Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund : A Case Study, Mary Kathleen Gorman

Master's Theses

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund was the largest victim compensation fund in U.S. history, disseminating more than $7B federal tax monies directly to survivors, victims and their respective families following the terrorist attacks of that day. This represented an unprecedented effort on the part of the U.S. government to fully fund terrorism victim compensation within a no-fault framework intended, first and foremost, to protect the airline industry from potential economic ruin. But in so doing, the Fund compromised legal, ethical, economic and sociological principles on which victim compensation had been based since the inception of government. This interdisciplinary exploratory case …

A Suggested Model For Emergency Medical System Response During An Outbreak Of Human Pandemic Influenza, Ellen A. Black

Master's Theses

Predictions on infection rates for a possible outbreak of human pandemic influenza have officials in Public Health, Epidemiology, Public Safety, and other organizations developing plans on the federal, state, and local levels. These plans are outlining prevention, preparedness, and response during an outbreak, stressing interagency collaboration and contingencies for significant employee absenteeism rates for extended periods of time. However, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers will likely face a marked increase for calls for service to the community; and may be forced to provide service with a diminished workforce and additional duties not traditionally performed by their personnel. This Thesis examines …

Local Law Enforcement's Initial Role In Response To A Radiological Dispersion Device Attack, Andrew Robert Hoehl

Master's Theses

Today the potential exists for a terrorist organization to use a Radiological Dispersion Device or a dirty bomb within the United States. The results of such an attack could be catastrophic to the affected population. The response by law enforcement must be calculated and planned.

To properly analyze the law enforcement's role in a radioactive incident a qualitative approach was taken. A determination must be made prior to an attack to discern what kind of training will be necessary, what equipment will be required, and what response procedures need to be in place to ensure a safe and efficient response. …

Using Internet Simulation Games To Train Prehospital Providers For Mass Casualty Response, Meredith L. Moss

Master's Theses

During a disaster emergency medical services (EMS) plays a critical role in supporting mass casualty response. However, the processes and procedures used in a disaster are different than those which the prehospital providers encounter during routine emergency response. With limited time and resources, new approaches to training should be considered. This thesis presents research on EMS training, disaster response, distance learning, and instructional technology. Survey and interview results are analyzed providing a foundation for the development of a proposed software model using Internet simulation games to train prehospital providers for mass casualty response.

Incarceration : A Rising Population Dilemma, Lessie Smith Jr.

Master's Theses

The nation's incarceration growth continues to soar, having negative economic and societal effects. This research explores continued growth causes and possible answers to prevent, intervene, and slow down incarceration. Hampton Roads institutions' offenders and professional staff were surveyed. The survey focuses on preventive and intervention programs and their effectiveness, sociological and economical factors leading to imprisonment, and statistics supporting incarceration growth. The research goal is to validate program contents and components factoring into imprisonment. The study of others and information generated through this study are used to determine program needs and current effectiveness. This study explores reasons offenders frequent the …

A Case Study The Effects Of A Powerful Committee Chair On The Passage Of The Wilderness Bill, Kenneth S. Livingston

Master's Theses

The case of the Wilderness Bill reveals several important insights into the process, policy and politics of wilderness legislation in the late 1950s and early 1960's. The process generally conformed well with the expectations of a strong committee chair model that characterized Congress during the late 1950s and early 1960s. To be sure, the politics involved accommodation of competing interests and was facilitated by a president eager to pass a pro-wilderness bill. Above all, the compromise which ultimately led to the passage of the Wilderness Bill was influenced by the powerful committee chairman of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee …

Reagan And Cutting The Federal Budget : How Consistent Was The Pursuit?, E David Adams

Master's Theses

President Reagan assumed office advocating an economic program based on tax and spending reductions. Achievement of these objectives, Reagan argued, would improve the American economy and result in balanced federal budgets. This thesis examines Reagan's commitment to the spending restraint element of his program. I will analyze all of Reagan's budgets and State of the Union addresses to determine how consistently he sought reductions in federal spending.

Though Reagan's commitment to budget reduction was evident, his selection of means to achieve the cuts was inconsistent. His proposed budget cuts varied in intensity, and Reagan failed to propose consistent reductions in …

Political Influences On The National Park Service : Past And Present, Bonnie Sachatello

Master's Theses

Since the beginning of the Reagan Administration in 1981, there has been a dramatic change in policies affecting the national parks and the National Park service. The Department of the Interior's goals combined with the economic strategies of this Administration have brought about new park policies that have departed sharply from those of the last two decades. This thesis is designed to distill some of the changes evidenced in park policy and the Park service under the Reagan Administration.

Predicting Attrition For Women At West Point : Is It A Function Of Adopting The Male Dominant Culture?, Jane P. Mckeon

Master's Theses

This study examined 40 selected items from the Student Information Form that had been identified as representing cultural differences between men and women at the United States Military Academy. A principal components analysis of the data collected from 3005 male and 314 female cadets yielded 7 factors for men and 6 factors for women suitable for interpretation. As hypothesized, men and women were found to have similar cultual values, attitudes and experiences based on their similar factor structures. Next, item responses from 58 women attriters were compared to responses from the nonattriters. Using all the factors identified for the women, …

A Right Of Access To The Courtroom : The Burger Court's Search For A Definition, Sandra D. Bowen

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze Supreme Court pronouncements concerning a right of public access to criminal proceedings in order to determine to what extent the Court has recognized a constitutional guarantee of a public trial as it may apply to the accused and to the public and press. Because the question of public access to the courtroom is a relatively new one, this study is principally centered on recent cases which were decided exclusively by the Burger Court, pro­viding a unique opportunity for a "case study." Consequently, a secondary thrust of the study is an analysis of …

The United States Military Pension System : Toward A Rational Reform With Commentary On The Report Of The President's Commission On Military Compensation, L. Shelton Clarke

Master's Theses

In August of 1974, I wrote U. S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr., the senior Virginia senator and T. Edward Braswell, Chief Counsel for the Senate Armed Services Committee for a good deal of material concerning the United States military pension system.

The system had intrigued me as a pension planner for many years for several reasons. First, the plan itself possessed grave design defects, which if allowed to exist in private plans would lead the employer corporation excessive cost and possibly fiscal insolvency. Second, with the quadrupling of the price of oil in 1974 and the creation of a …

An Argument For The Unconstitutionality Of De Facto Racial Segregation In Public Education, Craig Stover Cooley

Master's Theses

The intent of this paper is to show an affirmative duty on the part of all governments (national and State) to eliminate racial imbalances, whether they be "de jure" or "de facto", from the public schools. The thesis of this paper is that racial segregation is violative of the Constitution of the United States. No distinction need be made between State imposed or State tolerated racial im- balance. Failure to take affirmative action to eliminate segregation and its detrimental effects on black public school students is a transgression of the rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment and the interstices of …

The United States Supreme Court And The Protection Of Individual Privacy, Elizabeth P. Martin

Master's Theses

The central thesis of this study is that the Supreme Court, after a half-century of incrementally developing "zones" of privacy protection through the various guaran­ tees in the Bill of Rights, has arrived at a distinct, inde­ pendent "right of privacy" with the potentiality of pro­ tecting privacy in a broad range of situations. The Court has, at least since its Griswold decision in 1965, been developing a substantive, due process right to privacy in the areas of marriage, family, conception, and abortion. Although the privacy right's perimeters have yet to be determined, its new "substantive" nature lends itself to …

Conflict Of Interest : Some Selected Legislative Responses At The National And State Levels, Berndt Harry Bohm

Master's Theses

Finding solutions to conflict of interest situations is a never ending task. The basic difficulty revolves around the fact that each situation is somewhat different from another. What may be statutory relief for one situation may not be relief for another. This paper attempts to examine the possibility of statutory relief and presents certain selected examples of federal and state level legislation in the conflict of interest area. We begin with a general analysis of "gray-zone" conflict of interest and conclude with an evaluation of certain federal and state responses to conflict of interest situations.

A Study Of Negro Riots In The United States 1963-1968, Leona Ann Chase

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the civil rights phenomena in the context of the Negro riots during the years 1963-1968. The inadequacies of this study are in part due to the material upon which it is based. The reports of the state study commissions did not deal with racism adequately, or the probability of implementation of various recommendations. Consequently, this paper could not treat these topics except perfunctorily. In turn, it was difficult to assess the practicality of various proposal since the extent of these variables was unknown. The failure of thee Kerner Commission report to outline …

Under God? : A Study Of Freedom Of Religion, The Founding Fathers, The Supreme Court, And The Schools, Alice Sofis Evangelides

Master's Theses

The first part of my study concerns the meaning of "religious freedom" as revealed through the fundamental laws of the Constitutional period. In the course of my research, I have compiled and noted every mention of religion in the State Constitutions and Bills of Rights drafted between 1776 and 1791. I have read the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Northwest Ordinance; the Debates in the Constitutional Convention, the State Ratifying Conventions, and the First Congress, and extracted every significant mention of religion. I have not looked behind the words to the actual prac­ tice, but rather to …

The Weighted Application Blank As A Predicter Of Academic Success In A Junior College, Richard J. Ritchie

Master's Theses

There has been a great of research conducted to find factors which can be used to predict academic success. A number of these factors have already been identified. For example, college board scores, high school rank, and high school grades are widely used a predictors of academic success. Most of the research that has been conducted has dealt with intellectual factor, but there has been some research done to find non-intellectual factors related to academic success. These non-intellectual factors include: study habits, personality, traits, and environmental factors.

One possible predictor of academic success which has received little attention is biographical …

Application Of Location Theory And Empirical Data By Area Industrial Development Groups, Clarence Arthur Middleton Jr.

Master's Theses

The objective of this paper is to determine if theories of industrial location and empirical data describing changes in manufacturing employment might suggest efficient approaches in attracting industry to a particular area. This is in sharp contrast to the usual application of location theory in which the optimum location of a firm or of a particular industry is selected.

State Of Bills Of Rights 1776-1837, Nancy Louise Roberts

Master's Theses

The purpose of this particular work is to study the State Bills of Rights and to discover what political philosophy express. To the knowledge of the author, this has never been attempted, therefore secondary sources were of value to her only as background material.

Current Proposals For Changes In Reserve Requirements Of Commercial Banks In The United States, William Byrd Harrison

Master's Theses

The well-being of a nation is dependent in large part upon the state of its money. Bank reserve positions have a great deal to do with the state of our money. An impressive volume of study and evidence has been brought forth in just the past few years to indicate that United States laws which establish the rules under which financial institutions operate need revising. Other, more readily understood topics, however, however claimed the attention of the public and its representatives in Congress. Little has been done to remedy serious shortcomings in banking laws.

This paper examines briefly these studies …

The Development Of The Federal Grant-In-Aid System And Its Effect On The Distribution Of The National Wealth, Charles A. Harvey

Master's Theses

In our modern world the problems or government are never simple. The tasks of coordinating, directing and promoting the political, social and economic affairs or a people usually present problems of the utmost complexity. Particularly is this true under the system or government embodied in our Federal constitution. Due to the system of power distribution peculiar to federalism many problems arise which are not ordinarily encountered by the so-called centralized or unitary norms of political organization.

It is not the purpose of this paper to examine in detail the characteristics of federalism. Sutfioe it to say that under such a …

An Analysis Of Vocabulary Variables At The College Level, Betty Ann Allen

Master's Theses

The strength and growth of vocabulary is one or the decisive factors in successful college work. Educators find it helpful to evaluate not only the general vocabulary ability of the college student, but also the more specialized directions which the development of the student 's vocabulary may take.

The author's interest in this problem grew out of the results obtained with fresh­men in the Westhampton College orientation program in September 1948. In working up the data from 119 freshmen 's scores on the Michigan Vocabulary Profile Test, results were such as to arouse interest in analysis of freshmen performance on …