Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Religious Scrupulosity: The Law And The Gospel, Robert J. Chester

Senior Honors Theses

The clear distinction of the law and gospel for the salvation and justification of an individual, highly affects the minds, beliefs, and lives of those who suffer from religious scrupulosity. Religious scrupulosity is known as obsessional fears of thinking or behaving immorally against one’s religious beliefs. Religious scrupulosity affects many in the church, and is a form of obsessive/compulsive thought that can form due to improper emphasis of gospel truth. The way the church preaches and emphasizes certain points of the gospel can change the perception and understanding of many people in the world. The evident distinction between law and …

Corporate Social Responsibility: Are There Financial Incentives?, Ashlyn Ryan

Economics Honors Projects

In the early 2000s, consumer trends increasingly influenced corporations to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). More recently, however, this trend has shown signs of reversing, which is puzzling, given that engagement in CSR may lead to enhanced company financial performance through channels of competitive advantage or risk reduction. Using event study methods, I analyze how investors respond to signals in the form of third-party recognitions for companies’ CSR activities. Third-party recognitions, may provide new information, altering investor behaviors and decision making. I find no statistically significant relationship between the announcement of these recognitions and either abnormal stock returns or …

Volume 16, Maggie Duncan, Madeline Little, Alicia Hoffman, Megan Livesay, Gabrielle Quaresma, Serenity Allen, Laina Pfountz, Ainslie Allred, Sabrina Robles, Nicholas J. Duellman, Trinity L. Deguzman, Melissa H. Savage, Margaret Dudley, Jocelyn Escobar, Olivia Hildreth, Olivia Hopkins, Benjamin Gettier, Lee Kassay, Jade Riddle, Ashley Seiders

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Lee Millar Bidwell

The Hujum Campaign in Uzbekistan and its Consequences by Madeline Little

Wet Cupping Compared to Dry Needling for Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic by Alicia Hoffman and Megan Livesay

Optimization of eDNA Air Sampling Via 3D Printed Fan by Gabrielle Quaresma

Beyond the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Attrition and Retention by Serenity Allen and Laina Pfountz

The Treatment of Subacromial Impingement Syndrome with Platelet-Rich plasma Injections Verses …

Shelving Stigma: A Grocery Store Client Choice Pantry Model - A Solution To Food Insecurity In Young Adults Of Marginalized Communities While Eradicating The Stigmatization Of Food Pantry Services, Anna C. Buckley

Honors Theses

An increasing number of young adults, age 18 to 35, are becoming food insecure across America, but disproportionately in urban and people of color communities. However, food pantries have remained a social stigma causing food insecure persons to avoid using a food pantry for hunger relief. Research has shown that the grocery store model for food pantries is most beneficial for staff, while also minimizing the stigma and increasing accessibility for pantry clientele. The purpose of this program proposal is to highlight the feasibility of implementation of a client choice grocery store pantry model at the NY Common Pantry (NYCP) …

Demography Of Bluff View Cemetery Vermillion, Sd, Ellie E. Schwartz

Honors Thesis

Cemeteries offer accessible, rich data for research on demographic reconstruction of past populations. Gravestones can give vital information such as date of birth, date of death, sex/gender, occupation, religious affiliation, and, implicitly, social and cultural values of the community at large (Dethlefsen and Deetz, 1966; Sattenspiel and Stoops, 2010). One of the drawbacks of cemetery data are that they more often than not do not provide details of the cause of death for an individual or in some rare occasions cause of death is on the gravestones (e.g., colonial graves during the tuberculosis outbreak in New England would often list …

Lienard Harrod Etc., Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• handwritten notes with Lienard equations (April 8, 1987)
• handwritten notes titled Lienard equations & limit cycles (September 17, 1986)
• handwritten notes titled Limit cycle equations
• handwritten notes titled Harrodian dynamics
• handwritten notes titled Harrodian dynamics (December 9, 1986)
• handwritten notes titled Note on Harrod instability (February 19, 1988)

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Marx Keynes Eco 210 Fall 1985, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• a handwritten note (October 17, 1985)
• handwritten notes titled Savings & FA (October 29, 1985)
• handwritten notes titled Keynesian system (October 1985)
• handwritten notes titled Effective DD and causality in accum (April 30, 1982)
• a handwritten diagram related to expectations and production
• handwritten notes titled Effective DD & accum (April 30, 1982)
• handwritten notes titled Money and reproduction of social capital extended reproduction (Vol. II, pp. 510–511)
• handwritten notes titled Kaleckian | Keynesian adjustment
• a handwritten table titled Money flows corresponding to the circulation of aggregate capital (Vol. II, pp. 510–511): extended reproduction
• handwritten notes titled Extended …

Marx Keynes Reading List, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• a reading list titled Seminar on Marx, Keynes, and Kalecki (Fall 1992)
• a reading list titled Seminar on Marx, Keynes, and Kalecki (Fall 1991)
• a reading list titled Seminar on Marx, Keynes, and Kalecki (Fall 1991) [duplicate]
• a reading list titled Seminar on Marx, Keynes, and Kalecki (Fall 1991) [duplicate]
• a reading list titled Seminar on Marx, Keynes, and Kalecki (Fall 1991) [duplicate]
• a reading list titled Selected topics in political economy Marx and Keynes (Spring 1991)
• a reading list titled Selected topics in political economy Marx and Keynes (Spring 1991) [duplicate]
• a reading list titled Selected …

Cutting Waste In Tupper's Restaurant, Logan Salvator, Christien Merritt, Lily Amaral, Erik Dukes

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Title: Bending But Not Breaking: An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Psychological Flexibility And Suicidality In Individuals With Chronic Pain, Adalyn Mcmurray

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Chronic pain is a burdensome condition that has been found to be associated with increased suicide risk, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear (Domenichiello & Ramsden, 2019). The present study aims to examine the role of pain interference and psychological inflexibility in predicting past two-week suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) among individuals with chronic pain, with psychological inflexibility explored as a potential moderator. Replicating and expanding on McCracken et al. (2018), this study seeks to enhance the understanding of suicidality in chronic pain populations by using the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (Rolffs et al., 2018), a more psychometrically …

Rethinking Open Access To Knowledge For Educational Development In Nigeria, Blessing Oluwatobi Oghuvbu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information and communication technology's development has resulted in the application of open access to knowledge as a way of promoting educational development all over the world. This study opens a new vista on rethinking open access to knowledge for educational development in Nigeria. Data was gathered from the librarians in the public tertiary educational institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria, using a questionnaire. The study found that librarians have a crucial role to play in facilitating open access to knowledge in tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria. Open access to knowledge promotes scholarship in tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria to a high …

Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Strategies: Balancing Security And Stability In A Changing World Order., Chick Edmond

Graduate Student Government Association Research Conference

In an increasingly evolving global geopolitical landscape, nuclear deterrence strategies face an unprecedented challenge as the global order transcends from a bipolar to an inevitably multipolar dimension. This paper analyses the strategies of preserving stability and security in a World dominated by diverse power centers, technological advancements and emerging global threats. It examines the practical and theoretical implications of nuclear deterrence in a polycentric context including the risk of escalation, miscalculation and proliferation. By examining the historical trends, current mechanisms and potential future events which increases the likelihood of a nuclear disaster. This research paper provides a critical perspective on …

The Danger Of A Single Story: Affrilachian Experiences In West Virginia Policy, Economy, And Resilience, Kyleigh Edwards, Cameron G. Rishworth

CRC Research Symposium

This research project sought to understand the various issues facing Black communities in West Virginia and the efforts being made by Affrilachian (African Americans in Appalachia) people and communities to address the issues that they face and to build spaces and initiatives that support Affrilachian communities to survive and thrive. The contributions of Black West Virginians to the region have often gone ignored in mainstream histories and continue to be ignored by mainstream media. However, this project seeks highlight the significant organizing that is being done by Affrilachians, illustrating that although Black people only make up 3.8% of West Virginia’s …

Economic Effects Of The Separation Of Serbia And Montenegro, Marko Balic

Business and Economics Presentations

The desire of sovereignty is deeply rooted in the history of the Balkans. From the battle of Kosovo in 1389 to the Bosnian War in the 90s there have been numerous instances of redrawing lines on a map and reclaiming land. This paper revisits one of the most recent separations, the one between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, and explores implications the split had on each economy. More specifically, using a Bayesian Structural Time Series Model, we constructed a counterfactual series to investigate how Serbia and Montenegro would have developed economically had they remained a unified state after 2006. Using …

From Delay To Payday: Easing Bureaucrat Access To Implementation Information Strengthens Social Protection Delivery, Eric Dodge, Yusuf Neggers, Rohini Pande, Charity Troyer Moore

Discussion Papers

Poor implementation frequently impedes social protection delivery in low-state-capacity settings. In such environments, reducing managers’ information acquisition costs may improve their grasp of frontline issues and program performance. However, in the presence of managerial rent-seeking, increasing the principal’s information may be key, and doing so just for managers can backfire. To assess this trade-off and implications for program performance, we collaborated with two Indian states to randomly vary bureaucrat access to PayDash, a digital platform for real-time tracking of worker payment processing for the national rural workfare program. In treated districts, PayDash expedited bureaucrat processing of workfare payments by 17%, …

Western Student Association Structure And Governing Processes: Evaluating Success For Student Government Associations, Samuel Longlet

Honors Theses

The Western Student Association underwent several reforms between March of 2020 and April of 2025. These reforms included expanding its legislative branch both in terms of pure size and internal responsibility and restructuring its executive branch to focus more on building relationships with the administration of Western Michigan University.

The Western Student Association between 2020 and 2025 has become more successful in advocating, allocating, and being a shared governance partner, representing the three executive functions of a Student Government Association.

While the Western Student Association is more successful in 2025 than it was in 2020, the institutional weaknesses of an …

Earth Day 2025 - Our Power, Our Planet, Tiffany Villarreal, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

Poster of library resources created for Earth Day 2025. This year we focused on resources for Earth Day 2025 topic: Our Power, Our Planet. Book and video covers are hyperlinked. Curated UTRGV theses and UTRGV authored publications are also showcased.

Just Home: Understanding Cycle Of Housing Instability And Justice Involvement In Missoula County, Mckenzie Javorka, Elizabeth Sabbath, Kaitlin Fertaly

Independent Living and Community Participation

The Just Home project in Missoula County, Montana, is a collaborative initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation to address the intersection of housing instability and justice system involvement. Led by Homeword, Inc. and the Missoula County Community Justice Department, the project seeks to develop sustainable, community-driven solutions that reduce incarceration and improve housing outcomes for vulnerable populations. To inform this work, the University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities conducted a comprehensive community needs assessment using mixed methods, including administrative data analysis, qualitative interviews with service providers, and community engagement with unhoused and justice-involved individuals.

Findings show that housing …

Enhancing Holistic Patient Care Of Black Individuals Diagnosed With Hiv And Comorbid Chronic Conditions, Marc Fleming, Saharnaz Nejdat, Jon C. Schommer, Crystal K. Hodge

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Pharmacists can play a crucial role in delivering the holistic care model. Research suggests that HIV-positive African American patients particularly benefit from this approach compared to other communities. Typically, pharmacists in community pharmacy settings are limited in their access to a patient's medical record, preventing holistic care delivery.

Objectives

This study addressed the impact of access to medical records on a holistic patient care approach among pharmacists engaged in medication therapy management.

Methods

This was a sub-analysis of a randomized controlled trial of the impact of community pharmacist access to medical records during MTM for African Americans diagnosed with …

Prevalence Of Imposter Syndrome Among Undergraduate Students At Western Michigan University, Thomas Leasure

Honors Theses

Imposter syndrome (IS) is a psychological phenomenon that many people can experience throughout their life, especially for students pursuing higher education. It can be described as feeling unworthy of one's accomplishments, or being “found out” as a fraud. Certain demographics may suffer from imposter syndrome more than others, like students in STEM or first generational students. Thus, it is important to better understand the prevalence of imposter syndrome here at Western Michigan University. This issue was studied by conducting a survey among undergraduate students looking at demographic information and severity of imposter syndrome. The data was then coded and analyzed …

Changing Styles: Creating A Secure Attachment For Parents And Children With Insecure Attachments Group Manual, Crystal Finnell

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Parent-child attachments start forming immediately when the child is born. There are four different attachment styles that parent and child relationships fall into: secure, insecure avoidant, insecure resistant, and disorganized. Each of these styles have a unique set of characteristics the child displays as well as how the parent-child relationship appears. Forming a secure attachment between parent and child is necessary for a child to develop normal relationship patterns into adulthood. Without a nurturing sensitive relationship with a caregiver, a child may lack security and sensitivity into adulthood. Parent Child Interaction Therapy is a form of attachment counseling that uses …

Police & Civilian Interaction: Developing A Survey Of Social Attitudes Toward Law Enforcement For Public Administrators, Austin Mendez

Honors Theses

This thesis presents an informational overview of a wide variety of controversial topics related to modern police and civilian interaction. Additionally, it presents specific survey development theory meant to aid in the creation of a highly accessible survey instrument for use by public administrators. Public administrators may find particular value in the development and continuous improvement of public policy and community education programs based on feedback from constituents. This writing focuses on survey development theory, a historical overview of relevant legal cases establishing police discretion, issues facing people in custody, legal protections specific to police, militarization, federal partnerships, police training, …

The Overmedicalization Of The Female Orgasm And The Orgasm Gap, Mackenzie Dybvik

The Agora

This paper, as the title suggests, dives into the overmedicalization of the female orgasm, and subsequently, the orgasm gap. It touches on five commonly believed reasons for the orgasm gap– women’s orgasm difficulty, biology, men’s fault, interpersonal communication issues, and sociocultural influence– and it links all of them to overmedicalization. It describes overmedicalization as the actual issue that needs to be resolved, and thus proposes a solution of increased and more comprehensive sexual health. It argues that better sexual health will help tackle overmedicalization as both clinicians and citizens become more aware of how to fight overmedicalization. It concludes by …

Uta Datathon 2025 Challenges (Archive), Rubab Shahzad, Srinivasa Sai Abhijit Challapalli, Ghanbarian Behzad, Mei Yang, Clivin Geju, Zecil Yogeshkumar Jain, Jay Mahavirkumar Shah, Sai Nikhitha Chandana

2025 Datathon Challenges-Archive

Timed and Model Challenges from the UTA Datathon 2025

Two-Stage Least Squares Estimation In A Spatial Lag Model Under A Complete Bipartite Network, Badi H. Baltagi, Long Liu

Center for Policy Research

This paper considers a spatial lag model with a complete bipartite network weighting matrix which is important in network theory. We show that two-stage least squares is equivalent to ordinary least squares and both estimators are inconsistent for the cross-section data case. This result has also been derived for the spatial lag model with an equal weight matrix by Kelejian and Prucha (2002). We also show that the fixed effects two-stage least squares estimator is consistent in case we have panel data and the spatial lag model includes time fixed effects. This is different from the result for an equal …

Attitudes On Solitary Confinement, Emily Dewey

Undergraduate Theses

Solitary confinement is widespread and recognized as harmful in society. However, it is not as researched as other controversial issues, including immigration, gun control, abortion, etc. Due to this, it is hard to gauge how supportive the public is or isn't of related practices. In a general sense, public support has been established by legislators crafting policy, and by extension United States Supreme Court decision making. This is particularly crucial in discussions on interpretations of the 8th Amendment/ cruel and unusual punishment. Existing case law, such as Peoples V. Fischer, found that solitary confinement was arbitrary and needed reform, including …

The Effect Of Group Racial Make-Up And Instructions On White Students' Agreement With Social And Academic Norms During Race Talk, Camryn O'Conner

Student Theses and Dissertations

Discussions surrounding racism and Whiteness, although challenging are indispensable for gaining insights into the intricacies of today’s racial dynamics (Maxwell & Chesler, 2022). The literature, particularly the works of Sue (2013), delineates specific academic and social norms prevalent in classroom settings, such as the Academic, Politeness, and Color-Blind Protocols, each playing a distinct role in shaping conversations about race. In the current study, we explored two primary factors that could impact White college students’ alignment with the Academic, Color-Blind, and Politeness Protocols: the racial composition of the hypothetical conversation group and the presence, or absence, of instruction during the conversation. …

Notes From The Field - Conference Proceedings, Summer Fellows 2024, Center For Latin American, Caribbean, And Latino Studies (Clacls)

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

CLACLS presents proceedings papers from the second CLACLS Summer Fellows Showcase Conference, held on November 7, 2024. The day-long event showcased fieldwork results of CLACLS 2024 Summer Fellows, and was curated into five panels: “Feminist and Queer Critical Perspectives”, “Transnational Exchanges/Diasporic Experiences”, “Ecocritical Lenses”, “Social Movements, Cultural and Economic Practices and Political Imagination", and "Countering State/Official Narratives.”

Unique Stress, Cultural Resources, And Psychological Resilience In Young African American Women: Insights For Effective Intervention And Cvd Prevention, Sparkle Springfield-Trice, Cara Joyce, Penny Williams-Wolford, Dinishia Wolford, Destiny Onyeise, Natalie Battles, Dionne V. Milton, Chineze Mogbo, Raigine Robinson, Dave Stovall, Lena Hatchett, Ursula M. Staudinger

Biostatistics Collaborative Core: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Objective: Psychological resilience, defined as one’s self-reported ability to bounce back from stress, is understudied in young African American women (YAAW). Guided by community feedback, this study examined the associations between resilience and the following three constructs from Staudinger’s 2015 resilience and aging model: perceived stress, non-psychological resources, and psychological resources. We aimed to identify cultural resources that can enhance resilience in the face of unique stressors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 512 self-identified YAAW aged 18–35 years. Resilience was measured by the Brief Resilience Scale, ranging from one to five, with higher scores indicating greater resilience. We …

Studying Cultural Change With Transhistorical Semantic Directions, Travis Daichi Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

This study advances the use of diachronic word embeddings in cultural sociology, contributing both methodologically and substantively. Methodologically, it synthesizes best practices for constructing semantic directions and addresses challenges arising from diachronic embeddings, including missing data and semantic drift. Substantively, it examines historical changes in schemas and conceptual metaphors related to "processing." By analyzing the changing associations between processing-related words (e.g., "raw" and "refined") and evaluative categories like authenticity, valence, and aesthetics, the study examines whether word-level changes amongst schematically-related words indicate deeper cultural shifts at the schematic level. Findings indicate a growing association between processed states and inauthenticity, a …