Department of Sociology and Criminology
![Stock image of young man behind bars. Source: MotionArray.com Stock image of young man behind bars. Source: MotionArray.com](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/Young-man-behind-bars-967557_1500x600_motionarray.jpg?VersionId=VZiyHbKQTzEDZmypZp9yumOTduMsRnVr&itok=yuPilVhd)
![Delia Brennan participating in a demonstration Delia Brennan participating in a demonstration](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/Unknown-1_1.jpeg?VersionId=1hexH1VJ55aOpEkuJOENduPf1yaEV_1j&itok=YK5WQCZJ)
Graduating senior Delia Brennan applies she learns in the classroom to help survivors of trauma and promote activism in her community.
![Sisters Christina (left) and Brittany Watts carried each other through doctoral programs at Kent State University and graduated together. Christina (left) and Brittany Watts](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/Watts%20Sisters%20Kent%20State%20Doctorates.png?VersionId=.3wEf3T_13KTma4IDgaI_FvisCLLhPlc&h=e6f36a9c&itok=gEUOjIjp)
Sisterhood is a strong bond. For Kent State alumnae Brittany and Christina Watts, their sisterly love has been the cornerstone of their academic success, leading them to earn their doctoral degrees and graduate together this May.
![Spring Research Forum header Spring Research Forum header](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/ps%204.10.jpg?VersionId=d5GkBoYirV4v2_bkhftzM9oqrTL7Pr_a&itok=i_NW4HT-)
Kent State researchers presented their findings in the RASP Spring Research and Innovation Forum.
![Student working on exhibit](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/glyphix1.jpg?VersionId=o01SWT0duwl7PYadCkyKUJFEXh1QL254&h=21de3691&itok=UpvUuNP-)
During the Spring 2022 semester, Visual Communication Design students in the Glyphix Design Research Lab have been working on an intergenerational research project combining storytelling and design.
![Image of a visitor to a gallery looking a wall of poems with illustrations.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/Traveling%20Stanzas%2010%20yr%20anniversary%20exhibit%204.jpeg?VersionId=fgP3mjji0x27NWtlMnX97qmOTKz5WCT6&h=c44fcfa1&itok=tYdhGQOQ)
Students across the nation were challenged as the pandemic swept the world. Healing Stanzas, a collaboration between the Wick Poetry Center, the Healthy Communities Research Institute and the Brain Health Research Institute, seeks to combine the science of brain health and public health with the creative energy of the humanities to provide Kent State students, staff and faculty with an opportunity to improve wellness through reflective poetry.
![Image of someone holding a sign that says "Racism is not Patriotism" by Javier Robles from Pixabay](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/Untitled%20design%20%285%29.png?VersionId=69lSJm9Lzm5XDskG1nJ2SIDqyK0Si8ND&h=21de3691&itok=GLRMg4cl)
Last Spring, the Kent State University Board of Trustees approved the Anti-Racism and Equity Institute, which creates an important interdisciplinary hub for faculty, students, staff and community members engaged in race and anti-racism scholarship, activism and education. “Kent State is a university that is known for its activism,” Carla Goar, Ph.D., director of the Anti-Racism and Equity Institute, said. “Ideally this institute will serve as a hub for scholars and activists to come together to tackle issues and racial equity."
![Stigma Image with Adjectives. Photo: Courtesy of Christian Hopkins](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/Stigma%20Resistance%20through%20NSF%20Assistance%20Story.png?VersionId=vpRBzMuWiMnQmS7zBqMiBlx.057V64kY&h=7f8038c2&itok=pqK4SApT)
When it comes to our physical health, regular upkeep and preventative measures are not only expected, but encouraged within our society. However, mental health disorders have yet to be looked upon with the same grace and understanding. Kristen Marcussen, associate professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminology, was recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her proposal titled, “Understanding Social Stigma, Stigma Resistance and the Mental Illness Identity.”
The Kent State University Board of Trustees recently welcomed four new trustees to serve the university including Haley Crews, a graduate student in the College of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Sociology. She was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to a two-year term as the graduate student trustee.
![Photo of headphones and microphone by Jessica Lewis from Pexels](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/article/pexels-jessica-lewis-2918997_1500px.jpg?VersionId=ZevprkePtvxKLZJ9DG4YQrGsoE1P9nTe&h=06ac0d8c&itok=ecqwgw6L)