Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Letter To My Children At The End Of The World, Devon Mccauley

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Ethical Hacking, Mollie Brogdon

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Linking Inequalities Of Race And Class To Drug Abuse, Asuzena Flores

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Vice, Virtue, And Memory: The Question Of Fairness At Nuremberg, Kiegan E. Lloyd

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editor: Fall 2021, Amanda Pullum

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Alternative To Suspension: Decreasing Suspension Rates For Minority Students, Alyssa Galindo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Between the timeframe of August 2020 - December 2021 Salinas Union High School (SUHSD) suspension rate data was reviewed in the California School Dashboard network. It was determined the suspension rate of this school district exceeded those of its fellow districts. SUHSD has increased their suspension rates of English learners by 2.3%, decreased their suspensions of African American students by 2% and Hispanic students have maintained the same rates as the prior year (caschooldashboard.org). Contributing factors to this social dilemma are lack of knowledge of Alternative to Suspension, unconscious and conscious bias and the newly adopted practice of Social Emotional …

Responding To Domestic Violence With Transformative Justice And Community Accountability, Anaiis Nysether

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center (WAFWC) wanted to create a survivor-driven transformative justice program for survivors of domestic violence and the people who caused them harm. The program needed to be customizable enough to suit the specific needs and individual safety considerations of the participants, but also needed enough structure that it could be reproducible from case to case. In order to design a program that was based on these ideas and able to be used in the context of a non-profit organization, WAFWC researched ways other communities had been using transformative justice and community accountability to address issues …

Reimagine 2021, Bryanna Amezcua

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

United Way of Santa Cruz has been a resource for the community for many years. Sadly, after the pandemic hit, it caused many financial hardships for the nonprofit organization. There is a lack of economic support for nonprofits all over the US that could be heard around the world. United Way exists to be able to support those in need, but at this moment they cannot provide that support without help. This is due to several reasons including high rates of unemployment, decreased spending during the pandemic, and reduced person-to-person contact with potential donors. All these factors contribute to the …

Teaching Healthy Communication Skills For College Students With Disabilities, Molly Mcshane

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For college students with disabilities, interpersonal communication can be difficult. There have not been sufficient supportive services for college students with disabilities when it comes to learning communication skills in a college environment. Without effective communication skills, college students with disabilities may face social barriers and fewer chances for personal connections, which may lead to social isolation. In order to address this issue, I planned to create a 2-hour lesson for members of the Student Awareness for Disability Empowerment club (S.A.D.E) at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Improving Stress Management For Female College Students, Kelsey Acosta

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Although many college students report feeling stress, women may have a unique perspective and experience regarding stress. Gilligan's theory states that women consider their relationships when considering decisions. This decision-making process can create an added layer of the already existing academic stressors that women face. Stress management techniques that acknowledge the unique stressors that women face are essential to improve mental health and provide an optimal college experience.

Mental Health Support For The Spanish-Speaking Community, America Yvonne Gutierrez Solorio

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Mariposa Wellness Center in Watsonville, CA empowers its mental health community through wellness, meaningful activity, and community connection. The purpose of the report is to focus and empower individuals on the long-existing issue of the lack of mental health support for the Spanish-speaking community. This report focuses on the importance of Hispanic individuals having access to proper mental health support in their community. The contributing factors in this report range from language barriers and stigma created within mental health illnesses to the lack of education. In addition, this report focuses on numerous consequences Hispanics face as they struggle with finding …

Feedback Loops At Use In Non-Profit Organizations, Chantal Guerra

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Community Bridges serves clients of all ages across Santa Cruz County through ten programs which address the needs of clients across different life stages. Serving a diverse change of client population it can become difficult to ensure client satisfaction and the agency mission is being fulfilled across all programs. The lack of a benchmark to measure overall client satisfaction does not allow for the agency to measure for discrepancies and build on continuous quality improvement. This capstone project will create a high quality client feedback loop that creates a centralized survey for the ten programs of Community Bridges. This will …

Increasing Mental Health Awareness In The Homeless Youth Community, Kelly Joyce

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Mental illness within the homeless community is a pressing issue, which requires an increase in awareness throughout the community in order for it to be properly addressed. A lack of funding for low-cost or free mental health care, difficulty accessing existing programs by the homeless, and few options for care have contributed to the issue of mental illness and poor mental health among the homeless youth community. This can lead to various severe consequences, such as declining mental state for those within the community, prolonged homelessness, and an increased risk of developing a substance abuse disorder.

The Youth Homeless Response …

The Impacts Of Social Media On Social Movements, Gabriela Aguilar

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As time passes by there is more representation of social movements due to their high exposure on social media. Technology has become a major part of our everyday lives and on average we spend many hours on social platforms. We are exposed to the injustices that occur every minute of every day through social media. Before, when technology was not accessible for everyone the news people received were from television, newspapers, or even magazines. Now, we have platforms such as Twitter and TikTok among others that provide us with news on any malpractice that occurs in our communities and society. …

Outreaching For New Providers, Mari Arredondo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Intern was able to be part of In home Support Services with the County of Santa Cruz. The program provides services to people that have a current disability and are not able to care for themselves. The program allows people to continue to live in their own homes and get the services they need to be able to keep living independently. The program currently needs providers to care for the people in their homes. There are currently about 165 providers and out of those they only have 65 that are available to be able to help the current clients that …

Increasing College Students’ Awareness Of The Influence Social Media Has On Romantic Relationships, Jazmin Chaidez-Rocha

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many young adults are unaware of the influence social media has on romantic relationships. Social media can have an effect on individuals’ communication skills, being a victim of cyberstalking, and cause jealousy characteristics such as distrust. To address the lack of awareness, I created an interactive presentation for college students in the greek community at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Destigmatize Addiction Through Education, Miranda Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

After interning at Valley Health Associates the problem identified was the lack of education on substance abuse. With much of Salinas being multicultural and spanish speaking, we begin to identify the challenges associated with getting information to the public about substance use and the treatment options. Some contributing factors associated with the lack of education on substance use are family, social, and environmental factors, lack of education overall, and the stigma/shame associated with substance use; however the unfortunate consequences associated with this are misconceptions about drugs overall and an increase of fatal overdoses. The capstone project will focus on individuals …

Santa Cruz County Prepares For The Next Major Wildfire, Antonio Lucero

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Office of Response, Recovery, and Resiliency (OR3) was established in 2020 and is a part of the County of Santa Cruz’s Strategic Development Department. The OR3 has been established to improve the emergency response and capabilities for the County of Santa Cruz in the event of another major environmental disaster. The CZU Lightning Fire Complex of 2020 was a significant wildfire and the largest the county had seen in over 100 years. Global warming led to climate change that has made this area of California more vulnerable to uncontrollable wildfires. In addition, severe drought conditions have left Santa Cruz …

Appreciation Day For Clinical Staff At Vna Hospice, Melody Nguyen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

VNA Hospice of the Central Coast is a nonprofit that was created back in 1951. The staff at VNA are visiting about 75,000 homes per year. Throughout the years the staff have been seeing patients who reached the requirement of having 6 months or less to live. Working with Hospice patients can be hard for everyone but, the staff at VNA are seeing the patients from good days and bad days. Depression is known to negatively impact the clinical staff at VNA Hospice. Staff are working long hours which leads to sleep disturbance and chronic stress. Some staff are also …

Engaging Santa Cruz County Employers, Jayne Prieto

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This internship was completed at the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB), which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income at-risk youth and adults. The intern was fortunate to work with the Links2Work!, an Alcance program. Links2Work! helps individuals gain work experience and find linkages to employment. Currently, the biggest challenge is finding employment for those individuals impacted by the justice system. Their past histories have disqualified them from jobs. The intern’s Capstone Project was to find fair chance employers in the county of Santa Cruz that will allow the organization to better serve job seekers and …

Marketing Plan: Increasing Access & Creating A Local Voice, Lizzy Hahn

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Too many youth in Santa Cruz County are not seeing their basic needs being met. Basic needs of residents include education, health and financial stability, three of the main focuses described in United Way of Santa Cruz County’s (UWSCC) mission. The pandemic has only exacerbated the effects that low-income families and individuals have experienced, with youth at the forefront of those affected. UWSCC aims it’s programming towards local at-risk youth, providing needed support services and resources to the community. When systems for distributing these services and resources were switched from in-person to predominantly virtual pathways, it became harder for low-income …

Covid-19 Prioritization Triage Tool, Topanga Cheeves

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Smart Path to Housing and Health, an agency a part of the Santa Cruz County Department of Human Services is a local homeless action organization that specializes in a coordinated entry system that provides access to housing and service assistance to low income and people who are experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is a complex macro social and health issue that affects the quality of life because it increases unhealthy conditions for people living in poverty or who’s neighborhoods surround these encampments. Contributing factors such as lack of affordable housing, eligibility requirements, poverty, poor physical and mental health, addictions, and broken family …

Building Capacity For Evidence Representing Qualitative And Quantitative Data Of Monterey County’S Child Welfare Services, Devin Dunn

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Current processes for policy development in Monterey County are primarily focused on qualitative data and anecdotes from agency personnel. The Onsite-Review component of the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) set forth by the Children’s Bureau is structured to help Monterey County identify its strengths and areas needing improvement. These quarterly reviews ensure that Monterey County adheres to federal child welfare guidelines, helps to develop a narrative of what children and families experience while engaging with the county’s child welfare services, and enhances capacities for positive outcomes for these individuals. A Data Dashboard was developed to visually represent quantitative data …

Rainbow Impostors: Impostor Syndrome In The Lgbtq+ Community, Kira C. Rideout

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Most people do not enjoy feeling like they are not enough or as like they are not a part of their community. As human beings we are social creatures and our communities play an essential role both in our development as we grow up and for our overall emotional well-being as we continue to live our lives. When people feel like they are an outcast or like they are not contributing to the progress of their community it can have a negative impact on their state of mind. This sense of self-doubt can cause individuals to realize their fear of …

Future Possibilities For Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nicolas Leonardi

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder’s nature of presenting socially awkward behaviors creates barriers for those with ASD in the job interview process. This problem raises questions on how the interview process can be redefined to be more inclusive. Dillenburger et al. conducted a study on interventions provided for individuals with ASD. The study concluded that most jobs do not provide an appropriate job interview process for those with ASD. Solomon et al. and Maras et al. both conducted studies that highlighted the social behaviors presented by individuals with ASD that prevented them from being hired during the job interview process. Both of …

College Students Rape Myth Acceptance And Men's Objectification Of Women, Samantha Dunlap, Devyn Fries

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the extent to which college students believe in and adhere to common rape myths and victim blaming beliefs, the extent to which college aged men objectify women, and lastly, the extent to which these two variables are related to one another. Using two groups divided based on gender and sexual orientation, participants responded to the Rape Attitudes Belief Scale (RABS) and the Men’s Objectification of Women Scale (MOWS). The survey questions used on these scales were designed to gather information about a person’s belief of common rape myths as well as men’s …

Increasing Adolescents' Awareness Of The Impacts Of Social Networking Sites, Karina Vega

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adolescents are unaware of the impacts that social networking sites may have on them. According to Anderson and Jiang (2018), 95% of adolescents have access to a smartphone. Furthermore, Anderson and Jiang (2018) stated that 45% of adolescents are engaged with online activities on a continual basis. Social networking sites may affect adolescents' view of their body image and lower their self esteem. Anderson and Jiang (2018) discussed the difference between female and male adolescents' use of social media, reporting that 50% of female adolescents engage with social media on a continual basis compared to 39% of male adolescents.

High Impact Sports Seen Through Bone Density In Human Remains, Emma Holmes

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Same Work But Different Pay: Gender Inequality In The Professional Sports Industry, Alyssa R. Burt

Culture, Society, and Praxis

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of the media representation and pay that women receive in the professional sports industry. While women face several challenges in the workforce, this paper specifically focuses on pay inequality. Different from previously done literature, this piece will be concentrating on how this issue is perceived by female college athletes. To understand their perspectives, I conducted two interviews with college softball players. From the data collected, it can be argued that the lack of media representation for female athletes has an impact on their received pay. Despite women’s successes, they typically get overlooked due to …

Changes And Challenges: Protests Amid A Pandemic, Claire Guittard

Culture, Society, and Praxis

In the time of a global pandemic, it is important to understand the tactics used by social movements to adjust to an entirely new environment. This research paper covers the way that the University of California, Santa Cruz COLA strike changed from using wildcat tactics to becoming a ULP strike while mobilizing entirely online. I first reviewed literature on social movement tactics and framing. Then, I analyzed COLA strike-related social media, including their website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. I found that the pandemic had shaped the tactics used by the movement by utilizing union support to protect those fired …