Inequality and Stratification Commons^™

Educational Attainment: An Analysis Of Teenage Parenthood And Dropout Prevention Programs, Megan Mccook

Gettysburg Economic Review

This paper explores how teenage parenthood affects students’ high school education attainment, and evaluates the effectiveness of dropout prevention programs that offer on-site childcare. I use data from the High School Longitudinal Study (2009), collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics through the US Department of Education. These data combine survey responses from students, their parents, and school staff. Using school fixed effects and instrumental variable estimation I evaluate the impact of teenage parenthood on the probability of dropout. Female students with a child have, on average, 13.8 percentage points higher likelihood of dropping out of high school. The …

The North ‘Helicoptering’ Into The South: A Meta-Analysis Of Parachute Science In Ecological Field Studies, Alexandros Economou-Garcia

Student Publications

Science is increasingly collaborative, but scientists from the Global North (GN) often fail to collaborate with local scientists or to build local scientific capacity when conducting research in the Global South (GS). This practice is known as “parachute science” or “helicopter science”. In addition to ethical concerns, this practice is problematic in the field of ecology because it may reduce the likelihood that the research will inform local resource management and science policy. I hypothesized that, because research has become increasingly collaborative, there would be a decline in parachute science over time. In addition, I hypothesized that papers that included …

Are Happy Individuals Less Xenophobic Than Unhappy Individuals? Happiness & Income Versus Xenophobia, Noah A. Albanese

Student Publications

The social science literature on xenophobia is immense. Researchers have found that individual levels of xenophobia have a strong correlation with economic indicators, education, and political affiliation. However, do they have any correlation with unconventional indicators like happiness? This paper uses data from the World Value Survey to study the correlation between individual happiness and xenophobia. I find that there is a significant correlation between individual levels of happiness and xenophobia, even when controlling for income around the world.

International Travel And Its Impacts On Black/African American Identity Construction, Jordan K. Knox

Student Publications

How does going abroad impact Black/African Americans’ conceptualization of self? To assess the answer to this question I analyzed and reflected on mine and the international experiences of my participants, conducted thirteen interviews, and had participants answer survey questions. I argue that identity has two parts: your external and internal parts. The external identity I attributed to international experiences. My findings showed there are three impacts international travel has on Black/ African American identity constructions: the reinforcement, creation of something new, and added new dimension. There is little scholarship that studies the impact of international travel as it pertains to …

Contextual Support Of Environmental Protection, Emma R. Groff

Student Publications

Environmental regulation is often viewed as conflicting with economic needs. This paper examines under what personal and contextual economic conditions individuals support increased environmental protection efforts. Data from the 2017 World Values Survey is analyzed to determine the probability that an individual will prioritize environmental protection over economic growth at varying levels of household income with a comparison between the context of an economically secure country and an economically insecure country. The results indicate that, across all income levels, individuals in economically secure countries are more likely to prioritize the environment than those in economically insecure countries. In a comparison …

African American Disparities Within The Medical World, Claudia E. Mischler

Student Publications

There are many challenges that African Americans face and the lack of quality in care towards African Americans is an ongoing problem. Black men and women are not given the same care compared to their white counterparts. African Americans are faced with numerous disparities in the medical world. This can exist due to factors that are out of their control such as; failure of medical professionals recognizing the sociocultural differences, distrust in the health care system, cultural differences in understanding and explaining illness, history of hospital and medical office segregation, and knowledge of available services. It is very unlikely to …

Gentrification In Seattle: Amazon Overpowers The City Council, Keyleigh N. Wallick

Student Publications

In this paper, I will analyze gentrification in the city of Seattle, Washington. I argue that gentrification in Seattle is driven by the tech and real estate industries that are powerful and lucrative enough to deter accountability despite the City Council’s efforts. First, I will discuss gentrification mostly through a sociological lens. Then, I will consider gentrification in Seattle, focusing on the Central District, South Lake Union, Capitol Hill, and First Hill neighborhoods. Additionally, I will discuss the role immigration plays in gentrification and the vulnerability of certain communities in Seattle. Finally, I will analyze the efforts the City Council …

Making Health Education Healthier: How Medical Schools Use Bias Training And Intersectional Theory To Reduce Implicit Bias, Madeleine N. Miller

Student Publications

Medical bias has been successfully characterized through two-way bias theory and the concept of the "normal body" and further divided into implicit and explicit bias. Yet, many individuals who go to the doctor are still given insufficient care because of their gender, race, class, sexuality, etc. Medical Education offers a unique opportunity for bias reduction both through formal and informal training. It is crucial that, as they are taught how to save a patient’s life, medical students are also taught to empathize with all patients and to give every patient, regardless of their gender, skin color, or class, the most …

An Examination Of Housing Along The U.S.-Mexico Border: Colonias In Texas And Its Impact On Children, Gisselle Flores

Student Publications

Colonias in Texas have been constructed over the past 65 years, and many of these housing units started off as temporary solutions for the lack of affordable public housing for migrant farmworkers. Children in colonias are one of the most vulnerable residents in an already vulnerable population, and the obstacles that residents in colonias face have a severe impact on children. One of the most prominent challenges that impact children living in Texas colonias is food insecurity. These challenges that these communities face in food security is also contributing to the rise in health issues especially for these children.

From Tropes To Troupes: Misty Copeland And The Hyper-Whiteness Of Ballet, Emma D. Golden

Student Publications

In June of 2015, Misty Copeland became the first black woman promoted to a Principal Dancer in the American Ballet Theatre: a prestigious emblem of the institution of ballet, which is historically almost exclusively white. This stands in stark contrast with American sporting institutions like basketball and track and field, in which black athletes have achieved prominence. The immediately logical explanation is the financial inaccessibility of ballet to black Americans who live disproportionately in poverty and prefer athletic outlets where specialized equipment and one-on-one training are not required. However, this paper will present a second explanation for the persistent inaccessibility …

We Have A Sacred Duty To House All Homeless Veterans, Christopher R. Fee, Joshua L. Stewart

English Faculty Publications

In a letter to Congress urging the nation to pay what it owed to veterans of the Continental Army, George Washington voiced his firm conviction that we as honorable Americans would “never leave unpaid the debt of gratitude” to those brave souls who “rescued by their arms from impending ruin” the fledgling United States. (excerpt)

International Black-Market Organ Trade, Marni E. Granzow

Student Publications

The human organ trade is a global epidemic as citizens of developed-countries look to developing-countries to find organ donors, specifically exploiting the poor for their own personal gain. The impoverished organ donors are treated in an inhumane manner, as they are often left with serious medical complications and are not treated equally in the transaction.

House The Homeless, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

Since 2012, Gettysburg Combined Area Resources for Emergency Shelter (C.A.R.E.S.) has brought together local churches and citizens to provide emergency shelter to those without housing during the winter months. Last year alone, C.A.R.E.S. served nearly a hundred local folks, some with families, many of whom were working but unable to afford housing. (excerpt)

Entertaining Angels: Homelessness And The Hospitality Of Faith In Adams County, Christopher R. Fee

English Faculty Publications

I first volunteered at a soup kitchen in the frigid depths of winter in very late 1981 or very early 1982, in the heart of the Rust Belt in the midst of a terrible recession. I should emphasize right from the onset that I didn’t want to be there: I was next to useless and very intimidated, forced to be there by the tradition of service at my all-boys Catholic high school. Still, the experience made quite an impression on me, and I tell that story to my students so that they will understand that I know what’s like to …

Fearless Friday: Laila Mufty, Laila M. Mufty

SURGE

In today’s Fearless Friday, Surge would like to honor the work of Laila Mufty ‘18. Laila is a sophomore from the Bay Area in California and is majoring in Environmental Studies. Currently, she is one of the CPS Program Coordinators with Big Brothers Big Sisters and is the Immersion Project Leader for the New Orleans trip in May focused on the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. In addition to her work with CPS, Laila participates in multiple cultural organizations on campus and has volunteered with El Centro, Painted Turtle Farm and Casa de la Cultura. Laila has also written and …

Fearless Friday: Sherfy Battlefield Garden, Emma E. Korowotny

SURGE

In this edition of Fearless Friday, we’re highlighting one of the newer service projects that Gettysburg College is involved with: Sherfy Battlefield Garden. This summer will mark the fourth planting season at Sherfy, which was developed in 2013 by Hannah Grose ’13. The garden is located just off of Emmitsburg Road by the house that, in 1860, belonged to Joseph Sherfy and his family. Bullet holes mar the brick walls of the farmhouse, testifying to the fighting that occurred all over the fifty acres of Joseph Sherfy’s farmland on the last two days of the Battle of Gettysburg. Sites of …

No Justice Given, Alison P. Lauro

SURGE

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time analyzing privilege and looking at how systems in the United States often work to further oppress the vulnerable, while keeping the privileged in power. I have taken note of how my light skin, middle-class background, and young, abled body has given me opportunities and advantages others don’t have. But, I hadn’t thought too deeply about the privileges that come with being a natural born, American citizen. I’ve stood up to salute the flag every day in school, watched fireworks on the fourth of July, and generally felt proud to be an American; but, …

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 9, Spring 2016

Gettysburg Economic Review

No abstract provided.

Attempting To Reason In The Holiday Season, Anonymous

SURGE

Every year on the fourth Thursday of November, I sit down with my extended family to heaping dishes of mashed potatoes, sleekly polished bowls of green bean casserole, overflowing gravy boats, and, of course, a crackling turkey fresh from the oven. Without a doubt, my relatives and I have a lot for which to be thankful. [excerpt]

To Id Or Not To Id, Emma E. Korowotny

SURGE

“And now can I have the last four digits of your Social? Then we’ll both know each other.”

A cloud of anger swept over me. I glanced up from my computer, blinked, and then elected to continue with my work. I gave the man his money and receipt and sent him on his merry way. He transformed into a veritable ray of sunshine for the other tellers, calling, “have a nice day!” as he left. [excerpt]

Ms-186: Papers Of The Christ Chapel Community Welfare Program, Devin Mckinney

All Finding Aids

Though small and fragmentary, this collection contains important evidence dating from a crucial historical moment. It is particularly valuable to understanding how Gettysburg College responded to heightened pressures (from within and without) to diversify, engage, and reach across lines of race, economics, and social status.

Included are ephemeral announcements of program activities; inter-office memos; purchase receipts; correspondence between and from program members; questionnaires filled out by community children; and photographs taken at program activities.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information …

Determining The Effect Of The Minimum Wage On Income Inequality, Benjamin S. Litwin

Student Publications

Many recent studies have shown a significant increase to income inequality since the 1980s. One of the proposed methods for fixing this trend is to increase the minimum wage, since this policy would help those at the low end of the income spectrum to see economic growth. To analyze the effectiveness of this policy, we studied data from countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation. By forming an econometric model to account for many factors that affect income inequality in nations around the world, including the real value of the minimum wage, we can determine …

Women's Social Rights: Untapped Economic Potential, Monae S. Evans

Student Publications

This paper analyzes whether women’s social rights play a role in fostering higher levels of economic development. Prior development initiatives and economic policies failed to account for the productive capacities of women by discriminating against their basic rights to things such as an equitable education, equal inheritance, and marital rights. Applying the CIRI (Cingranelli-Richards Human Rights) dataset for women’s social rights, I found that improvements in these areas of human rights leads to significant increases in real GDP per capita, which highlights the need for development analysts and economists to focus their attention on countries’ most viable productive resource, women.

The Price I Didn't Know I'D Pay, Anonymous

SURGE

$255 textbook. $52 clicker. $150 fleece at Rosemont 310. $1000+ dues to a sorority. These are as much
a part of Gettysburg life as Servo Thanksgiving, chicken finger Friday, and Springfest.

Fitting into this lifestyle has been a daily struggle for the last four years. [excerpt]

Do Living Wages Alter The Effect Of The Minimum Wage On Income Inequality?, Benjamin S. Litwin

Gettysburg Economic Review

Anker (2006) proposed a new methodology for calculating the living wage in countries around the world. By looking at OECD nations between 2000-2010, we look to see if countries with a national minimum wage higher than this living wage value see a notable difference in the effect of the minimum wage on income inequality. Our results show that countries with the minimum wage higher than the living wage value do see lower inequality, although there is a key value of the minimum wage, at which countries start to see disemployment effects that increase inequality.

Opinion: Too Many Veterans With Children Are Still Homeless, Christopher R. Fee, Joshua L. Stewart

English Faculty Publications

Don’t ignore homeless veterans.

As we pause this Veterans Day to reflect on those who have sacrificed in the service of our country, let us not neglect to address the plight of those who have returned to a civilian life with far less promise than they have every right to expect. [excerpt]

Did One Veil Give Women A Better Life?, Mary C. Westermann

Student Publications

Unfortunately, a young woman in Renaissance Florence did not have many options for her future. A woman's family usually decided whether she would be able to get married or would have to enter the convent, but sometimes she was able to make this choice. In this paper, I look at the lives of wives and nuns to analyze how their lives differed in responsibilities and freedoms, but also to see how all women had similar restrictions and expectations placed upon them.

Fearless Friday: Annamarie Houlis, Annamarie Houlis

SURGE

Constantly working to make open and safe spaces on campus for women to speak up and receive support, using her writing and journalism skills to find and spread the word about social injustices affecting women, and taking the initiative to start her own women’s justice blog, AnnaMarie Houlis ’14 uses her creativity and passion to help those not just on campus, but globally.

Why Is That Even A Question?, Naima Scott

SURGE

“Are you the only white Africana Studies Major?” I overheard another student ask a friend.

I reacted. “Why is that even a question?”

How European Folk Stories Have Misrepresented Indigenous Women, Jacqueline S. Marotto

Student Publications

An examination of Rayna Green's "The Pocahontas Perplex" in reflection of course material about the role of indigenous women in North America.