Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging The Gap: Understanding And Addressing Intimate Partner Violence In Deaf Communities, Catherine Pellini

Washington Semester Program

The Violence Against Women Act, one of the largest pieces of federal legislation aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence, does not always adequately address or serve those in the Deaf community who are affected by domestic violence. This observation led to the question “under what conditions can and does the Violence Against Women Act effectively serve and protect deaf survivors?” Through conducting interviews with policy experts and advocates as well as analyzing Biennial Reports to Congress on the Effectiveness of Grant Programs Under the Violence Against Women Act, it is evident that the Violence Against Women Act can only …

Lip(S) Service: A Socioethical Overview Of Social Media Platforms’ Censorship Policies Regarding Consensual Sexual Content, Sage Futrell

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The regulation of sexual exploitation on social media is a pressing issue that has been addressed by government legislation. However, laws such as FOSTA-SESTA has inadvertently restricted consensual expressions of sexuality as well. In four social media case studies, this paper investigates the ways in which marginalized groups have been impacted by changing censorship guidelines on social media, and how content moderation methods can be inclusive of these groups. I emphasize the qualitative perspectives of sex workers and queer creators in these case studies, in addition to my own experiences as a content moderation and social media management intern for …

Examining Discourses In A College Readiness Program: A Qualitative Study, Kendra Marie Farr

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the past ten years, there has been an increase in the Hispanic student population incollege across the United States (Krogstad et al. 2022). However, U.S. Census Bureau statistics (2021; 2022) have shown that they are still less likely to attain a four-year degree compared to their White counterparts. To begin understanding why this occurs, researchers look to curriculum at the high school level to see how students are becoming college ready. High schools utilize college readiness programs to help students prepare for the rigor of college courses. One program is an elective course offered at primary and secondary levels …

Exploring The Mental Health Experience Of Perinatal Military Spouses Based In Sigonella, Italy, Lyndsey Dannenberg

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The perinatal period can have a profound impact on the mental health of women, their infants, and their families, especially when it comes to depression and anxiety disorders. This study aims to delve into the experiences of perinatal mental health among military spouses stationed overseas, on Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, and contribute to the limited research on active-duty military spouses and their perinatal mental health while stationed overseas. The research uses a qualitative phenomenological approach, seeking to provide valuable insights into the lived experiences of military spouses and their perinatal mental health. Risk factors associated with perinatal mental illness …

A Policy Evaluation For California’S Care Act And The Application Of The Social Determinants Of Health, Adelina Mercedes Lang

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

In 2022, California passed a legislative bill, SB 1338: the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, which created a new statewide procedure for treating mentally ill homeless adults diagnosed with psychotic disorders through a court-ordered CARE plan. SB 1338 intends to alleviate the mental health and homeless crisis. This capstone project provides an early assessment of SB 1338 using a modified formative policy evaluation methodology, including a scoping literature review and applying a policy assessment using the CDC's Policy Evaluation Framework. A stakeholder survey was also applied to gather stakeholders' perspectives on SB 1338. The literature review supported the …

Will You Go The Distance? A Satisfaction Survey Of Telemedicine In Sexual Medicine, Gal Saffati, Taher Naeem, Jordan Kassab, Daniela Orozco Rendon, Charles Green, Larry I Liphsultz, Mohit Khera

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The success of telemedicine depends on patient satisfaction with the care that they receive, which is impacted by the ease of use of the technology, quality of the connection, and perceived effectiveness of care.

AIM: The study sought to evaluate patient satisfaction with telemedicine services in a high-volume andrology clinic.

METHODS: We included all patients who had a telemedicine appointment between January 1, 2020, and August 22, 2022. Demographic information was gathered, and a satisfaction survey was conducted using REDCap software. Data were grouped into 2 age categories, with ≥50 years as the cutoff (19-50 years; >50 years). The …

Exploring Intersectional Differences In Employment And Desistance, Rachel Novick

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Employment is critically important to the re-entry process for most recordholders, as a standard condition of their community supervision agreement, as a turning point, and as a way to solidify new prosocial identities in the desistance process. However, seeking and maintaining gainful employment is easier for some recordholders than others. Prior research suggests that applicant race and gender impacts employment opportunities and outcomes. It is also the case that desistance may look different based on the race and gender of the recordholder. Thus, it may be the case that the relationship between desistance and employment varies for recordholders of different …

Mrs. Dalloway As A Window For Understanding Life, Kristen Venegas

English (MA) Theses

Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway may be dismissed as fiction, and fiction consequently is dismissed as fantasy. However, the novel enables readers to practice an intellectual exercise of meta-awareness that extends beyond the pages and onto real world phenomena. Under a cognitive neuroscience perspective, Mrs. Dalloway is a literary masterpiece due to its hyper- realistic execution of the intimacies of life. Through the narrative style of free-indirect discourse, Woolf illustrates what occurs in the minds of characters as they develop their own perceptions of reality and identity, exposes the fear and inadequacies of mankind’s distress in times of chaos and disorder …

What Discrimination? Christian Microaggression Rhetoric Against Nontheists, Nicole Dolfi Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theories of microaggressions have been used in the last decade as a framework for studying subtle forms of discrimination against racial minorities and other marginalized groups. However, there is a dearth of research on the scope and types of microaggressions nontheists face. This qualitative study examines microaggressions against nontheists by interviewing 16 religious Christians on their experiences and opinions of the discrimination Christians and nontheists face. The narratives were analyzed for thematic patterns between the rhetoric used and the type of microaggressions employed. The study revealed nine categories of microaggressions. The findings also showed how experiences of discrimination, political viewpoint, …

Processes Of Couple Co-Regulation In Bereavement: A Longitudinal Study, Jessica Barboza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Five couples reported on their experience of coping with and supporting their partner through the loss of a child. In-depth interviews with these bereaved parents revealed that couples engage in processes of regulating self, regulating other and forming a grief rhythm after child-loss. These processes have important implications for future research and therapeutic practice with bereaved parents, couples, and families.

The Influence Of Invasive Species On Fishers’ Satisfactions, Caroline M. Laplante

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Invasives species are prevalent and widespread in North America. Outdoor recreational activities, such as fishing, introduce a point in which humans may interact with invasive species and have to adapt their own behaviors. Bigheaded carp in the Missouri River below Gavin’s Point Dam are a group of invasive fish species that were thought to be negatively relating to recreational fishers’ satisfactions. Using a content analysis and an importance-grid, we conclude that invasive species do not strongly relate to recreational paddlefish fishers’ satisfactions. Paddlefish fishers represent a small sub-set of recreational fishers in Nebraska and South Dakota. The content analysis revealed …

Nevada Workforce Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Study 2023, Becky Harris, Andrea Dassopoulos

International Gaming Institute Faculty Research

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) metrics enable organizations to set concrete goals and self-monitor their performance. In 2021, Nevada’s legislature passed Senate Bill No. 267 (SB267), authorizing the University Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to study DEI benchmarks in the State. The study is designed to produce actionable results capable of informing policy and employer best practices in Nevada. Workforce Study data was collected for the 2022 calendar year with study participation taking place between January 2-April 30, 2023.

The questions in the study were crafted based on DEI public policy considerations as well as metrics for gauging the scope of …

Comparing Meters To Yards: A Nationally Representative Evaluation Of Gender Bias In Risk Assessment, Zachary Hamilton, Melissa Kowalski, Michael Campagna, Addison Kobie, Alex Kigerl

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Risk-needs assessments (RNAs) assist correctional staff in assigning supervision and programming. While gender is a well-known predictor of crime, for decades contemporary RNAs have claimed “gender-neutrality” or risk prediction equality for males and females. Unfortunately, females are frequently overclassified, relegated to a category higher than their risks indicate. Using ridge and mixed effects regression methods, we sought to enhance the predictive accuracy of the Modified Positive Achievement Change Tool (MPACT) comparing three common assessment development methods via a 10-state sample of youth (N = 241,596) across multiple justice settings. Findings demonstrated recidivism rates vary substantially by gender and bias/overclassification …

Critical Consciousness & The Rural-Urban Divide, Kendall O'Rorke

University Honors Theses

This study investigated the relationship between conceptions of Critical Consciousness (CC) and urban vs. rural geographic location type. Participants (N = 31) completed the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (CCS-S), and 25 additional questions regarding potential location-based idealogical differences. No measurable differences were found regarding differences in conceptions of critical consciousness (using CCS-S scores) based on rural-urban location, however, other responses supported some current research regarding political typology. Additional research is needed to fully understand this topic.

Early Childhood Language Gains, Kindergarten Readiness, And Grade 3 Reading Achievement, Jessica A.R. Logan, Shayne B. Piasta, Kelly M. Purtell, Robert Nichols, Rachel E. Schachter

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

In this preregistered study, we used latent change score models to address two research aims: (1) whether preschool-aged children's language gains, over a year of early childhood education, were associated with later performance on state-mandated, literacy-focused kindergarten readiness and Grade 3 reading achievement assessments, and (2) whether gains in language, a more complex skill, predicted these outcomes after controlling for more basic emergent literacy skills. There were 724 participating children (mean = 57 months; 51% male; 76% White, 12% Black, 6% multiple races, and 5% Hispanic or Latino). We found that language gains significantly predicted kindergarten readiness when estimated in …

Power Projection And Counter-Terrorism: Strategies For Small States Like Brunei Darussalam, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Gulshan Bibi Ms

Journal of Terrorism Studies

This study delves into the intricacies of power projection strategies and counter-terrorism measures, emphasizing their relevance to small states, with a specific focus on Brunei Darussalam. Using a dual matrix model, the research categorizes various strategies based on risk-reward parameters, offering a structured insight into potential approaches these states can employ against potential aggressors. The counter-terrorism matrix is the initial focal point, recognizing the contemporary significance of terror threats and their unique challenges for small nations. Subsequently, the power projection matrix offers a broader view of defense tactics beyond counter-terrorism. By synthesizing information from primary academic sources, the study aims …

Diaspora Space-Time: Transformations Of A Chinese Emigrant Community By Anne-Christine Tremon, Jiaqi M. Liu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In Diaspora Space-Time, anthropologist Anne-Christine Trémon provides an in-depth ethnography of how the relationship between Chinese diasporas and their hometown communities transformed in the midst of the rapid urban, economic, political, and social changes in China. Building on Trémon’s previous research on Chinese diasporas in Tahiti, this book follows in their footsteps as they embark on return trips to “search for their roots” (p. 167) in their ancestral hometown village in Shenzhen, China. While Overseas Chinese studies have traditionally focused on China’s dependency on Chinese diasporas during the reform era since the 1980s, this book joins the latest research on …

An Examination Of Lgbtqia+ College Students And Their Past Experiences With Homelessness, Michaela Dakota Castor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, there are more than 20 million people who identify as LGBTQIA+ which equates to roughly 8% of the population (Powell 2021). Although LGBT youth only make up 5% to 10% of the youth population, 28% will experience housing insecurity (The Trevor Project 2022). For many members of the LGBTQIA+ community, â??coming outâ?? is a sentimental and often scary experience. LGBTQIA+ youth, in particular, are afraid of being rejected and kicked out of their homes because of their sexuality and gender expression. 1 in 4 LGBTQIA+ individuals will be homeless and 68% will face some sort of …

The Rage, Fall 2023, Brittany Davis, Luciano Castro

The Rage Zine

The Rage zine is published in collaboration with Students Advocating Gender Equality and CCU Women's and Gender Studies. Volume 2, Issue 1.

“Safe People And Safe Spaces:” Filipino American Identity Formation In Response To Local Social Contexts, Cilka Mayumi Hijara

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The identity formation of Filipino Americans has captured scholarly interest due to their unique characteristics and identity attachments. Studies of children of Filipino immigrants are largely focused on individuals from diverse areas and do not explore whether different social environments influence a diversity of identity perspectives. Using data from interviews with 40 children of Filipino immigrants from across the U.S., I examine whether and how their understandings of their identities are shaped by setting. I find that participants’ local contexts, particularly local racial/ethnic demographics during childhood, shape their perceptions of their identities relative to other groups and prevailing categorization schemes. …

“And I’M Going To Destroy You.”: Persona And Gender Performativity In Ernest Hemingway’S The Garden Of Eden, Nicole Minton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While debate of Ernest Hemingway’s authorial masculine persona in connection to The Garden of Eden has been a point of interest in literary scholarship, no single work has tied together theory of gender performativity to persona. A borderline parodic display of masculine adventure has encouraged a one-dimensional view of Hemingway, who is viewed by audiences as the pinnacle of masculinity. However, this image is complicated by the publication of Eden, which reveals an author interested in gender and sexual identity fluidity. Rarely has a single text called into question so controversially an author’s public image. Eden showcases an empathetic …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Well-Being Of People Incarcerated In United States Prisons, Kimberly Rivera

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the population as a whole. However, the incarcerated population (which also experiences a variety of health disparities) has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Due to overcrowding, poor ventilation, and lack of resources, the incarcerated population already is at a heightened risk for negative health outcomes, made worse by the recent pandemic. To adapt to the rapidly changing conditions during the pandemic in 2020 and into 2022, new safety measures were implemented, but the unintended consequences associated with the implementation of these procedures have yet to be examined empirically. I conducted a qualitative content …

A Phenomenological Study Of Disciplinary Alternative Education Program "Enforcers" On The U.S-Mexico Border: Administrators, Teachers, Coaches, Substitutes, And Campus Patrols, Jair Alejandro Munoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Stemmed from zero-tolerance policies, Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs/Classrooms (DAEPs) in Texas are disciplinary spaces designed to house students deemed at risk, while schools continue to serve students’ educational needs of (Aron 2006, Tajalli & Garba, 2014). Once there, students are stereotyped with analogous carceral-framed personas that taint who they are, how they are perceived, and/or how they are treated in alternative classrooms (Dunning-Lozano, 2015; 2018). As a result, the programs/classrooms are fundamental bastions of the school-to-prison-nexus involving a culmination of practices, and policies, along with institutional enforcements that push youths from school to the legal system (Fernandez, Kirshner & Lewis, …

"You Kind Of Have To Act Like A Robot": Latina College Students, Emotional Labor, And The Demands Of Service Work, Julia Holguin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis project, my aim was to discern whether a discernible pattern exists in the way Latina college students at UTEP navigate the challenges of work, education, and family responsibilities. Given the evolving nature of the contemporary economy, the selling of emotions in the workplace has become increasingly prevalent. Latinas, often overrepresented in low-wage occupations, find themselves tasked with balancing work demands alongside familial responsibilities and academic pursuits. Existing research has predominantly leaned on Arlie Russell Hochschild's theory of emotional labor, notably showcased in her study on flight attendants, to illustrate the gendered nature of this phenomenon. This qualitative …

Stopping The Revolving Door: Mdp-Based Decision Support For Community Corrections Placement, Xiaoquan Gao, Pengyi Shi, Nan Kong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Community corrections (CC) programs offer an alternative to incarceration that can reduce jail overcrowding and recidivism rates. The aim is to address the root causes behind criminal behavior, ultimately breaking the cycle of reincarceration. However, placing all eligible individuals in CC may strain case managers, resulting in reduced supervision, increased violations, and higher recidivism rates, which undermines the intended benefits for all participants in the programs. We take the first step in building a comprehensive analytical framework based on a queueing system to support the placement decisions and related decisions such as capacity planning. We develop a Markov Decision Process …

Pro Se: Speech & Debate Mentoring Program For Justice-Impacted Youth Community-Engaged Learning Experiences Of Cornell University Students, Nia Clements, Paola Falcon, Ria Sodhi, Matt Saleh

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

The Pro Se Speech and Debate Program is a student-led engaged learning program at Cornell University, housed within the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR). In this initiative, Cornell undergraduate and graduate students engage with justice-impacted youth (ages 14-17) in Central New York to provide mentorship and educational offerings. Cornell students serve as “speech and debate coaches” and peer mentors to youth involved in the Central New York Health Home Network’s (CNYHHN) “Restorative Integrated Youth Services” (RIYS) diversion program in Utica, New York. The primary goal of the program is to empower youth by building self-advocacy …

Interviews In Global Catholicism: Dr. Petra Kuivala, Petra Kuivala

Journal of Global Catholicism

Interview with Dr. Petra Kuivala, University of Eastern Finland

The Theology Of The Liturgical Seasons In The Syro-Malabar Church, Ann Mary Madavanakadu Cmc

Journal of Global Catholicism

This paper focuses on the theology of the liturgical seasons in the Syro-Malabar Church. The liturgical year with its liturgical cycles and seasons, is more than just a mere structural framework for the prayer life of the Church. It is a true locus of rich theology. The liturgical year is defined as the yearly plan of spiritual life by the Church, for her children, arranged in different seasons or periods to celebrate the mysteries of Christ in life together with feasts, fasts, and abstinence in order to make Christian life a successful pilgrimage to heaven for attaining salvation. This article …

Seeking Connection By Forsaking Self: Associations Of Autonomy And Relatedness With Self-Silencing And Emotional Fusion, Amber A. Price

Theses and Dissertations

Humans innately feel a desire for connection, but in its pursuit, some may inadvertently thwart the very connection they seek. One way this may happen is through forsaking a sense of autonomy in favor of relatedness using behaviors such as self- silencing (stifling the self to preserve a relationship) and emotional fusion (relying on validation from others). To better understand how these four variables—autonomy, relatedness, self-silencing and emotional fusion—function together, I used latent profile analysis to identify classes among US adults in long-term relationships (n = 1065). Separate classes were identified for men and women. I then used the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars …

Correction: The Heart Of Detroit Study: A Window Into Urban Middle-Aged And Older African Americans’ Daily Lives To Understand Psychosocial Determinants Of Cardiovascular Disease Risk (Bmc Psychiatry, (2023), 23, 1, (766), 10.1186/S12888-023-05148-2), Kristin M. Davis, Katherine Knauft, Lena Lewis, Michael Petriello, Lauren Petrick, Francesca Luca, Nataria T. Joseph, Heather Fritz, Malcolm Cutchin, Lance Rappaport, Phillip Levy, Christopher G. Engeland, Samuele Zilioli

All Faculty Open Access Publications

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors identified an error in the author name of Phillip Levy. The incorrect author name is: Philip Levy. The correct author name is: Phillip Levy. The author group has been updated above and the original article [1] has been corrected.