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2026 Spring Commencement Program: Winona State University, Winona State University

WSU Commencement Programs

This is the Winona State University Spring 2026 commencement program. Commencement was on Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8, 2026.

During the Commencement event, a complete list of graduates was provided online. This program was not published during the Commencement event. This digital copy is maintained in the repository for archival purposes.

Mental Illness, Probation, And Recidivism: Standardizing Uniform Mental Health Docket Legislation In Ohio, Holly Lloyd

Journal of Law and Health

The rise of Mental Illness diagnoses in the United States unique to the criminal justice system. Specifically in Ohio, individuals with mental illness diagnoses have increased within the criminal justice system leading to the implementation of the Mental Health Court Docket. The Mental Health Docket has led to a decrease in recidivism by providing Defendants with appropriate mental health treatment. Within Ohio there is no universal standard for individuals being admitted into the Docket which has led to inconsistencies throughout the State and restrictive clinical requirements like requiring a diagnosis with psychosis. These inconsistencies contribute to higher recidivism rates and …

Criminalizing Resistance: The Black Panther Party And State Terror In The U.S., Tyler Messinger

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the rise, suppression, and eventual collapse of the Black Panther Party (BPP) between 1966 and 1972, arguing that the organization was dismantled not primarily due to internal failures, financial issues, or criminal activity, but through a sustained campaign of state repression led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Using a document-based historical case study approach, the paper draws extensively on declassified FBI memoranda, COINTELPRO records, congressional testimony from the Church Committee, contemporary newspaper coverage, and the Black Panther Party’s own publications. Placing the BPP within the broader trajectory of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, …

The Response Of Child Protection Services To Prenatal Substance Exposure, Cierra Hassel

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Prenatal Substance Exposure (PSE) is a growing public health concern that requires Child Protection Services (CPS) involvement. CPS is a government agency that investigates child safety to determine whether child removal is necessary. Due to the increase of substance use during pregnancy, often linked to the opioid epidemic, more mandated reporters are submitting reports for positive drug tests at birth, which are screened in as neglect by the mother. PSE has significant implications for developing fetuses, potentially causing both short- and long-term behavioral, medical, and developmental challenges.  

Pregnant women with substance use disorder may often neglect prenatal care, as they …

Clemson Commencement Program, May 2026, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Inside The World Of Probation Officers: Challenges, Perspectives, And Purpose, Achilles A.C. Beumel

Honors Theses

In the United States, probation is the most commonly imposed criminal sentence, necessitating an abundance of probation officers (POs) to serve the system. Given high rates of failed reentry in tandem with high rates of recidivism, there have been calls for a reevaluation of post-conviction supervision systems and strategies, including the PO. The PO is the final form of assistance provided by the criminal justice system to those facing reentry and can heavily impact a client’s likelihood of recidivism. Despite years of research and attempted reform, more studies are still needed to determine strategies for successful reentry outcomes. This study …

The Cost Of Compassion: Mixed Methods Insights Into Healthcare Chaplains’ Experiences Of Workplace Violence, Dana Fachner

Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare workers’ exposure to workplace violence has been well documented, with research emphasizing both its frequency and severity among clinical staff like physicians and nurses. Still, one group remains markedly overlooked: healthcare chaplains. Despite their frequent presence in high-stress, unpredictable, and emotionally charged situations, chaplains have never before been included in research regarding healthcare workers’ exposure to workplace violence. Healthcare chaplains provide spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and staff by offering support that is culturally sensitive and appropriate to patients’ religious traditions. Chaplains collaborate with medical teams to deliver holistic care and are involved in a wide range …

The Proportionality Trap: Why Retributivism's Core Principle Falls Short, Neely C. Kiihnl

Honors Theses

The notion that punishment should “fit” the crime dates back to legal retribution’s origins. Retributivism posits that offenders deserve punishment matching the severity of their crimes, lending intuitive appeal over utilitarianism, which critics argue ignores moral wrongdoing by focusing solely on social benefits like reduced harm.

Yet Adam Kolber’s work exposes proportionality’s vagueness: it raises more problems and questions than it solves. In the first section of this paper, the concept of proportionality is explored in more depth. The second section, led by Kolber’s critiques, casts doubt on the stability of proportionality. Finally, in the third section, I propose a …

Temporal, Spatial, And Socioeconomic Patterns Of Intimate Partner Violence In Los Angeles, Alexis O. Haiar

Honors Thesis

This study examines temporal, spatial, and socioeconomic patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Los Angeles using a quantitative, data-driven approach. Crime data from the Los Angeles Open Data Portal were analyzed alongside median household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau to identify patterns across time, location, and economic conditions. IPV incidents were filtered from the dataset and analyzed using descriptive statistics, data visualization, and statistical modeling techniques. The results indicate that IPV incidents exhibit consistent temporal patterns, with higher frequencies observed during evening hours and on weekends. Monthly and seasonal analyses show variation in overall incident levels, but …

Exploring Resilience And Positive Psychology – Mental Health Clinicians’ Perspectives On Schizophrenia Within The Criminal Justice System, Shaquanna Ferguson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Trauma, Memory, And Decision-Making: How Covid-19 Shaped Autobiographical Memories And Risky Decision-Making In Young Adults, Rachel Seo

Student Theses

Autobiographical memory is a critical component of the memory process that guides future behaviors by relying on past personal experiences connected to major public events. This decision-making process is heavily influenced by trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as they may guide individuals to riskier behaviors. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global traumatic stressor that contributed to shifts in behavioral outcomes post-pandemic. Despite research showing associations between memory accessibility, traumatic symptoms, and decision-making, there is limited research on health-related behaviors and post-pandemic behavioral outcomes in individuals with high trauma exposure specifically from the pandemic. The present study investigates …

Transforming Experience Into Practice: A Portfolio Of Growth, Identity, And Leadership, Ana I. Loli

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This professional portfolio documents the integration of my academic learning, practicum experience, and personal transformation throughout the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. Drawing from trauma‑informed, anti-oppressive, and culturally responsive frameworks, I demonstrate competency across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice, with particular emphasis on ethical decision-making, ADEI engagement, community assessment, policy analysis, research-informed practice, and collaborative leadership. Through narrative reflections and applied artifacts—including case analyses, simulated clinical sessions, community-based research, organizational evaluation, and leadership implementation—I illustrate how meaning, context, power, history, and possibility shape my approach to social work. This portfolio highlights my development …

Exploring Child Trafficking Survivors' Experiences: Support, Revictimization, And Justice Institutions, Max Lubin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Lineup Construction Strategies In The Presence Of Within-Person Variability, Abbey M. Greenfield

Student Theses

Photographic lineups are used more frequently than live lineups, but photographs are not always reliable representations of a person’s appearance. Oftentimes, images used in lineups are drawn from mug books, passports, and driver’s license photographs—which may be outdated. As a result, even when a culprit is correctly identified for inclusion in a lineup, the photograph used may differ significantly from their appearance during the event due to natural changes in appearance (Jenkins et al., 2011). Further, the degree of suspect-filler similarity sufficient to achieve optimal discriminability remains a topic of debate (Fitzgerald et al., 2013). We examined the impact differing …

Propasafe-Hybrid: A Text-Based Hybrid Propaganda Detection Tool, Thomas Kimmeth, Avijit Roy, Vivek Sharma

Publications and Research

Propagandistic content increasingly circulates through online news and social media, where readers often encounter it with limited scrutiny, highlighting the need for reliable and fine-grained detection. This paper introduces Propasafe-Hybrid, a sentence-level system that integrates a fine-tuned transformer classifier with LLM-based technique classification to identify, label, and explain specific propaganda strategies. The pipeline generates actionable outputs, including highlighted sentences, technique assignments, and concise rationales, so users can immediately understand why a sentence was flagged and how each label was determined. To control inference cost, Propasafe-Hybrid employs a cost-aware pre-filtering stage that forwards only high-likelihood sentences to LLMs, reducing token usage …

Chemical Abortion—A Case Study: How Mifepristone And Loper Bright Raise The Question Of Who Decides, J. Marc Wheat

Liberty University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Foreword: Raising Our Voices, Together, Lauren Sudeall

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

Let’S Break Chains: Ending Solitary Confinement In Prisons, Charlotte Kim

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

Band-Aid Over A Bullet Hole: The Lack Of Mental Health Care In Women’S Prisons And The Culture That Perpetuates It., Deborah, Julie, Karli Tellis, Misty, Olivia Hatch, Sara Manian

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

Furtherance Or Failure Of Justice: Felony Murder Framework In Tennessee, Anokhi Patel, Erika, Joelyn Onyekachi, Meleah, Oluwafunmilayo Oguns, Vernice, Erin Melton

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

In Re Special Investigation Misc. 1064, 478 Md. 528: Do Not Do Anything You Would Not Want A Grand Jury To Know, Jessica S. Stampfer

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Reddit Posts Made By Formerly Incarcerated Women, Madison R. Diaz

Graduate Student Thesis

Women with felony convictions who serve prison sentences encounter significant barriers during reentry, making it difficult to achieve stability. These barriers are shaped by stigma, background check policies, and limited access to supportive resources, often leading to feelings of hopelessness and isolation. The current study analyzes Reddit posts made by self-identified women in the r/Felons subreddit to understand how they describe these barriers and how they use online spaces for support. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify common themes related to employment, education, housing, and stigma. Many posts reflect frustration, discouragement, and anger toward the criminal justice system …

The Carceral State, The Criminalization Of Black Thought And Behavior, And Its Effects On The Black Community And Black Art, Sydney Stewart

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

Rehabilitation In Name Only: Structural And Procedural Failures In Tennessee’S Parole System, Laney Quickel, Ashia Davis, Kresha Patel, Michelle, Camillia, Sherra

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

The Need For A Sentencing “Second Look” Statute In Tennessee, Alisha, Bershia, Lindsey, Rhyma Asim, Cassandra Berice, Kyle Smith

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

Estimator And Reflector Variables In Eyewitness Recall, Sakshi Mundra

Student Theses

Eyewitnesses are frequently asked to describe culprits following a crime, but how accurate and complete are such descriptions? This study examined eyewitness description completeness and accuracy by investigating estimator variables (Race and Gender), reflector variables (Confidence and Response Time), and elicitation methods (Free Recall and Prompted Recall). Participants viewed one mock-crime video featuring a culprit who varied in race (White or Black) and gender (Female or Male), then provided free recall descriptions followed by prompted descriptions of facial features. Prompted recall improved completeness beyond free recall, though with a minor reduction in accuracy. Descriptions were more complete for same-race and …

Juvenile Justice, Kayla Baptiste

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

When a minor fatally shoots their classmate, the justice system faces a harrowing question: does this child deserve the same death sentence as an adult murderer? While most instinctively answer ‘no,’ the philosophical ‘why’ remains complex. Juvenile courts were founded on the principle that young offenders are developmentally distinct, possessing limited decision-making capacity and a unique potential for reform. Some argue that punishing juveniles identically to adults harmfully ignores these developmental limits, while others contend that exempting them from adult sanctions disregards the cruelty and intent present in their crimes. Ultimately, however, no philosophical justification for punishment—neither utilitarian nor retributive—justifies …

Mistaken Selections: Predicting Eyewitness Identification Tendencies, Olivia Eldred

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

Eyewitnesses sometimes mistakenly identify suspects in a police lineup, leading to dire consequences for the suspects. This study aimed to look at individual witness’s likelihood of falsely identifying an innocent suspect. Participants watched a series of 4 crime videos, from which they were later asked to identify the culprits in a lineup. Participants then studied face stimuli and completed a speed-of-learning memory test and a two alternative choice test. Our goal was to use the various face tests to predict responses to the lineups for simulated crimes.

International Human Rights Protection Before The International Criminal Court, Mary Abigail Chapin, Dr. Meredieth Deboom

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

The International Criminal Court (ICC) formally came into force on July 1, 2002, becoming the only treaty-based permanent court to prosecute perpetrators of the most severe crimes. The court was founded primarily to prosecute perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity (CAH), and war crimes (with the addition of crimes of aggression in the summer of 2018) no matter the public stature of the individual accused. This was a major step by the international community in the global fight against impunity. In no case was this more clearly shown than in the court’s issuing of arrest warrants for the then sitting …

White Antiracists: Everyday Antiracism And White Fragility Among Racially Progressive White Americans, Buffy Renea Duncan, Jaclyn Wong Ph.D

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

Despite the abolition of slavery and Jim Crow laws, racial inequity persists. Bonilla-Silva (2017) suggests that colorblind racism, or the assertion that race does not matter for one’s life chances, has perpetuated anti-Black racial inequality since the Civil Rights Movement. Now, through antiracist efforts such as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, White Americans are increasingly expanding their notions of racism to include the subtle, institutional racial discrimination associated with colorblind ideologies (Crass 2015). A rejection of “colorblind” thinking places Whites in a position to address systems of White supremacy, both in themselves and the world around them, but it …