By Tobey MacCachran Upper decky lip pillow, zynbabwe, and zyna-chino are just a few of my favorite words assigned to Zyn, the pouches that have become a mainstay in the mouths of nicotine-using Americans over the past decade. Offered in flavors like mint, citrus, and coffee and available in 3mg and 6mg strengths, Zyn’s were…
Author: Paul A. Djupe
Do Denisonians Have Informed Opinions about Foreign Aid?
Miles D. Williams, Visiting Assistant Professor of Data for Political Research [Note: This is a version of a post Dr. Williams did for Foreign Figures] Survey experiments are a technique that social scientists use when they want to measure something hard to ask people directly about or when they want to identify causal effects. I…
The Gender Gap on The Hill
By Paul A. Djupe, Data for Political Research A recent report by Pew Research shows a remarkable thing – the gender gap in religious affiliation has closed among Gen Z in the US. That women are more religious than men has been almost a universal constant, holding across time and the world, so to see…
Swear Words and Social Circles: How Family and Friends Influence Our Political Confidence
By Emma Miller I grew up in a household where my political views closely aligned with both of my parents. When we watched the news together, we’d usually mutter a few swear words and insults whenever certain people appeared on the TV. But when I got to Denison, I became part of a friend group…
A Green Campus or Just Green Talk? Denison’s Climate Awareness and Sustainability Efforts
By Emma Miller A few weeks ago, I walked out of my class in Knapp Hall in a pair of jeans and said out loud “wow I wish I wore shorts!” Not even our sheltered bubble on the hill can blind us to the paralyzing reality of global warming. Surely our liberal arts education has…
Breaking the Silence: Why Denisonians Hesitate to Debate
By Maya Schaefer [Photo courtesy of Chambered Nautilus, 2016] One of the first things I remember hearing as a freshman in the fall of 2021 was President Weinberg’s advice to students. One part stood out to me and arguably most of the people I’ve interacted with since then: he encouraged students to get coffee or…
Fraternities, Sororities, and the Liberal Arts Experience: What Denison Greeks Think
By Maya Schaefer A liberal arts education is arguably Denison’s most central component. As a small school in Granville, Ohio that offers 65 different majors, minors, and concentrations, its 2,400 students not only have the opportunity to explore different courses, but also broaden their perspectives, build their leadership skills, and connect with students of diverse…
Student Voices at the Polls: Denison’s Voter Registration Amid Election Policy Changes
By Maya Schaefer [Photo courtesy of Radio Raheem, 2010] It’s been around six weeks (at the time of writing) since the 2024 presidential election took place, and there’s still a lot to unpack. One feature I’ve always been interested in was voter registration, especially on Denison’s campus. I’m still impressed by the stats that DU…
Varsity’s Variable: Disparities between Athletes and Non-Athletes at Denison
By Drew Duffy As a PPE major on the Denison Football Team, I observed a striking contrast between the political perspectives of my teammates and those of my classmates amidst the 2024 Election cycle. My teammates seemed significantly more conservative and supportive of Trump than the student body as a whole. I began to wonder…
From Campus Clubs to the Voting Booth: Does Involvement Spark Political Action?
By Maya Schaefer With nearly 30% of Denisonians being varsity athletes, 35% affiliated with a Greek-lettered organization, and 160 campus organizations available to students, it seems that the trademark of Denisonians is being involved. Whether that takes its form in a double major, triple minor, or being a part of 6 different clubs, I always…
Information or Experiences? Twitter and the 2024 Election
By Miles Williams, Data for Political Research I keep seeing a debate making the rounds among academics about whether the Democratic Party’s electoral failure in the recent election was the result of people’s lived experiences with inflation and other related economic hardships, or if people instead based their vote on their information environment. Those who…
Denisonians’ Foreign Policy Concerns Mirror Their Domestic Ones
By Emma Miller Denisonians are not short on anxiety—whether it’s the mountain of homework, an upcoming sports game, a test for which you didn’t study enough, oh… or the looming threats of weapons of mass destruction and the devastating effects of climate change. With so many global issues hovering over Americans’ heads, what do students…