Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

College Students’ Opinions On Climate Change: Do Political Views Matter?, Aileen Hull

Honors Theses

Climate change is an ever-impending crisis and the politics surrounding the issue are as contentious as ever, especially in the United States where the political culture is extremely polarized. The polarization of the political parties in the United States makes any environmental policy extremely difficult to pass. Meanwhile, the new generation of young people entering the workforce, voting scene, and public eye are bringing new demands to current climate debates. Youth make up a large share of environmental activism participants and opinion polls show climate change is on the minds of many young people. However, there is a lack of …

Tiktok And The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, And Two-Spirit People Movement, Meghan Leinhauser

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S) social movement via content analysis and interviews. The study includes analyzing a sample of 50 videos posted to the social media platform TikTok, and an interview with a user who posts videos about MMIWG2S. TikTok uses a unique algorithm to tailor users’ feeds based on the types of videos with which they watch and interact. This allows for the creation of an online community that shares common interests with one another, especially in a time where communication methods have changed significantly. …

Pro-Understanding: Understanding The Pro-Choice Catholic, Natalie Eilerman

Honors Theses

Abortion is a widely debated and polarizing topic in the United States. While many Catholic leaders and members tend to hold beliefs against abortion, some Catholics are pro-choice. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of this often-under-recognized group. Mixed methods research was conducted to analyze 1) how perspectives towards abortion are changing among Catholics in the United States (using data from the General Social Survey from 1977-2018), and 2) the experiences of college students at a private, predominately white, Catholic university in the Midwest who identify as pro-choice and Catholic. Quantitative analysis shows that Catholics’ attitudes towards abortion are …

Policy And Practice: Evaluating Workflows And Communication For Maternity Leave At The University Of Dayton, Christina A. Beis, Kayla Harris, Gabby Campana

Reports from the Gender Equity Research Fellowship

Maternity leave experiences and policy workflows at the University of Dayton have not been formally reviewed since the creation of an all benefit-eligible employee paid maternity leave policy in 2017. This study examines the lived experience of faculty and staff who have taken maternity leave since the implementation of the policy and faculty, staff, and supervisor perceptions of the current leave policies and workflows. Interviews and surveys found a need for clearer documentation in policies, an expansion of parental leave for the non-birth parent, and supervisory support. The report concludes with recommendations based on this research for implementing updates to …

Kick Back And Relax: Creating A Radical Sense Of Belonging In Our Libraries, Ione T. Damasco

Roesch Library Faculty Presentations

Libraries are places that hold the ability to connect people from different backgrounds and life experiences. However, despite that being the goal, sometimes stories are left out, experiences aren’t told, and identities are not represented. In this keynote address, Ione Damasco shares how her library has been able to make connections across campus with partners to develop and implement programming that fosters a more inclusive campus environment and how other libraries might do the same.

Racial Justice And The Image Of Public Health, Marilyn Fischer

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The City Commission in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio recently adopted a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. In doing so, Dayton joins municipalities around the country, as the global pandemic of coronavirus COVID-19 swirls around us. The Commission gave compelling reasons for their action, citing the disparate rates of poor health outcomes in African American communities, as well as disproportionately high rates of poverty, unemployment, economic distress, homelessness, incarceration, and inadequate education.

The Commission’s commitment to remedy these inequities is welcome. Others have laid out this evidence in much detail; I want to focus here on public health …

Racial Justice And The Image Of Public Health, Marilyn Fischer

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The City Commission in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio recently adopted a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. In doing so, Dayton joins municipalities around the country, as the global pandemic of coronavirus COVID19 swirls around us. The Commission gave compelling reasons for their action, citing the disparate rates of poor health outcomes in African American communities, as well as disproportionately high rates of poverty, unemployment, economic distress, homelessness, incarceration, and inadequate education.1 The Commission’s commitment to remedy these inequities is welcome. Others have laid out this evidence in much detail; I want to focus here on public health …

Imagining A Climate Of Equity Through A Critical Theory Of Love: Using Cpar To Identify Guiding Principles That Humanize Library Work, Rachel M. Barnett, Matthew A. Witenstein

Roesch Library Staff Publications

Diversity is a core value of the American Library Association and diversity standards including cultural competencies have been adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Nevertheless, academic libraries still have obstacles to overcome to embody these principles. Minorities continue to be underrepresented in the field and many encounter barriers within library cultures where cultural competency is lacking and micro aggressions are pervasive and invisible to many white colleagues. This study uses critical participatory action research to identify ways a library diversity and inclusion team can support library employees engaging in equity-minded work at a private, predominantly white Catholic …

Secondary Trauma In Children Services Workers: Is The Opioid Crisis A Contributing Factor?, Rebecca L. Richardson

Honors Theses

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) can impact anyone who interacts with a victim of trauma, such as family, friends, first responders, or social workers. This project ultimately aims to determine whether or not the opioid crisis impacts the levels of secondary traumatic stress in children services workers. This research examines STS in current children services workers who work directly with victims of child abuse or neglect alongside how frequently children services workers are exposed to opioid-related cases in their professional lives. Data for this project were gathered by administering a survey to two area children services agencies to assess the STS …

Poverty Redemption: Why Those Affected Stay Affected, Claudia M. Hampel

Honors Theses

This paper looks at why those in poverty have not taken advantage of self-sufficiency programs that are offered through Miami Valley Works along with other self-sufficiency programs offered. This paper looks at the general reasons why those in poverty do not go through self-sufficiency programs, whether they chose not to participate or leave a program prior to completion. This paper delves into multiple factors that could contribute to why an individual would forgo to participate in the program or would choose to leave the program before completing it. The study examines how governmental policies, the culture of poverty, race, housing, …

Shifting Echo Chambers In Us Climate Policy Networks, Lorien Jasny, Amanda M. Dewey, Anya Galli Robertson, William Yagatich, Ann H. Dubin, Joseph Mccartney Waggle, Dana R. Fisher

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

Although substantial attention has focused on efforts by the new Administration to block environmental policies, climate politics have been contentious in the US since well before the election of Donald Trump. In this paper, we extend previous work on empirical examinations of echo chambers in US climate politics using new data collected on the federal climate policy network in summer 2016. We test for the similarity and differences at two points in time in homophily and echo chambers using Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) to compare new findings from 2016 to previous work on data from 2010. We show that …

Teaching Note—Reification And Recognition In The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, Molly Malany Sayre

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

At an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program course in a correctional facility, roughly half the students are from the university (outside students) and half are residents of the facility (inside students). I participated as a teaching assistant in an Inside-Out social work course on drugs and crime that was offered in a prison for men and interpreted the observed and reported experience of students using Lukács’ concepts of recognition and reification as discussed by Axel Honneth. This teaching note explores the implications of the Inside-Out course for outside students’ reification and recognition of people who are incarcerated, and by extension, members …

Investing In Our Community, Mary Varnado

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Neighborhood Profile: Dayton View Triangle, University Of Dayton

Facing Dayton: Stories

Profile includes population, housing units, vacancies, racial distribution, median income.

My Grandbaby: A Letter, Linda Woods

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Neighborhood Profile: Hillcrest, University Of Dayton

Facing Dayton: Stories

Profile includes population, housing units, vacancies, racial distribution, median income.

Just Keeping Hope: Margaret's Story, Margaret Smith

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Community Centered, Barbara Pinson

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Through Life's Changes, God Provides: Bill's Story, Bill Johnson

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

The Rugrats Of Harvard Boulevard, Marco Marmolejo

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

My Life In Dayton: Jamesetta's Story, Jamesetta Lewis

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Neighborhood Profile: Mcfarlane, University Of Dayton

Facing Dayton: Stories

Profile includes population, housing units, vacancies, racial distribution, median income.

Neighborhood Profile: Mccook Field, University Of Dayton

Facing Dayton: Stories

Profile includes population, housing units, vacancies, racial distribution, median income.

Politicized, Jackie Patterson

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

They Still Call Me Coach, John Ivory Sr.

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Neighborhood Profile: Wolf Creek, University Of Dayton

Facing Dayton: Stories

Profile includes population, housing units, vacancies, racial distribution, median income.

My Neighborhood, Joan Means

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Family, Community, And A Life Of Politics, Tom Roberts

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Where Are You Now? Jerry Bowling Iii's Story Of Reinvention, Jerry Bowling

Facing Dayton: Stories

A first-person narrative about life in Dayton, Ohio, composed as part of the Facing Project, a nationwide storytelling initiative.

Neighborhood Profile: Westwood, University Of Dayton

Facing Dayton: Stories

Profile includes population, housing units, vacancies, racial distribution, median income.