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Faculty Senate Monthly Packet April 2025, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The April 2025 monthly packet includes the agenda, appendices, and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments given in the meeting held April 7, 2025.

The Role Of The Church In The German Democratic Republic: Examining The Representation Of Christianity In The Novel Einer Trage Des Anderen Last Within Its Cultural And Historical Context, Arden Remnant Gewirtz Levine

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

The attitude towards the Protestant Church in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) changed overtime and was not homogenous during the approximately forty years of the GDR’s existence. This thesis will use this established cultural and historical context in order to analyze the representation of Christianity in the novel Einer trage des anderen Last, written by Wolfgang Held. The premise of the novel is two men diagnosed with tuberculosis are forced to share a room in the Sanatorium, however, one is a protestant pastor and the other is a member of the Volkspolizei (the People’s police). Through their distinct ideologies …

A Practical Guide For Navigating The Pte Tax Landscape, Caitlin Sizemore

Undergraduate Theses

The State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction has historically allowed taxpayers to deduct the full amount of state and local income, property, or general sales tax paid as an itemized deduction on their federal tax return. However, with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017, this deduction was capped at $10,000, creating disparity for taxpayers in high tax states and causing those high tax states to look for workarounds. In response, many states have introduced the Pass-Through Entity (PTE) tax as a workaround to the SALT cap. Pass-through entities are typically defined by the flow …

Cyber And Tech-Based Partner Stalking In Jefferson County, Norah Wulkopf

Undergraduate Theses

Since stalking laws were enacted in the 1990s, they have been historically difficult to enforce. As less and less of our lives become private due to our ever-present devices, stalkers frankly have more access to their targets than ever before. The tenuous nature of stalking laws and the growing resources for stalkers place targets of stalking in a very precarious situation: the legal system has never been adequately equipped to handle stalking cases, and local justice systems do not have the resources to handle tech-based crimes. Through interviews with actors in the criminal justice system, this presentation considers how these …

Navigating Circuit Splits: Analyzing Career Offender Enhancements In The Federal Sentencing Guidelines Through Canons Of Construction, Riley M. Goff

Undergraduate Theses

This paper analyzes the Career Offender Enhancement within the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This enhancement can provide unequal sentences for similarly situated defendants in different federal circuits. This paper seeks to investigate the current circuit split and utilize the canons of construction to provide a better understanding of how this split could be resolved and the philosophical reasoning. To answer this question, I conducted a case study on four different cases within four different circuits to understand the courts' reasoning behind their application or lack of application of the Career Offender Enhancement. The results show two main issues surrounding the enhancement: …

The Impact Of Perceived Discrimination On Mental And Physical Health Among The Hispanic Immigrant Population, Cheyla Tabares Cuesta

Undergraduate Theses

Discrimination has profoundly shaped the lives of individuals within disadvantaged communities, but its impact on mental and physical health has often been overlooked. In this project, I review literature on perceived discrimination based on immigrant status and its effects on psychological and physical health and examine a potential mediator and moderator of these relationships. Specifically, the relationships between immigration-based discrimination and both mental health and physical health may be mediated by perceived stress, meaning that discrimination may lead to higher stress levels, which results in poorer health outcomes. Furthermore, these relationships may be moderated by psychological resilience; individuals with higher …

Mcsa Forum Minutes 04/07/2025, Morris Campus Student Association

Morris Campus Student Association

No abstract provided.

"Outside The Bounds": Counterman V. Colorado's Effect On Amateur Athletics, Mallory Brown

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal (1994 - )

No abstract provided.

Participation Rights Of Homeschooled Students In Public School Athletics: Is Denying Homeschooled Students Access To Public School Extracurriculars Legal Or Wise?, Vincent Catroppa

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal (1994 - )

No abstract provided.

Bargaining Across Borders: The Prevalence Of Collective Bargaining Agreements In American Sports And The Potential Implementation Of The American Model Into The English Premier League, Bryce Goodwyn

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal (1994 - )

No abstract provided.

Standardizing Space Technologies As Admissible Evidence: Legal And Ethical Frameworks For U.S. Courts And The International Criminal Court, Tuana Yazici

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

This paper explores the increasing role of satellite and other space technologies — such as optical satellite imagery, radar, and artificial intelligence (AI) — in legal proceedings both in the U.S. and internationally. It examines relevant Supreme Court and appellate cases, as well as key international rulings, to assess how courts are addressing the legal challenges posed by surveillance technologies. These cases reveal the tension between advancing technology and existing privacy protections, highlighting the need for updated legal frameworks. The analysis also covers federal laws, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, alongside proposed legislation like the American Privacy Rights Act …

Exploring Statehood Through The Lens Of Palestine And Puerto Rico, Gabriela G. Ibáñez

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Echo: April 7, 2025, Taylor University

2024-2025 (Volume 112)

No abstract provided.

The Grand Narratives: The Rise And Fall Of Universal Philosophical Systems, Gavin S. Litchford

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis reviews the development of narrative and systematic methods of argumentative legitimation in the Western tradition of philosophy from its conception until the present day. Utilizing both primary sources from central figures in key movements within this development process and supplementary secondary sources, this analysis notes which systems were used as appeals to higher authority and the trends in the adoption and transformation of new models. It is demonstrated that the Enlightenment era punctuated a progression begun in the premodern era from simple, cultural narratives to individualized, subjective, and self-perpetuating Grand Narrative systems, and that it generated the preconditions …

Ditmas Flats Llc V. Perez

All Decisions

In this holdover case involving an alleged illegal sublet, the landlord sought to evict the tenant based on a Notice to Cure. The tenant moved to dismiss, arguing that the landlord failed to comply with LLC §206 by not filing a certificate of publication before initiating the case. The court found that the landlord's subsequent attempt to cure the defect did not retroactively grant the landlord standing, as the failure to comply with LLC §206 deprived the tenant of necessary transparency at the time the case began. Consequently, the court dismissed the case for lack of standing.

Harold V. Gaethan

All Decisions

In this nuisance holdover case, the landlord sought possession of the premises after serving a Notice of Termination, but the tenant argued that the landlord's acceptance of rent during the “window period” after the notice's expiration vitiated the notice, requiring dismissal. The court found that, despite the landlord's claim that the rent was applied to arrears prior to the notice expiration, the key factor was the act of accepting and cashing the rent during the window period. The landlord's intention to proceed with the case was deemed irrelevant because a new proceeding could be initiated, leading to the dismissal of …

Wuaneshaw Anderson V. Chana Eisner & Benjamin Eisner

All Decisions

Tenant sought remedies for unsafe conditions and harassment, including failure to restore electricity, water, and repair windows and doors. After a lengthy procedural history and inquest, tenant established harassment by landlord and agent, including delays in repairs and retaliatory behavior. Civil penalties of $2,000 were imposed on landlord, and tenant was awarded $10,000 in punitive damages. The court denied compensatory damages due to insufficient evidence of out-of-pocket expenses but ruled in favor of tenant. The case was restored for a hearing on attorney's fees. Landlord's actions were found to be intentional and malicious, warranting punitive damages as a deterrent to …

The Free Press Vol. 56, Issue 11, 04-07-2025, Chris Tiner, Cayley Bowman

Free Press, The

Rooted in Resilience--WMPG Mardi Gras--Op=Ed on Trump Administration--Snatched in Broad Daylight--The Studio Review--Playboi Carti's MUSIC Album Review--Off Season Check in--Letters from the Editors

Old Habits Die Hard: How The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act Perpetuates Settler Colonialism And Denies Indigenous Sovereignty, Brandon Dodds

Emory Law Journal Online

Around the time it was passed, the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 was considered by many to be a great victory for the Wabanaki Nations in Maine. But in the decades since, the Act has substantially hindered the Wabanaki Nations’ self-determination efforts. Frequent litigation between the Nations and the state of Maine, narrow interpretation by courts, and the state of Maine’s opposition to remedying the Act’s most harmful provisions have constrained the sovereignty of the Wabanaki Nations. As a result, the Wabanaki Nations have been largely excluded from the significant social, economic, and political gains that tribes throughout …

Accurate And Automated Quantification Of Hepatic Steatosis And Iron Overload Using Mri Via Simulations, Phantoms And Patient Data, Utsav Shrestha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Hepatic steatosis and iron overload are common manifestations of diffuse liver disease. They can cause lipotoxicity and iron toxicity respectively via oxidative hepatocellular injury and can lead to progressive fibrosis, cirrhosis, and eventually, liver failure. Over the past two decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a non-invasive tool to diagnose steatosis and iron overload. Multi-spectral fat-water models incorporating R2* correction have been proposed to simultaneously quantify fat and iron overload. However, there is still an ongoing debate on whether the multi-spectral signal model assuming same R2* (single-R2*) or different R2* (dual-R2*) for fat and water is accurate in …

Biochemical And Structural Insights Into The Yersinia Effector Yopm And Its Negative Regulation Of The Pyrin Inflammasome, Bethany Wairimu Mwaura

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Bacteria utilize sophisticated secretion systems to inject effectors into host cells in order to facilitate their survival and replication in the host. Some pathogenic species of Gram-negative bacteria use a conserved contact-dependent T3SS to inject a wide array of effectors. While the effectors diverge in their structures, functions and cell-localization, the T3SS is well conserved. Several effectors discussed in this thesis target key host inflammasome responses. The focus of this work is how the Yersinia effector YopM inhibits the pyrin inflammasome. During Yersinia infection, two effectors, YopE and YopT inadvertently activate the pyrin inflammasome while targeting RhoA to avoid phagocytosis. …

66-86 80th Street Llc V. Valerie Marie Robles

All Decisions

In this holdover case, petitioner landlord sought possession based on the respondent's failure to pay rent for over a year. Respondent moved to dismiss the proceeding, arguing that the notice of termination failed to include one of the required grounds under the Good Cause Eviction Law (GCEL), specifically under RPL § 216. The court found the predicate notice defective because it did not specify the basis for eviction under RPL § 226-c, which is a fatal error that could not be cured by amendment. As a result, the court dismissed the case without prejudice.

Chimes: April 7, 2025, Calvin University

Chimes

CPI celebrates 10 years by James Chelekis & Robert Hine

Faculty respond to Calvin's official report to CRC Synod 2025 by McKenna Wilkinson, Clare Rybicki & Graham Kort

Funding for library services cut nationwide by Grace Buller

Faculty Gender Divide at Calvin by Elisabeth Stevens

Calvin Disc Gold competes at National -- and brings the sport back to campus by Zach Kern

On This Year's Graduation Speaker by Elisabeth Stevens

Letter from the editor: Diversity at Chimes by Ethan Meyers

Staff Education To Increase Knowledge Of Safe And Effective Prescription Of Opioids For Pain Management For Patients With Illicit Drug Use, Kenny Adeshola Fagbamila Amanze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Opioid misuse and overdose continue to pose a significant public health crisis in the United States, particularly among patients with a history of substance use disorder (SUD). This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to improve healthcare staff knowledge regarding the safe and effective prescribing of opioids for pain management in patients with a history of illicit drug use. A staff education program was implemented at an outpatient clinic and evaluated using a pretest/posttest design with ten participants. The average knowledge score improved from 46% pre-intervention to 86% post-intervention, indicating a substantial increase in staff competence. The project supports …

Acculturation, Social Support, And Immigration-Related Stressors: Impact On Depression Among Single Mother Immigrants In The United States, Comfort Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression is a prevalent mental health condition that disproportionately affects immigrant single mothers in the United States, whose risk is heightened by unique vulnerabilities. The interplay between acculturation, social support, and economic burden in this population is underexplored. This quantitative, cross-sectional study examined the relationship between various factors and depression using 2020–2022 National Health Interview Survey data. Inclusion criteria were single immigrant mothers aged 19–60 years, who had lived in the U.S. for at least one year, had one or more dependent children, and self-reported depression status. The socioecological model provided a lens for identifying how individual, interpersonal, and structural …

Lived Experiences Of Seropositive Msm Who Face Intersectional Stigma Regarding Hiv-Prevention And Care In California, Sagar Bedi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals who are positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and identify as MSM (men who have sex with men), a population disproportionately affected by this disease, face complex struggles due to interplay between multiple forms of stigma, disclosure, and HIV risk behaviors. This results in delayed testing, poor treatment adherence, and decreased engagement in care. Despite the growing body of research on HIV among MSM, very few studies have explored the complex ways in which multiple forms of stigma intersect and impact the lives of Seropositive MSM. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perception and lived …

Emergency Operations Plan To Sufficiently Support Prison Disaster Preparedness, Nyhrie Love Chapman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency management in correctional facilities is a critical aspect of institutional safety and security. Natural disasters and public health crises have exposed significant gaps in preparedness, leaving incarcerated individuals and staff vulnerable during emergencies. This qualitative study was conducted to examine prison staff members’ perspectives on the effectiveness of emergency operations plans (EOPs) in responding to natural and human-made disasters. Guided by social vulnerability theory and policy implementation and effectiveness theory, this study employed a phenomenological approach to explore staff experiences. Through 12 in-depth interviews, participants described challenges related to resource limitations, training deficiencies, and breakdowns in communication between agencies. …

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 04.07.25, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• Law school groups help launch website to shine light on religious discrimination across the United States
• Notre Dame Law School students compete in International Moot Court on Law and Religion in Rome
• ND Law Global Human Rights Clinic research collaboration with International Justice Mission on forced labor and human trafficking in the Philippines
• ND Law's Black Law Students Association leads workshop and shadow day for ND TRIO program

Faculty Briefs

• Jared DeFelice and Robert Stone Curl, students in the Notre Dame Law School Eviction Clinic, traveled to Indianapolis with David Pruitt (Clinical Director) to testify in support …

Just Like Us: Mdl Is Eating Weedkiller, Andrew H. Paul

Georgia State University Law Review

The ingestion of an herbicide called glyphosate is currently unavoidable in America. It is the main ingredient of a consumer product called Roundup. People who regularly used Roundup have brought civil lawsuits against its manufacturer, Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), claiming Roundup caused their cancer diagnoses. Juries, particularly those in state courts, have awarded some plaintiffs massive damages awards. But jury trials elude most of the glyphosate plaintiffs who find themselves in federal court. There, the same can be said for nearly all products liability litigants. This is due to the procedure that has slowly come to dominate mass torts …

Okefen-Not-Okay: Georgia’S Wetlands Are In Danger, Constance Burton

Georgia State University Law Review

Wetlands are considered the kidneys of the earth’s ecosystem. Their complex hydrologic systems work to clean pollutants from surface and ground water—water that often ends up as drinking water. Since the 1940s, Congress has recognized the importance of clean water in our everyday lives, and it has passed several water protection laws including the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act requires a permit for any activity that discharges dredge or fill material into “waters of the United States.” However, environmentalists and private landowners were at odds on how broad the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers could …