Black Student Leaders’ Race-Conscious Engagement: Contextualizing Racial Ideology in the Current Era of Resistance

Black youth of the current generation are creating new definitions of engagement that vary from the nostalgic reverence to the activism of Black student leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Because today’s student leaders are engaged in navigating predominantly White institution (PWI) norms, this research sought to contextualize the racial attitudes of Black student leaders through race-conscious engagement. While some Black students may not function under an activist label, they are nevertheless committed to social change and realize their involvement through a salient Black identity. Racial ideology survey items from the multidimensional inventory of Black identity (MIBI) which operationalizes the multidimensional model of racial identity (MMRI) were utilized directly as interview protocol items. This transformation of a model normally conceptualized through survey methodology was informed by critical race theory (CRT), which affirms the importance of the counternarratives of students of color. By creating critical discourse regarding the reasoning behind their racial attitudes and marginalization within the PWI environment, participants were able to elaborate on the influence of current social issues on their engagement efforts. Findings reveal the juxtaposition between individual and collective beliefs as students challenged dominant White norms in their representation of the Black student community

A Comparison of Anxiety Levels Among Women in Mixed Gender Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities and Women-Only Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether women who participate in a mixed gender residential substance abuse treatment facility experience more general anxiety during treatment than do women in a women-only setting and whether there a difference in the general anxiety levels of women in a women-only substance abuse treatment facility whether children are present or not. The voluntary participants of the study included 64 women who were selected from 4 residential treatment settings, 2 mixed gendered and 2 women-only, 1 with women and children. The women were asked to complete the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) that measures for an immediate presence of anxiety or a general characteristic of anxiety in persons. T-tests were used to test the four null hypotheses. The Bonferroni correction was implemented to account for the multiple t-tests. The required alpha level needed for the 0.05 level of significance with the Bonferroni correction is stated within each of the first four hypotheses. The findings concluded that there was no significant difference in the levels of anxiety for women who participated in mixed gendered residential substance abuse treatment than do women in a women-only treatment setting. The results further indicated that there was no significant difference in levels of anxiety for women without the presence of children than women whose children were present. Literature revealed codependency is an issue with women, whether or not being codependent and its potential impact on anxiety levels in women has a factor in the results of this study are inconclusive. Further research is considered necessary to explore the extent of these results as well as other factors. The implications are to continue to research the therapeutic value of women in treatment in the presence of men or not in the presence of men. Treatment may be of greater value for women in an environment that supports flexibility in their living arrangement; being able to move from mixed to single and back. The need for future research is indicated by the various limitations that included size and number of agencies included in the study. The study was based on the therapeutic community model and may need to be expanded to include other treatment modalities. The study didn\u27t focus on the influence of culture and its impact on women\u27s anxiety, nor did it consider the significance of establishing a rapport with the women in treatment

Exploring the Motivational Factors that Empower Military Spouses to Pursue Degrees in Higher Education

This study aimed to explore the factors that motivate and empower military spouses to persist in pursuing degrees in higher education. The following research question guided this study? What do military spouses perceive as the factors that motivate and empower them to persist in earning college degrees? Fifteen military spouses participated in this study. The military spouses who participated in the study shared their experiences on motivating factors that empowered them to continue earning a college degree. The theory of Cultural Capital was used as the theoretical framework to guide the concept that the military environment is a culture within a culture and that they bring this knowledge and experience into the classroom

Analysing student perceptions of transferable skills via undergraduate degree programmes

Despite the assumption that ‘transferable’ skills are part and parcel of a graduate’s portfolio, there is a lack of information about the extent to which such skills may be perceived by students to be valuable. Although the skills agenda has been at the forefront of Higher Education (HE) provision for some time, contemporary studies focus upon measurement issues and neglect the process aspects of skills learning and development. There is also a lack of research to support methodologies aimed at promoting optimal transfer of skills to work environments. It is apparent that there is a certain lack of clarity about the linkage between the nature of the learning environments that may be provided, and the types of outcomes that are purported to accrue. Accordingly, focusing on this context, the investigation had two objectives: first, to assess students’ perceptions of the knowledge and skills acquired during their undergraduate degree programmes; and second, to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the strategies adopted in respect of learning transfer. At the University of Luton 116 Level Three students completed a questionnaire that covered all the major skill descriptors of the university’s skills template. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the two closely related programmes in terms of perceived skills acquisition. Although the findings indicated that students were moderately satisfied with the skills acquired, a potential cause for concern was that one in five students did not perceive any transfer strategies to be effective

Adopción del comercio electrónico en Micro, Pequeñas y Medianas empresas

En el presente trabajo se estudian los factores asociados con la adopción del comercio electrónico, así como el nivel de  preparación digital de las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas  (MiPyMEs) comerciales y de servicios de Córdoba, Argentina. Siendo aún escasos los trabajos empíricos publicados sobre el tema en Latinoamérica, representa un aporte al conocimiento del estado del arte del comercio electrónico en la región. Mediante un estudio exploratorio-descriptivo, a partir del modelo teórico desarrollado por Molla & Licker (2004), se incorporan nuevos indicadores que enriquecen el modelo y el análisis de los resultados. Los datos provienen de una encuesta implementada a 108 empresas de la ciudad de Córdoba y alrededores, entre septiembre de 2012 y febrero de 2013. Los principales resultados señalan cómo los factores que más inciden en las diferencias en los niveles de adopción del comercio electrónico son el tamaño de las empresas y su nivel de madurez en la implementación de tecnologías de información (TIC).This paper addresses the study the factors associated with the adoption of e-commerce and e-readiness level onmicro, small and medium-sized commercial and service’s companies located in Córdoba, Argentina. Since there are still few empi- rical studies published on the subject in Latin America, this paper represents a contribution to the knowledge of the state of the art of e-commerce in the region. Taking as a starting point the theoretical model developed by Molla &Licker (2004), an exploratory- descriptive study is performed. New indicators are proposedin order to enrich the model and the analysis of the results. The data come from a survey implemented into 108 companies in Córdoba city area, between September 2012 and February 2013. The main results indicate that the size of the companies and their level of maturity or experience in the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ITC) are the two most influential factors on the differences at the levels of adoption of e-commerce in the enterprises.Fil: Jones, Carola. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.Economicas; Argentina;Fil: Alderete, Maria Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Bahia Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Economicas y Sociales del Sur; Argentina; Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economia; Argentina;Fil: Motta, Jorge Jose. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.Economicas; Argentina

CIVILIZATION AND SOVERIGNTY: WHITE SETTLER PATERNALISM AND THE CIVILIZATION POLICY

60 pagesThe civilization policy, or civilizing policy, defined the direction of the United States’ Indian policy. Even today, the echoes of the civilization policy can be seen in modern Indian law. George Washington, the architect of the policy, believed it to be “honorable conquest” — a method of taking Indigenous land while forcing Indigenous people to assimilate Euro-American culture and spirituality.1 In creating and applying the civilization policy, however, Washington and the other white statesmen ignored the realities of Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous ways of life. They relied on baseless assumptions about how Indigenous Nations functioned when applying the policy. Further, the white statesmen assumed that Indigenous Nations would happily adopt Euro-American ways of life and abandon their own cultures. Rather than being “victims” of the civilization policy, Indigenous Nations were, in many instances, able to use it to their benefit, whether that be for trade or for delaying removal. Despite the paternalism that coated the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations’ every interaction with the United States government, they were able to thrive in their homelands and ably manipulate the civilization policy

Spatial and taxonomic biases in bat records: Drivers and conservation implications in a megadiverse country.

Biases in data availability have serious consequences on scientific inferences that can be derived. The potential consequences of these biases could be more detrimental in the less-studied megadiverse regions, often characterized by high biodiversity and serious risks of human threats, as conservation and management actions could be misdirected. Here, focusing on 134 bat species in Mexico, we analyze spatial and taxonomic biases and their drivers in occurrence data; and identify priority areas for further data collection which are currently under-sampled or at future environmental risk. We collated a comprehensive database of 26,192 presence-only bat records in Mexico to characterize taxonomic and spatial biases and relate them to species' characteristics (range size and foraging behavior). Next, we examined variables related to accessibility, species richness and security to explain the spatial patterns in occurrence records. Finally, we compared the spatial distributions of existing data and future threats to these species to highlight those regions that are likely to experience an increased level of threats but are currently under-surveyed. We found taxonomic biases, where species with wider geographical ranges and narrow-space foragers (species easily captured with traditional methods), had more occurrence data. There was a significant oversampling toward tropical regions, and the presence and number of records was positively associated with areas of high topographic heterogeneity, road density, urban, and protected areas, and negatively associated with areas which were predicted to have future increases in temperature and precipitation. Sampling efforts for Mexican bats appear to have focused disproportionately on easily captured species, tropical regions, areas of high species richness and security; leading to under-sampling in areas of high future threats. These biases could substantially influence the assessment of current status of, and future anthropogenic impacts on, this diverse species group in a tropical megadiverse country

Taking the Picture out of the Frame: A Multidimensional Approach to Racial Identity

This study explored the multidimensional racial identity of African American undergraduate students at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Racial identity has progressed from models of stage development to a premise that there is no optimal mental development that black individuals must achieve. However, most racial identity models are still operationalized through the use of surveys, which do not provide in-depth meaning behind individuals’ racial attitudes. The multidimensional model of racial identity (MMRI) as the theoretical framework of this study posits racial identity through four dimensions (centrality, ideology, regard, and salience), but it is normally operationalized through the multidimensional inventory of black identity (MIBI). Through purposive sampling six African American students were recruited and case study methodology encompassed semi-structured interviews using direct survey items as the protocol in order to create critical discourse. Data collection also included reflection journals and multiple observations in the campus environment to explore the situational component of salience. Each dimension was analyzed independently and dimensions were also cross analyzed to conceptualize the PWI environment’s influence on students’ racial beliefs. Findings on racial centrality revealed the intersectionality of students’ core identities and how black identity acted as a filter for interpreting the PWI environment. Racial ideology gave evidence to the PWI’s racial dichotomy through students’ involvement in either mainstream/traditional student organizations or racially-based organizations. Participants’ affiliations highlighted disconnect in the black student community based on involvement norms and the strong presence of white ideologies in campus traditions. Racial regard findings revealed how knowledge of public group stigmas allowed students to avoid the internalization of those images in their private regard of black group membership. Data on racial salience provided understanding of racially salient moments in campus events and students’ perceptions of institutional support. Dimensions separately as well as collectively generated implications for changes needed in practice in order to move beyond diversity rhetoric. This comprehensive qualitative study aids higher education professionals in acknowledging the role of representative that black student leaders must negotiate. It also highlights the need for constructivist approaches in future research to explore the racial realities of student of color

What went wrong in Hungary

Published online: April 2024Why did Hungarian democracy have a harder time developing and rooting itself than democracy in other countries? The answer lies in the overlapping institutions and incentives that create democratic resilience. Hungary's political elites never finished their constitutional transition from communism to democracy by agreeing on a new democratic constitution. The 1998 elections polarized Hungarian politics around competing conceptions of democracy in ways that made it hard to reach consensus on a shared constitutional arrangement. Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party rose to power in the late 1990s by offering a strong state that would protect Hungarian society from the threat of social liberalism and foreclose a potential return of communism. Orbán returned to power in 2010, on the heels of the global financial crisis, and began centralizing and entrenching power by deft manipulation of democratic institutions. The case of Hungary tells us what to look for in anticipating democratic failure and serves as a cautionary tale for the EU

Three lessons from the 2004 “Big Bang” enlargement

Published online: 08 April 2024The 2004 “Big Bang” enlargement was a powerful reminder that European integration is an instrument for peace and not just prosperity. The pace of that enlargement depended more on the requirements for stability than on the transformation of the candidate countries. It was also a reminder of the importance of forward‐looking analysis. Candidates might meet the criteria for membership at the time of accession, but that is no guarantee that they will develop in ways that continue to reflect those criteria once they have gained entry. Finally, it was a reminder that enlargement changes the experience of membership for all member states and not just for those countries that gain entry. A larger Union requires greater self‐discipline to hold down congestion in decision‐making and greater multilateral surveillance to prevent the actions of one member state from undermining the benefits of membership for the rest. These reminders are important lessons in planning the European Union’s next historic enlargement. The next enlargement will follow a pace set by security considerations more than the transformative power of the accession process. It will depend on a robust analysis of convergence together with contingency planning for any staged accession. And it will require commitment from existing member states as well as candidate countries to what will become a very different European Union. This next enlargement will be challenging for all parts of Europe. Nevertheless, it is better than the alternative of no enlargement or an accession process with no credible endgame