The Chanticleer, 2025-04-24, Graduation Issue

The editorially independent student produced weekly newspaper of Coastal Carolina University.https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/chanticleer/1729/thumbnail.jp

Sense of Belonging Among Nontraditional Undergraduate Students

This qualitative study, viewed through a constructivist lens, was conducted with 16 nontraditional undergraduate students, comprising equal numbers from a two-year and a four-year higher education institution. The study delved into their perceptions of belonging, while exploring the commonalities and disparities of their experiences between the two types of institutions. Through semi-structured interviews, these participants shared their lived experiences to answer three research questions: 1) How do nontraditional undergraduate students at two-year and four-year higher education institutions describe their sense of belonging? 2) What influences their sense of belonging at these institutions, and 3) How does sense of belonging among students at two-year institutions compare with those at four-year institutions? The findings indicated that holistic student engagement and support, inclusive community engagement in higher education, and life balance and personal growth were pivotal in fostering a sense of belonging. The study also examined the similarities and differences across the two types of institutions from the participants’ perspectives. Several practice areas were identified to foster a more inclusive campus culture for nontraditional undergraduate students. Additionally, the study offered future research directions, contributing to the broader literature on the sense of belonging among older students. Overall, the participants highlighted the significance of an inclusive academic environment that recognized and welcomed their differences, aiding in their sense of belonging and academic success. This research emphasized the critical role of a sense of belonging in the success of this student demographic, affirming that such a feeling is crucial in the academic success of this growing student population

Revisiting Southern Identity

What is the role of southern identity in contemporary southern politics? Research conducted prior to the Trump administration concludes that southern identity is resilient, and that political ideology had replaced race as the key factor predicting identity. Given the massive changes in southern and American politics in the last decade, however, there is reason to question whether these conclusions hold. In this paper we rely on two surveys of the southern electorate to determine whether southern identity remains resilient and whether the predictors of identity have changed. We conclude that southern identity remains central to the identity of most southerners. We also find that political ideology continues to be a, or perhaps the, primary driver of southern identity. Race is a statistically predictor in one of our models, but not in the other. We conclude by noting opportunities for future scholarly inquiry on this critical political question

The Relationship between the Light and Dark Triads of Personality, COVID-19 threat, and COVID-19 Vaccine status in College Students

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States was due, or at least in part, to the resistance to health guidelines, minimal to no safety measures implemented by nearly half the U.S. citizens, and, to a lesser extent, the initial lack of understanding into the pathogenic mode of transmission. The present study examined links between the Dark (i.e.., narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism) and Light (i.e.., compassion, empathy, altruism) Triad of personality traits, the perceived threat level of COVID-19, and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in an undergraduate college sample (N = 147). The study found no statistically significant differences in the overall Light or Dark Triad scores between students receiving and those not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccinated students reported a higher perceived threat level than their non-vaccinated colleagues. Implications and limitations of the study are reported. Relationships between personality, vaccine practices, and perceived health threats offer important insights. These findings may be useful in developing strategies that effectively tackle the contradictions between the psychological and the sociocultural determinants of health behavior. This article was published Open Access through the CCU Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. The article was first published in the Journal of Behavioral Health and Psychology: 10.33425/2832-4579/2510

Achieving Equity for International Medical Graduates: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Foreign-born and foreign trained International Medical Graduates (FIMGs) face greater challenges in acculturation to their host countries than IMGs who train abroad and return to practice in their home country. As FIMGs are likely to fulfill a shortage of physicians in High Income Countries in the foreseeable future, we conducted a systematic review of literature to identify acculturation interventions that help FIMGs assimilate better in their host country health systems. This improves their productivity and satisfaction, allows health systems to be more accepting of FIMGs, and most importantly, enhances patient outcomes. Methods: Following the PRISMA statement, we searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science for all peer-reviewed articles using keywords “international medical graduate”, “overseas trained doctor”, “overseas trained physician”, “foreign trained doctor”, “foreign trained physician” (group A); and “discrimination” and “microaggressions” (group B) published between January 1st, 2000 to October 24th, 2021. Results: The 46 studies included in this review fall into three groups – acculturation interventions for FIMGs, FIMG’s perceptions of what they found useful, and trainers’ perspectives on ‘what works’. This review also includes interventions that pivoted to the online mode during the Covid-19 pandemic, making the findings relevant, as this is likely to the norm in the future. Acculturation requires training on clinical protocols, host country and health system culture and norms and communication, language and self-awareness skills. Discussion: Much work remains to be done. Interventions need to be tailored to suit the unique needs of FIMGs from 150+ countries, trainings require a foundation of theoretical frameworks, additional professional, personal and social support to be provided, life course related changing needs demand attention and the preparedness of host country health systems to accept FIMGs require enhancement. This article was published Open Access through the CCU Libraries Transformative Agreement Program. The article was first published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1601492

The Chanticleer, 2025-01-30

The editorially independent student produced weekly newspaper of Coastal Carolina University.https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/chanticleer/1734/thumbnail.jp

Insect wing flexibility improves the aerodynamic performance of small revolving wings

Insect wings are flexible, elastically deforming under loads experienced during flapping. The adaptive value of this flexibility was tested using a revolving wing set-up. We show that the wing flexibility of the beetle Batocera rufomaculata, suppresses the reduction in lift coefficient that is expected to occur with a reduction of wing size compared to rigid propeller blades. Moreover, the scaling of wing flexibility with size is intra-specifically tuned through changes in wing-vein cross-section, resulting in smaller wings achieving proportionally larger chordwise deformations compared to larger wings, when loaded with aerodynamic forces. These elastic deformations control the separation of flow from the wing as a function of Angle-of-Attack, as evidenced by the turbulence activity in the flow-field directly beneath the revolving wings. The study underlines the contribution of flexibility to control the flow over insect wings through passive wing deformations without the need for input or feedback from the nervous system. This article was published Open Access through the CCU Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. The article was first published in iScience: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.11203

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?

The 2025 HTC Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Lecturer Award winner was William Jones, Ph.D., professor of computing science in the University’s Gupta College of Science. As the winner of this award, Jones presented a public lecture titled “The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?” Jones\u27 lecture deals with his collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, the LANL-CCU Collaboration initiative created to solve specific national security challenges, and his focus on undergraduate research and mentorship. The HTC Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Lecturer Award is presented to a Coastal Carolina University faculty member who demonstrates outstanding teaching and brings about student learning through scholarship and mentoring. The award is made possible through a generous donation from the Horry Telephone Cooperative.https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/dtsls/1028/thumbnail.jp