Just Say No?

Jennifer Brier, associate professor and director of gender and women’s studies, talks about the “Just Say No” anti-drug slogan in the Washington Post.

“Abstinence as a way of dealing with drugs was absolutely akin to the policy of the Reagan administration about AIDS: They’re both negative arguments — or calls for abstinence or not doing something — as opposed to acknowledging the reality.”

Jennifer Brier, associate professor and director of gender and women’s studies, comparing Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” anti-drug slogan to the Reagan administration’s response to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. March 13 Washington Post

“She had been under fire for a number of things, but there’s no doubt that the Laquan McDonald case was the crystallizing factor.”

Dick Simpson, professor of political science, on the March 15 primary election defeat of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. March 17 New York Times

“The ADA requires that public entities ensure that all programs, activities and services are accessible to and usable to persons with disabilities. This, however, does not necessarily mean a public entity has to retrofit all existing buildings.”

Peter Berg, technical assistance coordinator for the Institute on Disability and Human Development, on a plan in Fishers, Indiana, to accommodate the needs of residents who have disabilities. March 18 Indianapolis Star.