In the News
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April 28, 2026
“I think it’s a public crisis. It just feels really reckless and inhumane, especially when we’re looking at utility profits on the other side,” said Justin Schott, lecturer in environment and sustainability and director of the Energy Equity Project, who found that Michigan utilities shut off power for customers struggling to pay their bills at a higher rate on average than neighboring Midwestern states in 2024.
MLive -
April 28, 2026
“There were times where I was like, ‘I don’t want to offend anybody.’ I’m not Liberian, so I want to feel like I’m telling the story well. But then, as a Black woman, I feel deeply connected and rooted in global blackness in the African diaspora. It was pressure and comfort at the same time,” said Shavonne Coleman, assistant professor of theatre and drama, who is directing a play at the Detroit Repertory Theatre about the lives of five women during the Second Liberian Civil War.
Bridge Detroit -
April 27, 2026
“The terrifying part about modern sports betting is that the ‘casino’ is in your pocket 24/7,” said Michal Lorenc, clinical assistant professor of sport management. “Signs of trouble used to be missing work or disappearing to the track. Now, it looks like constantly checking a phone during dinner, severe mood swings tied to meaningless game outcomes, chasing losses, or hiding bank statements.”
WalletHub -
April 27, 2026
Donald Trump’s tariffs “haven’t achieved what they were meant to achieve,” said Justin Wolfers, professor of economics and public policy. “They were meant to onshore manufacturing — it’s continued to shrink. They were meant to lead to new factories being built — that hasn’t happened. … They were meant to lead to the U.S. having leverage and signing new trade deals. We have effectively done none of that.”
Mother Jones -
April 27, 2026
“Trump has created an environment where … organizations can assume that traditional norms of equal-handed application of the law, due process and fair treatment … no longer hold,” said Don Moynihan, professor of public policy. “If the president says ‘My executive order allows me to fire civil servants for whatever reason I please,’ how much does it matter if another president reverses it, because in the long run, potential civil servants know they no longer have job stability.”
The New York Times -
April 24, 2026
“We should be able to say to every state, ‘You have to collect the same data. We will gather it at the national level and be able to make some generalizations. Coordination is critically important, and that’s not what’s happening here,” said Kate Bauer, associate professor of nutritional sciences and director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health Policy, on the lack of USDA protocols to evaluate individual state restrictions on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Charlotte (N.C.) Post -
April 24, 2026
Social media apps are designed to hold your attention by using AI to determine what you’re hoping to find or see, said Jonathan Morrow, professor of psychiatry: “Even if you don’t know what you want, the app knows. … (but) apps don’t give it to you. They give you something close to that, and then a few clicks later, the algorithm gives you something even closer. They give just enough to keep you engaged, keep you looking at the app and interacting with it as long as possible.”
National Public Radio -
April 24, 2026
“Physical activity has a profound impact on overall health, but many people do not maintain the same level of activity as they get older,” said Susan Woolford, associate professor of pediatrics and public health. “Young adulthood can be a particularly challenging time, especially as structured opportunities like sports and gym classes fall away. After high school, young adults often need to put in more effort to find activities they enjoy and make time for them.”
U.S. News & World Report -
April 23, 2026
Research by Andras Molnar, assistant professor of psychology, shows that most people do not realize when a personal message they receive was written by AI. But when they do, “they rate the sender much more negatively … than when they believe that the same text was written by a person,” he said. “If you want your personal message to be judged as heartfelt, the safest strategy may be to make a phone call, leave a voicemail or, better yet, say it in person.”
The Conversation -
April 23, 2026
“She was my ticket to American history. She was the person who I could envision and see myself in the story of the country. I feel that we need that for more American women. If girls can grow up seeing themselves in history, they’re going to be better prepared to see themselves in the country’s future,” said Molly Beer, lecturer of English language and literature, about Angelica Schuyler Church, a prominent and influential woman during the American Revolution and sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton.
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