Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Students Attending Faith-Based Colleges: Considerations for Improving Practice

The intent of this 2010 qualitative, phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of undergraduates who identified as gay/lesbian in faith-based colleges. Some of the issues students encountered were identity denial, perceptions of homosexuality on campus, exposure to off-campus cultures, concealing sexual identity, establishing a peer support network, and reconciling faith and sexual identity. Participants discussed support from faculty/staff, counseling services, school policies, male residence hall culture, and perceptions of administrators. Considerations for improving practice include making informed enrollment decisions, supporting sexual identity formation during college, reconciling faith and sexual identity, encouraging supportive networks, and developing policies regarding campus sexual behavior

Academic Advising Models in Faith-Based Colleges and Universities

This study examined how academic advising is conducted among private, faith-based colleges and universities. In addition to developing a profile of academic advising at these campuses, academic advising organizational models used by these institutions were examined. Academic advising responsibilities at these institutions incorporated prescriptive and developmental advising methods. Seventy percent of the institutions utilized the “Faculty-Only” advising model. Benefits of using faculty members as advisors include the emphasis that private colleges place on faculty-student contact, enabling students to have a deeper relationship with their professors. Negative implications when utilizing faculty advisors include that they have other job responsibilities and priorities that often come before academic advising

The Impact of Working on Campus on the Academic Persistence of Freshmen

This longitudinal study of 3,578 matriculating freshmen at a midsized public doctoral university in the Midwest found that students working on campus academically persisted at higher rates from fall to spring of their first year, and year to year thereafter. Also, students who worked on campus during their first semester in college graduated within six years at higher rates than those who did not

Reexamining Student-Athlete GPA: Traditional vs. Athletic Variables

A sample of 674 first-year student-athletes at a midsize Midwestern university were examined each year over a five-year period (2004–2008) to determine if athletic variables were powerful enough to be used in conjunction with traditional predictors of college success to predict GPA. The four specific athletic variables unique to student-athletes (i.e., sport, coaching change, playing time, team winning percentage), were hypothesized to be as predictive as traditional variables. Pearson correlations revealed student-athletes were more likely to earn a high first-year GPA if they were female (r = .35), Caucasian (r = -.33), scored well on standardized tests (r = -.47), had a respectable high school GPA (r = .64), were ranked high in their graduating high school class (r = -.58), had a relatively large high school graduating class (r = .15) were not undecided about major (r = -.11), were not a member of a revenue sport (r = .33), and earned a considerable amount of playing time in their first year (r = -.15). Least squares linear regression demonstrated the traditional variables of gender (B = .16), race (B = -.26), standardized test scores (B = .03), high school GPA (B = .41), high school rank (B < -.01), and size of high school graduating class (B < .01) were most influential in predicting first-year student-athlete GPA

Transfer Shock

Transfer students have gained the attention of higher education administrators and policy-makers because of the high level of transfer activity (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2011). The phenomenon known as transfer shock is the overall integration difficulty transfer students face (Hills, 1965). This study examined Ball State University (BSU) transfer students in their first year and how to predict posttransfer GPA and 6-year graduation based on previous institution cumulative GPA, age, sex, previous institution type, and BSU college. Regression analyses were used to make predictive models for posttransfer GPA and 6-year graduation. The sample consisted of 1,857 entering transfer students. Previous institution cumulative GPA averaged 2.994, while the average posttransfer GPA was 1.681. Nearly 60% of the sample achieved 6-year graduation. Each model found most of the observed variables to be statistically significant predictors. When applied to the data, the 6-year graduation prediction model correctly predicted 6-year graduation 79.6% of the time

Admitted Student Publications

In 1999, a mid-sized, public doctoral-intensive university in the Midwest initiated a publication series to help admitted students and their family members better understand the enrollment process and increase the yield of admitted students for the institution. Through focus group research, admitted students and family members provided feedback on the effectiveness of the publications specifically designed for admitted students. This case study presents a model for developing a publications series for admitted students and then using focus group research to refine those publications for greatest effectiveness

Induced pseudoscalar coupling of the proton weak interaction

The induced pseudoscalar coupling $g_p$ is the least well known of the weak coupling constants of the proton's charged--current interaction. Its size is dictated by chiral symmetry arguments, and its measurement represents an important test of quantum chromodynamics at low energies. During the past decade a large body of new data relevant to the coupling $g_p$ has been accumulated. This data includes measurements of radiative and non radiative muon capture on targets ranging from hydrogen and few--nucleon systems to complex nuclei. Herein the authors review the theoretical underpinnings of $g_p$, the experimental studies of $g_p$, and the procedures and uncertainties in extracting the coupling from data. Current puzzles are highlighted and future opportunities are discussed.Comment: 58 pages, Latex, Revtex4, prepared for Reviews of Modern Physic