Digital Commons Network^™

The Southern Closet: A Survey Of Queer Community And Protest Methods Against Heteronormativity In Greater Orlando., Edward J. Lay

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In the United States, there have been efforts by the dominant socioeconomic class in Western countries, such as the United States, to regulate gender conformity and heteronormativity in schools, jobs, family structures, and public policy. Florida is no stranger to these efforts of regulation and has had a turbulent history with the LGBTQIA community, enough so that it has occasionally caught the public eye throughout the years. Exploring the actions and effects of the Johns Committee in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the protests of Anita Bryant in Miami in the 1970s as they challenged equal rights ordinances, …

Correcting Course: How Congress Can Streamline U.S. Engagement With The International Criminal Court, Sophia N. Ramcharitar

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

Since its participation in the 1998 Rome Conference, the United States has vocalized opposition to key components of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction. This opposition has informed longstanding positions taken by the executive branch and motivated anti-ICC legislation passed by Congress. Support for the ICC’s investigation in Ukraine challenged these narratives across the legislative and executive branches, but the ICC’s arrest warrants of Israeli officials in 2024 renewed Congress’s heightened skepticism of the court and sowed political divisions on efforts to sanction the ICC. Congress’s oscillation on the ICC within the past several years prompts a larger question of …

Generative Contracts, Spencer Williams

Faculty Scholarship

This Article examines how consumers can use generative artificial intelligence to write their own contracts. Popularized by “chatbots” such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, generative AI is a form of artificial intelligence that uses statistical models trained on massive amounts of data to generate human-like content such as text, images, music, and more. Generative AI is already being integrated into the practice of law and the legal profession. In the context of contracting and transactional law, most generative AI tools are focused on reviewing and managing large volumes of business contracts. Thus far, little attention has been given to using generative AI …

(Non)Police Brutality, Shawn E. Fields

Faculty Scholarship

Local governments increasingly rely on unarmed, nonpolice experts to provide public safety services. In response to demands to reduce police violence, many municipalities have empowered paramedics, mental health counselors, social workers, and homeless outreach personnel, to triage health and safety issues without police involvement. Pilot programs reallocating police funds to these alternate responders appear to reduce arrest rates and rates of police violence. But they have not eliminated acts of violence committed by these nonpolice actors themselves. Shocking stories of paramedics chemically sedating motionless patients to death, social workers assaulting clients, and homelessness response units brutally dispersing unhoused persons after …

Lone Stars Lessons, Amy F. Kimpel

Faculty Scholarship

This Article provides the first comprehensive empirical account of Operation Lone Star (OLS), Texas Governor Abbott’s immigration enforcement initiative at the southern border. Though OLS consists of several components, including border wall construction and the busing of migrants to “blue” states, the machinery of OLS is primarily designed to apprehend recent migrants and prosecute them for violations of Texas state criminal law. The most common OLS prosecutions are for misdemeanor criminal trespass after migrants are arrested on private ranch lands near the border. As many criminal justice reforms aim to shrink the scale and scope of the criminal legal system, …

Comparing Inter-Rater Reliability For Two Coding Methodologies In Meta-Analysis Data Extraction, Christine D. Destefano

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Meta-analyses are critical tools for evidence-based policymaking, but their validity depends heavily on accurate data extraction from primary studies. While previous research has focused on procedural aspects of coding and reliability of effect size extraction, there remains a significant gap in understanding how to improve inter-rater reliability (IRR) for moderator variables that provide crucial context for meta-analytic findings. This study compared two methodological approaches for coding moderator variables: traditional low-inference coding and a novel drill-down questioning technique adapted from database development principles. Using a comparative analysis design, two independent coders extracted data from 18 primary studies included in a published …

Comparing Experiences In Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous (Mara) Versus 12-Step Groups: A Qualitative Study, Rachel Totaram

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The United States continues to face an opioid epidemic, with over 80,000 opioid overdose deaths reported in 2023. Although medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) are effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD), stigma remains a major barrier to their adoption. People taking MOUDs often feel stigmatized within traditional 12-step peer support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous (AA/NA), potentially harming the recovery process. Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous (MARA) was recently developed as an alternative 12-step support group explicitly open to people using MOUD.

This qualitative mixed methods study retrospectively examines how MARA meetings differ from AA/NA meetings, based on …

Teacher Retention And The Disabilities-To-Prison Pipeline, Angela P. Mccloud-Bond

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

There is an overrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Similar to the commonly known School-to-Prison Pipeline, Christoper Mallet has coined the term the Disabilities-to-Prison Pipeline to refer to this growing problem. Research has not yet determined how individual variables at the school or district levels lead to the expansion of the Disabilities-to-Prison Pipeline. Mallot (2021) presented three possible hypotheses to explain the expansion of this phenomenon: the differential treatment hypothesis, the school failure hypothesis, and the susceptibility hypothesis. There is a significant gap in the literature that focuses specifically on the differential treatment of …

Examining The Impact African American Male Teachers Have On The Math Scores Of Underserved Students, Demetrice Thomas

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study contributed to a growing body of evidence emphasizing that teacher identity profoundly influences not only how students learn but also how they perceive themselves and their potential. As Gershenson (2022) noted, “Black teachers provide benefits to all students, fostering higher achievement and stronger aspirations,” highlighting the essential role of diverse educators in shaping student success. Consistent academic gains observed among students taught by African American male teachers reinforce the urgent need for educational systems to prioritize equity not only in student outcomes but also in diversifying the teaching workforce. Despite African American male teachers comprising less than 2% …

Hss 404-004: History Of Murder, Alision Lefkovitz

History Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Duty To Protect: Updating Law Enforcement Tort Liability To Align With Contemporary Standards, Nicholas Emanuel, Lauren Loeb, Gavin Partington

Western New England Law Review

Can civil tort law make law enforcement services safer and more effective? The purpose of tort law is to protect the public by imposing an obligation to act responsibly and avoid causing harm to others. But tort law is generally inapplicable to the profession of policing because of the public duty doctrine, the theory that police owe a duty only to the public at large, not to any individual. That doctrine and similar rules render police immune from civil liability even in cases of egregious failure to protect the public. Public safety—and confidence in law enforcement—suffer as a result.

As …

Taking It Back To The Future: Best Teaching Practices From A 20th Century Law Professor For The 21st Century Undergraduate Law Student, Jessica Garcia-Brown

Western New England Law Review

The evolving landscape of legal education demands a reimagined approach to teaching, particularly as law professors transition from 20th century teaching methods to engage with 21st century Generation Z (Gen Z) students. This article explores the intersection of traditional and modern pedagogical tools to enhance the undergraduate law student’s learning experience. This Article discusses that while Gen Z students are increasingly familiar with technology and interactive learning, they may lack the foundational understanding of humanities-based subjects such as history, philosophy, and composition that traditionally prepared students for law school. By blending these traditional subjects with engaging educational technologies, law professors …

Policing, Prejudice And Change: Confronting Racial Bias In Policing, Aliya Ross

A with Honors Projects

Exploring racism, and discrimination within the Justice System and recommendation for reform.

Child Protection And Disability: An Anti-Oppressive Reading, Susan Flynn Dr

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Existing research alludes to complex inequalities within child protection systems for disabled children and disabled parents. An established risk of maltreatment that is higher for disabled children than for majority population peers converges with intersecting inequalities in the child protection arena. These include discrepancies around professional responses and service outcomes. Practice shortcomings, under-resourcing, practical impasses and knowledge deficits are also an enduring concern. Further, inequalities in child protection service outcomes and involvement for intellectually disabled parents are well documented. Thus, child protection and welfare casework with disabled children and disabled parents is fraught with complexities. This is due to the …

2025 Student Life Achievement Award Winners

Student Life Achievement Award Winners

No abstract provided.

Missing White Woman Syndrome: Racial Bias In Media, Law Enforcement, And Forensics, Theresa Iafolla

Spectrum

No abstract provided.

Understanding Parental Perspectives On Youth Substance Use In Urban New Jersey: A Rapid Qualitative Analysis, Mirriam Mananah

Public Health Theses

Adolescent substance use remains a significant public health issue, particularly for Black youth who face disproportionate consequences due to systemic inequities and community-level risk factors. While existing prevention programs exist, few are culturally tailored to the needs of Black families in urban environments. This thesis uses the ADAPT-ITT framework to guide the cultural adaptation of the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program, focusing on the “Assessment” phase through qualitative research.Twenty interviews were conducted with Black parents and guardians of youth aged 10–17 in Paterson and East Orange, New Jersey. Using rapid qualitative analysis, five key themes emerged: (1)Parent-Led Communication as …

Harambee: Lessons From Kenya About Restorative Justice, Daniel S. Mcconkie, Jr.

California Western International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Hostage Taker's Dance: How International Law & Operational Guidance Can Best Address Hostage-Taking, Erica Scott

California Western International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Pressing Charges: Criminal Fees And The Excessive Fines Clause, Annemarie Foy

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Millions of people owe money to the government as a consequence of a criminal charge. But while some of that debt is tied to fines or restitution, much of it is levied as fees, or payments owed to the government for the administration of a defendant’s criminal proceedings. Criminal fees can include costs assessed for pretrial detention, a public defender, a jury, a court appearance, filing a document, electronic monitoring, and more. They are assessed at every stage of a criminal case and for all types of offenses. While state and local governments claim that criminal fees are necessary to …

Major-Questions Lenity, Joel S. Johnson

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Both the historic rule of lenity and the new major questions doctrine rest on a fundamental commitment to the separation of powers for important policy questions. In light of that shared justification, the logic of the major questions doctrine in the administrative-law context has much to offer lenity in the criminal law context. In fact, the major-questions framework is strikingly similar to a rationale that has recently emerged in some of the Supreme Court's decisions narrowly construing federal penal statutes. That emerging rationale can be understood as a modest form of major-questions lenity that may lead to a more robust …

Arkansas Football, 2025, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Athletics Media Relations

Arkansas Football

No abstract provided.

2024-2025 Continuous Improvement, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

The 2024-2025 Continuous Improvement report produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

Annual Financial Report, 2024-2025, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Annual Financial Report

No abstract provided.

Celebrating The Fiske Fellowship Program: 2001-2025, University Of Michigan Law School

Event Materials

This program contains statements of impact from the 2001-2025 recipients of Fiske Fellowships.

Some information was shared in 2022 and may not reflect current roles and/or responsibilities of Fiske Fellows.

The Impact Of Pbl On The Academic And Linguistic Development Of English Language Learners In A High School Science Classroom, Mariam Aboudib

Wayne State University Dissertations

The dissertation examines the effects of Project-Based Learning (PBL) on the development of the English Language Learners (ELLs) in the high school science classroom. The increasing need for better teaching methods makes this study important. It explores how PBL improves language learning, scientific knowledge, and academic performance compared to traditional methods. The study includes two groups: Group A learned through PBL, while Group B used traditional teaching.

The research measures students' language skills, engagement, critical thinking, and understanding of scientific concepts. The study collected pre- and post-assessment data using tests, classroom observations, and student reflections. The PSAT exam scores were …

Volume X

The Graduate Review

No abstract provided.

Eastern Kentucky University: Program Profile, David Coleman

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is a public comprehensive university in Richmond, Kentucky, with around 15,000 (primarily residential) students. The university offers 80 undergraduate majors, 36 master’s degrees, and four doctoral programs. Approximately 40 percent of undergraduates are first-generation students. EKU traditionally draws many students from its 22-county service region across southeastern Kentucky, but the university also recruits heavily in the larger metro areas of the region.

Factors Associated With Residential Treatment Discontinuation For Black Adults With Co-Occurring Mental Health And Substance Use Diagnoses Living In States With Expanded Medicaid Vs. States Without Expansion, Gabrielle Scott

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation investigated factors associated with treatment discontinuation of residential substance use programs for Black adults with co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnoses living in states that had expanded Medicaid versus states without expansion. This study explored and identified gaps in the research pertaining to treatment retention for Black adults since 2014, the year when Medicaid expansion began. The study focused on Black adults aged 18 or older who self-identified as Black or African American with a current diagnosis of co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnoses at the time of their discharge from a residential substance use treatment …

A More Luminous Beacon, William M.M. Kamin

Scholarly Articles

Over the Supreme Court’s past four Terms, federal post conviction habeas corpus has been placed on the chopping-block. Its fate hangs in the balance of an historical debate over the maxim, oft recited by the Court between 1830–1953, that post conviction habeas reaches only “jurisdictional defects” — as opposed to “mere error” — on the part of the convicting court. Justices Gorsuch and Thomas maintain that “jurisdiction” carried then the same narrow meaning it does now: power ab initio over the offense charged and the defendant’s person. Justices Kagan and Jackson contend that, in this context, “jurisdictional defect” was understood …