Intersections in Public Service

For the second episode in our two-part series on redistricting, you’ll hear from Sean Kumar and James Abrenio, two Sorensen Institute Alumni who both served on Virginia’s 2020 Redistricting Commission. They’ll discuss their experiences on the Commission in 2020: what went well, what could be improved, and what redistricting in Virginia might look like in the future. 

Host, Editor, & Writer: Ellis Nolan

Guests: James Abrenio & Sean Kumar 

Producer & Project Manager: Claire Downey

Episode Presentation by Larry Terry, Executive Director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

Music Credits: 

Many of us have heard the word “redistricting”, but what does it actually mean and how does it work? For the first episode in our two-part series on redistricting, University of Virginia undergraduates Ellis Nolan and Garreth Bartholomew discuss the basics of redistricting in the United States at large and in Virginia. You’ll hear about the steps of the redistricting process, how it’s different from state to state, an overview of Gerrymandering, a crash course on how to read newly drawn maps, and why redistricting is important to representation.

Host, Editor, & Writer: Ellis Nolan

Guest: Garreth Bartholomew

Producer & Project Manager: Claire Downey

Episode Presentation by Larry Terry, Executive Director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

Music Credits:

Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeod 

In this second episode on returning citizens, Cassie Deering discusses the ways in which state legislators and governors are taking action to better support returning citizens. Deering focuses on the issue of felon disenfranchisement: it’s history in the state of Virginia, as well as recent reforms to address it. Richard Miles is featured again in this episode to share his personal experience voting for the first time after being incarcerated, and to discuss the importance of voting for returning citizens.

Host, Editor, & Co-Writer: Cassie Deering

Guest: Richard Miles

Producer, Co-Writer, & Researcher: Esther Eriksson von Allmen

Producer & Project Manager: Claire Downey

Voice Acting: Quinton Carr Goodwin

In this episode, Media Team Intern Esther Eriksson von Allmen discusses housing inequality in Charlottesville through a historical lens. She examines the role of private real estate developers as well as federal and local public policy in creating the unequal housing market and homeownership rates that we see today. This podcast covers the history of racial covenants, redlining, and urban renewal, drawing from a variety of sources including Richard Rothstein’s bestseller The Color of Law and Paige Glotzer’s How the Suburbs Were Segregated. The expert featured on this show is Demographer Blake Rumuly, from the Weldon Cooper Center's Demographic Research Group.

Other featured works include:

On this episode of Intersections in Public Service, Media Team Intern Cassie Deering covers an interview between Virginia Institute of Government's Associate Director, Charles Hartgrove and the founders of the Appalachian African American Cultural Center, Ron and Jill Carson. Since the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020, the topics of race and police brutality have become a prominent discussion in America. Jill and Ron Carson discuss their anti-racism workshops, and the importance of Black leadership in rural areas. Together, they explore how we can come to
confront racism by preserving Black history.

On this episode of Intersections in Public Service we talk with three UVA researchers; Jay Furhman, Andres Clarens, and the Cooper Center's own Bill Shobe about a research paper that they have just published in the highly renowned scientific journal called Nature: Climate Change. In their research, they explore variations and outcomes of how Direct Air Capture and other carbon reducing methods could be used on a large scale.

On this episode of Intersections in Public Service, Media Team Intern Anna Miller interviews her local town councilman Chuck Anderson from Vienna, Virginia. They discuss the local impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter Movement as well as how to advocate for change on the local level. This episode was made in partnership with the Virginia Institute of Government, whose goal is to help communities build governance, capacity, and to develop local government leaders across the Commonwealth and beyond.

Former U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-Virginia) discusses the importance of effective leadership and bipartisanship to deliver results for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation during his 30-year tenure in the Senate. In conversation with Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Director Larry Roberts, Senator Warner reflects on how his experience building relationships in the Senate led to solutions and improvements that achieved broad, bipartisan support. In his 42 years of public service in the military and elective office, Warner learned essential lessons of the importance of values and of public service that he wants to impart to young people today.

Former U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-Virginia) issues a call to public service and offers advice on being true to yourself and use advantages given to you to make the next generation's experience better than your own. In conversation with Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Director Larry Roberts, Senator Warner reflects on how his experience at UVA Law affected his long career of public service through times of war and peace. From his Navy experience in World War II at 17 years old to concluding his 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate, Warner learned essential lessons of being a public servant that he wants to impart to young people today.

In this episode of Intersections in Public service we have an open conversation with Kara Fitzgibbon, the new director of the Center for Survey Research. We discuss everything from what surveys accomplish, to research transparency, and how surveys are changing with new technology.

Have you ever wondered how borders, dracula, and passports all relate to each other? On this episode of Intersections of Public Service we talk with Dipsikha Thakur, a fourth year Literature PHD student at the University of Virginia. She discusses her partnership with the Weldon Cooper Center as a PHD+ student, as well as her research on how Gothic Literature reflects people’s perspectives on borders.

The books discussed in this podcast as follows:
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Books about Borders Recommendations:
Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria E. Anzaldúa
The Invention of Passports by John Torpey
This Land is our land an immigrants manifesto by Suketu Mehta

Climate change is an issue that affects everyone, but some communities are especially at risk. Today on episode 4 of Intersections in Public Service, we talk to UVa environmental science professor Scott Doney about the impacts climate change will have on Virginia specifically. Scott discusses the specific impacts that changes to the carbon cycle will have, and how those can potentially harm people in Virginia.

Host: Ben Fisher
Guest: Scott Doney
Video Editor: Deiontrae Lawrence
Project Manager: Miles Greatwood

In episodes 1 and 2 of 'Intersections in Public Service', we established some key causes and effects of the affordable housing crisis. We aimed to put on spotlight on public servants providing solutions. In this episode, we find out how people like you can get involved in helping address the housing crisis. We went back and found out how you can help out with the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity. 

We also explore the Center for Survey Research's brand new project to help Central Virginians get involved in serving their community. In order for governments to make the best decisions, they need to have the best possible data. Survey research has become more and more expensive as traditional means of reaching people has become more difficult. That’s where Tom Guterbock comes in. He’s creating a new way for governments to get survey data: BeHeardCVA. Residents of Central Virginia are able to sign up, and later BeHeard will send them surveys with incentives. This allows residents to have their voices heard and allows the Cooper Center to collect accurate data quickly and cheaply.

In this episode we’re continuing our multi-part series on how public servants are addressing the massive issue of affordable housing in Central Virginia. In episode one, Ed Olsen discussed one of the major causes of the problem, while Antonio Rice showed us the effects. For episode two, we talked with a public servant who had a vision to be a huge part of the solution: Dan Rosensweig.

Dan Rosensweig is the executive director at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, which is one of the largest and most forward thinking branches of Habitat in the country. Dan is leading the Charlottesville Habitat in an entirely new direction. Rather than addressing housing one home at a time, they’re now beginning to impact Central Virginia housing on a larger scale. Under its "New Paradigm" program, Habitat is renovating entire communities and taking a much more holistic approach to addressing the needs of the families that they partner with.

Terry Rephann, regional economist at the Center for Economic Policy Studies, also joins us to discuss his economic impact study on Habitat, which confirms the very positive results of Habitat.

This episode starts a multi-part series on how public servants are addressing the massive issue of affordable housing in Central Virginia. Throughout the series, the podcast will dive into what’s causing the problem, what its effects have been, what the solutions are, and how you can get involved. On this episode, we discuss the cause of the problem with UVa Economics Professor Ed Olsen, while Antonio Rice of the Charlottesville Salvation Army gives us a look into some of its effects.

Ed Olsen breaks down the challenges with current affordable housing policy. His research shows that unit-based housing assistance is drastically less efficient than household-based housing assistance. Olsen argues for switching to an entitlement-based voucher program and to include more homeowners. He claims that with a few simple changes, we can serve upwards of 72% more people.

Antonio Rice has seen many of the effects of the housing problem first hand as the Director or Operations at the Charlottesville Salvation Army. The biggest problem with a lack of affordable housing is homelessness, and that's what Antonio seeks to address at his shelter. With an exceptionally holistic approach, Antonio's shelter and other like it have managed to reduce the amount of time people are staying in emergency housing.