Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Our National Shame, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

I spend a lot of time with my students working at soup kitchen and homeless shelters, and each winter, when it gets really cold and dark, my thoughts more often turn back to Dick. Dick died on Jan. 31, 1988. He was a veteran who served in Germany in the 1950s and was a graduate of St. John's University in New York, where his father has been an Engligh professor.

Dick had completed most of the work for his MBA during a career which included positions at Procter & Gamble, Federated Department Stores, and National Cash Register. At the time …

Fearless: Yaou Liu, Yaou Liu

SURGE

Humbly and passionately serving the campus community as a true “servant leader” for the past three-and-a-half years, actively engaging in dialogues and initiatives to promote awareness about social injustices, and constantly striving to learn more, act more, and teach more, Yaou Liu ’14, is a fearless role model for the campus community, showing in everything she does a restless passion to see the injustices in the world righted, awareness increased, and the future changed for the better. She is an inspiring, courageous student who has enriched the lives of many both on campus and in the greater Gettysburg community, using …

Assessing The Biodiversity And Susceptibility Of Trees In Maxwell Park To Future Invasive Tree Pest Outbreaks, Genevieve Alexander '14

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The purpose of this project was to assess tree susceptibility to invasive tree pest outbreaks in a Central-Illinois urban park. Tree biodiversity in Maxwell Park, located in the Town of Normal, Illinois, was evaluated assuming that the greater the tree biodiversity in a park, the more resilient the park would be to future invasive tree pest outbreaks. The Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Department served as the community partner for this project. By determining Maxwell Park’s current level of biodiversity, proposed new trees for future replacement plantings could be identified to help increase biodiversity and decrease the potential for …

Assessing The Indoor Tanning Behaviors And Risk Of Skin Cancer Among Illinois Wesleyan University Students, Ellen Cornelius '14

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The purpose of this research is to assess the indoor tanning behaviors of students at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) in Bloomington, Illinois and formulate strategies to reduce students’ risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is widespread, and is the second most common cancer among people aged 15-24 years. There is strong evidence to support that many skin cancer cases seen today could have been avoided if the individual had never used an indoor tanning device. Research suggests the use of indoor tanning devices is popular among college-aged females in the US, thus persuading this demographic to reduce their indoor tanning …

Determining The Feasibility Of Implementing An Effective Fungiculture Program With The Peace Garden At Illinois Wesleyan University, Mackenzie Rivkin '14

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The Peace Garden at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU), the organic garden at the small liberal-arts university in Bloomington, Illinois, is devoted to growing nutritious, pesticide-free food to be sold locally in an attempt to counterbalance the various food-related issues which stem from conventional food systems. Mushrooms, fungi with many nutritional benefits, are not currently produced by the Peace Garden. However, the unique nature of mushrooms may be attractive to certain consumers and could further contribute to the Peace Garden's mission if produced. This study, conducted September to December 2013 is guided by the following question: What is the feasibility of …

Presidential Versus Vice Presidential Home State Advantage: A Comparative Analysis Of Electoral Significance, Causes, And Processes, 1884-2008, Christopher J. Devine, Kyle C. Kopko

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article compares the electoral significance, causes, and processes associated with presidential versus vice presidential home state advantages. Our analysis of presidential election returns from 1884 through 2008 demonstrates that presidential candidates generally receive a large, statistically significant home state advantage. However, vice presidential home state advantages are statistically negligible and conditioned on the interactive effect of political experience and state population. Furthermore, the results indicate that the mobilization of new voters primarily accounts for presidential home state advantage, while vice presidential home state advantage is mainly due to the conversion of existing voters. Although home state advantages do occur …

Moving Beyond The Single Disciplines: Building A Scholarship Of Engagement That Permeates Higher Education., Linda Silka, Robert W. Glover Editor, Karen Hutchins, Laura Lindenfeld, Amy Blackstone, Catherine Elliott, Melissa Ladenheim, Claire Sullivan

Publications

Communities face complex problems that are best addressed by integrating the perspectives of multiple disciplines, yet many forms of engaged scholarship remain disciplinarily specific. Universities struggle to bring together highly disparate disciplines linking knowledge with action to address community problems. Sustainability is an important example of a complex, urgent problem that is best addressed by integrating multiple disciplines. In the United States, a unique multi-year initiative, Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), addresses sustainability problems by working across disciplines on engaged research. Scholars, representing multiple disciplines and most of the higher education institutions in the state, working with their community partners, …

Fearless: Melissa Rich, Kathryn E. Bucolo

SURGE

Consistently striving to take what she learns in the classroom and apply it to her life, whether in terms of her interest in Native American issues or her passion for animals and desire to go to veterinary school, Melissa Rich ’14 serves her community humbly, respectfully, and with the intent to educate those around her. [excerpt]

Research Brief: "Soldiers To Citizens: The Link Between Military Service And Volunteering", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research examines the relationship between military service and political engagement, such as voting and volunteering. This study found that older and married veterans were more likely to volunteer than their younger and unmarried counterparts, and therefore veterans who are suffering from depression or loss of purpose might benefit from programs that encourage volunteering. Future research should further investigate the links between individual socioeconomic characteristics, family, social support, and engagement in volunteer work.

Challenging Homelessness, Elizabeth D. Marshall

SURGE

I had been homeless for about 28 hours. I sat on a sidewalk in Georgetown with a friend holding a cardboard sign that read, “Put a Smile on Our Faces” with a Dunkin Donuts cup at our feet. In the two and a half hours we sat there, hundreds of people passed, hundreds of people avoided eye contact, hundreds of people detoured around the lamppost on the street side of the sidewalk. A few people glanced at our sign. [excerpt]

Integration And “Welcome-Ability” Indexes: Measures Of Community Capacity To Integrate Immigrants, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Victoria Esses, Rajulton Fernando

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Discussion Paper Series/ Un Réseau stratégique de connaissances Changements de population et parcours de vie Document de travail

This paper aims at clarifying the applicability of the theory of micro-macro links to the general concept of “integration” and illustrates two distinct methods of measuring the concept at individual and community levels. In particular, two indexes are developed, the first one called welcome-ability index, to measure the capacities of communities to welcome and integrate newcomers, and the second called integration index, to measure economic, social, and political integration of individuals. The first, a community-level measure, takes into account opportunities and facilities, including employment opportunities, facilities for health care and positive attitudes towards immigrants. The second, an individual-level measure, takes …

Conceptualizing Communication Capital For A Changing Environment, Leo Wayne Jeffres, Guowei Jian, Sukki Yoon

Communication Faculty Publications

With rapidly evolving technologies, boundaries between traditional modes of communication have blurred, creating an environment that scholars still describe from viewpoints as researchers in interpersonal, organizational or mass communication. This manuscript looks at the social capital literature and argues for conceptualizing “communication capital” to help understand the impact of communication phenomena in a changing environment. The literature has treated interpersonal communication variables as components of social capital and mass communication variables as factors affecting social capital, but scholars long ago recognized their reinforcing nature, leading us to develop a concept of communication capital merging symbolic activity across domains in its …

Fearless: Eric Lee, Eric J. Lee

SURGE

Snapping pictures of his fellow Gettysburgians around campus as the visual communications intern, and fearlessly working with other students to create, organize, and lead the new Asian Student Alliance (ASA) group on campus, Eric Lee ’15 finds himself at the crossroads of art and activism.

New to campus this year after two years in the making, the ASA is a student-led, -run, and -organized group focused on celebrating different Asian cultures and heritages, closing the gap between international and domestic students, and creating a social, cultural, and political forum for students to dialogue, specifically about issues facing Asian communities. [ …

Identifying And Describing The Network Of Health, Education, And Social Service Non‐Profit Organizations In Southern Nevada, Shannon M. Monnat, Anna Smedley, Fatma Nasoz

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

This brief presents the results of a partnering survey designed to measure the partnering power of each health, education, and social service non‐profit in southern Nevada indicated by the connections between these organizations. The survey documents which organizations engaged in the most partnering, increasing the potential that they could better leverage investments and philanthropy through their social network. University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), United Way of Southern Nevada(UWSN), HELP of Southern Nevada, Catholic Charities, Three Square, the Clark County School District, Goodwill of Southern Nevada, and Opportunity Village consistently ranked highly in terms of overall participation and activity, influence, …

Moral Economy And The Upper Peasant: The Dynamics Of Land Privatization In The Mekong Delta, Timothy Gorman

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper examines how people mobilize around notions of distributive justice, or ‘moral economies’, to make claims to resources, using the process of post‐socialist land privatization in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam as a case study. First, I argue that the region's history of settlement, production, and political struggle helped to entrench certain normative beliefs around landownership, most notably in its population of semi‐commercial upper peasants. I then detail the ways in which these upper peasants mobilized around notions of distributive justice to successfully press demands for land restitution in the late 1980s, drawing on Vietnamese newspapers and …

Cedarville Through The Eyes Of A Farmer's Wife: The Martha Mcmillan Journals, 1867-1913, Lynn A. Brock

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Community Connections - Vol. 01, No. 01 - Fall 2013, Office Of Community Partnerships, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Community Connections Newsletter

The premier issue of Community Connections, published by the Office of Community Partnerships in the Division of Government Relations and Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Choice, Power And Perspective: The Neglected Question Of Who Initiates Engaged Campus-Community Partnerships, Robert W. Glover Editor, Linda Silka

Publications

To address society’s complex challenges, campus-community partnerships are increasingly being undertaken by academia. As a result, questions of how to ensure that these partnerships succeed have taken on a new urgency. This urgency has led to an emphasis on the creation of ‘how to’ guides focused on the mechanics of building effective partnerships. This article argues that this focus is premature and attention instead needs to be directed to the neglected but ultimately more fundamental question of who is ‘allowed’ to initiate the partnerships. It is argued here that the seemingly simple and straightforward issue of who initiates the partnership …

L’Association "Alliances Et Cultures Nord" : Son Rôle En France Et Mon Rôle Avec Elle, Carolyn Raithel

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Alliances et Cultures est une association dans le quartier Nord en Toulouse. Elle sert du centre social et elle offre beaucoup de programmes différents pour tous les âges et leurs besoins. J’y ai travaillé avec un programme spécifique qui s’appelle « Contrat local d’accompagnement à la scolarité », ou « CLAS » en acronyme. C’est un programme national dont il y en a aux plusieurs centres sociaux en France. Ce programme a le slogan « pour apprendre autrement ! » et il donne une opportunité qui est rare en France aux enfants de recevoir l’aide individuelle à la scolarité au …

Bas D’Immeubles, Emma Benjamin

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Bas D’immeubles est une association loi 1901 à but non lucratif, qui fait des activités et de l’intégration pour les familles de Reynerie. Aux banlieues de Toulouse, France, l’association est située en bas d’un HLM, un Habitation à Louer Modéré. Ces grands bâtiments qui aujourd’hui constituent les banlieues comme Reynerie et Bellefontaine, comprennent pour la plupart des immigrés de l’Afrique du Nord. Les associations comme Bas D’immeubles étaient mise en place pour intégrer les gens du quartier ; les adultes de la première génération, et leurs enfants de la deuxième ou troisième génération qui sont nés en France. Pendant mon …

University College Connection Fall 2013, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, Editor, University College, Western Kentucky University

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Progression Through Partnerships, Aurelia Spaulding, Editor, Leah Ashwill, Director

ALIVE Center Publications

No abstract provided.

Le Cap Centre, Lauren Rowse

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Le CAP Centre est une épicerie sociale qui donne l’aide financière pour l’alimentation. Elle permet aux personnes qui ont des difficultés passagères au niveau financier de faire des économies pour réaliser leur « projet de vie ». Projet de vie est un terme utilisé pour décrire un soutien qui permet aux gens d’économiser pour qu’ils puissent faire des choses normales et habituelles de la vie quotidienne. « Normales et habituelles » : à définir dans le contexte culturel français C’est aussi l’idée que tout le monde devrait avoir l’opportunité de participer dans une vie sociale car beaucoup des bénéficiaires des …

Assessing The Senate: Political Opinion Among Cameroonian Youth, Rebeccah Rendall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to examine the political opinions of Cameroon youth in regards to the newly-introduced Senate. Research was conducted with students at the University of Yaoundé I and the University of Yaoundé II over the course of a four-week period. This paper discusses the potential and stated purposes of the Senate within the Cameroonian context. It will also discuss the various particular reasons that the Senate was implemented in 2013. Finally, it will convey the opinions of and the hopes for the Senate as stated by university students. First, I conclude that the Senate’s main role is to be …

The Impacts Of Education: A Case Study Of Muslim Women In Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, Margo Brookfield

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the product of a study on the ultimate impacts that education can have on the lives of Muslim women in the city of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. Women in the North of Cameroon have been confined within traditional gender roles that have been in place for generations, due to deep ties with culture and religion in the region. This research explores Muslim women’s opinions on the impacts of the modern education system in place in the city. In addition it looks into the impacts that this education can have on different aspects of a woman’s life, including her relations …

The Trajectory Of Warwick Junction As A Site Of Inclusivity In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Kara Van Schilfgaarde Van Schilfgaarde

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Warwick Junction, a thriving trading hub in the inner city of Durban, has long been considered one of the best examples of collaborative urban management practices between the local government and informal traders. In a post-apartheid South Africa, there was a national desire to transform the old systems of governance, which in Warwick translated to city government institutions making an effort to include informal traders in the policymaking and management processes. This paper tracks the history of Warwick Junction, using its oppressive past to frame common perspectives of informal trade. It considers the legacy of the post-apartheid era South Africa, …

Modernization And Its Effects In Loma Bonita: A Leap From Historical Subsistence Agriculture Into The Precarious Commercial Market, Piper Halpin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation studies the modernization effects on Loma Bonita and how these changes will ultimately shape the community in the future. By performing of series of 50 interviews and surveys, I used anecdotal and observational research to my make conclusions about the effects of electricity installation, road construction, and foreign influences on the town. Although it is recognized that there are an abundance of factors contributing to modernization, the scope of this paper only focuses on the three components mentioned above.

Daily lives of Loma Bonita residents have already been drastically changed by the electricity, road, and foreigners. The community …

The Need For A More Stable Cacao Industry, Lauren Griffith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The cacao industry is slowly growing in the region of Bocas del Toro, Panama. It is largely populated by indigenous farmers, but there are others who have invested in the business as well. With so many people becoming involved in the industry this study aimed to determine if the system represented a stable model. Through interviews and participant observation the stability of income, steadiness of demand, opportunity for growth, and the effect of organic certification were examined to determine the overall stability. It was found that very few farmers sell only cacao and rely on the sale of other crops, …

La Realidad De Comercio Justo: Una Investigación De Las Fallas Y Los Éxitos Del Sistema En El Valle De La Convención, Perú, Desde La Perspectiva De Los Productores, Katy Keisling

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este informe es el producto de mi proyecto de investigación sobre el funcionamiento del Comercio Justo en el cultivo del café en el Valle de la Convención, Perú. El Comercio Justo fue creado hace 25 años con el objetivo de mejorar la vida del pequeño productor a través de un sistema de comercio que valora la democracia y pago justo. Ahora, muchos investigadores han estudiado el tema para analizar sus impactos – pero la mayoría de literatura existente sobre el tema falta la voz del productor. Por esta razón, ubico mi estudio en la perspectiva del pequeño productor. Utilizando la …

Socio-Cultural Barriers To Family Planning Access, Aasha Jackson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to discern barriers to family planning access and use in the Manguier quarter of Yaoundé, Cameroon based on research collected during a three week period. Questionnaires and interviews were used to measure women’s use of and opinions towards family planning consultations and methods. The spread of rumors regarding negative side effects, mistaken beliefs about family planning, husband’s disapproval, and the availability of contraceptives elsewhere were found to be the major deterrents to the use of family planning by women in this study. This research shows the need for campaigns to educate women and men alike on the …