Nonfiction Commons^™

The Problem With The School System, Julianna Vanvalin

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

From the beginning of America, schools have existed in some shape or form. However, once the school system became standardized its failings started to show through. The modern school system is discriminatory against disabled students and students of a low socioeconomic status. It also does not properly prepare students for their future, and promotes poor mental health. In order to fix the school system, it is important to recognize the current failings in regards to students and aim to improve them.

Sorry, Can't Come To The Phone, Katherine Wilson

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Going as far back as 1973, cellphones have been a part of our lives and how we live it. Over the past 10 years, cellphones have taken over much of what we do. How much we use our phones can impact us more than what anyone could have ever thought. Phone usage has increasingly become a problem that may people face. The project lists the multitude of ways that our mental health and everyday life are affected because of how much we use our phones and go on social media. The goals of this project are to explain, provide evidence, …

Climate Change, Dan Etling

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Abstract

Climate change is a problem with no single solution. It has many parts, and, in this article, I break down each component of the wicked problem that is climate change. A shift in power and leadership bring change across the board, so what does the new president have planned for climate change? Anytime someone thinks of climate change, the immediate thought that comes to mind is the carbon footprint but how serious is that? If cars are the leading cause of carbon emissions, what’s the other option? Are we supposed to not drive places? Many people already know about …

Mental Health And Its Wicked Factors, Michael Schuler

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Mental health has long since been an issue in not just our society, but worldwide. While it is difficult to determine exactly what factors affect mental health, there has been significant research done within the past 30 years to show that major factors that affect mental health can be mitigated. Things such as poverty, physical health, and community outreach can all be linked to mental health issues. There are some solutions that will mitigate these factors that can be explored. These solutions can include things like raising awareness for mental illnesses in order to reduce stigma, getting more mental health …

Earth Needs Help, Rhiannon C. Barto

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Humans destroy earth by polluting the atmosphere and wiping out other living things. Climate change is a human created problem that is increasing the rate at which the damage is occurring. The temperature is increasing at the fastest rate that it has in 10,000 years. With change happening this fast, it is hard for nature and animals, including ourselves, to adapt. Climate change is one of the biggest things causing this change and it is crucial to take action before it is too late. We need to stop deforestation, stop CO2 emissions, and stop the use of fossil fuels. The …

American Police Violence, Racism, And Corruption, Ethan Gallagher

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

In this paper, I convey the serious need for change within the American police departments. In America, law enforcement has been systematically oppressed minorities for decades with no repercussions and has been protected by the corrupted system. It is time for new tactics to be implemented in America for dealing with civilians because the cops are not fulfilling their duty to protect the people anymore, they're hurting the people. Everyone in America now either hates the police or are terrified of them making a huge divide between everyone in the country. After seeing all the controversy that has transpired it's …

Why Can't Homeless Addicts Get Help Too, Rachael D. Causland

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Homeless people today struggle more with addiction than people who have stability in their life. Whether it’s due to financial issues, or not having a support system, homeless people struggle to get the help they need for both their addiction and their homelessness. A high number of homeless people report to have started an addiction since being homeless, and they do so to stay alive, in turn people are continuing to stay homeless and many of these people are dying of overdoses or just staying stuck in the situation they are forced to deal with alone. There are some states …

Owen Barfield Collection Finding Aid, Taylor University

Finding Aids

The Owen Barfield Collection features a variety of books and articles by and about Barfield. It also includes letters and manuscripts written by Barfield, as well as rare and first editions of his books.
Last Updated: August 29, 2022

Dorothy L. Sayers Collection Finding Aid, Taylor University

Finding Aids

The Dorothy L. Sayers Collection features a variety of rare books, pamphlets, and articles written by and about Sayers. These include multiple first editions of her poetry books, crime novels, and reflection on theology.
Last Updated: August 29, 2022

Racism In Education, Kevin M. Donton

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Racism in Education has been a huge problem in the United States today, and it still is. The presence of racism in the education system is quite controversial and many people have strong opinions on it. Its roots date all the way back to slavery in the United States to the Brown vs. the Board of Education case to the Reagan Revolution to present day in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout this essay, I will discuss the origins, how it is still happening today, the effects it has on students of color, and ways to dismantle …

Charles Williams Collection Finding Aid, Taylor University

Finding Aids

The Charles Williams Collection features a variety of books and articles by and about Williams. It also includes letters and typescripts written by Williams, in addition to rare and first editions of his books.
Last Updated: August 29, 2022

United States Police & Society Reform, Madisen Sterner

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

For many years, people of color have had an unsteady relationship with police departments and law enforcement due to police misconduct, use of force, and police brutality. We’ve had many of the same conversations over and over again about what we can do to bring upon change within our departments, but no true, consistent action has been taken. In this paper we discuss multiple solutions to help address the issue of police misconduct, the need for police and society reform, and ways we can work towards mending the relationship between citizens and our police departments. In today’s society, change is …

Our Worst Enemy: Unhealthy Food, Gabriella M. Blando

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

No abstract provided.

Social Media Is Causing A Threat To Our Democracy, Chloe Krempasky

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Division between political parties in The United States of America is increasing daily, causing a serious threat to the future of our democracy. People form their own opinions and decide which political party to affiliate with based on childhood experiences or through media outlets. It is more common as technology is advancing that people get their political information through social media. This is starting to become a serious problem. Social media companies are the cause of this, as they create Echo Chambers that only allow people to view content that relates to their political view. There is also Fake news …

Healing A Nation Wounded By A Pandemic, Blake Wetzel

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Emerging in late 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the United States. There is still so much about this virus that is unknown. It has had a negative effect on education, the economy, and the lifestyle of Americans. Covid-19 has caused many people to be hospitalized, and has even claimed many lives. There are many things that the American people can do to help America and its people recover. Americans must take social responsibility. They must follow the guidelines, such as mask wearing and social distancing, to stop the virus from spreading. Americans can also help out …

The Waterfall Crisis, Guiliana G. Grisaffi

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

While the Earth’s surface is 71% covered in water, that does not mean that one day all our water could be gone. The current global water crisis is not just a water crisis-it is a waterfall crisis. One wicked, terrible problem that leads to many other wicked problems, a waterfall crisis. Millions of women and young girls are taken out of work and school and instead forced to collect and gather fresh water for their families. Children are suffering from irreversible health consequences from toxic, contaminated water, an example of a health consequence is a lower IQ from lead poisoning. …

November 2020, Temple Shalom Synagogue Center

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Temple Shalom Celebrates; From the Rabbi; President's Message; Book Group;Community Notices

Amjambo Africa! (November 2020), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In This Issue

batimbo Foundation Family ..........2

The Power of We.............................3

election 2020................................../5

Panel on childcare in maine............5

Publisher’s editorial ........................6

Translations

French ............................................7

Swahili............................................8

Somali ............................................9

Kinyarwanda...............................20

Portuguese..................................21

CovID in maine ..............................0

DiriGo TouchPass ..........................12

Youth photography.......................13

market basket..................................4

A Shooting Star................................5

Community News............................6

organization updates...................17

Telling room poetry.....................18

Finance ...........................................19

Guest columns...............................22

The mix...........................................25

Kennedy Park little library ........27

T. Hanks For Everything, Anissa Johnson

All NMU Master's Theses

This thesis is an excerpt of an in-progress, full-length memoir. T. Hanks for Everything celebrates the myriad of ways art molds and shapes who we become and interrogates the nature in which mere appreciation transforms into fandom. The writer reflects on the impact actor Tom Hanks has had on her life through narratives that blend the personal with the biographical, developing both the writer’s and Hanks’ characters side-by-side. The writer uses humor as a mechanism to navigate the world, to deflect pain, and to find healing in the midst of it. This thesis hopes to be a safe place for …

The Illuminated Empty Spaces, Jane Wagar

All NMU Master's Theses

This collection of poetry and flash non-fiction is a full-length hybrid collection that focuses on themes of grief, inheritance, memory, and sexuality. Genetic inheritance, inherited trauma, and the tangible inheritance of physical objects are all explored throughout the work. The project was inspired by the loss of my mother, and my subsequent diagnosis with a BRCA2 mutation. The fractured form was inspired by the gaps in memory that are created as a result of grief. The Illuminated Empty Spaces aims to define the space that grief leaves behind, and ultimately define what that space creates room for.

Seepage, Kelly Norah Drukker

The Goose

This creative nonfiction essay explores the interrelatedness of place—in this case, the island of Inis Mór in Ireland—with time, memory, and emotion, tracing how a landscape as we experience it in the present can also intersect with the physical and mnemonic landscapes of our past.

Skins, Surfaces, And Other Worlds, Priscilla Jolly

The Goose

This personal essay explores the notion of skin and how the writer deals with "skin" as an element of racialization and skin as a site of allergies.

Stray Thoughts And Desire Paths—A Dialogue, Jenna Butler, Yvonne E. Blomer

The Goose

In this dialogue, authors, teachers, and environmentalists Yvonne Blomer and Jenna Butler discuss the ways in which our desire paths—our intents for our lives—have changed since the start of the pandemic. Covering women's writing, feminism, daily life during the pandemic, environmentalism, and race, this dialogue is an act of allyship from two women of different backgrounds writing together.

72 Orchids, Lilly Hinckley

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Underground Lipstick, Garrett Davis

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Paris, Lilly Hinckley

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

What I Do, Miriam Berne

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Stirring Movements, Brian Clow

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

If We Had A Kid, - Darrel -

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Black Lives Matter, Armando Delgado

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The Black Lives Matter movement first started in 2013 by three strong African Americans women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. The movement was created after black lives were being taken by police officers in shootings that could have been deescalated. The research project introduces on how the movement was started and the goal is for the readers to understand why the people are so angry, the reasons they are protesting and to fight for equality around the United States. Since this is still an accruing issue, I tried to get all the info I could get in as …