Reaching In, Reaching Out: A Tale of Administrative Experimentation and the Process of Administrative Inclusion

Universities often have a variety of academic programs and initiatives dedicated to the goal of helping students achieve effective communication skills, but these programs and initiatives can change quickly during different moments of institutional and administrative shifts. Our writing center at a mid-size, fouryear institution serves as a primary support program for enhancing students’ literacy in writing and critical thinking, so when our administrators and faculty engage in conversations concerning retention, general education reform, and writing in the disciplines, the writing center becomes a central component in supporting students through these curricular changes. To that end, the administrative goals involved in writing center work may change or evolve frequently and quickly as the university community seeks to enhance the educational experience of our students. The question becomes how do writing centers “survive” in the ever-changing tides of university administration and curriculum reform? And how do these changes present opportunities for tutors to acquire leadership skills transferable to contexts outside of the writing centerUniversity Writing Cente

Tension over Terms: Root, Stem, and Affix in Greek and Hebrew

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In God’s House, There Are Many Rooms: A University Minister Reflects Upon Fratelli Tutti.

For over fifty years, Roman Catholics who are interreligious leaders have been guided by the Second Vatican Council document, Nostra Aetate. The author, a retired university lay minister in the United States, was one such interreligious leader who worked with students, faculty, and staff of all faiths and none on a small Catholic campus to create an atmosphere open to diversity, inclusion, and respect for all. Her office facilitated campus programs that encouraged service, dialogue, and spiritual growth. In twenty years, campus ministry involvement grew from three dozen primarily Catholic students to over 400 students of many different faiths. Scripture studies, retreats, peer ministry training, social justice initiatives, service trips, and interfaith worship experiences contributed to a sense of how God prepares rooms for all of us in the Divine mansion that Jesus mentions in John 14:2. This article is a reflection upon some of the interreligious events on the campus where she served, and how they now can be seen as embodying the spirit of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti

Paracetamol Use in Early Life and Link to Childhood Asthma: A Systematic Review

Background: Exposure to paracetamol in the first two years of life may increase the risk of developing asthma in childhood. Recent epidemiologic studies have identified an increased risk of asthma with paracetamol use. Quantifying the relationship between paracetamol use and risk of asthma in children was investigated. In previous systematic reviews and metaanalysis, results have been conflicting; studies have had inconsistent confounders, size, and no use of control groups. Method: An exhaustive search of all the available medical literature was conducted using 4 databases, Medline-OVID, CINAHL, EBMR Multifile and Web of Science to identify pertinent articles. All clinical trials and observational studies were considered. For observational studies, those that clearly defined paracetamol exposure in the first two years of life and asthma diagnosis as a child (5-7) years were selected. Study quality was assessed with GRADE criteria. Results: Three birth cohort studies, and one multicenter cross-sectional ranging from 469 to 205 487 participants, from birth up to two years of life were included in the review that were later followed up between 5-7.5 years of age. In the large multicenter study after adjustments for sex, region of world, language and income, multivariate analysis with complete data only and risk of asthma in childhood and total days of paracetamol use in early life for fever was (OR 1.46 [95%CI 1.36-1.56]). In the largest birth cohort when adjusted for maternal factors in pregnancy and postnatal factors there was no significant effects of paracetamol use and childhood asthma (OR 1.11 [95%CI 1.00-1.23]). In this same study when children who had preexisting wheeze versus no wheeze, and effects of paracetamol and childhood asthma, there was a significant association for child with wheeze (OR 1.44[95%CI 1.13-1.83]). When adjustments were made for frequency of respiratory tract infections and total days of paracetamol use any indication in the other smaller birth cohort, there was no significance in a child with family history of atopy (OR 1.08 [95% CI 0.91-1.29]). In the smallest of studies included, after adjustments for chest infections, antibiotic use, and family history of atopy, there was no significance of childhood asthma and exposure to paracetamol (OR 1.78[95%CI .75-4.21]). Conclusion: The results from the review are inconsistent. It is suggested that exposure to paracetamol in the first years of life might be a risk factor for the development of asthma in childhood and direct causation is still questionable. Results do suggest that children with family history of atopy, or current asthma, and the use of paracetamol may precipitate asthma. Future RCT studies are needed. Keywords: Paracetamol, acetaminophen, asthma, child, infant

The Negative Consequences of Using Free and Reduced Lunch as a Measure of School-Level Poverty: A Case from the State of Georgia

Poverty has long been known to be strongly correlated with academic achievement. In intercensal years, the National Academy of Sciences recommended using percent of free and reduced lunch (FRL) as a measure of poverty in educational systems. The Federal Government, the State of Georgia, and many other states have adopted the policy of reporting poverty levels at the school level by the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch. However, as we will show in this presentation, there is a severe restriction of range in the upper end of the FRL variable. This restriction in range can result in schools with ostensibly equal levels of free and reduced percentages having levels of poverty that vary to a great degree. This can result in the systemic misallocation of resources from the schools with the most need and miscalculation of value-added accountability estimates. The purpose of this study is to illustrate this phenomenon with recent pre-existing CRCT and FRL data from over 1,200 elementary schools in the State of Georgia

Capital Punishment: The Humanistic and Moral Issues Address.

Death row reminds us that justice is not equal. Death sentences, opposed to being reserved for only the most heinous crimes, are generally related to the profile of the victim and identity of those most outraged by the crime. The majority of people on death row killed a white person, even though one-half of homicide victims in the United States are people of color. Because of this, and the fact that the law almost always sides with people of wealth and power, the death penalty works to compound societal trauma instead of healing or solving anything. The skewed and harmful rhetoric surrounding the death penalty further compound this trauma by further stigmatizing the other. For our trauma to truly be healed, we must ignore the skewed and harmful rhetoric, remember the human beings living through death row, and dismantle a practice that arbitrarily ends life. We must educate ourselves and each other about the indignity of the death penalty and rippling effects it has on society. By educating people that the death penalty is selective, not a true deterrent, and six times more costly than life imprisonment, the second Abolitionist movement in the United States will occur. Similar to the Abolitionist movement that abolished slavery, through education and honest information, people will be able to see that they were merely sold a pitch of deterrence by politicians even though the death penalty does nothing to actually solve any crime problems. We each much contribute to love, compassion, freedom and liberty, while combatting hate and cruelty to ensure God is present with each of us