Forgiveness, Learning Disabilities in College, and Iran

Forgiveness, Learning Disabilities in College, and Iran

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

  • Jul 16, 2015 9:00 pm
  • 1:42:55 mins

Forgiveness (1:04) Guest: Dr. Everett Worthington  Forgiveness is Top of Mind today. A dramatic example of it played out recently in a Utah courtroom when the widow of a slain police officer attended the sentencing hearing of 17-year-old Meagan Grunwald and asked the judge to go easy. Grunwald led police on an hours-long chase through Utah, driving a pick-up truck while her 27-year-old boyfriend shot at police officers through the rear window. The chase ended with the boyfriend dead, a police officer dead and another wounded. Grunwald was ultimately convicted of murder and faced life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judged handed down a more lenient sentence of 25-years-to-life, reflecting the sentiment of the slain officer’s widow who said to Grunwald at the hearing: “You are forgiven, sweet girl. I hope that one day you can forgive yourself.”  We heard similar sentiments from victims’ families after the massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.  So forgiveness is on our minds today: how it helps to heal victims, criminals, and communities. Dr. Everett Worthington is a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a leading researcher on forgiveness. In the midst of his research, he was forced to confront his own ability to forgive, not once but twice.  Learning Disabilities in College (27:24) Guest: Lindsay E. Jones, director of public policy and advocacy at the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and Aaron Allred, Ph.D, BYU Accessibility Center  A new crop of college freshman is registering for classes and planning the décor for their dorm rooms. Many of America’s 18 year-olds are getting ready this summer to start college in the fall.  Likely not on their minds is where they’ll turn for special assistance to deal with a learning disability. The good news is more students with such disabilities are college bound these days. The bad news those kids often have trouble getting the accommodations they need on campus – or they simply don’t disclose their needs and end up setting themselves.  The issue has caught the attention of the US Department of Education, which last month announced plans to fund a center focused on improving the transition for students with learning disabilities entering college.  Middle East Panel on Iran (51:09) Guests: Steven Lobell, University of Utah Political Science, John Macfarlane, Utah Valley University Political Science, and Quinn Mecham, Brigham Young University Political Science  After years of negotiation, the US has agreed to a deal meant to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon in the next decade. Iran promises to wind down its nuclear enrichment program and give international inspectors unprecedented access to monitor Iran’s compliance with the deal. In exchange, major nations including the US will lift the economic sanctions that have hampered Iran’s economy.  With an hour-long press conference yesterday, President Obama kicked off a PR effort to sell the deal to Congress, which has 60 days to review it. Joining me now to discuss the deal and its impact is our monthly panel of Middle East experts.  Pornography (1:31:21) Guest: Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Professor of Church History  Pornography accounts for 30 percent of all data transferred over the Internet, and 90 percent of children ages 8-16 have viewed it at least once. It’s been linked with low self-esteem and lower marriage rates in young men. Pornography is working its way into homes and families. Parents struggle with how to protect their children against its effects, given how likely they are to be exposed.  Richard Neitzel Holzapfel is the faculty advisor for the student club here on campus dedicated to educating people about the harms of pornography. Holzapfel is a professor of religious studies.

Episode Segments

Forgiveness

26m

Guest: Dr. Everett Worthington  Forgiveness is Top of Mind today. A dramatic example of it played out recently in a Utah courtroom when the widow of a slain police officer attended the sentencing hearing of 17-year-old Meagan Grunwald and asked the judge to go easy. Grunwald led police on an hours-long chase through Utah, driving a pick-up truck while her 27-year-old boyfriend shot at police officers through the rear window. The chase ended with the boyfriend dead, a police officer dead and another wounded. Grunwald was ultimately convicted of murder and faced life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judged handed down a more lenient sentence of 25-years-to-life, reflecting the sentiment of the slain officer’s widow who said to Grunwald at the hearing: “You are forgiven, sweet girl. I hope that one day you can forgive yourself

Guest: Dr. Everett Worthington  Forgiveness is Top of Mind today. A dramatic example of it played out recently in a Utah courtroom when the widow of a slain police officer attended the sentencing hearing of 17-year-old Meagan Grunwald and asked the judge to go easy. Grunwald led police on an hours-long chase through Utah, driving a pick-up truck while her 27-year-old boyfriend shot at police officers through the rear window. The chase ended with the boyfriend dead, a police officer dead and another wounded. Grunwald was ultimately convicted of murder and faced life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judged handed down a more lenient sentence of 25-years-to-life, reflecting the sentiment of the slain officer’s widow who said to Grunwald at the hearing: “You are forgiven, sweet girl. I hope that one day you can forgive yourself

Middle East Panel on Iran

40m

Guests: Steven Lobell, University of Utah Political Science, John Macfarlane, Utah Valley University Political Science, and Quinn Mecham, Brigham Young University Political Science  After years of negotiation, the US has agreed to a deal meant to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon in the next decade. Iran promises to wind down its nuclear enrichment program and give international inspectors unprecedented access to monitor Iran’s compliance with the deal. In exchange, major nations including the US will lift the economic sanctions that have hampered Iran’s economy.  With an hour-long press conference yesterday, President Obama kicked off a PR effort to sell the deal to Congress, which has 60 days to review it. Joining me now to discuss the deal and its impact is our monthly panel of Middle East experts.

Guests: Steven Lobell, University of Utah Political Science, John Macfarlane, Utah Valley University Political Science, and Quinn Mecham, Brigham Young University Political Science  After years of negotiation, the US has agreed to a deal meant to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon in the next decade. Iran promises to wind down its nuclear enrichment program and give international inspectors unprecedented access to monitor Iran’s compliance with the deal. In exchange, major nations including the US will lift the economic sanctions that have hampered Iran’s economy.  With an hour-long press conference yesterday, President Obama kicked off a PR effort to sell the deal to Congress, which has 60 days to review it. Joining me now to discuss the deal and its impact is our monthly panel of Middle East experts.