persistent overcrowded housing, and a focus on workforce, especially for regional and remote communities. These latter two issues have been highlighted as major issues of risk for Indigenous communities in Australia It remains to be seen how governments across Australia take up these recommendations to support Indigenous peoples' health and healing journey through yet another, potentially catastrophic, health crisis.     

The impact of alcohol and marijuana use on academic achievement among college students

The present study explored the direct and indirect relationship between substance use, specifically alcohol and marijuana use, and academic achievement among college students, using skipping class as a mediator. Online self-administered surveys were distributed to undergraduate students at a mid-size university in the southeast. Individually, both alcohol and marijuana use significantly predicted GPA; as the frequency of students’ reported alcohol and marijuana use increased, GPAs decreased. However, when included in the same model, marijuana use appeared to mediate the relationship between alcohol use and GPA. Additionally, it was found that skipping class partially mediated the relationship between both alcohol use and GPA and marijuana use and GPA. Given the negative relationship that was found between substance use and academic achievement for all students in our sample, we highlight the importance of substance use prevention efforts that target students throughout the entirety of their college careers. We also discuss the limitations of current prevention efforts across college campuses that focus on alcohol use alone. We recommend that prevention efforts include a focus on marijuana use, in addition to alcohol use, especially given our current findings for marijuana use.     

Linking long-term temperature variability to population density in Andorra (Central Pyrenees)

Correlation of long-term temperature variability and population density was investigated in an isolated mountain environment case study for the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries period. Andorra (Central Pyrenees) was chosen as a case study location due to its harsh environmental conditions and to its historical politically neutral position. Reconstructed temperatures for the eighteenth century, based on dendrochronological data, show strong statistical correlations with death inventories (rs = ?0.359, p < 0.001), reflecting an increase in mortality at lower temperatures. These conclusions were extended to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, using volcanic activity data in order to compensate for a scarcity of dendrochronological data covering this period. Indirect temperature effects related to vegetation growth and crop yield have also been found. Therefore, this study demonstrates the historical influence of climate change on population density in harsh mountain areas.     

An Analysis of Specific Life Satisfaction Domains and Disordered Eating among College Students

Research has revealed that overall life satisfaction (LS) is negatively related to disordered eating. This study examined whether specific LS domains (e.g., family, friends, etc.) were more strongly associated with eating behaviors/weight perceptions (e.g., exercising to lose weight, using laxatives to lose weight, etc.) in 723 randomly selected college students analyzed separately by gender. Data were analyzed using logistic and multiple regression procedures. Results supported the hypotheses in the expected directions. College students’ weight perceptions had the strongest relationships with Satisfaction with Self and Satisfaction with Physical Appearance, and these relationships were stronger among females than males. Worrying about weight, self-described weight, and binge eating were significantly correlated with all LS domains (p < .05). Results suggest potential contributions of differentiating among the domains of LS in efforts to understand disordered eating among males and female college students. Implications for practice are discussed briefly.