“The incumbency advantage in the U.S. is really strong. We focus on the upsets. [But] once these women are in office, they can probably hold onto those positions.” -MIRYA HOLMAN, associate professor of political science, commenting in the Christian Science Monitor about the wave of women elected to office during the 2018 midterm elections.

During Outreach Tulane on Sept. 1, students Su Latt Swe Zin and Nadia Kumar bag leaves while cleaning the grounds at Renew Cultural Arts Academy at Live Oak Elementary. The student service event, in which students fan out across the city to sweep, clean, rake, plant and do other helpful activities, is held each year at the start of the fall semester.

Kirk Bouyelas, a 31-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, is Tulane’s new chief of police. Tulane President Mike Fitts said that Bouyelas is “an extraordinary law enforcement leader.”

Tulane University’s Latin American Library has acquired the personal papers of William Spratling, renowned artist, designer, author, entrepreneur and 1920s Tulane architecture professor. This collection contains original personal and business correspondence, photographs and design drawings from the peak years of Spratling’s artistic and commercial production starting in the 1920s until his death in 1967.

In October, Newcomb Art Museum hosted the world premiere of Postcards From Over the Edge, a new theatrical work that illustrates the history of the sale of sex in Louisiana. The play, developed by New Orleans–based artists, was initiated by Karel Sloane-Boekbinder from the School of Liberal Arts’ Department of Theatre and Dance.

“It’s scary. Our power grid, our cars, our everyday devices — basically everything is online and able to be attacked.” -Georgia Weidman, quoted in The New York Times. Weidman is teaching Applied Computing Systems and Technology in Tulane’s School of Professional Advancement. She is the author of Penetration Testing: A Hands-on Introduction to Hacking.

Students Carson Neeves, left, social media chair with the Tulane College Republicans, and Henry Walther, right, president of the Tulane College Democrats, install flags on the academic quad on Sept. 11. Both organizations hoped the demonstration would send a bipartisan message of respect and remembrance for the deceased of 9/11 — and all Americans.

Yes, it could be, said technology leaders at the annual Tulane Business Forum that was presented by the Tulane Association of Business Alumni in September. Among the participants at the forum were representatives of DXC Technology, which is bringing its new Digital Technology Center to New Orleans along with 2,000 tech jobs over the next six years. Part of the appeal of New Orleans is its universities, said the tech experts.

It’s a banner year for Tulane English professors — Zachary Lazar and Jesmyn Ward. Their novels have been selected as the 2019 books to read citywide in New Orleans and Philadelphia, respectively. Vengeance by Lazar is the “One Book, One New Orleans” selection. In addition to distributing free copies of the book to people who can’t afford to buy them, the program will present a series of events to encourage people to read and engage with the book, which is a tale of crime and imprisonment, where fact and fiction are hard to tell apart.

“Trauma psychology has emerged and evolved over the last 20 years.” -CHARLES FIGLEY, founder of the Traumatology Institute, in U.S. News & World Report, about the improvement in approaches, measures, assessments and treatment techniques in dealing with trauma.