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School of Social Policy & Practice
Play Ball!
Each summer, faculty and staff members from the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania bring their sense of cooperation and collaboration onto the softball field. No matter their skill level, the players enjoy some active time together and the opportunity to strengthen their partnerships during a few sunny afternoons at Penn Park. These SP2 summer softball games have been happening since 2013.
A 2021 Rhodes Scholar for Penn
May graduate Mackenzie Fierceton from St. Louis been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford in England. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and is currently completing her master’s degree in clinical social work.
Gun Violence
Gun violence is happening almost daily in small towns and larger, urban areas across the U.S. The University of Pennsylvania has a variety of experts to discuss the many perspectives related to gun violence—from the medical treatment of gunshot victims to the policies surrounding domestic violence and firearms.
In the News
Homeless or overhoused: Boomers are stuck at both ends of the housing spectrum
Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that boomers have made up the largest share of the homeless population since the ‘80s.
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There is one major element missing from the debate on kids and social media
In an opinion essay, PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that gun violence needs to be part of the conversation about how smartphones and social media impact young people.
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We don’t see what climate change is doing to us
In an Op-Ed, R. Jisung Park of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that public discourse around climate change overlooks the buildup of slow, subtle costs and their impact on human systems.
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Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net
Stacia West of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the School of Social Policy & Practice says that guaranteed income payments improve people’s psychological wellbeing by reducing their distress. Amy Castro, also of the Center, points out that such programs are expensive, so important questions need to be asked.
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New book examines sectarianism and the housing crisis in Northern Ireland
In her book “In Power, Politics and Territory in the New Northern Ireland,” Elizabeth DeYoung of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that sectarianism has contributed to the housing crisis in Northern Ireland and continues to influence decision-making on the needs for homes.
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