The Balancing Act: Work Environment Issues for Women with Children in Student Affairs

Increasingly in the past two decades, student affairs work at American\u27s universities has been undertaken by women. This work with the co-curricular life of the students in higher education requires administrators at all levels to have a flexible schedule with the ability to commit evenings and weekends to their work. Challenges for academe and for women in the profession have emerged as more women enter the field. One of the most problematic areas is the retention of highly educated and experienced female administrators once they have children. Workplace environment, including work schedule, job demands and employer support, have been suggested as reasons why many working mothers leave the student affairs profession or are unable to advance to the highest levels of administration. To explore these problems in more detail, this study collected data from 35 working mothers in student affairs careers at universities in California. A Delphi process enabled the study participants, through four rounds of questionnaires, to arrive at consensus on the most important work environment issues affecting working mothers in both positive and negative ways. Strategies for both addressing work-family balance issues in the workplace and for seeking work environments which support work-family balance were identified. The finds of the study revealed that working mothers in student affairs value a flexible work schedule with little or no weekend or evening obligations, a job description which includes manageable responsibilities with flexibility for where and when to accomplish the work, and a supportive supervisor. Recommendations were offered for working mothers in the profession and for managers and supervisors who would like to retain these committed, experienced and talented professionals

Development and implementation of health promotion activities for the prevention of adolescent pregnancies

Of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established in 2000 by the World Health Organisation, Millennium Development Goals 5 aimed at improving maternal health by addressing the high maternal mortality rate and increasing universal access to reproductive health by 2015.Adolescent pregnancy contributes to maternal, perinatal and infant mortality and also worsens the empowerment of young girls by negatively affecting their physical, educational, social, and economic development.This is a pressing public health concern in South Africa. The reduction of adolescent pregnancy is vital for achieving the sustainable human, health social and economic development of society at large. Culturally sensitive interventions to prevent adolescent pregnancies not only integrate the communities' norms, values, practices and behavioural patterns into the intervention's design and implementation but also the historical, social and economic contexts in which they exist. Progress has been made on the research on health promotion and education in South Africa; however communities are often not consulted on the design and conduct of health promotion research projects.The aim of the study was to develop and implement culturally sensitive and appropriate health promotion activities for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy in Grahamstown, Glenmore and Ndwayana communities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.Two community based organisations and community care workers associated with them participated in this Community Based Participatory Research using the PEN-3 cultural model. The first phase of this study involved semi-structured interviews carried out with 14 community care workers to identify factors and consequences of adolescent pregnancies in their respective communities. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and coded using NVivo® 2010 software. The PEN 3 cultural model was adopted in the studyto address the socio-cultural factors contributing to adolescent pregnancy in the communities. The second phase involved a series of interactive workshops with CCWs for a participatory development of the facilitator's manual. Responses from CCWs informed the design of this study's intervention strategies. A facilitator's manual was developed to implement health promotion intervention, leading to the third phase of this study. The guided implementationof the health promotion intervention for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy was carried out over a period of 14 months and evaluated in the final phase of the study. The facilitator's manual was modified based on feedback fromCCWs, on possible improvements and cultural appropriateness. Readability testing guided the final modification of the manual. According to the community care workers, there were a number of adolescents who fell pregnant in their communities each year. The CCWs identified the influence of family members, friends and other stakeholders as contributory factors to adolescent pregnancy. They identified the lack of parental support in informing and educating adolescents about sexual health. Adolescents themselves lacked the maturity to recognise the risks and consequences of adolescent pregnancy. The negative perceptions of contraception in the community were discouraging contraceptive use amongst the adolescents. However, the results showed that enablers such as home and school visits done by the community care workers can be utilised to prevent adolescent pregnancy. Other factors included lack of health promotion materials and activities with information about preventing of adolescent pregnancy, and if available, the material is in English, that the adolescents may not comprehend. Socio-economic factors such as poverty, the Child Support Grant, cross generational relationships and coerced sex further contributed to adolescent pregnancy in the communities.CCWs identified the need for a more comprehensive health promotion intervention to prevent of adolescent pregnancy. A facilitator's manual addressing the prevention of adolescent pregnancy was developed and modified through a series participatory workshops with the community care workers.The facilitator's manual was used by CCWs to conducthealth promotion activities encouraging the prevention of adolescent pregnancies within the community's clinics, schools and during home visits. Community based participatory research methods and the PEN-3cultural model were used to develop this culturally sensitive and community specific adolescent pregnancy intervention for and by the CCWs. The participatory development of the facilitator's manual and the regular interactive workshops with the CCWs were strengthened by embedding this project into the development programs of the two non-governmental organisations contributing to sustainable development programs for women and children

The Quest to End Human Trafficking: An Educational and Practical Guide for Everyone Who Wants to Help Break the Bonds and Assist Survivors

People often assume that only legislators and law enforcement personnel can take meaningful steps to fight human trafficking, one of the most lucrative transnational crimes in the world. This inquiry sought to assess the validity of that belief. The study was informed by the author’s experience as a college instructor of human trafficking and the inspiration he drew from the range and quality of his students’ projects. The methodology included examining the strategies that governmental and non-governmental organizations are using to fight trafficking and assist survivors. It also considered the work of individual activists and service providers such as social workers and health/mental health professionals. Business allies selected for review included convenience store managers and those in the lodging, tourism, airline, and transportation industries. Community influencers such as public officials, members of the press, spiritual leaders, and college instructors were studied as well. The research demonstrated that each group is making a valuable contribution. The analysis first summarizes major concepts and laws that every antitrafficking activist needs to know. The author then organized the insights and lessons learned into five types of activities: Awareness, political advocacy, prevention, reducing demand (shopping wisely), and survivor intervention/aftercare. A separate discussion focused on ideas for student service projects, internships, and relevant career opportunities. The concluding chapters offer an easy-to-follow game plan for anyone interested in joining the cause. Altogether, the Guide has more than 1,100 hyperlinks to articles and free resources that advocates can use to pursue their personal antitrafficking interests and priorities

Enlisting Volunteers in Ministry

Problem Involving church members in ministry annually challenges church leaders. To meet this demand within the Seventh-day Adventist church, a committee typically nominates church members to fill prescribed offices—places of need. Filling offices, however, too often causes a committee to overlook some people or to mismatch interests, talents, and tasks. Method While serving the Kansas City Central Church as senior pastor, I introduced a Bible-based process to involve members\u27 gifts and talents in ministry. Using trained interviewers in this one-year pilot project, members became involved after matching their talents and interests with tasks. After the church approved the project, I gave three sermons to provide a biblical basis for a gift-oriented ministry. Working from this foundation, I trained ten people to enlist members in service. During two weeks of interviewing volunteers, the ten trainees tentatively matched these church members with particular ministries, then asked a personnel- nominating committee not only to review the lists of ministries and volunteers but also to select people for any unfilled positions. The church approved the list of volunteers. Before discussing the new process of matching members with tasks, I gave a survey to all church volunteers. Nine months after the project was implemented, all volunteers received a second survey. Contrasts between the two surveys revealed the value of the process. Results The two surveys showed that when a volunteer could choose his/her place of ministry, there was a greater degree of personal satisfaction, and more time was devoted to ministry than when the nominating process had been used. Some officers, however, disliked the process of matching talents with jobs. If new people assumed positions of influence traditionally held by these former officers, these changes created tension. Conclusion My conclusion after this year-long experiment at the Kansas City Central Church suggests three things: (1) that the Bible encourages matching people\u27s interests and abilities with needs; (2) that a ministry based upon voluntary commitment rather than upon assignment invites more members into effective and fulfilling involvement; and (3) that implementing a process of matching gifts, interests, and jobs calls for a church committed to dealing with the kinds of changes and tensions engendered by a gift-based ministry

Emerging infectious diseases

Emerging Infectious Diseases is providing access to these abstracts on behalf of the ICEID 2008 program committee, which performed peer review. Emerging Infectious Diseases has not edited or proofread these materials and is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions. All information is subject to change.Comments and corrections should be brought to the attention of the authors.Slide Sessions -- Foodborne & waterborne diseases I -- Influenza I -- Surveillance: International -- Zoonotic & animal diseases I -- Methicillin-resistant stapylococcal infections -- Vectorborne diseases -- Foodborne & waterborne diseases II -- Influenza II -- Surveillance: Domestic -- Zoonotic & animal diseases II -- Noscomial infections -- Respiratory diseases -- Health communications -- Blood, organ, & tissue safety -- Tropical diseases -- New rapid diagnostics -- Mobile populations & infectious diseases -- Vaccine-preventable diseases -- Tuberculosis -- Sexually transmitted diseases -- -- Poster Abstracts -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Climate changes -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Health communication -- Infectious causes of chronic diseases -- Influenza -- New or rapid diagnostics -- Nosocomial infections -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Sexually transmitted diseases -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Travelers' health & disease importation -- Tropical infections & parasitic diseases -- Vector-borne diseases -- Women, gender, sexual minorities & infectious diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Emerging aspects of HIV -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Health communication -- Molecular epidemiology -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Poverty & infectious diseases -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Tropical infections & parasitic diseases -- Vector-borne diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Blood, organ, & other tissue safety -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Host & microbial genetics -- Influenza -- Molecular epidemiology -- New or rapid diagnostics -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Prevention effectiveness, cost effectiveness, & cost studies -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Vector-borne diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Bioterrorism preparedness -- Emerging opportunistic infections -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Healthcare worker safety -- Influenza -- Laboratory proficiency testing/quality assurance -- Modeling -- Nosocomial infections -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Vector-borne diseases -- Viral hepatitis -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Emerging opportunistic infections -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Influenza -- New or rapid diagnostics -- Nosocomial infections -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Social determinants of infectious disease disparities -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Tuberculosis -- Vector-borne diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- -- Additional Poster Abstracts.Abstracts published in advance of the conference

Engineering linkages with the coal chain

"Industrial restructuring without parallel in recent British industrial history" is how the current Chairman of British Coal, Sir Robert Haslam, has described events in that industry. Since 1960 upwards of three quarters of a million jobs have gone in the deep coal mining industry alone. Numerous studies have analysed the underlying mechanisms behind the rapid decline of the nationalised coal industry, but hitherto little attention has been paid to the national linkage effects of that decline. This thesis is an attempt to analyse the consequences of industrial restructuring in coal mining on its UK engineering suppliers. In so doing, the thesis develops into much more than an empirical case study of industrial linkage and becomes a critical analysis of state capital-private capital relations. In particular, it focusses on the shifting boundaries of state ownership in the energy sector of the 'eighties. It considers what are the main processes involved and some of the consequences for those people and places most dependent on mining related jobs for their livelihoods

Web development in correspondence to motivating fourth grade students to gain knowledge of California history

The goal of this project was to determine whether using a web-based project incorporating John M. Keller\u27s ARCS model would motivate students to want to learn and explore new ways of learning. California history was taught to fourth grade students, including English as a second language students and Title 1 students, through a website. Lessons incorporated online quizzes, web designing, PowerPoint, Excel and other computer programs

Digest of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Winter 2001)

The Winter 2001 issue of the Digest of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine includes the following articles: Opening Remarks In the Mail PCOM Updates Meet the Prez This Doctor Gets Personal Founders Day Honorees PCOM MEDNet Board Profile Alumni Board Profile Off to Camp – With Some Very Special Children Class Notes In Memoriam My Turn: New Essay Section 2nd Annual PCOM Alumni Weekend Coming Eventshttps://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/digest/1179/thumbnail.jp

The Application of Soft Systems Methodology for Improving the Agrotechnology Transfer Process Responding to Tree Crop Farming Concerns in Kona, Hawaii

This dissertation applied soft systems methodology for improving the agrotechnology transfer process responding to tree crop farming concerns in Kona, Hawaii. The ten-month study undertook on-site research activities involving randomly selected Kona farmers, leaders of commodity organizations and university staff. The analyst engaged participants in the methodology's seven-stage process. They 1) described non-commodity specific and coffee, macadamia nut and avocado concerns, 2) envisioned improvements, 3) developed models of improved situations, 4) compared these models with the actual situation, 5) debated feasible and desirable changes and 6) implemented agreed-upon changes. Major conclusions of the study were that: 1) soft systems methodology caused change in agrotechnology transfer because it accounted for multiple worldviews affecting the process, 2) the current agrotechnology transfer structure, the Industry Analysis Program, had shortcomings, 3) participants requested soft systems methodology for improving the agrotechnology transfer process and on-farm research activities in Kona for assisting small-scale farmers, and 4) the analyst was a catalyst that assisted community members in bringing changes to the agrotechnology transfer process