Peter Ramjug - News @ Northeastern

Whom else could President Trump pardon? Joe Exotic? Himself?

It would be unprecedented for a president to pardon himself and his family for federal crimes before leaving the Oval Office. Whether it is feasible is the subject of debate, but Northeastern professors say the move would undercut the policy behind the pardon power—which is based on the idea of grace and forgiveness.

by Peter Ramjug December 4, 2020

Diners sit inside a semi-transparent sidewalk housing at a restaurant while observing social distancing protocols to combat the spread of COVID-19 on Nov. 14, 2020, in New York. AP Photo by John Minchillo

Wearing masks is on the rise. Physical distancing isn’t.

There may be a connection between the winter surge in virus infections and a sharp rise in public gatherings as more people went back to work, exercised in gyms, and dined out, according to a survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers.

by Peter Ramjug December 1, 2020

Clockwise from top left, scenes from the Seattle, Portland, Vancouver and London regional campus. Photos by Northeastern University.

Nine campuses, nine pandemic situations

The Boston, Charlotte, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver campuses are open, but London, San Francisco, San Jose, and Toronto are closed, with students learning remotely. A real-time readout of every city around the world in which the university has a presence helps keep track of nine campuses in multiple time zones and under varying government regulations.

by Peter Ramjug November 30, 2020

Left, former US Assistant Secretary of State Tony Blinken, arrives at an international coalition in Paris on June 2, 2015, to discuss the fight against Daech. Right, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen listens to introductions as she is awarded the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 7, 2017. AP Photos by Nicolas Messyasz/Sipa and Jacquelyn Martin

Biden builds his cabinet around Tony Blinken and Janet Yellen

The president-elect tapped a former central banker and a longtime national security adviser to lead the key cabinet posts of Treasury and State. The early personnel announcements signal an emphasis on expertise and experience over political ideology in the White House, Northeastern professors say.

by Peter Ramjug November 24, 2020

Students Emily Bonnet and Terrance Dumoulin enjoy lunch inside the Renaissance themed dining tent on the Boston campus. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Dining with Michelangelo and Raphael

The Italian Renaissance master painters provide ambience to one of six tents on the Boston campus that have undergone a total makeover. Instead of bland white walls, each tent has been outfitted with a different theme. “The whole idea is to have the tents be very relaxing, very welcoming, and to attract the community to enjoy them,” says Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern.

by Peter Ramjug November 24, 2020

Rachel Domb won the 2020 Demo Day grand prize. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

A sustainable solution to the plastic wrappers on snacks

The fall semester’s Husky Startup Challenge attracted a diverse group of student entrepreneurs who presented their pitches. Their companies addressed a wide spectrum of challenges, including the lack of inclusivity in the beauty industry and how to keep women safe when exercising alone.

by Peter Ramjug November 19, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden removes his face mask to speak at The Queen theater on Nov. 5, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo by Carolyn Kaster

Will Biden’s proposed mask mandate actually force people to wear facial coverings?

Probably not, because any mandate he tried to impose would likely face court challenges. But there are other ways he can use the power of the presidency to try to get more people on board, including a direct appeal to our conscience, professors Wendy Parmet and Patricia Illingworth say.

by Peter Ramjug November 19, 2020

Photo courtesy of University College Dublin

These N.U.in students landed in Europe in the middle of Brexit and a global pandemic—and came away the better for it

They miss their families and long to hug them again after a semester overseas. But when these N.U.in students leave Dublin and return to the United States, they will not be the same people they were when they left. In a sense, that is what studying abroad is all about.

by Peter Ramjug November 18, 2020

Healthy Husky Leaders Erin Cowden and Akosua Boateng, handout protective face masks and hand sanitizer on Centennial Common. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Never fear, the Husky Health Leaders are here (with 5,000 bottles of hand sanitizer)

Clad in yellow hoodies and equipped with face masks and other freebies, Erin Cowden and Akos Boateng greet students with a smile and a friendly reminder to stay spaced apart. They are part of a corps of student health ambassadors who are just doing their part in the midst of a respiratory virus.

by Peter Ramjug November 16, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden speaks Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Biden's challenge will be to surround himself with 'excellent' people to manage the coronavirus

In a freewheeling political analysis of the 2020 election, Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee for president in 1988, said he is confident in Joe Biden’s ability to manage a surge in pandemic infections and hospitalizations because of the president-elect’s management style of surrounding himself with “excellent people who know what they’re doing.”

by Peter Ramjug November 12, 2020

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