Digital Commons Network^™

Ai In Personnel Selection: Computing Talent Or Augmenting Bias?, Emma David

CMC Senior Theses

This paper serves as a literature review of artificial intelligence (AI) in the hiring process to examine the extent to which AI tools reliably, accurately, and fairly select talent. Today’s organizations are under immense pressure to develop innovative hiring strategies to identify and secure talent for their workforce. As technological advances arise, companies are increasingly turning to AI to aid in their hiring efforts. Hirers are enticed by AI because there is increased systematicity in determining the most qualified workers with AI as opposed to current selection methods that rely on intuitively combining and weighting applicant information. In an experimental …

How American Transit Agencies Determine Fare Policy: It All Comes Down To Politics, Julian Thesseling

CMC Senior Theses

This paper will provide readers with an understanding of the variables that US transit agencies grapple with when developing fare policy, with a particular focus on the political process. The framework chapter will examine the objectives of public transportation and how agencies face difficulties in achieving these objectives. While this paper will focus on American transportation policy, the framework will draw from the experiences of cities across the world. Three case study chapters will then each discuss an American city or region’s approach to fare policy, and how variables have either complicated or enhanced agencies’ ability to develop effective fare …

Factory To Table: A Philosophic Analysis Of The Justice Or Lack Thereof Of Agricultural Markets, Will Carter

CMC Senior Theses

How food is produced has dramatic consequences on how we live, our world’s justice, and the future of our planet. In a world increasingly driven by neoliberalism, agricultural markets have been incentivized to industrialize, globalize, and consolidate. This has resulted in the global dominance of a new type of agriculture, industrial agriculture, driven by the market logic of lowering costs and raising profits. Industrial agriculture has undoubtedly generated the profound benefit of cheaper, more plentiful food in much of the world. These favorable innovations lead many scholars to argue that free markets produce the most just and efficient arrangements for …

The Motherhood Wage Penalty: New Evidence On Long-Run Effects And Group Heterogeneity, Vera Kratz

CMC Senior Theses

This paper seeks to establish the magnitude of the long-run motherhood wage penalty. Using data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, I examine the difference between the real hourly wages of mothers and non-mothers in the long run. By comparing mothers to not-yet-mothers as well as never-mothers, I am able to better isolate the true wage penalty mothers face. My findings indicate that 21 to 25 years after the birth of their first child, mothers face a 31.75 percentage point wage penalty compared to non-mothers. In addition, I examine differences in the wage penalties of mothers by marital …

More Than A Myth: The Benefits Of Incorporating Holistic Healing Methods From Native American And Mexican Cultures To Approach Opioid Use Disorder (Oud) Treatment, Juliana Favela

CMC Senior Theses

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder that characterizes a dependence on and an addiction to opioids. Opioids attack the prefrontal cortex, the dopaminergic reward system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is responsible for the body’s stress response. Opioids constantly shift one’s “set point” to the point where normal actions that cause joy and excitement no longer cause those feelings, resulting in craving and dependence. The opioid epidemic is currently ravaging the United States and has disproportionately affected Native American populations specifically in the rural areas (Tipps, et.al, 2018). The current methods for addressing OUD include medicine …

Environmental Controls On The Spatial Distribution Of Greenfin Darters And Biodiversity In The Blue Ridge Mountains, Dri Tattersfield

CMC Senior Theses

Disproportionate concentrations of biodiversity in mountains worldwide suggest linkages between geologic processes and biodiversity that are not yet well understood. The Tennessee River Basin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the southeastern U.S. is a global hotspot for freshwater fish biodiversity. To investigate drivers of biodiversity in the Tennessee River Basin, and explore links to geologic processes, I study the Greenfin Darter (Nothonotus chlorobranchius), a small fish endemic to the upper Tennessee River Basin. I use generalized linear models (GLMs) to evaluate the influence of topography, lithology, climate and land use on the distribution of the Greenfin Darter, …

Viability Of Physiologically Timed Relaxation Interventions In Children With Asd, Nicholas Mendez

CMC Senior Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an increasingly common developmental disorder that changes how people experience the world and affects individuals’ social interactions and often leads to many adverse behaviors. Current literature dictates that a primary contributor to these adverse behaviors is that those with ASD have difficulty determining their own emotional states and determining the physiological signals that their body sends them. A study by Dr. Sarabadani et al. determined that it was possible to monitor the physiology of an individual with ASD and correlate certain signals to emotions, such as stress. These findings indicate the feasibility of establishing a …

In Between, Not Really Anywhere: Narratives Of Half Asian-Half White Young Adults Navigating A Monoracial Society, Lena Proctor

CMC Senior Theses

This senior thesis examines half Asian-half white biracial identity development among young adults. While previous literature explores how this group identifies, this study examines why individuals racially identify in the way they do. Over the course of two months, in a series of 10 in-depth, open-ended interviews with half Asian-half white young adults, the paper asks the two questions: 1. How do half Asian-half white individuals develop their racial identity?, and 2. How do half Asian-half white individuals make sense of their biracial identity in a monoracial world?. Through the analysis of the data, I conclude that in racial identity …

Screening Race And Religion In Hollywood: Gandhi, Mlk, Chavez, And Malcolm X On Film, Carter Henderson

CMC Senior Theses

Film is a medium that has, and continues to, immortalize some of the world’s greatest people. From political figures to artists to fictional characters, Hollywood’s representation of a human subject in a film has a lasting impact on the legacy of that person. For famous racial-ethnic minority religious activists, the manner in which they are represented varies greatly and this affects how their accomplishments and methods are interpreted. This thesis seeks to explain how famous racial-ethnic minority religious leaders are depicted in Hollywood films. Using the biographical films of Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and …

Privacy-As-Property: A New Fundamental Approach To The Right To Privacy And The Impact This Will Have On The Law And Corporations, Sevion Dacosta

CMC Senior Theses

The most popular conception of the right to privacy stems from Warren and Brandeis’s description of privacy as “the right to be left alone.” This theory ultimately points to a more fundamental approach to the right to privacy rooted in property rights. This fundamental approach - which I call privacy-as-property - is what I establish in this paper. I argue that the Lockean concept of property that “every man has a property in his own person” provides the foundation for the right to privacy. Privacy-as-property begins with the fundamental right to control oneself. Because of this intrinsic right, your property …

Gentrification As An Institution Of Injustice: Understanding The Displacement Of Low-Income Families And Erasure Of Culture, Diana Hernandez

CMC Senior Theses

In the last decade, gentrification has become a world-wide strategy for capital accumulation, but is one that disproportionately prioritizes corporate interests over community interests. Although often disguised as a form of urban revitalization, gentrification economic renewals lead to higher rent prices that consequently pushes poor communities out of their home and makes urban spaces geared towards affluent middle-class families only. Gentrification is not a natural phenomenon, but is instead a man-made project that is rooted in capitalism and neoliberal understanding of the market economy. This paper explores the roots of creating profit by means of privatization, especially when discussing housing. …

Asian American Voting During The 2020 Elections: A Rising, Divided Voting Group, Vi Nguyen

CMC Senior Theses

Asian Americans continue to be an untapped force within American politics. Despite their status as the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States they have had surprisingly low political participation rates.[1] But 2020 represented a watershed moment. Campaign outreach and voter participation increased, and Asian Americans assumed new prominence on the national stage. Nonetheless, the 2020 elections also demonstrate historical divides within the community and a lack of cohesion as a voting group.

This thesis investigates Asian American voter behavior during the 2020 election and links trends within this year's elections to assess Asian American panethnicity. It …

The Economic And Philosophic Manuscripts Of Data, Sage D. Young

CMC Senior Theses

Society is filled with words and images that elucidate the positive force radiating from technology entities. I push back against this imprecise and inaccurate narrative by breaking down the illusions created by surveillance capitalism. I argue that there exists a unique relationship between an individual and their environment in creating value, especially in the form of data. This relationship tears down the smokescreens prompted up by the surveillance state because it demonstrates the costs of technology and surveillance capitalism. I found that how data is created and made monetarily valuable has significant, adverse repercussions on the capability to flourish as …

Community-Based Disaster Risk Management And Covid-19: How Local Ngos In Latin America Adapted To The Pandemic, Emily Pugh

CMC Senior Theses

The global COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges for communities across Latin America: lack of access to potable water and food, loss of jobs and lack of access to technology now needed for children to attend school. By interviewing different leaders of NGOs throughout the continent, I was able to find out how local NGOs were adapting their typical activities to help their communities face these new and worsening challenges. While the NGOs in this study do not primarily focus on disaster relief, each adapted their initiatives to deal with the current needs of the community they serve. Some were able …

Intellectual Capital's Impact On Corporate Performance During The Age Of Digitalization And The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chance Sears

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between intellectual capital and firms’ financial and market performance during the peak levels of digitalization, focusing on the COVID-19 Pandemic. Utilizing the recently validated Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC), alongside its necessary controls, I conduct an empirical analysis on North American firms over the period of 2010-2020 using fixed effects and pooled ordinary least squares analysis. Findings from the empirical analysis provide evidence that intellectual capital is a driving factor in enhancing firms’ financial and market performance. Additionally, results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic increased the impact of intellectual capital …

Twin Threats: The Short-Sighted Us Response To Global Climate Change And Pandemics, Bryan Williams

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the failure of the United States government to mitigate global climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing poor public reactions and governmental administration between the two threats. Using developmental constructs to serve as a framework for assessing public reactions to climate change and pandemics, this thesis implements a content analysis study of American news media from 2000 to 2020; it identifies the rhetoric embedded in communications that has directed the US public’s focus of attention and shaped public opinion on these issues. The results indicate significantly less focus of attention on human health issues than economic …

The Politicization And Polarization Of Climate Change, Williamson Grassle

CMC Senior Theses

In the mid to late 20th-century, climate change and other environmental issues were addressed on a bipartisan basis, with Republican politicians like President Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush supporting and advancing measures to combat climate change. However, since the 1990s, climate change has become increasingly polarized, with significant polarization in the last decade. This paper dives into the causes behind climate change's politicization and polarization and what the future holds for bipartisan agreement by analyzing peer-reviewed articles, campaign contributions, news stories, political archives, and past interviews with climate experts. The analysis finds that the polarization has been driven by …

Los Indetectables: An Examination Of Oral Histories Of Hiv+, Undetectable Gay Latino Men During Covid-19 And U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) Era, Angel Ornelas

CMC Senior Theses

Since the early 1990s, antiretroviral medications have made it possible to reduce viral loads of HIV/AIDS to the point of undetectability to standard blood tests. Individuals living with such low quantities of the virus have reframed our social understanding of the HIV-AIDS epidemic by redefining HIV infection as a chronic, manageable disease and challenging current public health definitions of safe-sex activity for homosexual men. HIV infection is no longer a death sentence, but it remains a life sentence requiring constant medication adherence and treatment, major changes to lifestyle habits, and a modification in sexual performances. This thesis sheds new light …

Understanding Place-Based Immigration: The Proposal, Its Popularity, And Its Prospects, Mohamad Moslimani

CMC Senior Theses

The idea to create a new class of place-based visas is gaining traction in policy circles. These visas, known in some instances as “heartland visas” and as part of a class of immigration reform called “place-based immigration” (PBI), are designed to give state and local governments the ability to sponsor immigrants to live and work in their local communities. The proposal has gained traction among a variety of candidates for federal office and local immigration policy stakeholders. The reason for this support is the proposal’s ability to address a grave issue facing numerous communities across the U.S.—and its ability to …

The Future Of Fashion: Corporate Social Responsibility And Essential Marketing Strategies, Taite Jorgensen

CMC Senior Theses

This paper analyzes how fast fashion has impacted future trends of the fashion industry. Due to globalization, the fast fashion industry has been able to create new norms of over-consumerism and international labor. Because of this, the fast fashion industry is able to mass produce in a way consumers have never seen before, in addition to making it all at extremely low prices. However, fast fashion brands are only able to mass produce cheap goods through unethical methodologies; these methodologies include unsustainable materials and practices, inhuman labor conditions and wages, and by making sizes that exclude bigger bodies. Consumers are …

Challenges Within The Education System: An In-Depth Analysis Of The School To Prison Pipeline In The United States, Roxanne Camarena Castillo

CMC Senior Theses

Many scholars have hypothesized the existence of a school to prison pipeline (STPP) – a phenomenon that describes how particular school policies and practices have inadvertently created a pathway from schools to the juvenile criminal system. The pipeline disproportionately affects certain communities and has serious short- and long-term consequences for students. This paper explores the validity of the hypothesized pipeline and examines three underlying mechanisms: zero-tolerance policies, school safety, and school culture. After reviewing the research literature on these three mechanisms, I conclude that there is evidence for both STPP risk and STPP protective factors embedded within the school system. …

Making The Connections: Gender Quotas, Representation, And Critical Mass In Latin America, Katherine O'Neill

CMC Senior Theses

Using Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico as case studies, this paper examines how women’s collaboration influences the effects of gender quotas on women’s representation. The efficacy of gender quotas in increasing the numerical representation of women and improving gender equality outcomes is well-researched, but questions remain about the precise linkages between the numerical representation of women and the substantive representation of women. This thesis analyzes previously identified linkages alongside actions by women’s organizations in national legislatures and civil society to better understand women’s roles as critical actors in making gender quotas successful. The findings suggest that women’s collaboration is crucial …

Donald Trump V. The Electorate: A Twitter Feud For The Ages, Natalie Gould

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis began as an exploration into Donald Trump’s Twitter use in the final year of his presidency, starting with his first (and at the time, only) impeachment and ending with the November 2020 election. As an incumbent running for re-election, Donald Trump broke from precedent by opting out of the traditional messaging strategy of expanding his base and promoting unity and instead focused on energizing his existing supporters. Throughout his campaign and presidency, his Trumpian-style of rhetoric which perpetuated an “us versus them” mentality resulted in threats and real violence by his supporters.

The role of social media has …

Stakeholder-Friendly Or Shareholder-Friendly? A Study Of Firm Polices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah Abouchar

CMC Senior Theses

The far-reaching economic effects of the pandemic provide an opportunity to study the responses of corporations to exogenous shocks and the subsequent uncertainty. I investigate how firm characteristics impact dividend payout and employment policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. I focus on firm characteristics and actions of Russell 1000 firms in 2020, a year that captures firm behavior before and after the height of the pandemic. My paper covers three areas: dividend payout policy, employment policy, and the interaction between the two during an unexpected year defined by COVID-19. I use bivariate and multinomial logistic regressions to analyze the relationship …

How To Increase Elaboration Levels: An Adapted Elaboration Likelihood Model, Alex Mcdonald

CMC Senior Theses

Persuasion is a topic that has been debated for centuries, yet scientific literature surrounding the topic has been almost non-existent until 50 years ago. A popular persuasion model thus far, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, provides a framework for studying persuasion but lacks ease of application. I suggest an improvement to the model by including self-referencing and interaction to clarify how to apply the research and provide a real-world application with this adapted model.

“The Spirit Of Revolution:” The Impact Of Rum On The Formation Of The United States, Charles Streator

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the impact of rum, be it the distillation, consumption, or trade of it, upon the formation of the American Revolution and the desire of American Colonists for independence. Through the analysis of three distinct subfactors: rum as an economic force, rum as a political tool, and the cultural and societal impacts of the rum trade and its subsequent removal from the American ethos, this project contends that rum as a commodity became a driving factor in the creation of the United States. While much has been written on the roles of stamps, sugar, and tea in the …

A Feminist Re-Imagining Of Participatory Planning, Elena Castellanos

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis presents the benefits of feminist epistemologies in exposing current unjust structures hindering spatial justice in the urban planning process. I explore three main questions: (1) how do urban planners’ and designers’ biases shape American neighborhoods’ physical and social landscape?, (2) why traditional government or private planning approaches historically chose not to encode community-making functions into their frameworks for community input?, and (3) does a substantively inclusive and equitable urban planning project require a rigorous context-based understanding of people?. Additionally, I investigate what a participatory planning process that embraces feminist epistemologies would look like, a practice that prioritizes epistemically …

Medical Knowledge As A Recalcitrant Epistemological System: An Application Of Standpoint Epistemology In The Analysis Of Marginalization Within U.S Healthcare, Abby Deshazo

CMC Senior Theses

Research on healthcare disparities outside the field of epistemology tend to miss the true origins of oppressions imposed on marginalized individuals by the U.S healthcare system. This happens because of the false belief that these oppressions are reducible to social or political oppressions. By employing the perspective of a standpoint epistemologist, we can better identify the origins of these oppressions and subsequently consider more appropriate solutions. The standpoint epistemologist’s perspective (1) provides an intuitive case for the role individuals’ schemas play in the evaluation of what healthcare professionals know; (2) situates medical knowledge within epistemology, leading us to …

Feature Investigation For Stock Returns Prediction Using Xgboost And Deep Learning Sentiment Classification, Seungho (Samuel) Lee

CMC Senior Theses

This paper attempts to quantify predictive power of social media sentiment and financial data in stock prediction by utilizing a comprehensive set of stock-related fundamental and technical variables and social media sentiments. For conducting sentiment analysis, this study employs a pretrained finBERT model that provides three different sentiment classifications and respective softmax scores. Hence, the significance of these variables is evaluated with XGBoost regression and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) frameworks. Through investigating feature importance, this study finds that statistical properties of sentiment variables provide a stronger predictive power than a weighted sentiment score and that it is possible to quantify …

A Network Pandemic: Exploring The Effects Of Social Connectedness On The Spread Of Covid-19 In The United States, Mrinalini Bhushan

CMC Senior Theses

Social interactions influence the way we think and act. Recent literature on COVID-19 and social connectedness explores how social interactions influence people’s perceptions of the risk from COVID-19 and their behaviors. This paper seeks to investigate how social connectedness, political ideologies, and physical interaction are associated with local COVID-19 case and death rates at the US county level. Social connectedness, as defined by (Bailey et al, 2018) measures connectedness between US counties based on Facebook friendship links. I examine whether a county’s average social connectedness to other counties, as determined by the Facebook index, has an impact on its own …