Posts
All our main blog posts written by Parr Center undergraduate fellows in the Parr Heel Blog pod! Filter by year or topic to refine the results you see below.
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DEI Collab: Underdiagnosing ADHD in Women
Researchers should be taking more initiatives to create proper tools and enabling doctors to diagnose ADHD in both genders at young ages so that there can be proper treatment. If we continue to ignore the signs of developing ADHD in young girls, we are failing them in giving them the best possible chances for success in their futures.
DEI Collab: What is in a Label?
The labels that we use to describe people with exceptionalities are often inappropriate; however, by discussing these labels we can educate ourselves on what is appropriate and least harmful to those around us.
DEI Collab: Diversity in STEM
When the education and the scientific journals that the general public receives/read are largely based on a perspective that excludes a myriad of others, the knowledge we gain has an inherent bias. If anything, it detracts from the wholesome truth of the knowledge itself. If we exclude other perspectives on a subject, how much of the truth are we really receiving?
Is Effective Altruism Compatible with My Volunteer Work?
It can be valuable to be more careful with our dollars and strive to maximize their impact, but I will provide a personal example of how this movement created a conflict about the decisions I should make in my own life with my own time.
Are Combative Sports Violent?
Combative sports do not promote violence insofar as the rules are written. Just as in any contact sport, the air of competition is filtered to be thin with malice but rich with struggle. However, outside of the rules as written, competitors in combative sports can promote violence through immoral traits and actions.
DEI Collab: Model Minority Myth and Implications in Mental Health
While Asian Americans, through this myth, are framed positively, the classification as the model minority also contributes to the reduction of Asian American people’s lived experiences to fit into the narrative of the myth and adds social and internal pressures to fulfill the associated expectations.
Ethics and Mount Everest
In recent years, the prospect of climbing Mount Everest has transformed from a remote possibility to an achievable feat—so long as someone has the funds to do so. Over the past few decades, Everest has become increasingly commercialized as permits are awarded to experienced and inexperienced climbers alike, and as guided expeditions grow in popularity. This trend of commercialization, while making Everest slightly more accessible to many, has spawned numerous problems.
DEI Collab: Space Women
I want to use this space to recognize two brilliant scientists - two women named Henrietta Swan Leavitt and Jocelyn Bell Burnell who have by-and-large revolutionized astronomy. Without their contributions, we would be years if not decades behind where we are today.
DEI Collab: Privilege and Defensiveness
Many white people, including myself, understand that while we may never truly know what it’s like to experience the world as a black person, it’s our time to step down and listen. When internalizing and confronting the racism that has been so normalized by society that we didn’t even notice it, there can occur a lot of growing pains as we recognize where we’ve been wrong. While necessary, this can be deeply uncomfortable for multiple reasons, and some people appear to be reacting in unproductive ways.
Pandemic Ethics in Prisons
While incarcerated members of society have limited rights under the Constitution, they are still protected under the 8th Amendment, protecting them from cruel and unusual punishment and requiring that they are provided with a minimum standard of living. Thus, the adverse, potentially fatal, health implications of incarceration during the pandemic raises severe ethical concerns due to the undue harm experienced by inmates.
DEI Collab: Creole Languages and Discrimination
In the 19th and 20th centuries, race theory was perpetuated by certain linguists who believed that many Africans spoke creoles because they weren’t “advanced” or “intelligent” enough to learn their colonizers’ language, whether that be English, French, Portuguese, etc…These incorrect labels and assumptions contribute greatly to the dehumanization of people of African descent, and some governments still weaponize these misconceptions to further certain political agendas.
DEI Collab: Studentification - Is it ethical for UNC students to live in Northside?
The studentification of Northside has taken a neighborhood full of vitality and history and made its members feel like they no longer belong. While students do bring an economic influx to the area, its benefits are rarely felt by the original residents. Instead, rental companies who now own properties all across Northside benefit from the higher property value. If you are a student in Chapel Hill, what can you do to help?
DEI Collab: Women in STEM
The statistical representation of women in STEM is dismal, with the percentage of women earning undergraduate degrees in fields such as computer science and engineering as low as 18-19%. From a young age, women are discouraged from focusing on STEM, as gender stereotypes, marketing, and an educational focus on male scientists throughout early curriculums lead to female students deviating from previous interests in STEM. This early societal conditioning, combined with the existence of the “glass ceiling,” leads to a vast underrepresentation of women in STEM fields.
DEI Collab: Incorporating DEI into Ideas about the South
All too often, when people hear of troublesome issues in the American South, some amount of conscious or unconscious justification occurs. We look for reasons as to why something happened, or we brush off events as products of certain ways of life. In many ways, it is easier for people to cope with the idea of harmful practices if we can somehow rationalize them to ourselves; however, in reality, this process enables very real patterns of harm.
DEI Collab: (Not So) Hidden Bias in Hiring
While some business organizations recognize and have started to implement DEI efforts in their current workforce, it is also important for efforts to be made in organizations’ hiring processes. The information below will delineate the stages of the hiring process, the bias present within different stages, and the relation of such practices to John Rawls’ justice as fairness principles.
Ethics in Academia: The Professor
What constitutes an ethical professor? … students agreed that professors should “demonstrate respect for students, teach objectively, grade honestly, and should not tolerate cheating or plagiarism” (Kuther 153). We will look at a case study involving EphBlog founder and Professor David Kane of Harvard University and attempt to apply this definition of an ethical professor.
Exploring the Ethical Obligations for DEI in the Workforce
The arguments for DEI in business are intricate, but the initiatives and results can be succinct and consequential. Companies can begin to satisfy their ethical obligation to DEI by analyzing talent practices to identify and rectify bias in not only employees but also leadership and organizational structures. Monitoring and enhancing DEI practices in recruitment, retention, engagement, investment, and promotion is financially beneficial for businesses and ultimately fosters an inclusive environment that improves employee well-being and encourages a more equitable society.
Who’s to Blame for Rising Coronavirus Rates on College Campuses?
As universities around the country begin planning their spring semester, concerns around “the failures” of many universities to protect students in the fall are resurfacing. Underneath all of them lies the question of culpability; whether the students themselves are to blame for rampant rates of COVID-19 on campus, or whether administrators are at fault for bringing students back to a centralized location.