Book Review: Soul Care: Christian Faith and Academic Administration

Soul care: Christian faith and academic administration. Edited by Heie, H. and Sargent, M. (2012). Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press. As the editors of this book state in the introduction, little has been written about how to provide effective academic leadership to a Christian institution of higher education. This collection of essays was written for an audience of academic administrators under the assumption that most individuals who find themselves in such a role have very little formal preparation for their responsibilities. Furthermore, academic leaders in Christian higher education in particular generally come into such positions with a great deal of experience in their respective fields, but with very little theological preparation needed to make day to day decisions in a faith-based environment. The 16 essays in this 17-chapter book are written by practitioners in the field of academic administration in Christian higher education and are designed to offer new and prospective academic administrators insight into the highly complex and nuanced field of academic leadership set within a Christian context

Sustained Education Access for Homeless Youth: Case Study of U.S. Transitional Living Programs

Without interventions to address homelessness among youth, the risk of homelessness for future generations is great. As a result, the federal government has invested in funding Transitional Living Programs (TLPs), though it is not clear whether these programs have achieved the intended outcomes of helping youth transition from homelessness to being able to sustain employment and avoid poverty through access to educational and workforce programs. Using the broad conceptualization of democratic governance as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to assess whether access to educational programs through TLPs benefitted homeless youth in terms of program success. Data for this study were collected through interviews with 9 administrators of TLP service providers and publicly available documents for the years 2008-2014. Interview data were inductively coded and subjected to thematic analysis, and data from public sources were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis revealed that long term, post-TLP outcomes were difficult to track as individual TLPs tended to lose contact with youth, though self-advocacy for participants, coupled with the ability to sustain long term independence, were keys to success for program participants. Participants also noted their perception that education through TLPs provide opportunity for stable social and economic connections. Positive social change resulting from this study may be attained if TLP long-term outcomes are evaluated using metrics that are realistic for the target population, and organizational goals are refocused on improving opportunities for youth to make meaningful contributions to their communities, and thereby build the social equity necessary for long-term success

Just Don’t Take it so Seriously: Definitions of Psychological Abuse

Current lack of consensus for a clinical and legal definition of psychological abuse perpetuates systemic difficulties in addressing this societal problem. This study investigates through qualitative interviewing how adults who have and have not experienced psychological abuse define it, with an intent to gain insight on factors that should be considered in creating such a definition, as well as informing future research and social work practice. Ten participants were interviewed and transcripts created from their responses for content analysis. Twenty-two themes emerged from analysis of these transcripts with a strong emphasis on themes of control, dominance, and manipulation as a component of abuse. This theme was the only one that occurred in 100% of the interviews without major differences of participant interpretation. Participant responses overwhelmingly brought up themes coinciding with the results of prior research on perceptions of psychological abuse in other populations. Implications for policy and social work practice include an emphasis on the subjectivity of psychological abuse and a need for flexibility in establishing a definition for clinical and legal purposes. Psychological abuse: informing our ability to define this term is the purpose of this paper. However it may be helpful to note that throughout the text this term is meant to include emotional abuse and mental abuse

DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE WITH MODIFIED METHOD TO QUANTIFY BENZENE AND OTHER VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN AIR SAMPLES USING GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) Department of Environmental Science has recently invested in a gas chromatograph which can be used to analyze air samples for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). The goal of this project was to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) and modify the current method for the detection of VOCs associated with oil and gas drilling activity to accommodate the equipment and capabilities of SFASU Environmental Assessment Lab. This study aims to provide the framework for future research in air quality monitoring in the Eagle Ford Shale area. An SOP has been developed for the SFA Environmental Assessment Lab and details materials, lab procedures, gas chromatograph (GC) analysis, field sample collection procedures, and operation and maintenance of the GC. A modified method of analysis for BTEX has been developed based on EPA Method TO14A and method validation parameters are discussed. Ambient air samples were collected from gas stations in Nacogdoches, Texas to evaluate whether the method is capable of detecting BTEX in air samples. Samples at the refueling level consistently had sufficient concentration of VOCs within the analysis capabilities of the current method parameters. Samples at the breathing level and property line levels consistently returned analysis results of less than the limit of quantitation (LOQ). It was possible to see peaks in the respective retention windows on most breathing level chromatograms and some property line chromatograms, however the peaks could not statistically be differentiated from noise. Concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes identified by the modified method of analysis were well below the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) recommended exposure limit (REL) and Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL). The LOQ for these VOCs were also well below the respective protective levels. This indicated that the modified method was adequate for analyzing toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes for protective purposes. Concentrations of benzene identified by the modified method of analysis were well above the NIOSH REL and OSHA PEL. The LOQ for benzene was above one of the protective levels. This indicated that the method may not be adequate for analyzing benzene for protective purposes

The conservative conversation

The conservative movement is defined by its ideology as well as its rhetoric. Richard Weaver’s conversion to the Right offers an opportunity to define conservatism and conservative rhetoric through his hierarchy of argumentation, and his examination of Plato’s Phaedrus allows an examination of the speaker’s nature and the nature of rhetoric. Glenn Beck, one of today’s most controversial conservative representatives, also deserves examination for his ideology and rhetoric. Both Richard Weaver and Glenn Beck bear scrutiny as influential members of the conservative movement and the role their rhetoric has in the conservative conversation today

Local Governance, Creativity and Regional Development in Newfoundland and Labrador: Lessons for Policy and Practice from Two Projects

This report is based on findings from two significant research projects presented at the Celtic Rendezvous Workshop from June 10-12th, 2010. The first project, Rural-Urban Interaction in Newfoundland and Labrador: Understanding and Managing Functional Regions considers regional labour market development, governance and the need for planning to be based on ‘functional’ rather than simply ‘administrative’ regions. The second project, the Innovation Systems Research Network (ISRN), is part of a $2.5 million Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada – Major Collaborative Research Initiative (SSHRC – MCRI) exploring the social dynamics of economic performance in fifteen city regions across Canada. This research, led nationally by David Wolfe at the University of Toronto, has three major themes: (1) the social dynamics of innovation; (2) talent attraction and retention; (3) and governance and inclusion. Day One of the workshop included presentations on the Functional Regions Project by Alvin Simms and Kelly Vodden and presentations on the ISRN Project by Greg Spencer, Anne-Marie Vaughan, Rob Greenwood, Ken Carter and Damian Creighton, with time set aside for lively debates and discussions. The following day started with a panel discussion on the insights and lessons from day one, including Bruce Gilbert, Sheila Downer, Kevin Morgan, and Susan Drodge. This was followed by break-out groups examining the key lessons from this research for policy and practice in Newfoundland and Labrador from the perspective of industry, municipal government, the federal and provincial governments, and NGOs. The workshop concluded with a five-member panel discussion on the implications of these findings involving Bill Reimer, Craig Pollett, Richard Shearmur, Lisa Browne and Kevin Morgan

Just Don’t Take it so Seriously: Definitions of Psychological Abuse

Current lack of consensus for a clinical and legal definition of psychological abuse perpetuates systemic difficulties in addressing this societal problem. This study investigates through qualitative interviewing how adults who have and have not experienced psychological abuse define it, with an intent to gain insight on factors that should be considered in creating such a definition, as well as informing future research and social work practice. Ten participants were interviewed and transcripts created from their responses for content analysis. Twenty-two themes emerged from analysis of these transcripts with a strong emphasis on themes of control, dominance, and manipulation as a component of abuse. This theme was the only one that occurred in 100% of the interviews without major differences of participant interpretation. Participant responses overwhelmingly brought up themes coinciding with the results of prior research on perceptions of psychological abuse in other populations. Implications for policy and social work practice include an emphasis on the subjectivity of psychological abuse and a need for flexibility in establishing a definition for clinical and legal purposes. Psychological abuse: informing our ability to define this term is the purpose of this paper. However it may be helpful to note that throughout the text this term is meant to include emotional abuse and mental abuse