Digital Commons Network^™

Lgbtq+ Student Safety On Western Michigan University's Campus, Kaitlyn Sedorchuk

Honors Theses

Campus climate, in general, has been a popular area of research for many years, and this also includes campus climate for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus) students. Outside of the campus climate survey done back in 2013, there has been no recent campus climate research done on Western Michigan University’s campus as of Spring 2019. This means that there has been no research focusing on queer students’ perceptions of Western’s campus, as well.

In order to help and rectify this and create a platform in which queer students attending Western Michigan University could share their experiences, the current …

Financial Literacy: The Argument For Required Coursework Regarding Personal Finance In Schools, Maclain Canfield

Honors Theses

Financial literacy is one of the most important skills for adults to possess, and therefore personal finance should be required education. Being financially literate provides individuals with the knowledge needed to make financially prudent decisions that substantially impact their lives (Kenton, 2019; Lusardi, 2008; Zucchi, 2018). However, only fifty-seven percent of adults in the United States are financially literate (Klapper, Lusardi, & Oudheusden, 2015).

Although financial literacy provides lifelong benefits, basic personal finance is seldom taught in schools (Council for Economic Education, 2018; NPR, 2019). Research shows that students are more financially literate where financial education in high school is …

The Effects Of Attachment Anxiety On Trait Anxiety And Borderline Personality Symptoms Through Specific Pathways Of Emotion Regulation, Jessica Good

Honors Theses

Previous research has shown that deficits in emotion regulation impair coping skills for individuals clinically diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) resembling trait anxiety, as well as those clinically diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD; Herr, Rosenthal, Geiger, & Erikson, 2013; Beeney et al., 2015; Putnam & Silk, 2005; Nielsen et al., 2017; Mennin, Heimberg, Turk, & Fresco, 2002; Marganska, Gallagher, & Miranda, 2013). The current study hypothesized that (a) the specific types of emotion dysregulation measuring lack of clarity and impulsivity would mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and BPD while the other types do not, and (b) the …

Facing Addiction In College: The Effects On Alcohol, Drugs, And Academics, Alexis Frazier

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive overview of collegiate recovery communities (CRCs) and collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) across the U.S for high risk students that suffer from alcohol and drug abuse. After finding the effectiveness of these programs and assessing the students’ needs in college, this research makes a recommendation for Western Michigan University to create a collegiate recovery program. A collegiate recovery program (CRP) is a college or university that provides a supportive environment within the campus culture that reinforces the decision to engage in a lifestyle of recovery from substance use (ARHE, 2019). This …

Rn To Apn Role Transition, Bethney Hernandez

Honors Theses

Role Transition can be difficult whether the transition is planned or unplanned. The transition from student to practitioner for nurses who follow the traditional path to licensure is challenging. Practitioners who change specialties, roles or scope of practice experience some of these same challenges, as well as unique challenges. The consequences of an unsuccessful role transition include unresolved stress, reduced job satisfaction, increased risk of errors, and changing roles again, without settling into the current role. This literature review will explore these challenges from the perspective of Meleis’s Transition Theory. Successful transitions occur when the practitioner finds employment, feels pride …

United Families Through Interior Design, Marissa Heintz

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the current problems and support systems within the foster care system and how it could be improved upon. It studies the removal process of children from a hurtful home, the common reasons for placement within foster care, what some of the major problems within foster care are based surveys and existing research. Furthermore, this study seeks to understand the different perspectives of those involved in foster care including; biological parents, foster parents, children and social care workers. In order to better understand what would be best for all of the people involved, research also explores the effects …

Femicide In The News: How Newspaper Articles Represent The Killing Of Women & Girls In Detroit And Ciudad Juárez, Danielle Branch

Honors Theses

In the year 2017 alone, 87,000 women were intentionally murdered across the globe, while 58% of these victims were murdered by someone they knew — family members or intimate partners (Global Study on Homicide: Gender-Related Killing of Women and Girls, 2018). The intentional killing of women and girls, typically by men and motivated by gender, is classified as a crime called “femicide.” Broader definitions of femicide simply state that it is the murder of women and girls, by someone of any gender, regardless of their motive. In some regions of the world, this phenomenon is more prevalent than in others. …

Isolation And Characterization Of A Novel Terpenoid From The Needles Of Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus), And Its Potential Relation To Climate Change, Samantha Hack

Honors Theses

Climate changes is one of the most serious threats facing the future of our planet, and with is we will see drastic changes to water levels global temperatures, and atmospheric conditions. Modeling future atmospheric conditions is crucial if we are to plan for and mitigate the consequences of climate change – while important, these models will not be useful to future scientists unless various parameters, such as BVOC emission to the atmosphere, are accounted for and included in computer models. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) are predicted to be a major component of future climax forests as their abundance increases …

The Correlation Between The Microbiome And Neurodegenerative Disorders Such As Alzheimer Disease, Aurora Mokris

Honors Theses

Recent studies suggest that there are 1.3 times as many microbial cells as human cells in the body (Abbot, 2016). Another study claims that the combined genomes of this microbiota is 150 times that of the human genome (Zhuang & Shen, 2018). If you have ever had the feeling that you are not alone in an empty room you are most certainly correct. Your body is teeming with millions of organisms living in mutualistic symbiosis with you and surrounding microbes, but at times, this seemingly harmonious relationship can be disturbed, resulting in serious physical and psychological changes to the human …

Relationship Of Grip Strength And Quality Of Life Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Melissa Van Omen

Honors Theses

Loss of muscle strength is one of the key features of aging. Quality of life is a factor that affects productive aging and loss of muscle strength. A literature review was completed to assess the possible relationship between grip strength and quality of life among community-dwelling older adults, as measured through physical health in terms of independence with ADLs/IADLs, physical disability, and mobility. Articles were collected from various peer-reviewed, publish journals using the available databases of Western Michigan University libraries. Databases used include PubMed, Clinical Keys, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Springer Link, Scopus, BioMed Central, Wiley, and Oxford …

An Exploration Of Resources Available To Deaf Children Attending Public And Deaf Community Schools, Katelyn Reid

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore current literature surrounding the similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages that Deaf children experience while attending mainstream schools compared to the experiences of Deaf children attending all-Deaf and signing schools. A literature review was conducted using the terms: “mainstream schools” , “signing schools” , “resources” , and “Deaf children” were used. Areas of specific interest included social skills, academic performance, overall mood, and the availability of classroom and communication resources. A review of the literature in these four specific areas revealed mixed findings about which academic environment is more beneficial for Deaf children. …

Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Accessibility At Drive-Through Restaurants, Regina Mcleod

Honors Theses

People who are deaf or hard of hearing deserve fair and accessible accommodations, which include drive-through restaurants. It is not a fair solution to force this population to go inside an establishment to order, especially due to the fact that many restaurants close the inside of their restaurants at night but will leave their drive-throughs open. According to legal cases and surveys conducted, accessibility at drive-through restaurants is a prodigious issue for members of the deaf and hard of hearing communities in the United States. Based upon these findings, there is a major lack of accessibility, in addition to discrimination, …

Increasing Political Behaviors In Local Communities, Bionca Stewart

Honors Theses

The present project aimed to apply principles of behavioral science, specifically prompting, to increase voter turnout in a low voter community. The study used a mixed-model group experimental design in which voting in an experimental and control group was measured across two occasions. The sample population consisted of one off-campus community, which was District 4 of the City of Kalamazoo. This district was chosen because it was the district within the city with the lowest voter turnout in the 2016 election. The participants were randomly selected from within the district and randomly assigned to an experimental (N=68) and control (N=67) …

Communication In Stormwater Utility Fees Across Michigan, Hailey Olson

Honors Theses

Stormwater Utilities (SWU) ordinances are gaining wide popularity in municipalities throughout the Great Lakes region of the United States. A SWU creates a fund to maintain and update stormwater infrastructure, which in turn helps to reduce destructive flooding, and also results in higher quality waterways. This study examines two SWUFs in the State of Michigan: one in the City of Jackson (COJ), which implemented a SWUF in 2011; and the second in the City of Ann Arbor (COAA), which implemented its SWUF in 1984. These two case studies offer important contrasts and lessons. For instance, as a result of resident …

Implementation Considerations For The Digital Bronco Id, Bryan Gilginas

Honors Theses

This paper aims to discuss the conditions and preferences of students that Western Michigan University should take if they ever implement a Digital Bronco ID. These conditions are found via an anonymous survey given to random students. These students were prompted to answer questions based on their preference and possible uses of the Digital Bronco ID. It was found that the respondents were significantly diverse in their answers. However, things such as gender, major, and age range played a significant role in patterns in which students chose their preferences. Within the paper, these patterns are interpreted and discussed for the …

Generational Differences In Remote Work, Lauren Nowakowski

Honors Theses

In business, a remote worker consists of an individual that does their day to day work from an environment that is out of the office. Some employees work remotely 1-2 days a week; other times, it is remote work all the time. Different generations may view remote work differently. Some may find it to be a blessing, others a curse. This report will discover what generations are best suited for remote work, and which are better off in the office. The organization begins with defining who a remote worker is. Next, there are the benefits of having a remote worker …

Best Organic Chemistry Practices In The Midwest, Claire Van Der Bosch

Honors Theses

Organic Chemistry is a gateway course to a handful of courses in higher chemical education. Unfortunately, it is notorious for its high-fail, high-withdrawal, and high-drop rate and has a reputation for being time-consuming, with difficult concepts that are oftentimes new to students. It is often taught in a two-semester sequence, with the courses named Organic I and Organic II, and both courses have a lab component. At Western Michigan University, the fail rate for these two courses are 53.5% and 36.9%, respectively. Most higher education institutions are certified with the American Chemical Society (ACS) and given a skeleton of a …

Cross Cultural Volunteering: A Best Practices Guide For Aspiras Usa, Lindsey King

Honors Theses

This thesis project explores the topic of cross-cultural volunteering in the context of volunteer opportunities facilitated by Aspiras USA, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on youth and community development efforts in the Dominican Republic. Aspiras partners with various college student organizations in the US and offers them opportunities for international volunteering in the Dominican Republic. Knowing how popular international volunteering is, and that it can result in negative outcomes, I was interested in the experiences of these Aspiras volunteers and the community hosts, and how to improve said experiences. I completed a thorough review of literature surrounding volunteer tourism …

Benefits Of Doodling, Olivia Bevacqua

Honors Theses

Hello, my name is Olivia Bevacqua and my thesis is on the benefits of doodling. Doodling is something that’s really important to me as an artist and a human. I doodled growing up at lot, especially in high school. It’s something that I often do when I’m bored or when I need something to ground myself during lectures.

Growing up and into adulthood, doodling is seen as a frivolous act. Multiple studies have proven that doodling can be beneficial in many ways including relaxation, focus, and information retention. For these reasons among others, discouraging doodling during development and into adulthood …

Speech-Language Pathologist Preferences For Treatment Types For Childhood Apraxia Of Speech, Meeghan Hoose

Honors Theses

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), also known as developmental apraxia is, “a motor speech disorder that makes it hard for children to speak” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association). While the child knows what he/she wants to say, the signals going from the brain to the mouth are not delivered correctly, resulting in the mouth not moving appropriately to produce the desired sounds. There are several methods used by speech-language pathologists to treat CAS including moto-programming, a linguistic approach, a combination of motor-programming and linguistic methods, sensory cuing and rhythmic approaches. Through surveying local practicing school speech-language pathologists, I will learn their preferred …

Exploring A Child’S History For Optimal Treatment Of Food Selectivity., Briana Lear

Honors Theses

Food selectivity is defined as “food refusal based on type, texture, temperature, or appearance of food, leading to a self-restricted diet” (Suarez, 2015). Food selectivity affects children of all ages. Food selectivity refers to when a child is eating as few as 5-10 different foods and demonstrates food refusal behaviors, which can make mealtime a challenge for children and their families (Suarez, 2015). Occupational therapy addresses activities of daily living (ADLS), therefore feeding, including food selectivity is included within the OT scope of practice. There is a need to create a comprehensive and thorough document to collect a client’s history …

Culture Without Borders: Intercultural Awareness Through Interviews And Images From International Asian Students, Zhi Xin Wee

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand and raise awareness of international Asian students’ culture and experiences at Western Michigan University. As an immigrant, I am interested in listening to personal stories about people’s culture and upbringing. I want to give students an opportunity to share their narratives and a chance to help contribute to a better understanding of culture and inclusion on campus.

Through this study, I will explore the unique stories from international Asian students at Western Michigan University to encourage and bring awareness of the many dimensions of diversity. At the end of this research, I …

Gender Differences In Adhd, Jillian Vogley

Honors Theses

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a learning disability that is very prevalent in today’s society. A closer look at this disability reveals that there are differences with males and females with regards to how the symptoms manifest. Females have a tendency to exhibit inattention whereas males are often hyperactive, which is much more obvious to others around them. This difference in symptoms has led to a drastic difference in terms of how ADHD is diagnosed and causes it to be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in females compared to males. The consequences that this delayed diagnosis may have on females can be severe. …

64th Conference On Senior Engineering Design, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 64th Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects. The conference was held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences sponsors the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

The Urban Development Of Bronson Circle, Matthew Moulton

Honors Theses

Many suburban streets, and specifically Bronson Circle, in the city of Kalamazoo are in poor condition and in need of repair. Along with a new pavement design and additional drainage considerations, a complete redesign of the street’s cross-section with the concept of a “Complete Street” was created. A redesign of the site, traffic, pavement, drainage, and lighting were completed to lessen the street’s impact on the environment and make it more user friendly for all modes of transportation. This complete street design can be adjusted for terrain and used for any comparable urban street.

Included in this report is an …

Design Of A Thrust Stand For Electric Propulsion, Hannah Watts

Honors Theses

Thrust stands are the industry standard device for measuring the low levels of thrust generated by electric propulsion devices. Western Michigan University’s Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments is home to several electric propulsion devices and is in the process of obtaining a pulsed plasma thruster in partnership with the Western Aerospace Launch Initiative. The lab currently has no way of measuring the true thrust force generated by these devices. A thrust stand has been designed specific to the micro-Newton thrust range and the constraints inherent to the facilities in which it will operate.

The Effects Of Climate Change And Forest Disturbances On Terpene Production Of White Pine (Pinus Strobus) And Red Pine (Pinus Resinosa) In Northern Michigan, Troy Dehagen

Honors Theses

The secondary impacts that climate change may have on the interactions between forests and the atmosphere through forest disturbances is of increasing interest as the climate continues to change. Anthropogenic climate change, which is a direct result of coal and fossil fuel emissions, is likely to impact forest ecology through increased temperatures and extreme precipitation events, thus increasing the frequency and severity of climate-induced forest disturbances. Forest disturbances may have a secondary impact on the production and emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) within forests. In the presence of oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) produced from fossil fuel …

Effects Of Age And Exercise On Density Of Sympathetic Innervation And Localization With Nerve Growth Factor And Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In Vascular Tissue, Kori Mecklenburg

Honors Theses

Hypertension is a condition that affects nearly 75 million people in the United States (Merai et al, 2017). To better understand this mostly idiopathic condition, the role of survival factors on arterial innervation must be understood. Nerve growth factor (NGF) and glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) have been shown to support development and maintenance of the sympathetic nervous system. The aim of this study was to reveal how density of sympathetic innervation changes in mesenteric arteries over time and with six-months of exercise. Additionally, this study aimed to reveal the localization of GDNF and NGF alongside these changes in …

Thermal Adaptation Of A Vacuum Chamber, Jacob Russell

Honors Theses

The process of adapting a preexisting vacuum chamber to perform thermal vacuum testing is a rare process in the testing industry. A closed vacuum system that was designed without thermal capacitance in mind will hinder the development of additional thermal system capabilities and prove difficult from a cost standpoint. Generally, building a thermal vacuum system from scratch will cost on the order of $10,000 to $100,000 depending on the system requirements regarding control and thermal capacitance within the chamber. This project will explore the cost of such an adaptation, attempting to minimize expense, and potentially provide the “Western Aerospace Launch …

Emergency Department Triage Process Improvement, Tessa Williams

Honors Theses

This senior design project was completed at Ascension Borgess Hospital located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The mission of Ascension Borgess Hospital is to provide patient centered care. In 2018, 562 patients left the Emergency Department (ED) without being seen, which is a large safety risk for the patients and hospital. Based on this, as well as other obstacles, this project focused on meeting the mission of Ascension Borgess by improving key ED metrics that impact patient centered care. In order to meet that mission, this study aims to improve patient experience, safety and quality of the care provided, profitability for the …