Digital Commons Network^™

Goodbye, Nomcompetes? Policy Diffusion And State-Level Reforms, Lorenzo G. Luisetto, Norman D. Bishara

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Post-employment non-competition agreements (“noncompetes”) have been part of the common law dating back to at least 1414. The past 16 years have seen an unprecedented wave of scrutiny that is mostly aimed at curtailing these agreements, culminating in the contentious 2024 Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) attempted noncompete ban. With the broad FTC ban on hold for the foreseeable future, the spotlight shifts back to the states where innovation in noncompete policy is blossoming. In this study, we systematically explore the legislative and policy trends reshaping the U.S. noncompete landscape. We propose a novel typology of these reforms and apply a …

A Meta-Narrative Review: Advancements In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis And Their Impact On Healthcare Professionals, Nadine Duran, Mehwish Khalil, Alexandria Ramirez, Link Summers-Perry, Mary Coolbaugh-Murphy, Denise Juroske Short

Research Methods Poster Session 2026

No abstract provided.

Harding University Spring Sing Program 2026

Spring Sing

Program for the 2026 Spring Sing performance at Harding University

Theme: Destinations

Host & Hostesses: Miriam Bennett, Callie Disch, Weston Eades, and Isaac Linnett

Bad Parenting On Trial: How Gender, Race, And Class Shape Parental Responsibility Prosecutions And Laws For School Shootings, Makayla R. Foust

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

In 2021, James and Jennifer Crumbley became the first parents in the United States to be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with their son’s school shooting that killed four people and injured multiple others. As school shootings continue to devastate communities across the country, prosecutors are increasingly holding parents criminally liable for their children’s actions. This development raises fundamental questions about justice, accountability, and the limits of criminal liability. While these laws aim to curb gun violence by enforcing parental accountability, they will disproportionately affect marginalized communities, particularly along gender, racial, and socioeconomic lines. As legal precedent expands, …

Dignity By Design: A Human-Centered Framework For Ethical Ai, Armin Tadayon

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 has triggered a global arms race–both among private technology companies and between nation states–for dominance in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). If this nascent technology, which is permeating every aspect of our lives as more companies across multiple sectors deploy it for a variety of functions, malfunctions or behaves in unanticipated ways, it can severely affect individuals in their day-to-day lives with broader consequences for society at large. As such, as AI permeates every aspect of our lives, and in some instances, begins to replace humans and human decision-making, it is imperative …

Imprisoned Without A Verdict: The Constitutional Crisis Of Pre-Trial Solitary Confinement, Symone R. Gibbs

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

Kalief Browder’s name endures as a chilling reminder of the human cost of pre-trial solitary confinement. His story reveals the constitutional paradox and moral failure at the heart of this practice: Individuals who remain legally innocent are subjected to one of the harshest punishments the state can impose. This practice strips people of their liberty twice over, first through incarceration itself, and again through prolonged isolation that inflicts devastating psychological harm. Despite its severity, the use of solitary confinement against pre-trial detainees remains largely overlooked in legal scholarship and reform, even as it undermines the presumption of innocence, exacerbates systemic …

Building Community Through Tutoring, Jennifer Vermeer

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Diamond Staff Gain Campus Newsroom, Renee Wielenga

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Dordt Ed Students Far Exceed Iowa Average, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

The Many Dordt Ties To Deep Reading, Andrea Dieleman

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Parents’ Differential Perception Of Siblings’ Risky Play, Emma Smith

Master’s Theses

Parents differentiate their perceptions of risk between first- and second-born children. This study used a mixed methods approach for a novel comparison of parents’ views of risk between their first- and second-born children. Parents in the United States (n = 175, 111 mothers and 63 fathers, M age = 36), all with two biological children (excluding twins) between the ages of 3-10 (first-born M age =7; second-born M age = 5) answered self-report survey measures, including the Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale (TRiPS) and subsections of the Parent Supervision Attributes Profile Questionnaire (PSAPQ), in which they expressed their tolerance …

Annum Arcanum (2026)

Annum Arcanum, 2024-

Annum Arcanum is "an atelier and annual anthology archiving arcane works." The organization of the same name was founded at VCU in the fall of 2023, and published its first collection in the spring of 2024. From the Letter from our Founder in vol. 0: "First, we seek to create spaces specifically catered to the showcasing of works that are experimental, niche, or otherwise outside of the mainstream in other words, the arcane...Beyond that, we strive to be a resource for students to develop their skills as artists."

Safe Sleep Advocates, Jordan Aria Fester, Shirley Garcia, Joann Hatch, Garce Hogge, Amaya Osorio, Anushka Singh

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Senior Synthesis

No abstract provided.

Bibliography On Indigenous Rights In Canada, 1995-2025, Leslie Haddock, Kent Mcneil

All Papers

No abstract provided.

Thinking Machines: Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence, And Technological Anxiety In The American Cold War, Erin Mae Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Following the Second World War, cybernetics emerged as a cross-disciplinary study in philosophy, neurophysiology, electrical engineering, and mathematics. Cyberneticists proposed the formal study of the man-machine analogy; that is, to equate biological structures to a complex mechanical system. Drawing from this analogy, cyberneticists used programmable digital computers to emulate the functions of the human brain. The study of artificial intelligence emerged within this cybernetic discourse in the early 1950s; yet, by the mid-1960s, the two disciplines suffered a methodological fracture. Drawing from a tradition generated by this fracture, historians have traditionally examined cybernetics and artificial intelligence in isolation from one …

Social Media, Masculine Body Ideals, And The Drive For Muscularity: A Serial Mediation Model Across Sexual Identities, Sean P. Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Body image concerns among men are increasingly prevalent yet remain understudied compared to women’s experiences. Drawing on objectification theory, the present study examines the relationship between social media influence and men’s drive for muscularity through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the present study investigates whether the internalization of masculine body ideals and engagement in body surveillance behaviors mediate the link between social media influence and the drive for muscularity. Furthermore, the present study model attempts to explore how these processes differ across sexual identities, given evidence that sexual minority men face distinct sociocultural pressures regarding appearance. Adult male-identifying social media …

Understanding Interculturality And Enacting Culturally Based Pedagogies: A Mixed Methods Study Of In-Service World Language Educators In Secondary Classrooms, Heather L. Sandy

Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored the relationship between an understanding of interculturality and culturally based pedagogies among world language teachers. The study examined the relationship between language teachers’ upbringing, their development of intercultural competence, and their self-efficacy in culturally responsive teaching practices. It addressed a practical knowledge gap concerning the intersection of interculturality and culturally based practices, specifically among secondary education teachers of Spanish and Mandarin Chinese in the United States.

The data sources focused on the qualitative aspects of interculturality, culturally based teaching practices, and world language pedagogy, with quantitative results to enhance qualitative data. The qualitative data collection included …

Mexico’S Judicial Elections And The Politics Of Reform, Amanda Driscoll, Michael J. Nelson, Julio Ríos-Figueroa

Judicature International

No abstract provided.

Frederick Douglass, D.C. Recorder Of Deeds, Randall K. Johnson

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Revolutionizing The Cross-Border Payment System, Muhui Shi

Michigan Technology Law Review

When you bought your coffee this morning, you probably didn’t notice that many cross-border payments were hidden in the process of shipping beans in Ethiopia to the barista in your neighborhood. Comprising more than ten percent of what U.S. consumers spend, cross-border payments are an essential part of U.S. dollar dominance and commercial competitiveness. Yet, the outdated cross-border payment system—shrinking constantly in reach and struggling with structural changes—is demanding a complete upgrade.

What is the best path forward? Cryptocurrencies? E-money? Stablecoins? Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)? In this article, I answer the question by uncovering the core needs of the …

Health, Patents, And Path Dependence: India's Pharmaceutical Crossroads, Jacie Bissell

Michigan Technology Law Review

This paper examines how India’s historical commitment to affordable medicine and public health continues to shape its pharmaceutical patent regime, even as the country aspires to become an innovation-driven economy. Through the lens of path dependence, the paper explores how India’s legal and institutional frameworks have created structural constraints on policy reform. Focusing on key moments such as the Patents Act of 1970, the landmark Novartis decision, and India’s evolving stance on the TRIPS waiver during the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper analyzes the tensions between fostering pharmaceutical innovation and maintaining access to affordable medicines. While recent procedural reforms and judicial …

Recovering From The Ego Death Of The Internet: How The Communications Decency Act Has Shattered Cyber-Libertarianism And The Non-Exceptionalist Move Toward A Brighter Digital World, Peyton Friedlander

Michigan Technology Law Review

For nearly thirty years, the legal framework for analyzing liability for claims of tortious wrongdoing on the Internet has been governed by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (“CDA”). However, much has changed since the Act’s inception. Since Congress enacted the CDA, courts have interpreted its provisions far beyond their original meaning, creating a regime that ultimately destroys a prospective plaintiff’s ability to recover the equitable remedies once available to those seeking redress for online invasions of privacy and reputational harms.

As the Internet continues to grow and changes in technology rapidly develop, it is time to re-center equitable …

Conversational Ai And Human-Centered First Amendment, Inyoung Cheong

Michigan Technology Law Review

Human-centered artificial intelligence (AI) is premised on the idea that humans must remain the ultimate locus of agency in technological systems. First Amendment jurisprudence has displaced this commitment. By extending speech protection to algorithmic architectures, the judiciary has forged a doctrinal shield that insulates corporate actors from the consequences of their products. Conversational AI deepens this crisis through intimate incursions into the epistemic and emotional registers of the self. Emerging approaches that anchor First Amendment coverage to the controllability or traceability of AI outputs offer no stable solution. Policy-level design choices such as safety guardrails and alignment processes can readily …

River City Fashion (2026 Spring)

River City Fashion, 2024-

From the https://studentmedia.vcu.edu/student-media/river-city-fashion/" target="_blank">VCU Student Media Center: "The online-only, student-run fashion and style website reports local events but also details style trends while uncovering local design talent."

Pwatem: An Anthology Of Literature And Art (2026)

Pwatem (Poictesme), 2006-

Pwatem is an anthology of literature and art from undergraduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Pwatem publishes poetry, prose and art of all kinds from talented undergraduate students of all majors.

What Are Men Doing To Prevent Gender-Based Violence? Challenges And Resistance To Traditional Masculinities In Costa Rica, Fiorella Masís Aguilar

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Achieving gender equality and reducing violence, especially violence against women, requires men's involvement. This research focuses on understanding the actions and strategies that Costa Rican men who challenge traditional masculinities use to question or resist hegemonic traditional masculinities. Furthermore, it explores what factors influenced the development of these actions and how the participants understand that hegemonic masculinities and their actions to change them are related to gender-based violence. According to Planning Department of the Judiciary of Costa Rica, four out of five perpetrators of violent crimes are men, and eight out of ten victims are women. Using semi-structured interviews with …

"What Does It Mean If I Am Silent?”: Bipoc And Lgbtq+ Educators’ Narratives Of Identity, Responsibility, And Student Protection, Julie Nicole Von Stein

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative study examined how BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educators describe their experiences navigating curriculum restrictions and book bans in politically restrictive educational environments, their perceptions of administrator support, and how their identities uniquely shape their decisions about resistance and risk. Grounded in Scott’s theory of everyday resistance, the study explored the ways BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educators make decisions about resistance when curricular content connected to race, gender, sexuality, and marginalized identities is challenged or restricted. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with educators who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+, allowing participants to describe their experiences, decision-making processes, perceived risks, and …

How Robotics Can Reduce Occupational Injuries In Hospitals: Is Hipaa A Barrier?, Uwa Maher

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Relationship Of Baseline Gfr With Incidence Of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy After Left Heart Catheterization, Farhan Hiya, Ritesh Pahwani, Suppraja Soundarrajan, Atish Amin, Ali Hassan, Andrew Niclosi

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Iodinated Contrast Exposure In Hospitalized Patients With Acute Kidney Injury: A Descriptive Analysis Of Baseline Characteristics And Unadjusted Outcomes Across 15 Tertiary Healthcare Centers, Ankith Motkar, Herschel Tian, Nameer Ascandar, Slowinski Jacob

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.