English Language and Literature Commons^™

America The Free, Marijke Pieters-Kwiers

The Tuxedo Archives

No abstract provided.

Stubborn Love, Jesse Holliday

The Tuxedo Archives

No abstract provided.

A Bit Odd, Alison Erves

The Tuxedo Archives

No abstract provided.

Trying To Fix It, Alisha Ragon

The Tuxedo Archives

She was trying to fix it.

She walked in with purpose, and nerves on fire.

As hard as she tried to hold up her badass countenance, they could still tell she was tired. She walked with swagger, put distance between her steps. This convenience store’s law of awkward nondisclosure was helpful in self-defense. As messed up as she had become, there were still people here much more fucked than her. She said hello to the man at the counter, with lowered eyes. She avoided other consumers with grace; she simply stepped down the wrong aisle.

In The Beginning, Jeffrey Wincek

The Tuxedo Archives

In the beginning there was the Computer and the Screen, and the Computer was inert and void and darkness was over the face of the Screen. And the Author’s finger pressed the Power Button and the Computer Booted Up and there was Light on the face of the Screen. And the Author saw it was good.

Gil And Ki In Couples Therapy, Jeffrey Wincek

The Tuxedo Archives

The office is tidy and uncluttered; tasteful and well lighted. The decor is mid-century modern with an occasional treasure from antiquity featured here and there: tiny bronze and terra cotta Nabatean oil lamps, Sumerian fetishes, facsimiles of baked clay tablets bearing cuneiform script. Other objects de vertu rest on rosewood bases or under glass on the desk and in bookcases. Except for a glorious Persian rug, ruby, topaz, lapis and carnelian in hue, the color scheme is muted and neutral. Dr. Esther Aalyah sits at her desk. She has a manila folder in front of her. There are colored tags …

F People Were Seasons, Yvonne Bamba

The Tuxedo Archives

He and I are sitting in the middle of my staircase, squished together on the same step, our limbs overflowing and dangling off the edges. We have our respective beverages in hand—his beer and my glass of red wine—facing each other with our legs bent, contently intertwined. We already touched base on our weapons of choice for the zombie apocalypse, the sports and instruments and dreams we gave up on in high school, and whether our day was more like The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face or Fetty Wap’s Trap Queen. Now, we’re brainstorming names for the future Alaskan husky …

A Story For Alex, Or For Me, Alisha Ragon

The Tuxedo Archives

It was the whoring hour.

Ready the sheets and the lingerie.

Ready the moans and the delicious delights to be discovered.

Ready the bodies wanting and hungry.

Ready the minds, sore for distraction, aching for bliss.

Slowly the sliding of cloth, flesh venturing out into the open air

Hands gliding over the landscape of his torso; breath breaking from composure to ecstasy A landscape not her own. Breath not meant to be broken.

Rein it in.

The Clinic, Bri Wilson

The Tuxedo Archives

“What are you here for?”

Jeanette glanced up from her clasped hands. The questioner - a middle aged woman wearing a kitten sweater - stared at her expectantly.

Jeanette spun the ring around her fourth finger. “To forget,” she muttered. She should have taken it off.

The Shattering, Bri Wilson

The Tuxedo Archives

I’m dead. But I’m still here. My soul got left behind. I didn’t believe in souls but now I have to and

I don’t remember when I was last alive. My memories have been blurred, shaken, chopped. I can’t recall how it ended, there was a lot of pain, then it stopped. Suddenly.

(how did I die.)

20 Things, Reann Parker

Honors Theses

20 Things is a short young adult novel that explores a variety of topics and themes, from mental health, recovery, and self discovery to race, love, and friendship. Beginning with a high school girl named Halle waking up in a hospital after a suicide attempt, the novel is a coming of age story about the help Halle receives and what she goes through in trying to find reasons to keep living. The novel is divided into ten chapters: “Waking Up,” “Going Home,” “Arriving,” “Being Honest,” “Keeping the Faith,” “Soul Searching,” “Willingness,” “Maintaining,” “Checking In,” and “Living.” Each chapter represents the …

The Monsters And The Translators: An Apologia For The Study Of History, Walker Cosgrove

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No longer do we believe in monsters; we’ve reached a ripe old, disenchanted age. In the 21st century, we romance vampires, we train dragons, and we pacify Greek gods. In our enlightened state, we produce novels and films that offer the perspective of the monsters in an attempt to help us understand them and make them seem less monstrous. Yet, we continue to demonize, and the monstrous survives in the “other” with whom we disagree, fueled, no doubt, by our highly politicized society today. It appears we’ve learned nothing in our enlightened disenchantment. I want to consider here one such …

Poetry Beyond The Page: A Case For Spoken Word Poetry In Florida's Secondary Classrooms, Sarah Matherly

Senior Honors Theses

Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards, Florida’s most recent K-12 educational standards to promote literacy, lack the rising art of Spoken Word Poetry. However, Florida’s Department of Education should integrate Spoken Word into Florida’s Secondary curriculum. Spoken Word Poetry, by its definition, holds researched benefits that align with the B.E.S.T. Standard’s poetry recommendations and literacy-centered goals. In light of such benefits, Florida’s Department of Education should consider various Spoken Word poets and poems to include in Florida’s Secondary Curriculum, as well as explore the resources and integration methods included in this thesis for both teachers and students.

Teaching To The Test Or Limiting Students?, Victoria Rivera

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

The purpose of this paper is to shine light on the way the school systems have been teaching and how it is affecting students in a negative way. It focuses mainly on teaching to the test and how it stops students from learning creatively and also does not let teachers teach the way they might want to. It also shows how this is a wicked problem and is more than a small school system issue. This impacts students, teachers, and the society we live in. The results of this research was that there were a lot of other authors that …

The Opioid Crisis Meets Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah M. Westerman

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

Abstract: How have the COVID-19 pandemic and the Opioid Crisis have collided to create a negative effect on those who abuse drugs and other substances? These two wicked problems are now collectively making it more difficult for those to recover and overcome substance and drug abuse worsening the Opioid Epidemic. With no clear answer in sight can vaccines and more accessible rehab help to progress these wicked problems?

Looking Into The Effects Of The Age Of The Internet, Sarah Schaefer

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

The internet has grown to play a large part in our society in the past couple decades, but with the rapid change in technology we have been ill prepared for the effects of our reliance on digital content. Looking into how different demographics and age groups are affected, we come to a conclusion that the general population needs to work to better educate themselves on the impact caused from an overuse of the internet.

Obesity: A Growing Concern In America, Julie T. Garrity

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

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The R-Word, Jocelyn Mckelvey, Jocelyn Mckelvey

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

Racism cuts deep. In a recent study by Shardae McNeil, 87 and 94% of African Americans reported experiencing at least one discriminatory event by the time they reached adolescence. Her research indicates that those that experience racial discrimination during adolescence are vulnerable to a greater risk of lower psychological functioning, internalized symptoms, and elevated levels of depressive symptomology. McNeil introduces the component of family support. Family support is an important coping method for incidents such as racial discrimination and can bring a positive mental health outcome in adolescents.

Cancel The Behavior, Not The Person, Mckenna M. Wychunas

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

A wicked problem is one that is here to stay, no matter how many solutions are thought of. No matter the solution, it will always interfere with another wicked problem, leaving it in an endless cycle. Cancel culture will always exist, even if it becomes less intense, it will still be here. Though there are differing opinions on the topic of cancel culture, I have researched the negative side to canceling, and I have provided examples of real-life people that have been affected by it. Along with that, I have also given a variety of feasible solutions that could help …

Drug Addiction & Mental Health, Tyler Burkholder

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

Drugs have a serious effect on our mental health, and mental health has a major effect on drug abuse and addiction. There is a reason so many drug users usually need to keep going back to rehab. It is because drugs affect mental health to a point where you aren’t the same person during and even after drug addiction. Poor mental health also can be a major cause influencing people to start doing drugs. People with depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders are more prone to drug use. That is why we need to make it a public policy to screen …

Guns And Their Place In The Us, Jacob Garibaldi

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

Creating this paper was a wicked problem due to how deep of an issue the gun debate is in the United States. In the discussion of guns, there is a side that wants to abolish them, a side that believes in the right of the second amendment, and a middle ground where we can have guns in society with added in legal measures. Surely enough, those that are in opposition to firearms are persuaded due to the acts of violence and crime committed with them. Then there are those that use them in a way of self-defense. Through this paper, …

College Students And Burnout, Alexandra Malc

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

This article covers the topic such as burnout in an academic environment. Burnout is a common experience many students face throughout their four plus years in college, and it has serious ramifications. This is a serious issue that affects a student’s social life, academic life, and personal life. There is a severe lack of resources on campus, and the goal of this paper is to bring awareness to this. Students deserve to be heard and seen on their issues, and burnout is a huge one. This article also gives suggestions on how to heal from burnout, along with preventing it …

Impact Of Whitetail Deer Overpopulation With Hunting On The Decline, Matthew J. Lamprinos

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

The whitetail deer is a key species for Pennsylvania’s forests, but their ecological balance has been disturbed by unregulated growth and urban sprawl. The deer population in Pennsylvania has exploded since the 1880’s causing a wide range of damage on the ecosystem, and humans. To reduce deer populations to sustainable levels, the Pennsylvania Game Commission relies heavily on hunters to dedicate time in the fall to go out and fill the tags the they issue. Hunter participation all around the world is decreasing for a variety of reasons. Fewer hunters out in the field causes revenue losses for the Game …

The Struggle Of Mental Health Within College Students, Skyler R. West

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

One in five college students have thoughts of committing suicide daily. We often wonder what may lead to thoughts like this. This essay uses a subjective approach to broaden the knowledge of readers regarding mental health problems within college students. In this essay, readers discover the statistical findings of factors like alcohol, nicotine, schoolwork and athletics factoring into a student's psychological destressed mental state. Without having available and anonymous resources accessible to them, students are not able to get the help they need.

Physician Burnout: Stress Within The Health Care System, Aidan Hauser

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

As our nation’s healthcare system expands, more stress and responsibility are placed on our physicians and frontline healthcare workers. The pressures of the daily job often prove extremely damaging to the employee’s mental and physical health. Physician and worker burnout is a growing epidemic that is damaging our care providers more and more every day. Burnout effects not only workers, but all of those surrounding them as well. This plague is not going to be repaired by one single change, but it is clear that many adjustments must be made to reform our healthcare system.

Police Body Cams Reducing Police Brutality, Shane M. Secrest

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

This paper shows 3 main reasons of how police worn body cameras being equipped on every single police officer in the country will be effective in reducing police brutality issues. The research is based of 3 sub points being officer, suspect and community safety, the educational value that can be gained from police worn body cameras, and how police worn body cameras can benefit the US court system. Each subpoint is broken down with how and why police worn body cameras would benefit each area.

Tuition Prices Are Through The Roof, Zara Zerman

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

Tuition prices have increased at a rate that is making it difficult and impossible for students to not accumulate debt. Education is a necessity for society because it gives students opportunities to pursue any career they have interest or desire in. There are many discussions and conversations about the higher education system being too expensive but there have not been any changes or solutions to make college more affordable for students. Loans, federal aid, and other scholarships that help students with the cost of college will never be enough to help with the overwhelmingness of tuition prices and student debt. …

Lower Tuition, Eliminate Debts, And Enjoy Your Education, Damon Dejesus

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

College students live in a world where financial struggles and hardships take away from a lot of their freedoms after graduation. The ongoing student debt issues have crippled many of their freedoms and put limitations on the various luxuries they should be able to enjoy after completing the long journey of getting a degree. Through a few simple yet effective methods I think that there are ways to combat this wicked problem, things such as lowering the price of tuition, distributing more financial aid to students, and reducing the rate of interest attached to loans that some students may be …

Bridging The Gap, Jerenita Sokan

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

Relationships are very important in our everyday life, especially in the medical field. Doctors tend to be the determining factor for many patients when it comes to life or death, and the patient requires a positive doctor patient relationship for many reasons. A good relationship is very important to foster trust thus creating a welcoming environment leading to more people taking steps to get help. However, when the doctor patient relationship is broken negative results are yield. Today the relationship between African American women and doctors is one that is broken and drifting further away from what is viewed as …

United States Judicial System Failures And Solutions, Braden P. Barker

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

For years, the American judicial system has unfairly punished the American people. These actions have led to serious societal consequences. We have prisons that sentence people to harsh punishment for nonviolent offenses, an overfunded and militarized police force, and racial biases that lead to the tragic killings of black people at the hands of the police that are intended to protect and serve us. This essay looks to diagnose the United States judicial system’s woes. More importantly, we take a look at what steps can be taken immediately to begin reversing the negative impact of these issues.