Digital Commons Network^™

The Journey Of Accompaniment: Pastoral Care Education For The Laity At The University Church Of Christ In Abilene, Tx, Alejandro Ezquerra

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This Doctor of Ministry project addresses the need for intentional pastoral care formation among lay members at the University Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, with particular attention to its bilingual ministry context. Grounded in the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers as articulated in 1 Pet 2:9, the project argues that pastoral care is not the exclusive responsibility of ordained clergy but a shared calling within the body of Christ. In response to congregational interest in chaplaincy and caregiving, a five-session curriculum titled The Journey of Accompaniment: Forming Hearts for the Ministry of Care was developed to equip …

A Spatial Analysis Of Streetlights In The City Of Sugar Land, Samuel J. Trout

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to analyze patterns between public safety and streetlighting for the City of Sugar Land, TX so that they may better protect their citizens.  The data involved come from the City of Sugar Land’s public works division and include type and location for all the attributes. The method of doing so involved visualizing the patterns of streetlights and their closest light readings to visualize which streetlights are underperforming using the Shiny package in R. Statistical tests were also used to quantify the association between lighting, crime occurrence, and crosswalks. From this, and the literature review, …

"It's A Book You Grab And Squeeze, And Blood Comes Out.” Modernization Of The Colombian Army's Training During U.S.- Funded Plan Colombia And Security Policies: Falsos Positivos And Bodies As Merchandise (2002–2008), Maria Isabel Palacio Cano

ELIN Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Queer Placemaking, Rebranding, And Place Attachment In Northalsted: A Sociological Analysis Of Neighborhood Identity, Inclusion, And Urban Change, Matthew Grydzuk

University Honors Program Senior Projects

This study examines how online discourse reflects public negotiation of neighborhood identity through a qualitative content analysis of Reddit discussions about the renaming of Chicago's Boystown neighborhood to Northalsted. Prior research on LGBTQ neighborhoods has emphasized gayborhoods as sites of safety, identity formation, political mobilization, commercialization, and uneven inclusion. This project builds on that scholarship by examining digital discourse as a site where place attachment, queer placemaking, and urban branding are debated in everyday language. The study asks why people continue to use the name Boystown after the official rebranding and how online participants interpret, resist, or reinterpret the name …

Mentor Circle: A Proposal, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

This proposal introduces Mentor Circle, a structured, time-limited peer mentoring program designed to enhance the intellectual productivity of university faculty. Based on a successful pilot and supported by ten foundational theories in learning science, organizational behavior, and social psychology, Mentor Circle is a low-cost, high-impact intervention that can be embedded into existing faculty development infrastructure with minimal administrative burden.

The program pairs faculty members in assigned dyads for three-week cycles. Within each cycle, the pair meets for just ten minutes per week, alternating between Mentor and Mentee roles, or, if preferred, remaining in the same roles across subsequent cycles. Pilot …

Perceived Fiscal Exchange And Tax Compliance: Evidence From Large Corporate Taxpayers In Tanzania, Susan Kiyenze, Mariam Nchimbi, Said Suluo

Business Management Review

This paper examines the relationship between perceived fiscal exchange (PFE) and Tax Compliance (TCO) among large corporate taxpayers in Tanzania while drawing on the Fiscal Exchange Theory (FET). The study on which this paper is based employed a quantitative research design and analysed data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of 215 large corporate taxpayers in Tanzania. We find that the FET framework has modest explanatory and predictive power. Perceived Fiscal Exchange (PFE) has an insignificant effect on tax compliance of large corporate taxpayers. This suggests that perceptions of fiscal exchange do not necessarily drive …

Influence Of Auditor Experience And Compensation On The Quality Of Key Audit Matter Disclosures: The Moderating Role Of The Audit Committee, Emmanuel Christopher, Ally Adam Mshana

Business Management Review

This study examines how external auditor experience and compensation affect the quality of Key Audit Matter (KAM) disclosures among listed companies in Tanzania, and examines the moderating role of the audit committee financial expertise in these relationships. The study analysed a total of 132 firm-year observations of companies listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) from 2017 to 2024, based on the criteria of consistent listing and annual report publication over the study period. Data was analyzed using a panel FGLS regression. The findings show that audit firm tenure, audit fee, and audit committee financial expertise have a …

The Moral Crisis In American Public Life, Robert N. Bellah

eJournal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Good Freedom: Prioritizing The Anti-Secessionist Characteristics Of Good Jazz, Wesley J. Watkins Iv

eJournal of Public Affairs

In broad terms, jazz is a useful metaphor for American democratic ideals because both are a process, not a product. To the musicians who make it, jazz is not so much a genre as it is a way of making music, even a philosophy of music making. Similarly, democracy is not a destination so much as it is the structural means of co-existing with people who have politically liked-minded agendas as well as with those who have competing, contrary goals. Theoretically, if the American ideals of freedom and equality were ever attained, we could no more take our hands off …

Utahns Prefer State Management Of Public Lands, Casey Trout, Michaelann Nelson, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

In August 2024 the Utah Attorney General’s Office filed a Bill of Complaint challenging the federal government’s ownership of 18.5 million acres of unappropriated land within the state’s borders (1). The state intends the lawsuit to pave the way for eventual transfer of the land to state ownership (2). The Legislature allocated roughly $20 million to the lawsuit as well as a marketing campaign to increase public support for efforts to transfer public lands out of federal ownership. Of that, over $500,000 was spent on attorney’s fees related to the case and over $2.6 million was allocated to a marketing …

Disney's Illusion Of Inclusion, Marissa Davis

All Theses

Walt Disney’s films were not simply entertainment, but a use of racial stereotypes as a profit strategy. Even scholarship that explores these tactics and critically analyzes his most problematic misrepresentations do not to consider the role of Walt Disney, as a man, in creating and promoting these narratives. These depictions, while somewhat in line with the culture when he first entered the business, failed to evolve as society changed. Rather, they were deliberate choices to attract white audiences and increase revenue.

Over time, these tropes became socially unacceptable, yet Disney maintained them for public consumption. While Disney and his company …

The Burnout Machine: Finding The Guide Between Burnout And Meaning Making Using Ifs And Role Theory For Mental Health Professionals (An Integrative Literature Review), Jade Ahneman

Expressive Therapies Theses

Burnout is a syndrome in which compounded stress leads sufferers to feel physical and mental exhaustion, mental distancing, cognitive and emotional impairment, depressed mood, psychological distress, and psychosomatic complaints. Originally thought of as a phenomenon affecting only individuals in helping roles (i.e., mental health workers, teachers, nurses, and police officers), research on burnout and its effective management has become increasingly important since the 1980s, highlighting its pervasiveness across occupational and personal realms. This integrative literature review focused on understanding the effects of burnout on master 's-level counseling students, investigating how Internal Family Systems theory (IFS) and drama therapy’s role theory …

Menstrual Awareness & Symptomology: A Social And Biological Exploration Of Cycle Experiences, Perceptions, And Meaning-Making, Abigail Pratt

Theses & ETDs

The present study is an exploratory mer ger between sociology, psychology, behavioral endocrinology, and cognitive neuroscience, all with a focus on menstrual studies. Past research regarding menstrual impact, attitudes, transdiagonstic pathology, and clinical cognitive reframes have inspire three research objectives: 1) Examine how the transdiagnostic Dimensional Affective Sensitivity to Hormones across the Menstrual Cycle (DASH-MC) framework is represented across the hormonal patterns of two consecutive cycles, 2) Investigate how perceptions of menstruation relate to these observed fluctuations, and 3) Utilize a gratitude intervention to try and promote positive menstrual meaning-making. Six female participants completed the study, providing insightful, valenced trends …

Effect Of Obsessive Thoughts On The Stigma Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Thoughts Of Harm And Sex About Oneself Or Other People, Emma L. Podvorec

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study investigated how obsession content (sexual vs. violent) and target (self vs. others) influence OCD stigma. Using a 3×3 factorial design, 152 participants read vignettes describing an individual experiencing either sexual or violent obsessions directed at either themself or other people, or a control condition describing an individual not experiencing obsessions at all. Participants then rated their desired social distance – a measure of stigma – from the individual described in the vignette. After controlling for participants' own OCD symptoms, a significant main effect for obsession content (p < .001, ηp2 = .14) emerged. Both sexual and violent obsessions elicited significantly higher stigma than the control, though the experimental conditions did not differ from each other. Conversely, the obsession target and the interaction between content and target were non-significant (p’s>.05). These results suggest that the "taboo" nature of an obsession …

Perceived Threats To Masculinity: How Honor, Just World Beliefs, And Hostile Attribution Bias Shape Attitudes Toward Feminism, Alayna Joy Barton

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Masculine Honor Ideology, often endorsed by men, emphasizes the importance of maintaining status and reputation from any perceived threats, usually through aggression and confrontation. A possible justification for this ideology is Just World Beliefs, the trust that society is fair and righteous, even if it perpetuates inequality. Conversely, feminism at its core aims to dismantle all systems and beliefs that perpetuate gender inequality, posing a threat to masculine honor and Just World Beliefs. This type of threat often elicits hostility from men high in honor, especially when they exhibit hostile attribution bias. Those who display this bias may perceive ambiguous …

Understanding First-Name Diversification In The United States, 1910-2020, Riley Nicole Mehall

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study investigates how demographic and cultural changes influenced first-name diversification in the United States between 1910 and 2020. Three main explanations are proposed: Solidarity and Diffusion, Multiculturalism, and Familial Modernization. The normalized Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) was employed to track name diversity for each state–year–sex group. Then, statistical analysis, including two-way fixed-effects linear regression, was completed. This analysis finds a clear correlation between first-name diversity and measures of population density, ethnoracial diversity, and household structure. This supports the conclusion that shifts in socio-demographic composition and cultural values over time played a significant role in shaping naming practices. Ultimately, this study …

Performing (For The) Guru: A Performance Studies Approach To The Study Of Cults, Todd M. Brown

Dissertations

This project approaches a long-term experience of living in a cult through a performance studies lens. Utilizing autoethnographic methods, it explores personal insights and observations from years within the inner-circle of a coercive religious environment under tyrannical leadership. A variety of systems and relationships are narrated and analyzed according to three categories: ritualization, deployability, and occupation. Ritualization explains how a body becomes imbued with the rhythms and mantras of a cultic milieu. Deployability describes how this body is put into action at the service of the leadership. Occupation, as a metaphor, illuminates how a cultic subject becomes filled with the …

Community Engagement Newsletter, May 2026, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Community Engagement.

Community Engagement Newsletter

Contents:

--- UNI's Day of Service - Thank You
--- A Snapshot of Our Collective Impact
--- Online Engaged Department Institute

Partners In Pilgrimage: Transforming The Journey Of Adolescence By Guiding Teenagers Toward Faithful Lives, Redefining Success, And Cultivating Connection To God, Abigail R. Weaver

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Adolescence is a formative period in which young people seek meaning, identity, and belonging while navigating a complex array of cultural, social, and developmental pressures. In suburban American contexts, these pressures are intensified by competitive academic environments, demanding extracurricular commitments, and pervasive societal expectations that equate worth with achievement. Drawing from my experience as a youth minister in suburban United Methodist churches, this dissertation examines how such forces shape the spiritual and personal development of 15- to 18-year-olds and explores the Church’s role in guiding adolescents through this landscape with wisdom and care.

Grounded in the Christian tradition and informed …

Place, Democracy, Law, And The Necessity Of Local News, Erin C. Carroll

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In 2025, the painter Amy Sherald pulled her show American Sublime from the Smithsonian after the museum considered removing a painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty to avoid angering President Trump. The Baltimore Museum of Art stepped in, and it was important that it did. American Sublime needs to be seen in person. It comprises dozens of portraits of Black Americans—a farmer, a bicyclist, a balloon-holder, a child on a playground slide. The portraits are dignified, beautiful, warm, and alluring. They are, in a word, human.

In the gallery, the paintings were hung low on the walls to increase …

Invisible Chains: The School-To-Prison Pipeline And The Criminalization Of Latinx Youth In Los Angeles, Martina Elizalde

Whittier Scholars Program

This quantitative research report examines how school discipline, attendance patterns, school policing, juvenile justice involvement, and reentry barriers reflect the broader school-to-prison pipeline affecting Latinx youth in Los Angeles. Using publicly available secondary data from the California Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles School Police Department, California Department of Justice, Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission, and Homeboy Industries, this project analyzes the pipeline as a system rather than as one single event. The findings show that Latinx youth experience educational progress in some areas, such as graduation, but they continue to face higher chronic absenteeism, …

Sense Of Belonging And Self-Efficacy Of Women In Stemm At The University Of South Alabama, Emilie Dedeaux

Honors Theses

Despite decades of calls and initiatives to diversify science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) disciplines, females are still more likely to leave STEMM career paths compared to their male peers, which is often depicted as a 'leaky pipeline'. Females in STEMM often report greater social alienation, greater selfdoubt, lower sense of belonging and academic satisfaction due to a mismatch in values in STEMM disciplines. STEMM values have traditionally been normed by cisheteronormative, white, male ideologies . While extensive research has focused on the barriers females experience in STEMM that reduce sense of belonging , less research has focused on …

Substance Use And Childhood Environment In Adolescent Head Injury: Examining The Effects Of Race, Jessica A. Phelps

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adolescents participating in sports are at an increased risk of concussion, which is particularly important given the difficulties with cognitive function, emotion regulation, and impulsivity that may occur as a result of this brain injury. These symptoms can predispose adolescents to subsequent concussions, leading to further damage during a critical time in neurodevelopment which can result in mental health disorder development in adulthood. It is crucial to understand what factors may predispose youth to increased rates of concussion for these reasons. As such, this paper explored whether race/ethnicity, gender, grade in school, childhood environment, and risk-taking behaviors were associated with …

Social Bonds And Dynamic Risk In Predicting Juvenile Recidivism Among Florida Probation Youth, Shadrach Sackey

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Juvenile recidivism remains a persistent challenge within the United States juvenile justice system, particularly among youth supervised in community-based probation programs. This study examines how family context, school engagement, peer associations, antisocial beliefs, and overall dynamic risk are associated with recidivism among juvenile probation youth in Florida. Drawing on social bond theory and social learning theory, the analysis uses administrative data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) Juvenile Justice Information System, including 6,215 youth who completed community-based probation supervision between 2015 and 2018. Recidivism was measured using two outcomes within a 365-day follow-up period: rearrest and readjudication. Descriptive …

National Center For Children In Poverty Releases 2025/2026 Tanf Cash Assistance Policy Series, Karen Chatfield, Sydney Elltringham

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Bank Street Graduate School of Education has released its 2025/2026 TANF Cash Assistance Policy Series to help support policymakers and advocates in strengthening these vital supports.

Place, Democracy, Rule Of Law, And The Necessity Of Local News, Erin C. Carroll

University of the Pacific Law Review

No abstract provided.

Community Resilience In The Absence Of Aid: Recovery After The 2018 Father’S Day Flood In Houghton County, Michigan, Abby Heggem

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Community networks influenced resilience and recovery after the 2018 Father’s Day Flood in Houghton County Michigan, particularly in the absence of strong institutional support. The flood caused widespread damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure, forcing residents to rely on immediate local action before state or federal aid arrived. Rural locations like Houghton County are often neglected by government funding and support during disasters and are forced to rely on themselves. Community networks matter in disasters because neighbors, volunteer groups, and local leaders respond faster than formal institutions. This project uses a qualitative case study approach that includes content analysis of …

Relationships Between Therapists And Diverse Children's Populations And Their Effects, Brenda Sanchez Vega

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Roughly around 13.8% of children and adolescents in the United States receive some sort of counseling or therapy; the main focus of the research is on racial/ethnic minoritized children. Because APA’s ethical codes don’t address all possible situations, positive client-therapist relationships are bound to develop, including dyads or dual relationships, improving treatment progress. With the United States continuing to grow in diversity, there’s still a big gap in the literature surrounding minority children in therapy. Speculating if therapy approaches are used effectively for all children, including minoritized children. Based on past research already conducted, developing a positive client-therapist dual relationship …

"I Exist In Triple": Parisian Influence, And The Three-Way Split In James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room (1956), Paloma Lupino

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

James Baldwin's novel Giovanni's Room was received as a rebellion against his cohort of ex-patriate Black writers due to its entirely white cast. This thesis investigates how the Parisian influence of the Black writers in Paris served as inspiration for the creation of Baldwin’s second publication. The use of racial frameworks progresses the discussion of a different topic: queerness. Giovanni’s Room will be explored in the following ways: Paris as the internal environment of the novel and Baldwin's backdrop in the novel's creation, the conversation of ex-patriate Black writers, feminism, intersectionality, hygiene as queerness, and a three-way split of consciousness. …

Corporate Social Responsibility, Prosocial Behavior, And Control, Jennifer Fin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to better understand how an organization's prosocial behaviors, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), shape an individual member's private, prosocial behavior. This study examined whether an individual’s locus of control (LOC) works as a moderator to shape the CSR-behavior relationship. Participants were recruited through Montclair State University’s SONA pool and assigned into a High CSR, Neutral, or Corporate Social Irresponsibility (CSiR) condition. Each participant completed self-report measures to assess internal LOC before the experimental manipulation. Each participant reviewed a news article to match their CSR condition and then had an opportunity to donate their compensation, which …