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Encouraging Naturalization: The Broader Effects Of Daca On U.S. Immigration, Emily Battaglia, Thomas Pearson

Center for Policy Research

This paper examines how protection from deportation and work authorization affect immigration outcomes, focusing on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Using a difference-in-differences design exploiting geographic variation in exposure to DACA-eligible immigrants, we find that DACA significantly increased the number of naturalized citizens without increasing the number of noncitizens. This increase is driven by higher naturalization among prior noncitizens, most of whom are likely not DACA beneficiaries. We provide evidence consistent with DACA increasing incentives for, and reducing barriers to, naturalization by protecting undocumented DACA-eligible contacts, suggesting temporary protections can encourage longer-term commitments and permanent residence among existing immigrants.

A Causal-Comparison Study Of The Effect Of Core Otolaryngology Curriculum And The Impact Of Technology On Graduate Medical Education, Jason G. May

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Graduate medical education now places a greater emphasis on learning efficiency and effectiveness. The increased use of advanced technology for modern learners and resident work hour restrictions have played a central role. An otolaryngology core curriculum has recently been introduced for use by otolaryngology training programs. The sample population is composed for otolaryngology residents from four otolaryngology residency programs. Data will be collected for each participant via anonymous review from each program. This paper examines the impact of the otolaryngology core curriculum and its use of advanced technology on resident learning as measured by learner satisfaction scores (Educational Practices Questionnaire …

Burnout, Perceived Organizational Support, And Spirituality: In Msd Special Educators, Bianca Grider Fisher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational research study explored whether burnout (BO) is correlated with perceived organizational support (POS) in special education teachers (SETs) working with moderate to severe disabilities (MSDs) students during distress, and whether spirituality moderates the correlation. SETs working with MSD students face a heightened risk of BO, yet there is little literature exploring how organizational or spiritual resources help. Exploring these factors is necessary to strengthen SETs’ well-being. Guided by the Organizational Support Theory, theoretical frameworks on BO, Maslow's Theory on Spirituality and Hierarchy of Needs, the Cognitive Appraisal Approach, and biblical truths, this study explored how internal and …

Autistic Mothers And Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv): An Intersectional Analysis Of Vulnerability And Systemic Barriers, Rachel D. Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how autistic mothers raising children with autism describe the support they received and the barriers they faced when leaving an IPV environment. The guiding theory for this study was Ecological Systems Theory, which was utilized to explore vulnerability to exploitation through aggressive abuse histories, normalization of violence, and the inability to see red flags in potential relationship partners. Intersectionality was utilized to examine how the interplay of abuse, autistic traits, race, socioeconomic states, and gender created a complex and challenging situation for autistic mothers affected by intimate partner violence. Eight …

Us Federal Budgets And Federal Employee Job Satisfaction, Nathan Favero, Carla Flink, Tingli Qu

Faculty Publications

Researchers have long studied how organizational budgets relate to performance, but how do employees themselves experience the effects of budgetary decisions? Given widespread attention to political dysfunction in US federal budgeting, conventional wisdom holds that employees are negatively affected by budgetary uncertainty (volatility, delays, and stop-gap measures). We test how budget size and uncertainty are associated with US federal employee attitudes using survey and archival data from 2005 to 2020. Results provide some evidence that employee job satisfaction improves with enhanced funds, but there is little to no support for the notion that budgetary uncertainty influences federal employees' job satisfaction.

2026-02-13 Faculty Senate Newsletter, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate newsletter from February 13, 2026.

Teaching Politics In An Age Of Democratic Erosion, Lauren Balasco, Emmanuel Balogun, Janet Lawler, Anna Kapambwe Mwaba

Government: Faculty Publications

Democratic erosion in the United States, and the global decline of support for democratic values and institutions, obliges us to reflect on how we introduce politics to undergraduate students in this challenging era. Recent attacks on democratic rights and academic freedoms on college campuses, as well as the undermining of rule of law and democratic norms in the United States and abroad, compels us to reconsider and reflect on how we introduce politics and civic engagement in the classroom to our students. In this essay, we reflect on how current global and national trends in populism and authoritarianism require us …

Proportionality And Theft, Christopher T. Wonnell

San Diego Law Review

Criminal law can serve a variety of utilitarian purposes including deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.  Nevertheless, there is broad agreement among criminal justice scholars that the pursuit of these purposes should be constrained by a requirement that punishment not be disproportionately severe relative to the offense charged.  The proportionality constraint is likely to be especially important when considering the less heinous predatory crimes such as nonviolent thefts.  Recent years have seen experiments by progressive prosecutors who deemphasize theft offenses as well as statutory schemes that treat many thefts as misdemeanors.  With some empirical support, critics charge that these experiments have increased …

Copyright Extraterritoriality, Timothy R. Holbrook

San Diego Law Review

The presumption against extraterritoriality is a fundamental principle of U.S. law, yet its application to copyright law remains unsettled.  In recent years, the Supreme Court has formalized a two-step methodology for assessing the extraterritorial scope of federal statutes, culminating in RJR Nabisco, Inc. v. European Community.  Despite this doctrinal shift, lower courts have inconsistently applied this framework to copyright infringement cases.  In an age of digital streaming and generative AI using training data globally, this state of affairs is unsatisfactory.  This Article examines the evolving state of copyright extraterritoriality in light of the Supreme Court’s recent jurisprudence.  It explores …

Navigating Risk Factor Disclosures: A New, Outlier Ninth Circuit Approach Remains After The Supreme Court Declines To Resolve A Circuit Split In In Re Facebook Securities Litigation, Jessica K. Kocinski

San Diego Law Review

This Casenote examines the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Amalgamated Bank to dismiss Facebook’s writ of certiorari as improvidently granted, thereby allowing the shareholders’ securities fraud class action lawsuit to proceed in the lower courts.  Specifically, it focuses on whether Facebook shareholders adequately alleged securities fraud under Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 as to challenged risk factor disclosures in Facebook’s 2016 Form 10-K under the PSLRA’s heightened pleading standard.  Part II of this Casenote provides background on the Cambridge Analytica data breach, which Facebook allegedly failed to disclose in its 2016 Form 10-K risk factor disclosures.  Part …

On The Nation’S Doorstep: How The Ninth Circuit Ruled Against Metering And Redefined The Border For Asylum Seekers, Samantha Fakhimi

San Diego Law Review

This Note examines the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Al Otro Lado and its implications on evolving federal immigration policies.  Part II analyzes the history of metering in the United States, including prior judicial treatment of the practice and its unlawfulness as determined by the district court’s prior holding.  Part III summarizes the Ninth Circuit’s majority opinion in Al Otro Lado, while setting forth the case’s legal implications within the larger federal landscape, including the broadened scope of government obligation to asylum seekers.  Part IV proposes next steps that could be taken by the legislature in response to practical constraints …

Coordinated Management Of Meaning In U.S.-Russia Relations: How Meanings Shaped Communication Surrounding The Potential Invasion Of Ukraine, Russell James Hampsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative discourse analysis applies the coordinated management of meaning theory to examine the diplomatic interactions between the United States and Russia from November 2021 to February 2022, the critical negotiation period preceding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Systematically applying the theory’s hierarchy of meanings model to the official discourse resulted in the segmentation of 1,428 official texts for analysis. Comparative coding of the data exposes how worldviews and recursive feedback patterns shape adversarial postures, perpetuate negotiation impasses, and prevent the emergence of co-constructed meaning. This research illuminates how national meanings are actively constructed and maintained through discursive interaction, reinforcing …

Perspectives On Healthy Romantic Relationships In The Black Youth Community, Jharman M. Lightner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The perceptions of what constitutes a healthy romantic relationship impact relationship choice that, when unhealthy, has long term effects on mental and emotional wellbeing. This qualitative study explored how African American/Black adolescents ages 18–19 define, perceive, and experience healthy romantic relationships. Using focus group methodology, the study addressed four research questions concerning (1) definitions and perceptions of healthy romantic relationships, (2) influences on relationship beliefs, (3) essential components for maintaining relationship health, and (4) lived experiences with healthy romantic relationships. We conducted two focus groups in which data saturation was reached when no new codes, conceptual insights, or themes emerged …

Institutional Factors Contributing To Child Sexual Abuse In Independent Baptist Churches: A Phenomenological Study, Adam Stephen Pearlstein

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe childhood sexual abuse survivor’s within Independent Baptist Churches experiences reporting and engaging with church leaders about their abuse in the United States. While there is great variety within these churches, they typically share a similar style of church leadership and accountability structures for that leadership. Tragically, child sexual abuse within these churches is far too common, as is demonstrated both by scientific research and by stories reported by journalists. This study will seek to look into both the ecclesiology of the church structures of these Independent Baptist churches and into teachings …

Primary Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis: Natural History, Pathogenesis, And Treatment, Edward J. Filippone, John L. Farber

Division of Nephrology Faculty Papers

Primary membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is an ultrarare disease characterized by immunofluorescence microscopy as either immune-complex mediated (IC-MPGN) or C3 glomerulopathy (C3), the latter subdivided by electron microscopy to C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN) and dense deposit disease (DDD). Both IC-MPGN and C3G typically have obvious C3 staining differentiating them from other causes of MPGN histology. Secondary causes must be excluded, including infections, autoimmune disease, and neoplasia. Clinical presentations are variable, including urinary sediment abnormalities, nephrotic syndrome, or a rapidly progressive course. The prognosis is unfavorable with about 50% reaching kidney failure by 10 years. Recurrence following transplantation is frequent, and allograft survival …

Expanding Access To Justice Through Legal Tech Innovation And Education: Aals Panel Discussions, Miguel Willis, April Dawson, Antonio Coronado, Diego Alcalá Laboy, Mark Williams, Margaret Hagan, Leighanne Thompson, Drew Amerson, Dan Jackson, Andrew Perlman

Seattle University Law Review Online

The 2025 AALS Annual Meeting featured a half-day AALS Symposium entitled, “Expanding Access to Justice Through Legal Tech Innovation and Education." Panel One was moderated by Miguel Willis and featured three panelists: April Dawson, Antonio Coronado, and Diego Alcalá Laboy. Panel Two was moderated by Mark Williams and featured two panelists: Margaret Hagan and LeighAnne Thompson. Panel Three was moderated by LeighAnne Thompson and featured four panelists: Drew Amerson, Dan Jackson, Andrew Perlman, and Miguel Willis. This article features transcripts from all three panels, edited for clarity and readability.

Adversaries And Experts: Legal Tradition Versus Empirical Science, André M. Peñalver

Seattle University Law Review Online

The modern courtroom can become a battleground between two epistemologies: the adversarial logic of law and the empirical rigor of science. Using a case involving a neuropsychological exam under Washington Civil Rule 35, this Article explores the tension between these traditions. While medicine embraced the Scientific Revolution, law remains tethered to its medieval Scholastic roots. The Article argues for humility and integration of evidence-based reasoning within the adversarial process.

Cardozo Law News Brief: February 13, 2026, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Briefs

Highlights from the February 13, 2026, Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Professor Lindsay Nash spoke to The Intercept about Google complying with ICE subpoenas, raising concerns about privacy rights and the lack of judicial oversight for individuals whose data is disclosed.

• Professor Peter Markowitz was quoted in Gothamist regarding ICE’s arrest of an immigrant at a New York City courthouse, describing the ongoing tension between federal enforcement efforts and NYC sanctuary laws.

• Professor Zalman Rothschild’s congressional testimony on religious opt-outs in school lessons was covered by UPI, where he discussed the constitutional limits and implications of broad religious exemptions. …

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The De-Westernization Of Music Education Through World Music, Alec Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study reviews the variety of qualitative research studies that examine the effects of world music in the classroom across different classroom settings. Other studies explore the reactions of the students when presented with music from various cultures and diverse musical identities from around the world. These research studies reveal the importance of exposing students to different cultures, spark a new interest in cultural music, and provide information on the overall effects of artistic exposure. The results of the studies have shown positive influences on students exposed to a World Music class. The importance of cultural inclusion lies in its …

Passive Choice And The Fourth Amendment, A. Shea Daley Burdette

San Diego Law Review

Does the Constitution allow waiver of Fourth Amendment rights through passive choice? What about through the choice of others? Based on current Supreme Court precedent, the answer is frustratingly unclear. For example, a copious amount of information is constantly disclosed to phone companies. The Supreme Court has recognized that having a cell phone is an inescapable choice today and that disclosing one’s location information to the cell phone company is automatic in nature. Each fact is considered relevant to determining whether an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in the information disclosed to third parties—which then affects whether the …

A Commentary On Sackett Et Al. (2025): Diversity As Potential Formation Artifact—Toward A Diagnostic View Of Deep-Level Differences, Farzaneh Fouladi

Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of The Formation And Implementation Of Development Plan In Akwa Ibom State Of Nigeria, Anietie Edoho-Ukwa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the formation and implementation of development plans by public administrators in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. This study will seek to understand the underlying factors affecting the success of these plans and proffer strategies for improving their effectiveness and sustainability. The theoretical framework of this research study is grounded in modernization theory, globalization theory, and transformational leadership theory. This study will conduct a comparative examination of other states in Nigeria with comparable populations and metrics. To gather data for the study, the researcher will convene with 20 current or former public …

The Integration Of Multicultural Music And Defining Successful Integration Of Multicultural Music In Three Predominantly White Churches In Baltimore, Maryland: A Case Study, Homeretta Ayala

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is important to acknowledge the words in Scripture honoring people of all ethnic groups as cities and therefore churches become more diverse. Baltimore, Maryland is a diverse city, with numerous ethnic communities including those of Italian, Greek, African American, African, Hispanic, and Jewish descent; many churches, however, remain predominantly White. Music is an essential element in worship, and some churches are limited to the ethnic hymns of their congregational hymnals, thus ignoring the wide body of multicultural music that is available. There are numerous challenges when integrating multicultural music, especially if the congregation is not ethnically diverse. At first …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Decision-Making, Nelson Fernandes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explores how leaders with high emotional intelligence (EI) experience and describe decision-making in personal, organizational, and leadership contexts. Guided by Rational Choice Theory (RCT), Behavioral Decision Theory (BDT), and Moon’s (2021) emotional intelligence framework, the study integrates psychological perspectives with biblical principles to examine how self-awareness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal awareness contribute to ethical and effective decision-making. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten to fifteen purposively selected participants identified as possessing high levels of emotional intelligence. The findings indicate that leaders with high EI view emotions as informational resources rather than obstacles and intentionally integrate emotional …

Music Ministry Of Children And Youth: A Study And Defense For Incorporating Children And Youth Choirs In The Modern Worship Service, Veronica Leigh Haber Allison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Graded children’s choir ministries have been a part of churches for the last century. In recent years, there has been a growing trend away from offering music ministry opportunities to children and youth in contemporary churches. There are several reasons for this decline; the major reason is that many churches have moved away from traditional music offerings to a praise band format. It has rendered the musical training of children in church unnecessary. The limited quantity of recent scholarly literature, the decline in commercially produced music, and the discontinuation of teaching materials for children’s choir ministries also attest to this …

Childhood Emotional Abuse And Effects On Adult Behavioral Health, Motivation, And Resilience, Jonathan Pawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is a frequently overlooked form of maltreatment that disrupts attachment formation and increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and other internalizing symptoms in adulthood. Because the harm is relational and often invisible, its long-term effects can persist without recognition. This study examined how CEA related to adult internalizing behaviors, resilience, and motivation, and whether resilience and motivation moderated these relationships. Attachment theory guided the framework for understanding how early emotional deprivation shapes later functioning.

A quantitative correlational design was used with 249 adults who completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety …

Understanding School Board Members' Perspectives On Governance, Policymaking, And Training In Florida: A Phenomenological Study, Jacqueline Rosario

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This hermeneutic phenomenology study was conducted to explore Florida school board members’ perspectives on onboarding and ongoing training in governance and policymaking, emphasizing reflective interpretation to analyze participants' life experiences. The guiding theory for this study was Bass's theory of transformational leadership, which was relevant to school board governance and policymaking as it provided insights into democratic principles and leadership in public education. The central research question was: What were the lived experiences of school board members with onboarding and ongoing training in preparation for governance and policymaking in Florida? The data collection methods used triangulation through a questionnaire, an …

The Development And Maturity Of Borderline Personality Disorder In Modern Times, Kevin M. Reynolds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a dynamic condition that significantly varies between afflicted individuals, with a diverse variety of contributing factors in terms of symptom manifestation. Better comprehending BPD is essential in generalizing the contributing, etiological factors of the condition to broad demographics. Unfortunately, the existing research has failed to accomplish this goal, usually only studying how the condition and its symptoms manifest in Caucasian females. This study focused on closing this gap by discovering links between broader demographics within the context of etiology, comorbidities, and spiritual affiliation. This quantitative study involved collecting etiology, symptom, comorbidity, and spirituality data from …

The Lived Experiences Of Nontraditional Students And The Innovative Strategies Higher Education Leaders Can Implement To Support Their Success: A Phenomenological Study, Fernando Jose De Oliveira Castro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experiences and strategies employed by nontraditional college students to achieve academic success at public universities in Massachusetts. Nontraditional student experiences were generally defined as the ways in which adult learners, part-time students, and those balancing work and family responsibilities navigated challenges, used support systems, and developed strategies to persist in higher education. The central research questions this study was: How do innovative strategies and support systems contribute to the lived experiences of nontraditional students’ success in Massachusetts’s higher education institutions? I employed Ryan and Deci’s (2017) self-determination theory to …

Organizational Crisis Management: Addressing Professional Misconduct In Modern Workplaces, Christina Nizamidou, Martin Sposato

All Works

Since the 1970s, governments and organizations across the globe have achieved tremendous progress against sexual harassment (SH), especially in the workplace. However, the number of organizations suffering from this crisis has increased significantly over the past few years. Based on an overview of SH crises -that have received extra media coverage since 2014- this paper explores whether organizations managed to learn from these crises. Compared to other crises, SH scandals produce a higher magnitude of provocation within society. An individual's act, based on their perception that the influence of power can be exchanged for sexual favors, destroys a business's global …