Digital Commons Network^™

The Voices I Never Heard: Reflections From A Public Health Advocate On Representation, Silence, And Struggle, Araya Gautam

Patient Experience Journal

Representation of ethnic minorities among trial participants in the UK is poor. It is true that the need for diversity and inclusive language is important in research, but the practicality of making this a reality for patients from under-represented groups has not generally been the case. As a patient advocate, I have been a participant in clinical trial reviews and advisory boards during the past three years and have engaged in a national-level conversation about patient voice and equity. I draw connections between structured frameworks for patient and public involvement (PPI) in the UK and the more informal, community-based caregiving …

The Quiet End Of The Visit, Avinav Biswas

Patient Experience Journal

Reassuring language is a common and often well-intentioned feature of clinical encounters, frequently used to convey clinical confidence and bring visits to a close. This personal narrative reflects on an observed outpatient encounter during a physician shadowing experience in which reassurance appeared to function not only as comfort, but also as an implicit signal of conversational closure. From the perspective of a student observer, the piece describes a moment of patient hesitation that arose after reassurance was offered, then quietly disappeared as the visit concluded. Although the encounter was clinically appropriate and efficient, the unspoken pause highlighted how uncertainty can …

Navigating Medical Ambiguity: A Patient's Perspective On Communication, Timing, And Risk, J. Hansen

Patient Experience Journal

This essay recounts the experience of navigating re-vaccination decisions after an initial diagnosis of vaccine-associated myocarditis. A diagnosis later contested by other specialists. It is not a tale of medical error, but of diagnostic ambiguity and divergent clinical reasoning. My intent is to show how, in the absence of consensus, a patient was compelled to assume a central role in adjudicating between competing medical narratives. Recommendations are offered to make medical advice more available to patients and bridge a growing gap between medicine and the public.

Human Experience, The Boarding Crisis, And Moral Injury-A Call To Action, Thom Mayer, Wendy Dean

Patient Experience Journal

Patient experience has evolved to a broader definition of human experience, including workforce experience, and community experience. Hospital boarding is a common, pervasive problem facing healthcare, which threatens all levels of human experience, from patient experience, to workforce experience (moral injury and burnout in healthcare professionals), and community experience (delayed and denied access to care for patients, Emergency Medical Services, and even interhospital transfers. Effective system leadership across the systems and processes of healthcare, as well as stakeholder and boundary management, will be essential to deliver acceptable human experience, in addition to solutions to smooth surgical flow, improve discharge systems, …

Human Experience: A Catalyst For Global Connection, Jason A. Wolf

Patient Experience Journal

As I think about the state of play in our world today, I find we have two choices in how we react. One is with a sense of despair driven by the intentional efforts to disconnect humanity being perpetuated by some. The other, with a sense of hope, that even in the face of these forces, there are those that strive relentlessly to foster connection and opportunity. I find the path forward in holding the tension of pragmatic idealism – that we can dream, with big and noble goals, while recognizing our path forward must be grounded in practical and …

Family Perspectives: A Qualitative Examination Of College Athlete Suicide During The Spring 2022 Semester, Elaine M. Anton-Lotruglio, Sophia M. Burke, Kimberly H. Mcmanama O'Brien

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Objective: Suicide among college athletes remains largely underexplored despite rising rates. This qualitative study aimed to explore family members' perspectives on why their loved ones died by suicide. Participants: The study included family members (N=10) of three college athletes who died by suicide in the spring 2022 semester. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between March and July 2024. ATLAS.ti and Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis were employed to analyze the data and identify themes. Results: The data revealed three primary themes: factors contributing to the suicide crisis, presence of a suicide crisis, and university crisis response. The themes suggested a …

Beyond The Playing Field: Athletic Identity, Academic Performance, And Career Readiness Among Student-Athletes, Lucy Mcafee, Alexander Traugutt, Caroline J. Ketcham, Eric E. Hall

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

This mixed-methods study examined how athletic participation relates to perceived career readiness development and explored relationships between athletic identity, academic performance, and post-graduation plans among 124 Division I student-athletes (varsity and club) at a private university. Participants completed surveys measuring athletic identity (AIMS), perceived development of NACE Career Readiness competencies, and open-ended questions about how athletics prepared them for future careers. Varsity athletes reported significantly higher perceived development than club athletes across five competencies: professionalism, critical thinking, communication, technology, and career and self-development. Male athletes reported higher perceived development in professionalism, critical thinking, and technology. Athletic identity demonstrated significant positive …

Volume 12 Full Text, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Exploring Gender As An Analytical Framework In The 2018-2019 Revolution And Ongoing Civil War: The Role Of Gendered Violence And Sudanese Women's Resistance, Ami John

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper will interrogate the intersection of gender, war, and political upheaval within Sudan while focusing on the role of women in both the 2019 resistance and the ongoing conflict and revolution. By the end of 2018, mass protests had called for the ousting of Omar al-Bashir, the long-standing Sudanese president. This event set off a chain reaction which led to events that fueled the long-standing rivalry between the two militant groups that were active in Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The tension caused by this rivalry created unforeseen circumstances for the local …

Wallflowers, Misfits, And Gender Nonconformists: Roller Derby As A Refuge, Kate Clement

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article explores how roller derby serves as a unique space for queer women and gender minorities to foster community and build “found families,” engage in activism, and practice self-expression, from its creation in 1935 to the present. This study will outline the unusual historical context that allowed the sport to evolve radically differently from other professional sports, twentieth-century feminine beauty standards and their role within the era’s roller derby, the inclusive nature of its modern bylaws, and the lived experiences of queer roller derby athletes. Utilizing a wide range of primary sources, including oral history interviews of current roller …

Front Matter And Table Of Contents, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Toward Healing And Justice: Building Equitable Relationships With Community Archives In El Salvador, Giada Ferrucci, Amanda Oliver, Tom Belton, Fernando Chacon

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

The article examines an archival component of a larger research initiative. Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador is a multidisciplinary, cross-sector partnership. The overall methodology of the project is participatory and survivor-centered. It aims to document and commemorate the history of the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992) and prevent future violence. The component of the Surviving Memory partnership the authors describe in this article elucidates the crucial importance of community archival practices undertaken to support memory, healing, and justice in El Salvador. The authors are co-investigators and collaborators who have supported the work of community archivists in El Salvador through a …

Teach And Care: How Community-Centered Archival Practice May Transform Education, Archives, And Community History, Thuy Vo Dang

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Academic librarians and archivists may work toward transforming education, archives, and community history (TEACH) through implementing a CARE approach. This includes a commitment to critical, liberatory, and person-centered praxis in archives co-creation and partnership with community organizations at the frontlines of documenting and preserving marginalized histories. Caring, in the archival context, begins with an acknowledgement of the harm mainstream archival institutions have caused for minoritized groups and then moving towards implementation of non-extractive, flexible and ethical partnership and/or stewardship of historical and cultural heritage materials. Caring also demands critical, rigorous, ongoing commitments to activation of the archival records by centering …

Religion In Hobbes’ Political Project: God And Secularism In The Leviathan, Lea Mancarella

The Political Realm: Journal of Undergraduate Research in Political Science and International Relations

This article argues that Hobbes views religion as a fundamental threat to political stability because competing religious authorities and claims of divine revelation undermine obedience to the sovereign and risk returning society to a state of civil war. Through close readings of Leviathan, it shows how Hobbes reframes religion as a human invention rooted in fear, critiques the political power of the Church, and ultimately uses contradictions about God’s nature to suggest that divine law cannot be rationally known. The author concludes that Hobbes’s political project requires a secular commonwealth in which religion has no public role, ensuring that civil …

Why Right-Wing Populism Endured In Hungary But Collapsed In Brazil: A Comparative Institutional Analysis, Cooper Fensterstock

The Political Realm: Journal of Undergraduate Research in Political Science and International Relations

The main argument of this article is that right‑wing populism has endured in Hungary but collapsed in Brazil because of fundamental differences in institutional design, party cohesion, media control, and the strength of horizontal accountability. Orbán leveraged Hungary’s parliamentary fusion of powers, disciplined Fidesz party, and near-total media dominance to consolidate illiberal rule, while Bolsonaro was constrained by Brazil’s fragmented presidential system, weak party ties, independent judiciary, and pluralistic press. Through this comparative analysis, the paper shows how structural conditions—not just populist rhetoric—shape the durability of democratic backsliding.

Final Report: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), Chelsea Livingstone

The Political Realm: Journal of Undergraduate Research in Political Science and International Relations

The article evaluates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), arguing that while it is one of the nation’s most effective anti-hunger policies—reducing food insecurity, lifting millions out of poverty, and stabilizing household resources—it continues to produce uneven outcomes due to administrative burdens, geographic disparities, and barriers faced by rural, immigrant, and mixed‑status households. Using Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework, the paper explains how SNAP’s expansions and limitations reflect shifting alignments among problem recognition, feasible policy solutions, and political will. It concludes with evidence‑based recommendations to improve equity and access, including streamlined enrollment, regionally adjusted benefits, strengthened outreach, and reduced stigma to …

Can Counterterrorism Be Taken Too Far?, Charles Tracy

The Political Realm: Journal of Undergraduate Research in Political Science and International Relations

The article evaluates three major counterterrorism tools—surveillance, torture, and drone warfare—through the lens of Just War Theory, arguing that each raises distinct ethical and strategic dilemmas. It concludes that surveillance can be morally permissible when tightly regulated, torture is indefensible both legally and morally, and drone strikes are conditionally ethical only under strict oversight that minimizes civilian harm and ensures accountability. Overall, the paper contends that effective counterterrorism is possible without abandoning human rights, but only when transparency, proportionality, and legal constraints guide state action.

The Sacrificial Vs. The Luzhinian Figure: Comparing Sacrificial Love In Crime And Punishment, Pride And Prejudice, And A Tale Of Two Cities, Natalie Rose Kubala

Masters Theses

Many works of art and literature exploring the theme of love focus on trying to define what love is; in contrast, this thesis dives deeper into defining what love is not, specifically focusing on the relationship between love and sacrifice. This thesis argues that love is not the same as sacrifice because a true sacrifice requires that love is already present prior to the sacrifice being made. This thesis will compare those who perform true sacrifices to those who perform sacrifices for their own personal gain by exploring grandiose narcissistic characters who perform (or attempt to perform) sacrifices without love …

Mindful Tea Drinking As A Low-Cost Sensory Intervention For Reducing Stress In College Students, David Gabel

Honors Projects

The proposed study would investigate the effects of a tea-based sensory mindfulness exercise on stress in college aged participants. Participants would listen to a mindful tea exercise and a non-mindful tea exercise after a mild stress-inducing Stroop test. For both conditions, the participants would report their current state of distress on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) before and after each tea exercise and their heart rate variability (HRV) would be measured during each segment of the experiment.

Descriptive statistics and a paired samples t-test would be used to compare the mindful tea condition with the non-mindful condition following …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Playwork: Five Years On, Pete King

International Journal of Playwork Practice

In 2020, at the start of the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, a study was undertaken with 23 participants exploring the impact this may have on playwork and playwork practice.  That project started an 18-month longitudinal study between March 2020 and September 2022.  COVID-19 was five years ago, and this final study aimed to explore the current impact on playwork and playwork practice.  In total, 8 interviews were undertaken, and the results constructed 4 main themes regarding the continuing effects of COVID-19: 1) Community Engagement, 2) Emotional Regulation, 3) Outdoors, and 4) Health and Safety.  The findings …

Hidden Barriers: Enforcement Asymmetry And The Political Economy Of U.S.–Mexico Food Trade And The Cattle Industry, Sabina Prieto, Chris Jackson

Honors Thesis

This project examines how enforcement irregularities in Mexican food safety regulation affect small exporters’ ability to access U.S. markets. On paper, agricultural trade is regulated by laws on food quality, certification, and logistics. In practice, it is how those rules are enforced. In Mexico, big firms and producer associations tend to gain steady support and easier certification, while smaller producers face delays, rejections, or inconsistent oversight that make it much harder to compete. This study uses a comparative case study approach to analyze how similar industries produce different outcomes in market access. By tracing key events such as disease outbreaks, …

Cross-Cultural Neuropsychological Testing: A Behavioral Item Analysis Of The Party Subtest From The Muns Battery Administered To Argentinian And U.S. Participants, Arwen A. Miranda, Alberto Luis Fernandez

Honors Thesis

In response to prevalent cultural bias in neuropsychological testing, cross-cultural tests (CCTs) were developed for accessibility across cultures through the use of “universal” stimuli. The Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS) is a CCT developed to be appropriate across education levels, cost-effective and capable of assessing cognitive functions. The MUNS consists of seven subtests, including the Party subtest, which measures executive functioning by instructing participants to organize a party on a map. During this activity, participants purchase items such as food while remaining mindful of a 100-coin budget and minimizing travel distance. The present study examined whether the Party subtest functions comparably …

Center For Social Development Report To The Community: 2026, Center For Social Development, Washington University In St. Louis

Center for Social Development Research

For more than 30 years, the Center for Social Development (CSD) has been a hub for implementing and testing applied social innovations. As the 2026 "Report to the Community" underscores, we remain dedicated to our mission to advance policies and practices that support individuals, families, and communities in achieving their goals and contributing to society and the economy.

Energy Transitions By Wire? The Spatial Politics Of Transmission Development In New England, Maddy Kroot

Student Publications [Scholarly]

This data set is a corpus of de-identified transcripts from a doctoral research project examining local opposition to two high-voltage transmission lines in northern New England. The corpus includes 41 transcripts from interview participants who consented for their de-identified transcripts to be posted to the Clark Digital Commons. This research was supported by the NSF Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Doctoral  Dissertation Research Improvement Award (#2400991).

How To Build A Successful High School Sports Program, Jacob Jude Mulligan

M.S. in Leadership

The goal of this study was to explore the most influential factors for building a successful high school sports program. Through an expansive literature review, including testimonies from Hall of Fame coaches, themes emerged around the importance of Vision, Relationships, Belief, and Identity when it comes to the question of how to build a successful high school sports program. This research was conducted with the purpose of highlighting evidence of how these four themes have led to a positive culture and success for sports programs and athletes. This study is designed to help current and future high school coaches so …

Abortion Politics And Policy: Stigma And Access In The Silver State, Celene Fuller

Lincy Institute Events

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) overturning Roe V. Wade, states have taken divergent paths in regulating access to abortion services. In 2024, Nevada voters overwhelmingly passed Question 6 proposing to codify abortion rights into the state constitution. In November 2026, Question 6 will again be on the ballot for final confirmation. If it passes, these rights will be protected from future legislative action.

Despite Nevadans’ strong support for abortion rights, the state’s dearth of abortion providers limits access to these services. As this lecture explores, both providers and individuals seeking abortions, …

Powering Up Clinical Scholarship In Santa Fe Family Medicine, Evelyn Wang

HSLIC Faculty and Staff Instructional Resources

This presentation introduces family medicine residents and faculty in Santa Fe to clinical scholarship pathways, highlighting research question formulation, literature search strategies, full-text access tools, and HSLIC services that support evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and publication.

Positive Factors Of Resilience In Marginalized Families, Amanda K. Rigsby

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study examined underexplored factors of resilience that help individuals overcome trauma. The study gathered insights from individuals in marginalized communities through semi-structured interviews and collected qualitative data for thematic analysis from 15 participants. The study identified polyvictimized individuals’ perspectives on (a) resilience, (b) regulation, (c) sense of purpose, and (d) mindfulness. Exploring the relationship between these areas could broaden our understanding and, in turn, inform targeted interventions through further studies. This study collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with individuals in the Appalachian region. The Resilience Portfolio Model has been used in research to identify mindfulness, regulation, sense …

Public Sector Employment: An Examination Of The Perceptions Of Potential Employees And The Realities Of Public Sector Hiring Agencies, Davis B. Chambliss

Honors Theses

This study investigates the growing challenge of recruiting Gen Z employees into the public sector, focusing on the disconnect between younger workers’ career preferences and their perceptions of government employment. While prior research suggests that Gen Z values purpose-driven work, stability, and community impact, public sector organizations continue to face hiring shortages and an aging workforce. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review with original survey data collected from two groups: college students and public servants from three states. The student survey generated 119 responses, with 72 qualifying participants, while the public servant survey yielded 30 responses. …

The Role Of Emotional Intelligence And Defense Mechanisms In Processing Childhood Experiences And Their Impact On Adulthood, Lauren M. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Early childhood relationships significantly influence developmental and relational functioning across the lifespan. Emotional intelligence has been associated with healthier relational outcomes through increased awareness of self and others. Variability in childhood experiences may contribute to the development of defense mechanisms that shape how individuals process relational memories and regulate emotional distress in adulthood. Limited research has examined how emotional intelligence and defense mechanisms interact to influence adults’ retrospective processing of childhood experiences, including attachment, rumination, and motivation. The present quantitative correlation study examined the relationships among emotional intelligence, defense mechanisms, childhood attachment experience, rumination, and motivation in a sample of …