Digital Commons Network^™

Demanding Reduction: An Exploration Of County-Level Characteristics Associated With Areas Of Human Trafficking In Florida, Madelyn Diaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on the prevalence of human trafficking (HT) is relatively scarce, even though more attention has been brought to this human rights issue in the past couple of decades. Widely known as a form of modern day slavery, trafficking of persons for sexual exploitative reasons to earn a profit for the trafficker occurs in every major city across the country, despite common misconceptions that it only thrives in foreign countries. To expand on limited existing literature on human trafficking, this research study explores possible correlations among areas of high violent crime rates, drug arrests, the presence of demand reduction strategies, …

State Gun Control Laws, Jacob Lafleur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gun control debate has been placed at the forefront of American politics, as some of the most deadly mass shootings have happened in the last year. Much of the research on the effectiveness of gun control laws have shown inconsistent results. The purpose of the study is to compare states with stricter gun laws to states with more lax laws. This in turn will allow policy makers to identify effective strategies to implement in states that are lacking effective laws. The study examined state gun laws for all 50 states using the Gifford's Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. …

Don't Do The Crime If You Can't Do A Man's Time: Examining Sentencing Disparities Using Offender Demographics, Vanessa Rinker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Looking back, America has seen its fair share of differences among its population, so it should not come as a shock that sentencing disparities are a serious criminal justice issue in the United States. Each year, thousands of people are sent to Federal prisons where they receive sentences for crimes they have been convicted of committing. The United States Sentencing Commission publishes these results annually. No matter the number of persons entering the prison system on the federal level, the number of female offenders often remains about the same (8555 in 2000; 9451 in 2007; and 9302 in 2008). While …

No Way Out: The Impact Of Intimate Partner Violence On Homelessness And The Consequences Of Poor Health Outcomes, Kristina Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

IPV victimization leads many women who suffer from unstable housing into homelessness. These victims are in danger of severe negative health outcomes that are already prevalent in the homeless community, as well as seen in victims of IPV. This study seeks to explore the impact that IPV victimization has on negative health outcomes in the homeless community, compared to the negative health outcomes that homeless women face who are not homeless because of IPV victimization. This study hypothesized that women who are homeless because of IPV victimization face more severe negative health outcomes. The data for the current research is …

I'M Not Your Waifu: Sexual Harassment And Assault In Cosplay, Anime & Comic Conventions, Alexandria Ellsworth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women face sexual harassment and sexual assault far too often with one in every six women sexually assaulted during their life (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). In the anime and comic community, women face sexual assault and harassment, often in open public spaces, due to these spaces being labeled as men's (Cote, 2015; Fox & Potocki 2015; Rodriguez 2015; Schott & Horrell 2000). Policies such as Cosplay is not Consent (Facebook, 2018) are not upheld or enforced by anime and comic conventions. Policies that are enforced, have clear and concise wording, and are enforced by staff and volunteers, who have been …

The Tragic City: Black Rebellion And The Struggle For Freedom In Miami, 1945-1990, Porsha Dossie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the creation of South Florida's tri-ethnic racial hierarchy during the postwar period, from 1945-1990. This racial hierarchy, coupled with discriminatory housing practices and police violence, created the necessary conditions for Dade County's first deadly uprising in 1968. Following the acquittal of several officers charged in the killing of an unarmed black businessman, a second uprising in 1980 culminated in three days and three nights of violent street warfare between law enforcement and black residents in Miami's northwest Liberty City neighborhood. The presence of state sanctioned violence at the hands of police in Liberty City set the stage …

The Intersection Of Race And Class In Maternity Leave: Who's Left Out?, Christine Ittai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maternity leave is a critical work-family policy that affects over two-thirds of the working U.S. female population. Although it has been studied extensively, especially since the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the majority of the research has focused on White, middle-class, married, and educated working mothers. There is a plethora of information about access to maternity leave, utilization of maternity leave, length of maternity leave, and compensation during leave. However, there are several limitations in the research. A majority of studies use outdated datasets; measure family leave as a proxy for maternity leave; study paid …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Key Concepts In Islam From The Perspective Of Imams, Chandler Dobiyanski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The continuous occurrence of terrorist attacks in the name of Islam has shown this ideology and its tenets are at least somewhat connected to jihadists committing attacks in its name. This ideology in terms of 13 themes was investigated by the researcher in 58 sermons outlined in the tables in the appendix. These themes include: brotherhood, death, freedom, human rights, justice and equality, love, oppression, peace and treaty, self-defense, sin, submission, terrorism and truth vs. lies. The researcher used a sample of 10 sermons from U.S.- born imams and 10 sermons from foreign-born imams as the basis for the analysis …

When Coquis Sing: Introducing Young Audiences To Death And Bereavement Through An Original Play, Michelle Loricco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the play development process of When Coquis Sing, an original play for young people that introduces the death of a parent on stage. Through the analysis of research from leading child psychologists and practical instruction from the Dougy Center, the National Center for grieving children and their families, this research defines important terms and demystifies language surrounding death to aid caregivers in having clear and concise conversations with children about death. The purpose of this document is to counter the American cultural perception of death as a taboo topic for children. Hosting open conversations about death leads …

Three Studies Examining Auditors' Use Of Data Analytics, Jared Koreff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three studies, one qualitative and two experimental, that center on auditor's use of data analytics. Data analytics hold the potential for auditors to reallocate time spent on labor intensive tasks to judgment intensive tasks (Brown-Liburd et al. 2015), ultimately improving audit quality (Raphael 2017). Yet the availability of these tools does not guarantee that auditors will incorporate the data analytics into their judgments (Davis et al. 1989; Venkatesh et al. 2003). The first study investigates implications of using data analytics to structure the audit process for nonprofessionalized auditors. As the public accounting profession continues down a path …

4th International Conference On Events (Ice) Conference Proceedings, Mathilda Van Niekerk, Ubaldino (Dino) Couto

4th International Conference on Events (ICE) 2017

Please feel free to download this copy of the Conference Proceedings.

It Has Taken Me Years To Understand What It Means To Be Latino, Fernando Rivera

UCF Forum

When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, the term Latino did not make much sense to me. Back then, I was me, a kid from Barceloneta (in northern Puerto Rico) who went to Catholic school and loved to play baseball.

Florida Hospital Healthy Central Florida Program: Eatonville Community Survey, Amy Donley

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) conducted face-to-face surveys with residents of Eatonville, FL on behalf of the Florida Hospital Healthy Central Florida Program. The survey was administered between August 2017 and December 2017. The survey consisted of a structured, electronic questionnaire administered using an iPad-based surveying program. The survey questionnaire was largely designed by Healthy Central Florida with input from ISBS as well as members from the Winter Park Health Foundation. The survey consisted of demographic questions from previous years as well as 30 questions about health status and health behavior.

Abstracts: Hastac 2017: The Possible Worlds Of Digital Humanities, Hastac Presenters

HASTAC 2017

The document contains abstracts for HASTAC 2017.

Featured Bookshelf: 2017 Native American Heritage Month, Megan M. Haught

Featured Bookshelf

November in the United States is Native American Heritage Month, also referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. It celebrates the rich history and diversity of America’s native peoples and educates the public about historical and current challenges they face. Native American Heritage Month was first declared by presidential proclamation in 1990 which urged the United States to learn more about their first nations.

Join the UCF Libraries as we celebrate our favorite Native American authors and books. Click the keep reading link to see the full descriptions of the books.

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Sociology, Fall 2017, Rebecca M. Murphey

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Rebellions Are Built On Hope: Joining Forces To Support Oer In A Restrictive Institutional Environment, Aimee Denoyelles, John Raible, Sarah A. Norris, Rich Gause, Penny Beile

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Librarians and instructional designers (IDs) from a university in the U.S. will describe the partnership formed to promote no-cost textbook solutions (OER, library-sourced) in the face of a restrictive environment. The institution is divided in two tiers: the President's Office, which oversees non-academic functions such as Business Services, and the Provost's Office, which is responsible for teaching and learning. This creates an inherent tension concerning course materials and revenue, troubling the conception of education as a fundamentally shared practice. Our group aimed to promote change at the university level, while also collaborating to facilitate the efforts of faculty.

Typically, the …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? A Disaster Researcher's Personal Dilemma, Fernando Rivera

UCF Forum

I am a disaster researcher. I study the social processes by which communities work in building resilience to emergency events, particularly natural disasters. But earlier this month when the possibility of Hurricane Irma striking Central Florida was becoming real, I also became part of the unfolding event.

Ucf Forum Opinion Series To Begin 6th Year With New Columnists, Gene Kruckemyer

UCF Forum

The UCF Forum opinion series on Wednesday will begin its sixth year of columnists sharing their commentary on social issues, ethics, life lessons, personal observations, world affairs and other topics.

Learning From A Complex Communications Experiment In My Own Home, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

I am living in what I believe is the most complex communications experiment that could be designed by researchers.

The World Is Complex – That's Why We Need All Of Us, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

Humanities is just about reading old books and writing new ones, isn’t it? Not anymore – think digital.

Leadership Is About Developing 1 Voice And 1 Movement, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

When your time to lead comes, what practices will define your leadership?

Allow The Waves To Do Their Work, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

I have found that the beach is one of the most relaxing places to visit.

University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Catalog, 2017 - 2018, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2017 - 2018, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Much Of My Work Ethic, Time Management I Have Learned Through Parenting, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

I was cleaning up the house one day and stumbled across a homemade Mother’s Day card that one of my children made for me. It was so beautifully written in scribbles with crayons and decorated with glitter and sparkles.

Featured Bookshelf: 2017 National Poetry Month, Megan M. Haught

Featured Bookshelf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely...”

Yes, I’m going Joyce Kilmer on you. It’s National Poetry Month. How could I not start with the opening of a poem we all learn in primary school?

The Academy of American Poets, inspired by the success of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, created National Poetry Month in 1996. It is the largest literary celebration in the world and UCF Libraries are proud to do their part.

We gathered suggestions for 20 books of poetry that are currently in the UCF collection. These works represent a wide …

With A Little Help From My Friends..., Meg K. Scharf

UCF Forum

Do I have enough friends?

I Still Love Watching Films On Big Screen – Despite Trend To Small Screens, Amanda Osorio

UCF Forum

I’ve always been a fan of movies. And not just watching them, but also analyzing them: who the director was, why they shot a scene a certain way, who produced it, the making of the film, who starred in it and why, the ratings, reviews and more.

It's Time To Spring Clean Your Closets — And Personal Relationships, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

I looked at my calendar recently and realized that spring is rapidly approaching. Each year at this time, I’m like millions of others who undertake the task of spring cleaning our homes.