Roxboro House Roundtables

In 2017, Jefferson University, previously known as Philadelphia University, merged with Thomas Jefferson University. With the renaming of the University, the issue of how to properly deal with the complicated legacy of one our Nations’ founding fathers arose. In is accepted that Jefferson, a slave-owner to his dying day, fathered children with Sally Hemings, a much younger slave. Many believe that any sexual relations with a slave would amount to rape. For several years prior to the merger, one of PhilaU’s academic buildings featured a statue of Jefferson on a bench writing the Declaration of Independence. After the merger, several students raised the issue that the presence of Jefferson, in light of his history, was distressing to students of color on the campus. As a result, based upon the decision of then President Stephen Spinelli, the statue was quickly removed without discussion. The issue at this roundtable was how should Jefferson University, as a learning institution, best deal with the legacy

Listen to Dr. Kathy Smith, Director of Law and Justice at Harcum College, Dr. Rick Frei lead researcher for the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society, Dr. Evan Laine, Program Director for Law and Society at Jefferson University and students from Jefferson University’s forensic psychology class and Community College of Philadelphia’s descriptive research methods class, as they discuss the future of sexual harassment by examining the results of their recent survey on commonly accepted sexual harassment myths. You will be surprised at the beliefs individuals have regarding sexual harassment, what it means and why it occurs.

Congressional Funding And Health Policy: Listen to nationally known archives expert and Arlen Specter Center research fellow, Dr. Sean Kelly of California State University, Channel Islands, discuss with the panel how Congressional funding affects policy, law and practice. Dr. Kelly discussed how the interaction of the democratic process and personal beliefs of politicians influences federal funding and how that impacts healthcare and practice in the United States. More particularly, the panel discussed how President G.W. Bush’s ban of federal funding for stem cell research negatively affected the advancement of research in that area. Further Dr. Kelly discussed with the panel how provisions within funding bills have seriously impacted a woman’s right to choose.

Listen to Arlen Specter research fellow, Menika Dirksen, of Temple University, as she discusses with the panel how tensions between the police and black community in 1970’s Philadelphia were alleviated by actions of Arlen Specter and others, through the work of community organizations such as PAL and Safe Streets Incorporated. In addition, present at the Roundtable were Prof. Hillel Levinson, former city manager under Mayor Rizzo, and Dr. Reed, a member of the Crisis Intervention Network in the 70s.

Listen to this Roundtable hosted by Arlen Specter Center research fellows, Jessica Schoenherr and Elizabeth Lane, of Michigan State University, as they discuss the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice in the United States. Are these hearings “vapid and hollow charades,” as described by Associate Justice Elena Kagan, or are they important windows the minds of these future justices? Is the process a mere political spectacle held for the entertainment of the public, or are there serious political vetting processes? Finally, the panel discussed whether the confirmation process is even valid in today’s political climate.

Dare to Care: Students and Suicide Prevention - Part 3 Lawrence Katz Memorial Lecture presented by the Arlen Specter Center (audio of keynote and panel discussion) - Suicide prevention is a crucial issue on campuses across the nation. - Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students. - Nearly 4,000 people age 15-24 die by suicide each year in the United States. - According to the JED Foundation, half of college students have had suicidal thoughts. - Surveys suggest an increase in overall student emotional distress in recent years. → What are the signs and what you can do to prevent suicides? → How can we address this critical issue on campus? Moderator: Maiken Scott, MA, Host of "The Pulse" a weekly WHYY radio show/podcast about health, science and innovation. Formerly, Behavioral Health Reporter, NPR Panelists: Keynoter: Matthew Wintersteen, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson Universi

Dare to Care: Students and Suicide Prevention - Part 2 Lawrence Katz Memorial Lecture presented by the Arlen Specter Center (audio of keynote and panel discussion) - Suicide prevention is a crucial issue on campuses across the nation. - Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students. - Nearly 4,000 people age 15-24 die by suicide each year in the United States. - According to the JED Foundation, half of college students have had suicidal thoughts. - Surveys suggest an increase in overall student emotional distress in recent years. → What are the signs and what you can do to prevent suicides? → How can we address this critical issue on campus? Moderator: Maiken Scott, MA, Host of "The Pulse" a weekly WHYY radio show/podcast about health, science and innovation. Formerly, Behavioral Health Reporter, NPR Panelists: Keynoter: Matthew Wintersteen, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson Universi

Dare to Care: Students and Suicide Prevention - Part 1 Lawrence Katz Memorial Lecture presented by the Arlen Specter Center (audio of keynote and panel discussion) - Suicide prevention is a crucial issue on campuses across the nation. - Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students. - Nearly 4,000 people age 15-24 die by suicide each year in the United States. - According to the JED Foundation, half of college students have had suicidal thoughts. - Surveys suggest an increase in overall student emotional distress in recent years. → What are the signs and what you can do to prevent suicides? → How can we address this critical issue on campus? Moderator: Maiken Scott, MA, Host of "The Pulse" a weekly WHYY radio show/podcast about health, science and innovation. Formerly, Behavioral Health Reporter, NPR Panelists: Keynoter: Matthew Wintersteen, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson Universi

Sexual violence, active shooters, mental health challenges, and many other factors pose challenges to assuring that our campuses are safe. The Clery Act (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)) was passed following the rape and murder of Jeanne Clery in 1986 at Lehigh University. The intent of the law was to improve campus safety by making information about crime more accessible. One key provision of the law, the emergency notifications and timely warnings requirement, has great potential to be useful in promoting campus safety. But there is an inherent tension between respect for the rights and privacy of victims of crime and the need to keep the public informed. How do we keep the public informed but also avoid victim blaming and revealing information that could cause emotional trauma or worse, trigger retaliation for reporting crime?

Healthcare and our digital trail are two things vital in our society. In this podcast you will notice and learn about the generated systems that are piecing together information to know who we are. Tax Companies such as Experian do a lot more than just your taxes.

In this roundtable you find the invigorating conversation regarding the future of work. Where will society be along with the economy in the near future with the support of Artificial Intelligence? Will our jobs be lost? What are now considered "safe" jobs?

Join us as we explore the current healthcare system in the United States and what will happen in the near future is something is not done. Throughout this roundtable, we compared healthcare systems in the United States to healthcare systems globally such as ones in Canada by looking at the number of people who get healthcare there versus in the States. We looked into the ways that our current system is negatively impacting people, and how the only effective way to change it is to start from the bottom with the newest generation.

Listen to this podcast which addresses; what is Gerrymandering and how did it come about. In this Roundtable, we discussed what affect Gerrymandering had and still has on modern day politics, and how it significantly alters election results. The negative impact this practice has on representative democracy was explored in addition to what can be done to produce elections that more fairly represent the citizenry Join us to gain insight on Gerrymandering, learn how and why how the lines are drawn, and why this has become a controversy.

Being a Democrat or a Republican is simple, but how simple is it is you aren’t? Independent Pennsylvanians are often times given limitations when it comes to voting, especially in the primaries. If an individual is registered as anything other than the two main parties, they are unable to vote in the most critical part of the election process. Often times, this discourages many people from moving forward and voting in the general election, due to the feeling of being powerless and having no voice. The voice needs to be given back to the people, regardless of their political affiliation. There are better methods out there that do not force others to be powerless in the primary elections; there are methods out there that can put the feeling of power and a voice to those Independent Pennsylvanians.

In this rountable we discussed the most recent relations with Russia and how that can affect the United States now, and in the future. How does other see the difference between Russia years ago, now, and what they expect it to look like in the future? Join us to understand the issues that lie around Russia and how people are currenly feeling about it.

How does race and diversity look on your campus? At Jefferson – East Falls, we explored how race and diversity on this campus is getting better, but still, has a long way to go facilitate marginalized groups being comfortable in the classroom and on campus. This RoundTable brought together a group of students at the university who candidly and emotionally shared common difficulties experienced by minority members in a predominately white school. In response to these grievances, the Student Government Association, the sponsor of the RoundTable, discussed its initiative to require all professors to be properly trained on how to handle diversity issues and conflicts. All agreed that things will never change without constantly striving to be make Jefferson a more inclusive and comfortable campus

During this Roundtable, we discussed exactly what Net Neutrality is, how important it is towards the democratic dissemination of information and how it may be dissolving in front of our eyes. Our experts discussed whether the dissolution of net neutrality in the best interest of the public or just for corporate greed. If you want to know the repercussions that will follow the ending of net neutrality and the potential motives behind the drive to end it, listen to this podcast.

We discussed the issue of what happens to your clothes after you are finished with them. We further explored if the consumer genuinely even cares or is price point the only relevant factor. It was revealed that the amount of clothes wasted each year by individual Americans is appalling and that fashion and sustainability have not always gone hand in hand. The table concluded that it is the customer’s job (and moral responsibility) to educate themselves and put the pressure on companies to look closer into sustainable products. We also discussed fast fashion, why it is popular and what effect it has on contributing to the waste of resources. Listen to this Roundtable delve into the dirt and grime of the fashion industry!

Join us for a discussion about the most recent events to take place in Charlottesville, Virginia. These protests and violence are a result of a much larger issue related to race and race relations. We delve not only to the events in Charlottesville but look at race and racism on a much larger scale across the country, as well as the issues connected to it. Many questions were asked, some even left unanswered as they reach a level of complexity that, we, as a country still haven’t begun to understand. How will we continue as a country? Will out president be there to support us on this journey?

Civil Liberties Talk by Roxboro House Roundtables