Digital Commons Network^™

Learning How To Speak Like A “Native”: Speech And Culture In An Online Communication Training Program, Tabitha Hart

Faculty Publications

This article examines the oral communication training that took place in Eloqi, a virtual language-learning community. Eloqi (a pseudonym) was a for-profit start-up that built and operated a proprietary Web-based, voice-enabled platform connecting English-language learners in China with trainers in the United States. While it existed, Eloqi’s unique platform was used to deliver short, one-on-one lessons designed to improve students’ oral English communication skills. Using the ethnography of communication and speech codes theory, a theoretical–methodological approach, the author presents an analysis of the speech code, or code of communicative conduct, employed at Eloqi. This code of English logic, which Eloqi’s …

Incorporating Ethical Consumption Into Electronic Device Acquisition: A Proposal, Jennifer Poggiali

Publications and Research

This essay proposes that librarians practice ethical consumption when purchasing electronic devices. Though librarians have long been engaged with environmentalism and social justice, few have suggested that such issues as e-waste and sweatshop labor should impact our decisions to acquire e-readers, tablets, and other electronics. This article presents a philosophical framework for evaluating the ethics of these acquisitions, as well as guidelines for librarians considering specific purchases. Ultimately, the article argues that librarians should consider curtailing the purchase of new electronics on the basis of the environmental and social justice impact of the manufacture and disposal of such devices.

Twenty-First Century Woodland Archaeology In The Lower Illinois River Valley: A Regional Model, Jason Louis King

Anthropology ETDs

The Lower Illinois River Valley (LIV) has been the subject of over a century of focused archaeological inquiry, resulting in robust body of data with which to investigate the lifeways of ancient indigenous peoples of midcontinental North America. Among the most visible components of this record are the Middle Woodland (50 cal BC-cal AD 400) and Late Woodland (cal 400-1000) assemblages that document an extended period of significant social and demographic transformation of the valley, marked by highly visible monumental architecture, e.g. mounds, and often complex mortuary practices culminating in the disposal of the dead with these monuments. Research reported …

Full Issue, Volume 4, Number 2, Donna J. Peterson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Planning, Delivering, And Evaluating An Extension In-Service Training Program For Developing Local Food Systems: Lessons Learned, Joanna Massey Lelekacs, J Dara Bloom, K. S. U. Jayaratne, Brandi Leach, Teisha Wymore, Carol Mitchell

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The social movement focused on re-localizing food systems is oriented toward recreating relationships between producers, consumers, and other community stakeholders. Sustaining community efforts to build local food systems requires preparation of county Extension educators to understand how food supply chains function as systems, facilitate community partnerships, and create equitable access to locally produced food. This paper shares how North Carolina Cooperative Extension designed, delivered, and evaluated a local foods in-service training on these three topics, as well as shares lessons learned through the process. The implications of this study are helpful for Extension educators planning, delivering, and evaluating in-service training …

Aid Effectiveness: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières How Does The Paris Declaration Measure Aid For A Single, Neutral Development Group?, Jasmine West

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

No abstract provided.

Georgia’S Rural Hospital Closures: The Common-Good Approach To Ethical Decision-Making, Randi G. Bastain, Marcus Garner, John S. Barron, Emmanuel A. Akowuah, William A. Mase

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Publications (2006-2018)

Background: Critical access hospitals provide several essential services to local communities. Along with the functions associated with providing necessary medical care, they also offer employment opportunities and other economic benefits to the communities they serve. Since 2010, the number of rural hospitals closures has steadily increased. The common-good approach to ethical decision-making provides a framework that aids in evaluation of the effects that hospital closures have on rural residents and communities.

Methods: This analysis includes results of a systematic overview of peer-reviewed literature to address the following research questions: 1) How have state policies and the adoption of Medicaid expansion …

Webinar: States On The Hot Seat: State Efforts To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Transportation, Rebecca Lewis

TREC Webinar Series

Transportation accounts for approximately 33 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. While the federal government issued notice of a proposed rule that would include a GHG reduction performance measure for the first time, over the past decade, several innovative states have offered leadership on policies aimed at reducing GHG through transportation.

A recent project examines innovative policies in four such states: California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington. This webinar will:

• Highlight policy approaches for reducing GHG from transportation,
• Offer an assessment of strengths and weaknesses of various policy approaches, and
• Provide recommendations for a broad range of …

Much More Than Storage: Re-Positioning The Repository As A Cornerstone Of Campus Collaboration, Amanda Makula, Connie Ghinazzi

Library and Information Science: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

“Repository” belies the dynamic potential of the IR. Much more than a publishing mechanism for campus scholarship and an archive of college history, it is an opportunity to partner with nearly every entity across campus in order to advance the institution’s mission and goals, to build community by uniting disparate groups around a common purpose, and to call attention to the library’s unique ability to facilitate campus-wide collaboration. More specifically, the IR can play an important role in recruiting new students, strengthening institutional engagement among alumni, enhancing partnerships with the surrounding community, and more. But to come to fruition, these …

Sustainable Urban Development? Exploring The Locational Attributes Of Leed-Nd Projects In The United States Through A Gis Analysis Of Light Intensity And Land Use, Russell M. Smith, Bradley Bereitschaft

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

LEED®-ND™ is the latest attempt to develop more sustainable urban environs in the United States. The LEED®-ND™ program was created to provide a green rating system that would improve the quality of life for all people through the inclusion of sustainable development practices. To achieve this, a premium is placed on the locational attributes of proposed projects under the “Smart Location and Linkages” credit category. The purpose of this paper is to explore the locational attributes of LEED®-ND™ projects in the United States to determine if projects are being located in areas that will result in achieving the program’s stated …

Religious Tourism And Italian Sacred Mounts: Experiences Of Networking And Co-Operation At A Unesco Site, Raffaella Afferni, Carla Ferrario

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

A Sacred Mount is a historical holy site and former pilgrimage attraction. It is a devotional complex located on a mountain, and composed of a series of chapels and shrines in which scenes from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary or the saints are represented through paintings and sculptures. In 2003 the Sacred Mounts of Piedmont and Lombardy were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List being considered as representative of something that can be understood, in part, through visitor interactions with the areas in which they are located (see Di Giovine, 2009:208).

The visitors to Sacred Mounts are: …

Planning For Bike Share Connectivity To Rail Transit, Greg P. Griffin, Ipek N. Sener

Journal of Public Transportation

Bike sharing can play a role in providing access to transit stations and then to final destinations, but early implementation of these systems in North America has been opportunistic rather than strategic. This study evaluates local intermodal plan goals using trip data and associated infrastructure such as transit stops and bike share station locations in Austin, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois. Bike sharing use data from both cities suggest a weak relationship with existing rail stations that could be strengthened through collaborative, intermodal planning. The study suggests a planning framework and example language that could be tailored to help address the …

Older Adult Transportation In Rural Communities: Results Of An Agency Survey, James P. Wood, Jeffrey R. Brown, Megan Bond, Vitor Suguri

Journal of Public Transportation

The proportion of people over age 65 is higher in U.S. rural and small communities than in urban or suburban areas. When older adults who reside in these communities retire from driving, they may need to rely on alternative transportation options that exist in urban settings but that might not be provided, might be less accessible, or might be available in a different form in their communities. This paper uses a survey of service providers to identify the types of public transportation options available to older adults residing in these communities, as well as the strategies employed to finance, operate, …

The Art And Science Of Place-Based Philanthropy: Themes From A National Convening, Giannina Fehler-Cabral, Jennifer James, Hallie Preskill, Meg Long

The Foundation Review

This article shares insights and implications generated at a convening titled Is This a Better Place? The Art and Science of Place Evaluation. Participants included funders, evaluators, and community partners who came to discuss and share effective learning practices and the role of evaluation in place-based work.

Place-based work requires a long-term investment in collaborative partnerships to create, nurture, and sustain local and systemic changes. In order to support this complex work, partners have to incorporate approaches that are nimble, iterative, and responsive to the changing needs of a “place” over an initiative’s life span.

The convening produced a number …

Recognizing Microaggressions: A Framework For Helping Grandfamilies, Loriena Yancura, Christine A. Fruhauf, Heather Greenwood-Junkermeier

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Microaggressions are manifestations of prejudice targeted toward socially marginalized groups. They may take several forms: subtle discriminatory remarks, behavior, or environmental characteristics. In contrast to overt aggressions, microagressions are not easy to detect and often invisible to both perpetrator and recipient. Existing research demonstrates that experiencing microaggressions is harmful to members of stigmatized groups and provides a framework to combat these negative effects. Although most of the literature on microaggressions is focused on groups characterized by minority race and female gender, microagressions might also be experienced by members of grandfamilies, who often have socially marginalized status. Microagressions toward grandfamilies may …

The Lynch Community Garden Project, Hilary Neff, Rachel Manning

The International Undergraduate Journal For Service-Learning, Leadership, and Social Change

No abstract provided.

Beyond Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learned Information In Forodhani Park, Jaimie Lynn Mulligan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This ethnographic study examines Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Mji Mkongwe (Stone Town), Zanzibar, and how ecological knowledge shared by locals on the island is formed and is shared among locals in a park setting. Using a framework of political ecology, this study specifically highlights ecological pressures of local population growth, global climate change on a local scale, and local economic changes as the key drivers for the creation and cultural importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. To discover both the ecological pressures and the examples of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, I conducted semi-structured, open-ended interviews in Forodhani Park, a public park on …

The Political Economy Of Wasted Food Policies In The United States And European Union: A Multi-Scale Analysis, Rebecca Miller

Sustainability and Social Justice

Between 33 and 40 percent of food produced is wasted while one quarter of the population of the United States and the European Union is food insecure (Gunders, 2012, p. 4). How is this problem addressed through policy in the United States and the European Union? Although there are non-governmental organizations working to redistribute food and educate consumers, a more comprehensive policy-based approach is needed to fully address this problem. Several cities and states in both the U.S. and E.U. have adopted policies before they were nationally or internationally implemented. These early adopter cases were examined here to determine best …

Jaques Avenue Bioshelter Report: An Assessment Of Needs, Potential Uses And Partnerships In Worcester, Ma, Joseph Hersh

Sustainability and Social Justice

This report has been generated for Worcester Common Ground, Inc., (WCG) Community Development Corporation to support their vision of transforming a formerly vacant parcel of land into a community bioshelter. A bioshelter is a specialized greenhouse, powered by passive energy (solar, wind, rainwater), that is capable of year-round food production. This research is rooted within a conceptual framework of urban agriculture, ecological design and community development. Approximately twenty-five interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders in order to determine community needs, potential uses and feasibility for a bioshelter. The first section of findings of this report highlights shared themes …

Analyzing The Recent, Rapid Tourism Development In Panama's Bocas Del Toro Archipelago: Is Socioenvironmental Justice Attainable?, Olivia R. Bourque

Sustainability and Social Justice

The Bocas del Toro archipelago of Panama has seen a rapid growth in its tourism industry since the 1990s. From a neoliberal perspective, tourism development is beneficial for all. Alternatively, I analyze the recent, rapid tourism development in Bocas from a critical development theoretical perspective, identifying its positive and negative implications, as well as who they accrue to. While there are economic benefits to tourism in Bocas, only foreign investors, the Panamanian government and English-speaking residents appear to earn them. The Bocas residents, and indigenous Ngöbe residents in particular, suffer from a range of economic, sociocultural, environmental and land access …

Redefining The Impact Of Public-Access Media In Worcester, Ma, Anthony Ortiz

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research presents findings from a study of how Worcester’s current public-access media center can serve as an anchor institution for two-way communication between the producers and the audience. More generally, it addresses two questions: 1) How to ensure maximum participation and 2) How can active communication be preserved (or maintained) between the producers and the audience. Drawing on case studies done around the U.S. this paper offers a model of community based media that can be essential for empowering people to serve as active receivers of information. The concept for community based media should allow as a grassroots oriented …

Innovations In City-Level Climate Policy: Building Energy Efficiency And Retrofitting Programs In C40 Cities, Benjamin Tweed

Sustainability and Social Justice

Abstract

Innovations in City Level Climate Policy: Building Energy Efficiency and Retrofitting Programs in C40 cities

Benjamin Tweed

Worldwide buildings account for approximately a third of global energy use and a quarter of GHG emissions. In large cities these proportions can double or even triple. Combined with a slow rate of building turnover, this creates a need for policy instruments designed to address the energy efficiency of existing buildings. With a lack of national attention, cities are stepping forward to offer a solution. This paper examines policy approaches taken by six cities, all members of the C40 Climate Leadership Group. …

Corporate Responsibility In Peace Building, Conflict Prevention And Development: The Role Of The Mining Sector In Ghana, Abdul Karim Issifu

Journal of Interdisciplinary Conflict Science

This article seeks to explore the role of the mining sector in peace building, conflict prevention and community development in Ghana. After thoroughly reviewing secondary data, including articles, books, journals, newspapers, etc., via critical document review and qualitative research approaches the research found that, there is no legal document on CSR in Ghana, yet mining companies in a free will, have executed CSR programs laying down for peace, security and development in the country. More so, this article provides a theoretical support for the Integrative theory of CSR on the basis that, the socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental needs of …

Non-Tenure-Track Faculty And Community Engagement: How The 2020 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Application Can Encourage Campuses To Support Non-Tenure-Track Faculty And Their Community Engagement, Allison Lafave, Damani Lewis, Sarah Smith

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching developed an elective classification for community engagement for institutions of higher education. To receive the classification, campuses must complete an application and respond to questions by providing evidence that demonstrates a commitment to sustaining and increasing their community engagement efforts (Welch & Saltmarsh, 2013). Many of the application questions relate to policies and practices that affect faculty careers. For example, the 2015 Community Engagement Classification application asked institutions to describe relevant professional development opportunities and ways in which faculty community engagement is incentivized, recognized, and rewarded. These questions are important, …

Monhegan: A Prescription For Resilience, Kenneth Paul Kiel Gross

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Monhegan, like many island communities, is threatened by the loss of population as its young adults migrate to the mainland. The purpose of this study is to develop a resilient population on Monhegan Island.

Knowing the problem is easy, as is asking the obvious question, “How do we get people to move to this area?” This is a problem that confronts not only Monhegan, but also other Maine islands and even Maine itself.

Several factors make Monhegan’s future uncertain. The first is the gradual shift from commercial fishing, the mainstay of its economy, as it becomes more reliant on tourism …

Creating A Learning Laboratory For Urban Sustainability: Consulting Project For The Blackstone River Corridor Living Systems Laboratory, Jacquelyn Dayle Burmeister

Sustainability and Social Justice

The Blackstone River Corridor Living Systems Laboratory (“LSL”) is a newly formed nonprofit organization with a broad and compelling mission to engage people with local history and water so as to improve public heath though bioremediation. It has evolved from a non-centrally administrated coalition of research institutions and municipalities interested in water quality to a multidisciplinary partnership, requiring consistent coordination. The broad organizational mission with such varied stakeholders requires a stable administrative platform, as well as funds to continue development of novel model process for wastewater treatment. The purpose of this project was to provide long term administrative and project …

Benefits, Challenges, And Recommendations For Implementing A Sustainability-Based Service-Learning Program At Utah State University: An Initial Assessment Of The Community Bridge Initiative, Julie Koldewyn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Service-Learning is a method of teaching that allows students to learn course content by engaging in real world applications, which can enhance student learning and benefit communities. As populations increase, many communities struggle with the corresponding issues of sustainability. A program that could use student expertise to address these concerns would be beneficial for both students and communities. This mixed-methods study explored the benefits, challenges, and recommendations for implementing a sustainability-based service-learning program, the Community Bridge Initiative (CBI), at Utah State University (USU) in relation to community needs and student responses to being in program pilot classes. Pilot classes were …

Benefits, Barriers, And Opportunities For Renewable Energy Outreach In Extension: A Mixed-Methods Needs Assessment, Blake H. Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Renewable energy is energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biofuel, and hydroelectric power. Renewable energy sources are a powerful combatant to climate change because they emit little to no carbon dioxide emissions in the electrical generation process. This mixed-methods needs assessment explored the benefits, barriers, and opportunities for renewable energy outreach in Extension on a nationwide and Utah-based scale. Two online surveys and focus group interviews revealed the relative dearth of renewable energy programming currently underway in Extension nationwide. In Utah, more than fifty-five percent of Utah State University (USU) Extension …

Applying Experience-Based Co-Design With Vulnerable Populations: Lessons From A Systematic Review Of Methods To Involve Patients, Families And Service Providers In Child And Youth Mental Health Service Improvement, Alison Mulvale, Ashleigh Miatello, Christina Hackett, Gillian Mulvale

Patient Experience Journal

The objective was to identify methods used to involve patients, family and service providers in child and youth mental health service improvement research. We analyzed the alignment of methods used with Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) methodology, and how power imbalances among participants were addressed. A systematic review of the English-language peer review literature since 2004 was carried out. The EMBASE, Scholar’s Portal, PubMed, Web of Science databases and the Ontario College of Art and Design University libraries were searched electronically for variations of ‘child’, ‘mental health’, ‘experience-based co-design’, ‘participatory research’ and ‘health care services’. Textual data was systematically extracted and analyzed. …

Let’S Invest In People, Not Prisons: How Washington State Should Address Its Ex-Offender Unemployment Rate, Sara Taboada

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.