Creative Expressive Writing and Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Writing Center—A Tutor’s Narrative

You know the story…the one about a curious little girl, captivated by a little white rabbit? Like young Alice, my curiosity compelled me to follow my own white rabbit down an unknown path, at least to me. It found me when I attained an internship in our university writing center the fall of 2012. And down the rabbit-hole, I fell. My adventures in writing center wonderland grew into an infatuation with writing—the tutoring of, the process of, the pedagogies of, the praxis of. Many discourses of writing pull at me, begging to be consumed and adapted to suit the situation. This infatuation led me down a path in which I could prepare myself for the rigors of graduate research, through the McNair Scholars Program, in 2013. For nearly two years, I developed and attained a summer research fellowship where I had the opportunity to explore the intersections of creative expressive writing, perceived selfefficacy, and the theory/practice of tutoring writing. I sought insight into new ways of combatting writing apprehension, both for my clients in the writing center, in addition to new apprehensions I was feeling as a writer/researcher/tutor. This exploration pulled me in directions that were unexpected, forcing me to face anxieties that I’d managed to suppress for many years. I found that intentionally applying low-stakes creative writing activities into the writing center consultation brought even more relevance to undergraduate creative writing programs. Moreover, making creative writing studies more transparent brings levity to the seriousness that often stigmatizes writing center praxis, fosters writing development across the curriculum, and shifts the writing center focus on perceived self-efficacy. This essay is a culmination of my research experience—it shares some insight into case studies documented over the Summer of 2014, my reflection of my research development—and intends to demonstrate the ongoing value of narrative inquiry, the methods of my madness

Developing Perceived Writerly Self-Efficacy: A Proposed Study of Expressive and Poetic Discourse in the Writing Center

In what ways can expressive and poetic discourse impact writerly self-efficacy during a writing center consultation? The focus of this study is on assessing the internal construct of writerly self-efficacy—to understand the connections between poetic (specifically, creative writing) /expressive writing techniques, encouraged during in-person writing consultations, and the student writer’s perceived competence development as an academic writer. Provocative revision activities inspired by creative writing technique will be specific to High-Order concerns (i.e. Limiting, Adding, Switching, and Transferring). Critical reflection will also be encouraged during each peer in-person writing consultation. A mixed-methodologies approach will be used to garner a comprehensive look at whether including expressive/poetic writing during the session aids in developing the student’s perceived writerly self-efficacy. Data collection will include a measurement scale inspired by the Post-Secondary Writerly Self-Efficacy Scale (PSWSES) that will be tailored to measure the effectiveness of poetic/expressive discourse during the writing center consultations conducted during Summer Intersession 2014. Comparative analysis will also be made against client satisfaction assessments of consultations facilitated by the Boise State Writing Center

An Evaluation of the Impacts of Replacement Reserve Studies on the Stewardship of Historic Houses of Worship

Reserve studies are a facilities maintenance planning tool created by the common interest development industry in the United States that could be a useful tool for heritage site managers to financially plan for maintenance and repairs. Unexpected building related costs can be a threat to the financial stability of religious organizations and other types of nonprofits housed in historic buildings because these organizations require lead time to raise funds. Reserve studies could be a useful tool for site managers to financially prepare plan for repairs and generate realistic reserves to cover future expenditures. Reserve study reports include a physical assessment of an organization’s facilities and a funding plan to provide income to a reserve fund to offset maintenance and repair expenditures for a minimum of twenty years. This thesis explores the potential for reserve studies to help religious organizations and other nonprofits housed in historic buildings accurately estimate and provide for facilities maintenance to become more financially sustainable organizations. Evidence for this thesis was sourced from interviews with five stewards of religious buildings of differing ages that are at various stages of implementing recommendations made by reserve studies. Comparing the experience of stewards of recently constructed buildings to historic buildings explores the effect of building age on the use of reserve studies

America: Sweet Land of Liberty?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This statement from the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence suggests that America is a land of freedom, as “all men are created equal.” Freedom, however, has not historically been available to everyone in America. Originally, it only applied to land-owning, white males, excluding women and non-whites. Some authors, such as Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley, show in their poetry how America has overlooked certain demographics, such as women and African Americans. Bradstreet and Wheatley take care to do this subtly, as they are representatives of their own restricted demographics and do not have the freedom to afford upsetting the powers that be. Others, such as William Cullen Bryant, romanticize America in their writings, glossing over any of its faults. Bryant attempted to reimagine America’s darker history of dealings with the Native Americans, but in his attempt to depict Native Americans sympathetically, he revealed his Anglo bigotry

Visions of Aline: A Foreshadow of the Past

This thesis focuses on the first act of a coming-of-age YA novel. Visions of Aline is about a high school senior, Joey Astor. Having been diagnosed with schizophrenia four years ago, he’s been under a grand delusion that he is the school’s most feared bully. Unhappy that Joey is copying him, the real bully, Kaleb Kane, fights back. For four years, Joey and Kaleb have had a bitter and fierce rivalry. With the end of high school near, the two are determined to prove who rightfully deserves the title of the most feared. When Joey’s schizophrenic episodes start to worsen, and Kaleb is given the opportunity for change, the two have to determine if the title they are fighting for is who they truly are. The thesis explores not only the first act of the novel but also its themes, research, and the author’s hopeful takeaway for readers

The Rosetteless gene controls development in the choanoflagellate S. rosetta.

The origin of animal multicellularity may be reconstructed by comparing animals with one of their closest living relatives, the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. Just as animals develop from a single cell-the zygote-multicellular rosettes of S. rosetta develop from a founding cell. To investigate rosette development, we established forward genetics in S. rosetta. We find that the rosette defect of one mutant, named Rosetteless, maps to a predicted C-type lectin, a class of signaling and adhesion genes required for the development and innate immunity in animals. Rosetteless protein is essential for rosette development and forms an extracellular layer that coats and connects the basal poles of each cell in rosettes. This study provides the first link between genotype and phenotype in choanoflagellates and raises the possibility that a protein with C-type lectin-like domains regulated development in the last common ancestor of choanoflagellates and animals

Archaeological Assessment, Including Mechanical Subsurface Testing, of the Gillette Tract, Houston, Harris County, Texas

On behalf of Alliance Realty Partners, LLC (Alliance), CRP/AR Gillette Owner, LP, CRP/AR Gillette Venture, LLC, Maxwell Real Estate Group, Inc., the City of Houston, Texas, and Coastal Water Authority, SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted archaeological investigations to confirm the presence/absence of unmarked graves or other cultural resources within the Gillette Tract in Houston, Harris County, Texas. The investigation was conducted in support of Alliance’s compliance with the Texas Health and Safety Code Section 711 and the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Title 13, Texas Historical Commission (THC) Chapter 22 Cemeteries (13 TAC §§22.1–22.6). All investigations were conducted in accordance with THC standards, the Antiquities Code of Texas, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 United States Code [USC] 470) and its implementing regulations. Work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 7122. Alliance seeks to purchase and potentially develop the 10.5-acre Gillette Tract from the City of Houston and Coastal Water Authority. The tract is located near the intersection of Allen Parkway and Gillette Street in Houston, Harris County, Texas. Prior to purchase of the Gillette Tract, Alliance was informed of the potential for unmarked graves along the eastern edge of the tract, adjacent to the former Allen Parkway Village (APV). Previous investigations of APV, in the vicinity of the former Third New City Cemetery, identified numerous burials in an area immediately east of the Gillette Tract. As such, Alliance contracted with SWCA to determine the presence or absence of unmarked burials or other cultural remains within the 0.5-acre study area of the Gillette Tract, immediately west of the previously identified APV burials. SWCA’s investigations included background archaeological literature and records review and a review of the property history, in addition to a mechanical subsurface investigation within the 0.5-acre study area. The study area is bound by San Felipe Park to the north, the established property line to the east, the historic high bank of a former gully to the west, and to the south of the established southern boundary of the former Third New City Cemetery. The northern 2.5-acre portion of the Gillette Tract (formerly San Felipe Park) was previously surveyed by Moore Archaeological Consultants and no unmarked burials or other cultural remains were identified. Since the late 1830s/early 1840s, the Gillette Tract has evidenced significant alteration. Much of the tract was originally occupied by a gully, the high edges of which were mined as a source of clay for a nearby brick works in the late-nineteenth to early-twentieth century. The gully was eventually filled with debris and rubble from the City of Houston waste incinerator in the 1920s to the 1940s. In the early- to midtwentieth century, the southeastern corner of the tract along West Dallas Street, between Bailey and Wilson Streets, as well as the northern 2.5 acres, was developed for residential use. In the mid- to latetwentieth century, residential structures on the tract were demolished and City of Houston services, including a motor pool and filling stations, occupied much of the tract. The 2.5 acres to the north was developed into a city park (San Felipe Park) and the southeastern corner was converted to a paved lot. Overall, the current investigation documented significant alterations to the ground surface resulting from the long history of development within the tract. The field investigation found no evidence of graves, grave shafts, grave goods, or other cultural materials or features associated with the Third New City Cemetery within the study area. Based on the negative findings of the current investigation, it is SWCA’s opinion that the potential for unmarked graves on the Gillette Tract is negligible. Further, without limiting the prior conclusion, it is SWCA’s opinion that the potential for the occurrence of significant, intact archaeological deposits within the 10.5-acre Gillette Tract is negligible. It is important to note, however, that no method of archaeological testing is considered adequate to ensure the identification of all potential cultural resources that may exist in a given area. In the event of any unanticipated discoveries during development, specifically the identification of human remains or related grave goods, all construction should immediately cease and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Harris County Medical Examiner, and the THC be notified to inform them of the discovery