The Dilemma of the Senior Woman Administrator Role in Intercollegiate Athletics

All National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions designate the highest-ranking woman in athletic administration the senior woman administrator (SWA). This role is “intended to encourage and promote the involvement” of women in decision-making, enhance the representation women’s experiences and perspectives, and support women’s interests in intercollegiate athletics (NCAA, n.d. [a]). However, previous research reveals inconsistency in the tasks and responsibilities associated with the SWA role. Furthermore, it is not well established if this role is a mechanism to advance women to leadership roles or a terminal position (Hatfield, 2009). To better understand the influence of the SWA role on the advancement of women leaders, this research introduces the historical context of women’s leadership in higher education. This historical context draws on the strategies women leaders used prior to the passage of Title IX. These strategies form a framework to analyze interview data with women who hold the SWA title among Division I institutions in the Far West. Findings illustrate four dilemmas – The Early “SWA” vs. Today’s Senior Associate Athletic Administrator, The SWA – The Sole Woman Administrator?, The SWA and Title IX, The SWA As A Terminal Position, and, “My SWA” – The Senior Woman Advocate. Together these dilemmas characterize this role and its limitations for promoting a critical mass of women leaders in intercollegiate athletics

Making Washington’s Shoreline Master Programs Climate Smart

Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs) are the vehicle through which local jurisdictions implement Washington’s Shoreline Management Act, the legal framework for shoreline management throughout the State. While Washington’s coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems will see significant climate change impacts, including increased erosion, sea level rise, and ocean acidification, SMPs have not traditionally incorporated these factors. Ecology released interim guidance on incorporating sea level rise into SMPs in 2010, and is working on updated guidance now. This talk will focus primarily on options for incorporating climate change into the inventory and characterization (I&C) phase of the SMP process, which provides the scientific input for decisions in later phases of the process. Information covered by the I&C must address “attributes that pertain to existing and emerging problems and issues in a jurisdiction.” To address climate-related “existing and emerging problems and issues”, jurisdictions need to inventory information on the extent to which these phenomena are already seen along Washington’s coasts, and on plausible future trajectories. In addition to physical and chemical changes, the inventory could include information on changes in the distribution of ecologically, culturally, and commercially important species and critical habitats. The I&C must also describe ecosystem-wide and shoreline processes, functions, opportunities for restoration, public access, and shoreline use. Possibilities for addressing climate change in this stage include: 1. Highlight processes of particular importance for vulnerability or resilience, such as integrated analysis of processes contributing to coastal erosion and accretion, or to the delivery, retention, and toxicity of pollutants. 2. Highlight climate adaptation-related functions or effects of climatic changes on desired functions, such as water storage or temperature regulation of aquatic habitats 3. Incorporate information on vulnerability to acidification, sea level rise, and other climate-related changes into restoration site selection, prioritization, and design. 4. Incorporate information on vulnerability to sea level rise, increased flood severity, and other climate-related changes into plans for public access and shoreline use. 5. For No Net Loss calculations, estimate loss and change due to ongoing climatic and related changes as well as interactions between these and proposed land use changes. 6. Include maps of vulnerability or resilience ratings to inform environmental designations or overlay zones in which to apply special protection While incorporating climatic changes, effects, and risks into shoreline planning will take some changes, it is eminently feasible. It is also essential to the resilience and long-term sustainability of Washington’s coastal communities, economies and ecosystems

REFERRAL DECISIONS OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS FOR TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS

The accurate and timely referral and identification of twice-exceptional students remains a challenge. In a statewide study, the referral decisions for both special education and gifted programming evaluations made by four participant groups (i.e., general education teachers, special education teachers, gifted education teachers, and school psychologists) were compared. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three identically described students in a vignette that differed only in the presence of a diagnostic label—autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disability (SLD), or no diagnostic label. In all, special education teachers made the most special education referrals, while gifted education teachers made the most gifted programming referrals, both regardless of the diagnostic label present. The students with diagnostic labels were recommended for special education referrals significantly more than for gifted programming, while this difference was not evident in the no diagnostic label condition. Moreover, the student with the ASD label was the most likely to be referred for evaluations for both special education and gifted programming out of all three vignette conditions. Overall findings indicated the importance of considering the referral source as well as how the presence of a diagnostic label might influence educational referral decisions, particularly in how this might influence overall multidisciplinary team decisions for these unique learners

Interplay of chemical disorder and electronic inhomogeneity in unconventional superconductors

Many of today's forefront materials, such as high-Tc superconductors, doped semiconductors, and colossal magnetoresistance materials, are structurally, chemically and/or electronically inhomogeneous at the nanoscale. Although inhomogeneity can degrade the utility of some materials, defects can also be advantageous. Quite generally, defects can serve as nanoscale probes and facilitate quasiparticle scattering used to extract otherwise inaccessible electronic properties. In superconductors, non-stoichiometric dopants are typically necessary to achieve a high transition temperature, while both structural and chemical defects are used to pin vortices and increase critical current. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has proven to be an ideal technique for studying these processes at the atomic scale. In this perspective, we present an overview of STM studies on chemical disorder in unconventional superconductors, and discuss how dopants, impurities and adatoms may be used to probe, pin or enhance the intrinsic electronic properties of these materials.Physic

Stellar Polarimetry: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

On the final day of the Stellar Polarimetry conference, participants split up into three "breakout sessions" to discuss the future of the field in the areas of instrumentation, upcoming opportunities, and community priorities. This contribution compiles the major recommendations arising from each breakout session. We hope that the polarimetric community will find these ideas useful as we consider how to maintain the vitality of polarimetry in the coming years.Comment: 7 pages, published in proceedings of "Stellar Polarimetry: From Birth to Death" (Madison, WI, June 2011

Empirical Impact Evaluation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in Australia, Canada, UK and USA

Background: The active recruitment of health workers from developing countries to developed countries has become a major threat to global health. In an effort to manage this migration, the 63rd World Health Assembly adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in May 2010. While the Code has been lauded as the first globally-applicable regulatory framework for health worker recruitment, its impact has yet to be evaluated. We offer the first empirical evaluation of the Code’s impact on national and sub-national actors in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States of America, which are the English-speaking developed countries with the greatest number of migrant health workers. Methods: 42 key informants from across government, civil society and private sectors were surveyed to measure their awareness of the Code, knowledge of specific changes resulting from it, overall opinion on the effectiveness of non-binding codes, and suggestions to improve this Code’s implementation. Results: 60% of respondents believed their colleagues were not aware of the Code, and 93% reported that no specific changes had been observed in their work as a result of the Code. 86% reported that the Code has not had any meaningful impact on policies, practices or regulations in their countries. Conclusions: This suggests a gap between awareness of the Code among stakeholders at global forums and the awareness and behaviour of national and sub-national actors. Advocacy and technical guidance for implementing the Code are needed to improve its impact on national decision-makers