Resolving Dilemmas in Canadian Class Actions by Reconsidering Private Law Principles

Class actions cases illuminate the theoretical underpinnings of private law in a way that traditional two-party litigation does not. Many class actions deal with plaintiffs who have not suffered a large loss (or a quantifiable monetary loss at all), or the defendant has made profits that are disproportionately greater than the plaintiffs’ compensable loss (if any). Applying orthodox principles of private law and negligence to these cases results in barring plaintiffs from recovery despite their rights being violated and defendants not disgorging profits made from wrongdoing. The solution resolving these dilemmas should not be to create separate law only applicable to class actions. Rather, the traditional interpretations of damage and disgorgement must be reconsidered generally. By refocusing on a view of negligence as serving to vindicate litigants’ rights and reconsidering orthodox principles, class actions dilemmas can be resolved in a way that is consistent with, and clarifies, the private law

OER: One Course at a Time

Open Educational Resources (OER) provide an excellent opportunity to reduce costs, increase access, and vary interaction for learners. However, locating, compiling, and distributing OER can be a daunting task and there several factors to consider, such as time, sustainability, accessibility, and instructional strategies. During this presentation, I will share how Rollins College supports the implementation of OER by offering a grant. Faculty awarded a grant collaborate with a librarian and an instructional technologist to locate, create, compile, and distribute OER. Three grants have been awarded to date, each of which has been unique, ranging from one class utilizing free online .epub files to a faculty member creating an OER from scratch. I will provide a brief overview of these projects, the process used to support each, lessons learned, and implementation strategies to consider. Additionally, I will share survey data collected during a pre- and post- OER implementation

A randomized clinical trial comparing family-focused treatment and individual supportive therapy for depression in childhood and early adolescence

OBJECTIVE: Despite the morbidity and negative outcomes associated with early-onset depression, few studies have examined the efficacy of psychosocial treatment for depressive disorders during childhood. Integrating family in treatment could have particularly salutary effects during this developmental period. This trial compared immediate posttreatment effects of family-focused treatment for childhood depression (FFT-CD) with those of individual supportive psychotherapy (IP) for children 7 to 14 years old with depressive disorders. METHOD: Children were randomized to 15 sessions of FFT-CD (n = 67) or IP (n = 67) over 4 months. The primary treatment outcome was adequate clinical depression response, defined as at least a 50% decrease in score on the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Additional outcomes included patient-centered outcomes (parent- and child-reported treatment satisfaction), remission (defined as CDRS-R score ≤28), change in continuous CDRS-R score, and change in child and parent reports of depressive and non-depressive symptoms and social adjustment. RESULTS: Significant improvement was evident across groups for depressive and non-depressive symptoms, global response, and functioning and social adjustment. Compared with children randomized to IP, children randomized to FFT-CD showed higher rates of adequate clinical depression response (77.7% versus 59.9%; number needed to treat = 5.72; odds ratio 2.29; 95% CI 1.001-5.247; t = 1.97, p = .0498). Across treatments, families reported high satisfaction; compared with IP families, FFT-CD families reported greater knowledge and skills for managing depression. There were no significant differences between treatment arms on secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Results support the value of psychosocial intervention, emphasize the important role that families play, and highlight the potential for FFT-CD for supporting recovery in children with depression. Clinical trial registration information-Systems of Support Study for Childhood Depression; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01159041.R01 MH082856 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH082861 - NIMH NIH HH

Ode to My Father, Who Worked: Memories of Growing Up in a Land Caretaker\u27s Family

Beaumont Sugar, a writer and artist, reminisces about growing up in a land caretaker’s family