Digital Commons Network^™

Future Vision And Action Recommendations, Sondoss Elsawah, Melissa Haeffner, Anthony Jakeman

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Let us imagine a future world where water management is more fully integrated and supported by the science of sociohydrology and related metadisciplines. This is a vision for the future where the social, cultural, environmental, and economic values of water are explicitly considered through the lens of the science–water policy interface. The ultimate value of research will be measured by how much it supports improvements in water resources and hazards management and, in particular, completes and enriches the science–water policy interface.

What's My Age Again? The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace And The Constitutional Void In Re-Aging Law, Lauren Gay

Et Cetera

When a child’s legal age can be judicially reclassified without rigorous procedural safeguards, the foundations of American due process erode. This article explores the alarming constitutional vacuum exposed by the case of Natalia Grace, an adopted Ukrainian child whose age was legally reclassified from eight to twenty-two without procedural safeguards such as a hearing, legal counsel, or evidentiary testing. Unlike competency or parental rights proceedings, re-aging decisions lack uniform standards, judicial transparency, or appellate recourse. This article argues that re-aging implicates fundamental liberty interests and must be governed by heightened due process protections. Drawing on comparative models from guardianship and …

Limits Of Contingent Convertible Bonds: Evidence From The Credit Suisse Collapse, Albert H. Choi, Jacob Gerszten, Jeffery Y. Zhang

Law & Economics Working Papers

In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, regulators encouraged banks to issue contingent convertible bonds ("CoCos") to improve the issuing bank's stability. Banks around the world have issued more than $1 trillion worth of CoCos to date. Yet it is unclear whether CoCos have achieved their intended goal of improving stability. Leveraging the unexpected banking panic in March 2023, we show that issuing banks fared worse-as measured by abnormal equity returns and probabilities of default. We also examine market dynamics after 2023 and find that the largest banks have continued to issue CoCos with similar contractual terms, though issuer …

State Of Ohio Adversity And Resilience (Soar) Study Protocol: A Comprehensive, Multimodal, Family-Based, Longitudinal Observational Investigation Of Risk And Resilience In Mental Health And Substance Use Disorders, Chris Flask, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Introduction Deaths related to drug overdose and suicide in the USA have increased 500% and 35%, respectively, over the last two decades. The human and economic costs to society associated with these - €- deaths of despair' are immense. Great efforts and substantial investments have been made in treatment and prevention, yet these efforts have not abated these increasing trajectories of deaths over time. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and highlighted these problems. Notably, some geographical areas (eg, Appalachia, farmland) and some communities (eg, low-income persons, - €- essential workers', minoritised populations) have been disproportionately affected. Risk factors have been …

Urban/Suburban Extension: Challenges & Solutions For Program Design, Delivery, And Evaluation, Sharmistha Basak, Anil Kumar Chaudhary

Journal of Extension

The Cooperative Extension System, historically focused on rural communities, faces a growing need to serve expanding urban and suburban populations. To address this, Extension professionals require a strong foundation in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs tailored to these new audiences. This Delphi study explored the challenges and solution-oriented strategies for program design, delivery, and evaluation within urban and suburban contexts. The findings reveal limitations in current Extension programming efforts targeted toward these populations. This research offers a broader set of recommendations for developing impactful Extension programs specifically tailored to the needs of urban and suburban audiences.

Expanding Community Engagement By Combining Extension, Service Learning, And Classroom Instruction, Chester L. Arnold, Juliana Barrett, Todd Campbell Dr., Marisa Chrysochoou, David Dickson, Michael Dietz, Randi Mendes

Journal of Extension

The Environment Corps program at the [university] approaches community engagement by combining teaching, service learning, and extension work. This model of engagement harnesses the power of trained undergraduates in conducting meaningful and actionable projects for communities, building on the topical knowledge, outreach experience, and community contacts of seasoned Extension professionals, and in turn expanding the reach of their programs. Over 175 projects have been completed in partnership with 96 municipalities, nonprofits, or other entities. The program has documented benefits to both students and partner communities. The program team is interested in assisting others to adapt the model.

Jeopardy: International Edition, Ernie Central

International Education Week

Test your knowledge of world geography, languages, global pop culture, and international firsts—perfect for friendly competition and bragging rights.

Program Review Report 11-18-25, Angela Brock

Program Review Committee

No abstract provided.

Faculty Advisors Perspectives Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Attrition: A Qualitative Study, Danielle E. Shaver, Jennifer Dunbar Viveiros, Susan Hunter Revell, Christine Ann Devine

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Exploring faculty advisors' perspectives on voluntary attrition is essential to optimize resources and increase the number of nursing graduates. This qualitative study aimed to uncover nursing faculty advisors' perceptions of the extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, and mediators that influence four-year baccalaureate students' decisions to voluntarily leave nursing programs.

Method: A qualitative descriptive design utilized Rubin and Rubin’s (2012) interviewing methodology to solicit narrative accounts from 12 experienced nursing faculty advisors in four-year baccalaureate nursing degree programs.

Results: The semi-structured interviews revealed four intrinsic themes: preparedness, fear, maturity, and personal crisis. Four extrinsic themes emerged: external motivations, interpersonal relationships, program …

Ethical Tensions In The Ethics Review Of Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Projects: Revealing Values From A Health Faculty In Aotearoa New Zealand., Amanda B. Lees, Rosemary Godbold, Simon Walters

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This study employed a case study approach to explore ethical conduct in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research. Originating within biomedical research, the remit of ethics review bodies now commonly extends to assessing SoTL projects. Set within a health faculty at a university in Aotearoa New Zealand, we examined student and academic perspectives on ethical conduct in SoTL research to gauge how their values align with those who decide on ethical standards of research involving them. Drawing on reflexive thematic analysis, our findings reflect tensions between the relational and cultural values of SoTL and the biomedically based values of …

Beyond The Mic: Fostering Critical Consciousness Through Podcasting In A Social Foundations Of Education Course, Jacob Kelley

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This article contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning by examining the ways in which a podcast project facilitated the development of critical consciousness among pre-service teachers in an undergraduate social foundations of education course at a research university in the southeastern United States. It draws on data generated using semi-structured interviews with 10 pre-service teachers across two semesters of the course who completed the podcast project. Using inductive thematic analysis, I identified four themes in this case study: (1) Personal Experiences as Catalysts for Critical Consciousness, (2) Dialogical Learning as a Pathway to Critical Consciousness, (3) Grappling with …

The Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of German Volunteers Aged 55 Or Older In Development Service In Tanzania, Barbara Wohanka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As global aging trends and longer life expectancy encourage many seniors to seek meaningful engagement through volunteering, this research examined how such activities influence their perceptions and experiences. While much of the existing literature on volunteering in later life has concentrated on individuals involved in local community service, little research has addressed what motivates seniors to volunteer abroad. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of German volunteers aged 55 or older in development service in Tanzania and the influence of these experiences on their lives. The theoretical framework examined the guiding approaches …

Trans-Tensional Chaos In Southeastern Death Valley: Geologic Mapping And Geochronology Of The Miocene China Ranch Beds, California, Sydney Beltran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study investigates the sedimentary record of the Miocene China Ranch beds and structural evolution of the China Ranch Basin (CRB) in southeastern Death Valley, California. Geologic mapping and geochronological studies of the China Ranch beds document progressive sedimentary fill of a transtensional basin developed at the tectonic intersection of several strike- slip faults, including the right-lateral Sheephead and Grandview fault zones, and several left- lateral fault zones. New and existing geochronology from 40Ar/39Ar of plagioclase from volcanicash beds, and new detrital zircon U-Pb analysis of volcaniclastic sandstones constrain the depositional history of the China Ranch basin from approximately <11.2 Ma to >6.8 …

Belonging Without Borders: A Missionary Kid Reflects On Nursing School, Julia Beth Stamp

Wisdom & Compassion: The LUSON Journal

This reflective essay examines the experience of pursuing a nursing degree while living far from home as a Missionary Kid. It explores how the absence of close family ties during nursing school intensified feelings of loneliness, challenged motivation, and strained emotional well-being. Interwoven with personal narrative and supported by recent literature, the reflection highlights the way that community— through peers, mentors, and faculty— emerged as a vital source of resilience. The essay argues that resilience in nursing education is not the product of individual grit alone but grows from interdependence and the willingness to seek and receive support. Through recounting …

Jeopardy: International Edition, Ernie Central

International Education Week

Test your knowledge of world geography, languages, global pop culture, and international firsts—perfect for friendly competition and bragging rights.

The Role Of Native And Non-Native Teachers In Selecting Children’S Literature By Native Authors, Trisha Moquino, Katie Kitchens, Laini Szostkowski, Tiffany Jewell, Debbie Reese

Occasional Paper Series

Our contribution to the Occasional Paper Series is driven by the editors request for articles that will provide readers with an opportunity to learn how to use Indigenous Children’s and Young Adult Literature (ICYAL) texts responsibly. In our experience, children encounter far too much anti-Indigeneity in literature, and therefore the classroom.. Before using a book, a teacher must select the book they plan to use in the classroom. If the teacher is seeking to “provide opportunities for students to develop interpersonal relationships between real live kids and those who live only on the page,” (Leitich Smith, 2020) we think it …

“We Sing Too:” Pedagogical Approaches For Listening To Children In Indigenous Picturebooks, Rachel Stubbs, Anja Dressler Araujo, Kari Dressler, Jadyn Fischer-Mcnabb, Aubrey Hanson, Erin Spring

Occasional Paper Series

This article explores how storytelling, particularly through picture books, facilitates learning across boundaries of age, culture, gender, and education. In this article, we emphasize the value of picture books in integrating Indigenous oral traditions into the classroom, highlighting how these texts foster a reciprocal relationship between listener and storyteller. By focusing on the act of listening, our article argues that Indigenous picture books require active participation and decentering of the individual, positioning listeners as part of a larger collective. This article also underscores the importance of viewing children as active, responsible, and agential members of their communities, aligning with Indigenous …

Making Connections To The Local: Exploring The Role Of Indigenous Literature In Early Childhood Education, Lori Huston, Dr. Jan Hare, Ashleigh Janis, Leigh Kweon

Occasional Paper Series

Indigenous children's literature is a vital resource for nurturing cultural understandings and appreciation from an early age for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. This paper presents insights gathered from a workshop titled "Nurturing Indigenous Childhoods Through Themed Picture Books: Making Connections to the Local," which emerged as a culmination of our collaborative work on a massive open online course (MOOC) centered on Indigenous pedagogy in early childhood education. We curated a list of Indigenous children's books and engaged in discussions on the significance of Indigenous literature in nurturing cultural identity and literacy learning. In doing so, we aspired to create …

From Urban Models To Rural Realities: Adapting Hepatitis C (Hcv) Care For Underserved Communities, Caitlin A. Mccain

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

This literature review examines how Hepatitis C (HCV) screening and care programs can better serve underserved populations, particularly Spanish-speaking rural communities in border states. The research supports the Hep C- Colonias Advancing & Restoring Esperanza (C.A.R.E) program’s mission by incorporating recent findings from 32 studies gathered through PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar. Hep C C.A.R.E expanded from the HepVISTA expansion project provides HCV screening, education, vaccination and linkage to care for uninsured patients at partner sites in Laredo and Maverick County. Results indicate that while HCV elimination is feasible, significant gaps persist among rural uninsured and minority populations. Effective strategies …

When Cpu Is Worse Than A Stick In The Eye: Better Kpis For Strategic Journal Collection Management, Evan Rusch, Heidi J. Southworth, Nat Gustafson-Sundell

Library Services Publications

A video of this presentation is available as an Additional File and also available at https://link.mnsu.edu/kpis-video. 

Libraries frequently rely on variously calculated cost-per-usage (CPU) metrics, but there are other key performance indicators (KPIs) often more strategic for journal collection assessment. These other KPIs can also be more effective for communicating the value of journals. While CPU, in a variety of forms, will probably always be important for evidence-based decision-making, CPU can sometimes obfuscate the real value provided by journal packages and individual journals. We will discuss how CPU can lead to false impressions, especially at the package level. We’ll …

Ethical Considerations Of The Wealth Gap Sentiments In Europe, Joanna Kitsnik

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

This working paper examines how individuals morally, ethically, and emotionally evaluate extreme wealth disparities in their countries. Using cross-sectional data from the 2019 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Social Inequality V module, I compare two groups of EU countries with contrasting capital gains tax regimes. Guided by frameworks of moral economies and the capability approach, the analysis investigates how anger toward wealth inequality relates to redistributive preferences, recognition of structural inequalities, and meritocratic beliefs. Preliminary results show that individuals who critically assess existing socioeconomic conditions and acknowledge structural inequalities report stronger resentment toward extreme wealth gaps, whereas stronger meritocratic beliefs …

The “I’M Too Much, Yet Never Enough” Paradox: A Critical Approach To Discourses Of Afro-Latinidad Among Second-Generation-Immigrant Women In South Florida, Eleni Victoria Webster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This study critically examines discourse and the ways it shapes identities and community belonging for self-identifying Afro-Latina, second-generation-immigrant women in South Florida. This qualitative research uses an intercultural communication framework to analyze interviews and collected poems. Informed by grounded theory and a Black feminist critical approach rooted in the intersectionality theory, the data is analyzed through comparative thematic and metaphorical rhetorical analyses. When discussing the discourses related to the development of ethno-racial identities for Afro-Latinas, certain communicative patterns of self-discovering, self-defining, and self-envisioning emerged. With regard to community belonging, three metaphorical discourses arose: not-enoughness, in-betweenness, and un-humanness. The internalization of …

Cultural Innovation Can Increase And Maintain Biodiversity: A Case Study From Medieval Europe, Adam Spitzig, Manfred Rösch, Jessie Woodbridge, Martin Bauch, Piotr Guzowski, Peter Erhart, Ralph Fyfe, Elena Marinova, Adam Izdebski

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Numerous research efforts have used paleoecological data to reconstruct past biodiversity in Europe. In these projects, researchers have identified increases in biodiversity over the Holocene and hinted at a positive correlation with human population. These are important findings but are not easily translated into effective biodiversity conservation and restoration policy. We argue that, in order to better inform policymaking, studies of past biodiversity dynamics should include analyses of contemporaneous cultural phenomena in order to identify and describe specific anthropogenic drivers of past biodiversity changes. We present an example here, a case study from the Lake Constance region (southwestern Germany), one …

Water-Based Logic: The Water Heritage Of Greater Nanning And Its Role In Urban Authenticity, Tiansheng Li

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Water heritage plays a pivotal role in establishing Greater Nanning as a central city in the upper Pearl River basin of southern China. However, this heritage has largely been overlooked due to an urban narrative dominated by land-centrism. This article explores methods to create a comprehensive understanding of the water heritage of Greater Nanning and discusses how it can be integrated into the concept of urban authenticity. It argues that both tangible and intangible water heritages are essential elements to safeguard urban authenticity and promote sustainable cultural development. This study adopts an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, combining quantitative analysis with …

Chimes: November 17, 2025, Calvin University

Chimes

Budget cuts slash programs and faculty: Students react with grief and frustration by Sarah Sparling, Ian Tjoelker & McKenna Wilkinson

Bringing the Cretaceous to Calvin: Dice Museum reveals fossil and student artwork by Ellery Johnson

Recap: 200 students attend administration town hall by Sarah Sparling

Celebrating Calvin's Asian American and international populations by Jorie Cho

Calvin's D1 hockey on hot streak as they climb to #4 in national rankings by Hendrik Beelen & Zach Kern

Spotted turtles find their home on campus by Maya Oeverman

Student Senate allocates four thousand dollars to accessibility and sustainability projects by Ashley Hamons

Improving Access To Menopause Care Through Emr Integration And Provider Education, Laura Nickerson

Capstones

Abstract

Perimenopause and menopause represent universal, transformative life stages that affect more than 63 million women in the United States. Yet, this phase remains among the most neglected areas in women’s health. Despite robust evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of both hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, millions of women remain undiagnosed or undertreated due to fragmented healthcare systems, limited provider education, absence of EMR screening prompts, and inconsistent insurance coverage.

This Capstone Project synthesizes current research and population health data to evaluate how integrating a standardized menopause SmartSet within the electronic medical record (EMR), coupled with structured provider education, can …

Data For Fermentation Research Guide Analysis, Laura Guengerich

Morris Library Data Sets

No abstract provided.

The Transitional Human Being: Literary, Journalistic, And Cinematographic Representations Of The Twentieth- And The Twenty-First-Centuries Italy, Ron Kubati

Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures

This book analyzes the crisis of the idea of human being based on timeless notions, in the Euroamerican context, as seen primarily through literature and cinema. It focuses on Italy, which has been and remains a crossroads for diverse cultural and political currents—open to Mediterranean cultural influences while remaining within a typically Western cultural context. The “new man,” defined by Corrado Alvaro during his trip in Russia in 1934 as “transitional,” implies a human being with a fundamental need for change. Instead of the “new man,” Italo Calvino in the 1960 preface to his I nostri antenati wrote about the …

Artificial Light At Night Alters Seaweed Reproductive Phenology, Emma Moyse, Louise Firth, Tim Smyth, Thomas Davies

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a growing, globally prevalent environmental stressor. It is known to disrupt biological processes across taxa and biomes, including reproductive phenology in terrestrial plants, but its potential to alter reproductive timings in marine macroalgae remains unexplored. We used reflectance spectrometry to quantitatively assess changes in receptacle ripeness of three fucoid macroalgae species at four field sites along an ALAN gradient in Plymouth Sound, UK over a six-month period. At sites with elevated ALAN (measured using Sky Quality Meters, range 16.15–18.76 mag arcsec ⁻², equivalent to 3.75 × 10 ⁻²–3.38 × 10 ⁻³ cd/m …

Redistricting, Gerrymandering, And Graham V. Adams: It's Time For An Independent Redistricting Commission In Kentucky, Kathleen Dudgeon

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.