Digital Commons Network^™

Managing The Credibility Of A Nonprofit Organization In The Face Of Unexpected Publicity, Regan Crowell

Honors Theses

Ethical conduct of a nonprofit organization was suspected to impact the credibility of the organization as perceived by its stakeholders. This study uses secondary research for three nonprofit organizations in order to gain a closer look at the ethical issues of compensation, conflicts of interest, and the combined issues of accountability and strategic management. The nonprofit organizations discussed are United Way, Susan G. Komen, and The ALS Association. Each faced unexpected publicity, either positive or negative, and managed the organization’s credibility through dealing with one of the named ethical issues. Based on the case studies conducted for the three nonprofit …

Fueling Performance: Determining The Efficacy Of Low-Carbohydrate Diet Models For Athletic Populations, Chelsea Jackle

Honors Theses

Advocates of low-carbohydrate (LC) diets assert that these diets help lessen dependence on sugar while aiding in the metabolism of fat tissue. Additionally, it is believed that lipolysis helps dieters feel more energetic, lose weight, and improve physical performance. For these reasons, many athletes and active people are drawn to diets such as the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Paleo Diet, and the Zone Diet. According to current evidence, excessive weight loss, ketosis, reduced glycogen availability, dehydration, and increased stress hormone levels make LC diets that severely limit carbohydrates disadvantageous for athletes. Although LC diets are widely followed, …

Devoile Ou Degage: An Examination Of The Debates Surrounding Female Islamic Dress In France, Kristen Canavan

Honors Theses

In 2003, the French state appointed the Stasi Commission to determine whether or not “ostentatious symbols” should be banned in public schools. Their investigation concluded that the wearing of Muslim headscarves in public schools defied the principle of secularism and in March of 2004, legislation was passed banning all religious symbols, including the Muslim hijab in public schools. Six years after Law No. 2004-228 was passed, the Sarkozy administration passed a similar law also targeting Muslim women. Known as the “burqa ban” (an erroneous term used to describe the niqab) Law No. 2010-1192 forbids the concealing of one’s face …

Local Response To Climate Change: A Case Study Approach, Nora Gimpel

Honors Theses

The scientific consensus on the causes and consequences of climate change is clear and experts continue to strongly recommend immediate mitigation and adaptation responses (IPCC, 2014). Responses to climate change are occurring at the international, national, and subnational level, but adaptation to climate change is also highly local. Local communities across the world are organizing groups and institutions to determine their best responses for local mitigation and adaptation actions. This study analyzed the formal local community organization, the Kalamazoo Climate Change Coalition (KCCC), and its structured activities in order to evaluate how Kalamazoo has responded to climate change. Methodology for …

Cross-Examining The United States And Germany's Education And Employee Treatments In Relation To The Unemployment Rate, Natalie Cook

Honors Theses

The unemployment rate has been a constant battle in the United States, especially in the last five years. In 2010 the unemployment rate was at a high of 9.7%, in 2011 it was at 9.0%, in 2012 is what at 8.2%, in 2013 it was at 7.4%, and in 2014 it was at 6.6% (Unemployment, total (% of total laborforce) (modeled ILO estimate), 2015). This is relatively high compared to other countries, such as Germany. Germany in the last five years has had lower unemployment rates in the last five years, their highest rate in the last five years was …

Gay Marriage Laws In Europe Compared To The United States, Megan Stamm

Honors Theses

The issue of same-sex marriage has been the hot social issue of the decade, even of the generation. This social issue has been debated to and fro in countries around the world. Each country has differing policies towards same-sex marriage. Certain countries in the Middle East hold same-sex relationships as crimes punishable by death. Some countries in Europe hold same-sex marriage as completely equal to heterosexual marriage. Each country is different. Each country is made up of different cultures and this plays a huge role in the debate. This thesis will compare and contrast European countries with the United States …

Influence Of Road Salt Deicers On Anaerobic Respiration And Metal Speciation In Soils, Danielle Dupuis

Honors Theses

Road salt deicers, especially NaCl and CaCl₂, are used throughout the world on paved areas during the winter. Previous studies suggest that road salt deicers can alter the biogeochemistry of sediment located near roadways and influence the mobility of heavy metals. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of CaCl₂ on wetland soil biogeochemistry, especially trace metal speciation. Sediment cores were collected in the fall from a freshwater wetland near an urban kettle lake (Asylum Lake, Kalamazoo, MI) and incubated for 100 days in deionized water (control), 5 g/L of CaCl₂, or …

The Effects Of Adderall On Maternal And Fetal Health, Alyson Brady

Honors Theses

Information available for woman prescribed Adderall to treat ADHD and the effects that it may have on her fetus is limited. However, Adderall and methamphetamine have similar pharmacological and addictive qualities. This paper is concerned with whether there is an adequate approach to treatment that balances the needs of the mother and the fetus. With Adderall use becoming more prevalent, it is essential that society is aware of the physiology and pharmacology of this drug, as well as, the need for more research on this subject to be produced.

Cross-Cultural Comparison For Treatments Of Autism Between Germany And The United States, Jenna Hicken

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of interventions for children with Autism between Germany and the United States. As the rate of Autism continually rises, more questions are asked about what are the most effective methods of treatment, and how children with Autism can be integrated into society together with children without disabilities (Newschaffer, Falb, & Gurney, 2005). A survey was developed and sent to teachers, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists in the United States and Germany. There were 9 participants from the United States and 3 participants from Germany. The majority of participants from both countries were …

The Elements Of Healing And Wellness Post Diagnosis Of Cancer: A Review Of The Literature And A Personal Account, Tiffany Bystra

Honors Theses

Being diagnosed with cancer is an earth-shaking experience that can break even the most strong and stable of individuals. Thoughts of uncertainty and anxiety are commonly experienced for those having been diagnosed, and when one’s health is compromised, nothing else seems to matter except becoming healthy and well again. This honors thesis deeply investigates my personal experiences being a recent cancer survivor in conjunction with reviewing the research and literature to investigate how one can promote their healing and wellness through holistic means despite going through medical treatments that are physically, emotionally, and spiritually taxing on every level. A thorough …

Technology And Nutrition: Interactive Strategies For Children To Learn Nutrition, Nicole Bogden

Honors Theses

This manuscript aims to describe nutritional requirements and needs for children and how technology is being used to improve nutritional knowledge among them. Several technologies and applications are explored, and recommendations are given for ways to improve. Four interactive nutrition games for children are examined: two computer games and two mobile applications. Through revision of performance, nutrition content, attraction, design and attention capabilities, HealthyHeroes was chosen to be the best game for children to learn and have fun with the subject of nutrition.

Autism And Its Effects On Students, Shane Fitzsimmons

Honors Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both disorders characterized by difficulties with socialization and communication as well as repetitive behaviors (“Autism Spectrum Disorder” Handout). Difficulties in identifying feelings, hypersensitivities, and not accepting affection well are all common in people with autism spectrum disorder (Volkmar “Autism” and Horwood 39-42, 45, 47, 53-55, 57-59). The current rate of autism is 1 in 68, affecting 4 to 5 times as many males as females (“Autism Spectrum Disorder” Handout). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mentioned that both genes and the environment play a role in causing autism, and no study has …

Karafuto 1945: An Examination Of The Japanese Under Soviet Rule And Their Subsequent Expulsion, Cameron Carson

Honors Theses

When Second World War ended in 1945, the United States of America occupied Japan. Japan’s administrations of its colonies across Asia collapsed and were occupied by the Allied Forces. This thesis examines the Soviet occupation of the area named Karafuto by the Japanese, which is now under the sovereignty of the Russian Federation known as Sakhalin. Karafuto was considered by the Japanese government to be an internal part of Japan, not a colonial territory, but in the last days of the Second World War, Karafuto was invaded by the armed forces of the USSR. Its Japanese occupants were repatriated to …

Effects Of Minimum Wage Changes On The Development And Use Of The Student Employee Pay Rate Structure At Western Michigan University, Kristin Kinney

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to present a thorough analysis of the current utilization of Western Michigan University’s student employee pay scale that has been performed to provide useful information for the decision of how to best restructure the student employee pay scale. This analysis shows the average of how many student positions were paid at each of the sixteen set hourly wages and how many were paid at Level Q (a range of wages between $9.58 and $20), or above level Q during the Fall 2014 semester. The results can be effectively used to determine how many student …

Importance Of Preserving History: A Conservation Of An Edwardian Wedding Dress, Brittany Aris

Honors Theses

The Importance of Preserving History: The Conservation of an Edwardian Wedding Dress

This thesis concentrates on the significance of recorded history, and the importance of conserving artifacts such as an Edwardian wedding dress. Such treasured pieces contribute to our perception of the past, not only as artifacts but as an insight into how, why, and by whom, they were created.

The Edwardian period is so important in women’s fashion because it was such a short-lived era. The socio-economic times that preceded the Edwardian era, such as the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era, all had profound impacts which helped influence …

Economic Impacts Of The Fifa World Cup In Developing Countries, Mirele Matsuoka De Aragao

Honors Theses

Hosting mega events, which have traditionally been a privilege of developed nations, became an attainable goal for developing countries starting in 2008. This might seem to be a positive step, but there are speculations concerning the real benefits and expenses those games generate. The aim of this thesis is to investigate if it is recommendable for a developing country to host a World Cup. This question is answered through an analysis of the two previous World Cups in South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014). The research involves comparing before and after data for both countries on government expenditure, labor market, …

Medicare: Program, Procedures And Recommendations, Sarah Wyman

Honors Theses

My thesis is formatted in the style of a political brief, based upon the program Medicare. This report discusses the question of whether the Medicare program is performing effectively. It discusses the origins and development of Medicare, its mission and reason for the program. Included is the staffing of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a center within the Department of Health and Human Services. It discusses the historical, current, and projected funding through FY 2015. Most notably it contains the program performance ratings of Medicare from the White House, CBO, OMB, and CMS. Medicare is a program that …

Determining The Photometric Capabilities Of The Ctio 0.9-M Telescope, Cameron Clarke

Honors Theses

Exoplanet detections are becoming more and more frequent as our ability to detect transits and Doppler shifted stellar spectra improves. Here, we report on eight observing nights at the SMARTS 0.9m telescope in Chile at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), covering 13 nearby stars in the range of 11th to 14th visual magnitude. We used the defocus method to spread the point spread function (PSF) of the star across a larger portion of the CCD to achieve longer exposure times yielding a higher signal to noise ratio and a higher amount of data every night as less time was …

Co-Editor-In-Chief Of The Laureate, Dj Delong

Honors Theses

The Laureate’s mission is to provide undergraduate students at Western Michigan University a place in which to publish their fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and other creative works. Under the guidance of a faculty editor and mentor, Samantha McVeigh and I have taken on the task to edit the 14th edition. Our responsibilities included choosing assistant editors, calling for and reading submissions, choosing pieces to create a manuscript, and editing multiple times for publishing.

This edition is different because of the introduction of co-editors, accepting color artwork, and adding audio files of authors reading their pieces. The Laureate explored the technology that …

Hate Crime Laws: What Are They And Who Do They Protect?, Maya Pedersen

Honors Theses

Perhaps due to media attention, especially to recent high-profile cases, awareness of hate crime laws has increased. When people think of the groups protected by such legislation, factors such as race/ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation often come to mind. People victimized because of their affiliation with any designated group should be protected under these laws and perpetrators of such crimes should receive enhanced penalties. More specifically, the Hate Crime Protection Act (2009) made it a federal offense to assault someone because of sexual orientation. Relatively little research has been conducted on hate crime legislation, but it is important to understand …

The State Of El Salvador: Human Rights And Violence In The Post War Era, Christine Caldera

Honors Theses

During the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992), the government of El Salvador knowingly used forms of political violence such as disappearances and torture against the political opposition and other innocent civilians, including women and children. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992, El Salvador has since transitioned from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. This project focuses on how the change in regime type influenced the level of repression and respect for human rights in El Salvador. The research analyzes two conflict resolution mechanisms, the Peace Accords and Truth Commission, and the implementation of democratic practices such as elections …

Cocoa And Chocolate: Deconstructing The Development Paradigm In Cameroon, Chelsea Vanhook

Honors Theses

This project focuses specifically on the neo-liberal economic iteration of international development. Neo-liberalism is the idea that the deregulation of the private sector and expansion of free trade will lead to growth in undeveloped countries, which will effectively end poverty and increase the standard of living. My ethnography in Southwest Cameroon, however, shows that the experience and embodiment of development takes on a new understanding at the local, daily level. Exploring the paradox of cocoa and chocolate in Cameroon, I find that while the average Cameroonian is able to grow cocoa, he/she is unable to afford chocolate. This context calls …

Archivum Plena: The Quest For A Fulfilling Past, Madeline Mcdermott

Honors Theses

Lyons Township High School, founded in 1888 in a suburb of Chicago, celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2014. For seven years, a project researching and preserving the history of the school has been maintained. Over the summer of 2014, an archive was established for the school so that they could continue to keep safe all the historical items that had been kept, found, or donated. In addition to recounting the history of the high school and its relationship with the local area, this thesis also follows the process of creating the school’s archive and compares the experience there to related …

Understanding The Role Of The Common Core State Standards In Catholic Education, Annemarie Fisher

Honors Theses

In 2009, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) revolutionized academic standards, providing a format adopted by states across America that focused on raising Math and English Language Arts standards as preparation for colleges and careers. In conjunction with the adoption and implementation of the CCSS across the United States, Catholic schools have worked towards the strengthening and advancement of their own educational systems. This thesis first examines the background of the CCSS, including implementation and professional development, as well as the opposition regarding the standards. The paper presents an overview of the history of academic standards in Catholic education and …

Multi-Segment Foot Joint Kinematics With Varying Midfoot Orthotic Postings, Hilary F. Feskanin

Honors Theses

Foot orthoses are often prescribed to prevent and treat lower limb disorders. While the success of these devices is well documented, the mechanisms behind them are unclear. Due to methodological limitations, many studies have focused on the rearfoot. This is the first study to assess the effects of midfoot-targeted orthotic strategies on midfoot and rearfoot kinematics. Gait mechanics were recorded for 19 healthy females walking in four orthotic conditions: valgus midfoot post, varus midfoot post, heel lift and standard/control. The midtarsal and ankle joint 3D kinematics for the three experimental conditions were compared to the control condition. Variables of interest …

Does Study Abroad Impact Students’ Personality?, Ashley Ann Marshall

Honors Theses

International education is universally valued both in academics and the job market because of the perception that those who study abroad have increased intercultural awareness, experience with diversity, and opportunity for personal growth. Given that students who are studying abroad are experiencing increased independence and experience with a new culture, this is a potential time for the development of perspective-taking, empathic concern, non-prejudice, and other forms of personal growth. The present, longitudinal study collected narrative and non-narrative data on these qualities of personality development before, during, and after the participants’ studies. For comparison, we gathered the same measures with a …

Investigation Of The Genetic Interactions Between Hippo Signaling Pathway And Drosophila C-Terminal Src Kinase (Dcsk), Hailey Jimin Kwon

Honors Theses

The focus of my research revolved around the intersection between the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway and the Src oncogenic pathway. Both pathways control tissue and organ size during development by regulating cell proliferation, cell death, cell migration, and cell adhesion. Aberrant functions in either pathway are often detected in human cancers and correlate with poor prognosis. The Drosophila C-terminal Src kinase (dCsk) is a genetic modifier of warts (wts), a tumor-suppressor gene in the Hippo pathway, and interacts with the Src oncogene. Reduction in dCsk expression and the consequent activation of Src are reported in hepatocellular and colorectal tumors. …

Sherlock Holmes And James Moriarty: Victorian Genius In A Millennial World, Allison K. Carey

Honors Theses

In 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published his first novel regarding the detective Sherlock Holmes. He would go on to publish another three novels and 56 short stories detailing the great detective’s endeavors. Today, 128 years later, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is as popular, as relevant, and as alive as ever. Adaptations continue to be made and achieve success, including the BBC’s mini-series, Sherlock. This modern adaptation and its interpretation of Conan Doyle’s characters, novels, stories, plots, and themes allow for a unique combination of Victorian and Modern England. It highlights the similarities and differences of a Victorian Holmes and …

Reading Interventions In Relation To The Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee, Kathryn C. Auletto

Honors Theses

Reading is one of the most critical skills that students learn in their first few years of education. A strong foundation in reading at the early childhood level can promote success in the rest of schooling and beyond. This is especially true for children of poverty; reading abilities and the strong education that follows provide students with opportunities to break the poverty cycle. The importance of reading achievement is a political dimension, as demonstrated by Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee. This legislation, which has many implications in education, requires that all third grade students who do not pass the Reading …

Black White And In-Between: Race And Ethnicity In The Criminal Justice System 1885-1915, Elizabeth M. Wilhelm

Honors Theses

Events in the past year have brought racial and ethnic discrimination in the criminal justice system to the forefront of American consciousness. In reality, race has been used to create stereotypes for centuries, often supported by “scientific” and “statistical” evidence to support the idea that certain races are more likely to commit crimes than others. In my research, I trace the development of these ideas as well as the evidence used to support these racial notions primarily by drawing upon conference transcripts from two professional organizations: The National Prison Association and the National Conference of Charities and Corrections covering the …