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Inklings: Research and Rhetoric from the Suffolk University First-Year Writing Program, vol. 3 no. 1, Fall 2025
No full texthttps://dc.suffolk.edu/inklings/1002/thumbnail.jp
Wellness Architecture for Personal & Shared Growth
No full textMental health and social interaction have been linked since the beginning of early society, though mental health began to gain recognition in much more recent years. Without delving into the history of mental health or the stigmas associated, it is important to understand that what was once seen as a “disability” of sorts, now plagues over 970 million people in the world – and those are just the ones who have spoken out (Source 7). Wellness architecture is a way of consciously designing to not only aesthetically benefit users, but to enrich lives mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Through health codes, safety regulations, and exceptional design principles, wellness architecture has a much greater impact than surface-level aesthetics. This project will delve into the ways in which wellness architecture could help combat the mental health crisis, particularly loneliness, which impacts over 970 million people. Through a multitude of case studies and a full architectural design proposal, this investigation illustrates how thoughtful design can foster social connections and well-being, emphasizing the need for adaptable spaces that support both individual health and community interaction
Decoding Influence: Cosmetic Industry Strategies, Media Beauty Standards, and Their Mental Health Impact on Generation Z Consumers
No full textThis research explores the complex relationship between cosmetic industry marketing strategies, media-driven beauty standards, and the mental health of Generation Z consumers. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study examines how frequent exposure to curated beauty ideals and persuasive advertising shapes self-esteem, confidence, and personal identity among young adults. Through surveys and in-depth interviews, the research highlights the evolving nature of cosmetic use, revealing how early engagement with beauty products often stems from social conditioning and personal insecurities. Participants describe a shift from using cosmetics as a means of concealment to embracing them for creative expression and self-care. However, the findings also underscore the persistent pressures imposed by media and industry messaging, which can foster dependence on external validation. The study calls for greater transparency, ethical responsibility, and authentic representation within the cosmetic industry to support healthier self-image and mental well-being in young consumers, while also identifying areas for further research and policy intervention
Suffolk University Alumni Magazine, Fall 2025
No full texthttps://dc.suffolk.edu/sam/1059/thumbnail.jp
Is Artificial Intelligence Really Taking Our Jobs?
No full textThis paper studies how artificial intelligence has reshaped occupational opportunities in the United States by analyzing changes in employment, median wages, and wage inequality across all occupations from 2014 through 2024. Using a difference-in-differences framework, I compare occupations associated with AI-related tasks to those not directly exposed to generative AI, with particular attention to the structural break introduced by the mainstream release of generative AI tools in 2022. The results show no statistically significant decline in employment among AI-exposed occupations, indicating that early adoption did not lead to measurable job displacement. Instead, the strongest effects appear in wage inequality. Among all occupations, AI exposure is associated with a significant widening of the wage gap after 2022, driven by disproportionate gains for high earners. This pattern does not persist in high-skill occupations alone, suggesting that mid-skill roles face greater pressure from partial automation. Overall, AI’s early labor-market impact operates through wage restructuring rather than employment loss
Incentivizing Diversion
No full textJill, living with addiction and arrested with heroin, appears before a judge the day after her arrest. With the prosecutor’s agreement, the judge offers her entry into a treatment-based diversion program—a pathway that promises dismissal of the charge and no further court involvement. Diversion programs are designed to offer accused individuals an alternative to prosecution and punishment, aiming to avoid probation, incarceration, and collateral consequences. However, an analysis of state diversion statutes reveals structural flaws: burdensome requirements, limited protections of rights, and punitive measures that deter participation and undermine diversion’s potential.By creating statutory diversion programs as a tool to conserve judicial resources, address the root causes of crime, and reduce recidivism, legislatures intended to avoid a formal finding of guilt, preserve opportunities for employment, housing, and benefits, and address racial and socioeconomic disparities arising from over-policing and prosecution of minor offenses. Despite these goals, many diversion programs mirror traditional prosecution and punishment. Participants often face restrictive conditions, limited procedural rights, and harsh consequences for noncompliance—particularly if decisions about participation must be made immediately after arrest or arraignment. Diversion can feel coercive and punitive, especially when individuals are required to waive constitutional rights or cannot reenter the program after a violation. Some statutory schemes even penalize people for wanting to remain silent about past criminal acts.These structural deficiencies make diversion unattractive to many accused persons, particularly those who distrust the criminal adjudicative and sentencing systems or need more time or support to comply with program requirements. If diversion is to function as a meaningful alternative, legislatures must address these barriers and clearly differentiate diversion from traditional adjudication and sentencing.This Article draws on a national analysis of diversion statutes to recommend four legislative reforms: (1) allowing individuals to assert pretrial rights while still pursuing diversion; (2) preserving Fifth Amendment protections throughout diversion proceedings; (3) extending the window in which the accused may opt into diversion; and (4) offering second chances after a violation. Additional reforms—such as pre-arraignment diversion, automatic expungement or sealing, and procedural clarity—can further incentivize participation.Part I traces the development of legislative diversion and its role in addressing the complex roots of criminal behavior while serving state interests. Part II compares diversion and traditional adjudication and sentencing procedures and explores structural disincentives. Part III proposes legislative strategies to improve diversion’s accessibility and effectiveness.By removing statutory obstacles and enhancing procedural fairness, legislatures can transform diversion into a genuinely rehabilitative and restorative tool available to more persons by earning the trust of the people it is designed to serve
