Digital Commons Network^™

Hiring Preferences Of Federally Recognized Tribes: Survey And Analysis, Kristen Gutierrez Livoti

Master of Public Administration

In the United States, there are currently 574 federally recognized Tribal nations. Both employers and applicants face challenges in the hiring process. Tribes may face challenges finding qualified applicants with the necessary skills for specific roles. A less-qualified employee may result in less impactful program outcomes, lower revenue, discouraged employees, and higher turnover rates. In addition, hiring an employee who doesn’t understand Tribal culture may result in ineffective programs, policies, and/or miscommunication. For those looking to work for a Tribal government, applicants often find challenges in that hiring preferences/policies (P&Ps) are different from Tribe to Tribe and not posted in …

Assessing The Recall Of Traffic Safety Campaigns In Arkansas, Pratik Babu Pokharel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study estimates the degree to which drivers recall traffic safety campaigns based on sociodemographic characteristics including driving frequency, vehicle type, education, income, age, household composition, race, and gender. Traffic safety campaigns are efforts to educate, persuade, and inspire individuals to adjust their attitudes and behaviors for improved road safety, utilizing planned communications over a set time period. They aim to encourage safe driving using slogans shown on television, radio, social media, billboards, and variable message signs. Two years of a mail-based survey conducted in Arkansas were used to estimate binary logistic regression models for each of four safety campaigns. …

Seven Themes About Substance Use Among Asian Americans, Carolyn Wong, Sun S. Kim Phd, Aprn-Bc

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

This research brief summarizes the findings from a study on improving services for Asian Americans at risk for substance use problems that was conducted by the Institute for Asian American Studies in collaboration with the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The full report, Exploring Substance Use Among Asian Americans: Seven Themes from Interviews with Service Providers and Community Residents by Drs. Carolyn Wong and Sun S. Kim is available here: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/iaas_pubs/51/

To Mitigate Or Adapt? A Construal Level Perspective On Agenda Setting For Climate Action, Shu Tian Ng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a present crisis—making the question of how we act timelier than whether we act. This research investigates how people evaluate different approaches to climate action—specifically, mitigation (reducing emissions) and adaptation (coping with impacts)—through the lens of the Construal Level Theory (Liberman & Trope, 1998; Trope & Liberman, 2010). Across three studies, I examined how perceptions of desirability and feasibility influence preferences for different climate action strategies. Study 1 found that, to laypeople, mitigation was perceived as more desirable while adaptation was perceived as more feasible. Study 2 attempted to manipulate individuals’ …

Stop Design: Rethinking The Approach To Public Transit's Architecture, Elizabeth M. Nielsen

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Public spaces are the foundation of our social health and wellbeing, but are often designed without considering the needs of the public, creating spaces that people do not feel encouraged to use. Just as public space design as a whole often falls short of serving the public, the same can be said for a subset of public space design, public transit stops. While they are public spaces created for the purpose of waiting, their design rarely reflects this.

Well-designed public transit stops are capable of both maintaining existing ridership and drawing in new riders. Most commonly, this design occurs at …

Recognizing Injustice, Reclaiming Voices: Establishing A Missing Persons Database For Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Children In Nebraska, Bayly W. Watson

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Indigenous people have been the victims of harsh persecution since the time of colonization; this has negatively impacted Native communities and has contributed significantly to the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children (MMIWC) across the United States and Canada. Under Legislative Bill 154, Richards et al. (2021) conducted an initial study to identify missing Native cases in Nebraska and in 2023, the Attorney General appointed a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Liaison to help combat the number of missing Indigenous in the state. This thesis contributes to previous research by analyzing 20,049 reports from three …

A Fragile New World: An Analysis Of The History, Present, And Future Of The U.S. Global Fragility Act, Declan F. Coakley

International Studies (MA) Theses

In 2019, the U.S. Congress passed the Global Fragility Act with bipartisan support. (GFA). The act aimed to reform U.S. foreign aid and development, focusing on stabilization initiatives that proactively address the root causes of conflict before they escalate into full-blown violence. Despite the significant implications of the GFA for both domestic and international foreign policy, extant research examining the novel legislation remains limited and disjointed in its examination. This paper builds on previous studies by combining content analysis and qualitative interviews with a diverse group of professionals within the foreign aid sector to offer a comprehensive analysis of the …

Child Sex Trafficking In Pediatrics: From Screening To Comprehensive Care, Victoria Shwe, Tracy Lin, Nicole M. Leopardi

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Child sex trafficking is a significant issue in New Jersey, with minors making up 22% of trafficking victims in 2023. While screening tools exist to identify at-risk youth, there is a major gap in understanding the steps healthcare providers should take after identification to ensure appropriate care, support, and referrals. Current research highlights the lack of data on the use of trafficking screening tools and the absence of standardized post-screening protocols. Most pediatricians rely on referrals to social services or law enforcement, yet limited coordination between healthcare providers and these agencies complicates effective care. The shortage of child abuse pediatric …

In Search Of Real Truth And Accurate History: Protecting And Resisting Whiteness In Education Policy Discourse, Rachel Piontak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines whiteness in education policymaking through a three-article dissertation, contributing to the broader understanding of how whiteness manifests across education policy and legislative discourse. The first article presents a comprehensive scoping review of critical whiteness studies (CWS) in education policy research. Using CWS tenets such as whiteness as property and colorblind racial ideologies, the analysis identifies themes of manipulated discourse, the economics of whiteness in education, and the protection of whiteness. This study anchors the second and third studies, which examine whiteness ideologies at play within the education policymaking discourse of the American Southeast. The second article addresses …

Shaping Minds, Shaping Future: Analyzing K-12 Climate Change Education Policy Preferences In Arkansas, Nataliia Borozdina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change education in K-12 public schools is a highly debated and divisive policy issue, particularly in politically conservative states such as Arkansas, where ideological divisions often dominate and shape public attitudes and policy preferences. This dissertation examines the attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions of three key stakeholder groups, namely the policy elites, general public, and educators toward climate change education policies in K-12 public schools in the state of Arkansas. While political party affiliation is an important factor, this study explores a more nuanced relationship by considering the interplay of Cultural Theory, risk perception, trust in government, climate change …

Chasqui, Nicole Lachat

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Chasqui is a creative dissertation comprised of a thirteen-page critical introduction and a series of poems which consider varying forms of migration, including that of border crossings. The internalization of displacement through longing and alienation is examined in these poems. The author considers questions of inheritance through an exploration of personal, familial and sociopolitical bonds. Varying forms of violence, including colonial and gendered violence are reflected upon in the work.

Advisor: Kwame Dawes

Hiring Preferences Of Federally Recognized Tribes" Survey And Analysis, Kristen Gutierrez Lovoti

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

In the United States, there are currently 574 federally recognized Tribal nations. Both employers and applicants face challenges in the hiring process. Tribes may face challenges finding qualified applicants with the necessary skills for specific roles. A less-qualified employee may result in less impactful program outcomes, lower revenue, discouraged employees, and higher turnover rates. In addition, hiring an employee who doesn’t understand Tribal culture may result in ineffective programs, policies, and/or miscommunication. For those looking to work for a Tribal government, applicants often find challenges in that hiring preferences/policies (P&Ps) are different from Tribe to Tribe and not posted in …

Rewriting The School Calendar: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Four-Day School Week Implementation In Arkansas, Kate Barnes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The four-day school week (4DSW) has gained traction across the United States, particularly in rural districts seeking innovative responses to mounting challenges. Despite its expanding adoption, key questions remain regarding the motivations for implementing 4DSW schedules and their implications for teacher well-being and student achievement. This dissertation examines the emergence and effects of the 4DSW in Arkansas, where adoption has increased rapidly in recent years, offering a unique context shaped by state-level policy and rural dynamics. Employing a mixed-methods, this dissertation investigates (1) why and how districts adopt the 4DSW, (2) whether the policy alleviates teacher burnout, and (3) how …

The Role Of Multiple Stakeholders In Pesticide Safety Policy Compliance: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Comparison In Idaho, Oregon, And Washington, Carolyn B. Griswold

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Farming communities across the United States (U.S.) face significant challenges with occupational safety and health (OSH) policy noncompliance, resulting in injury, sickness, and even death. Various stakeholders, including federal and state governments, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, and farm employees, play a role in enforcing and promoting OSH policy compliance. This dissertation investigates whether compliance with pesticide safety policies exists, identifies factors influencing compliance or noncompliance, and explores why farm management and Latinx farmworkers located in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, choose to adhere to—or disregard—public rules and private recommendations about pesticide safety. The findings reveal varying levels of pesticide safety compliance …

Dekonstruktion Der Afd: Eine Analyse Der Rechtspopulistischen Deutschen Partei Der„Alternative Für Deutschland”, Elizabeth A. Breckenridge, Elizabeth Breckenridge

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Die Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) ist eine rechtsextreme populistische Partei, die innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts rasch an Macht gewonnen hat, insbesondere in den ostdeutschen Bundesländern, aufgrund ihrer Betonung der Nationalisierung, ihrer populistischen Rhetorik und ihrer Anziehungskraft auf Wähler, die Ängste vor Einwanderung und kulturellem Wandel hegen. Die AfD hat es innerhalb von fünf Jahren geschafft, eine starke Wählerschaft zu mobilisieren, 2017 Sitze im Bundestag zu erringen und gilt nun als wichtigste Oppositionspartei zu den etablierten Parteien. Die AfD ist die erste rechte Partei seit 1945, die aufgrund des Aufstiegs rechtspolitischer Ideologien bedeutende Wahlerfolge erzielen konnte. Aufgrund des reaktionären Pendelschwungs nach dem …

Community Voices, Climate Action Choices: Working Towards A Resilient Monterey County, Lesley A. Solano Alonso

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Vulnerable communities in Monterey County face disproportionate environmental and health impacts due to climate change, yet many residents remain unaware of the tools and resources available to support local action. This capstone project was implemented in partnership with Ecology Action (EA) and the Resilient Central Coast (RCC) campaign to increase awareness and engagement with the RCC platform. Serving diverse communities across Monterey County, the project included bilingual outreach efforts, community tabling, educational presentations, and a climate action survey. Over 650 residents were engaged directly, resulting in 99 new household sign-ups on the RCC website, a major milestone for the agency. …

A Future For The U.S. Department Of Education, Keith V. Allen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This thesis examines the persistent inequities within the U.S. public education system, particularly affecting low-income and underserved communities. Despite the founding mission of the U.S. Department of Education to ensure equitable access to quality education, systemic disparities continue to prevent millions of students from realizing their full potential. By exploring the Department’s historical evolution, this research highlights three critical areas undermining educational equity: unequal funding, an overreliance on standardized testing, and the lack of universal access to preschool and higher education. The thesis argues that equitable funding is not merely a financial issue, but a moral imperative—an investment in the …

Perceptions Of Identity And Blame Attribution In Sexual Harassment Scenarios, Avarie Lambert

Honors Theses

Sexual harassment is a widespread issue influenced by societal attitudes that stem from victim blaiming and rape myth acceptance. These perceptions are often shaped by the identities of the parties involved, however there is limited research on how gender and race influence blame attribution. The purpose of this study is to examine how different identities shape public perceptions of victims in sexual harassment scenarios. Through using a nationwide sample and survey experiment, participants were randomly assigned to receive one of eight different hypothetical scenarios that differed by the race and gender of the victim, and the gender of the perpetrator. …

Spanish Language Accessibility Within Mississippi Courts, Meredith Dudte

Honors Theses

As the Hispanic population continues to rise in Mississippi, Spanish language access in the public sector is of increasing importance. This thesis will specifically explore Spanish language access in Mississippi courts, identifying strengths and weaknesses and recommending policy solutions based on the results. To gain a better understanding of court interpretation in Mississippi, I interviewed ten Spanish language court interpreters and two court clerks either working in Mississippi courts or courts in similar southern states. Responses highlighted two themes as strengths: the federal court interpreter test and compensation, four themes as weaknesses: compensation, standards, omissions, and dialects, and four themes …

The Association Between Economic Outcomes And Abortion: A Scoping Review, Larisa Nicole Stephenson

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Abortion access is not just an issue of autonomy, but an economic issue as well. Evidence of the intersectionality of abortion health care and economics has endured due to the financial cascading effects a denial of an abortion, or the inability to access an abortion, has on one’s personal, professional, and economic upward mobility. A change in recent policies impacting access to abortion warrants an updated synthesis examining the relationships between economic outcomes and abortion access for people of reproductive age in the United States (U.S.).

Aim: This scoping review summarizes evidence pertaining to the association …

The Impact Of Food Access Intervention Policy On Student Learning In Portland, Oregon, Sarah Frances Edgell

Master of Public Administration Capstone Papers

Food insecurity, a condition that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, is a barrier to educational success. This study examines the impact of food access intervention policy on student learning through the implementation of the 2019 Oregon Student Success in Portland, Oregon. Findings reveal both an increased expansion of food access as well as modest gains in standardized testing scores. However, significant achievement gaps persist, especially among high-need areas and historically underserved groups. This capstone paper supports a hybrid approach to policy evaluation, wherein an integration of traditional and critical analysis methods provides a comprehensive understanding of policy outcomes while identifying areas …

Ethnic/Racial Representation In Leadership Positions In Us School Districts, 2002-2014: Are School Districts Achieving Parity?, Melissa A. Taylor, Larra Rucker, Valarie H. Hunt, Brinck Kerr

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective A representative public education workforce has substantive benefits for underserved groups. While research finds considerable differences in ethnic/racial representation among public bureaucrats, little research examines representation within the public education workforce. Methods We use US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEO-5 data to measure the levels of representation in public school district jobs among Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites (non-Hispanic). Results Based on the analysis of 4253 US districts for 2002 through 2014, we find Hispanic and Black underrepresentation among administrators, principals, assistant principals, and classroom teachers. Based on new-hire employees, we observe improvement in Black and Hispanic representation. District size …

Examining Spirituality/Religiousness As A Protective Factor For The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Selena M. Balderas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The school to prison pipeline (STPP) is a systemic issue that reflects the intersection of educational inequities and punitive practices disproportionately affecting society’s youth in underserved communities. The STPP funnels students out of educational environments and into the criminal justice system through the overuse of punitive practices such as suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrests. This especially affects students of color, LGBTQ youth and those with disabilities and perpetuates cycles of injustice, poverty, marginalization, and incarceration. The social control theory provides a useful framework in understanding the relationship between deviant behavior and social bonds (Stewart & Rapp, 2017). When individuals …

Exploring Doubled-Up Homeless Among Latinx In San Bernardino County: A Qualitative Study, Patricia Carrillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background and Objective: The proposed study aims to explore the factors contributing of doubled up homelessness among Latinx in San Bernardino California. The term doubling up homelessness describes the situation in which a person is residing with others in a home due to economic hardships or housing loss (Richard et al., 2022). Homelessness is a major prevalent social problem in the United States and statewide impacting individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities locally. Methods: The qualitative research method will be utilized with a phenomenology approach to explore the lived experiences of 20 Latinx adults through interviews. This study …

Diversity In Social Work Organizations, Andrea I. Corona

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research proposal explores social workers’ attitudes toward diversity within organizations. The goal is to measure individual perception, beliefs, and receptiveness to diversity. The ATD scale measures attitudes across different dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and cultural differences. Bachelor's of social work and Master’s of social work professionals working within an organization will answer the scale and results analyzed.

Diversity is the presence of a wide range of differences among people and groups. These characteristics can be visible or invisible and make individuals unique. Diversity also involves recognizing, valuing, and respecting those individual differences. Diversity fosters inclusive …

Fostering Positive Bonds: Exploring Key Influences On Foster Youth-Foster Parent Relationships, Maria Baldivid, Karen Cedano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Each year, thousands of children enter the U.S. foster care system and spend a significant amount of time in out-of-home care. Unfortunately, many of these children face placement instability, exacerbating the stress and trauma they undergo in addition to the inherent challenges of being in foster care. Recognizing the pivotal role of the foster youth-foster parent relationship due to the prolonged time spent in foster homes, this study aimed to explore influential factors in developing positive relationships from the perspective of former foster youth. Employing a qualitative research design, the study conducted individual virtual interviews, and subsequent data analysis identified …

A Systematic Review Of Effective School-Based Interventions Against Bullying In The United States, Jessica Lopez Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Bullying remains a persistent issue within the United States (U.S.) educational system, affecting–among other things–students’ well-being, academic performance, and mental health. This mixed-methods systematic review was purported to address gaps in previous literature by identifying effective school-based interventions against bullying implemented between 2017 and 2024 in the U.S. Using a purposive sampling method, this review screened three electronic databases: APA PsycNET, ERIC, and JSTOR to garner relevant studies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were employed to ensure rigorous selection and analysis of relevant articles. There were four studies in this systematic review (n=4). The …

Follow Through Since The Implementation Of Katie A V. Bonta, Alleena Parchment

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research proposal aims to explore how well Los Angeles County has followed through with the guidelines that Katie A. v Bonta has set. This paper will suggest ways to effectively carry out the research through a systematic literature review. Foster children are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health illnesses such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Katie, a young 4-year-old girl, went through 37 placements and received no mental health services. As a result, a class action lawsuit came about with Los Angeles County. Based on the lawsuit, policies were made to provide mental health services to foster …

Planning To Pivot: Employment Lessons From A Military Spouse, Jennifer Barnhill, Rosalinda Maury, Jeanette Harvie

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This narrative profile is part of a companion series to the Reimagining Military Spouse Employment research initiative. While the data briefs provide statistical analysis of employment patterns, industries, and outcomes, this series puts a human face on the data by following military spouses through the career pivots the research describes.

The profile follows a new military spouse as she navigates early career disruptions, PCS moves, and the compounding effects of short-term decisions on long-term career outcomes. It is written for a dual audience: military spouses seeking practical insight, and employers and policymakers looking to understand the lived experience behind the …

Language, Equity, And Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Student Conduct Policies At Unl, Mandi Laib

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of student conduct policies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1977 to 2003 to examine how language reflects and reinforces institutional power structures. Utilizing Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, this research investigates how conduct policies have historically marginalized Students of Color, LGBTQ+ students, and those facing economic hardship. Through a deductive coding process, themes such as institutional control, surveillance, and punitive framing were identified across four decades of student handbooks. While there are moments where student rights and restorative justice are acknowledged, these are often overshadowed by dominant discourse that prioritizes compliance …