Digital Commons Network^™

Connecting With A Lost Heritage: The Indigenous Taino Community Of The Caribbean In New York City, Angeles R. Rodriguez Negron

Capstones

Among New York City's diasporic communities lie the Indigenous Tainos, an aboriginal people originally from the Caribbean region. But many people are unaware of their existence. There is a belief among Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean societies that the Tainos are an extinct tribe since the 16th century due to European colonization. The Taino revivalist movement has taken strength during the last 30 years, and more Taino descendants are taking pride on their identity and culture. After 5 months of collaboration with this Indigenous community, Puerto Rican journalist Ángeles Rodríguez Negrón created Miyari Taino, a podcast designed to provide visibility …

The New New Yorkers, Frances E. Perozo

Capstones

As Texas turns its back on asylum seekers, one New York City community seeks to make them feel welcomed with dignity and care. The New New Yorkers follows the journey of Adama Bah, an asylum-seeking refugee turned citizen as she dedicates her life to welcoming asylum seekers despite Mayor Adams slashing funds, shutting down her triage operations, and attempting to gut the right to shelter, a legal precedent that ensures all migrants and New Yorkers have the right to shelter. Bah is determined to show up for migrants, joyfully.

Human Rights Gone Wrong, Frances E. Perozo

Capstones

My community is made up of people who are victims/survivors of human rights violations. The two communities I worked with Mott Haven arrestees who were beaten and abused by the NYPD in July 2020 during a protest against police brutality, and newly arrived migrants coming into New York City from the southern border in the last eighteen months, The New New Yorkers. On June 4, 2020, 300 people were peacefully protesting in Mott Haven, a low-income neighborhood in Harlem, when they were kettled and arrested by the NYPD ten minutes before 8 pm, which was the time of a temporary …

The Pima County Jail In A “State Of Full-Blown Crisis”: Inmate Deaths Four Times The National Average, Natalie Robbins

Capstones

Last year, 12 inmates died in custody at the Pima County Jail in Tucson, Arizona. With a 10-year average jail population of 1,827, that is a per capita rate of 656.8 deaths per 100,000 inmates.

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the 2019 national local jail mortality rate was 167 deaths for every 100,000 inmates, making the Pima County Jail’s 2022 per capita death rate nearly four times as high as the national average in 2019.

In a December 2022 memo to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos wrote …

The False Promise That Guilt-Free Flying Is Just Around The Corner, Amanda Braitman

Capstones

Airlines are spending big bucks advertising “sustainable aviation fuel,” but some experts say it's greenwashing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ZejyJBgPGgleNXOWrHXKGF5WI1poQ8OyxSKg8PBNZI/edit?usp=sharing

Amid Senegal’S Most Tumultuous Year In Recent History, The Senegalese Diaspora In New York Grapples With The Uncertainty Of Their Home Country’S Political Future., Mark Banchereau

Capstones

On February 25th 2024, Senegalese voters will be heading to the polls to elect a new president. Often hailed as one of the most stable and transparent democracies in Africa, Senegal has seen a rise in political violence surrounding the sentencing of the main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko this year.

Link :

https://medium.com/@banchereau.mark27/e716d027c0f3

Neurodivergent Artists In Nyc, Brianna R. Poulos

Capstones

Workplaces, classrooms, and creative studios are just a few examples of everyday spaces that are largely designed with neurotypical norms in mind. Creating, sharing, and funding a creative vision is difficult for any artist, but these struggles are amplified for artists with intellectual disabilities who may have been overlooked or not given the same opportunities.

Over the last 18 months, journalist Brianna Rebecca Poulos has worked with neurodivergent artists in New York City and non-profits already working to serve this community of creatives. Brianna created a landing page to help neurodivergent artists in New York City access important information about …

Elderly And Disabled New Yorkers Negatively Impacted By City-Implemented Street Changes, Asar John

Capstones

This final practicum focuses on the community of elderly and/or disabled seniors who are negatively impacted by city-implemented street changes. This includes, but is not limited to Open Streets, traffic calming and bike boulevards on different New York City streets. The final product produced for this community was a four part video testimonial from people in different geographical communities, talking about how they and other folks in that community are hindered by street changes.

Shaping An Inclusive Lis Workforce: Insights From Information Professionals, Rajesh Singh

Urban Library Journal

This study investigates how information professionals deliver culturally sensitive services, their experiences in serving patrons from diverse cultural backgrounds, their self-perceived intercultural skills, and their views on addressing cross-cultural challenges in the workplace. The sample, comprised of 125 information professionals representing a range of organizations, including libraries, museums, and archives, reveals a noticeable trend in their perceptions regarding their ability to provide culturally responsive services and their cultural competence skills. These perceptions are significantly influenced by their participation in cultural competence-related educational programs and academic preparation for cross-cultural work. The research findings provide fresh insights into the integration of diversity, …

The Utilization Of Repurposed Whole Textiles To Modify The Mechanical And Hydrogeological Soil Properties: Green Media, Angelis Almanzar-Chevalie, Yehya Elfgeeh, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

The utilization of repurposed whole textiles to modify the mechanical and hydrogeological soil properties investigates the impact of adding repurposed textiles to lightweight engineered soil, documenting changes in unit weight, water content, and hydraulic conductivity. This study builds upon prior findings, which demonstrated significant alterations in hydrogeological properties when incorporating textile fabric (3% by weight at an aspect ratio of 1:1). Functioning as reinforcement, these fibers enhance the soil's strength, stability, and structural integrity—especially advantageous in erosion-prone areas, regions susceptible to landslides, or locations requiring heightened load-bearing capacity. The outcomes of this parametric study lead to green roof farms playing …

Secondary Electrons And Compton X-Ray Generation In Solid And Heated Biological Sample In The Presence Of Radiologic Contrast Media, Vanessa Robinson, Daler Djuraev, Fatima Ahmed

Publications and Research

Our goal is identification of secondary electrons and Compton photons when externally infused radiological contrast from iodine and gadolinium interferes with calcium and iron in tissues. This could help develop next generation of x-ray methods as well as mechanistic understanding of toxic effects of radiology contrast materials on living tissue and agriculture. Changes in tissue minerals over time, aging and heat stress are manipulated in our experiments by infusing imaging contrast agents that consist of large atoms like Gadolinium and Iodine. These have chelation properties to alter electron distribution of proteins and carbohydrates of biological matrix. Our experiments try to …

Topic Modeling On Reddit Data For Analysing Mental Health Issues Among College Students, Qing Chen, Dezjeron Dorsey, Mia Mcguire, Patricia Medina, Mark Hughes

Publications and Research

Mental health issues among college students have become a prevalent concern, and understanding the main struggles and factors that correlate with poor mental health is essential for institutions to provide better support. This project aims to analyze mental health issues among college students using data from the Reddit platform. By leveraging the Reddit API and employing advanced natural language processing techniques, including BERTopics, we seek to gain insights into the emotional well-being and challenges faced by college students. Incorporating techniques such as embedding, Clustering, and Topic Creation enhances the depth and sophistication of our analysis of mental health issues among …

Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol Effect On Dopamine Transporter Expression And Function, Delia M. Guzman

Student Theses

Drug addiction is a major endemic crisis in the United States with a higher prevalence than any other country. Marijuana and hallucinogens make up a great percentage of the drugs of abuse in Americans ranging from 15 to 64 years old. Marijuana contains over 500 active compounds that contribute to its effects, the major components being delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Understanding the pharmacological mechanism as well as the effects that they elicit through the dopaminergic reward system is a key factor in being able to understand why addiction is so prevalent in our society. This research was aimed to …

At Noon: (Post)Nihilistic Temporalities In The Age Of Machine-Learning Algorithms That Speak, Talha Issevenler

Publications and Research

This article recapitulates and develops the attempts in the Nietzschean traditions to address and overcome the proliferation of nihilism that Nietzsche predicted to unfold in the next 200 years (WP 2). Nietzsche approached nihilism not merely as a psychology but as a labyrinthic and pervasive historical process whereby the highest values of culture and founding assumptions of philosophical thought prevented the further flourishing of life. Therefore, he thought nihilism had to be encountered and experienced on many, often opposing, fronts to be fully consumed and left behind. Thus, just as Nietzsche captured the subtle reinventions of nihilism in new forms …

Laypeople’S Perceptions Of Secondary Trauma In Criminal Justice System Workers, Mariah Simone

Student Theses

This study sought to examine laypeople’s perceptions of secondary trauma experienced by criminal justice system workers. Specifically, how these perceptions of exposure to secondary trauma influence laypeople’s perceptions of those workers’ memory ability. To investigate these perceptions, we collected data from 70 participants in a Pilot Study, 383 participants in Study 1, and 408 participants in a Replication of Study 1 regarding their perceptions of secondary trauma in various criminal justice careers. Specifically, using a modified Autobiographically Memory Questionnaire to examine how their perceptions of secondary trauma exposure affects their perceptions of memory ability in these workers. We also collected …

The Method Development And Validation Of Designer Benzodiazepines In Oral Fluid Using Solid Phase Extraction And Lc-Ms/Ms, Jenna L. Monsell

Student Theses

Oral fluid is a useful biological matrix. Collection is non-invasive, quick, observable, and its correlation between oral fluid and blood drug concentration make oral fluid an important matrix to use as a roadside test. Designer benzodiazepines have become increasingly popular over the years, adversely affecting motor skills and leading to driving under the influence. Many previous studies have focused on the method development and validation of designer benzodiazepines in blood and hair but fail to validate a method to detect designer benzodiazepines in oral fluid. This study focuses on the method validation of 13 designer benzodiazepines in oral fluid using …

Possible Futures For Colonial Collecting Institutions: A Study Of Historical Societies In The United States, Jen Hoyer

Publications and Research

This article explores how collecting institutions with deeply colonial roots can move into a decolonial future existence, through an in-depth study of historical societies in the United States. Examining their historic roots in colonialism of the United States and the persistence of these colonial identities in spite of a variety of evolutionary trends over the 20th century, this article asks: what decolonial possibilities exist for their future? If institutional shifts have not undone the colonial identities of some collecting institutions, what can? Turning to Sarah Ahmed’s theory on queer use and Saidiya Hartman’s method of critical fabulation, I suggest practical …

Education And The Epistemological Crisis In The Age Of Chatgpt, Casandra Silva Sibilin

Publications and Research

The emergence of ChatGPT and its ability to imitate student work has precipitated a crisis in education. Responses range from practical efforts to detect or prevent ChatGPT use to existential reflection about learning and assessment. However, the crisis is also epistemological, with educators struggling to determine what students know and fearing that student knowledge is diminishing. The educational philosophies of Socrates, Dewey, and Freire suggest that recognition of ignorance of different kinds (inquisitive, predictive, and practical)on the part of educators is uncomfortable but essential for improving the aims and methods of education. In this way, ChatGPT and the philosophy of …

Linguistic Impact On The Use Of The Reliable Digit Span For Performance Validity In A Sample Of English-Spanish Bilingual Adults, Amy Polinsky

Student Theses

Performance validity tests (PVTs) are used alongside neuropsychological assessments to help detect suspect effort. One of the most widely used PVTs, the Reliable Digit Span (RDS), and its latest version, the RDS-revised (RDS-R), have been widely accepted as valid and reliable within the general population. However, as the United States becomes increasingly globalized, questions arise regarding the validity of language-based tests such as the RDS and RDS-R amongst English-Spanish bilingual populations. This study used a within-subject design with 28 bilingual undergraduate students, testing them on the Digit Span (the test that RDS results are based on) in both English and …

Achieving Sustainability Through Multifaceted Green Functions In Manufacturing, Aamir Rashid, Rizwana Rasheed, Abdul Hafaz Nagah

Publications and Research

Purpose – Green practices are essential for sustainability. However, it is challenging due to the socioeconomic and environmental concerns. Similarly, after the induced SDG-12 and SDG-13 by United Nations, the pressure groups forced manufacturers to consider sustainability. Therefore, this research aims to examine the sustainability through multifaceted green functions in manufacturing is examined. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 293 supply chain professionals of manufacturers from a developing economy. Hypotheses were tested through a quantitative method using partial least squares-structural equationmodelingwith the help of SmartPLS version 4 to validate themeasurementmodel. Findings – The findings revealed that all six direct hypotheses …

Bronx Community College Center For Sustainable Energy Collection, 2004-2013, Allen Thomas, Cynthia Tobar

Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Bronx Community College Center for Sustainable Energy Collection prepared by Bronx Community College Archives.

Hall Of Fame For Great Americans Collection, 1894-2008, Allen Thomas, Cynthia Tobar

Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Hall of Fame for Great Americans collection prepared by Bronx Community College Archives.

Bronx Community College Ephemera Collection, 1954-2022, Allen Thomas, Cynthia Tobar

Finding Aids

Finding aid for Bronx Community College Ephemera Collection prepared by Bronx Community College Archives.

The Influence Of Nature On Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Views From New England Island Residents, Nicole Kras, Jennifer Keenan

New Community College

Researchers are beginning to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on island populations, but little is known about the experiences of the residents of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in the Northeast region of the United States. In this study, islanders (N=41) provide insight into how spending time in nature influenced their well-being, especially their mental well-being, during this unprecedented time. For the majority of participants, the influence of nature on their well-being increased during the pandemic. Additionally, participants shared benefits of island living such as isolation from the mainland, as well as challenges such as food and supply shortages. …

Designing Safety: Community Safety Initiatives Managed By The New York City Department Of Youth And Community Development, Kwan-Lamar Blount-Hill, Patricia A. Cobar, Fidel L. Osorio, Sheyla A. Delgado, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

New York City supplements traditional policing with community-based strategies to prevent crime and violence. At the request of the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College reviewed three such programs: the Crisis Management System (CMS), the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP), and the Precision Employment Initiative (PEI). While grounded in promising practices, these initiatives have not yet undergone rigorous evaluation. Additional research is needed to assess their effectiveness and guide potential expansion efforts.

How Peer Specialists Can Enhance A Library’S Services, Sine Rofofsky

Urban Library Journal

Peer Specialists work with others with lived experiences similar to themselves. Drawing on experiences in academic, public, school, and special libraries this article explores how skills and training of a peer specialist can enhance the services offered by a library and the work of any library staff member.

College Senate Minutes October 26, 2023, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on October 26, 2023.

Latino Voter Participation In The 2018 And 2022 Midterm Elections, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction

This study analyzes Latino voting participation, comparing the US midterm elections of the years 2018 and 2022.

Method

The study is a descriptive and comparative analysis using data from the 2022 Voting and Registration Data from the US Census Bureau.

Discussion

The study found that nationally, only 37.9% of eligible Latino voters took part in the 2022 midterms, compared to 40.4% in the 2018 midterms. Despite this decline in the percentage of registered voters casting ballots in 2022, the percentage of Latinos registered to vote rose from 53.7% in 2018 to 57.8% in 2022.

A Journey Through The Library, Anne Hays Adkison

Open Educational Resources

This chapter describes core services in a library by imagining a narrative tour of the physical space of the library. Students are invited to download and print an accompanying zine, which takes them on a scavenger hunt through the library. By reading about core services and actively using these services, students will learn the basics of how to use their college library.

Topics covered include: the circulation desk, the reference desk, textbook reserves, the reference reading room, library computers, library archives, media services, exhibition spaces.

The Scholarship Of Rock Music: Knowledge Mapping Through Bibliography, Monica Berger

Publications and Research

Scholarship on rock and popular music has grown dramatically in volume and methodological variety and complexity including extensive use of interdisciplinary approaches. There currently is no comprehensive resource for scholars and educators to explore monographic scholarly literature on rock. I will showcase a new annotated bibliography, with a focus on disciplinarity and methodology, which provides a lens into how this scholarly discourse has evolved. This bibliography also makes visible broader trends regarding research topics in rock and popular music. This project will be a resource to academics and other authors, faculty designing and updating curricula, and librarians interested in building …