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.*
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Earth Month Story: USD Students Pilot a Program to Make Oat Milk the Default Option on USD's Campus
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For the month of April, in honor of Earth month, all coffee drinks will be made with oat milk by default at no extra charge on USD's campus. This is a student-led pilot program that was originally created by a student team back in December 2021 who pitched this idea as a part of USD's annual Changemaker Challenge. Since then, another student team, in partnership with the Better Food Foundation, has pushed this idea forward and launched the pilot program to provide a more sustainable and inclusive milk option for the USD community. A study done in Sweden for oat milk brand Oatly found that "the production of oat milk accounts for 80% less GHG emissions, 80% less land and 60% less energy-use," compared to cow milk. At the end of the month, the students will assess the impact of the change and see if this could be a viable option for the university. Dairy milk will still be available by request. Students and faculty are available for interviews, opportunities to shoot b-roll in the coffee shop on campus.
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Dept. of Commerce Creates New Dashboard to Share Data on the Number of Women in the Workplace
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The Department of Commerce recently announced that they would be adding a new dashboard to the monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report that would put a spotlight on the gender disparity of women in the workplace. The goal is to have more women join the workforce and create a "more inclusive and productive economy." Tara Ceranic Salinas, department chair of management at the University of San Diego's Knauss School of Business, has been researching women in the workplace and has found that women often have to "tightrope" to balance how they fit into the workplace, especially in male-dominated industries. Ceranic Salinas can discuss how this data could be helpful in providing more insight into how many women are or aren't working, and why. She can also discuss how companies can be more inclusive and welcoming to women employees and how the idea of work-life balance needs to shift, especially for working moms.
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What's Next After the Recent TikTok hearing?
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After TikTok's CEO testified in front of Congress over security concerns for American users, what is next for the social media platform? Farhana Nusrat, assistant professor of marketing, can discuss security concerns with user data on TikTok and what can be done to resolve this, including how many users actually understand the impact of the use of their data. Nusrat can also talk about the lack of rules and regulations, nationally and globally, for social media platforms.
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* Please note that times of availability will vary according to professors' schedules.
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USD Media Relations Podcast Episode - Piecing Together the Story of Our Early Ancestors with An Archaeologist
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Dr. Jennifer Parkinson, associate professor of anthropology, joined “At the Edge of It All” to discuss how she got interested in archaeology in college, her latest research on the discovery of some of the oldest stone tools used by our human ancestors and what this research can teach us about our ancestors. Listen here.
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Office of Media Relations
University of San Diego
5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110
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