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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Learning By Giving: The Youth Homelessness Initiative, Camille Gross, Christina Mccourt, Molly Nash, Eleanor Powell
Learning By Giving: The Youth Homelessness Initiative, Camille Gross, Christina Mccourt, Molly Nash, Eleanor Powell
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
As part of the Colby Undergraduate Student Philanthropist (CUSP) foundation, funded by the Learning by Giving Foundation, we are collaborating with United Way of Mid-Maine to write a 10,000 grant allocated over a three-year period in support of United Way of Mid-Maines Youth Homelessness Initiative. This program would provide homeless or at-risk for homelessness youth ages in junior and high school (grades 5 through 12) in northern Kennebec, Somerset, and western Waldo counties with the basic needs they require in order to stay in school and ultimately earn a high school diploma.During the 2011-12 pilot project of the Youth Homelessness …
Single And Ready To Mingle: Factors Affecting Risky Sexual Behavior, Ines Castro, Jacqueline Charlton, Rebecca Stoutamyer, Katherine Kimball
Single And Ready To Mingle: Factors Affecting Risky Sexual Behavior, Ines Castro, Jacqueline Charlton, Rebecca Stoutamyer, Katherine Kimball
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
College students today are having a lot of unprotected sex with multiple partners, making the risk of college students contracting an STI extremely high. Previous research has found that high self-esteem increase the likelihood that an individual will use a condom. It has also been found that extroversion leads to decreased condom use, perhaps due to the fact that extroverts are more likely to seek out risky situations. This study looked at how extroversion, gender, and sociosexual orientation moderated the relationship between self-esteem and condom use. We measured self-esteem, extroversion, SOI, condom use intentions and willingness and demographics using an …
Decentralization And Ethnic Violence, Joseph Long
Decentralization And Ethnic Violence, Joseph Long
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Analyzes the effects of three forms of decentralization on the incidence and intensity of ethnic violence in African states.
It’S Our Money And We Want It Now:Secession In Resource Rich Countries And The Role Of The International Community, Kiernan Somers
It’S Our Money And We Want It Now:Secession In Resource Rich Countries And The Role Of The International Community, Kiernan Somers
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Tensions between the right to self-determination and existing states have caused many conflicts around the globe. Resource rich regions such as Katanga, Biafra, South Sudan, East Timor, Cabinda, and Aceh all had to go through the international community to gain statehood and were either granted or declined the right to self-determination. Secessionist movements frequently challenge existing state borderlines; however, few reach the ultimate goal of statehood. Secession attempts in resource rich regions, whether carried out by unorganized rebels, or a fully functioning autonomous government, are dependent on the international community for success. Through textual analyses of academic journals, monographs, and …
A Learning By Giving Student Grant--Alfond Youth Center Rebound To Success Program: Opportunity, Prevention, Focus, Kayla Turner, Rebecca Forgrave, Thalia Giraldo, Amber Ramirez
A Learning By Giving Student Grant--Alfond Youth Center Rebound To Success Program: Opportunity, Prevention, Focus, Kayla Turner, Rebecca Forgrave, Thalia Giraldo, Amber Ramirez
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
The Alfond Youth Center in Waterville, Maine is the only combined Boys and Girls Club and YMCA in the country. This organization meets the needs of the central Maine community by providing an after school program on a sliding scale based of family income, pay-for-play recreational opportunities, and other services such as dental care and counseling when needed. Rebound to Success, another Alfond Youth Center-sponsored program, is a juvenile diversion program for first time offenders aged 11-18 in Kennebec and Somerset Counties. Most of the crimes the participants have committed are drug defined or related offenses (ie. possession or use, …
The Effect Of Choline Supplementation And The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf) On Medial Temporal Lobe Volume Changes As A Measurement Of Depression, Leigh Mathieu
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Depression is a prevalent mood disorder categorized by a lowered mood state, social withdrawal, somatic symptoms, cognitive defects, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. Prenatal supplementation of the essential nutrient choline increases adult hippocampal neurogenesis and can reduce the risk and improve prognosis of depression and other mood disorders. Characteristic in these disorders is dysfunction in neural plasticity as mediated through the growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Genetic variants and mutations in the genes that code for this and related proteins in humans and rats affect the brain in many ways, including how dopaminergic synapses in the reward pathway …
An Analysis Of Municipality-Level Election Results Of The 2012 Presidential Election In New York, Pennsylvania, And Ohio, And Comparison Of These Results To Those From The 2008 Presidential Election, Gregory Naigles
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
The 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections were both similar and different in many ways. On one hand, the Democratic candidate was the same in both elections, and similar strategies were employed by both sides in the two elections. On the other hand, the candidates formed slightly different coalitions, turnout rates were different, and there were some differences in which states the campaigns chose to focus on. I have analyzed the results of these two elections, particularly the 2012 presidential election, in the three states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, in order to try to determine where the election results …
Colby Undergraduate Student Philanthropists- Center For Crisis And Counseling, James O'Leary, Jasmine Phillips, Maria Zeta Valladolid, Amanda Carbonneau
Colby Undergraduate Student Philanthropists- Center For Crisis And Counseling, James O'Leary, Jasmine Phillips, Maria Zeta Valladolid, Amanda Carbonneau
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Students will present the Centers for Crisis and Counseling ,000 grant application. The students will demonstrate the necessity of funding the Center for Crisis and Counseling compared to other nonprofits and how this grant will improve the community. Moreover, the students will highlight the ways this organization and program will prevent the manifestation of mental illnesses for children in their adult life.
Bad Blood: Investigating The Ban On Msm Blood Donation, Lauren Lacy
Bad Blood: Investigating The Ban On Msm Blood Donation, Lauren Lacy
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
In 1983, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responding to the AIDS epidemic, adopted a policy of deferring men who have had sex with men (MSM) at anytime since 1977 from donating blood. The current policy, adopted in 1992, continues to defer this group indefinitely. This paper investigates the societal implications of the deferred status. I will first examine the unique relationship gay and bisexual men have with the AIDS epidemic in American history.I challenge the FDAs claim that the ban is solely rooted in behavioral practices, using data on rates of contraction, behavioral practices relevant to MSM (condom use, …
Winded: Evaluating Community And Operator Relations In Maine Community-Based Wind Energy Projects, Madeline Wilson
Winded: Evaluating Community And Operator Relations In Maine Community-Based Wind Energy Projects, Madeline Wilson
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Maines promising wind energy industry is growing and rural and island communities have begun pursuing wind turbine-generated electricity. The Fox Islands have, through the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, successfully established a wind operation to provide the 1,500 island residents with electricity produced by three 1.5 megawatt turbines situated on Vinalhaven Island. However, shortly after the turbines began operation, a small but vocal group of Vinalhaven residents began to speak out against the noise issues they found as a product of living in the vicinity of the project. After numerous newspaper articles from both sides and formal complaints submitted to the …
Community Dental Center, Randall Person, Sarah Mann, Susan Fleurant, Lily Cabour
Community Dental Center, Randall Person, Sarah Mann, Susan Fleurant, Lily Cabour
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
We are writing a grant in partnership with a local nonprofit, the Community Dental Center in Waterville. The Community Dental Center provides comprehensive dental care for low-income patients in Kennebec and Somerset counties. The grant money would fund two programs targeting specific, at-risk populations of women in Central Maine. One program focuses on dental health education for teenage mothers at the Maine Childrens Home. The second program is the provision of dental services for victims of domestic violence. Dental health has been shown to directly influence school and work attendance, overall health, and self-esteem. With proper care and education, dental …
Russia's Unveiling; An Examination Of Political Construction Through Media Coverage, Sydney Hammond
Russia's Unveiling; An Examination Of Political Construction Through Media Coverage, Sydney Hammond
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
On February 7, 2014, the day of Fisht Stadiums Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony, NBC ran an eight-hour tape-delay, releasing their idea of a more complete version of the 11:00 a.m. ET ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET. The tape-delay allowed NBC to make edits to their film, which would include the exclusion of entire segments of the games. These abandoned segments, although no longer then five minutes each, depict a shifting image of Russia that gone unseen, can easily hinder American perceptions of Russia, allowing NBC to exploit dated notions of the countrys character. In the pages to follow, I will …
Pseudoephedrine Scheduling And Violent Crime, Alexander Morris, Quinn Ziegler, Lily Tilton
Pseudoephedrine Scheduling And Violent Crime, Alexander Morris, Quinn Ziegler, Lily Tilton
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
In this paper we seek to explore the relationship between methamphetamine usage and violent crime in the United States. As a drug produced from readily available ingredients, methamphetamines presence is felt across the country, and it is often anecdotally linked with both violent crime and property crime. Through the analysis of state-level data, we hope to determine whether or not methamphetamine availability is a useful predictor of crime. Methamphetamine usage is difficult to measure, as its production and consumption is not reliably tracked by virtue of its illicit nature. However, we can approximate methamphetamine usage by state using other metrics, …
It's Just A Number: Influences Of Body Image Pressures On Diii Female Athletes, Christina Mccourt
It's Just A Number: Influences Of Body Image Pressures On Diii Female Athletes, Christina Mccourt
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
There are strong societal norms around what it means to be a woman and be an athlete. These norms get reinforced so much that female athletes internalize these ideas to the point that they begin to change their habits to better fit the demands of society. Being an athlete at a high level creates physical pressures for young women, but the extra mental pressures forced upon them can be detrimental both mentally and physically. The months I spent researching female athletes at Colby were intended to help answer several questions. The first was what pressures female athletes felt that they …
Individuals Willingness To Pay For Health And Wellness Improvements Within The Built Environment, Max Pollinger
Individuals Willingness To Pay For Health And Wellness Improvements Within The Built Environment, Max Pollinger
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Improving biological sustainability through health and wellness improvements in the built environment is currently being applied to high-end real estate development in both the residential and commercial environment in the United States. However, the market for health and wellness extends well beyond the top income bracket. This study adopts a choice experiment (CE) approach to investigate individuals willingness to pay for health and wellness improvements within their homes. The results suggest that individuals value health as an inelastic good independent of income, and they are willing to pay significant premiums to ensure biological sustainability within their homes. In addition, individuals …
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Grade Inflation V. Grade Compression At Colby College, Emma Murphy, Ilanna Fricks, Yana Mayayeva
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Grade Inflation V. Grade Compression At Colby College, Emma Murphy, Ilanna Fricks, Yana Mayayeva
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Grade point averages are supposed markers of our collegiate intellectual ability and drive for success. But as an "A" increasingly becomes a stand-in for "average," the credibility of our GPAs may be in question in the professional world. The goal of this paper is to assess whether grading at Colby College has fallen in line with the national trend toward inflation. Our regression analyses examine whether GPAs have risen at Colby over the past 15 years across a variety of disciplines and indicators such as gender, athlete status, and international student status. This study also considers whether grade compression, rather …
The Effects Of Marijuana Decriminalization On Alcohol Consumption: Compliments Or Substitutes?, Alex Sisto, Hib Schenck, Fabrice Charles, Zach Padula
The Effects Of Marijuana Decriminalization On Alcohol Consumption: Compliments Or Substitutes?, Alex Sisto, Hib Schenck, Fabrice Charles, Zach Padula
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
What is the effect of decriminalization of marijuana on alcohol consumption in the United States? We hypothesize that consumption of alcohol and marijuana are substitute goods. More specifically, we hypothesize that decriminalization will be negatively correlated with alcohol consumption, meaning that demand for alcohol will fall in the years following decriminalization.
Do Public Libraries Reduce Crime Rate Among Juveniles?, Chen Li, Jingyan Guo, Jozef Moffat
Do Public Libraries Reduce Crime Rate Among Juveniles?, Chen Li, Jingyan Guo, Jozef Moffat
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Juvenile arrest rates have been at their lowest since 1980 in the United States after peaking around 1994. There are many factors that affect the juvenile crime rate and our aim is to determine the impact of those factors on the crime rate. For example, the environment that the juveniles live in and the income of their parents could influence their behavioral patterns. Cities build libraries to provide recreational services to the public, especially the youth, where they can spend their spare time usefully, in hope that they could avoid delinquent activities.
Economic Analysis: Sustainable Seafood Choice Experiment, Dylan Cowley, Jesse Coulon
Economic Analysis: Sustainable Seafood Choice Experiment, Dylan Cowley, Jesse Coulon
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
The sustainable seafood choice experiment is a co-discipline study run by Tierney Dodge (Environmental Studies), along with Jesse Coulon and Dylan Cowly (Economics). The purpose of the study is to better understand how sustainable seafood labeling is correlated with accepting higher prices at restaurants. Specifically, we are looking at how much people are willing to pay for dishes that have certified seafood labeling, such as Marine Stewardship Counsel Certified, compared to the simple label of sustainable seafood, which is a more arbitrary term with no outside body of regulation. We will then focus our study to see how these results …
Wind Energy Choice Experiment, William Scott, Carlton Reed
Wind Energy Choice Experiment, William Scott, Carlton Reed
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
Many surveys have shown that public acceptance of wind energy is high in general; however there always seems to be concerns at the local level during the siting and permitting process. This shows that people understand that clean wind energy is an essential need, however people do not normally want to have turbines in their own community. The goal of this choice experiment is to see which benefits people prefer and which trade-offs people are willing to make in order to host a wind farm in their community.We will analyze the effectiveness of several attributes, and their ability to rid …
How Effectively Do Law Enforcement And Socioeconomic Improvements Aid To Deter Violent Crimes And Property Crimes In The Usa?, Papa Loum, Chowdhury Farabee
How Effectively Do Law Enforcement And Socioeconomic Improvements Aid To Deter Violent Crimes And Property Crimes In The Usa?, Papa Loum, Chowdhury Farabee
CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium
According to a government survey released in October 2013, violent crime in the United States increased by 15 percent last year, and property crime was up by 12 percent. If violent crime keeps increasing at this rate, it will approximately double in just six years. To effectively allocate resources (money, police, courts, prisons), specialists in the economics of crime should fully understand the most pivotal determinants of each type of crime. Our study finds the extent to which some socioeconomic factors and regulatory measures (high school dropout rate, median income, unemployment rates, imprisonment rate, number of police officers, and the …