Digital Commons Network^™

Winonan, Winona State University

The Winonan - 2020s

This issue of the Winonan, the Winona State University student newspaper, was published on October 7, 2026.

Failed Gay Rights Amendment To Mankato's Human Rights Ordinance In Mankato, Minnesota In 1987, Kellian Clink

Library Services Publications

In 1987, small but passionate people urged the city to pass an amendment to Mankato’s existing human rights ordinance to protect LGBTQ+ communities.   Advocates argued that gays were entitled to the same rights as straight people and were looking for protection in housing and employment, particularly. They demonstrated that people had lost jobs, housing, and access to dance venues. Some opponents equated gays with promiscuity, child molestation, solicitation, sin, and AIDS; some were convinced it was not needed; some pinned their arguments on the existence of laws already on the books.  This narrative is based on articles from the local …

Lanthorn, Vol. 61, No. 02, August 31, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 61, August 10, 2026 – current

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

“When I’M Not Heard, I Feel Like I Don’T Matter”: Advancing Equity In Disability Policy Through Critical Participatory Action Research With People With Intellectual Disability, Cris Marchionne

Student Theses

People with intellectual disability deserve a system that offers flexible, timely, and person-centered support — one that is innovative, sustainable, and holistic in enabling them to live fulfilling lives. This qualitative study, grounded in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), examines how people with intellectual disability experience participation in decision-making within New York State's disability service system. By centering lived experience, the study identifies factors that facilitate or hinder participation in decision-making and examines structural, social, and policy-related barriers that limit agency. Through six focus groups and a Photovoice project with self-advocates receiving OPWDD services, participants described systemic barriers that limited …

Reclaiming The Silenced: West African Women, Anticolonial Activism, And Storytelling As Historical Resistance, Tahsina Nasir

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

This paper examines the systematic erasure of West African women from dominant historical narratives of anticolonial liberation, focusing on decolonization and post-independence nation building in Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, and Nigeria. Although women played central roles in organizing, mobilizing, and educating during nationalist movements, their contributions were increasingly sidelined once state power was achieved. Drawing on feminist historiography, Black feminist thought, and archival and literary sources, this study analyzes how state actors dismantled autonomous women’s organizations, including the Federation of Ghana Women, and confined women to symbolic roles within party-controlled structures. Figures such as Hannah Kudjoe, once central to political mobilization, were …

The Legend Of The Bear Lake Monster, Melissa Anderson Asay

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Bear Lake Monster is a legend that has persisted for centuries. This monster is rooted in Shoshone oral traditions and hold the potential to be based off of fossils found in the Shoshone territory. This living legend was later amplified by Mormon settlers. One settler in particular, Joseph C. Rich, played a significant role in shaping its narrative. Though he eventually admitted to fabricating sightings to encourage settlement, belief in the creature remains alive today. The serpent’s presence in local lore has undeniably influenced the Bear Lake region, shaping both its identity and tourism industry. This legend serves as …

Ssw 701.50: Social Welfare Policy, Ian G. Williams

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus is an Open Educational Resources (OER) remixed version of SSW 701.50: Social Welfare Policy, which is taught at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. This version updated the content and integrated additional OER materials, as part of the Summer 2026 cohort of The Open Knowledge Fellowship at the Mina Rees Library. It is a Zero-Textbook (ZTC) cost course and integrates materials from a range of academic disciplines. Official course description is as follows:

"This foundation course furnishes you with the orienting knowledge and skills needed to examine social welfare policies and to understand their relevance …

Oral History With John Barry, Dan Royles

History Faculty Scholarship

Oral history interview with John Barry, who has served as Executive Director of the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP) since 2008. He was born in Endicott, New York in 1966, grew up in Vestal, and attended high school at Seton Catholic Central in Binghamton before serving in Germany with the United States Army during the early 1980s. When he returned to Broome County in 1987, some of his friends had been affected by HIV/AIDS and, while earning a degree at SUNY Binghamton, Barry became involved in mutual aid efforts to help people affected by the disease. He went to work …

Mapping Media Literacy Assessment: A Systematic Review To Connect The Dots, Lara Azar, Casey Frechette, Hafsa Zia, Joy Amulya

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The goal of this study was to address persistent challenges in assessing media literacy by reviewing assessments developed between 2011 and 2020. We combined landscape analysis, research synthesis, and grounded theory to select assessments, identify key attributes, iteratively code, analyze, and create an integrated synthesis of approaches to media literacy assessments. The analysis classified media literacy constructs by learning dimension (knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors) and participation mode (consumption, engagement, creation). The results showed that while most assessments focused on consumption-oriented constructs, engagement- and creation-oriented constructs were also included. Assessments primarily served three research purposes: evaluating media literacy levels in populations, …

2026-07-06 Message From The President, Morehead State University. Staff Congress.

Staff Congress Records

Message sent on July 6, 2026 by the President to the campus community regarding upcoming dates of importance, new Carnegie Designation, new building openings and dedications campus personnel announcements and other updates.

Balancing Our Capacity To Serve: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Black Women Navigating Personal, Professional, And Community Leadership Roles, Shemeka K. Brathwaite

Student Theses

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Black women community leaders as they navigate a balance between their professional, personal, and community leadership roles. The research design uses the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Intersectionality and Role Theory, specifically addressing the cultural burdens imposed by the Strong Black Woman archetype, which adds additional role strain. The study began with a questionnaire completed by 54 Black women community leaders, followed by 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews selected from this pool. The study’s key findings are illustrated in a Black Women’s Sustainable Community Leadership Framework. Black women community leaders exude high self-efficacy, …

The Dolor: How A Generation Of Women Quietly Lost Their Children, Alexis Mclean

University Honors Theses

This thesis is an exploration of the phenomenon of increased adoption rates between the years of 1945 and 1973 and attempts to establish a cohesive explanation for and image of the experience of these birth mothers. My research found that adoptions during this time period are generally characterized by the utilization of maternity homes, coercion, and secrecy. The typical birth mother during this time was white and middle class, emblematic of the motivations of their adoptions: to maintain an idealist image of their motherhood and maintain socioeconomic status. Despite this position framed by privilege, these women too often report having …

Jadughar: The House Of Magic, Dhruvi A. Shah

Masters Theses

Jadughar or the House of Magic is what people call a 'museum' in parts of South Asia. The practice of museum making, at its origin, is the act of collecting, preserving, interpreting and representing a culture’s tangible and intangible heritage to make it accessible to diverse audiences. Since the early 19th century such practices have been performed at various kala bhandars (art centers) in India, without the need of a formal or institutional organisation. The British introduced the model of a ‘museum’ in South Asia, with the aim of not only preserving ethnographic collections, but also showcasing their power and …

Incorporating Principles And Wisdom From Hospital Chaplaincy And Pastoral Ministry To Create A Ministry Model To Address Social Isolation And Loneliness In Black Churches, Albert A. Kemp

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

To address the growing and widespread epidemic of social isolation and loneliness, with special focus on Black churches, this dissertation developed a program with the following areas of application: 1) how healthcare trained chaplains can coordinate with churches to positively impact individuals identified as lonely and socially isolated with better social and physical health, 2) how principles of chaplaincy and pastoral care can mitigate and intervene competently when such people are identified, and 3) how the project’s model can be organized, taught, and incorporated into existing arenas of church ministry.

The purpose of the project was to create a ministry …

A Loud, Fearless Voice: Louise Thompson Patterson, Triple Exploitation, And Intersectionality, Bethany Brooke Champlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Louise Thompson Patterson, in her life as an activist, represented an extraordinary few who found the world she existed in lacking, and spent her life trying to change it, not only to better her own life, but to focus on the lives and problems of those who were seemingly disconnected from her. By following Louise Thompson Patterson’s political development, and examining her work as an activist of class, race, and gendered issues, her own development of the idea of “triple exploitation” or “triple oppression” is clear not only in her actions but in her writing. Through her experiences in the …

Loyal Sons: German-Jewish Patriotic Assimilation In Modern Germany, Yitzi Dear

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The modern history of Germany’s Jews developed through two contemporaneous and parallel transformations across the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries: first, the development of the German national identity and creation of the German state; second, the gradual emancipation of Germany’s Jews and their integration into society. As a result of these two simultaneous developments, the majority of German Jews increasingly defined themselves through their German nature and connection to the state. Assimilation became not only a path to survival but also a sincere expression of ideological and cultural conviction.

Amid the social, political, and economic crises of the Weimar Republic, a …

Oral History Of Ronald Lykins Conducted By Mallory Lough On March 12, 2026, Ronald Lykins, Mallory Lough

HIST 4798/5798: Recording Memory: Methods and Uses of Oral History

Ronald Lykins is a former professor within the College of Business at Ohio University. Raised in rural Adams County, Ohio, in a family facing significant economic hardships, Lykins grew up in a household with no running water or electricity. These early experiences shaped his work ethic, along with giving him a deep appreciation for helping others and granting opportunities. Ron enrolled at Ohio University as a first generation student, graduating with his MBA in 1967 and his PhD in 1971. Following his graduation, Ron developed a career in accounting and financial services, eventually founding his own accounting firm in 1969. …

Una Student Organizations, Student Engagement Center, University Of North Alabama

Documents

No abstract provided.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 13, March 16, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Archives And Children's Knowledge, Elliott Kuecker, Ashley Rockenbach

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This article argues for the importance of collecting works created by children—not just about and not just for—in formal archival collections. Framed through the ideas of legitimate knowledge and epistemic injustice, this piece combines notions important to children’s rights activists and childhood studies scholars with the role archives can play in preserving children’s knowledge through child-created materials. The authors describe how researchers struggle to find work created by children within archives, impacting the ability to create child-centered research that centers children’s views of the world as prominently as adult views of the world. Some collections that do include child-created materials …

A Free Black Farming Community In White Clay Creek Hundred, James Jones

History Faculty Publications

Although Delaware remained a slave state until the end of the Civil War, free Blacks were able to acquire land before that.  A small group settled along Delaware’s northern border with Chester County, even though Pennsylvania offered greater legal protection against enslavement.  This article describes what is known about the four families that settled along Hopkins Road in White Clay Creek Hundred, and the factors that affected their decision to remain in Delaware.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 10, January 26, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

2026-01-12 Message From The President, Morehead State University. Office Of The Provost.

Staff Congress Records

Message sent on January 12, 2026 by the President to the campus community regarding upcoming dates of importance, congratulatory recognitions, and the New Carnegie Designation.

“Which Side Are You On?”: The Historical Creation And Political Implications Of An Appalachian White Other, Zoe Davin

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Headlines : Investigating Media Framing Of Malaysian Human Trafficking In Southeast Asia During Covid-19, Muhammad Asim Imran, Kah Choon Ng, Cheng Kin Meng

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of human trafficking involving Malaysians in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Employing a systematic review approach based on the PRISMA methodology, the study examines 63 news records from The Star, covering the period from March to September 2022. The findings reveal a notable increase in media coverage during this time, signaling heightened awareness of Malaysian human trafficking issues. The COVID-19 pandemic emerges as a critical factor exacerbating vulnerabilities and contributing to a surge in trafficking incidents. Malaysians were identified as victims of forced labor in diverse industries, including …

Tuberculosis In Jim Crow Virginia, 1900-1972, Elizabeth Dooley

Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis (TB) was a major public health concern in the United States, especially in the first half of the twentieth century. Transmission and treatment of the disease, which is spread between humans through close contact, was complicated by racial segregation laws in the South known as Jim Crow laws. Virginia subscribed to these laws, which played a role in how and where Black Virginians with TB could be treated. Segregated treatment facilities with an inadequate number of beds for the number of infected people and deaths in the state added to these complications of disease control and plan for eradication. …

Religious Transformation Of Crimea Amid Geopolitical Changes: From Pluralism To Totalitarian Control (2000–2026), Volodymyr Zuikov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article analyzes the radical transformation of the religious landscape of the Crimean Peninsula in the context of geopolitical changes and “hybrid warfare.” I conduct a comparative analysis of two chronological periods: the stage of Ukrainian sovereignty from 2000 to 2013, which was characterized by a high level of religious pluralism and interconfessional peace, and the period of Russian occupation from 2014 to 2024/2026, which was marked by a transition to a rigid hierarchical system of control. The scholarly novelty of the study lies in its detailed reconstruction of the mechanisms of the “hybrid absorption” of Protestant communities, including Baptists, …

Gvsu Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog 2026-2027, Grand Valley State University

Course Catalogs, 1963 - Current

Grand Valley State University 2026-2027 undergraduate and graduate course catalog. Course catalogs are published annually to provide students with information and guidance for enrollment.

Under The Influence: New York’S Crisis Of Addiction, Exploitation, And Drug Policy Within Depression-Era Films, Simone White

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

During the 1930s, New York City stood at the center of media innovation and cultural influence. It was also the center of the continuing opioid epidemic and a pivotal site for the reception and promotion of addiction films. This article argues that Depression-era films, The Struggle (1931), Narcotic (1933), and Assassin of Youth (1938), reflected economic, political, and moral anxieties surrounding drug abuse. Using National Board of Review records, studio pressbooks, and contemporary periodicals, this study examines how cinematic portrayals of addiction influenced ideologies, criminalized users, and deepened social stigma.

Linda Simms Chin And Regina Williams, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

With their sorority-led initiatives that help unite the Bronx and its inhabitants, Chin and Williams feel a sense of optimism and pride for their borough. Both of them discuss that a prime example of this sisterhood was evident during Barack Obama’s presidency. This could be seen through both Chin and Williams, whether it was Chin reminiscing of the progress and resilience of African-Americans in the United States, or Williams discussing the fulfillment of seeing lines for blocks and blocks of people ready to vote and make this momentous day to occur. Chin and Williams recognize and acknowledge the importance of …