Digital Commons Network^™

Intimate Partner Violence In The Rio Grande Valley: The Role Of Culture, Tania Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

Mexican culture along the border towns of the Rio Grande dominates views towards women and men experiencing violence in intimate relationships. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies relating to intimate partner violence in the Rio Grande Valley. This study addresses the dynamics of abusive relationship in a Hispanic community that can be influenced by cultural concepts such as familism and marianismo. The author utilized a mixed methods approach for this study that included a sample of (n = 513) surveys and (n = 13) interviews that were analyzed separately. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess …

Factors Affecting Irs Audit Rate Probability: Empirical Evidence From Rgv Region, Issack Guyo

Theses and Dissertations

IRS tax audits are intended to curb tax evasion; however, they are costly to conduct and have negative impacts on taxpayers. The purpose of this study is to find out factors that lead to high IRS audit rate in a region from the perspective of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). Relationship between IRS tax audit rate and determinants of tax evasion identified by Davis, Cebula, & Boylan (2020) among others are studied. A regression analysis is conducted on the regions scores on poverty rate, demography, unemployment rate and general level of education with the IRS audit rate. The results suggest …

Blue Lives Matter: Public Perception In Texas, Nohely Karyme Lozano

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, Blue Lives Matter, a pro-policing movement, was established across the United States. The movement sheds light on the attacks and killings of police officers while on the line of duty. Also, it raises awareness of the dangers and risks law enforcement agents face while on duty and off duty. Throughout the years, the movement has gained many supporters across the nation. However, it has been controversial, and many considered it as a countermovement to Black Lives Matter. To bridge the gap in the literature, the researcher investigated the perception of Texans towards the movement. Moreover, the research …

Should Employment Division V Smith Be Overturned?, Jake Greenblum, Ryan Hubbard

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Health professionals seeking religious exemption from caring for some patients or providing some interventions receive robust legal protection. Similarly, religiously affiliated organizations have great latitude in deciding which services to offer. These protections could soon become stronger, as the US Supreme Court considers 2 cases that revisit constraints on exemption claims established in Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v Smith (1990). This article contends that overturning this case’s precedent might result in clinicians claiming more religious exemptions, which, barring acts of US Congress, would erode the rule of law and increase risk of harm to patients.

The Rider (2021-10-11), Verilu Infante

The Rider

No abstract provided.

Review Of Crossing Borders: My Journey In Music. By Max Baca And Craig Harris. (Albuquerque: University Of New Mexico Press, 2021. Pp. 184. Paperback. $18.43. Isbn 978-0-8263-6251-3), Erika Rendon-Ramos

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

How Are Police Lineups Represented In Popular Crime Shows In The U.S.A? An Examination Of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Luis Fernando Chavarria

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore police lineups as portrayed in crime-related TV shows in the U.S.A, such as Law & Order: SUV. The data used is from 25 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The methodology used for this study is grounded theory and content analysis. results of the study by themes which are: DNA evidence, police lineups, and lineups used in court. From these themes codes were further highlighted and noted. Based on the episodes for the show and real-life lineup procedure practices, there were inconsistencies about clothing, physical characteristics of suspects, incorrect lineup …

Attachment And Intimate Partner Violence In Predominantly Hispanic Young Adult Couples, Deanna Pollard

Theses and Dissertations

Some research suggests that conflicting insecure attachment needs between romantic partners exacerbate the association between insecure attachment dimensions and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in men and women. However, the current literature examining this association are not without their limitations (i.e., small sample sizes, collapsing both partners' reports together to create their IPV variables, predominantly White samples, and utilizing attachment instruments that do not assess attachment dimensions directly). The present study aimed to address some of the limitations in previous research by examining the association between partners' opposing insecure attachment dimensions and male and female-perpetrated physical IPV in a …

Attachment, Emotion Dysregulation, And Physical Ipv In Predominantly Hispanic, Young Adult Couples, Deanna L. Pollard, Arturo L. Cantos

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Insecure attachment has been found to be a risk factor for perpetrating physical intimate partner violence (IPV). However, this association is likely exacerbated by additional factors, such as conflicting insecure attachment in one’s partner and difficulties with overall emotion regulation and impulse control. The present study aimed to examine the associations between insecure attachment and physical IPV perpetration in male and female partners, as well as to examine whether these associations are exacerbated by involvement with a partner with opposing attachment needs and overall emotion dysregulation and impulsivity. Additionally, this study examined whether partners’ emotion dysregulation interacted to predict IPV. …

Covid-19 Student Mental Health Check Ii, Dianna Blankenship, Irma S. Jones

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The year 2020 will forever be known as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the entire population in one way or another. What began in January 2020 still has the world population firmly in its grip a year later. The students’ responses, in their own words, to changes in living, daily `routines, and health fears can be seen in the following paper. In this article, the responses of students in several undergraduate classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 155 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: …

Brown Moral Panic: Racism In The Trump Era, Carlos Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the language used by news media to report Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric against Mexican immigrants, from the beginning of his presidential campaign to the El Paso Massacre on August 3rd, 2019. The study focuses on the latest moral panic in the United States against Mexican immigrants (2015 to 2019) using qualitative methods. The research examines how Trump’s racist anti-immigration rhetoric is depicted in news media categorized as neutral. The study focuses on the Associated Press (Neutral Center), New York Times (Neutral Left) and Reuters (Neutral Right).

Transitioning To Housing First: Perceptions Of The Role Of The Rehabilitation Counselor In Serving Homeless Individuals With Disabilities In Puerto Rico, Ana Vanessa Serrano Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, the federal government has developed strategies to eradicate homelessness in the US and its territories. The introduction of evidence-based practices like the Housing First Model helped decrease the number of people living homeless. Still, it continues to be a public health problem, especially among chronically homeless individuals, defined broadly as people with disabilities and substance abuse problems experiencing homelessness. Rehabilitation counselors are professionals specialized in serving individuals with disabilities. However, their role in programs identified as Housing First was unclear.

Thus, the study aimed to identify service providers' views, opinions, knowledge, and experiences about the role of …

Media Framing, Moral Panic And Covid-19: A Comparative Analysis Of China, South Korea, And The Us., Deena Devore, Sinyong Choi, Yudu Li, Hong Lu

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

COVID-19 is perhaps the single most impactful event defining 2020 globally. Drawing on theory on media typology involving freedom and responsibility, media framing and moral panic theories, this paper examines media coverage on COVID-19 in three countries, China, South Korea and the United States. Data were obtained from six news outlets, Xinhua News, South China Morning Post, Chosun, Hankyoreh, CNN and Breitbart, two from each of the three countries. More than 1,000 COVID-19 related reports, spanning six days (the last day of January to June, 2020) were selected and coded based on common priming themes such as tone, the othering, …

The Rider (2021-04-26), Jacqueline Peraza

The Rider

No abstract provided.

Black Lives Matter And The Politics Of Redemption, Charles Olney

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article explores the role of practical political theory in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. I argue that BLM represents a multifaceted engagement with the complicated politics of redemption that lies at the heart of American democracy. In one sense, BLM stands for the integration of black life into the framework of political value, and thus for a redemption of the promise of ‘justice for all’. In another, it is a challenge to the principles themselves, viewing justice as a threat to be managed, rather than as a principle to be redeemed. Exploring the praxis of this movement, organized …

The Rider (2021-03-22), Jacqueline Peraza

The Rider

No abstract provided.

The Rider (2021-03-01), Jacqueline Peraza

The Rider

No abstract provided.

The Rider (2021-01-18), Jacqueline Peraza

The Rider

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Student Mental Health Check, Dianna Blankenship, Irma S. Jones

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced many changes in the lives of our students and families. In this article, the responses of students in criminal justice classes at a Hispanic serving institution in south Texas were collected and synthesized. The 252 responses were divided into seven frequently observed and repeated themes: jobs and job related, school and courses, graduation, routine, family, positivity, and groceries/shopping. Findings for this time period matched what much of what the national and international news and reports have all reported. It indicates that, as teaching professionals, we must be mindful to provide the added support to assist …

Assessing The Mediating Role Of Social Support In Childhood Maltreatment And Psychopathology Among College Students In Northern Ireland, Susan Lagdon, Jana Ross, Martin Robinson, Ateka A. Contractor, Ruby Charak, Cherie Armour

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The detrimental impact of early trauma, particularly childhood maltreatment, on mental health is well documented. Although it is understood that social support can act as a protective factor towards mental health for children who experience such adversity, few studies have addressed the experience of childhood maltreatment and the important function of social support in adulthood. The current study aimed to assess the mediating role of social support in the relationship between childhood experiences of maltreatment, and mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression, PTSD and problematic alcohol use in a sample of university students (N= 640). Results of binary logistic regression …

Year Two: Effect Of Procrastination On Academic Performance Of Undergraduate Online Students, Irma S. Jones, Dianna Blankenship

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Procrastination presents problems not only for undergraduate students, but also for undergraduate faculty, and the effects of student procrastination on academic performance is a joint concern. This two-year follow up study seeks to better understand the relationship between academic performance and the actual time of submission of assignments relative to the deadline imposed on those submissions. The authors investigated the effect of academic assignment submission time and the academic grades earned before, on, and after the assignment submission deadline. These results continue to suggest that the earlier assignments are submitted, the higher the grades tend to be. Therefore, online faculty …

School Counselors' Use Of A Multitier System Of Support To Foster Safe School Experiences And Respond To School Violence, George Padilla, Clarissa L. Salinas, Javier Cavazos Vela, James F. Whittenberg

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this chapter, the authors introduce and identify current issues, controversies and problems that influence school safety and counselor preparedness. A brief overview of school violence in America, counselors' training to deal with school violence, and factors that influence school violence are provided. Following this, the authors present a multitier system of supports (MTSS) as a recommended model for counselors to (1) prevent, (2) prepare and plan, (3) respond, and (4) lead recovery efforts as related to school violence. Finally, a case study is presented in which the authors apply best practices within the American Counselor Association's national framework to …

Folie À Deux In The 21st Century: Qanon And The American Dream Delusion, Gordon A. Crews, Christina S. Bentch, Garrison A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this chapter is to use the concept of folie à deux (or shared delusion disorder) to examine the phenomena of “Q” and the “QAnon” movement in the 21st century. The insurrection which occurred on January 6, 2021 during the attack on the United States’ capitol, drew the authors’ attention to try to understand the reason for this mass violence and to determine what individuals, motivations, and beliefs brought this violence to life. The allegory of Plato’s Cave is used by the authors to offer the reader a context to place the current increasingly bizarre claims and conspiracies …