Digital Commons Network^™

Why So Few? Sense-Making The Latino Librarian’S Place In The Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Phenomenological Approach, Valentin Macias Jr.

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Despite record Latinx student enrollment across California's higher education systems, Latino men remain severely underrepresented in academic librarianship, comprising less than 0.5% of librarians nationally. This persistent gap represents a critical equity issue within a profession that increasingly serves diverse student populations. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of twelve Latino male academic library professionals at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) through in-depth interviews to understand the factors shaping their professional identity, the barriers they encounter, and what sustains their persistence in the profession. Using transcendental phenomenology as the methodological approach and Critical Race Theory as the theoretical framework, the study …

Building Bridges: Evaluating Teacher Preparation And Program Activation Of Ethnic Studies In California’S K-12 High Schools Through An Autoethnography, Jose Aguilera-Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of secondary Social Science educators teaching Ethnic Studies in the early stages of program activation, with particular attention to the challenges that are often invisible to policymakers, institutions of higher education, and K-12 school districts. Using an autoethnographic approach, the research examines key elements of Ethnic Studies Program Activation, including infrastructure support, capacity building, professional development led by experienced Ethnic Studies practitioners, and teaching with fidelity. The findings aim to provide actionable guidance for educators and district leaders to support new Ethnic Studies teachers at the secondary level and to inform leadership teams at …

Bridging Leadership Theory And Practice In University Advancement: Exploring Transactional, Transformational, And Followership Dynamics, Austin D. Quick

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Leadership in higher education fundraising represents one of the most relational and complex forms of organizational influence. Unlike traditional hierarchies, university advancement operates through networks of trust, reciprocity, and shared purpose; conditions that can challenge leadership models designed for positional authority. This qualitative, phenomenological study examined how advancement professionals experienced and integrated transactional and transformational leadership behaviors within relationship-driven systems, and how followership shaped the interpretation and uptake of leadership intent over time. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory (Blau, 1964), Augmentation Theory (Bass, 1985), and Followership Theory (Riggio, 2014), the study reconceptualized leadership as a co-created process grounded in relational …

Impact Of Affirmative Care For Lgbtqsia2+ Youth In Foster Care, Jody Brown

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

One of the major challenges within the child welfare system is that LGBTQSIA2+ youth often face discrimination, stigma and have limited access to mental health services. Although previous research has identified LGBTQSIA2+ youth being overrepresented in foster care, they face distinctive vulnerabilities that are inadequately addressed in present policies within child welfare practices. Despite experiencing higher levels of placement instability and being at greater risk of anxiety, depression and psychological distress, there remain gaps in tangible support and evaluating the effectiveness of intersectionality of lived experiences of LGBTQSIA2+ youth in the foster care. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research …

Haunting As Heritage: Mapping The Interior And Indigenous Ghosts, Koda L. Animkii

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Within Stephen Graham Jones’ novella Mapping the Interior, the connections between history and identity are analyzed and emphasized through the exploration of identity formation and the impacts of settler colonialism on the self. These connections are heightened through the novella’s use of horror, as the rhetoric of the normative and monstrous within the genre holds the potential for both resistance and oppression. Looking at the genre of horror as a whole, and at the subgenres of ghost stories and hauntings more specifically, the shifting structures of the Self and the Other as established by Robin Wood’s “An Introduction to …

Serotonin 7 Receptor Modulation On Measures Of Working Memory And Anxiety, Antonio Gutierrez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Serotonin (5-HT) function is critical in the regulation and homeostasis of several neural systems. Alterations in 5-HT levels can directly impact the presence of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. With a wide range of 5-HT receptors, the potential impact each of these modulators have on behavior is important to better understand. The 5-HT7 receptor is the most recently identified 5-HT receptor. 5-HT7 receptors can be found in the thalamus, hypothalamus, and several areas of the hippocampus. Modulation of these receptors impact circadian rhythms, hormonal regulation and memory function. Previous research has that 5-HT7 antagonist compounds lead to conflicting results, highlighting …

Examining Student Practices In A Technology-Mediated Math Classroom, Bradley T. Dodd

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

It is important for math educators to make sense of student thinking in the classroom. Without opportunities to practice this skill math educators struggle to improve, particularly when students are engaging in mathematics using technology. As such, there is a need for video artifacts of students engaging with mathematics using technology for use in professional development activities (Lovett 2020). In accordance with Lovett et al.'s (2020) design principles for examining student practices in a technology-mediated environment, I carried out a study to determine whether these artifacts of student work could be created working with college undergraduates as participants. Students engaged …

Nonbinary And Transgender Representation In Media: How Scripted Media Impacts And Shapes The Identities Of Communities Outside The Gender Binary, Makenna Dykstra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The lack of, and otherwise poor, representation of nonbinary and trans communities contributes to the societal othering of these communities. However, nonbinary and trans representation holds importance to these communities. Trans and nonbinary communities, like other communities, use media to help them negotiate their identities (Hall, 2005). However, current representation in scripted television is small and contentious, with the ability to have just as much of a negative impact as a positive one. LGBTQ+ television has a history of favoring moderate depictions of queerness, like that in nonbinary and trans characters, as a means of defining these identities to cisgender …

Towards The Publisher-Function Of The Independent Press: Authorship And Experimentation In The Semiotext(E) Oeuvre, Gilbert Aguirre

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project is a contribution to debates on authorship, expanding Foucault’s theorization of the author as a function of discourse into the field of creative production by proposing my theory of the publisher-function. Here, I highlight the role of the publisher in shaping literary discourse using avant-garde publishing house Semiotext(e). I analyze two experimental publications to illustrate how this publisher’s role in editing and curating their booklist—or, as I propose we call it, their oeuvre—compounds with the fact of publication to create a new kind of authorial role. This is done through emphasizing the paratexts, elements of design, and literary …

Teaching Through A Cultural Lens: A Practitioner’S Self-Study On Fostering Science Engagement Among Latina/O And African American Middle School Students, Michelle R. Estrada-Quezada

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Latina/os and African American students are underrepresented in STEM fields and STEM majors. Participation in STEM related activities and course work dwindles over the course of K-16 schooling, a phenomenon known as the leaky pipeline. Culturally relevant teaching is one practice that has been found to increase engagement and academic success among underrepresented student populations. This research project aims to study the impact of culturally relevant science teaching on the teacher and the students through a semester-long self- study in an eighth-grade middle school classroom. Data sources included daily reflection journals, critical friend debrief sessions with an advisor, student pre- …

The Different Effects Of Housing First Policies On Homeless Men And Women With Substance Use Issues, John Carlin, Simon Ogom, Kimberly Quiles, Juan Zamudio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Substance use is a prevalent issue in the homeless population, and in recent years, the homeless population has continued to grow. HF is a model where a homeless person is placed in housing with no preconditions. This model has been shown to be an effective tool in solving homelessness while also mitigating the rate of substance use in this population. However, there is no clear data on whether women benefit at the same rate as men in HF, and the majority of current studies are male-focused. Women often face unique issues like higher levels of assault while homeless, and it …

What Is Transitional Care And Its Role In Reducing Readmissions, Decia Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Thirty-day readmissions to hospitals creates significant clinical and financial burdens in healthcare systems and worsens patient outcomes. This project reviews transitional care programs as strategic interventions to minimize preventable readmission with a specific focus on pharmacist-led medication reconciliation. Due to the extensive literature review, this work proves that structured transitional care is effective in closing the gaps between acute hospital care and home-based recovery because it coordinates medication management, patient education, and follow-up care. As it has been shown, pharmacists are in a central position to minimize medication errors and enhance compliance, especially in chronic patients such as those with …

Anti- Intellectualism, Authenticity, And Intellectual Authority In Short-Form Digital Discourse, Mariaisabel Sandoval

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis examines how anti-intellectualism, authenticity, and credibility intersect in digital discourse. In contemporary online environments, expertise is increasingly treated with suspicion, while relatability, emotional immediacy, and personal conviction often function as alternative markers of trustworthiness. Under these conditions, intellectual expression may become socially risky, particularly in spaces where speakers must appear authentic without seeming overly serious, pretentious, or out of touch. This study asks how credibility and authority are performed, negotiated, and contested in short-form digital discourse, and how sincerity is reshaped when authenticity itself becomes a rhetorical performance.

This project is grounded in scholarship on anti-intellectualism, platform culture, …

Methods Of Execution Through An Admistrative-Law Lens, Eric Berger

University of Richmond Law Review

Different lenses focus on distinct aspects of the same legal problem. Take the death penalty or, more specifically, methods of execution. Through a doctrinal lens, one might ask whether a particular method of execution creates a risk of excruciating pain incompatible with the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual” punishments. Through an originalist lens, we consider the original meaning of the words “cruel” and “unusual.” Through a proceduralist lens, a key question is when a trial court may issue a stay of execution to permit closer judicial examination of an execution procedure (or some other alleged legal deficiency). And …

Capital Punishment, Crimmigration, And The Necropolitical Agenda Against Noncitizens, Erin R. Collins

University of Richmond Law Review

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14164, Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety. This Order, one of twenty-six signed on Inauguration Day, directs the Attorney General to seek the death penalty for any “capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country,” and specifies the mandate applies “regardless of other factors.” In other words, the Order requires federal prosecutors to set aside their duty to determine what punishment comports with justice in an individual case, and instead seek the authority to kill anyone who is within the country without lawful status upon commission …

Anti-Death Penalty Advocacy In A Time Of Resurgence, Carol S. Steiker, Jordan M. Steiker

University of Richmond Law Review

After a staggering two-decade decline dating back to the turn of the millennium, the American death penalty is experiencing a notable resurgence. Executions in 2025 climbed to their highest mark in over a decade (forty-seven nationwide), more than 150% of any year since 2015 (twenty-eight nationwide) and the highest total since 2009. These executions span eleven states, the largest number of states conducting executions in a single year since 2000. Relatedly, the Supreme Court of the United States seems less inclined to rein in capital practices. The Court has exhibited increased hostility toward end-stage litigation, illustrated most prominently in its …

Table Of Contents: Online Edition 2025-2026

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Preface, Grace Condello

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Freedman's Savings Bank And Financial Literacy Education, Alexis A. Balance

University of Richmond Law Review

In the United States, white, non-Hispanic individuals possess approximately seven times the wealth of Black individuals. One recent study found that for every 100 dollars in wealth held by a white household, a Black household holds about fifteen dollars. This disparity in wealth accumulation is referred to as the wealth gap, and it has historically stratified along racial lines. Although income inequality contributes to this disparity, the racial wealth gap is much more pronounced and continues to grow. …

A Terrorist In Death Only: How The Death Penalty Fills The Gap In Federal Terrorism Law, Caroline A. Mcbride

University of Richmond Law Review

In the absence of a federal statute criminalizing domestic terrorism, the United States turned to an unlikely proxy: the death penalty. This Comment argues that capital punishment is used to define domestic terrorism, particularly when statutory tools cannot capture white supremacist attacks. Although former President Biden commuted most federal death sentences to life imprisonment without parole, three individuals whose attacks met the legal definition of domestic terrorism were excluded from clemency. Examining several cases from Timothy McVeigh to Luigi Mangione reveals a trend of defendants whose crimes meet the legal definition of domestic terrorism receiving the death penalty, even when …

Raising The Bar: Virginia Constitutional Interpretation Post-Vlaming, The Honorable Lisa M. Lorish, Alec Block, Amy Vanderveer

University of Richmond Law Review

Across the United States, dozens of state supreme courts choose to interpret their state constitutions as co-extensive, or in “lockstep” with analogous provisions of the Constitution of the United States. Yet since the Supreme Court overruled or changed its interpretation in a number of rights-based cases, state constitutions are receiving new attention. In Virginia, several years before Dobbs sparked this new focus, the Supreme Court of Virginia departed from the Supreme Court of the United States’ interpretation of its Free Exercise Clause analogue and adopted a new standard providing increased protection. In doing so, the Court signaled its willingness to …

Scaling Of Thermal Conductivity In The Eliot Formation, Ryan Todd Siegel

Master's Theses and Capstones

Heat flow governs the performance of geothermal energy systems, and thermal conductivity is the primary material property controlling subsurface heat transfer. This study investigates heat flow through media with spatially variable thermal conductivity within the heterogeneous Eliot Formation, a metamorphic unit extending across the coastal region of northeast New England. The objective of this work is to develop an approach for scaling thermal conductivity from core-scale measurements to field-scale values representative of geothermal borefield systems.Divided bar thermal conductivity testing, petrographic analyses, geological observations, and existing literature were integrated to construct a MODFLOW model that captures the heterogeneous thermal behavior of …

Organizational Visibility In The Nonprofit Sector: Perspectives Of Communication Professionals, Theophilus Femi Alawonde

All Theses

Nonprofit organizations need to manage relationships with their stakeholders and audiences for varying reasons, one of which is the desire to stay visible. Given the peculiarities of the nonprofit sector, this study sought to understand how visibility is conceptualized in practice, and how nonprofit professionals work towards optimizing and evaluating visibility efforts, given organizational and sectoral constraints.

Drawing on Structuration Theory’s duality of structure framework, the study examined the structural constraints that shape visibility in the nonprofit sector, and extends the literature by examining the role of agency in enacting visibility among selected nonprofit organizations in the United States.

From Leaders To Lifesavers: The Impact Of Leader Development On Healthcare Teams, Madison B. Washam

All Theses

With annual expenditures on leadership development in healthcare exceeding $166 billion, the effectiveness of leader development interventions in improving healthcare outcomes is crucial. This study examined the impact of leader development on team-level outcomes through the implementation of a program aimed at enhancing leaders’ relationship-oriented leadership skills. Specifically, it explored the effect of leader development opportunities on declarative knowledge of relationship-oriented skills, leader-member exchange (LMX), team psychological safety, and team members’ perceptions of patient safety. The study proposed that leaders equipped with relationship-oriented skills can foster healthier, more collaborative environments. Mediation analyses tested whether increases in declarative knowledge served as …

Communicating Sustainability: Exploring How Nongovernmental Organizations In Ghana Use Internal Communication For Philanthropic Development, Ama A. Assenso-Onyinah

All Theses

Internal communication is an important area in organizational structure. In the NGO sector, it can be used strategically to navigate resource constraints. The main objective of this study is to highlight the importance of internal communication and its role in navigating resource dependency in NGOs in Ghana. In recent times, NGOs in Ghana have been struggling as funding drops, especially after the stop order by the US government on USAID. Using qualitative data drawn from six participants who work with NGOs in Ghana, the study identified internal communication as a foundational structure to philanthropic partnerships. Through the lens of resource …

Exploration Of Real-Time Power Electronic Simulation On Amd Npu, Shouyu Du

All Theses

The rapid electrification of the automotive and data center sectors has created a critical demand for high-fidelity, real-time simulation of complex power electronic systems. While Hardware- in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) is the current industry standard, it presents significant challenges regarding development complexity and memory limita- tions. This dissertation investigates the feasibility of utilizing Neural Processing Units (NPUs)— specifically the AMD AI Engine (AIE) XDNA2 architecture—as a novel platform for real-time, deterministic circuit simulation. This study establishes a comprehensive automated modeling framework based on graph theory and Massarini’s method to derive linear state-space representations for arbitrary circuit …

Implementation Of A Local Llm Serving System For Agentic Ai, Zhiheng Ni

All Theses

This thesis presents a system that allows large AI models to run directly on personal devices instead of relying on cloud servers. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, especially large language models (LLMs), have made it possible to build powerful applications such as chatbots, coding assistants, and intelligent agents. However, most of these systems run in the cloud, which raises concerns about privacy, latency, and cost.

To address these issues, this work develops a local AI serving system that runs efficiently on a specialized hardware component called a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The system provides a unified interface that supports multiple …

Wrky Transcription Factors: Integral Regulators Of Defence Responses To Biotic Stress In Crops, Dongjiao Wang, Ruize Zhang, Wenhui Zou, Yuanyuan Zhang, Wanying Zhao, Tingting Sun, Qibin Wu, Zheng Qing Fu, Youxiong Que

Faculty Publications

Crops are continually challenged by biotic stresses, including fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens and insect pests, which cause substantial yield and quality losses worldwide. WRKY transcription factors constitute a plant-specific and functionally diverse family that is central to immune regulation. Recent advances in genomic resources and multi-omics approaches have accelerated the identification and functional characterisation of WRKYs in crops. This review summarises the structural features and classification of WRKY genes and their genome-wide distribution across crop species. It also synthesises WRKY-centred regulatory modules that mediate resistance to major classes of biotic stress. In antifungal defence, WRKYs reinforce pattern- and effector-triggered …

Weaving Ideology: Textiles In Florentine And Venetian Painting Of The Cinquecento, Ruben Verità

Art and Art History Honors Projects

Renaissance art historical scholarship has largely ignored the political and cultural significance woven into the representation of textiles, as well as their communicative potential in paintings. In this study, I examine how textiles in their various forms carry the potential to go beyond their normative categorization as decoration. Through a comparative analysis of the paintings produced in two politically distinct polities—Florence and Venice—during the sixteenth century, I integrate Louis Althusser’s theory of ideology and Michael Baxandall’s period eye to elucidate how painted fabric was not the representation of a passive decorative ornament. Rather, it was an active and legible proxy …

Inclusion And Equity In Early Childhood Special Education, Maranda Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study examined equity and inclusion in early childhood special education through the lived experiences of administrators, educators, and caregivers. Despite decades of legislation, preschool students of color with dis/abilities continue to experience disproportionate identification for special education, exclusionary discipline, and limited access to inclusive settings (DHHS & DE, 2023; NCD, 2018). Grounded in Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), this study explores how intersecting systems of racism and ableism shape early childhood educational access and opportunity.

Guided by a phenomenological approach with a transformative paradigm, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eighteen participants including administrators, early childhood special …