Digital Commons Network^™

Chimes: December 4, 2015, Calvin College

Chimes

Calvin launches college-wide effort to increase student retention by Josh Parks

Women's soccer: NCAA success by Mark Peless

"We Stand Together": Calvin shows solidarity against racism by Bethany Cok

Calvin ranked second for number of students studying abroad by Alicia De Jong

Open ocean fish display impressive biological cloacking by Natasha Strydhorst

Heartside gallery continues to grow by Saraphina Sefcik

Pope Francis visits Kenta, Uganda, and the Central Republic by Eckhart Chan

Preferential Methods Used By Celcis Students To Enhance Conversational Skills., Karina Mariadas

Honors Theses

Conversational skills are something that can be improved over time. For new language learners, conversing in English can be difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the preferential methods to enhance conversational skills used by students from the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students (CELCIS) at Western Michigan University. The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire consisting of 7 parts. The conversation improvement methods that were addressed in the survey included: print, audio-visual, electronic devices/technology, face-to-face conversations and games. 112 students, 35 females, 75 males and 2 unknowns, participated in the survey during …

Fort Hays State University Tiger Weekly, December 4, 2015, University Relations

Tiger Weekly Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Wyoming V. United States Department Of Interior, Keatan J. Williams

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In a scathing opinion, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming granted a motion for preliminary injunction, effectively blocking the BLM’s new Fracking Rule from being implemented on federal and tribal lands in the United States. The court held not only was the BLM’s new rule likely arbitrary and capricious, but the department lacked the authority to regulate fracking. The opinion relied on the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Energy Policy Act to determine that Congress explicitly removed fracking from federal regulation. Pending an appeal, the new Fracking Rule will not be implemented.

The Impoverished Island: Development Intervention In Madagascar, Taylor Eubanks

The Catalyst

Madagascar, an island nation in Africa, is mired in poverty; approximately 76.5% of its population lives below the national poverty line of less than $1 per day. Instances of extreme poverty cannot be explained by single dimension, clearly delineated, universally applicable causes and solutions; rather, extreme poverty must be analyzed as a multi-dimensional phenomenon created and perpetuated by conditions specific to individual societies and communities. To speak broadly of poverty and its causes fails to provide an accurate depiction of why a country is poor. The extreme impoverishment found in Madagascar is the result of cumulative conditions specific to the …

Spirited Belles And Selfless Mothers: A Generational Analysis Of Women In The Civil War South, Anna Leigh Todd

The Catalyst

The experiences of women in the Civil War South have fascinated historians for years. Catherine Clinton, Nina Silber, Drew Gilpin Faust, and a number of other scholars have carefully examined the lives and roles of Southern women and how their social and economic situations shaped their experiences. Most of these historians, however, cluster all ages together to represent Southern women as a whole.' While this approach has provided a detailed description of the collective lives of these women during the Civil War, it overlooks how different generations of women experienced the conflict. This paper will compare two separate generations of …

Seeing Clearly Through A Charcoal Maze, Erin Johnston

The Catalyst

As a child I spent many hours in classrooms unknowingly searching for a means of self-expression. Art was one of the few areas of study that allowed me to harvest my own thoughts and ideas, and it seemed very realistic to grow up and become a rock star, an artist, or a poet. However, as an adult, that realistic dream is often shattered by the pressures of conforming to the regularities of our society. Nearly ten years after I graduated from high school, I decided to return to college to pursue my true passion for the arts. There was always …

Ulterior Motives: Understanding Castro's Intervention In Angola, 1975-1989, Jacob Key

The Catalyst

Cuba has promoted the exportation of its revolution ever since Castro declared his Marxist-Leninist beliefs in the years after Fulgencio Batista's retreat on New Years Day 1959. Cuban specialists were spotted worldwide in the second half of twentieth century, spreading political dissention in Latin America and overseas. The movements supported by the regime generally took the form of grassroots guerrilla campaigns similar to Cuba's own. There was, however, one notable exception: the full-scale deployment of Cuban troops to the former Portuguese colony of Angola in 1975. This was completely unprecedented in the realm of Cuban foreign policy. Common explanations for …

Lost In The Postmodern Era, Henry Shepard

The Catalyst

In John Barth's "Lost in the Funhouse," a character named Ambrose winds up lost in the confines of a funhouse, an attraction that is supposed to offer enjoyment by mixing the uncertain with adventure. However, this story is not told through conventional means, as the narrator of this tale is lost himself. The narrator, while focused on telling the tale of Ambrose, is also distracted by the various literary devices and techniques of putting a fictional work together. The narrator's observation of how the piece is being put together as the work unfolds, or of any type of device that …

Examining Moral Necessity In The Kantian Categorical Imperative, Mark E. Harris

The Catalyst

Moral necessity is the idea that specific imperatives bind the actions of a moral agent regardless of his or her personal goals or wishes. Contemporary ethicists have debated whether the moral system of Immanuel Kant includes rules which do in fact bind necessarily on the moral agent. This paper will argue that Kant's categorical imperative does not bind necessarily. The three different formulas given for the categorical imperative can each be used to derive different moral rules. If varying and conflicting rules can be constructed depending on which formula is used, then it is impossible to know which rule, if …

Front Matter

The Catalyst

Catalyst Staff
Table of Contents
Letter from the Editor
Call for Papers

"I'Ll Take Mississippi": The Gubernatorial Campaigns Of Charles L. Sullivan, Erin Hendricks

The Catalyst

In an eulogistic piece entitled "The Quest--Not the Victory," award-winning writer Joseph P. Ellis detailed the thirty years in the life of Mississippian Charles L. Sullivan, who attempted to obtain a place in the state's political realm that he never achieved. Written shortly after Sullivan's 1979 death in a tragic plane crash, the article reviewed his life including his three separate attempts at the Mississippi governorship, asserting that, though Sullivan never claimed the title he sought after, his campaigns and their impact proved far more lasting than a term or two in the office of governor. What kind of man …

Undergraduate Research Highlight: Mississippi College, Ronald W. Howard

The Catalyst

Discussion of undergraduate research initiatives at Mississippi College.

Studying Bush Babies, David Hanbury

The Catalyst

For an undergraduate student to engage in what promises to be groundbreaking, revolutionary research is an extraordinarily unique experience. In August of 2003, I was given the opportunity to participate in a research program advancing the understanding of primates through behavioral research of prosimians known as bush babies (Otolemur garnettii), at The University of Southern Mississippi's Laboratory for Prosimian Studies. Through research and observation, I am learning something new every day about the behavioral, cognitive, and anatomical differences and congruencies between humans and our fellow primates.

An Essay On Writing, Anna Gibson

The Catalyst

The power of writing has been demonstrated throughout the centuries. As a vehicle for persuasion, a tool for explanation, and a conveyer of emotional narrative, the impact of the written word is an important tool for anyone in the working world. With many high school students graduating without the ability of constructing an essay, the importance of writing instruction in schools is all too apparent.

Undergraduate Opportunity Spotlight, Carrie Gray

The Catalyst

Spotlight on The Abbey (L'Abbaye de Pontlevoy)

Time To Face Reality: The Unreality Of Time Could Very Well Be Real, Michael Dodge

The Catalyst

Without doubt, time has been one of the most discussed topics in the history of philosophy and science. From Greece 's Chronos to modern atomic clocks, what could be more fundamental for human experience than keeping the time? This essay will attempt to tackle the ontological status of time, articulating a two-pronged approach that should force the realist (with respect to time) to admit that presuming that time is a real thing is, at the least, an uncertain position. Most scientists are realists as regards time's existence, and they use time to understand fundamental enterprises ranging from standard kinematics to …

Undergraduate Opportunity Spotlight, Amaziah Coleman

The Catalyst

Spotlight on the Luckyday Scholarship

Business Advisory Council Scholars Research, Windy Saucier

The Catalyst

The Business Advisory Council (BAC) Faculty Scholars research project on which I work is conducted under Dr. James R. Crockett. Dr. Crockett is a professor of auditing at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Dr. Crockett supplies court records of embezzlements committed across the state of Mississippi. The goal of the project is to break down and organize the public records for each case in order to identify internal control (i.e., policies and procedures designed to provide management with reasonable assurance that the company achieves its objectives and goals) problems. The sources were used to identify warnings signs (red …

Substance Abuse And Academic Performance Among University Students, Jackson Bunch

The Catalyst

Substance use by college students has been an issue of concern in our society for many years. After making the transition from high school to college, students generally experience an entirely new, unprecedented level of freedom. They are also exposed to a wide array of new experiences and choices. These factors help to increase the risk of substance abuse among university students. Intuitively, this would lead to the concern that such behavior would result in academic fa ilure, thereby severely limiting a student's chances of future success in life. But is there a connection between substance use and academic performance? …

Front Matter

The Catalyst

About The Catalyst
Table of Contents
Letter from the Editor
Catalyst Staff

A Passionate Return To The Original Purpose Of Higher Education, Carrie Gray

The Catalyst

Service-learning may now be a little-known movement at The University of Southern Mississippi, but soon many students will be familiar with it. Service-learning is an attempt to return the university to its original standards of teaching students to become informed, critical citizens actively involved in bettering the community. Service-learning may seem to be a trend because its true purpose is misunderstood and even widely unknown by the bulk of the student population.

However, at Southern Miss, several organizations are striving to change these misconceptions and spread knowledge about service-learning.

The Prince Of Peace, John David Frizzell

The Catalyst

J began working on The Prince of Peace when I came to The University of Southern Mississippi in the fall of 2001. Before I began any composing, I read the first four books of the New Testament, which deal with the life of Jesus. I wrote down many of the verses I found to be important and began organizing a structure for a large-scale orchestral and choral work. I planned the work to be shorter in duration than most oratorios, such as Handel's Messiah. The short time the listener spends with the piece should have a profound impact and …

The University Of Southern Mississippi Honors College: A Tradition Of Excellence, Amanda Winters

The Catalyst

A close inspection of any college community will reveal students looking to fulfill the entire college experience, students with an eye toward their ideal career after college, students who devour information with an insatiable appetite, revolutionaries out to change the world, and countless others of varying backgrounds and creeds. Whichever category you, the reader, identify with, and regardless of your field of study, you can find a niche in the Honors College at The University of Southern Mississippi. The only unifying criterion for an Honors College student is that he or she is dedicated and openminded enough to take his …

In Defense Of The Individual, Alan Theisen

The Catalyst

While recuperating from a recent illness, I had the opportunity to catch up on a little reading pertaining to musicology. One book I decided to read was Source Readings in Music History: The Twentieth Century, edited by Oliver Strunk (with the revised edition edited by Leo Treitler and Robert P. Morgan). The anthology provides essays and articles on 20th century art music, written by leading composers and critics from that era such as Schoenberg, Busoni, and Adorno. However, I found the essay penned by American composer Evan Ziporyn, titled "Who Listens If You Care?" to be intellectually irresponsible and …

High-Flying Success For Chemistry Students: Nasa's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program, Kristi Budzinski, Nicholas Carter, Kayce Leard, Christina Watters, Brian Zoltowski

The Catalyst

NASA's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFOP) conducted at Johnson Space Center and Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, provides science and engineering undergraduates the opportunity to design and conduct experiments in a microgravity environment. The student program began roughly five years ago, although NASA developed a reduced gravity program in 1959. In the past five years, more than 1 00 different schools from around the country have participated. The KC-135 jet, which is similar to the Boeing 707, is used to produce a microgravity environment for training astronauts and testing equipment to use in space.

To create the rnicrogravity …

The Direct Connection Between Art Education And A Student's Well-Being In Our Ever-Changing World, Kathleen B. Fullilove

The Catalyst

It is my belief that many of our world's problems could be solved or eliminated if we put more focus on art and other creative outlets instead of relegating art to the bottom of academically important studies. Art instruction gives students tools that are applicable anywhere, anytime, and in any situation that occurs for the rest of their lives. The process of making art teaches problem-solving skills and creative thinking. Art also teaches tolerance and acceptance of other points of view. It provides us with a way of seeing what the other person is thinking. Knowing this, how can art …

Undergraduate Opportunity Spotlight, Jessica Neno

The Catalyst

Spotlight on the McNair Scholars Program.

The Search For Consistent Achievement: Scheduling Methods And Their Effects On The At-Risk Rural High School, Marsha Thibodeaux

The Catalyst

At Varnado High School in Washington Parish, Louisiana, the 4x4 block has been in place for three years. In order to compare the two schedules, I obtained the Louisiana Department of Education's District Composite Report for Washington Parish. This report contains data concerning dropout rates and ACT scores from two traditionally scheduled school years (1995-1997), the year of 4x4-block implementation (1997-1998), and two years of the block (1998-2000).

More districts are relying on standardized test scores in order to determine a school's success; therefore, I also analyzed pass ing rates from the state-mandated Graduate Exit Examination (GEE) for the same …

Front Matter

The Catalyst

Introduction
Table of Contents
Letter from the Editor
Catalyst Staff