Digital Commons Network^™

A Starling In A Pear Tree: Assessing The Influence Of Bird Dispersal On Callery Pear (Pyrus Calleryana), Olivia Clark

Honors Theses

Invasive species can disrupt ecosystems and negatively affect other species. Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) is an invasive ornamental tree that is spreading quickly throughout the United States. It is possible that birds are responsible for spreading Callery pear by eating the fruit and depositing seeds in new areas. European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and American robins (Turdus migratorius) are mentioned in most studies as responsible for the dispersal of Callery pear. However, there is also evidence that Cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) also feed on the tree. Invasive plants can impact avian health, reproduction, and migration. Additionally, there are many aspects of …

Social Media Usage During Covid-19: Friend Or Foe?, Claudia Dominique

Honors Theses

College students experience more stress and are more vulnerable to mental illness as compared to the general population. Both COVID-19 and social media usage have shown to be stressors that augment this pre-existing issue. The goal of the current study is to highlight the relationship between the social media usage and mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a correlational and longitudinal research design, undergraduate students completed self-report mental health and social media usage measures throughout the semester. Researchers found that both social media usage, anxiety, and depression levels were higher post-pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic. However, …

"You Can Disagree Without Being Disagreeable": A Rhetorical Study Of Tweets About Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg And Amy Coney Barrett, Lauren Durham

Honors Theses

The selection, nomination, and swearing in of Justice Amy Coney Barrett took place amid an already tension-ridden political and cultural landscape. As a figurehead of women’s rights and equality, Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not want President Trump to choose her successor. Her dying wish was for her seat to be replaced after the 2020 presidential election. Nevertheless, Trump moved his Supreme Court nominee through the process at an unprecedented rate, and within six weeks of Ginsburg’s passing, a conservative constitutional originalist named Amy Coney Barrett took her place.

The nature of the Supreme Court position, the contrasts between the two …

The Jewish Organizations Fighting Fascism In The United States, Maya Leibold

Honors Theses

Recent years have shown a rising trend in fascist and antisemitic actions and attitudes in the United States. In response to this trend, communities have organized into various nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) committed to mobilizing people to combat fascism and antisemitism as they see it. An analysis of these organizations’ methods and varying degrees of success will offer a blueprint for future action against fascism. Due to their historical connection to this type of mobilization against fascism, this research will be focused on Jewish-led and organized NGOs. NGOs are often the first to call attention to actions by groups and states …

Tiktok And The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, And Two-Spirit People Movement, Meghan Leinhauser

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S) social movement via content analysis and interviews. The study includes analyzing a sample of 50 videos posted to the social media platform TikTok, and an interview with a user who posts videos about MMIWG2S. TikTok uses a unique algorithm to tailor users’ feeds based on the types of videos with which they watch and interact. This allows for the creation of an online community that shares common interests with one another, especially in a time where communication methods have changed significantly. …

Healthy Eating, Unhealthy Mind: Measuring The Rate Of A Disordered Eating Pattern Among University Student Athletes And Non-Athletes, Erika Moeller

Honors Theses

The present study examined the rates of Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a disordered eating pattern characterized by an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy foods, among college athletes and non-athletes at a medium-size, Midwestern university in the U.S. The present study investigated ON using two different tools: the ORTO-15 and the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The independent variables were athletic status and hours of exercise per week, and the dependent variables were scores on the EHQ and ORTO-15. Participants reported demographic information, including whether they were an athlete (n = 196 athletes, 105 non-athletes) and how many hours of exercise they perform …

Towards A "Pedagogy Of Beauty": The New Evangelization, English Education, And Renewal Of The Catholic School, Elena Niese

Honors Theses

In the complex cultural landscape of the modern world, evangelization, or the proclamation of the Gospel, cannot look the same as it once did. In 1975, Pope Paul VI addressed this need for renewal, calling for a “new evangelization.” Subsequent popes, including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, have continued to place this missionary impulse at the forefront of their initiatives. Yet, despite this emphasis, much remains elusive. What exactly is the new evangelization? This thesis will trace the evolution of the new evangelization from its conception to today, proposing how the English educator within the Catholic school can …

Understanding The Hydrolytic Activity Of Papiliotrema Laurentii On Polyester Polyurethane Coatings, Ariana L. Santos

Honors Theses

Though plastic polymers such as polyester polyurethanes have many applications from electronics to aircraft coatings, their resistance to natural degradation presents an environmental concern. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism of degradation from microorganisms that were discovered breaking down the coating of a cargo aircraft may offer insights into a method of bioremediation. To explore this, the fungus Papiliotrema laurentii (one microorganism isolated from the consortium) was cultured in several different media types at different pH levels in order to understand how it adjusts its protein secretion patterns to environmental changes. 2D gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing (IEF) and a variety of gel …

Ud In The News March 25-April 1, University Of Dayton

News Releases

The Conversation, America magazine, CBS News, The Washington Post, Popular Science, Catholic News Service and a radio station in South Korea highlight the list of media outlets seeking UD faculty expertise. UD President Eric F. Spina wrote in the Dayton Daily News about President Emeritus Bro. Ray Fitz, S.M., and his life's work as a catalyst for social justice.

Program: The Sound Of Music, University Of Dayton, Teejai Dorsey

Dance and Theater Programs

Music by RICHARD RODGERS

Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II

Book by HOWARD LINDSAY and RUSSEL CROUSE

Suggested by "The Trapp Family Singers" by Maria Augusta Trapp

Music and Lyrics for "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good" by Richard Rodgers

April 8-9, 2022

Boll Theatre in Kennedy Union

Co-produced by the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology program and the Department of Music

Set in 1938 amidst the rise of nationalism, The Sound of Music is a story of being true to one’s authentic self in the face of social and religious division. Maria is a novitiate who struggles with the constriction …

Orpheus, Spring 2022: Obsolete, University Of Dayton

Orpheus: UD's Literary and Artistic Magazine

No abstract provided.

College Faculty In The News: March 28, 2022, University Of Dayton

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

News agencies across the region, the nation and throughout the world often reach out to our faculty experts for their perspectives on today's issues. This media coverage highlights the service, research and scholarship taking place in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ud In The News March 12-25, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Four faculty contributed pieces to The Conversation while a trio of faculty in the School of Law contributed their expertise to Inside Higher Ed, Newsweek and Fox News. Forbes cited the research of a pair economics faculty into how a Cinderella run in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship can affect a university's bottom line. CNN International Europe and U.S. also ran the CNN #MyFreedomDay feature about anti-human trafficking work in the Human Rights Center.

First Fellows: Summer In The Marian Library, Maureen Schlangen

Marian Library Blog Archive

Two researchers receive fellowships for summer residencies in the Marian Library, which is internationally recognized as a center for scholarship on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Legends Of Our Lady Of Pochaiv, Melanie Fields

Marian Library Blog Archive

Explore the fascinating history of the first known Marian apparition in Ukraine and a miraculous icon affiliated with a wartime victory.

Beyond Basic: Transformational Potential Of Pandemic Pedagogy, Roy Schwartzman

Basic Communication Course Annual

The COVID-19 pandemic presents opportunities to foster resilience as an ongoing process of productively adapting to crises and change. The fundamental communication course can serve a key role in building resilience on several levels: personal (for students and teachers), across courses and communication programs, and community-wide. Lessons learned from the pandemic include judiciously adopting new technological tools, counteracting regressive institutional resilience that resists change, and maximizing inclusivity in course design and delivery.

Prepared To Pivot: Creating A Resilient Basic Course Program, Nicholas T. Tatum, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post

Basic Communication Course Annual

The rapid transition to emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19 provides many lessons for how BCDs can design resilient basic course programs that will be prepared to adapt in any number of potential future emergencies. BCDs can design resilient courses by pre-planning how courses will maintain instructional continuity, pre-loading pivoting options into learning management systems, and adopting online texts that are accessible anywhere. BCDs can also build instructor resilience by providing high-quality training and providing continued support for instructor well-being.

Examining Motivation In Turbulent Times: A Self-Determination Theory Replication, Jessalyn I. Vallade, Renee Kaufmann, T. Kody Frey

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous work (Chiu, 2021a, 2021b; Vallade et al., 2020) by applying self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) to student motivation and engagement in the basic communication course during the shift to online learning in the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that students were most often motivated and engaged through instructor communication and behavior that met their need for relatedness, with a particular emphasis on instructor presence. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed within the context of the basic communication course.

Integrating University Value Messages Into The Basic Communication Course: Implications For Student Recall And Adjustment To College, Kristen L. Farris, Michael Burns

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study investigated the effects of integrating a university’s core value messages into the curriculum of a basic communication course on student recall of the messages, adjustment to college, and learning. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine differences between students (n = 302) assigned to one of three conditions: control group, message-only group, and message and experience group. The message and experience group learned about the university’s core value messages as part of their course curriculum, engaged in an out-of-class experience focused on these value messages, and completed a group problem-solving project related to these messages. The message only …

Public Speaking In A Pandemic: A Situational, Compensatory, And Resilient Undertaking, Joshua F. Hoops

Basic Communication Course Annual

The introductory public speaking class includes topics such as audience analysis, credibility, organization, visual aids, and delivery. While the pedagogy I employ in this class tends to be very interactive and require a lot of group work, 2020 will forever be known as the year of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which produced social distancing, stay-at-home-orders, and mask wearing. This study examines the impacts of pandemic precautions on public speaking practice, specifically situational communication apprehension. In addition to recording my own observations throughout my face-to-face public speaking class, I also periodically interviewed students about their experience taking the course during a …

Mobile Technology Usage In The College Classroom And Its Relational Implications, Joe C. Martin

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examines the relational implications of the presence of mobile technology within the basic communication course. To investigate this phenomenon a survey design was employed, and participants were asked to respond to open-ended, closed-ended, and descriptive questions. Results of this study shed light upon how and when university students use technology, as well as the positive and detrimental results such usage has upon the development and quality of their relationships in the classroom, both with instructors and other students.

Celebrating The Arts — And More, Sarina Tacovic

Materials from the University of Dayton Magazine Website

University of Dayton's Celebration of the Arts was back to the Schuster Center, to the delight of performers and the audience.

As War Rages, Some Ukrainians Look To Mary For Protection — Continuing A Long Christian Tradition, Kayla Harris

Materials from the University of Dayton Magazine Website

To many Ukrainians, Jesus’ mother has a special relationship with their country. Kayla Harris from UD's Marian Library explains.

School Dispirited, Elizabeth Trende

Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Blog

"School Dispirited" received an honorable mention in the 2022 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition in the categories humor and local. Breath held, I hit “post” on my social media page. The PTA moms would no doubt see it.

I Lead By Choosing Love, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

In the spring issue of the University of Dayton Magazine, President Eric F. Spina writes about his admiration for the work of young alumni, including the 10 Under 10 honorees.

Can Walls Be Good Things?, Larry Burgess

Materials from the University of Dayton Magazine Website

A solid barrier keeps you from falling down the mountain.

Africa In Our Century: Proceedings Of The 2022 Global Voices Symposium, Julius A. Amin

Proceedings: 2022 Global Voices on the University of Dayton Campus

Full proceedings of the 2022 Global Voices Symposium

"The First Time That We Met", Lauren Durham

Materials from the University of Dayton Magazine Website

Mike Ruffolo ’82 brings his musical to life with the help of more than 50 students.

Front Matter, University Of Dayton

Proceedings: 2022 Global Voices on the University of Dayton Campus

Table of Contents; About the Presenters

Ud In The News March 5-11, University Of Dayton

News Releases

UD faculty were front and center discussing topics surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war. CNN International featured anti-human trafficking work in the Human Rights Center. Regional and local media highlighted the Greater West Dayton Incubator, an honorary doctorate for President Emeritus Bro. Ray Fitz, S.M., and the first anniversary of The Hub Powered by PNC.