Digital Commons Network^™

Inadequate Immigration System For Asylum Seekers At The Us-Mexico Border, Kyli Fox Soug

Ballard Brief

The history of immigration in the US goes back to its founding. However, in recent years, immigration trends at the US-Mexico border have gained media and political attention as more migrants flee to the border and face challenges as they seek refuge in the US. The inadequate immigration system has been exacerbated as legislation like the Migrant Protection Protocols and metering complicates the legal system and forces asylum seekers into border towns. Border patrol's misuse of resources and insufficient immigration data also contributes to the inadequate immigration system. Families and individuals seeking legal asylum at the border are being detained …

I Don’T Surrender: An Anthem For Survivors Of Sexual Violence, Brittan Wawro

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Seraph’S Simple Act, Jane Wilson

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

I was drawn to the women’s suffrage movement because of its impact on our world today. 2020 marked the 150th anniversary of America’s first female vote, cast by Seraph Young in Utah. That day made history, immortalizing the effort of countless other women beforehand, coming together to achieve a common goal. Speaking up and advocating for what we know we deserve has been, and will continue to be, a historical struggle. However, anything is possible if we work together and fight for it long and hard enough. Recognizing the efforts and successes of women who came before us brings inspiration, …

Inadequate Healthcare Services Among Individuals With Autism In The United States, Gabby Sutton-Clark

Ballard Brief

Healthcare innovation has been a pressing topic in public discourse across the United States for centuries. Advances have taken place in several healthcare fields, such as maternal and fetal medicine, cardiology, and surgical specialties; however, healthcare for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (AS □) has not received the same attention and care. A general lack of access to healthcare services, communication barriers, lack of ASD-specific provider training, and the physical healthcare environment all contribute to the inadequate healthcare experiences and services individuals with AS □ receive. As a result, individuals with AS □ not only seek healthcare less frequently for …

Child Malnutrition In Cambodia, Ashley G. Bernal

Ballard Brief

Malnutrition has been recognized as a global issue and has a high prevalence in poorer countries like Cambodia. Children are most affected by malnutrition, especially those under age 5. Malnourished children are at an increased risk for developing diseases, developmental delays, and dying at an earlier age. Child malnutrition in Cambodia is primarily due to a lack of education, cultural beliefs and practices, food insecurity, and recurrent diarrhea. The current best practice is vitamin A supplementation, provided by groups such as Helen Keller International through medical professionals and community volunteers.

Barriers To Career Advancement Among Skilled Immigrants In The Us, Cassie Anita

Ballard Brief

Over 2 million highly-skilled immigrants in the US are either underemployed or unemployed due to barriers to career advancement. Barriers to career advancement include, but are not limited to, legal status, the process of transferring credentials, the license and certification process, lack of employer recognition, lack of cultural literacy, and the language barrier. Because of these barriers, immigrants face many challenges, such as retraining, paying high fees for courses or tests, limited course options due to a language barrier, and lacking knowledge of US job application processes. These challenges often prevent immigrants from working high-skilled jobs in the workplace. When …

Prevalence Of Alzheimer's Disease In Adults In The United States, Margaret George, Erica Bassett

Ballard Brief

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become increasingly prevalent among adults in the United States, with the CDC estimating that AD affects 5.4 million people in the US. As a neurodegenerative disease, AD leads to life-threatening physical and cognitive effects for adults ages 65 and older. Many risk factors contribute to the possibility of an individual developing AD in the United States. Some of these risk factors an individual can somewhat control, including wellness choices and the quality of one's social relationships. Other factors are more challenging for an individual to control, such as one's genetic history and environmental factors like air …

“Something Large And Old Awoke”: Ecopoetics And Compassion In Tracy K. Smith’S Wade In The Water, Kaitlin Hoelzer

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Susa Young Gates Award Essay

First Place

Both historical and contemporary Black poets have used their work to identify, condemn, and suggest solutions to problems stemming from racism in American society. Indeed, as Arnold Rampersad notes in his introduction to The Oxford Anthology of African American Poetry, many Black poets use “poetry as a vehicle of protest against social injustice in America.” Art is inherently political, even when its arguments do not overtly engage in political debates. As Lorraine Hansberry argues, all art is rooted in a particular social and political consciousness. The choice is “not whether one will …

Book Review: Mokhtar Mokhtefi. I Was A French Muslim: Memories Of An Algerian Freedom Fighter; Benjamin Stora. Les Clés Retrouvées: Une Enfance Juive À Constantine, Leland Conley Barrows

Comparative Civilizations Review

If one were to choose two words to characterize the books under review, they would be ambiguity and nostalgia. Both are personal reflections of how the final years of Frenchruled Algeria affected the authors.

Mokhtar Mokhtefi (1935-2015) was an Algerian Muslim freedom fighter who, in 1956, having completed high school at the Lycée Aumale in Constantine, enlisted in the National Liberation Army (ALN) of Algeria. We follow his story from early childhood in Berroughaia, a small town south of Algiers, to his re-entry into Algeria from Tunisia in July 1962, just as Algeria achieved independence.

Benjamin Stora (1950- ) …

Book Review: Zheng Wang. Never Forget National Humiliation: Historical Memory In Chinese Politics And Foreign Relations, Constance Wilkinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

“Never Forget National Humiliation!”? Really? Yes. This is Zheng Wang’s very interesting study of the post-Mao Chinese Communist Party’s massive re-education campaign. It was created in the years following the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989 when post-Mao CCP hard-liners approved a military response to civilian protesters that would crush China’s emerging pro-democracy movement.

Prevalence Of Non-Communicable Disease Among Adults In Tonga, Autumn Vaitohi

Ballard Brief

Non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, are a primary health issue among people in the South Pacific country of Tonga. This issue is driven by various factors, the most notable being poor consumption behaviors, sedentary living, and genetics specific to this demographic. As a result of NCDs in Tonga, the population is experiencing high morbidity and mortality rates and a decreased stability of the healthcare system, government, and economy. Therefore, implementing interventions that are multifaceted and able to address all aspects, social, legislative, physiological, environmental, and so on, of the issue is key to finding success in overcoming this health issue.

Nationalism In The Context Of Globalization, Mariana Tepfenhart, M.A.

Comparative Civilizations Review

To understand the connection and consequences between nationalism and globalism, I will start with a basic definition of nationalism. According to Websters Dictionary, nations that are focused on national, not international goals, are nationalistic. A nation comprises the same language, customs, and traditions.

Some scholars have argued that nationalism has historical roots. People have been bonded by ethnicity and politics from ancient times. Others consider nationalism as a modern phenomenon due to industrialization, democratization, and modern technology. Jonathan Hearn1 from the University of Edinburgh has argued that some states are more homogeneous than others and they have strong senses of …

Small Claims, Shawna V. Tropp

Comparative Civilizations Review

Had Laura Davidov not been a heavy woman in her late fifties, she would have thought that she had made a conquest. A golden young man appeared to have been following her through the Musée Rodin for over an hour; his eyes were turquoise, and he was quite old enough to be her son. There was also something disturbingly familiar about him. She therefore beamed her most maternal smile upon him and took a hesitant step in his direction.

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Civilization: A Systems Approach, Robert Bedeski, Ph.D.

Comparative Civilizations Review

Civilization is one of several stages of human evolution and forms a system of interaction. Its past dominance is now challenged by growth of three subsystems — state, economy, and science/technology. These three subsystems have matured through application of rational knowledge. The vertically integrated state now dominates society and demarcated territory. The horizontally integrated global economy and global science/technology society have become worldwide in scope. State domination is reinforced by autonomous global science and international capital. The remaining subsystem of Moral Knowledge occupies present non-material civilization and is characterized by organic knowledge and embracing the unprovable, which includes religion, art, …

Our New Iscsc Social Media Presence, Bibi Pelić

Comparative Civilizations Review

Social media presence is essential, we could say even critical to any organization today. Social media can for itself be a topic for a discussion on civilization, as social media is today shaping mindsets, for better or worse.

Realizing this major development in our ever-more digitalized world, the ISCSC has undergone, in the past year, significant changes in the direction of establishing its social media presence.

Presence Of Malnutrition And Severe Acute Malnutrition Among Children In South Asia, Madison Johnson

Ballard Brief

South Asia is home to 23% of the global population and has the largest prevalence of stunting in any region in the world. Severe acute malnutrition is a frequent cause of death in children under 5 globally. While sustainable development goals have brought more people out of poverty in the last 50 years, a disproportionate number of children remain malnourished. These children are typically found in developing countries, with a large burden existing in South Asia. Young children are most susceptible to the effects of malnutrition as they are at a stage of increased physical and cognitive development. There are …

Singing And Healing: Thought Paper, Kimberly Nearon

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Singing can be a healing experience, both for the body and the soul (1, 3, 4). “Music has the ability to repair brain damage and return lost memories” (3). Common themes in recent studies and articles discuss how “singing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine - the ‘happy’ chemicals that boost your mood and make you feel good about yourself” (3). “Singing also counts as an aerobic activity as it introduces more oxygen into the blood leading to better circulations - and a better mood” (3). Singing can “stimulate the immune response”, “improve snoring”, and “improve lung function” benefiting those who …

Mary, Martha, And The “Good Part”: A Feminist Evaluation Of The Glorification Of Sacrifice In Latter-Day Saint Culture, Harriet Norcross

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Susa Young Gates Award Essay

Honorable Mention

In the tenth chapter of Luke, Jesus Christ visits the home of sisters Mary and Martha. While Mary sits at the Savior’s feet and listens to his words, Martha bustles about doing what she thinks is her duty, serving others (The Holy Bible, Luke 10:38-42). When she complains to Christ that her sister is not helping her with the work, He will not instruct Mary to leave his side, instead telling Martha that her sister has chosen the good part.

Full Issue

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Claiming Power In African American Women Storytelling, Heather Bergeson

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Beginning with slave narratives and continuing to the contemporary day, black autobiographers have shared and perpetuated the values and experiences of their communities through the medium of stories, which seek to expose perspectives that are often withheld or overshadowed by white voices. Tracy K. Smith’s memoir Ordinary Light participates in this tradition as she writes about her experiences as an African American woman in the United States. Near the text’s close, Smith asserts that storytelling is an act of “claiming the power to name and state and face the events, even the most awful events, making up a life” (279). …

Addressing Immunizations In Nursing Education: Immunization Resources For Undergraduate Nursing, Sheryl Buckner, Ruth Gallego, Diana Mcnaughton, Susan Brasher, Joan Stanley, Allison Jacobs, Jennifer Hamborsky, Sarah Schillie, Stacie Hunsaker, Kathy J. Kyler, Allison L. Lewis, Donna Page

Faculty Publications

Nursing faculty are challenged to integrate immunization content in prelicensure nursing curricula. Historically, most immunization content has been delivered in pediatrics courses, with less emphasis on other populations across the lifespan. Skills related to vaccine administration may be prioritized over the most current immunization science, such as pathophysiology, immunology, and epidemiology. As the most trusted profession rated by the public (Saad, 2020), nurses are ideally suited to address vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccination in the communities they serve. Nurses apply active listening, problem solving, and communication skills with patients and their families, contributing to a person's confidence in their decision …

Trade-Off Characterization Between Social And Environmental Impacts Using Agent-Based Models And Life-Cycle Assessment, Joseph C. Leichty, Christopher S. Mabey, Christopher A. Mattson, John L. Salmon, Jason Weaver

Faculty Publications

Meeting the UN’s sustainable development goals requires designers and engineers to solve multi-objective optimization problems involving trade-offs between social, environmental, and economic impacts. This paper presents an approach for designers and engineers to quantify the social and environmental impacts of a product at a population-level and then perform a trade-off analysis between those impacts. In the approach, designers and engineers define the attributes of the product as well as the materials and processes used in the product’s life cycle. Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) tools that have been developed to model the social impacts of products are combined with Life- Cycle Assessment …

Dbl Study Reflectivity Journal, Gloria Mora

ScholarsArchive Data

This is a reflectivity journal to document all the steps taken to complete the Thesis "Decision-Based Learning as a Tool for Teaching Statistics in a Peruvian University." This journal documents all the conversations that the researchers have about their understanding of DBL and all the major decisions made it
to complete this study.

Exploring Perceptions Of New Media Among The Lakota Nation, Isabelle C. Kramer

Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception, the worldwide web has fundamentally altered our understanding of communications. With the rapid adoption of new media around the globe, individuals are increasingly able to communicate with people on the other side of the planet in real-time--traditional boundaries like time and space are no longer relevant barriers to intercultural communication. As such, scholars are scrambling to recognize and understand the broader implications of social media, videoconferencing, blogging, etc on more traditional definitions of culture. Additionally, researchers are beginning to study the ways in which minority cultures are utilizing new media, and the way that new media impacts …

Facing The Matter: An Eye-Tracking Assessment Of Social Media Beauty Filter's Impact On Cosmetic Surgery Normative Beliefs, Camilla Marie Owens

Theses and Dissertations

Communication research has begun to assess the unique relationship between social comparison, social media, and body image (Lewallen & Behm-Morawitz, 2016), yet little research has been done to assess the unique connection between body dissatisfaction, social media filters, and cosmetic surgery (Beos et al., 2021). Studies have found that viewing edited body images on Instagram positively correlates with decreased body satisfaction and behaviors of body objectification (Tiggemann, & Barbato, 2018). This study used a series of scales to measure individuals' media exposure (MTUAS: Rosen et al., 2013) body area satisfaction (BASS; Brown et al., 1990), facial region satisfaction (FRSS; Guthrie …

Examining The Effects Of Eating Behaviors On Mental Health And Internalization Of Weight-Based Messaging, Avery E. Bollinger

Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to explore the effects of eating behaviors on mental health and the internalization of attitudes toward one's appearance. This was performed through a survey distributed through a global online market research firm, Dynata, and gathered 495 eligible participants. Of those, 78 represented the plant-based group, and 417 represented the non-plant-based group. Each completed the survey containing sections with the Mizes Anorectic Cognitions Scale (MACS) to assess if they were at low or high risk for having/developing an eating disorder, a section determining if participants were plant-based (defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and …

Critical Access Hospital Nurses' Qualitative Reports Of Major Obstacles In End-Of-Life Care, Con K. Newman

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Critical Care Nurses have previously noted obstacles in caring for dying patients. Obstacles noted by nurses working in more urban settings have been reported. What is not known is the obstacles to providing end-of-life (EOL) care as perceived by nurses working in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Objective: To determine the stories/experiences related to obstacles in providing EOL care as reported by nurses working in CAHs. Methods: This was an exploratory, cross-sectional study. Previous quantitative data has been reported. Documentation of the qualitative stories/experiences of nurses working in CAHs related to obstacles to providing EOL care for dying patients and …

From The Headlines: A Textual Analysis Of Social Polarization And Discord In Times Of Pandemic Across A Century In The United States, Alexa Demarco

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the past century, three major pandemics have affected the United States – the Spanish Flu, AIDS, and COVID-19. Each of these pandemics has tested the capabilities of the public health sector and the social resilience of the population. Scientists have studied the viruses and implemented public health measures to limit viral transmission, but the social responses to these preventative measures proved to be difficult to predict and control. The dissonance and polarization between the public health initiatives and the response of the general public in the most recent pandemic was apparent. Was this a pattern in other pandemics? Was …

Distribution, Ecology, Morphology, And Status Of The Inyo Mountains Salamander (Batrachoseps Campi), Christopher J. Norment

Western North American Naturalist

Between 2009 and 2019, I studied the distribution and ecology of the Inyo Mountains salamander (IMS; Batrachoseps campi). The IMS is a rarely studied species endemic to the Inyo Mountains of California, and 1 of only 2 extant salamanders whose range is restricted to desert ecosystems. I found 2 new localities, increasing the documented localities to 21. I calculated a minimum convex polygon distributional range size of 458 km2 and estimated that in the Inyo Mountains there are ca. 15,200 linear meters of IMS riparian habitat, the most common habitat for the species. IMS occurred across an elevation gradient …