Union in the Media

A forthcoming article by economics professors Lewis Davis and Steven Schmidt and Jack Mara ‘10, “Social Animal House: The Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership,” has been covered by a number of national media outlets, including CNBC, Bloomberg View, Mother Jones, Market Watch, Yahoo Finance, and Real Clear Life. The working paper version of the article has over 45,000 views and 2,400 downloads. The article began as Mara’s senior thesis project.

Brad Hays, associate professor of political science, offered commentary on the controversy surrounding athletes protesting during the national anthem to WRGB, the local CBS affiliate. Watch that here.

Submit your news to gowanc@union.edu.

Bob Bernhardt '73 was recently featured in the Times Free Press. The story focused on a career milestone -- the start of his 25th year working with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera.

At Union, he played baseball and soccer, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and student government, and was a resident advisor.

The campus community gathered in the Nott Memorial early Thursday evening for a moving service to celebrate the life of Alexander Askenazy ’20.

The 19-year-old passed away in his residence hall Sunday from an existing medical condition.

The Daily Gazette attended the service.

A story also appears on the College's news site.

Dr. John Fildes '77 of University Medical Center in Las Vegas has appeared on a number of news programs (PBS, CBS, NBC), discussing hospital responses/preparedness and patient care in the wake of the city's massacre Sunday night.

He is medical director of UMC's Trauma Center, the only Level I trauma center in Nevada.

At Union, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi and played intramural sports.

Holli Frey, associate professor and chair of the Geology Department, has received a $307,000 grant through the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation program. This grant supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer to support faculty and undergraduate research. Also included in the grant are John Garver, professor of geology; David Gillikin, associate professor of geology; Kurt Hollocher, the John and Jane Wold Professor of Geology; and Donald Rodbell, professor of geology. Learn more about it here.

Deidre Hill Butler, associate professor of sociology, has a new elected position with the National Women’s Studies Association. She will serve as the constituency group chairperson of the Feminist Mother Caucus.

Brad Hays, associate professor of political science, was recently featured on several segments of WAMC’s “Congressional Corner.” Over three recent episodes, Hays discussed a range of topics including health care policy in other countries and President Trump’s approval ratings.

Kevin Flike '06 was recently featured in the Times Union newspaper.

A retired staff sergeant who was critically wounded in Afghanistan while serving as a Green Beret, the story focused on his time in the Army and his efforts to help similarly injured soldiers and veterans. Flike spends much of his free time updating his weekly “Wounded by War” blog and giving motivational speeches around the country.

At Union, he was a member of Theta Delta Chi, played football and studied abroad in China.

Brad Hays, associate professor of political science, offered commentary on the controversy surrounding athletes protesting during the national anthem to WRGB, the local CBS affiliate.

Michael Vineyard, the Frank and Marie Louise Bailey Professor of Physics, presented a paper, “PIXE Analysis of Synthetic Turf,” at the Seventh International Symposium on Energy in Manchester, England. The project was performed in collaboration with Scott LaBrake, senior lecturer of physics and astronomy, Sajju Chalise '19, Morgan Clark '17, Skye Conlan '18 and Zack Porat '20. Their focus is to measure the concentrations of elements heavier than calcium in synthetic turf blade and infill samples to search for the presence of heavy metals and other toxic substances.

Works by Hilary Tann, the John Howard Payne Professor of Music, is included on a new CD, “Tomorrow’s Air,” featuring contemporary works for orchestras and large ensembles.

“What would you talk about if asked to tell a personal story?”

That’s the question Sophie Rosen ‘18 asked of some 20 classmates and friends. The result is STORIES, a photo exhibition now on view in the Wikoff Student Gallery in the Nott Memorial.

An opening reception will take place on Oct. 10, 5-6 p.m.

“My inspiration for my art is people,” says Rosen, a psychology major with a strong focus in photography and the visual arts. “I’m so fascinated by portraiture, but I’m more interested in what a viewer can take away from looking at any given picture.”

The striking, emotional sequences of Rosen’s candid portraits are followed by quotes from the participants that reveal the nature of the subject matter. The stories relate to such complex topics as sexual violence, mortality and illness. Rosen draws a viewer’s attention to the underlying pain and loss all individuals carry.

“Everyone has a story,” she says. “No matter how happy, smiley or put-together a person may seem, no one knows for sure what has happened in that person’s life. I learned so much about people that I wouldn’t have imagined possible had I not asked which of their stories impacted them most.”

The exhibition runs through Nov. 27.

Leading journalists and political commentators Dylan Ratigan ’94 and Robert Cox will be on campus Tuesday, Oct. 3 as part of the Alumni Speaker Series. They will discuss their careers at 5 p.m. in Reamer Auditorium.

A strong voice for economic justice, Ratigan is the former global managing editor for corporate finance at Bloomberg News. He has developed more than half a dozen broadcast and new media properties, including CNBC’s “Fast Money” and “Closing Bell.” Outraged over the government’s handling of the 2008 financial crisis, he left as host of “Fast Money” in 2009. Following his departure, he hosted “The Dylan Ratigan Show” on MSNBC, and in 2012, he delivered Union’s Commencement address.

Now chief skeptic at Tastytrade and advisor to Cyndx, he is also partner and co-founder of a Louisiana-based manufacturer that integrates systems to grow food, purify water, produce solar electricity, establish wireless connectivity, create jobs and provide essential community services. This venture was inspired by U.S. combat veterans who described plug and play integration of housing, food, power and water systems as fundamental to global security.

Author of New York Times best-seller Greedy Bastards, Ratigan speaks out daily for transparency and advocates for student-debt reform, veteran employment, food and water security, drug decriminalization and fair economic opportunity.

He honed his craft and his passion for these issues, in part, with Cox.

One of Ratigan’s first mentors, Cox helped found Breakingviews.com in 2000 in London. The Reuters site delivers agenda-setting financial insight, commenting daily on important financial stories as they break in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

From 2004, Cox spearheaded the site’s expansion in the United States and edited daily Breakingviews columns in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He has worked as a financial journalist in London, Milan, New York, Washington, Chicago and Tokyo.

Cox was named editor-in-chief of Breakingviews in December 2012, three years after it was acquired by Thomson Reuters. Cox, father of Sam Cox ’20, graduated from Columbia University’s Journalism School and the University of Vermont.