Digital Commons Network^™

Revised Course Proposal Form, Caa

Executive Actions

No abstract provided.

Students’ Reflection Of Cross-Cultural Experiences: A Study Abroad Narrative, Alexandra Dudley

Masters Theses

This study sought to explore the cross-cultural experiences of students who had studied abroad during their undergraduate college years. Previous research has shown the importance and impact of study abroad and cultural experiences on student development. A qualitative approach, specifically a narrative method, was utilized to best understand students’ stories and how they made meaning of their study abroad experiences. Four participants were interviewed one-on-one, and their stories or narratives are provided here. This study revealed that students studying abroad with adequate support will experience an array of cross-cultural influences that leave lasting impacts on their personal and professional lives.

From Soup To Nuts - The Efficiency Of Non-Profits: Evidence From U.S. Food Banks, Mary A. Mattingly

Masters Theses

Nonprofits are a growing part of America’s economy and play an import role in fulfilling the needs of society in addition to private firms and government agencies. Economists haven’t researched nonprofits as much as other firms in the past, but this is starting to change. This project looks at the efficiency of 20 food banks in the United States using Data Envelopment Analysis. The results show that American Food Banks appear to be using their funds efficiently, but others could learn to use their inputs and outputs in a more efficient manner. As more data becomes available, this area of …

Hazing Prevention: The Advisor Perspective, Gabby Hiller

Masters Theses

There has been extensive research conducted on students’ perceptions and understanding of hazing in fraternities and sororities (Allen & Madden, 2008; Allen & Madden, 2012; Alexander, 2018; Cokley et al., 2020). Despite preventative efforts and existing research, hazing continues to occur and continues to threaten the future of fraternity and sorority life. There is little to no research on chapter advisors’ understanding of hazing and hazing prevention in their roles. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the role that fraternity advisors play in the education and prevention of hazing, through interview with the advisors. The study looks …

Undocumented Students’ Barriers To Completing Higher Education, Yesenia Muruato

Masters Theses

This study sought to examine the circumstances that influence DACA recipients in the United States to withdraw from their undergraduate institutions. This qualitative study on undocumented/DACA students who have left higher education prior to degree completion. It identifies the impact of immigration status on enrollment decisions, reasons for leaving higher education, obstacles students faced, and what programs or services might have successfully intervened and given them the opportunity to continue enrollment.

Deciphering The Role Of Mitochondrial Physiology And Thermal Acclimation In Shaping Whole Organismal Performance Of An Invasive Forest Pest, Essa Alrashdi

Masters Theses

Environmental factors such as temperature are substantial determinants of the spongy moth, L. dispar, distribution, reproduction, and growth. Accumulating energy reserves at the larval stage is particularly important to L. dispar, since the larvae metamorphose into a fully-grown, non-feeding adult. As non-feeding adults, the energy balance of the pupae must be adequate, to ensure enough energy reserves for adult dispersal, egg maturation and overall persistence of the species in the region. At this stage, environmental temperature also determines daily metabolic demands, and the overall cost of sustaining ecologically relevant activities. Various hypotheses describing a mismatched growth and metabolic …

The Experiences Of Professionals Of Color At A Predominantly White Institution, Brandy Matthews

Masters Theses

This qualitative study looks at the experiences professionals of color face in a Predominately White institution. More specifically, this study showed that professionals of color still face many challenges due to the barriers they face on, and off-campus compared to their White counterparts. This study utilized semi-structured interviews to help explore professionals of color experiences at a rural mid-sized university in the Midwest.

Does Social Support Mediate The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Activity Levels?, Leah L. Oglesby

Masters Theses

The aim of the present study is to examine the mediating effect of social support on the relationship between internal locus of control (LOC) and engagement in activity, treating general physical activity and deliberate exercise as specific and separate domains. Two models will be investigated: a domain-general model and an exercise-specific model, the former examining the mediating effect of general social support on the relationship between health locus of control and general physical activity and the latter examining the mediating effect of exercise-specific social support on the relationship between exercise LOC and deliberate exercise engagement. Survey responses from 279 college-aged …

A Case Study On Illinois Regional Public Universities And The 2015-2017 Budget Impasse, Colin L. Roberts

Masters Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of administrators who led their institutions through the two-year Illinois budget impasse. This study also reviewed archival evidence of measures taken by public regional universities in Illinois to mitigate the loss of state appropriations. Previous research has shown that the business model of public higher education in the United States is undergoing disruption. Changing demographics, enrollment concerns, and rising tuition were just some of these issues pressuring public institutions of higher education. The temporary loss of state appropriations exacerbated these issues and had long-lasting effects even after the Illinois budget impasse ended. In order …

"Comic"Ally Calling For Cultural Competency: Using Graphic Narratives To Teach Social Justice In The Writing Classroom, Travis Moody

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

More Than Just Sticks And Stones: Effects Of Interpersonal Interactions On Liminality And The Negotiation Of Identity, Conlon Muhr

Masters Theses

The following study contains the detailed findings of my lived experiences studied in an autoethnographic method with a focus on the effects of interpersonal communication on identity negotiation during liminality. This study is conducted to expand upon the large and dense web of communication studies. During the use of the autoethnographic process, I provide in-depth insight into my lived experiences during liminality. The main goal of the study is to explore how interpersonal interaction affects liminality and the formation of identity. Liminality support, rejection, complication, and acceptance are the emergent themes found by combining liminality with interpersonal communication.

The White Ally Experience: A Look Into The Impacts Of Being A White Ally, Kristen Maclin

Masters Theses

If an ally knew what they would experience, would they be more willing to stand up? Racism, institutional racism, racial bias, discrimination, and microaggressions have existed in our country since its inception. One way to work to overcome these is by growing allyship and having allies who are willing to speak up and stand beside marginalized groups. This research study addressed what allyship means, the byproducts of racist structures that allies have encountered, ally burnout, and ways to overcome burnout. These were researched through surveys from BIPOCs, named allies, and my school colleague populations. My research found that many White …

Assessing Early Educators’ Knowledge Of Behavior Management, Early Intervention, And Developmental Delay, Jillian Mcmahan

Masters Theses

The current study examined pre-service teachers’ knowledge of behavior management strategies, early intervention, and developmental delay. Data were collected from 107 participants. Thirty-two were pre-service early education teachers currently enrolled in educator prep courses and 75 were in-service early education teachers. Participants completed an online questionnaire that included the following topics: problem behaviors, evidence-based practices, preschool expulsion, and educator prep courses. In-service teachers were better than pre-service teachers at identifying the top three commonly observed preschool student problem behaviors. For evidence-based practices, a majority of pre-service and in-service participants indicated that they would probably or definitely (4 and 5 ratings) …

Pd-Based Photocatalysts For Heck C-C Cross-Coupling Reactions, Suha Ali Alshehri

Masters Theses

Heck C-C cross-coupling reaction has been widely employed in synthetic organic chemistry because of its high efficiency and simplicity, however the conventional Heck C-C cross-coupling reaction conditions involve the use of an expensive toxicant phosphine-ligated palladium complexes, and high temperature. To address these drawbacks, a highly efficient, homogeneous photocatalyst based on BODIPY for the Heck C-C cross-coupling reactions of aryl iodide and methyl acrylate in DMF solvent under inert conditions has been developed. The 4-Py-BDP-Pd, 3-Py-BDP-Pd and, 2-Py-BOD-Pd catalysts were synthesized and purified using column chromatography. The optical properties of products and intermediates were studied by UV/vis absorption and fluorescence …

The League Of Nations High Commission For Refugees From Germany After 1935, Sergio Vlahovich

Masters Theses

The League of Nations’ effectiveness as a bureaucratic body has been hotly contested. Almost since its founding, critics of the League viewed its humanitarian and peacekeeping missions as failures. This thesis reevaluates these criticisms by studying the League’s work on behalf of refugees from Germany from the end of 1935 up through the Second World War. The thesis focuses on the activities of the League after James G. McDonald, High Commissioner for Refugees Coming from Germany, resigned in December of 1935 and during the time the Intergovernmental Committee for Refugees (ICR) began its work on the issue of refugees fleeing …

Covid Fears And Social Anxiety In College Students, Clayton Crozier

Masters Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with numerous negative mental health outcomes such as social anxiety, and lead to a great deal of uncertainty. Intolerance of Uncertainty is a relatively new concept in the psychology literature and has begun to be studied in the context of anxiety. Literature has found a positive correlation between Intolerance of Uncertainty and several types of social anxiety. With these findings, researchers have begun to examine the COVID-19 pandemic to see how Intolerance of Uncertainty affects people’s mental health during the pandemic. Intolerance of Uncertainty may be a mediator between social anxiety and the fears …

Applying Intensity-Based Methods To Disentangle Microwave Spectra Of Complex Mixtures: Analysis Of Weakly Bound Clusters Of 1,1-Difluoroethylene/Co2, Hannah Fino

Masters Theses

Microwave spectroscopy is used to study the solvent-solute interactions between molecules of CO₂ and fluoroethylenes by analyzing the formation of weakly-bound clusters in a gaseous mixture. One of the challenges to analyzing microwave spectra obtained for these weakly-bound species is that spectra for individual clusters are mixed together in an original complex spectrum. This prompts development of automated techniques that could separate complex data into subsets of related data to be more easily analyzed.

The techniques developed in this work are founded on intensity-based analyses, following the work of Dr. Robert Field on Extended Cross Correlation (XCC). The XCC …

Twenty-Nine Delusions Concerning Love, Jackie Donaldson

Masters Theses

Twenty-Nine Delusions Concerning Love is the story of my relationship. I narrate the relationship's unfolding through the contexts of philosophy and cultural theory, and through artifacts of my own work rendered since the relationship's inception in December of 2020. The purpose of this project was to identify a gap in the autotheory genre, and to fill that gap with my own meaningful contribution -- a book which hybridizes life writing with prose and poetry. This piece is both a narration of my own experience, and an investigation into hookup culture and the way technology has redefined the modern romantic relationship. …

Hybrid Learning And Standards Based Grading: Fostering Writing Instruction During A Pandemic, Elizabeth Dietz

Masters Theses

Hybrid learning is steadily growing in popularity and showing to be an effective learning modality to accommodate diverse student populations. The pandemic is an unexpected outlier in the overall picture of hybrid learning, and it is helpful to reflect upon best academic practices, including grading methods, to help mitigate loss of learning and to continue to make improvements in pedagogical practices. This thesis explores the relationship between the hybrid learning model and evaluation, specifically Standards Based Grading, and how this combination of methods influences best writing practices. Using reflections gathered from teacher surveys via a case study, it appears the …

Comparison Of Bigheaded Carp Reproduction In Tributaries Of The Illinois And Wabash Rivers, David J. Yff

Masters Theses

Understanding environmental conditions that support bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys sp.) reproduction in tributary rivers provides key predictions of their invasion throughout the United States. Past research, primarily in larger order rivers, identified factors such as discharge, temperature, and turbidity as main environmental drivers of bigheaded carp reproduction. I used the variable hydrologic conditions between the Illinois and Wabash Rivers to compare environmental conditions between tributaries of each basin, determine which conditions influence bigheaded carp reproduction in tributaries, and predict tributaries likely to support bigheaded carp reproduction. Three tributaries of the Illinois and Wabash Rivers were sampled for ichthyoplankton from …

Student Affairs Professionals As Tempered Radicals: Lessons On Action And Advocacy, Devin A. De Both

Masters Theses

Modern universities are intricate organizations with many stakeholders each with their own goals and objectives. In a time of resource scarcity, student affairs professionals are tasked with advocating on behalf of their students, staffs, departments, and priorities against more solvent operations. Effective managers and administrators must align their priorities with other actors on campus and in accordance with institutional values. This study asked how professionals engage in the advocacy process, including the strategies that they use. Utilizing the tempered radicals perspective, this qualitative study was conducted through four interviews with experienced senior level student affairs professionals.

Differences In The Growth And Bioenergetics Between Centrarchids In A Midwestern Power Plant Lake, Kyle Joseph Rempe

Masters Theses

Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus are popular sportfishes that co-occur in similar bodies of water throughout most of the Central and Eastern United States but have distinct thermal physiologies. L. macrochirus is often found in warmer regions of freshwater reservoirs, where P. nigromaculatus tends to exploit cooler regions, especially in power plant cooling reservoirs. The coal-fired Coffeen Power Station ceased energy production in October 2019, providing an ideal scenario to study the organismal effects of the sudden shift in thermal regime. Previous studies showed that P. nigromaculatus inhabited the less thermally-impacted areas of Coffeen Lake, whereas L. …

The Effects Of Online Anti-Bias Training On In-Service Educator Multicultural Competence, Kaeli O'Donnell

Masters Theses

The student population in the United States is becoming increasingly diverse, while the teaching base remains primarily white and female. One skill that helps educators form connections with students and decrease their biases is cultural competence. Thus, educators are often encouraged (and at times required) to participate in professional development training to increase their knowledge in this area. Although previous research has examined educator benefits from professional development trainings in general, and from trainings related to cultural competence, there is limited research into the benefit of online trainings intended to increase educator cultural competence. In this study, 17 educators completed …

Summer Staff 2022, Housing & Dining

Summer Staff 2020s

No abstract provided.

Passing Of Barbara Busch, Mark Hudson

Andrews Hall

No abstract provided.

Hall Councils 2021-2022, Housing & Dining

Executive Board Members

No abstract provided.

Rha Officers 2021-2022, Housing & Dining

RHA Executive Officers Lists

No abstract provided.

2022 Warbler, Eastern Illinois University

The Warbler

The 2022 Warbler, yearbook of Eastern Illinois University.

Pubh 3420 : Introduction To Medical Cannabis, Public Health

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Pubh 3430 : Health Disparities Of Gender And Sexually Diverse Populations, Public Health

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.