Campus Violence

Universities are often portrayed as sanctuaries of learning – of places where students, faculty and staff come together to think and talk about ideas. After four or five years, a student leaves and takes this learning to his or her new workplace. That view of college campuses is nostalgic and inaccurate. Colleges, like all parts of the community, are affected by a variety of crimes and criminal behavior. How a university responds to this problem sets the stage for defining the institution’s climate. It is not only about how safe students are, but more importantly how safe students feel. In this workshop, we explore the relationship between actual crime and how the culture of fear can be exacerbated or diminished by institutional policies and attitudes

Women and Class: a Theoretical and Empirical Analysis (Stratification).

This study was an attempt to conceptually and empirically expand Marx\u27s class analytic scheme to include the unique position of women. The goals in this study were to: (1) discuss and resolve certain issues surrounding the definition of the working class; and (2) to test an empirical measure of class that would reflect women\u27s roles in the home and the workplace. The first goal was met basically by a theoretical model that allowed the conceptualization of women and their place in production (both in home and work) into an already existing class structure. This study concentrated on the differences in the boundary problem (the criteria for class definitions) for those who did not own the means of production. It was the theoretical position in this paper that the married women in this study were found in positions constituting the working class. However, this only resolved those issues concerning womens\u27 individual class position and not their link to the family. The second goal was to capture women\u27s experience both in the family and in the workplace. This was done by a specific empirical test using the data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. An interactive term reflecting both husband\u27s and wife\u27s individual class position was used to determine family class effect on income (earnings). Also, a variable measuring domestic labor was designed to demonstrate women\u27s role in the home as well. The empirical findings were mixed, using the most conservative statistical measures. The interactive term did not play a significant role in the earnings model at this time. Nonetheless, it is hoped that future tests with the present or different data will result in more decisive findings. What is clear from the data is that women do not fit very well into class analysis and new methods must be derived to understand and conceptualize women\u27s role in the workplace and at home

It takes two? A randomised controlled pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and indicative effectiveness of joint physical activity consultations with colorectal cancer survivors and their partners

Title: A randomised controlled pilot study to assess the feasibility and indicative effectiveness of joint physical activity consultations with colorectal cancer survivors and their partners. Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in Scotland and five-year survival has increased to 60% in the past 30 years. Evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) can improve cancer-specific and overall survival, as well as general and cancer-specific health outcomes in colorectal cancer survivors (CRC-Ss). Partners are a potential source of social support for CRC-Ss who may also benefit from increased PA. Couples have also been shown to share health behaviours. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to examine the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of a joint PA intervention (PA consultations) with CRC-Ss and their partners. Specific objectives were to assess the feasibility of trial methods, the feasibility of the intervention and indicative effectiveness of the intervention on PA level and other health outcomes in CRC-Ss and their partners. Method: This 6-month, parallel, randomised controlled pilot study took place in Glasgow. Participants were CRC-Ss who had completed all treatment for colorectal cancer in the previous 30 months and their partners. Participants were recruited by colorectal nurses from one hospital site and randomised using blocked SNOSE randomisation. This was not a blinded study. The intervention group received two home-based PA consultations, at baseline and three months. The control group received usual care. The main outcome measures were descriptions of trial protocol and intervention feasibility. Situational Analysis was conducted on intervention audio-recordings to inform feasibility. Data was also collected on PA level, mental well-being, quality of life, general self-efficacy and perceived relationship support. Results: Over 15 weeks, 199 CRC-Ss were screened for eligibility; 49 (64.5%) eligible CRC-Ss were telephoned and 29 (59.1%) were recruited and randomised to the study along with their partners; 15 couples in the intervention group and 14 couples in the control. Retention to the study and compliance with the intervention were both 100%. Compliance with objective measures of PA was acceptable (77.6%), although there was some attrition in certain self-reported outcome data. There were no large indicative effects of the intervention on PA level or health outcomes, although small changes were found in PA level in the intervention group. There were no adverse events related to study participation. Conclusions: Overall, trial protocol was feasible and joint PA consultations were feasible to deliver with CRC-Ss and their partners. There was a slight increase in PA at 3 months. Alone, this study does not provide sufficient evidence to proceed to a pilot trial. Future research should consider alternative sources of social support, alternative interventionist and systematic synthesis of feasibility research in this area

Transformation from Standards to STEM

As elementary schools in our area struggle to make the transformation from teaching the state mandated standards to STEM, we\u27ve transformed not only what happens during the school day, but during after school activities as well. We\u27d like to share the steps in this transformation with you through hands on tasks, building School-wide Science Olympiad Days, and starting a Sea Perch Robotics after school program. We will be sharing the steps we took to build these programs from the Genesis of an idea, to full implementation, including how we funded these initiatives. Our presentation includes examples of hands on tasks, as well as organizational materials we used to provide school-wide in-service for teachers, video clips from school-wide STEM Days, and instructional materials and video clips from the construction of Sea Perch Robots

City-Assisted Evacuation Plan Participant Survey Report

The survey of participants in the City Assisted Evacuation Program (CAEP) indicated a variety of perceptions about their evacuation experience during and after Hurricane Gustav. While the CAEP was generally regarded by most participants as successful, there are some aspects that were identified as needing improvement. Some of these can be improved by the city; some improvements are under the purview of the state or the federal government. Some can be fixed expeditiously; some will require a long-term commitment

City-Assisted Evacuation Plan Participant Survey Report

The survey of participants in the City Assisted Evacuation Program (CAEP) indicated a variety of perceptions about their evacuation experience during and after Hurricane Gustav. While the CAEP was generally regarded by most participants as successful, there are some aspects that were identified as needing improvement. Some of these can be improved by the city; some improvements are under the purview of the state or the federal government. Some can be fixed expeditiously; some will require a long-term commitment

Achieving Successful Long-Term Recovery and Safety from a Catastrophe: Recommendations for Human Recovery

Since August 2005, individuals and families in the Gulf Coast area face enormous challenges to recovery. After a catastrophe, individuals and families have to build back nearly every facet of their lives. The multi-dimensionality of their recovery involves a myriad of resources: housing, health care, employment, schools, and day care. Housing remains central to recovery. While this section of the report does not include specific recommendations about housing, the need for housing and the issues of rebuilding are intertwined with all of the recovery issues. In this section we discuss recommendations for the management of the human recovery. Specifically, we outline recommendations for case management after a catastrophe, ongoing mental health issues that arise in a long term recovery and the role of non profits (both national and international) in recovery. These topics all address human recovery in some fashion and are related; yet, we approach each topic as a single issue. While these are not nearly all the dimensions of human recovery, they represent a sample of the complexity of issues involved in the management of long-term human recovery

Preparing for Storms in Louisiana: The Facilitator\u27s Guide

The facilitator\u27s guide helps educators navigate through the risk literacy student manual, Preparing for Storms in Louisiana, and teach its contents to his or her class