SCRA Actions
Social Justice. That value is at the core of the mission of SCRA. Current events in the U.S. could pose significant threats to social justice. How can we, as an organization, respond?
Discrimination Based Upon Gender Identity
Concerned about discrimination based upon a person's gender identity? Here are some resources.
Trump's budget director pick: "Do we really need government-funded research at all"?
In a recent article published on Vox, journalist Julia Belluz describes some truly alarming statements made by Congressman Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, who President-elect Trump has nominated to head the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As Director of the OMB, Mulvaney would be charged with preparing the federal budget and overseeing the federal agencies, including various federal research entities like NSF, NIH, and NIJ.
As Belluz writes in the article, "In a stunning September 9 Facebook post (that’s since been deleted but is still cached), Mulvaney asked, ‘... what might be the best question: do we really need government funded research at all.’" To support his argument, Congressman Mulvaney questions U.S. support for Zika research by drawing on CDC-supported research findings published in June that show an apparent lack of connection between Zika and microcephaly in Columbian mothers and children—a finding that contradicts other findings in neighboring Brazil and elsewhere.
As psychologists and other scientists well know, Mulvaney’s reasoning is seriously flawed.We are disturbed by Rep. Mulvaney's comments and skepticism of government funded scientific research. As the choice for White House budget director he would have considerable influence in how government funded research is budgeted for during the next Administration.
We all know that there will be dire consequences if government funding for scientific research dwindles or ceases. This is true for social sciences no less than physical sciences. SPSSI President Chris Crandall stresses, "Social and psychological research is a key part of the infrastructure of democracy. Social scientists ask how the human world works. Policies must be developed, understood, and criticized with the aid of these facts. Social research with the best possible scientific data can inform open-minded analysis, and lead to effective public policy. Social and behavioral research is an essential contribution to the process of argument, dissent, law and policy."
Take Action Today!
- Spread the word on social media! Go to SPSSI’s and SCRA's Facebook and Twitter pages and like our posts about Mulvaney’s statements. Then repost/re-tweet on your own pages.
- Spread the word in real life! Talk about the importance of science with the people in your lives. Be a champion for the concept of "Sound Science, Sound Policy".
- Engage in personal advocacy for science! If you have ever received (or might ever want to receive) federal funding for your research and/or training, contact your Representatives and Senators to let them know why your research is important and why federal support for research matters. If necessary, do it more than once. They’ll need to hear from you at every step in the budgeting process.
- Participate in SPSSI’s and SCRA's 2017 Policy Workshop and Advocacy Day (registration for this July 31 – August 2, 2017 event opens in January)
- Apply for one of the Washington, DC based SPSSI’s policy focused fellowships: The James Marshall Postdoctoral Public Policy Fellowship or the Dalmas A. Taylor Summer Minority Policy Fellowship
This action is thanks to SPSSI
Sarah Mancoll, SPSSI Policy Director
Cyndi Lucas, SPSSI Communications Director
Interrupting street harassment: What to do and how to do It
A skills-building webinar by NiCole T. Buchanan, Ph.D.
Street harassment was originally defined as a form of sexual harassment occurring in public places and included “cat calls,” “flashing” or groping a woman. Recently, there has been increased attention to street harassment targeting individuals due to their race, ethnicity, or religion. Notably, since the results of the presidential election on November 8, 2016, there have been hundreds of documented cases of street harassment and a desire to learn more about how to respond. This workshop discusses street harassment and strategies for responding whether you are being targeted or you are a bystander or ally wanting to help interrupt street harassment.
A recording of the webinar is available here.