Lophocolea heterophylla (Variable-leaved Crestwort)

Lophocolea heterophylla (Variable-leaved Crestwort) 2/15/19 Group: Bryophytes Type: Liverworts Family: Geocalycaceae Notes Common Name: Variable-leaved Crestwort Years Noted: 2007; 2009; 2019; 2020; 2021; 2022; 2023 Identified and First Noted By: Spencer Ruston Also Noted By: Cindy Law; Nur Ritter; Paige Vermeulen; Kathryn Krueger Comments: Quite common at the GNA. This species and Frullania eboracensis are the two most commonly encountered Liverworts at the GNA.https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/gna_bps_bry/1008/thumbnail.jp

CUS+E: Creating a Culture of Safety Through Improved Communication Within Perioperative Services

The Department of Perioperative Services identified ongoing communication and cultural challenges that compromised team dynamics, psychological safety, and patient care. A culture of safety survey revealed a significant disconnect: while many staff felt comfortable raising safety concerns, nurses and ancillary support staff reported widespread experiences of disrespectful behavior—perceptions not shared by providers. In response, the department implemented the CUS+E (I’m concerned, I’m uncomfortable, this is a safety issue + Explanation) communication tool to enhance the real-time escalation of safety concerns. Project goals included increasing safety reporting, reducing adverse events, and improving staff confidence in raising concerns. Post-implementation surveys indicated that over half of staff and providers felt comfortable either using or responding to CUS+E. However, key limitations were noted, including low provider response rates, inconsistent tool adoption, and unchanged safety event reporting. Despite widespread awareness, the tool\u27s use remained limited to nursing staff, with little application among providers and ancillary personnel. Obstacles like fear of retaliation, insufficient follow-up, and provider dismissiveness limited wider adaptation. The findings emphasize the importance of psychological safety, leadership role modeling, and sustained education to reinforce structured communication practices. While CUS+E shows potential to enhance team communication and empower staff, a more profound cultural shift is needed to ensure equitable participation and long-term impact. Recommendations include interdisciplinary education, strengthened feedback loops, and organizational efforts to foster a culture of mutual respect. This initiative highlights the critical link between team culture, communication, and patient safety in high-risk perioperative environments

The Impact of Leadership Curriculum on High School Students’ Self-Efficacy

This explanatory sequential mixed methods-case study design grounded in Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, examines the impact of leadership development curriculum on high school students’ perceived levels of self-efficacy as well as researching characteristics students report are most important for strengthening their self-efficacy. Quantitatively, via convenience non-probabilistic sampling, an online Qualtrics questionnaire was used to collect data from 17 students currently in high school who were enrolled in a one-semester leadership development course in their junior or senior year. Qualitatively, six students who completed the questionnaire participated in semi-structured interviews. Additionally, nine students who completed the questionnaire provided three different reflective artifacts from the leadership course to be analyzed. The Schwarzer & Jerusalem General Self-Efficacy (GSE) Rating Scale (1995), was used to measure students\u27 perceived self-efficacy as well as descriptive and inferential statistics from the questionnaire data. Six open-ended interview questions were asked to all participants interviewed in a thirty-minute session to gain detailed perspectives on the impact of the leadership curriculum. A multi-phase coding cycle was used to analyze both student assignments and interviews to look for patterns relevant to self-efficacy and the proposed youth leadership development framework. Participation in the leadership program led to increased self-efficacy among high school students, particularly through leadership roles in team building and mentoring younger students. This data was corroborated by both quantitative and qualitative data, which also revealed growth in related areas such as emotional intelligence and problem-solving, and identified key program themes of stress management and leadership skills

Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Woodsy Thyme-Moss)

Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Woodsy Thyme-Moss) 4/2/2019 Group: Bryophytes Type: Mosses Family: Mniaceae Notes Common Names: Woodsy Thyme-Moss; Baby Tooth Moss; Woodsy Leafy Moss Years Noted: 2007; 2019; 2020; 2022; 2024 Identified and First Noted By: Spencer Ruston Also Noted By: Nur Ritter; Paige Vermeulenhttps://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/gna_bps_bry/1104/thumbnail.jp

Getting “Out in the Woods” with Students: Intergenerational Work Centering Learners as Creators of Sustainable Futures

Kate Southerton-Castillo, student, M.S. in TESC, and Emily Southerton, Ph.D. Learning Sciences present on Getting “Out in the Woods” with Students: Intergenerational Work Centering Learners as Creators of Sustainable Futures

Atrichum altecristatum (Wavy Starburst Moss)

Atrichum altecristatum (Wavy Starburst Moss) 8/29/2019 Group: Bryophytes Type: Mosses Family: Polytrichaceae Notes Common Name: Wavy Starburst Moss Year Noted: 2019 Identified and First Noted By: Nur Ritter Comments: Seemingly, fairly common in the GNA. In shaded areas, often near streams.https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/gna_bps_bry/1123/thumbnail.jp

Success at a Price / Women of Color Students at A White University

An examination of the American college campus experience for women of color What invisible barriers do Black and other self-identifying women of color students face while thriving on a college campus that excludes them? How do these experiences challenge and transform meanings of diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially as they relate to student success?In this three-year ethnographic study of women of color undergraduate students, Lisa C. Huebner, Samantha Jeune, and Odette Kolenky found that while thriving, women of color students suffered what they describe as “a daily normal” of harassment and erasure. At the same time, however, they excelled, often graduating with many academic and cocurricular achievements.Celebrated by the university as successful students but also ignored by it, they felt alone, deceived, and exploited by the very university system that was dedicated to helping them. This book offers a rare glimpse into the successes we take for granted. Centering the voices of women of color students, this book offers a new story of how successful women of color overcome barriers no one else seems to see and, through their experiences and insights, offers recommendations to all of us who care about diversity, equity, and inclusion.https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/cahfaculty_books/1037/thumbnail.jp

Intergenerational Oral History as a Tool for Reconnecting in Educational Spaces

Contemporary education in the post-industrial western world functions to prepare students for participation in a dominant culture as compliant employees and abiding citizens. In rebellion against this institutional paradigm are educational practices that equip students with the ability to engage in critical analysis and engage with their communities as whole, self-knowing individuals. To accomplish this, educational endeavors are in desperate need of curricula that invite the totality of student and community experience into spaces of learning. These environments foster authentic growth and capitalize on the educational resource of student experience as a worthy source of knowledge. Intergenerational oral history as a teaching tool invites present, reflective conversation, and empowers youth participants to tap into thoughtful question-posing as a way to create moments of learning and connection out of otherwise mundane interactions. Intergenerational oral history also serves a rapidly growing elder population by honoring their life experience; connects younger generations to ancestral knowledge; uses the timeless wisdom of storytelling as its’ central teaching tool; and nurtures conversation skills in an increasingly digital age. As a tool for community-centered education, intergenerational oral history projects are remarkably beneficial, and the time is ideal to use this deceptively simple practice in contemporary educational spaces

Intergenerational Classification of Reddit Comments Based on Slang and Emoji Usage

The rapid evolution of language, driven by technological advancements, has created notable cultural gaps between generations, particularly in how they communicate. This gap is most apparent in the growing use of slang and emojis among younger generations. This study aims to explore whether Reddit comments can be classified by generation based on the usage of slang and emojis, the frequency of their use across generations, and how such features (slang and emojis) might influence the meaning of traditional language. Using Reddit’s API, we collected comments from four generational subreddits and applied various machine learning models, Naïve Bayes, Neural Networks, and Decision Trees to identify the most effective classification method. We compared both standard models and improved models that focus on selective features—slang and emojis—using both imbalanced and balanced datasets. Through this research, we seek to determine if machine learning models can effectively classify social media comments by generation based on certain linguistic features. Our findings show that the Neural Network model outperforms the other two models, making it a promising choice for future work in improving classifying comments by generation.To our knowledge, this is the first work of cross-examining machine learning models for real-world generational classification of text based on specific features (slang and emojis), offering insight for applications in public social media platforms, video games, and general industry communication. It also contributes to human linguistics by helping to show patterns and understand communication differences by generations

The Impact of Family Variables on the Mental Health of Gender Expansive Transitional Age Youth and Adults

Gender expansive individuals are at an elevated risk for stress and poor psychological outcomes such as depression, substance abuse, and death by suicide due to minority stress. Family variables can either protect against or perpetuate poor psychological outcomes. There is need to examine specific protective and risk factors in families with gender expansive children. The present study explores the relationship between family and caregiver relationship variables and well-being in a sample of 39 gender expansive individuals. Participants completed an online survey consisting of questionnaires measuring current internalizing and externalizing symptoms and their perception of their family structure, functioning, and parental bonding. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics and correlations. Next, two multiple linear regressions were performed to examine family and caregiver variables as predictors of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Both internalizing and externalizing symptoms were significantly positively correlated with disengaged and chaotic family systems and negatively correlated with family satisfaction, flexibility, and communication. In regression analyses, age, family cohesion, and general functioning accounted for 40% of the variance in internalizing symptoms and over 60% of the variance in externalizing symptoms. Results of this study suggest that gender expansive individuals living in families with disengaged and chaotic features may be at risk for experiencing poor mental health outcomes, and gender expansive individuals living in families with higher cohesion, communication, and satisfaction may experience more positive mental health outcomes. Family systems-based clinical interventions may improve caregiver-child communication and relationship satisfaction, reduce family chaos, and protect against societal stressors for gender expansive youth