Contact My SSW Intranet

Main menu

School of Social Work News

  1. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline Discusses the Benefits of Public Banking on Marketplace

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline spoke with “Marketplace” about the benefits of public banking, especially given the recent turmoil in the banking sector. Not only would public banking provide a full range of services to underserved communities, but they also generally offer more safety than private banks. “State- and municipal-owned banks are intended to be publicly accountable, transparent, democratic,” Friedline said.

  2. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline Quoted in MarketWatch on the Financial Stress Facing Americans

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline spoke with MarketWatch about the stress many Americans are facing in light of both rising costs and the threat of a predicted recession. “When things are not going well financially, it feels embarrassing and shameful,” she said. “Many, many people have financial difficulties, have struggled to pay their bills, or have over-drafted their accounts.”

  3. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline 2022 Recipient of the Doctoral Student Organization Faculty Award

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline received the 2022 Doctoral Student Organization Faculty Award. “I'm humbled to receive this award from doctoral students —an acknowledgement of my contributions,” said Friedline. “It is a tremendous honor to play a small role in supporting the next generations of social work and social sciences scholars.”

    • September 6, 2022
  4. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline Weighs in on the Student Debt Relief Program in Fast Company

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline shares her thoughts on President Biden’s student debt relief program in Fast Company.  She says that while the relief package will make a real difference, she is concerned that it ignores the role structural racism and sexism play in educational debt.  "The Biden administration will have to do more if it aims to adequately address these and the many other remaining structural problems with debt and education," she writes. The story originated in the Conversation and has been included in numerous publications including:

  5. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline Submits Comments About Overdraft Fees to U.S. House Committee on Financial Services

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline submitted written comments about the elimination of overdraft fees to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services March 31, 2022 hearing. “If private banks remain unable or unwilling to take the steps necessary for creating equal, dignified access to retail financial services, then they should step aside and enthusiastically support options such as postal banking, public banking, mission-driven Community Development Financial Institutions, and mutual aid or solidarity economy networks, which are dedicated to serving people in need without charging expensive fees and adding to burdensome debt,” she writes.

  6. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline Advocates for Postal Banking as a Way to Advance Racial Equity

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline’s op-ed in The Emancipator on how reviving post office banking could advance racial equity. “More than 60 million Americans – one-fifth of the population – live in communities without a bank. They’re left either to travel long distances to handle their money or use more expensive nearby options like check-cashing companies, payday lenders and currency exchanges,” writes Friedline. Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe’s Opinion team are collaborating to resurrect and reimagine The Emancipator, the first abolitionist newspaper in the United States, founded more than 200 years ago.

  7. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline Shares Overdraft Fees Research with U.S. House Committee on Financial Services

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline was invited to share her research on overdraft fees with the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services. Friedline is part of a nationwide movement to eliminate overdraft fees which are excessive, predatory, and punish lower-income people for not having enough money in the bank.

  8. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline’s Research on Postal Banking Featured in The Conversation

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline discusses her research in The Conversation on how postal banking could provide a financial lifeline to the millions of Americans without a bank account.

    According to data, 24% of U.S. census tracts  have neither a community bank nor a credit union branch, leaving 21 million people "underbanked." The lack of affordable banking creates real hardships that disproportionately hurt low-income Americans and communities of color. Without a bank account, people pay higher fees and interest rates, have a harder time building credit history and are less able to get mortgages and other kinds of loans, writes Friedline.

  9. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline publishes “Powerful alternatives to predatory lenders: Postal Service banking and public banks” in the Chicago Sun Times

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline and her co-author argue in their commentary “Powerful alternatives to predatory lenders: Postal Service banking and public banks” that the payday and auto title loan industry exists only because there are so many communities in the United States lacking even one traditional bank. The commentary was published in the Chicago Sun Times.

  10. Terri L. Friedline
     
    Terri Friedline's New Book "Banking on a Revolution Why Financial Technology Won't Save a Broken System" Published by Oxford Press

    Associate Professor Terri Friedline’s new book, “Banking on a Revolution Why Financial Technology Won't Save a Broken System,” takes a critical look at advancements in financial technology (“fintech”) in the banking and financial industries, and makes the case for a more inclusive financial system. "Banking on a Revolution" is deeply rooted in theory and research, and it presents new interpretations of the climate crisis, student loan debt, and community benefits agreements and their relationships to the financial system. The book makes a compelling case for a revolutionized financial system that centers the needs, experiences, and perspectives of those it has historically excluded, marginalized, and exploited. 

    "To create a more equitable and democratized financial system, we need to shift the balance of power away from banks and lenders and toward people,” says Friedline. “Social movements can shift power imbalances and hold institutions accountable for the racist inequalities they have created — tasks for which fintech was not really designed."

Contact Us Press escape to close