From the Media

Why do Oregon elections often include ballot measures asking for voters to OK property tax increases to fund resources ranging from schools to fire departments? State governments can't keep up with inflation and property tax reforms in the '90s make it possible to ask voters to step in. “I think it was poorly understood at the time either by the legislature or by the voters,” Joe Stone, professor emeritus of economics at College of Arts and Sciences, told the Salem Statesman Journal.

The summer brings long hot days, but if you're near Bend, Oregon, you can stargaze at Pine Mountain Observatory, which is affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. Reader's Digest pointed to the observatory as a spot to gaze between June 6 and 10, when Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will be above the western horizon.

An opinion article in the Wall Street Journal mentions research by College of Arts and Sciences sociologist Hannah Waight. Waight is a lead co-author on a team of seven researchers that included Purdue University, University of California San Diego, New York University and Princeton University that recently published its first peer-reviewed evidence that China’s state-controlled media has worked its way into the training data of AI chatbots that the world relies on.

Protests were planned across the world on May 1 in honor of International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, including in the Pacific Northwest. Steven Beda, an assistant professor of history at the College of Arts and Sciences, specializes in the history of labor in the Pacific Northwest. He said many in the labor movement came to believe that these men were convicted because they were immigrants, not because they committed a crime.

Mother Jones spoke with College of Arts and Sciences chemist and presidential chair Geraldine Richmond about the state of the National Science Foundation under the current White House administration. "This board is so important for being able to advise Congress as well as the president on issues that are so important to the country,” she said. Richmond was first appointed to the board by President Barack Obama and later by Trump during his first term.

Kenyan runners Sabastian Sawe (1:59:30) and Yomif Kejelcha (1:59:41) broke the two-hour marathon barrier at the 2026 London Marathon. College of Arts and Sciences human physiologist Brad Wilkins spoke with the publication Scientific American about the specially made Adidas shoes the two runners wore in the race and broke down why these shoes make such a difference.

Longtime Oregonian Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation as US labor secretary came after 13 months in office amid a swirl of whistleblowers’ allegations of professional misconduct. Her departure from the Trump administration means less influence for Oregon on the national stage, Chandler James told the Oregonian. James is a College of Arts and Sciences political science assistant professor.

Since 2003, “King James” Lebron, age 41, has continued to rule the NBA without serious injuries since 2003, redefining elite longevity in the process. Lebron plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. “He’s been so successful over the years in large part because he goes the extra yard in the recovery process,” said Christopher Minson, a professor of physiology at the College of Arts and Sciences who trains endurance athletes.

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month and Developmental Disability Awareness Month. For WBUR in Boston, Massachusetts, College of Arts and Sciences Disability Studies Program Director Brian Trapp wrote an essay about his experiences with his twin brother, who had severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities.

What are the political implications of "No Kings" rallies? Portland-area TV news outlet KGW interviewed College of Arts and Sciences political scientist Chandler James. According to James, politicians on the 2026 midterm ballot are paying attention to what's happening at the rallies held across the country.

From Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s food pyramid to online influencers, beef has become more than just a source of protein. The New York Times included insight about the history of meat in the US from Hannah Cutting-Jones, a global studies assistant professor at the College of Arts and Sciences Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages.

Mira Schoeberlien, a third-year human physiology doctoral student in the College of Arts and Sciences, had research reported by the outlet Medical Xpress and shared by MSN news. Schoeberlein’s research found that female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuations through the menstrual cycle don’t change a woman’s ability to exercise hard — but they do influence how difficult it feels.

L. Zachary DuBois, an associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, writes about how the number of bills directly targeting and undermining the existing legal rights of transgender and nonbinary people in the US has been escalating, with sharp increases since 2021 and with each consecutive year.

The Dallas-based publication D Magazine featured College of Arts and Sciences History Associate Professor Annelise Heinz, who authored "Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture," about a luxury retailer Mahjong Line. The Texas-based company faced backlash for allegations of cultural appropriation in 2021.

In a BBC article covering scientific research that is upending age-old gender stereotypes about empathy, Sara Hodges is featured. Hodges is a psychologist at the College of Arts and Sciences and co-author of a study that proposes that women may show improved empathic accuracy not due to an innate ability, but because they are more motivated to do so by societal expectations.