Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging Covenant And Efficiency: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Faith-Based Environmental Nonprofits Under New Public Management Reform, Jacob Berry

Journal of Law and Government

This paper explores covenantal environmental administration as a significant framework for contemporary public governance within faith-based environmental nonprofits (FENs). As New Public Management (NPM) reforms increasingly shape nonprofit administration through efficiency and performance metrics, covenantal governance emerges as an alternative rooted in mutual obligation, ethical leadership, and spiritual stewardship, concepts deeply embedded in Judeo-Christian traditions exemplified by loving fulfillment. Contrary to perceptions of incompatibility between ethical-spiritual values and data-driven accountability, this study argues that integrating covenantalism with New Public Management practices can enhance organizational performance, stakeholder trust, and ecological outcomes. Employing theoretical analysis and empirical tools (notably the Covenantal Empowerment …

Introducing The Covenantal-Noncentralization Index (Cni) For Assessing Localism, Social Capital, Community Challenges And Community Health, Kahlib Fischer, Edwin Christmann, Melissa Stewart, Todd Robatin, Zachary Federico, John Kebles, Lucy Lambert, Alex Mishra

Journal of Law and Government

Numerous indices measuring social capital and community challenges at the local level exist, but none attempt to offer a measure of community health as an independent variable in comparison to community challenges as a dependent variable. Therefore, we propose the Covenantal-Noncentralization Index (CNI) in an effort to provide a more nuanced understanding of social capital at the local level as well as to differentiate between an independent variable index consisting of family stability, religious adherence, non-profit activity, and charitable giving and dependent variables representing various community challenges: violent crime, childhood poverty, STD rate, high school diploma completion, GDP, and unemployment. …

Defending The West By Reclaiming The Past, Steven Alan Samson

Journal of Law and Government

The Western world was originally shaped by the fine arts and philosophy of Greece, the architecture and law of Rome, and the faith, morality, and prophetic traditions of Judaism and Christianity. As the West loses the religious bond that generated its culture, careful attention should be given to reclaiming and rebuilding this moral and spiritual infrastructure.

The Plight Of “Unreasonable” Trafficking Victims: A Critical Assessment Of The Trafficking Victims Protection Act’S “Reasonable Person” Standard For Coercion In Policy-Oriented Perspective, Christian L. Gonzalez Rivera

Social Justice & Equity Law Journal (Willamette University College of Law)

Since the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its requirement that, in alleging trafficking by means of coercion, victims and prosecutors make a showing that the victim was coerced under a reasonable person standard, an entire class of victims effectively became disenfranchised and no longer deemed victims. The inability to meet such a high burden of proof produces not only the lack of successful criminal and civil prosecutions, but also – and most alarmingly – precludes many a victim’s participation in basic and highly needed government services, required both to cope with and recover from the …

Reclaiming Morality: Marxism, Ideology, And The Ethics Of Emancipation, Karli Calo

SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper examines whether morality in Marxist theory is inescapably ideological—merely an expression of bourgeois class interests—or whether it can serve as a material force for liberation. I argue that although Marx lacks explicit moral theorizing, his critique of capitalism nonetheless relies on a coherent implicit moral framework. This framework can be identified through Marx’s analyses of alienation, exploitation, and class domination, each of which presupposes normative commitments to human dignity, social agency, and collective self-determination. Marx’s critique of bourgeois morality therefore does not entail the rejection of ethics; rather, it reveals the possibility of a historically grounded, emancipatory moral …

Creating Accessible And Equitable Mental Health Treatments: The Usefulness Of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy In Treating Racial Trauma, Aicha J. Toure

SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal

Psychedelic-assisted therapy is a recently developed method for treating mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research into the effectiveness of psychedelics in treating mental health has largely excluded Black Peoples, Indigenous Peoples, and People(s) of Color (BIPOC); this is problematic, as rates of these mental health disorders are proportionally higher in BIPOC individuals than in white individuals. Mental health issues experienced by BIPOC are, more often than not, rooted in experiences of racial discrimination (Schouler-Ocak et al., 2021). Experiences of racial discrimination can develop into racial trauma, manifesting as depression, anxiety, and/or PTSD. This literature …

Queer (Re)Formations Of Mexican Identity: Modernity & Visibility As Seen In El Vampiro De La Colonia Roma, Y Tu Mamá También, And Sueño En Otro Idioma, Mar Bradley

SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal

Starting with the infamous Ball of the 41, the perception of Mexican male queerness has been strongly affected by its visibility. The Ball of the 41 attracted massive attention from the press; popular engraver José Guadalupe Posada completed two prints on the ball, mocking the attendees. For the first time in modern Mexico, queerness was represented in widespread public media, as knowledge of the scandal disseminated throughout the country by articles and images printed in newspapers. A politics of visibility is central to understanding the representational shifts of queer people, particularly by studying how queer people represent or are represented …

Suurj Volume 10 Entire Volume, Editors Of Suurj

SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue, Dawson A. Phelps, Edward Hunter Ross, Owen M. Peterson, Paul Flowers

Journal of Mississippi History

No abstract provided.

Ethelbert Barksdale In The Democratic National Convention Of 1860, Owen M. Peterson

Journal of Mississippi History

No abstract provided.

Names Please: Place Names Along The Natchez Trace, Dawson A. Phelps, Edward Hunter Ross

Journal of Mississippi History

No abstract provided.

The Dangers Of Unregulated Artificial Intelligence: Should The United States Adopt International Ai Regulations?, Katrina P. Perea

Widener Commonwealth Law Review

No abstract provided.

Generating Solutions To Generative Ai, Joseph M. Marrero

Widener Commonwealth Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Uncertain Future Of Agency Deference In Pennsylvania, Brent J. Finkbeiner

Widener Commonwealth Law Review

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Student Litigation & The Risk To Higher Education, Kiera R. Flannery

Widener Commonwealth Law Review

No abstract provided.

“As Bachelors Very Exceptional”: An Asexual Reading Of Frodo Baggins, Danna Petersen-Deeprose

Journal of Tolkien Research

Queer Tolkien scholarship has seen a number of homosexual readings of Frodo Baggins. While there are indeed many elements within the text that support a queer reading, it is a mistake to insist that queer elements necessarily point to homosexuality. This article advances an alternative queer reading of Frodo: an asexual reading. Drawing queer and asexual scholarship, including Ela Przybylo, Danielle Cooper, Audre Lorde, and Jack Halberstam, this article examines Frodo’s actions, journey, and characteristics through an asexual lens, focusing on his solitary life in the Shire, the way he is perceived by the other Hobbits, his lack of any …

“Motions Of Love And Friendship”: Elven (A)Sexuality, Clare Moore

Journal of Tolkien Research

This essay argues that Tolkien constructed Elven sexuality as inherently asexual, given its marginalization to other aspects of their lives and identities. Elven (a)sexuality maintains space for sexual desire and relationships, representing a wide spectrum of asexuality, but it marginalizes sex through Tolkien's depiction of the body and spirit dynamic, a non-urgent desire between couples, the period of life when Elves engage in sexual activity, and the number of children typical for Elven couples. After establishing a norm of asexuality, this essay then explores show Legolas, Curufin, and Celegorm fit into this norm but represent diverse experiences of asexuality.

“Mythology Is Language And Language Is Mythology”: Allegory, Applicability, And/Or Asexuality In Tolkien’S Legendarium, Rory M. Queripel

Journal of Tolkien Research

Frequent criticisms of queer approaches to Tolkien’s work are that they are purely an outside artefact based on external readings and agendas, rather than with any basis in the works themselves. However, this paper contends that, while the much-vaunted “freedom of the reader” allows for such external readings, there is more in the substance of Tolkien’s language and mythology to back them up than may otherwise be assumed. Taking as a starting point Tolkien’s own statement that “the mind, the tongue, and the tale are co-eval,” the article explores the simultaneous linguistic and mythological development of Tolkien’s legendarium. Using the …

Fascination By «The Other» And The Mirror We Look At Ourselves Lady Mary Montagu's Journey To The Ottoman Empire, María Jesús Horta

SOROUD: The journal of Literacy Criticism

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu traveled to the Ottoman Empire accompanying her husband, the English ambassador, and lived there between January 1717 and July 1718. She maintained a copious correspondence with her family and friends during her stay in Istanbul as well as during her journey, letters she later compiled and edited, and which were published under the title Embassy to Constantinople a year after her death. These letters constitute a truly important milestone for the travel literature of Europeans in the East because in them she left aside the stereotypes used until then, and tried to convey an objective and …

A Foreign Look Of A Strange Country, Fatiha Bennani

SOROUD: The journal of Literacy Criticism

This article discusses the importance of travel in shaping personality and the role of intellectual curiosity in this process. It highlights the significant contributions of travelers throughout history, such as Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, Jacques Cartier, and Hassan Al Wazzan (also known as Jean Leon Africanus). The article also brings to light female travel literature, focusing on Edith Wharton’s work “In Morocco”. The author points out that Wharton wrote this book with a pedagogical and touristic intention, aiming to provide a guide for those wishing to visit Morocco. Finally, she defines herself as a pioneer, discovering mysterious and magical places.

The Harem In Orientalist Art And Literature Between Fantasy And Authenticity, Fatima Zahra Ajjoul

SOROUD: The journal of Literacy Criticism

European travel to the Orient dates back to thousands of years, but fascination with the region flourished by the nineteenth century, the century of "harem literature" and Orientalist art par excellence. A number of developments made the trip to the Orient easier, safer and cheaper at the time. However, harem doors remained closed to male travellers who were left to imagine their own desirable details that mostly projected fantasies of exoticism, eroticism and despotism. Women travellers, on the other hand, took advantage of their gender-privileged access to the Oriental women's segregated spaces to shed light upon several obscured aspects of …

Dynamic Credit Limit Adjustment Based On Latency Jitter Metrics, Harshwardhan Tripathi

Defensive Publications Series

A method for dynamically adjusting an agent's credit limit based on network latency jitter metrics includes collecting a plurality of latency measurements corresponding to acknowledgment messages transmitted by an agent over a network within a defined time window, computing a coefficient of variation based on the plurality of latency measurements where the coefficient of variation represents variability in latency, determining a jitter risk score based on the computed coefficient of variation and a predefined stability threshold where the jitter risk score is bounded within a normalized range, calculating a credit decay factor as an exponential function of the jitter risk …

Non-Invasive Adaptive Posterior Ocular Transport System (Apots-Ω V1.0) A Closed-Loop Multimodal Acoustic-Hydrogel-Nanocarrier Platform For Macula-Targeted Eye-Drop Delivery, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The APOTS-Ω v1.0 platform is a conceptual, non-invasive, closed-loop ocular transport system designed to enhance the posterior delivery of topically applied therapeutics to the macular region of the eye without intra-vitreal injection. The system combines low-energy phased ultrasound, adaptive vortex-mode acoustic transport, conductive hydrogel coupling interfaces, smart nanoparticle eye-drop carriers, thermal-stabilizing biointerfaces, and real-time safety monitoring into a unified transport-conditioning architecture.

Unlike conventional ultrasound drug-delivery concepts that rely primarily on brute-force permeability enhancement, APOTS-Ω is designed around controlled transport engineering using low-intensity adaptive fields, posterior-biased streaming geometries, delayed-release nanocarriers, and distributed safety feedback systems. The platform seeks to improve posterior …

An Integrative Approach To The Evolution Of Neotropical Whale Catfishes (Family: Cetopsidae), Daniel Akin

Doctoral Dissertations

The catfishes (order Siluriformes) represent over five percent of world’s vertebrate diversity. The story of vertebrate evolution remains incomplete without a thorough evaluation of catfishes, and the ichthyological community is yet to reach consensus on some of the deeper evolutionary patterns within this fascinating group. Our complete macro-evolutionary understanding of catfishes is inhibited by a paucity of information on the taxonomies, phylogenetics, ecologies, and life histories of many understudied groups of catfishes. One such group is the Neotropical whale catfishes of the family Cetopsidae. This dissertation provides an integrated approach to studying the family Cetopsidae. I use genomics to determine …

An Oral History Study: The Relationship Between Curriculum And Social And Cultural Capital In The New Orleans School System, Alaina Gaugis Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

This oral history study examines how high school academic experiences in New Orleans public and charter schools have shaped graduates’ preparedness for adulthood, active citizenship, and participation as productive members of society. This study explores the relationship between curriculum, particularly scripted curriculum, and the development of social and cultural capital. The research critiques neoliberal education reforms that prioritize accountability, standardization, and market-based outcomes over relational and community-centered learning. Using oral history methodology and the currere method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve New Orleans high school alumni who graduated both before and after Hurricane Katrina from public, charter, and parochial …

The Pie Thief (And Friends): Ethnographic Microanalysis Of Peer Interactions Involving Children With Highly Unintelligible Speech: A Descriptive Study, Katherine Anne Mcquitty Hays

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an ethnographic microanalysis investigating how children with highly unintelligible speech accomplish a range of social actions when interacting with their peers. Detailed transcription of multimodal communications of peers interacting in the context of a 9-day summer therapy camp yield profiles of two participants of interest, each with approximately 30-40% speech intelligibility. Domain analysis and taxonomy organize data for the purposes of comparative analysis across transcribed durations of peer conversation and peer play. Findings indicate pervasive pragmatic impacts as well as effective uses of multimodal means within interactional frames and schemas. Clinical implications include consideration of AAC optimization …

Out There: Notes And Stories A Hybrid Collection With Critical Introduction, Ben Porter

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of two parts: literary criticism and a collection of fiction and lyric essays. Across both sections, it examines the problem of description: how persons make experience, action, and suffering intelligible in language, and what happens when that intelligibility breaks down under historical, social, and familial pressure. The critical essay, “Failed Descriptions and Neoliberal Talk in Don DeLillo’s The Body Artist,” argues that DeLillo represents a crisis of intentional speech under neoliberal modernity, in which public language is narrowed to private affect and meaningful social description becomes increasingly difficult. Reading the novel through philosophers of language and …

Investigations Of Carbon Dioxide Storage In Low-Temperature Reservoirs For Non-Leaking Storage, Md Nahin Mahmood

Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection into subsea or low-temperature water zones has emerged as a promising strategy for long-term, non-leaking CO₂ storage through the formation of solid hydrates. This research investigates CO₂ injection into Berea sandstone cores saturated with water under simulated subsea conditions, focusing on hydrate formation behavior across varying temperatures, pressures, and injection flow rates. Experimental results demonstrate that CO₂ hydrate formation under dynamic (flowing) conditions occurs at significantly higher pressure compared to static conditions reported previously. At temperatures ranging from 0 °C to 5 °C, dynamic hydrate formation pressures were observed to be approximately double. This can be …

Strang-Type Exponential Integrators For Stiff Reaction-Diffusion Systems, Saburi Tolulope Rasheed

Doctoral Dissertations

Reaction-diffusion systems, as examples of semilinear parabolic partial differential equations, have played significant roles in the mathematical modeling of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Several reaction-diffusion systems typically do not have exact solutions in closed form, and numerically solving them also comes with challenges due to the presence of the nonlinear local interaction/chemical reaction dynamics representing the reaction term, coupling between components, multidimensionality of the diffusion operator, and stiffness of the diffusion and/or reaction terms. Wederive and analyze several second-order accurate exponential integrators of the Strang type for the time discretization of stiff reaction-diffusion systems. We utilize the finite difference …

Fashioning The Self: Trauma, Disability, And Autofiction In Contemporary Quebecois Literature, John Ashburn

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation brings into dialogue trauma studies, disability studies, queer theory, and scholarship on autofiction and self-portraiture to examine representations of the self in contemporary Quebecois literature. Focusing on La fille d’elle-même (2021) by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay, Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué (2017) by Kev Lambert, Grosse (2018) by Lynda Dion, Désormais, ma demeure (2020) by Nicholas Dawson, Chienne (2019) by Marie-Pier Lafontaine, and Ouvrir son cœur (2018) by Alexie Morin, this study argues that the literary self emerges as fundamentally unstable, shaped by trauma, embodiment, cognitive variation, and shifting configurations of gender and sexuality. Across this corpus, fragmentation …