By John Elliot Harpham College campuses have historically been a place where young people can sharpen their civic skills and flex their rights – a safe and constructive space for students to prepare for full participation in American democracy. But today, the climate has shifted. Self-expression and collaboration across differences are lagging. There seems to…
Tag: Denison
The Need for Civic Engagement Education
By John Elliot Harpham Denison’s mission statement puts the ability to morally discern, to autonomously think, and to participate in democratic society above all else as the goals of the college. These are honorable goals, and they paint a wonderful picture of what liberal arts values are all about. Yet, as I look around at…
Easy A with AI?
By Joanna Passalaris Whether it is ChatGPT, Gemini, or even Grok, AI has become increasingly present on college campuses. Students seem to be integrating AI into their studies even if professors don’t allow it. How exactly are students using AI and is it actually helping them? AI can be used for a range of tasks,…
Pain in the Parking at Denison
By Joanna Passalaris Every year Denison changes some aspect of campus life for better or worse. One of this year’s changes was the new freshman only quad, which created an entirely new parking plan. While not the biggest problem in the world, getting a parking spot near my quad isn’t a guarantee. Enough students complained…
Balancing Books and Broken Bodies – How Resource Gaps Challenge Student-Athletes at Division III Schools
By Bella Bergeron Turning on my phone after a thrilling five-set match, I saw the time: 8:58pm. My high from the win immediately turned into a low. There was no way I could change, shower, and walk to the dining hall before it closed at nine. I had two options: either sprint to a different…
Lots of Students Use AI; Fewer Think It’s Good for Their Education
Miles D. Williams, Visiting Assistant Professor of Data for Political Research [Note: This is a version of a post Dr. Williams did for his Substack Foreign Figures] AI (shorthand for all the large language models at large these days) is on everyone’s minds in higher education—well, really at every level of education, and in anything…
Do Drunk Cigs Count?
By Joanna Passalaris Drinking is classically considered an inherent part of the college experience, but what other vices do college students partake in? For years, smoking and nicotine usage have been on the decline after societal efforts had been made to reverse the cool image of smoking. Despite these efforts, nicotine use has continued. The…
How Much Do Denison Students Actually Know About Politics?
By Joanna Passalaris Denison prides itself on providing students with a well-rounded education. Part of our education should include political knowledge as we try to become “active citizens of a democratic society.” Unfortunately, in my previous post I found that the majority of students seem to be disinterested in America’s political climate. Despite this general…
How Invested in Politics are Denison Students?
By Joanna Passalaris This past year has been an unfortunately historic year for American politics. Every week there seems to be a new breaking story about yet another executive order, increased international conflicts, or cultural tensions approaching a breaking point. With all of this going on, people should be interested in the news. In the…
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…
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