Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Latinos In New Bedford, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Gastón Institute Publications

The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy was established at the University of Massachusetts Boston in December of 1989. The creation of the Gaston Institute responds to the need for better understanding of the experience and conditions of life of Latinos in the Commonwealth. In an effort to facilitate access to vital information about Latinos to various audiences, and with support from the Boston Foundation, the Gaston Institute has produced a series of basic demographic profiles for selected cities in the Commonwealth based on the 1990 United States Census. These profiles are but one part of …

Latinos In Worcester, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Gastón Institute Publications

The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy was established at the University of Massachusetts Boston in December of 1989. The creation of the Gaston Institute responds to the need for better understanding of the experience and conditions of life of Latinos in the Commonwealth. In an effort to facilitate access to vital information about Latinos to various audiences, and with support from the Boston Foundation, the Gaston Institute has produced a series of basic demographic profiles for selected cities in the Commonwealth based on the 1990 United States Census. These profiles are but one part of …

Latinos In Waltham, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Gastón Institute Publications

The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy was established at the University of Massachusetts Boston in December of 1989. The creation of the Gaston Institute responds to the need for better understanding of the experience and conditions of life of Latinos in the Commonwealth. In an effort to facilitate access to vital information about Latinos to various audiences, and with support from the Boston Foundation, the Gaston Institute has produced a series of basic demographic profiles for selected cities in the Commonwealth based on the 1990 United States Census. These profiles are but one part of …

Family Resemblance: A Study Of Linguistic Conformity Within Family Systems, Rebecca L. Garnett

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This thesis reports the results of an empirical study designed to test two hypotheses from the early psychiatric work of C. G. Jung: first, the existence of a "family disposition" toward the word association test (WAT), and second, the theory that there is interference between the "thinking" and the "feeling" functions in an individual's cognitive processing. The experiment involved 52 normal subjects from 15 families, ranging in age from 12 to 65. Subjects were tested using an association instrument adapted from the WAT developed by Jung (Jung, 1973). Response commonalty was examined along several dimensions: identical verbal response, identical category …

The Meaning Of The Browning Of America, Miren Uriarte

Gastón Institute Publications

Many of you are in the same position that many of us are in the academy or at the community level. We have two jobs. That of doing the work we are paid to do - be it research or anything else - as well as developing the awareness of those around us of the particular needs of Latinos in the hopes of having the community receive a more equitable treatment.

In my experience, there is no other way to accomplish both jobs and remain sane without getting together with others in the same situation and discussing strategies and action. …

Poverty And Health Outcomes Among Hispanics In Massachusetts, Christopher Christian

Gastón Institute Publications

The Hispanic population of Massachusetts is now close to becoming the largest ethnic minority group in the state. The 1990 statewide Census count found that the Hispanic population doubled in the past ten years and now comprises 4.8% of the total state population (287,349 residents) as compared to 2.5% in 1980.

Growth in the Hispanic population has not been coupled with advancements in health status. Hispanic residents are disproportionately affected by many adverse health outcomes, such as high infant mortality, a high incidence of substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, homicides, AIDS, and other chronic illnesses. This paper highlights some of …

The Status Of Black And Hispanic Faculty In Massachusetts Colleges And Universities, Sandra E. Elman

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

To implement policies and programs that facilitate recruitment and retention of minority faculty, educators and policymakers must first determine the status of Blacks and Hispanics in the Commonwealth's colleges and universities. The principal objective of this report is to provide that knowledge.

The study has a dual purpose: to develop a data base on the availability of and demand for Black and Hispanic faculty in Massachusetts institutions of higher education, and to enhance our understanding of the strategies and programs required to foster recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty. Furthermore, it seeks to identify hiring trends in different types of …

Long-Term Care Policy: Where Are We Going?, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Omb Watch

Gerontology Institute Publications

Millions of Americans suffer from physical or mental conditions that make it difficult for them to live fully independent lives. These are the frail elderly, disabled and chronically ill persons of all ages, and many mentally ill or mentally retarded persons. They need help to manage daily activities, whether they live in their own homes or in nursing homes.

Such care can be extremely expensive, since it often must be provided for many years, even a lifetime. Today, those costs are met largely by the individuals themselves or by their families and by public programs for low-income persons.

For many …

Commonwealth's Choice: Results From The Massachusetts Public Opinion Survey, Barry Bluestone, Mary Ellen Colten, Thomas Ferguson

John M. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies Publications

From November 11 through December 4, 1989, the Center for Survey Research of the University of Massachusetts at Boston conducted a random digit dial survey of adults aged 18 and over in Massachusetts. A total of 423 individuals were interviewed in a sampling procedure that yielded a 63 percent response rate. In contrast to most media polls, this survey was carried out over a period of four weeks permitting extensive efforts at locating and interviewing difficult-to-reach, reluctant, or less interested respondents. This survey is likely to be more representative of the true population of Massachusetts than most state polls.

African-Americans And Social Policy In The 1990'S, Wornie L. Reed

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

The basic social policy issue for African-Americans in the next decade will be a perennial objective - to have policies instituted that will bring them into the economic and social mainstreams of America. The main problems currently faced by blacks are quite familiar: inequalities in economic and social conditions. The new wrinkle in the 1980s is a downturn in racial progress, a downturn that is seen whether one is examining attitudes or specific social policies.

Racial divisions have increased sharply. The Reagan Administration's war against affirmative action, its refusal to allow access to decision-making by minorities, its fight against civil …

The Gerontology Institute: The First Years, 1984-1987, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Gerontology Institute Publications

During the first years of its existence, the Gerontology Institute has worked with older people to convert "retirement years" into opportunities for continuous growth and learning, while simultaneously seeking to re-examine social, political, and economic roles for elders in society. It is hoped that through such engagement of older individuals, the Institute has inspired a more positive attitude in society towards its aging population.

Blacks And Latinos In Boston: A Community Profile, James Jennings, A. Jean Burnette

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

The purpose of this Report is to provide a socio-economic and demographic overview of predominantly black and Latino geographic areas in the City of Boston. This Report is primarily in response to a request for assistance from several community-based groups and organizations, including Project FATE, the Center for Community Action, the Urban League, and the Bank of Commerce.

Based on specific requests and feedback from several individuals representing the organizations mentioned, it was decided that a "Community Profile" based on electoral districts in Boston would be useful. The request from the community organizations listed several possible items for inclusion in …

On The Decomposition Of Wage Differentials, Jeremiah Cotton

Economics Faculty Publication Series

The often used method for decomposing wage differentials into human capital and discrimination components is reformulated so that both the disadvantage, or "cost," discrimination imposes on a black or minority wage earner and the advantage, or "benefit," it bestows on a white or majority wage earner can be estimated.

Serving The Elderly: Need Versus Policy, Wornie L. Reed

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

Medicare was established in 1965 under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. It was originally meant to eliminate the financial barriers to medical care for the aged. It has been called a form of national health insurance for persons age 65 and over. But it was deliberately designed in a manner to avoid modification of the fee-for-services system that is the basis of American Medical Care (Estes, 1979). As a result, inflation in the cost of care has seriously reduced financial benefits to the beneficiaries and in turn limited the access to medical care by the elderly.

Dorchester: The Community Teaches, A Resource Book Of Information And Activities, Institute For Learning & Teaching, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Institute for Learning and Teaching Publications

We have prepared this manual of resources and activities so that Dorchester teachers and children can explore their community. We have done so in the belief that community studies can be a valuable addition to the curriculum. They involve children in thinking about and taking part in the affairs of their community. Through community studies, children in the process of becoming citizens can learn how to participate in and have an impact on their community. In this time of widespread apathy, despair, and resignation about community problems, education for citizenship is a top priority.

When children are learning about their …

The Search For Voice: Ideology And Perspective In The Black Community, Phillip L. Clay

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

During the last seven years there has been a significant shift to the right in the ideological perspectives of American political institutions and behavior. Despite some inconsistencies, the direction is clear. The term "moderate" has acquired a conservative meaning, and liberals have been split into neo-liberal and neoconservative camps. At this moment American society is informally declaring that it is not committed to achieving the goal of equal outcomes long espoused by a mainly liberal national political and institutional system.

The shift to the right is working changes on traditional black ideological perspectives, both among blacks and between black and …

The Economic Status Of Older Women In Massachusetts, Elba Caraballo, Nita Goldstein

Gerontology Institute Publications

This report presents a list of current state legislative initiatives which directly or indirectly, affect older women in Massachusetts.

Despite the progress made by the Commonwealth in the area of elder services, a significant portion of this population continues to live in dire need. It is important that State Legislators, State Administrators, policymakers and community leaders understand the needs of this population and work to increase the financial resources and enhance the dignity of older women in the Commonwealth.

Youth Employment And Unemployment: Outreach Initiatives In Massachusetts And The City Of Boston, James Jennings, William J. Stracqualursi, Zaki A. Sakin

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

An effort is made here to identify trends in the labor market participation of teenagers, especially in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the City of Boston; to specify unemployment trends in terms of the racial identification of teenagers or youth, with a special focus on the 14-19 year old cohort; to describe the types of jobs held by teenagers and make an assessment of the long-term implications of types of employment for future employability; to specify the most frequently identified issues* delineated when attempting to address the problem of youth unemployment; to permit young employed people to speak about …

Youth And Jobs: A Bibliography Of Publications, 1980-1986, With Selected Annotations, James E. Blackwell, William J. Stracqualursi

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

This working bibliography of publications on youth employment and unemployment covers the period between 1980 and mid-1986. It is designed to be of assistance to researchers seeking a reference tool that may facilitate their research and/or expedite efforts to review recent literature on the complex subject of youth employment, unemployment and outreach initiatives intended to address the problem.

The areas encompassed by this document attest to the magnitude and scope of the problem of moving young people into the labor market. Assuming a need to be able to work through the maze of studies on youth and work, a plan …

Seniority And Affirmative Action: The Shadow Of Stotts, Drew S. Days Iii

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

The purpose of this paper is to discuss why I think the Reagan administration's avowed commitment to helping only "actual victims" of racial discrimination retards rather than advances the cause of civil rights. I make reference in my title to "seniority" and "the shadow of Stotts" because the current administration is relying upon Supreme Court decisions having to do with seniority, particularly its 1984 opinion in Memphis Firefighters v. Stotts, to justify a wholesale attack upon race-conscious remedies, not only in employment but in education and public contracting as well.

Race And Class In American Race Relations Theory, 1894-1939, Vernon Williams Jr.

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

The purpose of this essay is to identify the origins of the debate between Wilson and Pinkney. The period covered focuses on the years 1894 to 1939 - from the publication of Franz Boas's "Human Faculty as Determined by Race" in the Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1894, to the publications of Robert E. Park's "The Nature of Race Relations" in 1939. It is my argument that the parameters of the discussion regarding the progressiveness of race relations in the United States were defined during these years, and that all current theories are but …

Community-Based Housing: Potential For A New Strategy, Rachel G. Bratt

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

While the housing problem in the United States has changed since Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed that "one-third of the nation is ill-housed," it has by no means disappeared. For most low-income people, and to a lesser extent for moderate income people, housing still presents formidable problems.

Academics and housing analysts recognize four major aspects of the housing problem: affordability (ratio of housing costs to income), adequacy (including quality and overcrowding), neighborhood conditions, and availability. Over the past decade, the nature of the country's housing problem has undergone some important transformations.

Until ten years ago the phrase "housing problem" conjured up …

The Quality Of Public Education In Boston: An Assessment And Some Recommendations, Karen Seashore Louis

Center for Survey Research Publications

Motivation, self-esteem, achievement and the development of tolerance and acceptance of others -- these are the goals that most, like Crain, et al., have come to accept as legitimate objectives of public schooling. Yet, there is substantial opinion that the public schools of Boston have been unable to achieve standards in these areas that are acceptable to the public, the students who occupy the schools, and the professionals who run them. For example, a recent survey of Boston residents' attitudes toward the schools indicates that approximately 3/4 of all respondents -- irrespective of race, or whether there were any school …

Black And White Perceptions Of Quality Of Life In Boston, Floyd J. Fowler Jr.

Center for Survey Research Publications

It is difficult, probably impossible, to compare objectively the seriousness of racial problems and tensions in Boston with those in other cities. However, there can be little doubt that there is a widespread perception that relationships between blacks and whites in Boston constitute a serious problem. Specifically, one image is that Boston is a community in which blacks are not welcome and in which they are treated with unusual hostility and abuse. Another image is that whites in Boston are unfairly maligned as racists and bigots.

In 1980, following several race-related incidents, The Boston Committee was formed. The purpose of …

"A Nursing Home ... Not For My Folks!": Families Caring For Their Elderly At Home, Scott A. Bass, Richard Rowland

Gerontology Faculty Publication Series

This booklet is the second in a series of reports about elderly issues. The first, entitled "The Elderly Have Spoken: Is Anybody Listening? The Impact of Fuel Costs on the Elderly," documented the impact of rising fuel costs on the elderly in Massachusetts. Each of the series reports seeks to capture the actual words, expressions, and feelings of elderly people and their loved ones. For the most part, the interviews were conducted by interviewers who are themselves 60 years old or older. We find that this age match provides greater insight and openness to the problems confronting the …

Job Satisfaction Of Home Care Case Managers: An Evaluative Look At One Home Care Corporation, Scott A. Bass, Richard Rowland

Gerontology Faculty Publication Series

Senior Home Care Services — Boston III, Inc. is a six year old private non-profit corporation with an annual budget of nearly $5 million. The agency currently delivers services to approximately 2,500 functionally impaired senior citizens per month in the Boston neighborhoods of South Boston, East Dorchester/Mattapan, East Boston, Beacon Hill, West End, North End, Charlestown, and South Cove. Over 5 7% of the case management staff has worked at the agency less than one year and 92.9% of the case management staff has worked at SHC for less than two years. The high turnover rate is well known to …

The Elderly Have Spoken: Is Anybody Listening? The Impact Of Fuel Costs On The Elderly, Scott A. Bass, Richard Rowland

Gerontology Faculty Publication Series

This report contains the findings of a study carried out by the Gerontology Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston concerning the effects of the escalating fuel costs on the lives of the elderly who must pay for their own heat. Through the use of an interview format known as "modified critical incident" technique, a team of mostly elderly students spent several weeks during the winter of 1980 eliciting responses from more than 100 elderly individuals from throughout the greater Boston area. Not surprisingly , this study has revealed a number of profound impacts that the radical turn of economic …

Worcester Model Cities Resident Attitude Survey, Else Wiersma, Floyd J. Fowler Jr., Center For Survey Research, University Of Massachusetts Boston, The Joint Center For Urban Studies Of The Massachusetts Institute Of Technology And Harvard University

Center for Survey Research Publications

In January of 1972, the staff and resident representatives of the Worcester Model Cities neighborhood contracted the Survey Research Program to work with them to conduct a survey of neighborhood residents. The purpose of the project was to collect data that would assist those in the Model Cities area to systematically measure residents' perceptions and feelings, to identify problems and needs, to plan programs, and, perhaps, at a later date to have a basis against which to measure change.

The project, as it was designed and as it was carried out, was a joint effort. A committee of residents and …