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LIU Post’s Special Collections Hosts Elementary School Kids Who Learn the Art of Book Restoration

As Special Collections' acting director Jarron Jewell looks on, Paul Belard shares his skills with the Book Doctors from Norwood Elementary School in Northport.

LIU Post’s Archives and Special Collections hosted a unique class of students from the Norwood Elementary School in Northport, N.Y., who are called The Book Doctors because they want to learn how to take care of their library books.

As shown on Fios1 News, almost a dozen fifth-graders came to the Archives and Special Collections room on the third floor of the B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library at LIU Post to learn firsthand from the master book repairer/book binder Paul Belard, who’s been a long-time friend of the University’s Special Collections. An engineer by training and a self-taught bookbinder who studied in France, his native country, Belard is the owner of New York Book Repair.

Also on hand for the morning session were Meghan Fitzsimmons, the new librarian at Norwood Elementary School; her predecessor, Linda Dickman, a co-teacher of “The Book Doctors”; and Jarron Jewell, acting director of LIU Post’s Archives and Special Collections and also the curator of the American Juvenile Collection, which is housed at the University.

Asked by Fios1 reporter Briella Tomassetti what he enjoys about being a Book Doctor, August Gesell, a 10-year-old student at Norwood Elementary School, replied, “My favorite part about doing this is knowing that people who have books are going to feel nice and warm inside when they get their books back.”

Fifth-grader Lily Forman described the process. “Books that are really old can take a couple of weeks to do because you have to glue back the pages [and] you have to fix the spine,” she explained. One benefit from being among the Book Doctors, she said, is that she can fix books with her friends.

Master book-binder and repairer Paul Belard, who volunteers his time with the Book Doctors, told Fios why he does what he does.

“It’s a way to pass my craft along,” he said wistfully, with a handful of students huddled behind him. “I don’t know, probably maybe one or two will keep on and go in this direction because there aren’t too many of us left now!”

School librarian Linda Dickman, who recently retired from Norwood Avenue Elementary, was instrumental in bringing Belard on board to share his skills. “In this current age of technology children are being encouraged to make things again. And what they’re doing is learning to make an old thing new.”

Dickman explained that the Book Doctors began about six years ago when a group of second graders approached her and said, “We’re going to start a club and you can join—or not!” So, she arranged for Belard to visit and he’s been a regular advisor ever since.

As part of the morning’s presentation, the students saw a first edition of Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn,” which was printed in 1885, and got to examine the Special Collection’s copy of “The Book of Kells,” which Dickman dubbed “the rock star of books!” Originally created by a group of Irish monks in the year 800, this special reprint was published in 1990 by a Swiss firm specializing in the reproduction of medieval manuscripts.

Jewell also outlined the steps to take in the proper handling of vintage books with Belard weighing in. The Book Doctors do most of their work at the library before school starts. The kids were avid listeners and eager questioners. Their enthusiasm impressed their new librarian, Meghan Fitzsimmons, who said, “It’s really fun. It’s nice to see that all the kids are really interested in preserving books in the world of technology today.”

Whether they intend to follow in his footsteps and learn his craft or not, the students gave Belard a warm hug as they bid him farewell and boarded their bus to return to their school in time for lunch.

LIU Gets Generous Grant from Gardiner Foundation to Fund Robert Moses Archival Project

Dr. Gregory Hunter and one of his Palmer School graduate students, Wendy Ambrozewicz, prepare to scan a fragile document using the DT Atom digitization device at LIU Post.

Long Island University is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation has approved a grant in the amount of $695,000 to fund the Robert Moses Archival Project in partnership with the New York State Department of Parks and the New York State Archives. The program will be overseen by the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at LIU, which has been dedicated to the digitization and preservation of Long Island’s irreplaceable historical records.

“From Huntington to the Hamptons, from Fire Island to Gardiners Island, the history of Long Island is rich and varied,” said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of Long Island University. “By working to preserve Robert Moses’s archival heritage, we’re bringing another part of that history to life.”

Thanks to the Foundation’s previous generous support of a separate project, “Digitizing Local History Sources,” the Palmer School is completing its second year of a six-year project to digitize materials found in Long Island’s local historical societies. So far, more than 25,000 images have been captured and over 5 terabytes of data have been accumulated from the collections of more than two dozen historical societies in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Both projects are directed by Dr. Gregory S. Hunter, who has helped the Palmer School at LIU become a national leader in library and information science. Dr. Hunter was part of the team that built the Electronic Records Archives for the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. At LIU, Dr. Hunter serves as the director of the Palmer School’s Certificate of Advanced Study in Archives and Records Management.

“The influence of Robert Moses on New York State is unparalleled,” said Kathryn Curran, executive director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, in a statement. “Access to his archives will offer researchers new insight not only to the man, but to the social, political, economic and cultural influences surrounding his massive projects. We at the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation are carrying on the vision begun by Robert David Lion Gardiner in supporting organizations making a significant contribution to understanding our communities and their history and legacy.”

Brian X. Foley, deputy regional director, Long Island State Parks Region, said this grant award was wonderful news and he looked forward to working closely with LIU on this project.

“One of the more distinguishing features of this effort lies in the fact that three major entities are working together to move this project forward: New York State government, Long Island University, and a dynamic Foundation, whose mission is to deepen our appreciation for New York State history,” said Foley in a statement. “The Robert Moses digitization project aligns perfectly with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ‘Path Through History’ initiative. One can rightly characterize it as a digital path through history.”

“We look forward to working with the project team and facilitating access to these great materials,”said Thomas Ruller, New York State Archivist.

Among Robert Moses’s many titles, he was president of the L.I. Parks Commission and chairman of the State Parks Council. Moses, the master builder chronicled in Robert Caro’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning biography, The Power Broker, did more than anyone in the Empire State to shape Long Island’s parks and recreation, bridges and highways, and so much more that New Yorkers take for granted today.

The Robert Moses Archival Collection, currently housed in three locations—two on Long Island and one upstate—is a huge and mostly intact collection of photographs, letters and architectural drawings. Now, thanks to the Gardiner Foundation’s new grant to the Palmer School at LIU, this remarkable legacy—once it’s completely digitized—will be preserved for posterity and available for future researchers through the Website of the New York State Archives.

Based in Hampton Bays, the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, which was established in 1987 to support the study of New York State history, has given more than $2 million to LIU so Dr. Hunter, who also serves as director of the Palmer School’s Certifitcate of Advanced Study in Archvies and Records Management, could establish a graduate student cohort of Gardiner Foundation fellows who earn tuition remission for each semester they participate in the “Digitizing Local History Sources” project. With their generous support, he was able to purchase a state-of-the-art digitization system, the DT Atom, which can handle a wide range of archival materials from centuries-old deeds to a ceremonial ribbon distributed at President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral.

And now, Dr. Hunter will be able to deploy his students to preserving the important legacy of Robert Moses, who has left a lasting impact on Long Island.

 

LIU Post’s Hutton House Lecturer Publishes Travel Article in USA Today on Flying With Pets Safely This Holiday Season

(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

William J. McGee, an award-winning investigative journalist and travel editor, will be presenting “Aviation Series: Come Fly With Me” at LIU Post’s Hutton House Lectures for four weeks starting Jan. 30, 2019. The author of “Attention All Passengers,” McGee just published an article in USA Today on traveling with pets over the holidays.

He notes that for many people, pets are treated like family members—and their owners wouldn’t want to exclude them from any special occasion.

But, he warns, taking animals on board a flight comes with its own set of issues.

“As a general rule, service animals and emotional support animals are welcome on most forms of public transportation, including the 10 largest domestic scheduled airlines,” he writes. “The most important advice, for all modes of travel, is to check with your veterinarian before planning any trips.”

McGee cites the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ advice which states: “Unless your furry friend is small enough to ride under your seat, it’s best to avoid air travel.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, McGee adds, “strongly advice against transporting your animal companion by air in the cargo area.”

In his USA Today article, which ran on Dec. 13, McGee also discusses taking pets by car, rail, buses and boats as well as finding the right hotel for the family’s four-legged friends.

William McGee, an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, is a contributing editor to Consumer Reports and former editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter. His Hutton House Lectures run in four weekly sessions, each starting at 10:30 a.m., from January 30 to February 20.

For more information on LIU Post’s Hutton House Lectures, which are usually held at Lorber Hall on the Post campus, call 516-299-2580 or email: TheLIUSchoolofProfStudies@liu.edu.

LIU Launches a New Free Smartphone App to Improve Public Safety Awareness

A new smartphone app called LIUSAFE will help students, faculty and staff at Long Island University to be ready to handle any emergency.

“This new app is free,” said Michael Fevola, the University’s Director of Public Safety. “We recommend you download it to your cell phone so you can be better prepared for any situation.”

The new app, which can be accessed through a cell phone’s app store, is supported by iOS and Android. For the iPhone link, go here; for Android, go here. It is also embedded in the LIU Mobile app. Once LIUSAFE is downloaded, it’s always available on your cell phone regardless of wi-fi service.

Whether it’s a bomb threat or a gas leak, a hazardous material spill or an active shooter condition, the new app puts the proper response right at your fingertips.

“It educates our community about what they can do in the event of an emergency,” said Fevola. “What I love about this is that it doesn’t just teach people what to do when they’re on campus, it also informs their everyday life.”

In particular, he recommends that people click on the “Run Hide Fight” icon on the LIUSAFE app and watch an 8-minute video on how best to survive this emergency before law enforcement arrives.

Here’s an important reminder: The Public Safety Department serves the Brooklyn and Post campuses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year-round.

To contact public safety officers at LIU Brooklyn, you can pick up an on-campus phone and dial ext. 1078; if you’re off campus, use 718-488-1078. At LIU Post, if you’re using an on-campus phone, dial ext. 2222; if you’re off-campus, call 516-299-2222. Of course, calling 911 is always an option.

In the meantime, every student should register their cell phones with the LIU Post Emergency Alert System through the MY LIU portal.

 

LIU Global Institute Chairman Steve Israel Cites President George W. Bush’s Appearance at Tilles Center in an Article About White House Leadership

LIU Global Institute Chairman Steve Israel makes a point with President George W. Bush at the Tilles Center.

Former Congressman Steve Israel, now chairman of the Global Institute at LIU, drew upon President George W. Bush’s recent appearance at the Tilles Center at LIU Post to opine about his relationship with his father in an article that was just published in The Hill, an influential political newspaper and website based in Washington, D.C., which gets its name from Capitol Hill.

“On a stage at Long Island University earlier this fall, I asked President George W. Bush if he remembered any profound moments between him and his father during his presidency,” Israel wrote in an article headlined “A Father and Son Unite the Nation.”

“He did not have to think long,” added Israel.

The 43rd president recounted his experience at the Washington National Cathedral for a memorial service held for the victims of the 9/11 attacks three days after the tragedy. After delivering his remarks, Bush took his seat and, Israel wrote, “he felt a hand reach across to hold his. It was his dad. It was the reassuring grasp of a father with a son who bore the weight of a new world on his shoulders.”

Adding to the poignancy of the Dec. 5th op-ed, Israel observed that Bush’s father, the 41st president of the United States, would lie in state in that same cathedral for the national funeral service held that very Wednesday. Israel used the sad occasion to compare presidential styles, adding that “we do not simply mourn a president. We mourn the slow passing of a type of presidency. That was when humility was a virtue, not a character flaw. It was when the presidency was an institution whose occupant was a trustee, in every sense of the word.”

In his piece, Israel observed, “Most, but not all, adhered to the vital notion that the White House is an institution more important than the person who occupied it.”

Israel recalled that when President George W. Bush had appeared on stage at Tilles Center less than two weeks before the mid-term elections, he asked the 43rdpresident if he’d ever sought his father’s advice. “If I had,” Bush replied, “he would have told me to send my briefers to him in Houston or Maine. Then he would give me advice.”

Israel described that response as “quaint” compared to the behavior of the present occupant. As the former Long Island Congressman described that bygone era: “In the White House, listening to those in front of you is preferable to browbeating others for attention. As the president, receiving private unvarnished counsel is better than the public waving of pink slips. The highest office in the land deserves this kind of respect.”

Our presidents, Israel also wanted to remind his readers, are “fathers and sons, sometimes clasping hands in dark moments.”

As chairman of the Global Institute at LIU, Israel is doing his part to shed more light when the nation needs it most.

LIU Brooklyn Soccer Alum and MLS Legend Giovanni Savarese Leads His Team to MLS Cup Final in his First Season as Head Coach

Now head coach of the Portland Timbers, LIU Brooklyn soccer star alumnus Gio Savarese has taken his team to the MLS Cup final. (Photo courtesy: Craig Mitchell Dyer-Portland Timbers)

When Longtime New York soccer fans hear the name of Giovanni Savarese (Brooklyn ’98, BS in Marketing), they may recall the glory days when he played for the Long Island Rough Riders alongside Tony Meola and Chris Armas, winning the league’s MVP honors as well as a championship in 1995, or they may remember his inaugural club goal for the MetroStars, now the Red Bulls, in 1996. Venezuelans will recall the 10 goals their countryman scored in 30 appearances for their national team, from 1989-2001. Similarly, the Welsh may recount his 14 goals when he was on loan to Swansea City in 2000.

For members of the LIU community, Gio Savarese embodies the gold standard of the University’s rich athletic tradition, which has produced professional athletes in several other sports and given educational opportunities to countless alumni.

Now fans of the Portland Timbers in the Pacific Northwest are enjoying the brilliance of this soccer mastermind who’s taking their Western Conference leading team to the MLS Cup final game this Saturday. Atlanta United will host Savarese’s Timbers at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The match to determine the Major League Soccer champion will be broadcast live on FOX at 8 p.m. EST.

Almost exactly a year ago, Savarese became the Timbers’ third head coach in the club’s history, following his successful yet tumultuous stint coaching the New York Cosmos. He assumed the position on Dec. 18, 2017. This Saturday’s match will mark the fifth time that Savarese’s teams have reached the final rounds in the last six years.

Exhibiting his usual humble temperament off the field, the coach was quick to deflect praise when a reporter inquired about his thoughts of this impressive feat.

“I’ve been lucky that the players that I have had have worked very hard together to achieve good things,” Savarese told the Oregonian during his press conference last weekend.

When asked whether he was surprised to see his team make the MLS Cup championship game in his first season, Savarese offered a curt response without hesitation.

“No,” he said, “because I work, and we work, for this. We work to compete—and we’ll compete this coming Saturday.”

Savarese also lauded the Timbers’ opponent, which finished the season with 69 points. “I think it’s going to be a good game,” he said.

In a recent interview with the University, Savarese reflected on his time playing for the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (above), noting the invaluable experience of his going to school in New York City.

“One thing that helps you in being in New York is that you are always in a very diverse environment,” he said. “It allows you to understand culture from many different places. That helps me now to understand players and their culture.”

Although the school has grown substantially since he graduated, Savarese’s advice for current students exhibits the paradigm he employed while at LIU Brooklyn.

“What I think is important is to embrace everything they have around them, what New York City brings,” he said.  “Try to find your own path, but also learn from those that already had success.”

As his record shows, LIU’s Gio Savarese has found many ways to achieve his goal: victory on the pitch.

LIU Post Psychology Professor Camilo Ortiz Publishes Parental Advice Piece in the Washington Post

Dr. Camilo Ortiz, co-director of clinical training at LIU Post's Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology

Dr. Camilo Ortiz, associate professor of psychology and co-director of clinical training in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at LIU Post, explains how a timeout can be a useful tool for disciplining children in his recent article on parenting published in the Washington Post.

Under the headline, “Timeouts get a bad rap, but they work—when used correctly,” Dr. Ortiz tells how they can be the right way to modify the wrong behavior in young children.

“The term timeout is short for timeout from positive reinforcement, and it’s intended to be a ‘break’ from fun,” Dr. Ortiz wrote. “It’s not intended to be particularly punitive and is a safe, highly effective consequence for disobedience and aggression.”

According to Dr. Ortiz, many studies have found that timeouts can reduce misbehavior for young children ages 2 to 6. Just as important, he said, they offer parents a better strategy than resorting to physical discipline such as spanking. He cited the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their support of timeout as a “best practice” in managing young children.

“In fact, using timeouts as a tool to help parents set limits reduces the incidence of physical abuse by caregivers,” he wrote.

He directly took on critics of the technique who say that a timeout “ignores children’s feelings, reduces their self-esteem and may even be traumatizing.” As he put it, “there is no scientific evidence for any of this.”

In his Washington Post article he provided four points for parents who want to get the best results when they give their kids a timeout. In a nutshell they were: “Decide exactly what warrants a timeout;” “Don’t use it for what psychologists call ‘escape behaviors;’” “Decide beforehand where the timeout will be and for how long;” and “Have a plan for when (not if) your child refuses to go to timeout or leaves timeout early.”

Clinical psychologists Mitch Prinstein, Ann Marie Albano, Tim Cavell, Regine Galanti, Stephen Hupp, Daniel Hoffman and LIU Post Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program Director Hilary Vidair also contributed to this piece.

LIU Professor Thomas Inzana Joins Elite Rank of America’s Leading Scientists for His Research

Dr. Thomas Inzana has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Long Island University is proud to announce that Dr. Thomas Inzana, the new Associate Dean for Research at the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his extraordinary work in the world of medical science.

This honor places him in an elite company that includes Thomas Edison, Linus Pauling and computer science pioneer Grace Hopper since AAAS began its annual tradition of recognizing leading scientists in 1874. With its announced mission to “advance science, engineering and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people,” AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society, with individual members in more than 91 countries.

In its announcement, Dr. Inzana was singled out for his “distinguished contributions to basic and clinical bacteriology, particularly for research leading to improved methods for diagnosing and preventing human and animal diseases.”

“I was always interested in science,” said Dr. Inzana, who took a microbiology course early in his college studies at the University of Georgia that inspired him to become the clinical microbiologist he is today. Over the years he estimates he’s received more than $9 million in funding from sources such as USDA, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He holds three patents including a vaccine developed for swine respiratory disease that was marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI). Now he’s hoping to develop a vaccine for bovine respiratory disease caused by the pathogen Histophilus somni.

“A lot of my work these days is on bacterial biofilms,” he said, referring to the thin, slimy film of bacteria that adheres to a surface like lunchmeat. “The good point is that biofilms don’t induce a highly robust inflammatory response so the disease isn’t so severe. The bad news is that they’re very difficult to get rid of because they’re more resistant to antibiotics and host defenses.”

At LIU, he’ll be teaching microbiology while continuing his lab work, mentoring faculty, and overseeing the College’s research program.

Dr. Inzana, a native of Rochester, N.Y., earned his doctorate at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and did his postdoc at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology, the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (Honorary), and a Fellow of the American Academy for Microbiology. Before joining LIU, he spent 31 years at Virginia Tech.

The Fellows will be formally recognized at the 2019 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., during a Fellows Forum to be held on Feb. 16, 2019.

LIU Hosts Unique Long Island Regional Forum on College Readiness

Dr. Timothy Eagen, superintendent of the Kings Park Union Free School District, presented the next steps in a regional college readiness initiative at a forum held at the Tilles Center at LIU Post.

Helping today’s high school students make a smoother transition to the rigorous demands of higher education was the focus of the Superintendents/College Presidents Partnership Regional Forum held at Long Island University’s Tilles Center on Nov. 28.

Almost 150 high school superintendents, principals and guidance counselors joined Long Island’s college presidents and administrators to hear concrete suggestions on how they can improve college readiness at the high school level.

The participants were greeted by LIU President Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, co-chair of the SCPP steering committee, who praised the hundreds of hours the volunteers had devoted to studying this important issue.

“Our collective effort will improve transitional pathways to college,” said Dr. Cline, “and will become an engine for equity, recognizing the need to identify gaps, share best practices, and develop new approaches to improve attainment rates.”

The SCCP is a work group formed in 2001 of the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education (LIRACHE), which is a non-profit consortium of 15 colleges and universities, representing more than 178,000 students and more than 33,000 employees. The Partnership is uniquely focused on matters related to teaching and learning on Long Island, from preK-12 and beyond.

“College readiness is an issue that needs to be tackled,” said Dr. Albert Inserra, Dean of the College of Education and Technology at LIU Post. “It’s not so much an academic issue as it is about how kids can transition from high school to college, meaning: Can they work independently? Do they know how to manage their time? Do they know what it means to be in a college class where nobody’s calling your mother to tell her that you didn’t do your homework?”

The forum presented the results of three work groups that had handled the areas of counseling/advising, mathematics and writing skills.

“While academic skills are clearly important, social and emotional factors—the non-cognitive and meta-cognitive skills—are actually quite powerful when it comes to college readiness,” said Dr. Rachell Germana, interim assistant provost for academic success, division of undergraduate education, Stony Brook University, who co-chaired the first work group. She called for getting parents more engaged as effective partners in their children’s long-term success, preparing them for the “college mindset”—as she put it—as well as helping them choose what college to attend.

Dr. Timothy Eagen, superintendent of Kings Park Union Free School District, who co-chairs the SCPP steering committee, discussed what his working group on mathematics had recommended. “Our students rely way too much on their calculators,” he observed.

He brought a special perspective to this area as a former physics teacher. The goal for improving math fluency, he said, is threefold: “making it real, making it relevant, and making it practical.”

He pointed out that under New York State rules, high school students are required to take only three years of mathematics, and as a result many seniors in high school skip math only to wind up in worse shape when they get to their first year of college.

As Dr. Ellen Semel, superintendent of Islip Union Free School District, later put it, the forum reinforced the need to change the emphasis on statistics in high school. “We don’t do enough,” she said afterwards, calling the forum excellent. “That’s the most significant course freshmen college kids take and we give them calculus.”

When it was her turn to speak, New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia praised the work done by LIRACHE in creating SCCP.

“You have some incredible examples here of great partnerships,” Dr. Elia said, who added that the goal is to help all high school kids find their true pathway to success. “The real issue is: How do we guarantee that we have opportunities for all students in New York State and that every one of them has success in college, their career, or whatever they choose to do as the next step of their life?”

They all agreed that there is much more work to be done.

LI President Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, co-chair of the SCPP Steering Committee, spoke about the forum’s findings to Newsday.

 

Hornstein Center Poll Shows Most Americans Are Climate Change Believers and Disagree with U.S. Withdrawal from Paris Agreement

Long Island University poll finds 79 percent think there is evidence of global climate change with 77 percent agreeing that humans have contributed to the problem

Brookville, NY (Nov. 8, 2018) –A new Long Island University Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis Poll shows that a significant majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring and that humans are partially responsible for climate change. The poll also found that a majority of Americans think the U.S. was wrong in withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.

Poll results found that 79.69% believe evidence of global climate change and 77.48% think humans have contributed to our climate challenge; 40.52% disagreed with the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, while 23.20% agreed and 27.43% were unsure. The poll also found that 53.42% believe climate change represents a national security threat; 55.34% believe we can halt and reverse the changes; and 42.06% believe that developing alternative fuels is the best way to address the problem (followed by 18.19% supporting higher pollution standards, 16.17% supporting conservation and 7.51% supporting an energy credit system).

“It is not surprising that an overwhelming majority of the respondents believe the climate is changing and that we are, at least partially, responsible for this,” says Dr. Stanley Klein, Director of the Hornstein Center. “It is the positivity of the respondents, most of who believe we can still stop and undo what has already happened that is the most striking result of the poll. It is a signal to our leaders that there is a real desire to research and implement alternatives before it is too late.”

Despite the poll’s finding that 55.34% of Americans think we can halt and remedy the effects of climate change (while 32.72% disagreed), Tuesday’s election showed how difficult it is to pass environmental ballot initiatives. Five of seven significant state-wide initiatives on the ballot went down to defeat, including a proposal in Washington State to institute the first ever carbon fee and a proposal in Arizona to require half of the state’s energy production to come from renewables by 2030.

“Placing a change in the global climate in the context of national security positions this debate in a way that makes it more relevant to many,” adds Dr. Klein. “We have already seen the impact of changes in the climate on the regional stability of Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, as nomadic grazing patterns have changed with the need to identify new water sources. That is just the tip of the potential iceberg, and this viewpoint should make this challenge more tangible.”

This Long Island UniversitySteven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling & Analysis poll was conducted from October 29 to October 30, 2018 in English to 1039 Americans over the age of 18. Polling data was sorted by age, gender & geographic location in efforts to ensure a nationwide representative sample. This poll has an overall margin of error of +/- 3 points.

The Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis at LIU Post conducts independent, fair, and balanced polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues including lifestyle preferences. The Center’s goals include informing the community, public and policy makers about critical issues.

 

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