Digital Commons Network^™

A Layin On Of Hands: Black Feminist Healing Arts As Wake Work, Lei'anna Gladden

Theses - ALL

A Layin on of Hands: Black Feminist Healing Arts as Wake Work explores the work of two Black femme artists who engage in ritualized theater performance. This thesis examines the creations of Oakland-based artist Amara Tabor Smith, a ritual dance theater artist, and New York-based theater ceremonialist Ebony Noelle Golden. The project examines each artist’s unique artistic and spiritual practices as forms of immaterial, emotional, psychic, and social intervention in the afterlives of slavery, which impact Black life. Methodologically, this thesis depends on oral histories, performance analysis, and participant observation to document and explore the emotional, ecological, and spiritual effects …

Bench Strength: How Powerful Are Supreme Courts In Common Law Countries Really?, Nilesh Sinha

Dissertations - ALL

This thesis examines the extent of judicial power exercised by the top constitutional courts in common law countries, using judicial review as a proxy for this power. I analyze three apex constitutional courts—the supreme courts of the United States, India, and Canada—as they all engage in strong-form judicial review and have been referred to at different times by various scholars as “the most powerful court in the world.” To frame my analysis, I explore how these courts have evolved in power throughout their histories. I employ comparative historical analysis (CHA) and construct a typology that accounts for how these courts, …

Stepping Into Who I Fully Am: A Creative Exploration Of Autistic Menopause, Mx Rose Matthews, Christine A. Jenkins, Margaret Janse Van Rensburg, Miranda J. Brady, Rachel L. Moseley, Julie M. Gamble-Turner

Faculty and Staff Publications

Research suggests that perimenopause can compound existing struggles for some Autistic people, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Barriers to self-expression due to communication differences are also well-documented. Acknowledging this, our neurodiverse research team invited creative submissions themed around Autistic experiences of menopause, receiving works from six Autistic participants including paintings, poetry, and graphic works. Engaging with the six creative submissions, Autistic Community Researchers on our team produced reflexive, polytextual response works. Creative exploration of Autistic menopause encouraged emotional catharsis, self-understanding, and activism/artivism. Autistic Community Researchers noted transcendent, almost “magical” dimensions of connecting with other Autistic people’s lived experiences. Our creative emancipatory …

Where The Soul Belongs: The Search For A Meaningful Life Through Han Funerary Art — With A Focus On The Mawangdui T-Shaped Painting And Jinqueshan Han Tomb Silk Painting, Tong Su

Theses - ALL

Perceptions of life and death are deeply embedded in the artistic expressions of a society, shaped by its cultural, philosophical and social environment. This study explores how funerary paintings from the early Han dynasty - the Mawangdui T-shaped painting and the Jinqueshan Han tomb silk painting - reflect evolving views of life and the afterlife under changing social conditions. While both paintings derive from the funerary traditions of Chu culture and Daoist beliefs in immortality, their differences highlight a significant shift: the Mawangdui T-Shaped Painting emphasizes ascent to the heavenly world through nature worship and ancestral connections, while the Jinqueshan …

The Accessibility Of Traditional Medicinal Food By Thais In Syracuse, New York, Siwapon Chotikasatein

Theses - ALL

Access to traditional medicinal food can be a challenge for immigrants and refugee populations. This study looks at how and where Thai immigrants and refugees in Syracuse, New York access Thai medicinal food and the challenges if any, that they have when attempting to access Thai medicinal food. Although the definition of traditional medicinal food is not strongly established, in this study I proposed that traditional medicinal food refers to food shaped by the sum total of knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, can relieve hunger once consumed and, at the …

Reparative Justice In Late Twentieth Century Africa: The O.A.U, Durban, And Accra Reparations Conferences, Franklin Donudenu Adorsu

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the evolution of African-led transnational reparations campaigns from the final decade of the twentieth century through the early decades of the twenty-first. It examines how reparative justice initiatives have emerged in response to the enduring legacies of slavery, colonialism, and systemic racial oppression, and how these campaigns reflect both historical memory and contemporary demands for justice by Africans and people of African descent worldwide. While early reparations discourse often centered on the diaspora, this research argues that recent mobilizations on the African continent in attempts to seek redress for historical injustices, particularly the 1993 Abuja Conference, the …

Cultivating Post-Soviet Gardens: Seed Saving And The Household Plot In Rural Tajikistan, Katherine Macdonald

Dissertations - ALL

Over the last five years, local NGOs across Tajikistan have established community-based seed banks to support households cultivating agrobiodiverse kitchen gardens. While social movements to preserve local crop varieties are well-documented in other rural contexts, they are new to Central Asia and had gone without study. This dissertation brings together insights from political ecology, feminist political economy, and critical agrarian studies to explore how and why this effort emerged and what rural women’s participation in it signals about life-making in Tajikistan’s post-Soviet countryside. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and document analysis, I argue that community-based seed banks are a response to …

Landowners And Class Struggle: Life, Law And The Social Rent Relation In North Dakota, Chad Chambers

Dissertations - ALL

In the United States, land may be owned by governments, private landowners, corporations, tribes, etc. The rent relation involved in oil and gas extraction on private lands, however, remain largely unexplored in energy geography, and geography more broadly. In this dissertation, I explore the rent relation between the landowning class and oil capital in North Dakota. I argue rent is a class struggle where the interests of oil capital collide with the private landowning class over the capture of surplus-value. My analysis of class struggle is grounded in the social-historical relations that shaped private property and the rent relation in …

Do Minorities Attend Culturally Competent Hospitals? The Case Of Minority-Serving And Safety-Net Hospitals, Rumel Mahmood

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Minorities disproportionately attend minority-serving hospitals (MSHs) and safety-net hospitals (SNHs). This study examines whether MSHs or SNHs are more culturally competent than their counterparts. No research to date has examined the cultural competency of MSHs and SNHs with hospitals outside of these categories. The literature on the determinants of hospital-level cultural competence is sparse, with limited measures used nationally and a robust measure used in a single U.S. state. I calculated a 100-point score of hospital cultural competence from a nationally representative survey of hospitals (N = 849 respondents). Using multilevel regression models, I found that MSHs are culturally …

Living Heritage, Resilience And Ethically Informed Infrastructures In Malawi, Martha B. Lerski, Frank Puluputu Mwale

Publications and Research

Rooted in a rural community’s needs, this paper explores how historically, and ethically informed infrastructures can support community engagement towards identification, documentation, and dissemination of local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge relating to climate change. The paper examines climate adaptation and sustainability issues through the lenses of community organizing and Library & Information Science best practices. It draws on a growing body of literature identifying a role for expanded epistemological and subject discipline perspectives. While the impacts of climate on material culture are increasingly recognized, intangible, and biocultural heritage have not received as much attention. Living heritage traditions and knowledge systems …

Past Intrusion Of Circumpolar Deep Water In The Ross Sea: Impacts On The Ancient Ross Ice Shelf, Lucilla Capotondi, Gesine Mollenhauer, Tommaso Tesi, Francesco Muschitiello, Alessio Nogarotto, Jens Hefter, Chiara Pambianco, Simon Belt, Mathia Sabino, Francesca Battaglia, Federico Giglio, Alessio Di Roberto, Enrico Pochini, Andrea Geniram, Ester Colizza, Fiorenza Torricella, Giulia Giorgetti

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica’s largest by area, may face increased instability under future warming, threatening the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Understanding its past response to climate change is critical for anticipating future sea-level rise. We present a multi-proxy reconstruction of ocean and cryosphere conditions in the Ross Sea over the past 40,000 years. Our data show that warm Circumpolar Deep Water reached the JOIDES Trough in the western Ross Sea shortly after the Last Glacial Maximum, coinciding with the retreat of an ancestral ice shelf. This oceanic warming aligns with a southward shift of both the westerly and easterly wind …

The "N" Framework: A Teacher Knowledge Framework For Numeracy Across The Curriculum, Kathy O'Sullivan, Niamh O'Meara, Merrilyn Goos, Paul Conway

Numeracy

Governments and policymakers around the world are encouraging teachers to teach numeracy across the curriculum. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the knowledge required to teach numeracy across multiple disciplines. The concept of teacher knowledge is complex and consists of many different facets of knowledge. This paper proposes a framework that integrates theories from existing models of general and subject specific teacher knowledge, along with a model of numeracy. The authors developed the "N" framework, an integrated framework of numeracy knowledge, subject specific knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge. Each element is essential for teaching numeracy across the curriculum in …

A4) Religious Tourism And Religiosity Among Generation Z From A Postsecular Context, Elzbieta Bilska-Wodecka, Justyna Liro

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Due to historical conditions and the social-cultural changes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries among other factors, and despite secular processes, remarkably, religious and spiritual motives still continue to be common among travellers around the world. Therefore, the popularity of religious and spiritual travel cannot be simply explained by the growth in the religiosity of societies. It should be emphasized that this is postmodern phenomenon, reflecting one of the indirect aspects of post secularization, especially in European societies, and a way for individuals to affirm their faith. In contemporary societies, religiosity of Europe is experiencing profound transformations, especially among young …

Shared Autonomy Open Logistics Systems: Definitions, Examples, And Related Literature, Jennifer Pazour

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

No abstract provided.

Participatory Exhibitions As An Awareness-Raising Platform For Bird Window Collisions, Janina Carla Castro, Jelaine Gan, Nancy Longnecker

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Bird window strikes pose a significant threat to avian populations in urban settings. Understanding public attitudes toward this issue is vital for communicating the problem and possible interventions, such as applying window stickers. Bird Window Strike Philippines, a citizen science initiative, has promoted awareness through online engagement and a public pop-up exhibition designed to leave a lasting impression and gather visitor feedback. The exhibition introduced Filipino audiences to bird-window collisions through educational and participatory elements, including interpretive panels, taxidermied bird specimens, and window models demonstrating prevention techniques. Its central message was: “Bird window strikes are a problem, and we can …

Profiling Of Physical Activity Usage In Selected Urban Green Spaces In Marikina City, Trizsa Jasmin C. Ty, Alberto L. Dimarucut, Camille B. Castro, Danielle Naomi L. Uy

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Urban Green Spaces (UGS) play an important role in providing opportunities for physical activity in urbanized cities. This observational cross-sectional study aims to profile two selected UGS, namely Marikina River Park and Marikina Heights Park Complex, in Marikina City, in the context of their use for physical activity and recreation. Interviews with two government officials were conducted to collect data on the historical background of the selected parks. Systematic observation, using the System for Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities tool, was conducted to observe park visitors and their physical activity for four days in each park. Each park’s …

Agricultural Extension In An Urban Informal Settlement During Covid-19: The Effectiveness Of The “Tanimang Bayan” Initiative In Sitio San Roque, North Triangle, Quezon City, Patrice Bianca R. Yapjoco

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep inequalities in food access, particularly in urban informal settlements. This study examines the effectiveness of the “Tanimang Bayan” initiative, an urban agriculture project implemented in Sitio San Roque, Quezon City, as a form of agricultural extension during the pandemic. The research adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on data from key informant interviews, participant observation, and secondary sources. Findings indicate that the initiative provided a localized response to food insecurity by enhancing access to fresh produce and promoting community-led production. It also supported collective action and self-organization among residents, strengthening their autonomy in navigating structural limitations. …

Front Matter, Arthit Jiamrattanyoo

Journal of Letters

No abstract provided.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session Thursday June 26, 2025, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Acceptance of the Agenda
Approval of the Minutes (April 17, 2025 and April 23, 2025)
Remarks by the Chair of the Board
Remarks by the President
Updates by the Faculty Senate President
Updates by the Western Student Association President
Updates by the Graduate Student Association President
Western Michigan University Employee Graduates
Montgomery Essential Needs Program Presentation
Public Comments Regarding Action Items

Action Items

• Academic Tenure and Promotion
• Student Housing and Meal Rates 2025/26
• Fall 2025 Differential Tuition Rates
• Fall 2025 Tuition and Required Fee Rates
• General Fund Fiscal Year 2025/26 Operating Budget
• President Emeritus Status for Edward Montgomery

Consent Items …

Emergence Of Caenocoris Neri (Germar, 1847) On Fig Trees In The Oases Of Southeastern Algeria, Nacima Diab, Tesnim Deghiche, Khalila Bengouga, Vasily Vladimirovich Verkhoturov

Journal of Bioresource Management

The article considers materials related to current areas of fundamental research in the field of agricultural entomology in Algeria. The most important issues of agricultural entomology in Algeria include identifying patterns of general trends in the dynamics of geographic ranges of phyto-entomophagous under the influence of climatic and anthropogenic factors, as well as studying the adaptation of insects to new habitats and food supply. In a notable discovery during insect sampling conducted in the oasis ecosystem during the summer of 2019, researchers recorded and identified individuals of the species Caenocoris nerii (Germar, 1847) for the first time. These insects were …

Keynote 1: Sacred Landscapes And Pilgrimages: The Spatial Manifestation Of Religious Beliefs, Darius Liutikas

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation explores the intricate relationship between religious practices and sacred landscapes, emphasizing how beliefs, rituals, and pilgrimage shape and transform these spaces. It examines the spatial expressions of faith and their impact on cultural landscapes, revealing the dynamic interplay between religion and the physical environment. Sacred spaces, including houses for worship and pilgrimage sites, serve as focal points for worship, contemplation, and communal rituals, linking the spiritual and material worlds.

The study highlights the existential cycle of sacred spaces, comprising five stages: creation, affirmation, preservation, reuse, and destruction. These phases demonstrate the evolving nature of sacred landscapes, reflecting shifts …

Behavioral Change Towards Meat Consumption To Address Climate Change, Mario A. Giraldo, Jad Aljersh

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Although there is consensus in the need to address the causes of climate change, very little attention has been done to implementing large scale strategies to produce behavioral change in the community to reduce greenhouse emissions. We conducted a study among college students, to evaluate their behavioral change towards a plant based diet after reflecting in the environmental effect in greenhouse emissions of animal protein consumption. During a two weeks’ period participants were required to keep a diary of the food items and meat servings they consumed, and to calculate the carbon footprint of their diet. On the second week …

Analyzing Waste Flows On A College Campus: A Waste Characterization Study At California State University San Marcos, Caitlin R. Hansen

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

The foundation of sustainability and improving a system is to first understand its components. Waste management is a vastly complex issue, with an increasing number of material types and ever-changing regulations. Sorting and processing refuse is a fundamental aspect of society that often goes unmeasured due to its complex nature. To grow sustainably, it is imperative to classify, categorize, and quantify the waste we create daily. This study builds upon existing on-campus large-scale waste audits conducted by EDCO, the California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) waste hauler, which quantifies the amount and types of waste removed from campus. However, this …

The Role Of Social Media In Philippine Disaster Management: A Systematic Literature Review, Maxim Alexandrite V. Inoferio, Henry Joshua A. Hernandez, Rich Angelo P. Santos

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Despite the Philippines being one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, research on the role of social media in its disaster risk management remains limited. This study addresses that gap through a systematic review of existing literature on social media use in Philippine disaster risk management. Results show that social media is primarily employed in response to typhoons and earthquakes, while its application to other hazards such as COVID-19, floods, and vegetation fires remains underexplored. Usage is concentrated in the response and recovery phases, with minimal attention to prevention and no studies focused on mitigation. Notable best practices include real-time …

Video: A Media Revolution?

Communication Research Trends

Revolutions connected with technical inventions have been proclaimed, rightly and wrongly, so often in the recent past that it would seem appropriate to look for another expression just to avoid the danger of trivialization. But all the evidence says that this time we are in the presence of a real revolution and that we should call it by its name.

As a true revolution, the emergence of video has been like an explosion, full of energy and even passion, provoking divisions, inflicting wounds, destroying, upsetting and, also, raising hopes and promising new riches in the so-called "television wasteland". It will …

Iah-Net (Informative Air Quality And Heat Index Network): Drone-Assisted System For Real-Time Air Quality And Heat Index Monitoring, Brent Breo B. Magbanua

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Air pollution and rising temperatures threaten public health and safety, necessitating advanced monitoring solutions. This study developed a drone-assisted system for autonomous air quality and heat index monitoring, ensuring real-time alerts even without human presence. By integrating the K-Nearest Neighbors (K-NN) machine learning algorithm, the system provides an innovative and cost-effective approach to identifying environmental risks and raising awareness. The system consists of a Drone system, ESP32, MQ-135 gas sensor, and DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor for data acquisition. Software development includes implementing the K-NN algorithm and calibrating sensors to enhance classification accuracy. The system categorizes air quality as SAFE, …

A Vector Autoregressive (Var) Model For The Hourly Forecasting Of Climatological Data In General Santos City, Jezzu Morrisen C. Quimosing, Feevol S. Into, Ayeesha Kate N. Castro, Criss Allyn C. Hongoy, Bai Ashfahana A. Abdullah, Ma. Sofia Franchesca P. Dizor, Leo James M. Podador, Joshua Caleb G. Pagalan

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Through multivariate time series exploration, the Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model was developed to predict marked climatological data for General Santos City, Philippines. The dataset, which covered the period from January 01, 2001, until June 30, 2024, was obtained from the NASA POWER API and included crucial variables: surface pressure, specific humidity, wind speed, air temperature, precipitation, and UV irradiance. The study recorded significant diurnal and seasonal trends, which could be observed in the surface pressure, specific humidity, air temperature, and UV irradiance that displayed the predictable cycles. Precipitation demonstrated limited seasonality, as it represented the localized tropical rain patterns. The …

Dr. John Olthoff Reflects On 36 Years At Dordt, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Exploring Culturally Informed Approaches To Book Read-Aloud With Young Children, Raquel Plotka

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Early childhood is a critical period for language and literacy development. One-way adults introduce children to the world of books is through picture books read-aloud. Adults from different cultural background engage in this activity differently, and to date, the early childhood field has emphasized a constructivist approach to book reading typical in individualistic cultures. Other approaches to reading books that are common in collectivist cultures have not been explored. The present study investigated the reading styles teachers (n = 40) use in naturalistic settings and compared the advantages of using individualistic versus collectivist styles related to children participation and …

Centering Black Girl Love: Unearthing Black Girls’ Truths In A Predominantly White, Loveless Elementary School, Tyana R. Velazquez-Smith

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

This study examines the transformative power of literacy as a tool for healing, resistance, and revolutionary love in the lives of BLACK girls navigating predominantly white elementary school spaces. Revolutionary love is conceptualized as practices of care, affirmation, and joy that challenge systemic oppression while fostering belonging and possibility. Conducted in an elementary school in upstate New York, this research follows eleven participants from kindergarten through fourth grade, exploring their lived experiences and literacy practices during English Language Arts (ELA) instruction.

Drawing on Brian Street’s (1984) assertion that literacy is a social practice shaped by cultural and power dynamics, this …