Student Policy Network (SPN), a student organization at Notre Dame devoted to connecting undergraduates with real-world policy work, has launched its fall 2025 slate of projects. Students were assigned to teams last week, marking the start of a semester of research, advocacy and presentations in partnership with government agencies, think tanks and advocacy organizations.
The organization aims to serve as both a professional pipeline into public policy work and a hands-on opportunity for students to apply what they learn in the classroom. Since its establishment in 2020, SPN has hosted more than 60 projects with over 40 partner organizations, ranging from submitting sanctions requests to the Treasury and State Departments under the Global Magnitsky Act to advocating for legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driving privilege cards in Indiana. Members also previously worked with the mayor’s office in South Bend to identify energy efficiency programs.
This fall, SPN teams will take on projects with the Atlantic Council, the Pulte Institute for Global Development at Notre Dame, the National League of Cities, Freedom Network USA, the Economic Policy Institute, the Indiana Immigration Project, and the Denver mayor’s office. Additional teams will study education policy, environmental policy, public health, immigration and financial literacy, along with democratic engagement in Chicago.
The Housing Law and Policy Project is one of SPN’s prevailing initiatives, previously highlighted in local media outlets such as NPR-affiliate WFIU and Fox 59. The project has explored tenant protections and eviction trends in past semesters, but this fall, the team will focus on ways Indiana can incentivize new affordable and mixed-use housing developments.
“In recent years, investment in affordable housing has plummeted, leaving a huge gap in the market,” junior Paige Weniger, co-lead for the project, wrote in an email to The Observer. “This semester, we’re looking at ways the state of Indiana can secure investment for lower to middle-income Hoosiers.”
The project is working in partnership with the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of faith leaders that has long been active in housing efforts. Students will be tasked with analyzing construction data from the past several years, researching barriers that discourage developers and studying how other states and municipalities have addressed similar shortages.
For co-lead sophomore Curtis Brashaw, the project’s success can be measured in more than one way.
“Each week we’ll compile research on historical trends and then formulate policy recommendations,” he wrote in an email. “The goal is to see a difference being made at the state or local level, but even contributing to our partner’s annual housing summit is a success for us.”
The Mass Incarceration Project, meanwhile, is collaborating with Notre Dame’s Institute for Social Concerns and an incarceration research lab at the University of Denver. Building on last semester’s focus on alternatives to policing, the team will examine post-carceral care programs across states.
“The central focus of our project is a mixture of post-carceral care research, comparative community safety policies and a continuation of last semester’s focus on alternatives to policing,” co-lead sophomore Tim Browdy wrote via email. “We hope to provide a resource for individuals seeking post-carceral care as well as a mapped resource for legislators and policymakers alike.”
The International Human Rights Law Project is taking on pressing global issues. In collaboration with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, part of the Organization of American States, the team will focus this semester on analyzing countries’ compliance with United Nations reparation orders. Past projects have included investigations into abuses in Nicaragua, China, Bangladesh and Malta.
“Our project focuses on investigating human rights violations and political corruption across the world,” co-lead senior Sam Godinez wrote via email.
He explained the work that students will be doing to enhance their skills in this area.
“This semester, we are focused on analyzing foreign countries’ compliance with UN reparation orders. Students will strengthen their research, writing and analytical abilities through comprehensive document summarization and investigative inquiry," Godinez wrote.
The team is co-led by Godinez, sophomore Samuel Robinson and sophomore Katarina Todorovich, who will guide students through comparative international law and case analysis. Their findings will contribute to broader accountability efforts and assessments of how effectively global human rights norms are enforced.
Each SPN team will produce research deliverables such as white papers or policy memos and present their findings to partner organizations at the semester’s end.
