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An Invitation To Debate: Envisioning An Africa-Centered Perspective, Engaging Sociological Endeavor, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Publications

This article frames the focus of this special Africana studies issue of Critical Sociology, discussing its theoretical and epistemological necessity for the discipline, its potential for critical informing inquiry within the discipline with respect to Africana social phenomena as well the human experience, the challenges it poses for the traditional conduct of sociological inquiry and what the particular pieces selected for this issue contribute to each of these.

The Lancaster County Juvenile Reentry Project, Anne M. Hobbs, Ryan E. Spohn, Jenna Strawhun, Timbre Wulf-Ludden, Johanna Peterson, Sommer Fousek

Reports

In order to establish a best practice model for juveniles reentering the community, Lancaster County brought multiple agencies together in 2012 and began to develop a systematic juvenile reentry approach, which became known as the “Reentry Project.” By January 2013, Lancaster County had contracted with multiple agencies to ensure this new approach was used when youth were returning to the community.

Quick Facts On Inequality, Office Of Latino/Latin American Studies (Ollas), Lourdes Gouveia

Latino/Latin American Studies Other Publications

Data about inequality and Latinos in Nebraska. This information was presented by Dr. Lourdes Gouveia, OLLAS Director and Professor of Sociology, at a special screening of the film Inequality for All on February 6, 2014.

“It’S Not Just You Two”: A Grounded Theory Of Peer-Influenced Jealousy As A Pathway To Dating Violence Among Acculturating Mexican American Adolescents., Heidi Adams Rueda, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop a deeper understanding of how jealousy escalates to physical dating violence within Mexican American adolescent romantic relationships. Method: Using grounded theory, 20 focus groups of self-identified Mexican American adolescents (N = 64; 15–17 years old) were analyzed by level of acculturation and gender. Results: Three distinct “jealous” typologies resulting in dating violence were identified: normative jealousy (typically highly acculturated or bicultural male and female adolescents), jealous and possessive (typically bicultural male adolescents), and jealous and accepting of dating violence norms (typically low acculturated male adolescents). Across types, jealousy was upheld within a peer culture that constructed loose …

The Changing Role Of Higher Education: Learning To Deal With Wicked Problems, Judith A. Ramaley

Higher Education

The role of higher education is changing in today’s world because the world itself is changing, and complex problems confront us daily. This essay will explore the role of an emerging group of individuals who can serve as a bridge between the academic community and the world at large. These administrators, faculty members, staff, students, and community members can help create new opportunities for different disciplines to work together and for all parts of a campus community and members of the broader society to form new working relationships to address the complex problems of today’s world. What role will these …

State Of Juvenile Justice Report: 2014, Anne M. Hobbs, Sommer Fousek

Reports

The 2014 State of Juvenile Justice Report provides a snapshot of the juvenile justice system in Nebraska, with a specific focus on the current legislative context and an examination of three key points in the system: diversion, probation, and detention.

Trends within the juvenile justice system should be analyzed against the backdrop of statewide shifts that are a result of legislative mandates. In particular, Legislative Bill 561 has altered the juvenile justice landscape. Passed in 2013, LB 561 required communities to use programs aligned with evidence-based practices or best practices, with the goal of diverting youth out of the formal …

State Of The University Address, Uno Office Of The Chancellor

Chancellor’s Speeches

Good afternoon, and welcome to the 2014 UNO “State of the University.” My sincere thanks to all attending today; and please know it is an absolute privilege to stand before you as Chancellor of this great University, located in the heart of this remarkable community.

There are moments in the history of institutions that are monumental, and this is one of those very special times in the life of UNO.

Today, I will share an overview of the state of the campus; highlight the most successful fundraising effort in our 106 year history; and honor Jim and Shirley Young — …

2014 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, Uno Office Of Academic Affairs

Community Engagement Award Applications

Program Purpose: The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. The Honor Roll is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service’s strategic commitment to engage millions of college students in service and celebrate the critical role of higher education in strengthening communities. The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge is a parallel national initiative that was launched in 2011, based on recommendations from President Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Administered by The White House …

The Rural School Leadership Dilemma, Jeanne L. Surface, Paul Theobold

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The idea that rural schools and communities, indeed, even rural people, are somehow substandard or second-class has deep historical roots. The goal of this essay is to reveal that history so as to render stereotypical conceptions all things rural less powerful and more easily dismissed by rural school professionals. Consequently the focus is on one dilemma every rural school leader faces: when to speak up in the face of rural denigration.

Te Efect Of Experiencing Child Physical Abuse On Violence In Adolescence Is Weakest In The Most Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

It is reasonably well established that those who suffer physical abuse as children are more likely to be violent as adolescents and young adults. It is less well known, however, whether the effects of abuse are amplified or made weaker by the social circumstances in which a child lives.

Applying Well-Being Assessment For Service Design, Margeret A. Hall, Steven O. Kimbrough, Christof Weinhardt

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Service design is transformative when it has a measurable, even optimizing, positive affect on human well-being. Any prospect for such felicitous outcomes, however, requires accurate assessment or measurement of well-being in and for target populations. Such assessment raises two immediate issues: conceptualization (How should well-being be conceptually operationalized?) and measurement (Given an operationalization of well-being, how can it be measured?). We begin to explore and address both questions in this paper by reviewing existing conceptualizations of well-being and then by describing the relevance of well-being measurement (and it methodologies) which are presently available.

An Extended Conceptual Framework For Transformative Service Research, Margeret A. Hall, Christian Haas, Steven O. Kimbrough, Christof Weinhardt

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Transformative service research (TSR), a recently-envisioned branch of service science, is about understanding connections between service offerings and well-being. It has at the core of its conceptualization the goal of improving the well-being of individuals. A founding statement characterizes TSR as: “the integration of consumer and service research that centers on creating uplifting changes and improvements in the well-being of consumer entities: individuals (consumers and employees), communities and the ecosystem” (Anderson et al. 2013). It is also clear that service touches innumerable aspects of daily life. It is then natural that the field of service science explores mitigation of negative …

Physical Activity Barriers And Facilitators Among Working Mothers And Fathers, Emily L. Mailey, Jennifer Huberty, Danae M. Dinkel, Edward Mcauley

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Background: The transition to parenthood is consistently associated with declines in physical activity. In particular, working parents are at risk for inactivity, but research exploring physical activity barriers and facilitators in this population has been scarce. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perceptions of physical activity among working parents.

Methods: Working mothers (n = 13) and fathers (n = 12) were recruited to participate in one of four focus group sessions and discuss physical activity barriers and facilitators. Data were analyzed using immersion/crystallization in NVivo 10.

Results: Major themes for barriers included family responsibilities, guilt, lack of …

Extraneous Effects Of Race, Gender, And Race-Gender Homo- And Heterophily Conditions On Data Quality, A. Olu Oyinlade

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This study comprehensively investigated the differences in response patterns of interview respondents by race, gender, and race-gender of both respondents and interviewers, to assess the impacts of response inconsistencies on data quality during survey interviews. The study focused only on Blacks and Whites in various interview phily matches. Interviewees (N = 491) responded to fully structured, closed-ended questions through direct interviews on support for affirmative action, and support for the 2009 America’s Affordable Health Choices Act as dependent variables. Findings showed various amounts of response differences to both dependent variables by differences in race, gender, and race-gender of respondents, vis-àvis …

Spare The Rod, Endanger The Child? Strain, Race/Ethnicity, And Serious Delinquency, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

General strain theory has evolved into a comprehensive theory of delinquency by incorporating factors that condition the relationship between strain and delinquency as well as acknowledging the subjective nature of strain. This study advances general strain theory by examining the conditioning role of race and the manner in which race influences the subjective experience of strain. Examining a nationally representative sample of adolescents, this study finds that ethnic minorities generally experience greater strain. However, the effect of strain is not consistently more criminogenic for ethnic minorities. Our research suggests that the impact of strain on delinquency is conditioned by the …

Effective Multicultural Instruction: A Non-Color-Blind Perspective, Franklin T. Thompson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The reason why the Trayvon Martin murder trial and similar court cases create a philosophical rift in our nation is due in part to flaws in the delivery of multicultural education. Traditional multicultural instruction does not prepare citizens for the subtleties and complexities of race relations. This study investigates critical strategies and practices that address multicultural missing gaps. I also seek to fill a void in the literature created by a lack of student input regarding teaching strategies that encourage lifelong learning. Students (N = 337) enrolled at a Midwestern university were asked to rate the efficacy of selected instructional …

Completions 2014-2015, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

IPEDS Completions

IPEDS Completions annual report contains the following information:

• Number of awards conferred by program, by level, and by race/ethnicity and gender of recipient
• Number of completers, separately by race/ethnicity, gender, age and level of award

Diversion In Nebraska: Fy 2012/2013, Amy Hoffman, Anne M. Hobbs

Reports

Among the many initiatives created with the passage of LB 561, the position of the Juvenile Diversion Program Administrator was established within the Nebraska Crime Commission. The Diversion Administrator is tasked with assisting in creating and maintaining juvenile pretrial diversion programs to divert juveniles away from the judicial system and into community-based services. That process includes creating a statewide steering committee to assist in regular strategic planning related to supporting, funding, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of plans and programs receiving funds from the Community-Based Juvenile Services Aid Program, as well as provide best practice recommendation guidelines and procedures used …

A Cluster Analysis Of Research In Information Technology For Global Development: Where To From Here?, Jie Xiong, Sajda Qureshi, Lotfollah Najjar

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

While research in Information Systems recognizes the importance of Information Technology in a global context, it continues to focus on a narrow view of IT adoption. In recognizing that the majority of innovations in IT are taking place in developing countries, it is important to find out what research is being undertaken to understand the effects of the different technologies on development outcomes. This paper conducts a cluster analysis of 214 papers from the SigGlobDev Workshop, the Information Technology for Development Journal and other Information Systems Journals and conferences which have published papers in Information Systems and Global Development. This …

Understanding Workplace Meetings: A Qualitative Taxonomy Of Meeting Purposes, Joseph A. Allen, Tammy Beck, Cliff Scott, Steven G. Rogelberg

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose - Meetings are a workplace activity that deserves increased attention from researchers and practitioners. Previous researchers attempted to develop typologies of meeting purpose with limited success. Through a comparison of classification methodologies, we consider a taxonomy as the appropriate classification scheme for meeting purpose. The goal of our study is to propose a taxonomy of meeting purpose. We then utilize the developed taxonomy to investigate the frequency with which a representative sample of working adults engaged in meetings of these varying purposes. Our proposed taxonomy provides relevant classifications for future research on meetings and serves as a useful tool …

A Social Dimensional Cyber Threat Model With Formal Concept Analysis And Fact-Proposition Inference, Anup Sharma, Robin Gandhi, Qiuming Zhu, William Mahoney, William Sousan

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cyberspace has increasingly become a medium to express outrage, conduct protests, take revenge, spread opinions, and stir up issues. Many cyber attacks can be linked to current and historic events in the social, political, economic, and cultural (SPEC) dimensions of human conflicts in the physical world. These SPEC factors are often the root cause of many cyber attacks. Understanding the relationships between past and current SPEC events and cyber attacks can help understand and better prepare people for impending cyber attacks. The focus of this paper is to analyze these attacks in social dimensions and build a threat model based …

Invisible & Voiceless: Latinos In Council Bluffs Iowa, María Teresa Gastón, Lourdes Gouveia, Christian Espinosa, Clare Maakestad, Christopher C. Blue

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

While Latino immigrant workers in Council Bluffs, Iowa have contributed significantly to the Iowa and Nebraska economies, they remain virtually invisible and lack a voice in the city’s key venues and institutions – this according to a new report being released by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) and funded in part by the Iowa West Foundation.

The report, titled “Invisible & Voiceless” combines data from the 2010 Census with 26 interviews with members of Council Bluffs’ civic, government, education, religious, non-profit and business communities as well as Latino voices gathered at interviews …

Nemo News, Volume 10, Issue 2, Uno Library Science Education

NEMO Newsletter

This issue of NEMO News features the ALA 2014 Scholarship Online Application, Important Dates and Reminders, Fit for the Library: Clemson Students Study on Stationary Bikes, NLA/NSLA Conference Photos, Student Spotlight on Bailey Halbur, Free Webinars, and Scholarship and Employment Opportunities.

Victimization Experiences And Adolescent Substance Use: Does The Type And Degree Of Victimization Matter?, Gillian M. Pichevsky, Abigail A. Fagan, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Evidence indicates an association between victimization and adolescent substance use, but the exact nature of this relationship remains unclear. Some research focuses solely on the consequences of experiencing indirect victimization (e.g., witnessing violence), others examine direct victimization (e.g., being personally victimized), and still others combine both forms of victimization without assessing the relative impact of each on substance use. Furthermore, many of these studies only assess these relationships in the short-term using cross-sectional data. This study uses data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to explore the impact of experiencing only indirect victimization, only direct victimization, …

An Invitation To Debate: Envisioning An Africa-Centered Perspective, Engaging Sociological Endeavor, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Presented at the 2013 James Madison University Africana Studies Conference October 18, 2013

Spring, Summer, Fall 2013 Graduation Survey Responses Master File Without Identifiers, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Graduation

Spring, Summer, Fall 2013 Graduation survey responses.

Exploring Orthodox Jewish Masculinities With Eyes Wide Open, Stefanie Knauss

Journal of Religion & Film

Eyes Wide Open (Einayim Petukhoth), Haim Tabakman’s 2009 feature debut, explores the masculinity of strictly Orthodox Jewish men, carefully noting the various practices that shape it – work, religion, clothes, family, social context and community, sexual desire –, but also the fissures that emerge in their performances. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of the performativity of gender practices and R.W. Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, this paper argues that the film explores the practices through which Haredi masculinity is performatively established, but it also shows that this hegemonic masculinity is never perfectly embodied by any man. It is …

With An Eye On A Set Of New Eyes: Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Kette Thomas

Journal of Religion & Film

This article focuses on how, Beasts of the Southern Wild, represents both divergence and transgression from paradigmatic structures that determine how certain visual representations are to be used. Specifically, the cinematic detours taken by the filmmakers, Lucy Alibar and Behn Zeitlin, do not lead to alien places for most viewers; on the contrary, ancient myths, legends, heroes and prehistoric references are recalled in total isolation from current social and political discourse. In this way, Beasts of the Southern Wild, effectively, highlights mythological structures operating in contemporary American society. Mircea Eliade, Roger Caillois and G.S. Kirk define mythology as a …

The Ethical Vision Of Clint Eastwood, Chidella Upendra

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Sara Anson Vaux, The Ethical Vision of Clint Eastwood (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012), 259 pp.

Reading The Community: Helping Students Learn The Process, Judith A. Ramaley

Higher Education

Colleges and universities in the 21st century will thrive through extensive collaborations with other higher education institutions and with communities with which they have special affinities. These relationships will create an educational environment that promotes deeper learning and student success, while generating knowledge that can be put to good use in improving the sustainability of local and global communities, and the diversity and strength of the economy. This paper will explore ways to engage students in the life of their communities while they take an active role in addressing challenges that affect local culture, health, economic stability and the environment. …