Dunks and Drunks: Depictions of Drug and Alcohol Use Among High School Athletes in Film

Mediated portrayals of student-athletes can provide strong role models for realworld student-athletes. This research explored the images of student-athletes in sportrelated films regarding depictions of drug and alcohol use. A content analysis of six sport-related films released between 1994 and 2000 was conducted 1) to address whether such films accurately depicted drug and alcohol use among student-athletes and 2) to consider how these presentations might impact viewers who are, themselves, high school student-athletes. Results suggested that the films reinforced the notion that student-athletes are supposed to experiment with drugs and alcohol as a part of the social role relative to sport participation. Further, films suggested experimentation could take place with little or no consequence. Thus, sport films likely counteract progress made through educational initiatives aimed at curbing drug and alcohol use among student-athletes

Dunks and Drunks: Depictions of Drug and Alcohol Use Among High School Athletes in Film

Mediated portrayals of student-athletes can provide strong role models for realworld student-athletes. This research explored the images of student-athletes in sportrelated films regarding depictions of drug and alcohol use. A content analysis of six sport-related films released between 1994 and 2000 was conducted 1) to address whether such films accurately depicted drug and alcohol use among student-athletes and 2) to consider how these presentations might impact viewers who are, themselves, high school student-athletes. Results suggested that the films reinforced the notion that student-athletes are supposed to experiment with drugs and alcohol as a part of the social role relative to sport participation. Further, films suggested experimentation could take place with little or no consequence. Thus, sport films likely counteract progress made through educational initiatives aimed at curbing drug and alcohol use among student-athletes

Title IX and Booster Club Management: Experts’ Suggestions for Managing Challenging Scenarios

Title IX law prohibits discrimination at academic institutions that receive federal funding. Athletic programs fall under the purview of the law. As booster clubs, and the money they raise, become more important to successful sport programs, athletic directors must work diligently to ensure that their contributions do not cause inequity between the boys’ and girls’ programs. A number of challenges are presented by boosters who earmark giving to a single sport, booster clubs that represent only one sport and outperform those representing other sports, and in the process of transferring money from booster activities to the sports programs. This essay presents the suggestions of six leading Title IX experts to assist coaches, athletic directors, and all school administrators in successfully managing these challenges

An investigation of successful Football Bowl Subdivision coaches and the disproportional academic achievement of their White and African-American football players

The purpose of this study was to identify and discuss the coaches and programs that have been successful on the field over the past five years, qualifying for bowl game participation, while simultaneously having low graduation rates for African-American players. The contractual incentives for athletic and academic achievement included in the coaches’ contracts are also presented for discussion purposes

Positioning system for single or multi-axis sensitive instrument calibration and calibration system for use therewith

A positioning and calibration system are provided for use in calibrating a single or multi axis sensitive instrument, such as an inclinometer. The positioning system includes a positioner that defines six planes of tangential contact. A mounting region within the six planes is adapted to have an inclinometer coupled thereto. The positioning system also includes means for defining first and second flat surfaces that are approximately perpendicular to one another with the first surface adapted to be oriented relative to a local or induced reference field of interest to the instrument being calibrated, such as a gravitational vector. The positioner is positioned such that one of its six planes tangentially rests on the first flat surface and another of its six planes tangentially contacts the second flat surface. A calibration system is formed when the positioning system is used with a data collector and processor

Interview of Peter J. Finley, Ph.D.

Peter J. Finley Sr. was born an only child to parents John J. Finley and Margaret Francis Dunn in 1931, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He grew up in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Peter attended St. Francis Xavier School for grade school, La Salle Prep School afterwards—located at 1240 North Broad Street at the time—and La Salle College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1953. Peter’s connection to La Salle began early in his childhood; his father, John J. Finley, was in the College’s graduating class of 1924. Peter earned a master’s degree at the College of William and Mary in June of 1955, and shortly after joined the Marine Corps. In 1956, he was shipped to the Middle East with a battalion to patrol the Mediterranean. Peter married his wife Nancy in 1958 after two tours in the Middle East, and they settled down in Philadelphia, for a short time, to start a family; they would ultimately have five children. Peter worked as a clinical psychologist for the Vineland Training School, as superintendent for the John Helmbold Education Center, he earned his doctorate through Temple University in 1973, and all the while he remained in the U.S. Marine Reserve. He was then called to active duty to work as a psychologist for the Marines, developing screening tests for personnel of American embassies around the world. As a Colonel, he received the highest possible military clearance. He retired in 1998 and now lives with this wife in Sea Isle City, New Jersey

Components of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway compete for surfaces on Rad23 family proteins

Background: The delivery of ubiquitinated proteins to the proteasome for degradation is a key step in the regulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, yet the mechanisms underlying this step are not understood in detail. The Rad23 family of proteins is known to bind ubiquitinated proteins through its two ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domains, and may participate in the delivery of ubiquitinated proteins to the proteasome through docking via the Rad23 ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain. Results: In this study, we investigate how the interaction between the UBL and UBA domains may modulate ubiquitin recognition and the delivery of ubiquitinated proteins to the proteasome by autoinhibition. We have explored a competitive binding model using specific mutations in the UBL domain. Disrupting the intramolecular UBL-UBA domain interactions in HHR23A indeed potentiates ubiquitin-binding. Additionally, the analogous surface on the Rad23 UBL domain overlaps with that required for interaction with both proteasomes and the ubiquitin ligase Ufd2. We have found that mutation of residues on this surface affects the ability of Rad23 to deliver ubiquitinated proteins to the proteasome. Conclusions: We conclude that the competition of ubiquitin-proteasome pathway components for surfaces on Rad23 is important for the role of the Rad23 family proteins in proteasomal targeting

Academic Majors of Upperclassmen Football Players in the Atlantic Coast Conference: An Analysis of Academic Clustering Comparing White and Minority Players

Studies on graduation rates of college athletes have typically utilized subdivisions based on race, gender, and sport to allow for more transparent scrutiny of potential problem areas. However, subdivision by race has not been utilized when examining clustering of football players into academic majors. Clustering occurs when 25% or more of an athletic team shares a single academic major (Case, Greer, & Brown, 1987). Football media guides from Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools were utilized to determine the academic majors of upperclassmen to explore whether race could be a factor in academic clustering. The results showed that Minority players were clustered into specific academic programs at greater rates than their White counterparts. While academic clustering occurred for both White and Minority players, the clustering of Minority players involved greater numbers of players enrolled in clustered majors, as well as the existence of a second clustered major at several schools. At six of the schools in the study, 75% or more of the Minority players were enrolled into just two academic majors

Spin coefficients for four-dimensional neutral metrics, and null geometry

Notation for spin coefficients for metrics of neutral signature in four dimensions is introduced. The utility and interpretation of spin coefficients is explored through themes in null geometry familiar from (complex) general relativity. Four-dimensional Walker geometry is exploited to provide examples and the generalization of the real neutral version of Pleba\~nski's (1975) second heavenly equation to certain Walker geometries given in Law and Matsushita [16] is extended further.Comment: 50 pages; minor typos corrected in v