Welcome to our weekly roundup of news from university presses! There is much to share from our fellow academic publishing houses and much to learn on What SUP at the social university presses. This week we found university presses discussing topics ranging from the 2013 elections, religion, pregnancy, capital punishment, and food. What did you read this week?

Columbia University Press spotlights the closely watched Virginia governmental elections and looks at the candidates differing views on climate change and how global warming affects Virginia.

In light of the tragic boat accident in Lampedusa earlier this month, the University of California Press shares an Op-Ed written by one of their authors­, Danish journalist and anthropologist Hans Lucht, about the plight of undocumented African migrants making the perilous journey to Europe in search of a better life.

Temple University Press discusses the social inequality affecting Black and Latino youth as they struggle against being profiled as “ghetto thug” criminals.

Across the pond, Oxford University Press acknowledged the World Day Against the Death Penalty, which took place on October 10. Professor and writer William Schabas presents a progress report on international efforts to eradicate the death penalty.

Duke University Press is also in Europe for the world-famous Frankfurt Book Fair. This week they are celebrating the library release of its e-Duke Books Scholarly Collection, now available as e-books through HighWire Press.

Over at Washington Square, NYU Press shares the results of a thought-provoking study, which asserts that vaginal births for twins are as safe as Cesarean (C-section) births. Does this mean that American obstetricians are overprescribing C-section procedures?

Our friends at Harvard University Press ponder the following question: can one practice religion without God? The late Ronald Dworkins argues that the experiences and convictions between atheists and religious individuals are more similar than popular culture has us believe.

Finally, treat yourself to a mouthwatering feast for the eyes! UNC Press has shared a delicious-looking food highlight reel created by one of their cooking writers, Kathleen Purvis, during her time at the 2013 Southern Foodways Symposium in Oxford, Mississippi.