Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“This Is What You Want! This Is What You Signed Up For!”: How Agencies Responsibilize Resettling Refugees, Kelsey Wilber

McNair Scholars Research Journal

US refugee resettlement agencies face a daunting task: they are federally mandated to achieve resettlement within a severely restricted time frame and funding limit per refugee, all while creating integrated, “self-sufficient” US citizens. As a result, resettlement agencies must guide resettling refugees through a rigidly scheduled set of activities that are designed to expunge ‘dependency’ while finding resettling refugees jobs, homes, schools, and community belonging. Interviewing resettlement case workers and volunteers in a northwestern US city, I find that staff respond to this double bind by using informal tactics to transform the character of resettled refugees into good neoliberal ‘American’ …

Poverty Delivered: How Rent-To-Own Businesses Make The Poor Poorer, Jeffrey Cates

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Through stories, interviews, pictures and financial records, I narrate the workings of the rent-to-own company I work for. It capitalizes on the American culture of conspicuous consumption to target the poorest workers, gouge them with usurious contracts, overextend their credit, “trip” them up with fees and ultimately deliver poverty to the poor. Over two years on the job, I developed extensive field notes, performed qualitative interviews with management, analyzed a year’s worth of financial data, and therein could bring new details to the intimate process that make the poor poorer. Working there made me realize that basic American household goods …

Punishment Beyond Bars: Pursuing Higher Education With The Degree Of Incarceration, Michelle Fretwell

McNair Scholars Research Journal

There are over 2.3 million people currently incarcerated in the United States (Wagner and Rabuy 2017). This incarcerated population represents this nation’s poorest, most isolated, most mentally ill, and least educated persons (Thompson 2013). And, even though the Pew Research Center recently argued the racial gap in prisons had narrowed, people of color continue to be significantly overrepresented (Tucker 2016; Gramlich 2018). Legal scholar Michelle Alexander asserts that upon reentry into society, formerly incarcerated individuals are sequestered into what she has termed America’s new undercaste—“a lower caste of individuals who are permanently barred by law and custom from mainstream society” …

Ethnic Identity Formation Among Basque-American Adolescents, Catherine M. Petrissans

BOGA: Basque Studies Consortium Journal

This article focuses on the ethnic identity formation among one hundred Basque-American youth between the ages of nine and fifteen who were interviewed at the beginning and end of a two week long Udaleku held in Bakersfield California in 2013. This project explores four key questions related to the internal thought processes used by camp attendees to account for or try to make sense of their ethnicity. First, were camp attendees confident or confused about their ethnicity? Second, have participants attempted to “explore” their ethnicity and, if so how? Third, what does “being Basque” mean to camp participants and is …

Libguide Blog Reflection, Natasha Stone

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

This semester we covered many topics and issues surrounding digital communication and privacy. For each topic, we turned to the news to find current information or issues that pertained to that week’s curriculum. As someone who generally doesn’t keep up to date on the news, I was a little concerned about finding anything of note a couple times. However, I learned that just because I don’t hear or think about certain issues it doesn’t mean that they aren’t important or big enough to warrant thorough journalism.

Digital Privacy Blog Project Reflection, Russell Eldredge

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

A reflection of blogging to increase understanding of digital privacy while using Facebook and other social media outlets.

Building Cultural Empathy Through Facilitated Literature Exposure In Pre-Adolescent And Adolescent Readers, Jackson Wall

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

A topic related to cultural empathy was identified and a children's book filled with an adapted story embedded with the rhetoric surrounding that topic was created. Then, the book was read to a small group of at-risk youth and their responses were noted. Then, post-exposure attitude toward the reader was observed along with conversation amongst the group.

Servant Leadership, Melissa D. Lemar Mrs

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

ABSTRACT

I have had the privilege of being a Celebrate Recovery Leader for five years now. I lead a group of women through a class that is about nine to twelve months long and in that time frame, I get to witness a beautiful transition right before my eyes. Women, typically, attend this class because they are struggling with a hurt, habit, or hang up and the light in their eyes has been snuffed out by life’s challenges and they forgot their passion in life. But after attending this class for about six months, they begin to recognize their value …

How Far Does Influence Go? Racialized Resistance And University Culture, Chandra Reyna

McNair Scholars Research Journal

In recent years, universities have found themselves in the spotlight for their approaches to grievances of racial bias and discrimination. To better understand how university culture can influence millennials’ understanding and explanations of racial phenomena, I examine the ways in which students navigate issues of racial inequity. Data reveals that the culture of the examined university, created by an adoption of a racial orthodoxy, overwhelmingly leads to a system I call racialized resistance. Under racialized resistance, a student's race acts a master status and determines how they can participate in politicized civic engagement. I find students employ four strategies: strategic …

Non-Profit Community Project, Christine Lee, Nicole Gomez, Riziki Mberwa, Michelle Mccollough, Alex Tulen

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

Meridian Valley Humane Society is a small non-profit canine rescue for all of Meridian. They are trying to solve the issue of finding abandoned, abused, or relocated dogs a forever, loving home. Meridian Valley Humane Society houses a maximum of 30 dogs at a time which enables a unique and loving experience for the dogs as the volunteers can spend more time training, loving, and caring for them. It receives no county, city, state, or federal funding of any kind and relies heavily on volunteers and donations. Because of this, the adoption rates are higher than other nonprofit organizations like …

Bells For Books Community Service, Jamie J. Maas

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

Cultural awareness is something that is very important in building a healthy community. America is a nation of immigrants and as such it is very important that the immigrants that settle into our city feel very safe and welcome. One way that a citizen can learn civic engagement and give back to their community is through community service. In my community, Bells for Books offers wonderful opportunities for children that don’t necessarily have access to a library. For those children, writing books in their language, and volunteering time to read stories to children can make a huge difference in their …

Authentic Leadership In Volunteer Based Teams: A Research Essay And Reflection Of My Leadership Experience In Lead 326, Jonathan Troy Ferguson

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

This is a study of the theory of Authentic Leadership from a number of different sources and ideals. These theories are then explained, in detail, how I personally applied them to several projects involving non-profit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boise Rescue Mission, and the Kuna Middle School. It shows my personal reflection of working with the organizations on a volunteer basis and how the above theories were effective and relatable to the groups that I led.

Let’S Try Something New: Service Learning In Boise State's Computer Science Department, Daniel Kondratyuk

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

In this article I explain how a group of Computer Science students at Boise State University participated in a new service learning project. I provide a few testimonials on the students’ experiences and describe the rewarding aspects of service learning in the greater Computer Science community.

Impact Of Books, Alyssa Buffi

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

This poster details my service learning project. I wrote and illustrated a book that will teach children how important it is to accept people even if they are different. After I had my book printed and delivered, I volunteered one evening to read to a group of children on the Bells for Books bus in Garden City. By taking the time to go read to the youth of Garden City, I not only showed them that they deserve the right to education and books, but also the importance of volunteering.

A Retrospective Illustrative Case Study On The Barriers Facing First Generation College Students And How A Targeted Program Ameliorates These Barriers, Samuel Kosydar

International Journal of Undergraduate Community Engagement

First generation college students face a particularly unique set of challenges navigating the college pathway to success. Financial concerns aside, lack of awareness of campus resources and stigmatization that can also be dependent upon race and gender may impede academic performance and impose additional stressors. In a retrospective illustrative case study, barriers facing first generation college students are examined from the vantage point of a community based first generation college scholarship program designed to recruit and retain these students at a private university. Observational and census data are used as analysis. While many such barriers are ameliorated at least in …

Idaho Sexual Orientation Policy Debates: Local Discourse, Megyn Rodriguez

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study conducts a content analysis with the use of NVivo software of the local news outlet, Idaho Statesman, and its articles from 1999-2012. This research focuses on two specific sexual orientation policy debates: hate crime prevention and the Boise city ordinance. These issues highlight examples of framing. The findings from this analysis highlight how a media can play a supporting role for LGBTQ advocates through liberal and moderate frames by taking on an assimilationist approach to inclusion. This research adds to the literature on the role of newspapers in mediating public discussion and has larger impacts of how public …

Mexican Politicization: Cultivating Optimism, Fostering Community, Abraham Calderón

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study addresses how Mexican immigrants become politicized in the absence of appropriate opportunities. Drawing from 20 qualitative interviews of Mexican immigrants residing in Idaho, a key contradiction is found between active words and effective inaction. That is, respondents want to participate but do not. To address this contradiction this study identifies key processes that enable and curtail Mexican immigrant community engagement as part of their daily struggle for full incorporation into US society. I argue politicization is the result of the capacity to harness optimism and collective orientation while being able to defy the challenges of isolationism and individualism. …

External Projection Of The Basque Language And Culture: The Etxepare Basque Institute And A Range Of Public Paradiplomacy, Sho Hagio

BOGA: Basque Studies Consortium Journal

This study discusses the establishment of the Etxepare Basque Institute in 2007 as a way of investigating the status of the Basque language Euskara, which was once looked down on and labeled as a lesser-used minority language, but which is now coming into greater prominence in the international arena in an era of globalization. The mission of the institute is external projection of Basque language and culture. Such projection, on one hand, presupposes the existence of a standardized language and culture to be diffused and that there is a distinction to be made between “interior” and “exterior” on the other. …

Educational Achievement Among Asian Children: Ethnic Differences In First Grade Math And Reading Scores, Lesley Yang

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The burgeoning Asian population in the U.S. makes it imperative to understand the factors influencing their educational attainment. The pan-ethnic category of “Asian American” overgeneralizes about diverse populations and has led to a monolithic view of Asians as high achieving students with little need for educational services. The model minority myth may be masking the drastic variation in educational attainment among ethnic Asian groups. This study uses data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) to: (1) examine whether there are significant achievement gaps between different Asian ethnic groups in first grade and (2) analyze factors that account for …

Female Prisoner Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (F-Patso): A Preliminary Comparison Using The Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (Catso-R) Scale, N. A. Weihe

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This preliminary report explores female prisoner attitudes toward sex offenders (F-PATSO) held by incarcerated women at a medium security, state correctional facility. Utilizing the 18-question Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offender (CATSO-R) scale (Church, 2008) and eight demographic variables, researchers distributed selfadministered surveys to 102 female inmates over the course of two days. For the purpose of this paper, and in order to determine if there is any variation in attitudes between groups, the author examines the prevalence of lifetime sexual abuse as reported by the inmates in relation to their attitudes toward sex offenders based on one of four factored …

The Racialized Experiences Of Video Games, Mario Venegas

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This research explores the ways different people experience the racial content of video games. Building on DeVane and Squire, this research speaks to content analyses literature that shows games as modern minstrelsies. Using Bonilla-Silva’s definition of Racial Ideology in conjunction with Winddance-Twine’s concept of Racial Literacy, I examined racial ideology and its role as an interpretative framework. I also used Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital to account for video game cultural knowledge. Data were collected through personal interviews where participants played the video game Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony for 30-50 minutes. A sample of 31 participants …

Fighting For Our Foster Youths’ Future, Shwaye Eibensteiner

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study will analyze the issues surrounding the "aging out" of young adults in the foster care system in the United States by focusing on data from three locations: England’s Child Welfare System, Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare, and Texas’s Department of Family and Protective Services. The study looks to current research to describe the resources needed to help foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and finds that youth need social support, financial support, healthcare, mental health resources, housing resources, substance abuse treatment, educational resources, legal assistance, employment stability, and assistance with child care. In order to measure the transitional resources …

Sexual Offender Registries: Public Safety Or Scarlet Letter?, Marilyn Hiller

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Sexual offender legislation has been based on “moral panics” stemming from sensationalized cases (i.e. Wetterling, Kanka, and Klaas). The variety of sex offenders that are treated with blanket punishment is causing collateral consequences which actually create more risk to the public. By comparing the Idaho Sexual Offender Registry with the Idaho Department of Justice Database, this study determined what offenses were being committed after placement on the registry. My research identifies a collateral consequence of unsafe driving conditions. It found that there was a 113% increase of moving traffic related charges and 94% increase of non-moving violations such as driving …

Transracial Adoption: Promoting Racial Literacy Or Perpetuating Colorblind Racism?, Christine Richardson

McNair Scholars Research Journal

How do white adoptive parents of black children teach their children to navigate race? In 1994 Congress passed the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act (MEPA) removing race as a consideration in adoptive placements, effectively opening up the pool of adoptable black infants to middle class white couples. Inspired by France Twine’s study on how white members of black/white couples developed “racial literacy,” this qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with 20 adoptive parents. My findings show that although parents are open to anti-racist practices, they lack the required insight to follow through. Parents are conflicted between perceptions of how racism operates …

Ethnographic Introduction Of Coping In A Timber-Dependent Community, Levin Welch

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The effects of socioeconomic change on individuals is a central theme of sociology. In order to understand how society functions the impacts of social change on individuals must be examined. In extreme cases, where a community’s economy is dependent on a single resource, change can hit hard and fast. Most research on these communities is quantitative and has been successful in identifying social problems associated with resource dependence, but people react in the context of local history and value systems. Most studies have been limited in their examination of this context. This has been recognized by researchers who have argued …

Identifying Student Perceptions: The Effect Of Parent-Child Relationships On Attitudes Towards Academic Abilities, Heather Gifford

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study expands on research that identifies the many negative effects poor parent-child relationships can have on children by examining how these disadvantages continue into children’s young-adult lives and influence attitudes and confidence levels towards success. This study will focus on young-adult, college students and will specifically consider their attitudes and confidence levels towards achieving self-defined, academic success. The purpose of this research is to determine if participants with weak parent-child relationship face more academic disadvantages due to lower levels of confidence and development of derogatory attitudes towards their capability to achieve in order to identify potential educational disparities related …

Support For Success: An Exploration Of The Support Networks Of Latino Students In The College Assistance Migrant Program, Alexandra Ornelas-González

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Research on Latino college students finds high attrition and low completion rates at the four-year level. This study explores the support networks of Latino students in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) during their first year in college. Surveys and interviews were used to determine which individuals the students went to for support on academic matters, educational and occupational plans, personal matters, and information on job opportunities. The main goal of this study is to learn about the individuals that form the students’ support networks and the resources that emerge from the ties to those individuals for each type of …

Perceptions Of Discrimination: An Analysis Of Four National Surveys Of Latinos; Findings From The Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey Of Latinos, Jenny Gallegos

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Objective: Throughout the history of the United States different legal measures have resulted in efforts to deal with immigration issues, and some have resulted in adverse consequences for Latinos in particular. Massive immigration from 1850-1920 arose the historic distrust and suspicion of Anglos toward Mexicans and tended to evoke various kinds of repressive acts, excluding Mexican Americans from political participation (Garcia and de la Garza 1977). After the 9/11 attacks Latinos reported a heightened level of perceived discrimination as well as fear of deportation, even among U.S. Citizens. Methods: Using multiple-regression analysis this study analyzes four datasets of National Survey …

Personality And Character Selection In World Of Warcraft, Ian D. Mosley

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The present study examined the relationship between players’ personality characteristics and their online behaviors, including character faction, class selection, and game play in the massively multiplayer online role playing game the World of Warcraft (WoW). Data were collected from 205 WoW players who participated in an online survey that included the Big 5 Personality Inventory (Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability and Openness to Experience) and portions of the California Personality Index, as well as original questions pertaining to WoW (Goldberg, et al. 2006). Statistical analysis showed that although there was not a significant relationship between player personality traits and their …

Sacrificios Para La Familia: The Context Of Mexican Farm Worker Narratives, Carolina Valderrama

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Among the school age population in Idaho, the populations most at risk for not graduating and or dropping out from high school are the children of migrant farm workers. According to data from the 2000 CPS, the dropout rate is 44.2% for Hispanics 16 through 24 who are born outside the United States. Previous research has focused on several contributing factors to the dropout rate such as, socioeconomic status, recent immigration, and linguistic differences, few studies however, have focused on the role of generational context as a possible factor. This study explores the role of generation as a factor influencing …