The Conversation

Why it's so hard for students to have their debts forgiven

Written by Neal H. Hutchens, Professor of Higher Education, University of Mississippi

Forgive me, for I have borrowed.Peg Hunter/Flickr, CC BY-NC

Outstanding student loan debt in the United States reached a record US$1.35 trillion in March, up six percent from a year earlier.

About 10 million people who borrowed from the government’s main student loan program – 43 percent – are currently behind or no longer making...

Raise a cup -- of coffee; WHO no longer says it can cause cancer

Written by Keri Szejda, Food Safety and Health Communication Scholar, Center for Research on Ingredient Safety, Arizona State University

Cup of coffee via ShutterstockFrom www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-SA

Since 1991, coffee has been saddled with the label, “possibly causes cancer.” As of June 15, coffee got a clean bill of health.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer – or IARC – is the WHO agency that evaluates evidence and scientific research on...

Global warming to expose more people to Zika-spreading mosquito _Aedes aegypti_

Written by Andrew Monaghan, Scientist Research Applications Laboratory in Climate Science & Applications Program, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

A human-dependent mosquito, the range of the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti is projected to grow in the U.S. and affect more people globally. sanofi-pasteur/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

As Americans ready themselves for the arrival of mosquitoes this summer, many may be wondering whether they are at risk for tropical diseases like Zika and whether climate...

In the wake of tragedy, Trump takes rhetoric of fear to a whole new level

Written by Stephanie A. Martin, Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Southern Methodist University

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina on June 15, 2016.Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Donald Trump’s remarks in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting massacre – especially the reiteration of his call to temporarily ban Muslim immigration to the United States – angered leaders across America’s...

LGBT equality doesn't exist – but here's how to fight for it

Written by David Miller, Doctoral Student in Psychology, Northwestern University

When I came out as gay in my sophomore year of college, I absolutely loved going to Tigerheat – a kitschy 18-and-over gay club in Los Angeles. I mostly remember my nights there as frivolous fun, but they also had deeper meaning. That’s where I first learned how to openly and unabashedly celebrate being gay.

I danced wildly to Britney...

The Orlando shooting: exploring the link between hate crimes and terrorism

Written by Joshua D. Freilich, Professor of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

Some are calling the mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub an act of terrorism. Others are calling it a hate crime against the LGBT community. President Obama declared it an “act of terror and an act of hate.”

Can it be both?

It’s an important question. How extremist crimes are labeled by officials directly affects how...

How did Brazil go from rising BRIC to sinking ship?

Written by Steven M. Helfand, Associate Professor of Economics, University of California, Riverside

Brazil's economy was once considered ready to take flight. What happened?

Most of the headlines in recent weeks have focused on Brazil’s troubling political crisis. But the country is also in the midst of a deep economic recession.

The economy has been shrinking since the second quarter of 2014. It contracted by 3.8 percent in 2015 and is...

Fathers also want to ‘have it all,’ study says

Written by Gayle Kaufman, Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

Dads need support, too.CC BY-SA

Have you seen the T-shirt slogan: Dads don’t babysit (it’s called “parenting”)?

This slogan calls out the gendered language we often still use to talk about fathers. Babysitters are temporary caregivers who step in to help out the parents. But the fact is that fathers are spending more time...

The truth about for-profit colleges and Trump University

Written by Kevin Kinser, Associate Professor of Education, University at Albany, State University of New York

Documents released in a federal lawsuit against Trump University have put presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the defensive. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is now highlighting the fraud that is at the center of the case.

In the process, many commentators are identifying the Trump University business model as further...

48 hours as a Muslim American: A professor reflects

Written by Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Muslim Studies program, Michigan State University

What a difference 48 hours can make.

Last Friday afternoon, before a global audience, former president Bill Clinton (a Christian) and comedian Billy Crystal (a Jew) eulogized “the Greatest,” the most famous Muslim American of all time, Muhammad Ali.

The televised audience also took in Islamic invocations, recitations from the...