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Volume 61, Number 33    May 12, 2014         

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Newsmakers

Dry context
Earth & Climate Sciences Lecturer Jan Null commented for a May 2 San Francisco Chronicle article about ongoing drought conditions in California. "We have to put that (1975-76 drought) in the context of how much water we are using now for agriculture, for industry and for humans," Null said. "There is more demand for the amount of water we have than there was in the 1970s."

Gravitas of debate
Professor of Communication Studies Joe Tuman, a candidate for Oakland mayor, commented on the role of debates in political campaigns for a May 3 San Jose Mercury News report. "If you're enjoying that advantage (of incumbency), why would you want to get up on a stage with challengers and basically lend some gravitas to their campaigns by your presence?" Tuman said. "But whether incumbents like it or not, debates are now a regular tradition of every political race in this country."

Happiness-spending: it's complicated
Research by Associate Professor of Psychology Ryan Howell that indicates materialistic shoppers will not experience a boost in happiness when purchasing experiences or goods was the subject of a May 4 piece in Forbes. "Everyone has been told if you spend your money on life experiences, it will make you happier, but we found that isn’t always the case," Howell said. "Extremely material buyers, who represent about a third of the overall population, are sort of stuck. They’re not really happy with either purchase."

A bamboo ceiling
A May 8 Diverse Issues in Higher Education article about the difficulties faced by Asians in attaining leadership roles in higher education, included comments and advice from President Les Wong. "One of the things that has handicapped my community is that we've never really been formal about having a mentoring system," Wong said. "When you talk to Hispanics or African-Americans, they can tell you in seconds who they call their mentors. I've been shocked how many Asian/Pacific Islanders can't name one."

A clear leader
An editorial in the May 8 San Francisco Chronicle about Stanford University's decision to divest from coal companies mentioned the leading role taken by SF State. Last year, the San Francisco State University Foundation voted to divest holdings from companies with major coal and tar sands holdings, a first among public universities.

 

For more media coverage of faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs, see SF State in the News.

 


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