Digital Commons Network^™

Patriotism, Pandemic, And Precarity: How The Alt-Right And White Nationalist Movement Used The Pandemic, Arthur J. Jipson

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

This workshop will explore how the so-called Alt-Right and White Nationalist movement used conspiracy theories around the origin and challenge of the COVID-19 Pandemic to recruit members, advance their causes, and create social and cultural discord in an effort to create legitimacy for their racist and white supremacist attacks on community. After a discussion of the current state of the Alt-Right and White Nationalist movement, the workshop will interrogate the various online tools used by these groups to attack and dismantle community and human rights initiatives. The workshop concludes with an interactive activity that helps participants explore how these efforts …

The Shortcomings Of Corporate Accountability In Post-Conflict Colombia: Land, Rivers And Animals, Isabella Ariza Buitrago, Luisa Gomez Betancur

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Although the notion of sustainable peace requires acknowledging the role played by all actors, transitional processes around the world have inadequately addressed or completely ignored the direct and indirect participation of economic actors. In particular, Colombia's transitional justice regime left out corporations entirely. A skillshare between Colombian lawyers and US-based human rights attorneys showed some of the gaps that let corporations continue in impunity for profiting, benefiting from, or directly financing the conflict. Other than harming and deeply fracturing communities, the shortcomings of corporate accountability in post-conflict Colombia also leave land, rivers, and animals without redress. This paper explores some …

How U.S. Gdp Affects Prison Population: Discrediting Conceptions Of Recessions, Michael Mcpherson

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

This research was designed to discover correlative effects of US GDP with prison population. This arose out of the lack of studies conducted on economic effects of prison laborers within the U.S. economic framework. A rudimentary statistical regression was executed to determine the effects of real GDP based in the year 2012 with the U.S. prison population. Qualitative and theoretical sources supplemented the analysis to provide context to the trends that were discovered. Change in U.S. GDP was found to have ambiguous effects on the prison population which debunks the notion that recessions cause escalations in serious criminal activity.

Racial And Implicit Bias: Diagnosis Disparities In The African Diaspora: Implications For Counseling Practice, Jahaan Abdullah

Together We RISE (Making Excellence Inclusive)

Disparities in healthcare are far from uncommon. Research demonstrates there are disproportionate diagnoses of psychiatric disorders and mental health disorders for those in the African Diaspora. African Americans are three to four time more likely to receive a more stigmatizing psychotic disorder diagnosis than Caucasian Americans (Schwartz & Blankenship, 2014). Presenters in this session will discuss the disparity in diagnosis for those in the African diaspora. Additionally, data associated with this research, the corresponding increased trauma associated with more stigmatizing diagnoses and the paucity in counseling research regarding these disparities will be discussed.

Ethics, Justice, And The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Courts In Canada, Bruce Preston

The Canadian Society for Study of Practical Ethics / Société Canadienne Pour L'étude De L'éthique Appliquée — SCEEA

Canadian courts have struggled with delay for decades. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic added to an already difficult situation. Courts were required to take swift action, which they did. Despite this, they have faced criticism concerning the approach taken. I will argue that this criticism is not warranted and has more to do with the perceptions of the courts’ past performance than it has to do with their response to the pandemic. Regardless, the systemic delay in Canadian courts has become an issue of ethics which overshadows any success they have had in the current pandemic.

Why Does An Ex-Offender Reoffend?, Jacob Rybak

Symposium of Student Scholars

What leads to an offender to go back to prison? Iowa has collected data tracking recidivism to evaluate the effectiveness of its programs for released offenders. This data set includes the following for all of the offenders: age groups, type of release (parole vs being discharged at the end of their sentence), race, sex, year of release, supervising district, original offense, and whether they recidivated. For the offenders who return to prison, the data set includes measures on days to return, type of recidivism (technicality or new crime), and what the specific offense was that caused their return.

In the …

Marijuana Arrests In Toronto Canada: A Look Into The Canadian Criminal Justice System, Steven Tully

Symposium of Student Scholars

Marijuana related drug offenses made up fifty-eight percent of all Controlled Drugs and Substances Act offenses in Canada in 2016. On October 17, 2018, Canada legalized marijuana. As part of the efforts to legalize marijuana, descriptive statistics of single variables, like the age of the arrestees and the number of people arrested per year, were reported by the Toronto Star newspaper. The dataset analyzed in this research predates the legalization of marijuana and was collected from 1997 to 2002 on 5,226 individuals arrested in Toronto, Canada for simple possession of small quantities of marijuana. When an offender was arrested for …

Unjust And Unethical: The Endless Punishment Of U.S. Sex Offenders, Chelsea Arnold

Alfie Scholars Conferences

Sex offenders are arguably one of the most stigmatized populations in the United States. Because of this, almost one million sex offenders are subject to extremely punitive laws far past the end of their prison stays. These laws make is nearly impossible for individuals with past sex offenses to reintegrate into society in any meaningful way. The laws in question are sex offender registration  laws. While the public may gain a false sense of security from these laws, evidence suggests that they do not work, nor are they fairly applied. The most poor and disenfranchised members of U.S. society are …

Policing Perspectives Of Human Trafficking, Joanne V. Silva

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This study incorporates a criminological and feminist analysis of policing perspectives surrounding the power dynamics within human trafficking.

Exploring The Impact Of Interpersonal Trust On Health Outcomes In Rapidly Gentrifying Neighborhoods In Portland, Oregon, Julie Ha, Yves Labissiere

McNair Symposium

Social determinants have been recognized to be significant factors contributing to the overall health outcomes of individuals. However, there is limited research on how these factors have directly impacted the mental and physical wellness of people in neighborhoods who are experiencing rapid gentrification. The objective of this study is to determine whether the level of interpersonal trust present between individuals in neighborhoods is associated with the mental and physical health outcomes among its residents. This quantitative study uses the Albina-Rockwood Neighborhood Promise Survey, which uses data from a random sample of families living in two rapidly gentrified neighborhoods in Portland, …

Terrorism Recidivism Study, Grace Meyer, Omi Hodwitz (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center changed the nation’s approach to counterterrorism, leading to policies focused on capture and detainment. As a result, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, a military facility, was created in 2002. Most alleged extremists housed there have now been transferred to other countries for further detention or release. This transfer creates a unique opportunity to understand recidivism rates among these groups. Without such an assessment, legislators cannot know whether detention at Guantanamo Bay has been effective at reforming terrorists. The Terrorism Recidivism Study (TRS) database provides this necessary assessment.

The TRS study …

Free But Not Free: Addressing The Collateral Consequences Of Having A Criminal Background, Terrance Hinton

Doctoral Student Association Conference

No abstract provided.

Health & Human Mobility, Barbara Gomez-Aguinaga

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

Human mobility, in its different manifestations — international and domestic migration; refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced populations; and human trafficking — is at the center of many political and public debates. In two research presentations by UNO faculty, the demographics of highly mobile populations will be explored as well as the impacts of mobility on communities in Nebraska.

Human Trafficking And The T Visa Process, Teresa C. Kulig

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

Human mobility, in its different manifestations — international and domestic migration; refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced populations; and human trafficking — is at the center of many political and public debates. In two research presentations by UNO faculty, the demographics of highly mobile populations will be explored as well as the impacts of mobility on communities in Nebraska.

Reflections On Critical Librarianship And Creating A Controlled Vocabulary, Olivia R. Smith Schlinck

Sandbox Series

During the summer of 2020, several members of the Cardozo Law Library collaborated to create a controlled vocabulary (CV) for LARC, our institutional repository. During the creation of this CV, there was no explicit intention to consider critical librarianship teachings while making decisions about what words “belonged” in the CV nor in drafting policies relating to the CV. This presentation will reflect on how beginning the project with critical librarianship in mind may have impacted the CV and will attempt to consider changes to the current policies to mitigate biases that are undoubtedly embedded in the CV as it stands.

Building Sustainable Instruction Through Microlearning Opportunities, Erin Mccoy, Kathryn Neary

ACRL New England Chapter Annual Conference

No abstract provided.

Biblical Principles Of Reform And Regeneration, Kahlib Fischer

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper seeks to provide Biblical perspective on social and cultural reform. At the time of this writing, much upheaval in the form of a pandemic, race riots, political protests have been manifest both within America and abroad. In turn, these disputes have carried over into disputes within various denominations of the Church itself. It can be difficult to ascertain a Biblical perspective on all of these issues. We had previously argued that a Biblical perspective on government requires an emphasis on limited government with a covenantal structure which embodies noncentralization, and federalism; after all, historically, the American system of …

Investigating Types And Causes Of Water Pollution: Three Case Studies In Upstate New York, Nicole Cornell

The Charles Proteus Steinmetz Symposium

The purpose of this thesis is to examine causes and trends in water pollution in three Upstate New York municipalities and the associated socioeconomic factors and the potential for environmental justice problems. Water pollution and drinking water quality is crucial to examine. The World Health Organization (2019) has reported that 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services. Water quality reports for the Town of Glenville, City of Schenectady and Town of Niskayuna, in New York State, were compared. Census data from 2019 also was used to examine race and income in these municipalities. …

Bridging The Gap: Reconciling Research And Reality On Street Gang Prevention, Brent Schuliger

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Law enforcement in America is under great scrutiny. Last year saw numerous calls for criminal justice reforms due to a perceived racial bias in policing strategies and policies. This crisis of public opinion poses a serious threat to police legitimacy in the coming years. Couple this with a public which increasingly does not trust police capabilities to solve crimes: since 2010, the number of violent crimes reported to police steadily declined, reaching a low of only 40% reported[1]. It is clear some reforms to the criminal justice system, and how it interacts with communities, are needed. One of …

The Emergence Of Transitional Justice In The United States Via The Criminal Justice System, Lawrence Presley, Calista D. Scott, Jessica E. Delgado

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The definition of transitional justice includes police and judiciary reform in part through truth and reconciliation commissions. Several states have operational truth and justice commissions, and there are clear Congressional and media indications of a United States truth and reconciliation commission. The purpose of this paper is to explore a national truth and justice commission with a focus on criminal justice reform. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be explored, and its potential implications for such a United States commission. The United States Supreme Court decision McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) will also be highlighted as it may have …

Defunding The Police From A Biblical Perspective, Macy Montgomery

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The coronavirus pandemic instilled panic and fear within people across the globe at the beginning of 2020. The death of George Floyd in May during the attempted arrest quickly exacerbated people's anxiety, but not in the virus, rather, in law enforcement. The despair and horror individuals felt after George Floyd's death then turned into rage. Protests against police brutality turned into sinister riots, which consisted of looting and burning of buildings. The slogan "defund the police" became popularized by Black Lives Matter, which calls for the reduction in police funds and the delegation of police duties to other organizations. This …

Negative Emotions Connected To Racial Experiences, Alondra Guerrero, Avery Britt, Isabella Layton

Symposium of Student Scholars

Negative Emotions Connected to Racial Experiences

For many students, college is the first environment in which they experience racial diversity. Because of this, university campuses become microcosms for the working world including the negative interracial interactions. Harwood and colleagues (2012) found that students of color lack a sense of belonging on predominately white college campuses. They experience microaggressions, racial jokes and comments, and uncomfortable interpersonal interactions (Harwood, 2012). Racially charged experiences influence emotions and those emotions, in turn, influence future racial experiences (Kim, 2016). It follows that students, faculty, and staff who endure a negative racial climate on campus experience …

Why Does An Ex-Offender Reoffend?, Jacob Rybak

Symposium of Student Scholars

What leads an offender to go back to prison? This researcher has lived in the Georgia State prison system for 3.5 years. Using personal insights as well as analytics, this researcher analyzes Iowa state’s six-year data set tracking recidivism of released offenders and recommends changes to the prison system to address the analytical findings.

The Iowa recidivism data set includes the following information for all offenders: age group, type of release (parole vs different discharges), release year, original offense, and whether they recidivated. For the recidivating offenders, the data set includes the days to return to prison, the type of …

The Effect Of State Level Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Orders On Death Rates, Stephen A. Langeland, Jose Marte, Kyle Connif

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper attempts to examine a correlation between lockdown length and COVID-19 case rate, death rate and fatality rate. In March of 2020, the publishing of alarmist epidemiological models prompted government officials to enact sweeping emergency measures (Miltimore 2020). Notably, the Imperial College London model published by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson predicted a “best-case scenario” of 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by August 2020. This model heightened concern that the hospital system would be overwhelmed, a reason cited by President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force members, Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci, as justification for the “15 Days to Flatten the …

Antitrust In The Age Of Trump, Stephen Langeland

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Calls for regulation of major tech giants are currently ringing out from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum, largely for different reasons (Soave 2020). The current DOJ antitrust suit against Google was undermined by murmurs of political motivation as former-Attorney General William Barr personally played a key role in pushing the investigation forward into a lawsuit. (Birnbaum 2020). Prior examples of this can be seen in the reportedly political motivation of the DOJ’s unsuccessful attempt to block the 2017 merger of President Trump’s nemesis CNN’s parent company Time Warner and AT&T following President Trump’s campaign trail …

The Threat Of Social Media To Society And National Security: A Call For Social Media Policy And Legislation, Frank Hernandez

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In the Constitution, We the People affirm ourselves to domestic tranquility, our common defense and general welfare to secure the blessings of Liberty. As such, statesmen are charged with developing policy to ensure social media is safe, accessible and usable to all. Currently, social media companies and use of their platforms pose a threat to national security and the societal fabric of our nation. No longer just a communication tool to bring communities and people together, social media is now leveraged to disrupt and diminish faith in our democratic republic, its people, systems and institutions. Citizens, public and private organizations, …

The Long Road Towards Racial Reconciliation, Lia Cueto Jerez

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The issue of race in the United States has been long contested among different social and political spheres. Over the course of the 20^th and 21^st century, Americans have been eyewitnesses to the long and evolving fight for racial justice and equality. Most recently, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 has proven to contest people’s attitudes over the issue. As political polarization grows, mistrust within communities of color deepens, further hindering participation in bipartisan work to overcome these differences.

The First Step Act Of 2018, Emily Brubaker

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The Trump Administration signed into law the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act or the First Step Act (FSA) on December 21, 2018. The bill is the product of several years of congressional debate regarding what might be done to reduce the overall size of the federal prison population while implementing mechanisms to maintain the safety of the public (James, 2019).

Perspectives On Covid, Glenn Bass

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The purpose of this paper is to delve further into the topic of Culture & Crisis: Reconciling Constitutionalism & Federalism in a Time of Crisis through Liberty University’s Helms School of Government & Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy. The United States of America is currently under siege by the COVID-19 virus. This virus has steadily killed hundreds of individuals and consequently nearly shutdown the American socio-economic system. Through a constitutional government and federal principles, the executive functions have been able to address this time of crisis. However, there are different views referencing exactly how to address the needs of …

The United Nations And Its Interests: Dollars Or Humanitarianism?, Gabriela Dos Santos

Academic Festival

The general purpose of the United Nation is well known: To preserve world peace and avoid influential nations to engage in acts of war. However, many aspects of the United Nations, in special, its funding, can be seen through a different set of lenses.

By heavily relying on 34% of its funding on nations such as the United States and China, the United Nations finds itself more often than not, in an uncomfortable position where it has to choose whether to listen to its greatest donors or to advocate for humanitarianism, world peace, and amongst other goals stated in its …