Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2017

This Fall 2017 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the growing availability of educational and social programs available to students (e.g. the Mosaic Orientation program) and the creation of new student organizations like Phoenix Rising and the Muslim Student Association

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2016

This Fall 2016 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the restructuring of the Office of Multicultural Engagement, and other changes made to make college resources more accessible and promote educational opportunities on multicultural viewpoints

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Spring 2017

This Spring 2017 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the invitation of new sororities and fraternities to campus, as well as new student and administrative initiatives, such as the organization of the Student Solidarity Rally on March 1st 2017 and college grants received to promote and support diversity

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2018

This Fall 2018 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued campus changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the expansion of the Office of Multicultural Engagement/Mosaic House, and programming held over the previous semester to raise multicultural awareness by organizing events like LincCon Comic and Gaming Convention, workshops during the Disability Awareness Month, visit of Anthony Ray Hinton, etc

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Helping Middle-Class Families

[Excerpt] The ARRA helps struggling families in a variety of ways. First, by creating and saving jobs — 3.5 million by the end of next year, according to estimates by the Council of Economic Advisers — the ARRA gives a crucial boost to family incomes, which we quantify below. Second, the ARRA creates and expands a number of provisions that raise family income, directly and indirectly. Tax cuts and programs targeted both at middle- and lower-income families give a direct boost to after-tax income. Expansions to safety net programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), help lower-income, vulnerable families deal with hardships. And expansions to unemployment insurance and healthcare programs in the ARRA help families across the income spectrum who are suffering from the loss of jobs, health coverage, and income. In this staff report to the Middle Class Taskforce, we examine the impact of these various parts of the ARRA on the incomes of different types of families at different parts in the income scale. Some of our key findings are: • Jobs created by the ARRA are predicted to lower the unemployment rate by almost two percentage points. We expect this change to increase average middle-class incomes by over $1,300, or 2.3• Depending on family type and circumstances, the tax benefits from the ARRA provisions can add$2,000 or more to after-tax family income. • Combining job and tax effects, the ARRA will lift incomes by around $3,000 for many middle-class families, significantly offsetting their income losses over the recession. • For middle-class families hit with spells of unemployment, tax credits and safety net expansion in the ARRA, combined with existing unemployment insurance programs, can replace much of the income loss that occurs when a wage-earner in the family loses his or her job. Our staff report begins with a historical look at middle-class incomes, focusing on the income/productivity split that has become so pronounced and problematic in recent years. Next, we discuss the boost to family incomes provided by reduced unemployment, and we provide an estimate of this effect for different types of families. Finally, we look at other ways the ARRA lifts incomes, through the tax and safety net systems

Employers and the ADA: Myths and Facts

[Excerpt] The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities by eliminating barriers to their participation in many aspects of living and working in America. In particular, the ADA prohibits covered employers from discriminating against people with disabilities in the full range of employment-related activities, from recruitment to advancement, to pay and benefits. The foundation for the ADA is America’s promise of equal access to opportunity for all citizens. Being inclusive of people with disabilities—in recruitment, retention, promotion, and in providing an accessible environment—gives businesses a competitive edge. Below are some of the common myths about how the ADA affects employers and research and facts that negate them