Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon

By now, most students who applied to college for the fall semester have received their decisions, bringing a mix of emotions, from excitement and relief to disappointment and uncertainty. For many, especially those turned away from top-choice schools, the admissions process can feel arbitrary and even unfair. Professor Julie Park breaks down what's changed for college applicants since the Supreme Court's 2023 decision restricting race-conscious admissions. She also explores the uneven return of standardized testing and how policy shifts are reshaping who gets into selective colleges and what schools can still do to make the process more fair.
For more on this topic:
Check out Park's new book, Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era

Read her op-ed in The Hechinger Report, There's a 'cascade effect' from the Supreme Court's affirmative action ban, and it's hurting Black and Latino students

Read her essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Economic Diversity Is Ticking Up at Elite Colleges. Why?

Nutrition policy is back in the spotlight. Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, the federal government has been especially vocal about and involved in what Americans eat, including policies that change what can be bought with federal benefits. Nutrition policy researcher Pasquale Rummo breaks down what the debate about ultra-processed foods is all about, how Americans' diets are shaped by both choice and policy, and what coming changes could mean for consumers and the food industry.
For more on this topic:
Read Rummo's op-ed in The Hill, co-written with Jesse Strunk-Elkins: SNAP Benefit Cuts Will Leave Millions of Americans Overworked and Underfed

Housing costs keep rising across the United States, and policymakers are scrambling for solutions. In Congress, policymakers from across the aisle are advancing legislation aimed at encouraging more housing construction, based on the idea that increasing supply will help bring prices down. But what actually makes housing "affordable" and who benefits from the policies meant to fix the problem? Drawing on decades of research and experience working on housing issues in New York City, Professor Hilary Botein explains how politics and local housing markets affect who has access and why simply building more housing may not help people with the lowest incomes.

Six years after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global emergency, are we any better prepared for the next pandemic? Professor Joseph Harris reflects on what Covid revealed about the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. public health system and the fragility of global cooperation. Drawing on his research on universal health coverage and AIDS treatment politics in countries such as Thailand and Brazil, he explains how politics and power shape who has access to care—and how professional and social movements can drive reform.
For more on this topic:
Listen to Harris's podcast: The Global Health Politics Podcast

Check out his commentary in The Conversation: What the US could learn from Thailand about health care coverage

Haitians living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are once again facing uncertainty. Though a federal judge intervened just a day before the Trump administration was set to end TPS for Haiti, thousands of families are still left not knowing what happens next. Professor Evan Auguste explains the emotional strain of living with the constant fear of losing legal status, and how history, trauma, and racism have shaped the mental health of Haitian immigrants. He also shares his work to help create a culturally rooted healing initiative that brings Haitian traditions into mental health spaces, and what this project can teach psychologists and policymakers alike.
For more on this topic:
Read his opinion piece in the Haitian Times, How we hold Haiti's diasporic grief

Check out his co-authored analysis in NACLA Report, To Save Haitian Lives, Global Health Leaders Call for Solidarity