Inaugural support

“Think of it: Here is a group of people who in the president’s lifetime had been reviled.”

John D’Emilio, professor of gender and women’s studies and history, on the significance of President Obama’s appeal for gay rights in his second inaugural address, Jan. 21 Washington Post

“The problem of police corruption is not caused by occasional flawed police officers or ‘bad apples.’ Rather, the apple barrel is rotten.”

Dick Simpson, professor of political science, on a report he co-authored that details police corruption in Chicago, Jan. 17 Chicago Sun-Times

“Like everything in Cuba, this is following, in a certain sense, what people have already been doing informally.”

Maria de los Angeles Torres, professor and director of Latin American and Latino studies, on eased international travel restrictions and Cuban citizens’ relationship with the U.S., Jan. 14 PBS NewsHour

“What we found is that businesses that were closer to Wal-Mart were more likely to go out of business than businesses further away from Wal-Mart.”

David Merriman, professor of public administration and economics, about the opening of a Wal-Mart in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, Jan. 15 WBEZ-FM