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Women who run for office inspire others to do the same, study suggests

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 17:29:42 +0000

Women who run for office inspire others to do the same, study suggests Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/28/2018 - 11:29

As a record number of women seek seats in Congress, CU Boulder and Notre Dame researchers probe the motivations behind the trend.

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Dems, GOP agree more than they think on climate change

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Dems, GOP agree more than they think on climate change Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/02/2018 - 08:00

Lisa Marshall

Just how far apart are Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views on climate change?

Not nearly as far as most assume, according to new CU Boulder research that surveyed more than 2,000 adults.

“Despite what we often hear about the deep divisions between parties, we found that there is actually general agreement that climate change is real, that human activity causes climate change, and that we should do something about it,” said Leaf Van Boven, a psychology and neuroscience professor at CU Boulder and lead author of the study, published today in Perspectives on Psychological Science.

The researchers also found that people are more likely to support the same climate policy proposal when they think that their own political party supports it. And both Democrats and Republicans overestimate how much their peers oppose the ideas of the other party.

“We found that people routinely place party over policy and disagree for the sake of disagreeing,” Van Boven said.

For the project, Van Boven and colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara set out to explore the psychological reasons that—despite warnings about economic, social and humanitarian impacts of climate change—U.S. lawmakers have yet to enact a national policy.

Previous studies and conventional wisdom suggested this was primarily because most Republicans are skeptical of climate change.

So the researchers conducted two studies in 2014 and 2016 with diverse national panels of over 2,000 U.S. adults, asking: Is climate change happening? Does it pose a risk to humans? Is human activity responsible? And can reducing greenhouse gas emissions reduce climate change?

Sixty-six percent of Republicans, 74 percent of Independents, and 90 percent of Democrats said they believed in human-caused climate change and the utility of reducing greenhouse gases.

“Just before the presidential election when most Republicans were voting for Trump, who characterized climate change as a ‘hoax,’ they nevertheless expressed a belief in climate change,” notes Van Boven.

Party over policy

As part of the 2014 study, the researchers showed participants one of two proposed policies. One was a cap-and-trade policy which have historically been championed by Democrats. The other was a revenue-neutral carbon tax based on policies recently championed by Republicans. Participants were told that 95 percent of Republicans and 10 percent of Democrats supported the policy, or vice versa.

Regardless of the content, Democrats supported policies from Democrats more often, and Republicans supported policies from Republicans more often.

In a related study of 500 people, also co-authored by Van Boven and published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, the authors used actual language from a proposed climate change policy that was part of ballot initiative I-732 in Washington State in 2016.

The researchers highlighted either Democrats or Republicans who genuinely supported or opposed the policy to the study volunteers and found similar results.

“Democratic and Republican citizens alike evaluate proposed climate policies based on who proposed it – above and beyond their thoughts on the details of the policy, or whether it coheres with their beliefs,” said senior author David Sherman, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UCSB.

The researchers also interviewed four retired members of Congress: Mickey Edwards (R-Ok.) Robert Inglis (R-South Carolina), David Skaggs, (D-Colo.) and Tim Wirth (D-Colo). All four reported that as climate change became closely associated with Democrats, Republican disagreement increased.

“If you were interested in supporting climate change, that meant you were interested in supporting Al Gore,” Wirth told the researchers.

This distrust of the other side, combined with a false assumption that the two parties sharply disagree has made it difficult for good, bipartisan ideas to gain traction, said Van Boven.

“It is extremely difficult, psychologically, to publicly support a policy we think our peers will disagree with,” he said.

With several bipartisan climate change proposals in the works and election season around the corner, Van Boven hopes the papers will prompt voters to take a hard look at how they make decisions.

“We are often unwittingly swayed by partisan considerations even when it is in contrast with the way we would like to behave,” he said.

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A majority of Republicans, independents and Democrats said they believed in human-caused climate change and the utility of reducing greenhouse gases.

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Coloradans distrust lawmakers, support Dreamers, survey shows

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 22:45:53 +0000

Coloradans distrust lawmakers, support Dreamers, survey shows Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/25/2018 - 15:45

Lisa Marshall

Coloradans “firmly disapprove” of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress, have waning confidence in state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, overwhelmingly support “Dreamers” and would likely favor a Democrat if a congressional election were held today.

These are some key findings from the second annual Colorado Political Climate Survey released Thursday by the American Politics Research Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Key takeaways

34 percent of Coloradans approve of Trump’s performance.
14 percent approve of Congress' job performance.
71 percent said they favor allowing “Dreamers” to stay in the country.

“Not surprisingly, people in Colorado are unhappy with the state of politics right now, and it is affecting how they view lawmakers and policy issues at the local level,” said political science professor and lab director Scott Adler, one of three collaborators on the survey.

Launched in 2016, the nonpartisan lab supports research, education and public engagement about American politics. The survey was administered online to more than 800 demographically diverse residents in November, asking questions ranging from how they feel about providing tax incentives for large companies, like Amazon, to their views on climate change and marijuana legalization. The survey also asked how respondents might vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

The Colorado Political Climate Survey is the first to offer a comprehensive, annual look at political attitudes of residents in the battleground Centennial State over time.

“The survey adds to the public discourse by focusing on issues that are important for both state and national policymakers that other surveys do not ask about,” said Carey Stapleton, a fourth-year PhD student who helped develop the survey.

Trust in elected officials on the decline

On the national level, only 14 percent of survey respondents (18 percent of Republicans and 13 percent of Democrats) approved of Congress' job performance, down from 26 percent in 2016.

Thirty-four percent (79 percent of Republicans and four percent of Democrats) approved of Trump’s performance, with more men expressing approval than women. This compares to the 57 percent overall approval rate respondents gave to Obama in 2016.

Despite a slight decline in his approval rating, a majority (53 percent) of Coloradans still approve of Gov. John Hickenlooper. But both Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and Republican Sen. Cory Gardner saw their approval ratings slip below the 50 percent mark: 44 percent approve of Bennet’s performance, down from 53 percent in 2016; 25 percent approve of Gardner’s performance, down from 43 percent in 2016.

“Gardner saw the biggest change in job approval among statewide elected officials,” the report states. “Not only is Gardner’s overall approval rating very low among Democrats (12 percent) as we might expect, but he scores quite poorly among independents (23 percent) and lacks majority approval among Republicans (46 percent).”

On the state level, approval of the legislature fell from 51 percent to 43 percent overall.

While trust in local government remained unchanged and fairly robust, trust in the federal government plummeted: In 2016, 1 in 4 said they trusted the federal government. In 2017, 1 in 10 said they did.

Coloradans split on issues, except DACA

Coloradans were split along party lines on most policy issues. But on immigration, a notable exception emerged: 71 percent (including 52 percent of Republicans) said they favor allowing undocumented residents who came to the country as children, aka “Dreamers” to stay in the country via policies like DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

Scott Adler

“With the current national debate on immigration, I think it is important to note that a majority of all partisans—Democrats, independents and Republicans—support allowing Dreamers to remain in the United States,” Stapleton said.

Coloradans also gave lukewarm support (56 percent) for tax-incentives to bring large companies to Colorado. Two-thirds support marijuana legalization, and 60 percent support increased gun-control measures.

Looking forward

When asked whether they would support a Democratic or Republican candidate in the next congressional election, respondents favored Democrats by almost 20 percentage points, a spread that has grown since 2016. Democrats fared better in urban and suburban areas, while in rural areas, to the surprise of the authors, the vote would be “dead even.”

The authors say it is too early to tell whether Colorado is shifting from purple to blue “but our numbers from the past two years would seem to be consistent with such a trend.”

The survey will be repeated next fall, with results released before the 2018 election.

Colorado residents overwhelmingly support Dreamers, firmly disapprove of Trump, and would likely elect a Democrat for U.S. Congress if a vote were held today, found a recent survey.

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Colorado Law partners with international human rights organization, launches new master's degree

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:00:00 +0000

Colorado Law partners with international human rights organization, launches new master's degree Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/07/2017 - 08:00

The University of Colorado Law School and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced today a partnership establishing an advanced program of study in international human rights.

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CU Boulder professor testifies before U.N. committee on Guam

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 00:05:18 +0000

CU Boulder professor testifies before U.N. committee on Guam Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/04/2017 - 18:05

Lisa Marshall

With escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea threatening the security of the nearby U.S. territory of Guam, CU Boulder Professor Tiara Na'puti testified before a United Nations committee this week calling for its help in hastening decolonization for the beleaguered island.

Tiara Na'puti testifying before a U.N. committee Tuesday.

“To be able to make decisions for yourself as a people is an inherent right that everyone should have, and we don’t have it,” said Na’puti, a member of the indigenous Chamorro people of Guam and an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, before her testimony. "The time has come."

Na’puti was one of 17 Chamorro delegates who traveled to New York City Tuesday to testify before the U.N. Special Political and Decolonization Committee (4th Committee). The delegation, including Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo, came to support a strongly worded six-page resolution urging the United Nations to live up to its long-standing goal to eradicate colonialism by 2020.

A complex history

Fifty-seven years after that target was set, there remain 17 "non-self-governing territories," or colonies, including Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Guam became an unincorporated territory of the United States in 1898 and, aside from a brief occupation by the Japanese during World War II, has remained a critical military post for the United States, with bases taking up roughly one-third of its landmass.

People born on Guam are considered U.S. citizens and have some of the highest military enlistment rates per capita. But they cannot vote for the U.S. president and their congressional representative has limited voting power. Residents must carry a passport and pay international fares when traveling to and from the mainland, and are subject to unique trade policies, like the Jones Act, that make shipping goods there difficult and consumer prices there expensive, says Na’puti.

We are asking the U.N. to use its influence to engage the U.S. in Guam’s decolonization process and condemn the serious, irrevocable damage that the U.S. is planning in the northern part of Guam.”
–Tiara Na’puti

In recent years, escalating U.S. military build-up on the island and concerns about its potential impact on ancient burial grounds, water supplies and local forests have sparked heightened interest in self-determination among the native people of Guam and the thousands of Chamorros who now live in the United States.

“We are asking the U.N. to use its influence to engage the U.S. in Guam’s decolonization process and condemn the serious, irrevocable damage that the U.S. is planning in the northern part of Guam,” says Na’puti.

The resolution calls on the United Nations to put pressure on the United States to “assume its responsibility in allowing the people of Guam to fully exercise their inaliable right to self-determination” by helping the island hold a vote of the people on their future political status.

It also requests that the United Sates “recognize and respect the political rights and the cultural and ethnic identity of the Chamorro people” and “take all measures necessary to protect and conserve the environment against degradation and impact of militarization.”

Testimony touches on North Korea

In her testimony, Na'puti also called on the United Nations to send a delegation to Guam “to immediately address escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States that continue putting the people of Guam in danger, caught in the crosshairs without our own sovereign power to intervene.”

The territory suffered an $11 million loss in tourism revenues due to recent threats to its security, other delegates reported

Tiara Na'puti in Guam

Na’puti, a faculty affiliate with CU’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, was born in the United States but has Chamorro indigenous ancestors on the island dating back generations.

Her political activism on behalf of the Chamorro people started early.

“I remember being asked in elementary school to write a report about a U.S. state. I asked the teacher, ‘Can I write about a U.S. territory?’ I wrote about Guam,” she said. Today, she visits often. “Guam’s struggle has always been my struggle, too.”

She notes that opinions differ as to what Guam’s political status should be (options include full independence, statehood or free association). For now, she says, her key objective is to help get the support of the United Nations and United States in holding a vote of the people there.

“I was humbled and empowered to join an unprecedented number of Chamorro petitioners speaking at the 4th Committee meeting on the Question of Guam this year,” she said after giving her testimony. “Collectively, we were able to give stronger voice to a variety of issues that threaten our decolonization. I am hopeful.”

Professor Tiara Na'puti, a member of the indigenous Chamorro people of Guam, testified before a United Nations committee this week calling for its help in hastening decolonization of the beleaguered island.

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Trump's pick for Supreme Court a visiting professor at CU Boulder

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 01:05:48 +0000

Trump's pick for Supreme Court a visiting professor at CU Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/31/2017 - 18:05

Elizabeth Lock

Neil Gorsuch. (Photo courtesy of Colorado Law)

Neil Gorsuch, who President Trump today announced as his nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States, is a visiting professor at the University of Colorado Law School in addition to a judge for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Since 2008, Gorsuch has taught ethics and antitrust law at CU Boulder, typically teaching one course per semester as a Thomson Visiting Professor. The visiting professor program brings leading experts from academia, the judiciary and legal practice to campus to teach classes in areas of key concern for law students.

“We congratulate Judge Gorsuch on his nomination,” said Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. “His time spent teaching, advising and mentoring our students has been invaluable to our campus. He has embodied our goals at CU Boulder for ensuring student success and developing tomorrow’s leaders.”

“We congratulate Judge Gorsuch on his nomination,” said Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. “His time spent teaching, advising and mentoring our students has been invaluable to our campus. He has embodied our goals at CU Boulder for ensuring student success and developing tomorrow’s leaders.”

Through the years, Gorsuch has offered advising to students and has spoken at events, including Colorado Law’s new student orientation in 2016 and the law school’s commencement ceremony in 2012.

“As a distinguished jurist, Judge Gorsuch has given his time, energy and talents to Colorado Law over the last eight years, and our students and alumni are fortunate that he has taught in our classrooms,” said Dean S. James Anaya. “He is an extremely accomplished example of our visiting faculty, who bring diverse perspectives to our school and model rigorous legal thinking for our students.”

Gorsuch’s parents, David Gorsuch and Anne Gorsuch Burford, were 1964 graduates of Colorado Law. Both are deceased.

Another CU Boulder connection to the U.S. Supreme Court, the late Justice Byron R. White was a college football star who graduated from the university in 1938.

CU Boulder’s Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law hosts a variety of speakers and events, including statewide high school visits for Constitution Day; a program pairing upper-level law students with teachers at underserved high schools to teach a course about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and lectures that bring legal scholars and well-known jurists to campus. The center’s John Paul Stevens Lecture series, which is open to the public, has included Stevens (2011) and other U.S. Supreme Court justices: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2012), Sandra Day O’Connor (2013), the late Antonin Scalia (2014) and Sonia Sotomayor (2016).

Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch has taught, advised and mentored law students on campus for eight years, supporting student success and the development of tomorrow’s leaders. Both of his parents graduated from Colorado Law in 1964.

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Journalism students fact check election for local media

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 21:14:12 +0000

Journalism students fact check election for local media Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/07/2016 - 14:14

In a contentious election year, journalism students at CU Boulder have partnered with local news outlets to keep the facts straight.

Writing for The Denver Post, students in the Journalism Department's News Corps class have published seven print articles fact checking statements made by Colorado politicians in debates, campaign ads and press releases. They have also teamed up with the investigative team at 9News—Denver’s NBC affiliate—to live fact check the major political debates.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed getting my hands dirty, as well as being involved in the process of the information systems when it comes to politics and the overall election in Colorado, because it's such an important state nationally,” said Deepan Dutta, a journalism master’s student.

In the CU News Corps class, undergraduate and graduate students develop investigative reporting skills. In non-election years, students will publish in-depth reports, including an investigation of hazardous mine spills and a documentary on First Amendment rights in high schools.

“The students that come to News Corps tend to be very serious about in-depth reporting and digging into statements made by the powerful people in our society,” said Jeff Browne, the course’s instructor. “So they are relishing the opportunity to do that in the election and to have their voice heard.”

Part of that opportunity is dealing with criticism that often follows a successful fact check. After one of his fact checks was published in The Denver Post, Dutta received a slew of harsh, online comments and even an angry phone call from a campaign staffer.

“That was definitely an eye opening experience, but as Greg Griffin, the [investigations editor at The Denver Post] told me, ‘Welcome to politics; that’s just how it works.’ And I think that could be a learning experience for anyone who wants to do stuff like this,” said Dutta.

Despite the blowback, the students have stood by the facts. “The students have been able to effectively defend any charges of bias or sloppiness thrown at them,” said Browne. “It's courageous of The Denver Post to open their pages and open their website to our students’ content, and the students are taking that very seriously.”

At 9News, students worked with the TV station’s investigative journalists to live fact check statements from the presidential debates and Colorado’s U.S. Senate debate for accuracy.

“It was very helpful having the students here,” said Nicole Vap, who leads the station's investigative team. “Because, especially in a live debate, you’re having to go so fast that if one person is working on one statement, you can be catching that next one.”

Undergraduate student Sola Lawal, who helped 9News fact check Colorado’s U.S. Senate debate, gained a new appreciation for breaking-news reporting. “It was really surprising to see how everyone was really working under pressure and still stayed calm and figured everything out.”

For Dutta, the class has fulfilled one of his long-term goals as a graduate student. “I’m really just happy that I was published in a major newspaper. That was kind of my goal all along going into journalism and back to grad school. That was kind of part of my dream fulfilled.”

Read the students' fact checks at The Denver Post:

In a contentious election year, journalism students at CU Boulder have partnered with local news outlets to keep the facts straight by publishing articles that challenge statements made by Colorado politicians and live fact checking major political debates.

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