By: Tiffany Ngo The Virginia Employment Commission (“VEC”) was established to provide compensation and benefits to unemployed Virginians in their time of need. Since its establishment, the VEC had been a saving grace to many Virginians, until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Not only did COVID-19 affect Americans hard, the Virginia-governed VEC was the hardest hit1. What was established for Virginians, was no longer … Continue reading COVID-19 and the Historic Failure of the Virginia Employment Commission

By: Owen Giordano In Virginia, drug courts are defined by the court system as “specialized court dockets within the existing structure of Virginia’s court system offering judicial monitoring of intensive treatment and strict supervision of addicts in drug and drug-related cases.”[1] Given the below-described statistics and the nature of drug usage in Virginia, it is apparent that drug courts can provide a low cost means … Continue reading Breaking the Habit: Analyzing the Effectiveness of Drug Court in Virginia

By: Samantha Callejas On April 14, 2021, President Joe Biden announced plans for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan with a deadline of September 11, 2021.[1] Since then, President Biden has stated that the U.S. is set to complete this task by August 31st, 2021.[2] With news of thousands swarming the capital Kabul’s airport, and the Taliban’s increasing presence, it is safe to … Continue reading Changing Relations: What U.S. troops withdrawal means for the Afghan people

The Weaponization of Academic Freedom in Higher Education Authored by: Nina Belber, staff editor   Academic freedom has been an important concept in the American higher education system for many years. Recently, there has been a weaponization of academic freedom, where professors and scholars “attempt to provide a ‘scholarly’ veneer to what are otherwise hateful ideologies.”[1] This problem stems from the fact that people have … Continue reading The Weaponization of Academic Freedom in Higher Education

Elderly Americans are living in poverty and at risk of losing their homes Authored By: Charmaine Nyman, staff editor   Although the poverty rate among Americans aged 65 or older has declined by almost 70% in the past five decades, over 15 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level with their income averaging $25,760 … Continue reading Elderly Americans are Living in Poverty and at Risk of Losing their Homes

Authored by: Matt Wathen, staff editor The debate over the federal government’s minimum wage has seen an increase in intensity over the past few months. The debate came to the forefront when the Biden administration included a $15-an-hour minimum wage increase in the $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan.[1] While the proposal made it through the House of Representatives, it did not meet the Senate’s guidelines for … Continue reading The Fight Over $15: The Debate on Increasing the Minimum Wage

Pharmaceutical Pollutants in the Public Water Supply and Why the Clean Water Act Needs to be Updated Authored by: Haley Walter, staff editor                 The Federal Water Pollution Control Act was passed in 1948, and then reorganized and expanded in 1972 to be the legislation we know today as the Clean Water Act (CWA).[1] The Clean Water Act was later amended to include … Continue reading Pharmaceutical Pollutants in the Public Water Supply and Why the Clean Water Act Needs to be Updated