Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

Our National Shame, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

I spend a lot of time with my students working at soup kitchen and homeless shelters, and each winter, when it gets really cold and dark, my thoughts more often turn back to Dick. Dick died on Jan. 31, 1988. He was a veteran who served in Germany in the 1950s and was a graduate of St. John's University in New York, where his father has been an Engligh professor.

Dick had completed most of the work for his MBA during a career which included positions at Procter & Gamble, Federated Department Stores, and National Cash Register. At the time …

Challenging Homelessness, Elizabeth D. Marshall

SURGE

I had been homeless for about 28 hours. I sat on a sidewalk in Georgetown with a friend holding a cardboard sign that read, “Put a Smile on Our Faces” with a Dunkin Donuts cup at our feet. In the two and a half hours we sat there, hundreds of people passed, hundreds of people avoided eye contact, hundreds of people detoured around the lamppost on the street side of the sidewalk. A few people glanced at our sign. [excerpt]

Identifying And Describing The Network Of Health, Education, And Social Service Non‐Profit Organizations In Southern Nevada, Shannon M. Monnat, Anna Smedley, Fatma Nasoz

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

This brief presents the results of a partnering survey designed to measure the partnering power of each health, education, and social service non‐profit in southern Nevada indicated by the connections between these organizations. The survey documents which organizations engaged in the most partnering, increasing the potential that they could better leverage investments and philanthropy through their social network. University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), United Way of Southern Nevada(UWSN), HELP of Southern Nevada, Catholic Charities, Three Square, the Clark County School District, Goodwill of Southern Nevada, and Opportunity Village consistently ranked highly in terms of overall participation and activity, influence, …

Moral Economy And The Upper Peasant: The Dynamics Of Land Privatization In The Mekong Delta, Timothy Gorman

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper examines how people mobilize around notions of distributive justice, or ‘moral economies’, to make claims to resources, using the process of post‐socialist land privatization in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam as a case study. First, I argue that the region's history of settlement, production, and political struggle helped to entrench certain normative beliefs around landownership, most notably in its population of semi‐commercial upper peasants. I then detail the ways in which these upper peasants mobilized around notions of distributive justice to successfully press demands for land restitution in the late 1980s, drawing on Vietnamese newspapers and …

Progression Through Partnerships, Aurelia Spaulding, Editor, Leah Ashwill, Director

ALIVE Center Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impacts Of Education: A Case Study Of Muslim Women In Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, Margo Brookfield

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the product of a study on the ultimate impacts that education can have on the lives of Muslim women in the city of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. Women in the North of Cameroon have been confined within traditional gender roles that have been in place for generations, due to deep ties with culture and religion in the region. This research explores Muslim women’s opinions on the impacts of the modern education system in place in the city. In addition it looks into the impacts that this education can have on different aspects of a woman’s life, including her relations …

Modernization And Its Effects In Loma Bonita: A Leap From Historical Subsistence Agriculture Into The Precarious Commercial Market, Piper Halpin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation studies the modernization effects on Loma Bonita and how these changes will ultimately shape the community in the future. By performing of series of 50 interviews and surveys, I used anecdotal and observational research to my make conclusions about the effects of electricity installation, road construction, and foreign influences on the town. Although it is recognized that there are an abundance of factors contributing to modernization, the scope of this paper only focuses on the three components mentioned above.

Daily lives of Loma Bonita residents have already been drastically changed by the electricity, road, and foreigners. The community …

Una Primavera Incierta: El Momento De La Política Educativa En Chile, Alexandria Sadler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El estudio trata de la oportunidad presente para el movimiento estudiantil Chileno en un momento de incertidumbre política. En palabras más específicas, la investigación enfoca en el movimiento estudiantil en el contexto de las elecciones de la Federación Estudiantil de la Universidad de Chile y de la elección presidencial de Chile del año 2013 que resultaron en cambios del poder. La investigación examina el desarrollo del movimiento estudiantil en el contexto de las instituciones políticas en inestabilidad y explora la oportunidad para el movimiento estudiantil de no solo luchar por educación gratuita y fin al lucro, sino que la deconstrucción …

Himalayan Heritage: Local Organization And The Role Of Tradition In The Community Development Of The Thakali People, Erik Svedberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Within the communities of the Thakali people of Mustang, Nepal, decisionmaking power has traditionally been held by the local chieftain, the Mukhiya. However, this traditional authority appears to be threatened by two trends of Nepali development: the institutionalization of the Village Development Committee (VDC) as the official entity of local government, and the proliferation of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) as part of a development push to expand community participation in decisionmaking. Current scholarship has deeply explored the sociocultural dynamics of the Mukhiya as well as how the sociopolitical landscapes of Thakali societies are changing, but a scholarly link between the …

Impacts On The Contemporary Visual Arts Community In Samoa, Sarah Cancelarich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study illuminates the world of contemporary visual art in Samoa. Research was primarily conducted using personal communications with members of the contemporary visual art community. A basic framework of the community was established by overviewing the present informal galleries, formal galleries, and art schools. This project explores the impacts felt on the contemporary visual art community; their subsequent challenges, and successes. These impacts include; a cash economy, conflict between traditional and contemporary styles, a need for higher education, Christianity, Samoan artists overseas, in-country and international support. Possible solutions and hopes for the future are also discussed.

The Trajectory Of Warwick Junction As A Site Of Inclusivity In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Kara Van Schilfgaarde Van Schilfgaarde

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Warwick Junction, a thriving trading hub in the inner city of Durban, has long been considered one of the best examples of collaborative urban management practices between the local government and informal traders. In a post-apartheid South Africa, there was a national desire to transform the old systems of governance, which in Warwick translated to city government institutions making an effort to include informal traders in the policymaking and management processes. This paper tracks the history of Warwick Junction, using its oppressive past to frame common perspectives of informal trade. It considers the legacy of the post-apartheid era South Africa, …

Examining The Effectiveness Of The Millennium Villages Project Through The Health And Education Sectors: A Case Study In Ruhiira, Uganda, Meixi Guo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study is meant to present the information gathered by the researcher during a 6-wwek practicum with the Millennium Villages Project Ruhiira office. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of this organization by looking at its Health and Education sectors. By studying the interactions between the two, the paper aims to analyze the pros and cons of their interventions. During the course of this study, the researcher also learns about the local people’s view on the Millennium Villages Project as well as the difficulties Millennium has encountered when implementing the project.

The researcher used multiple methods …

El Legado Colonial En El Turismo Comunitario : El Caso De Valle De Elicura, Fatma Shuaipi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cultural or community-based tourism has grown exponentially in the last decade. This article seeks to, from a post-colonial theory perspective, analyze the process of developing community-based tourism in indigenous communities, identify the conditions that allow for the reproduction of colonial elements in this activity, and explore the elements that guarantee a higher degree of autonomy in the community to generate new decolonization processes. The hypothesis argues that community-based tourism carries both a colonial legacy and elements that allow for a process of decolonization or the creation of a new consciousness in relation to such colonial legacy. The article presents the …

Fearless: Jessie Pierce, Jessie M. Pierce

SURGE

A vocal advocate for socio-environmental justice issues and a believer in the potential for social change in the developing world, Jessie Pierce ’14 fearlessly travels, volunteers, and researches to promote awareness and change. Studying abroad last year for both semesters, spending one semester in Denmark and one in India, gave Jessie the interest, skills, and drive to continue pursuing a deeper understanding of these issues while at Gettysburg. [excerpt]

Ua1b1/7 Invitation To Health Sciences Complex Dedication, Wku Special Events

WKU Archives Records

Invitation to dedication of The Medical Center - WKU Helath Sciences Complex facility.

Understanding Research Fatigue In The Context Of Community-University Relations, Elora Way

Local Knowledge: Worcester Area Community-Based Research

Community research fatigue has been understudied within the context of community-university relationships and knowledge production. Community-based research (CBR), often occurring within a limited geography and population, increases the possibility that community members feel exhausted or over-whelmed by university research —particularly when they do not see tangible results from research activities. Prompted by informal stories of research fatigue from community members, a small graduate student team sought to understand the extent to which community members experienced research fatigue, and what factors contributed to or relieved feelings of research fatigue. In order to explore these dimensions of research fatigue, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews …

Overcoming Barriers To Local Food Access: A Case Study, Brittany Ryan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis focuses on the idea that food insecurity and access are real issues in the lives of many Americans. Simply stated, food insecurity is when a person does not have enough food to eat or does now know where his/her next meal is coming from. More importantly when looking at food insecurity is the realization that healthy, local food access is even more prevalent an issue – with increasingly more under-resourced individuals and families being food insecure and unhealthy at the same time. This thesis includes a literature review on diet and nutrition in the United States, a chapter …

Milking The System: Do Poor People Deserve Fresh Food?, Melanie M. Meisenheimer

SURGE

Poor Americans are all lazy, selfish people who must first prove their worth as human beings if they want to be able to feed their children.

It sounds harsh, stereotypical, and judgmental when you put it like that, and few people would feel comfortable saying that exact phrase. However, it’s a perception of poverty in America that I’ve found still has a strong grip on our way of thinking. [excerpt]

Urban.Boston (Urban Research-Based Action Network): Creating Connections Between Community + Academia, Urban.Boston, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Urban Research-Based Action Network (URBAN) is a national platform that facilitates community-based research, teaching and learning for action across disciplinary lines, connecting scholars and community activists within and across cities. It was started in 2011 to honor the memory of activist scholar Marylin Gitell, and has received generous support from SAGE Publications. URBAN currently has local nodes in Boston, LA, NY, and Northern California. It also has nodes that connect at the national level among sociologists, education researchers and community planners.

The Characteristics Of Women Seeking Funding From The Dc Abortion Fund, Karin Elizabeth Bleeg

GW Research Days 2013

Objectives: To determine whether the population DCAF serves, based on current research, are those most in need of its financial services. Describe the population that DCAF is supports by age, race and ethnicity, poverty, educational attainment, union status, contraceptive method used, referral source, and number of prior pregnancies.

Methods: An adapted version of The Guttmacher Institute's National Patient Survey will be used to collect data from women who contact DCAF for financial assistance for their abortion (n=150). The data will be collected for one month and then analyzed in SPSS.

Results: Between January and March 2013 approximately 400 women contacted …

Chieftaincy-Based Community Dispute Resolution: The Case Of Sierra Leone, Whitney Mcintyre Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Sierra Leone suffered a destructive 11-year civil war that largely left its communities torn apart and in need of vast redevelopment. One of the ways that communities are rebuilding and making efforts to move forward is through the chieftaincy-based community dispute resolution process. Based on historical norms, this process involves the community leader, or chief, helping to resolve disputes within the community. This article reviews this chieftaincy-based community dispute resolution process, discusses the types of disputes settled, and provides broader lessons learned for communities who may be interested in truly community-based dispute resolution.

¿Mi Casa Es Su Casa?: Inmigración, Discriminación E Interculturalidad En Liceo Miguel De Cervantes Y Saavedra, Kathia Dumelle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este estudio se trata de las dinámicas de inmigración, discriminación e interculturalidad en el Liceo Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, establecimiento municipal, ubicado en la Región Metropolitana de Chile en la comuna de Santiago. Se propone conocer si lo que está pasando en la sociedad chilena, específicamente la discriminación contra los inmigrantes vecinos, se reproduce en la escuela, o si la escuela está cambiando las relaciones interpersonales entre los chilenos y los inmigrantes. Se investiga mediante una etnografía del liceo, realizando observaciones de la escuela, y entrevistas formales e informales con estudiantes inmigrantes, estudiantes chilenos, profesores y profesoras. Se observa …

Going Green And Staying Sustainable: Community Based Tree-Planting Projects In Mongolia, Rachel Klassen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community based tree planting projects are abundant in Mongolia and have become a popular form of social movement towards promoting a healthy environment. With so many different varieties of tree planting projects in Mongolia, it is necessary to evaluate how well the different forms of Community-based tree planting projects function. The first research question created to access said Community projects is, are Community based tree planting projects environmentally sustainable? And the second, are Community-based tree planting projects in Mongolia sustainable from an organizational standpoint? To answer these questions interviews, surveys and case studies were given in the three …

Gagner La Vie: Examining Return Preparedness And Resource Mobilization Among Moroccan Immigrants To France Who Return To Live Permanently In Agadir, Morocco, Karolina Michelle Dos Santos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

If Moroccan immigrants are so in tune to their home culture and home happenings, under what conditions do they stay in France facing the problems of unemployment and homelessness? This study focuses on the return migration of Moroccans from the Sousse region; specifically Agadir and the surrounding Tiznit areas, who left Morocco during the decade of 1960 and who have permanently returned to live in Morocco. The study was conducted by using the snowball sampling technique to conduct semi-structured interviews of Moroccan return migrants in AitMelloul, a neighborhood of Agadir. My findings suggest that the return migrants from the Sousse …

Joven Pero No Apolítico: Las Distintas Concepciones De La Militancia Y El Rol Del Partido Político Para La Juventud Del Partido Socialista Y El Partido De Los Trabajadores Socialistas En Buenos Aires, Christina Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although Argentina is known for its vibrant political life – illustrated by the country's high voter turnout in elections, regular protests in the central Plaza de Mayo, and an abundance of politicized conversations among citizens – the past few decades have witnessed a general loss of credibility in the traditional means of acquiring power in the state, notably the worker's union and the party. Accordingly, activism in Argentina's “new public space” (Bonvillani et al 2008: 63) that emerged after the political-economic crisis of 2001 has been defined less by the formal party-state apparatus than by autonomous social movements unaffiliated with …

La Implementación Del Programa De Intervención Para Hombres Que Ejercen Violencia Contra Sus Parejas, “Hombres Por Una Vida Sin Violencia,” En Arica, Chile, Meghna Nandi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Battery intervention programs are an important domestic violence intervention method to study because they focus on understanding the perpetrator’s side of domestic violence and can shed light on the cultural and social forces that maintain domestic violence within society. Objective: This study explores Chile’s newly initiated battery intervention program, “Hombres por una vida sin violencia,” or “Men for a life without violence,” by documenting its implementation in the city of Arica, Chile through an investigation of both the program’s functioning and the perception of domestic violence within the greater community. Methodology: Interviews were conducted with professionals who work in …

Defining Safety For Universities: The Slippery Conceptual Slope, Pam Jenkins

DRU Workshop 2013 Presentations – Disaster Resistant University Workshop: Linking Mitigation and Resilience

In this presentation, we address the issue of the fragility of campus safety. The uniqueness of a college campus creates a context for safety that requires an intentional and specific understanding. Campus life for many is no longer (or perhaps never was) ‘an ivory tower’— a place separated and protected from the rest of the community. However, many still have the attitude that a campus is not like the real world in the United States. And in fact, colleges and universities are often much safer and more open than communities around them. Yet, ask any student affairs director or safety …

Building Up A Community By Empowering Disadvantaged Youth, Sophia De Quattro

Service-Learning | Student Scholarship

When you enter the grounds of Marin County Community School (MCCS), you see security patrolling the premises. The students may be on probation, house arrest, or have general behavior issues deemed unfit for regular public school. High-risk youth in Marin County generally are referred to MCCS, an alternative education facility, in hopes of providing the student a second chance to earn a high school diploma and a better future. MCCS, located in San Rafael, California provides an educational program geared towards intensive instruction in English/Language Arts and Mathematics with a focus on developing pro-social skills through the integration of services …

Funding Public Services: Opinions Of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans, 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Eric Thompson

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans seem content with current levels of spending on many public services and activities. Over one-half propose no changes in the level of spending for most of the public services listed. Only one item, unemployment compensation, had a majority say they would like to see less spending for it. And, many rural Nebraskans would propose an increase in spending for education as well as roads and bridges.

Not surprising, many groups favor an increase in spending on items important to them. Younger persons are more likely than older persons to favor an increase in spending for education. Persons …

Community And Individual Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community. In addition, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Differences of opinion exist by the size of their community. Residents of smaller communities are more likely than residents of larger communities to rate their community favorably on its social dimensions. However, residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of smaller communities to say their community has changed …