Capstone Research Presentations Continue...

Worcester's Abbie Hoffman was integral to the
Civil Rights Movement beginning here.

Urban Studies students in the Research Seminar/Capstone class continue to make their end-of-semester research presentations. Recently we heard about the following projects:

Christian Tsetsos is preparing an elementary-aged mentoring program proposal for Worcester schools based on a survey of best practices among national mentoring programs. .
Katie Benoit is looking at the Civil Rights Movement in Worcester and how the city was racially, socially, and economically divided in the 1960s. .
Tia Spetaccino is exploring how foster children programs in the United States and what happens with the 20,000 children who annually "age out" of the system.
Dannielle Morrow is examining transportation systems in Worcester and ways that mid-sized American cities can help their populations diminish their reliance on cars.

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Results of the 28th Manhattan Short Film Festival votes worldwide and at WSU

The results of the 2025 Manhattan Short Film Festival are in! Here's the word from the Manhattan Short website: " We Have Sinned Before You , written and directed by Ifat Nener Orgad (Israel), is the Gold Medal Winner of the 28th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. We Have Sinned Before You , a family drama set around a game designed to pass the time on Yom Kippur, resonated with viewers around the world." In second place worldwide and winning the silver medal was Passarinho , directed by Natalia García Agraz (Mexico). This film was "about two teenage girls who try to meet their favorite soccer player, but their plan is threatened when one of them gets a red card. The film is dedicated to all the Messi Mums in the world." Finally, winning the bronze medal was Beyond Silence , written and directed by Marnie Blok (The Netherlands). This film "tells the story of two women from two generations who experience a singular trauma. One retre...

The 2026 Urban Studies Commencements Round Up

The faculty and staff of the Department of Urban Studies congratulates all of our 2026 graduates. IN all, 11 Urban Studies majors, 12 Urban Studies or Social WOrk & Social Policy minors, and 11 graduate students graduated in two different ceremonies. The following students received their their Baccalaureate degrees at the undergraduate commencement on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at the DCU Center in Worcester. B.S. in Urban Studies Benjamin Barter Amanda Blouin Lamar Brown-Noguera Hunter Chilton David Clark Matthew Rabeuf Abby Rickert Hira Rizvi David Simpson Casey Thomas Mary Thulare Minor in Urban Studies Amanda Adamuska Olivia Muscatell Izaiah Njuguna Keeshauna Santouse Aleisha Toussaint Ava Vasquez Minor in Social Work & Social Policy Lainey Bassett Felicia El Karim Victoria Nascimento Wilianny Ovalle Torrey Provost (we're happy to note that Torrey chose to walk with her classmates in the Urban Studies major at com...

New Article by Urban Studies Faculty Member, Professor Shiko Gathuo

Not in This Together: COVID-19 and People of Color by Shiko Gathuo, Ph.D. Shiko Gathuo, Ph.D. Professor and Graduate Program Director of Urban Studies Presidents, prime ministers, royalty, celebrities. These and other rich, powerful and famous people have contracted COVID-19. When the pandemic first took hold, it was easy to throw around phrases like “we are in this together,” “the pandemic does not discriminate,” and “united in the fight.” These warm and comforting sentiments quickly became hollow as it became apparent that, in fact, the pandemic does discriminate and it has negatively affected the poor and people of color disproportionately and in many different ways. People of color are experiencing the health aspect of COVID-19 including infection, testing and treatment differently. The virus has also exacerbated other already existing conditions such as economic deprivation, food insecurity, and the education achievement gap. COVID-19 has also had a significant negative effe...

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