December 18, 2021-January 7, 2022

SCU in the News is a compilation of media placements secured by UMC Media Relations, as well as other highlights featuring faculty, staff, or students.

Op-eds or Thought Leadership

Opinion articles written by Santa Clara University faculty or staff, or other articles prominently featuring Santa Clara thought leadership.

Adults Acting Like Toddlers. Is This the New Normal?

The Mercury News

Thomas Plante (Psychology). We have all seen countless examples of adults acting like toddlers recently. They throw temper tantrums on airplanes, in grocery stores, restaurants and elsewhere over COVID requirements or other matters. Has this behavior become the new normal?

What a Burial Service for 1,780 Unclaimed Dead Tells Us About Dignity

National Catholic Reporter

David DeCosse (Markkula Center). It was a brilliant late fall morning on which to bury 1,780 unclaimed remains of persons from around the lonely reaches of Los Angeles County.

What Kinds of Ethical Challenges Should We Worry About When Going to Space?

KOPB
Brian Green (Markkula Center). What kinds of ethical challenges should we be worrying about we put that question in more to Brian Greene, director of technology Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and author of the book Space Ethics. Part 2.

College of Arts & Sciences

How a Global Pandemic Became a Beacon of Hope for San Francisco’s Homelessness Crisis

The Santa Clara

Karyn Connell (Theatre and Dance). Despite a growing rate of homelessness throughout SF, new funds allocated to the city as part of the nation-wide COVID-19 relief plan offer promise to solve the century-old problem.

‘I Would Have Bought Stock in Zoom!’: Experts on Wisdom (and Regrets) for a New Year of Covid

The Guardian

Thomas Plante (Psychology). If 2020 was a year of fear and isolation, 2021 marked one of return – a road toward something like “normal”, despite so many hairpin turns.

Sister-in-Law: Ex-MI House Speaker Lee Chatfield Sexually Assaulted Me as a Teen

Bridge Michigan

Thomas Plante told Bridge Michigan it’s not uncommon for people to avoid coming forward for years or even hide evidence of abuse, believing it to be their fault or fearful of being disbelieved or punished.

School of Engineering

John Deere's Self-Driving Tractor Stirs Debate on AI in Farming

WIRED
Christopher Kitts (Mechanical engineering) DEERE & CO. helped mechanize agriculture in 1837 with the first commercially successful steel plow. On Tuesday, the company unveiled a machine that could prove just as transformative: a fully autonomous tractor.

School of Law

Slain Officer’s Sister Sues Facebook over His Death

Dallas Express
Eric Goldman. The sister of a federal security officer who was fatally shot is suing Facebook for its alleged role in his death. Also found on SF Chronicle and 10 other sources.

NY Lawmaker Takes Aim at Social Platforms

MediaPost
Eric Goldman. A state lawmaker in New York has joined the growing list of public officials to introduce legislation aimed at controlling how social media platforms handle users' posts.

Web Donations Help Jan. 6 Suspects Tap Private Legal Muscle

Law360
Eric Goldman. When Angel Harrelson set up an online fundraiser in March, she assured would-be donors her husband "is not a monster and NOT a TERRORIST."

Democrat-Run States Are Pushing Laws to Target Social Media ‘Misinformation’

The Minnesota Sun
Eric Goldman. Democratic state lawmakers are proposing laws to curb “misinformation” on social media sites and other online platforms, mirroring efforts by Democrats in Congress. Also found on The Tampa Free Press and 5 other sources.

What Will Silicon Valley Learn from the Elizabeth Holmes' Trial?

Fox News
Ellen Kreitzberg. The fraud conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes could do more than just send a once-celebrated ex-billionaire to prison. In theory, it could also deliver a sobering message to a Silicon Valley culture that often gets lost in its own hubris and swagger. Also found on VOA and 20 other sources.

Leavey School of Business

Amazon Union Vote, Round Two: Why it's Happening, What's Different Now

CNET
Kirthi Kalyanam (Retail Management Institute). Amazon could still make a legal challenge against the second union vote at its Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse, but the vote will go forward regardless. Also found on five other sources.

Young Retail Investors’ Risk Appetite Shows No Signs of Being Curbed

Yahoo Finance
Meir Statman (Finance). The pandemic bore a new era for markets — one of a more powerful and influential retail investor.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

The Examined Year: 2021

Philosophy Talk
Brian Green. Because the un-examined year is not worth reviewing! What happened over the past 12 months that challenged our assumptions and made us think about things in new ways?

'Star Wars' Terrorism and the Ethics of Space

The Pillar
Brian Green. If space is the final frontier, it is also an important ethical frontier — a place whose exploration is fraught with serious ethical questions, about mining asteroids, space militarization, and even the possibility of encountering extraterrestrial life forms.

After Theranos, Time for Reckoning?

KOFY
Don Heider. The executive director of Santa Clara University's Center for Applied Ethics is developing ethical guidelines for venture capitalist.

Fortress-Backed Rail Company Brightline Gets an Ally in California's Treasurer

Bloomberg-Quint
John Pelissero. California Treasurer Fiona Ma's support for a costly private rail project to shuttle gamblers back-and-forth from the outskirts of Los Angeles to Las Vegas is no secret.

Money and Politics: Santa Clara Mayor’s Family Empire

San José Spotlight
John Pelissero. Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor might represent a smaller Bay Area city, but there’s nothing small about her business empire.

Investigations Show There’s a Cost to Gov. Ducey’s Conservative Tax Cutting

The Arizona Republic
John Pelissero. The Arizona Republic, in 2021, set out to examine the wide-ranging impacts of Ducey’s business-first approach.

Elizabeth Holmes Trial

NBC Bay Area
Irina Raicu. Continuing coverage on the trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the fallen tech star accused of duping financial backers, customers and patients into believing that her startup was about to revolutionize medicine.

Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship

San Jose Announces Six Artists as New Creative Ambassadors

Cupertino Today
Ricardo Cortez. Creative Ambassadors will serve a one-year term beginning January 1, and during this time they will produce a creative project that engages San Jose residents and celebrates cultural diversity.