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Understanding the meaning of America’s monuments

As the debate continues with what to do with Confederate monuments that dot America’s landscape, the experts from the University of Mary Washington have been lending perspective, knowledge and opinion to the conversation. Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna is part of a team of scholars from universities across the South who are investigating how enslavement is incorporated in the landscape and narratives of Southern plantation museums. A key part of this work is to suggest ways these museums can rework their tours and exhibits to help the public understand that slavery was central to both the lives of everybody who lived at these sites and to the development of American political and economic systems. Says Hanna: “A year after white supremacists rioted in Charlottesville, it is clear that the underlying issues related to racial justice have not gone away. African-Americans face arrest for simply being in places where whites suspect they don’t belong. Police are more likely to escalate their use of force more quickly when dealing with black Americans. In addition, both Blacks and Latinos are fighting efforts to make it harder for them to vote while Latino Immigrants have to fear deportation and family separation.” He continues: “The struggle over Confederate Memorials and the narratives presented as “history” at southern plantation museums must be seen within this context. The good news is that more people understand that statues of Robert E. Lee and costumed tour guides at plantation museums describing a romanticized version of the antebellum South don’t represent our shared past. Instead they are efforts to write a particular history that denies that our nation’s roots include enslavement of African-Americans and that slavery’s legacy includes the injustices non-whites endure today.” Dr. Hanna is available to speak with media regarding this topic. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Confederate monuments: How should America preserve and remember its history?

August 12 marks one year since a deadly march in Charlottesville, Virginia, when white nationalists showed up to protest the city's plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general. And one year later, the debates across America, particularly the South, continue about what should be done with Civil War-era monuments in town squares, public parks and other areas of high visibility. Most of the monuments were put in place decades after the end of the Civil War when whites in the South were reclaiming their dominant position socially and economically. So it’s not surprising that Confederate monuments are politically loaded. They were from the beginning, but the society in which the monuments find themselves has changed. What should be done with these monuments? Are they worthy of preservation? Should they be on display in a museum or discarded and forgotten? The pendulum is swinging very hard both ways on what to do, and that’s where the experts from the University of Mary Washington can help. Jason James, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, is a scholar of cultural memory who teaches a unique course called Practices of Memory, which focuses on the ways societies remember and forget the past through monuments and memorials, museums, film, and other media. This includes the debates over Confederate monuments and the commemoration of slavery. Jason is available to speak with media regarding this topic. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

What can the Big Mac tell us about our economy?

McDonald’s is celebrating Big Mac’s 50th anniversary by giving away MacCoins, which customers can use to buy a Big Mac in 50 countries. The idea of creating this burger currency, according to the company, originated from the “Big Mac Index,” which The Economist has used since 1986 to compare real currencies across the globe. Because McDonald’s has more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries, the price of its top-selling burger, locally produced in more than 80 countries, has been used to indicate the purchasing power of a country’s economy. What does burgernomics tell us about our economy? Dr. Simon Medcalfe is a professor of economics and finance at Augusta University and is available to discuss: • How the Big Mac Index is calculated • What the latest Big Mac Index says about the U.S. dollar and the U.S. economy • Why the Big Mac has been called the nearly perfect commodity for currency comparison Medcalfe has published academic articles in the areas of sports and health economics and economic education as well as contributed to labor economics and entrepreneurial finance textbooks. Contact us to schedule an interview with Dr. Medcalfe or learn more about his expertise. Source:

Adults need vaccines too? You bet. Find out why.

Back to school for kids also means time to get those immunizations up to date. But did you know that most adults, age 50 and older, may also need a few important vaccines as well? August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and what better time to check with your physician to see what vaccines may be appropriate for your age. “One of the most important immunizations for adults to have each year is the Influenza vaccine,” said Dr. Jose Vazquez, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Augusta University and AU Medical Center. “In elderly or older adults, in particular, the flu can turn deadly very quickly.” There was a was a high severity of the H3N2 influenza strain with record-breaking levels of influenza-like illness and hospitalization rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We hope to save more lives through appropriate and timely flu vaccinations,” Vazquez said. Furthermore, vaccines are necessary throughout our lives. Adults should keep their vaccinations up to date because immunity from childhood vaccines may wear off over the years. Other factors that can influence the need for different vaccines in adults include the individual’s underlying health conditions, career, lifestyle, and travel habits. Other important adult vaccines include Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), pneumococcal (pneumonia prevention), and shingles. “Immunizations have proven to be very safe, and they are widely available. I recommend asking your primary care doctor about what vaccines you need to promote better health and prevent communicable diseases,” Vazquez said. To schedule an interview with Dr. Jose Vazquez, click on his expert profile. Source:

Electronic health records and the impact on workflow and costs

Healthcare practitioners and hospitals were initially slow to implement electronic health records (EHR) due to the perceived cost. The financial incentives from Medicare/Medicaid to adopt EHRs helped alleviate some of that concern, but the actual impact on workflow and profits, irrespective of those incentives, are still under investigation. In a research study, Steven D. Culler, adjunct associate professor of finance, along with David J. Ballard (Baylor Health Care System); Edmund R. Becker (Emory University); Dunlei Cheng (U of Texas); Briget da Graca (Baylor Health Care System); Neil S. Fleming (Baylor Health Care System); and Russell McCorkle (HealthTexas Provider Network) analyzed administrative, payroll, and billing data from 26 primary care practices in a Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas-based fee-for-service network that implemented EHRs from June 2006 through December 2008. In the 12-month period following implementation, staffing expenses increased 3 percent and practice costs increased 6 percent. The data revealed that “productivity, volume, and net income decreased initially, but recovered to/close to preimplementation levels after 12 months.” Given the recent rollout of EHRs across the country, the researchers noted the need for a longer-term investigation of the impact on productivity and costs. Source:

Baylor Media Expert Shares Thoughts Re: Charges of Biased Media Coverage of Minorities

Early this week, 18-year-old Nia Wilson was stabbed to death on a platform while transferring trains in Oakland, California. Authorities said the attack was unprovoked. Media coverage of Wilson's death included photos from her social media accounts. One California television station chose to share a photo of Wilson, who was African American, holding what appeared to be a gun. The decision to run that particular photo sparked outrage, with many saying the photo added to a trend of a biased media portrayal of minorities. Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor University, is an expert on mass media representations of women, minorities and other underrepresented groups. "This incident brings back memories of the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Media outlets used various photos to portray them as menacing. It also brings to mind the hashtag: #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, which asks the question: 'If they gunned me down, what photo would media use?'" Moody Ramirez said. "Historically, media outlets have used such photos to: 1) frame the individuals a certain way, 2) add interest to the story, 3) stir up conflict. Awareness that this is happening is the best way to stop it in the future. Black Twitter has taken on this cause. In the 'clap back' culture of Black Twitter, news outlets are very likely to get called out for such behavior." Moody-Ramirez is the co-author of the new book "From Blackface to Black Twitter: Reflections on Black Humor, Race, Politics, & Gender." In 2013, she co-authored "The Obamas and Mass Media: Race, Gender, Religion, and Politics." She also authored "Black and Mainstream Press’ Framing of Racial Profiling: A Historical Perspective." Source:

Reconstructing the past to forecast how climate change may alter our future

The scientific world all agrees – climate change is real, it’s here and it is something we need to know more about. As the climate on Earth changes – everything from temperatures, weather patterns, wind rain and snow will all in some way or another be altered. Even minor and fractional adjustments in some aspects of climate may result in drastic differences to temperatures, precipitation, ocean levels and ecology. In order for us to understand the impacts of climate change and to try and predict how populations will have to adapt scientists at the University of Mary Washington are currently working on a long-term project to re -construct past climate by looking at the geochemistry of oyster shells. This research could prove vital as the Chesapeake Bay region is expected to experience more extremes in precipitation with human-caused warming, so more heavy rain events and more prolonged drought events. These changes in rainfall will cause drastic swings in salinity in the Bay from changes in the freshwater river input. It’s important research and the experts at the University of Mary Washington are available to help explain how oyster shells may hold the answer to the region’s future climate challenges. Dr. Pamela Grothe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences as the University of Mary Washington and is an expert on climate change. Dr. Grothe is available to speak with media regarding this subject – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Synergies between product placements and TV ads

As television watchers get inundated with commercials, the temptation to flip the channel grows. In the hopes of better connecting with consumers, advertisers are increasing their efforts to get product placements directly into TV shows. In a research study, David Schweidel, Goizueta Term Chair, Caldwell Research Fellow, and associate professor of marketing, and coauthors Natasha Zhang Foutz (U of Virginia) and Robin J. Tanner (U of Wisconsin) took a look at how the synergy between product placements and traditional commercials can keep viewers from flipping past the ad. The trio found that by simply putting a product in a television show and then immediately following it up with a commercial featuring the same product, viewers were more likely to stay tuned to the commercial. “The audience loss during the ad decreases by 5%,” they note. The effect was intensified when differing products from the same brand were shown in a program and then in a commercial immediately following the TV show. They write, “This indicates a positive synergy between the two activities that can reduce audience decline by more than 10%.” When products of different brands were featured in a television program and in a subsequent commercial, audience loss increased. Source:

The return on international investment products

Individual investors have access to an ever-increasing number of US-registered equity funds that invest in international assets, as well as institutional investment products focused on global assets. Despite the growing importance of global equity markets for US investors, there is little academic research devoted to their study. Jeffrey Busse, associate professor of finance, Amit Goyal (University of Lausanne), and Sunil Wahal (Arizona State U) advanced the research, tackling the common theory that less developed markets are less efficient and, consequently, “exploitable by active fund managers.” The trio analyzed a large sampling of active retail mutual funds and institutional products investing in global equity markets, concentrating their research on a sample period from 1991 to 2009. The authors used quarterly returns net of trading costs and gross of fees. They also collected information on annual fee schedules, portfolio turnover, and assets under management. On average and in the aggregate, the data showed a lack of “superior performance” for the sampling. The research paper won the Spangler IQAM Best Paper in Investments Prize at the 2014 European Finance Association Annual Meeting in Lugano, Switzerland. Source:

Unconventional Tech Conference Brings International Audience to UMW

Join us July 30 – August 3! Educators from Canada to Cairo, the UK and across the U.S. will attend the University of Mary Washington’s Digital Pedagogy Lab. Dynamic keynote speakers like NPR’s lead education blogger, Anya Kamenetz, and Columbia University’s Jade E. Davis will ask participants to re-imagine technology’s role in higher education, finding the best ways to teach with and about it. Hosted by UMW’s trend-setting Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies (think ground-breaking initiatives like Domain of One's Own), DPL delves deep into digital pedagogy, covering everything from cultural humility to “mad genius” storytelling. We’re also on Twitter – so follow along and join in on the conversation - @DigPedLab and #digped.​​ Source: