Office of Media Relations at the University of San Diego
September 7, 2021 | View in web browser

USD News Connect: Connecting Expert Voices to the Stories Impacting Our Community

September 7, 2021

Good morning newsrooms!

Here's your USD News Connect — where each week the University of San Diego media relations team offers expert voices to speak on stories impacting our community. If you're interested in the stories below, or need experts for any other topic you might be working on, don't hesitate to reach out to us at press@sandiego.edu.*

Federal Unemployment Benefits from the CARES Act Ends

Federal unemployment benefits under the CARES Act ended over the weekend. Dan Roccato, clinical professor of finance, can share what this means for people who received these benefits, other government benefits available for those who are unemployed and what effect this will have on future unemployment numbers.

County Votes to Join a Community Choice Energy Program

The County Board of Supervisors recently voted to allow San Diego County to join a community choice energy program. Scott Anders, Director of the Energy Policy Initiatives Center, can provide insight on what a program like this means for our region, how it will affect renewable energy supplies and the impact this will have on consumers.

Twitter Launches Paid Opportunities for Users

Twitter recently announced "Super Follows" which allows users to get paid for their content through paid subscriptions. Colin Campbell, assistant professor of marketing and social media researcher, can describe how this move by Twitter is furthering the decentralization of content and allowing for users (content creators) to get paid for content, similar to media outlets through advertising. Will this move lead to more influencers in news? And, what effect could this have on the spread of false information?

For all media inquiries, email our team at

press@sandiego.edu.

* Please note that times of availability will vary according to professors' schedules.

USD Expert Spotlight

Mark Chapman, Assistant Professor of Integrated Engineering

“I’m so excited to be here and I want the School of Law to be a part of all that is going on in this amazing place.”

-Dean Robert Schapiro

School of Law

Dean Robert Schapiro joined USD School of Law in January 2021. Schapiro recently sat down for an interview with the USD Media Relations team to share what led him to a career in law, his expertise of study and his plans for the School of Law.