Strengthening the Campus Leadership Team through Effective Principal and Counselor Relationships: Implications for Training

Campuses with successful leadership teams have a better opportunity to meet the ever-increasing and complex needs of the students they serve (Crowther, Kaagan, Ferguson, & Hann, 2002). These successful campuses are strengthened when they include strong principals and counseling teams with shared mutual trust and understanding that permeates the school climate (DeVoss & Andrews, 2006). A review of the literature revealed a paucity of studies examining the nature of successful principal-counselor relations and the impact of this relationship on student success, effective campus leadership teams, and an effective school climate that promotes learning. Meaningful dialogue and discussion of this critical professional relationship also were found lacking in the major counseling and educational leadership professional journals

Reading girls reading pleasure : reading, adolescence and femininity

This thesis is concerned with the reading girl and the potential pleasures and transgressions she experiences through popular fiction. Throughout modernity, the western bourgeois girl has been directed towards texts that both validate proper, and caution against improper, forms of femininity. This practice continues within the institutions of family and education as well as through the public library system and commercial booksellers. Although the contemporary girl is subjected to feminism, culture continues to insist on her domestic role. The notion of identification is central to societal fears about the material that finds its way into the hands of reading girls. Because the reading girl can align herself imaginatively with characters, commentators worry that she might absorb passivity from passive characters, wanton habits from wanton characters, or murderous habits from murderous characters. Reading theory tends to reinforce these fears through a particularly disparaging assessment of popular fictions. The girl‘s identifications with characters in popular fiction continue to worry her familial, educational, psychological and moral guardians.Using a methodology based on the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, I consider the girl reader as a subject split between her unconscious and the identity she cobbles together through identifications with embodied and representational others. Because of this foundational split, she can never fully articulate reading pleasures and their effects can never be calculated with consequence. Reading participates in the girl‘s struggle to achieve the precarious feminine position, and provides her with pleasures along the way. To demonstrate some of the pleasures available to the girl, I undertake readings of texts associated with adolescence and femininity. I examine young adult fiction that is directed at the adolescent reader to expose the pleasures that lie beneath the injunction to adopt a heteronormative adult identity. From books addressing the girl, I move to melodramatic and sensational adult fictions located in the domestic. In these fictions, the girl is stifled and distorted because she is captive to her family and cannot escape to establish the direction of her desire and seek the recognition of the social Other. Finally, I look at texts marked by violence. Taking one fictional text from the horror genre, and one non-fictional true crime text, I explore the unspeakable pleasures of reading about blood and death.In these readings, I investigate both conservative and transgressive pleasures. These pleasures co-exist in all of the fictions explored in this thesis. All reading tends towards the cautionary, and the book cannot corrupt the normally constituted reading girl. Through identifying with characters, she can build up a repertoire of feminine masks and develop an awareness of the precarious position of womanliness. In the end, I argue, the adolescent reading girl cannot be determined or totalised despite the best efforts of the book and its commentators

The Wilms' tumour gene, WT1, in the development of the mouse embryo and its kidney

Wilms' tumour (WT), a renal tumour of early childhood, arises as a result of uncontrolled proliferation in the stem cells of the kidney due to an anomaly in their developmental pathway. A strong genetic element is known to be involved in its genesis, with more than one gene being implicated. The first of these, WT1, has recently been isolated and shown to be expressed in a specific pattern in both the developing human kidney and the tumour itself. The purpose of the work presented in this thesis was to examine the role that this gene plays in mouse embryogenesis, a system that lends itself to experimentation more readily than the human. Here, the expression of the mouse homologue of WT1 was examined in three complimentary systems; the developing mouse embryo, the kidney as it formed both in vivo and in vitro and finally, in a possible mouse model for WT.A comprehensive study of the expression pattern of WT1 during development was undertaken, using in situ mRNA hybridisation. Expression was first apparent in a small area of the lateral mesoderm in the 9 day embryo. Within 12 hours this had increased markedly, with both the lining of the whole coelomic cavity and the early urogenital ridge being labelled. As development proceeded, expression was initiated in a limited set of tissues which included the metanephros, the mesothelium, the gonads, the spleen, the developing body -wall musculature, the spinal cord and the brain. Expression was present in 15 day embryos but markedly reduced by 19 days with labelling being restricted to the kidney.The expression of WT1 in cultured kidney rudiments was then examined and found to be consistent with that observed in vivo. The gene was expressed at a low level in condensed mesenchyme, with a much higher level being detected in the developing renal corpuscle. Using the transfilter system of organ culture, it was shown that WT1 was expressed in the cap of condensed metanephric mesenchyme prior to induction and that this level increased after induction, a result confirmed using very early 11 day embryos.The mouse model of WT involved placing embryonic kidneys under the capsule of adult kidney or testis from 3 strains of mice, with the growths being recovered after a defined period. In contradiction of the published data, two distinct morphologies were observed, neither of which resembled classic WT. Both types of morphology were examined with WTI and antibodies to developmental markers and it was found that the degree of differentiation was considerably greater in the transplanted tissue than would be expected for WT.The results as a whole substantiate the importance of WT1 in tissue undergoing a mesenchymeto- epithelial transition, 'particularly during nephrogenesis. The functional significance of WT1 transcription in tissues outwith this group is less clear. Skeletal muscle is sometimes observed as a component of WT and it is intriguing that the gene is expressed transiently during a stage of muscle development. The data from the mouse points to a key role for WT1 in the initiation of the cascade of differentiation necessary for normal kidney development. The possible reasons for the failure of the mouse model to produce the Wilms' phenotype are discussed

New Spaces: Safeguarding Students from Violence and Hate

Full report of the HEFCE Catalyst funded projectSexual assault, harassment, violence and hate crime on university campuses is a prevalent and pressing concern. A recent Universities UK taskforce report recommended that urgent action in this area is needed. Universities are significant sites for implementing a joined-up approach and tackling these issues. As a campus of Changemakers, students, inter-disciplinary researchers, professional and support staff at The University of Northampton decided to take action to address these significant and important issues, in particular within the context of a major campus move to a town centre location. As one of only 60 institutions across the country to be awarded funding from HEFCE’s Catalyst fund, this ‘New Spaces: Safeguarding Students from Violence and Hate’ cross collaborative project aimed to create vital partnerships in tackling sexual violence and hate crime on campus. The aims of the project were to evaluate existing policies and develop a student-led collaborative approach to identify what currently happens when disclosures are made; staff and student perceptions, knowledge and experiences within the campus transition; as well as providing recommendations for new institutional policies, strategies and recommendations to support students in reporting harassment, sexual abuse, sexual violence and hate crime. This project also contributes to HEFCE’s wider work in creating guidelines and recommendations for HEIs for addressing these issues. A survey of the published literature, as well as an evaluation of existing processes and policies at The University of Northampton were carried out within this project. Data collection involved 2 Staff and 2 student focus groups, as well as 11 interviews with members of the university management team. These were conducted to discuss staff and student experiences, what support was in place for disclosures and recommendations for future practice within the transition to the new campus. One of the student focus groups utilised photo-elicitation methods to allow students to visually conceptualise and create a new, safe campus space. Recommendations are provided for understanding the prevalence of these issues within a campus context; tackle normative beliefs which may influence how they are perceived; increasing knowledge and awareness of sexual violence and hate crime; implementing mechanisms for disclosure and reporting; addressing issues related to security measures and procedures; enhancing partnership working within the local community. These recommendations have local impact and are being used to inform institutional policies and procedures at The University. Project findings are also being implemented into HEFCE’s wider work and national action around these issues. Internationally, the dissemination of these findings is contributing to the limited research in this area

Letter from Jacob G. Armstrong, Jane Armstrong, and Matilda Hull to Thomas S. Armstrong

Notes from Jane Elizabeth Armstrong, William Armstrong, Jacob, and Matilda Hull in mourning after Wilbur\u27s death.https://digitalcommons.owu.edu/harvey-letters/1063/thumbnail.jp

Reported frequency of physical activity in a large epidemiological study: relationship to specific activities and repeatability over time

BACKGROUND How overall physical activity relates to specific activities and how reported activity changes over time may influence interpretation of observed associations between physical activity and health. We examine the relationships between various physical activities self-reported at different times in a large cohort study of middle-aged UK women. METHODS At recruitment, Million Women Study participants completed a baseline questionnaire including questions on frequency of strenuous and of any physical activity. About 3 years later 589,896 women also completed a follow-up questionnaire reporting the hours they spent on a range of specific activities. Time spent on each activity was used to estimate the associated excess metabolic equivalent hours (MET-hours) and this value was compared across categories of physical activity reported at recruitment. Additionally, 18,655 women completed the baseline questionnaire twice, at intervals of up to 4 years; repeatability over time was assessed using the weighted kappa coefficient (κweighted) and absolute percentage agreement. RESULTS The average number of hours per week women reported doing specific activities was 14.0 for housework, 4.5 for walking, 3.0 for gardening, 0.2 for cycling, and 1.4 for all strenuous activity. Time spent and the estimated excess MET-hours associated with each activity increased with increasing frequency of any or strenuous physical activity reported at baseline (tests for trend, P < 0.003), although the associations for housework were by far the weakest (Spearman correlations, 0.01 and -0.03 respectively for housework, and 0.11-0.37 for all other activities). Repeatability of responses to physical activity questions on the baseline questionnaire declined significantly over time. For strenuous activity, absolute agreement was 64% (κweighted = 0.71) for questionnaires administered less than 6 months apart, and 52% (κweighted = 0.51) for questionnaires more than 2 years apart. Corresponding values for any physical activity were 57% (κweighted = 0.67) and 47% (κweighted = 0.58). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort, responses to simple questions on the frequency of any physical activity and of strenuous activity asked at baseline were associated with hours spent on specific activities and the associated estimated excess MET-hours expended, reported 3 years later. The weakest associations were with housework. Agreement for identical questions asked on two occasions about the frequency of physical activity decreased over time.This work was supported by public funds from Cancer Research UK and the UK Medical Research Council

Household ownership and use of insecticide treated nets among target groups after implementation of a national voucher programme in the United Republic of Tanzania: plausibility study using three annual cross sectional household surveys.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme on the coverage and equitable distribution of insecticide treated nets, used to prevent malaria, to pregnant women and their infants. DESIGN: Plausibility study using three nationally representative cross sectional household and health facility surveys, timed to take place early, mid-way, and at the end of the roll out of the national programme. SETTING: The Tanzania National Voucher Scheme was implemented in antenatal services, and phased in on a district by district basis from October 2004 covering all of mainland Tanzania in May 2006. PARTICIPANTS: 6115, 6260, and 6198 households (in 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively) in a representative sample of 21 districts (out of a total of 113). INTERVENTIONS: A voucher worth $2.45 ( pound1.47, euro1.74) to be used as part payment for the purchase of a net from a local shop was given to every pregnant woman attending antenatal services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Insecticide treated net coverage was measured as household ownership of at least one net and use of a net the night before the survey. Socioeconomic distribution of nets was examined using an asset based index. RESULTS: Steady increases in net coverage indicators were observed over the three year study period. Between 2005 and 2007, household ownership of at least one net (untreated or insecticide treated) increased from 44% (2686/6115) to 65% (4006/6198; P<0.001), and ownership of at least one insecticide treated net doubled from 18% (1062/5961) to 36% (2229/6198) in the same period (P<0.001). Among infants under 1 year of age, use of any net increased from 33% (388/1180) to 56% (707/1272; P<0.001) and use of an insecticide treated net increased from 16% (188/1180) to 34% (436/1272; P<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, household ownership was positively associated with time since programme launch, although this association did not reach statistical significance (P=0.09). Each extra year of programme operation was associated with a 9 percentage point increase in household insecticide treated net ownership (95% confidence interval -1.6 to 20). In 2005, only 7% (78/1115) of nets in households with a child under 1 year of age had been purchased with a voucher; this value increased to 50% (608/1211) in 2007 (P<0.001). In 2007, infants under 1 year in the least poor quintile were more than three times more likely to have used an insecticide treated net than infants in the poorest quintile (54% v 16%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Tanzania National Voucher Scheme was associated with impressive increases in the coverage of insecticide treated nets over a two year period. Gaps in coverage remain, however, especially in the poorest groups. A voucher system that facilitates routine delivery of insecticide treated nets is a feasible option to "keep up" coverage

The Ursinus Weekly, June 1, 1953

Dr. Shaffer is speaker at Baccalaureate • Alumni gather at meeting Saturday • Manning wins class honors; Owens second • Kaye speaks to graduates; Degrees, prizes awarded • Women elect dorm officers • Cub & Key names Kolp as president • Curtain Club names tentative group heads • Dedekind named Lantern editor • Six honored by Alpha Psi; New officers elected • Armstrong elected chairman of 1953-54 Spirit Committee • Ursinus graduate holds position in Iran • Editorials: Crowding and concentration • Engagements • Baseball season closes; Burger leads hitters • Softball team downs Temple • Drexel, Swarthmore upend tennis team • Court squads beat Temple • Alumni graduates from Institute for Foreign Trade • Marriedhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1521/thumbnail.jp

Assessment of a national voucher scheme to deliver insecticide-treated mosquito nets to pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of a health-related intervention may be compromised by the challenges of delivering the intervention on a large scale. We analyzed the process involved in the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme, a system for delivering insecticide-treated mosquito nets to pregnant women. We aimed to identify potential ways to equitably improve overall coverage of the intervention. METHODS: We defined five steps in the process. We collected data from a multistage cluster survey of nationally representative households conducted in 2007 across 21 districts in Tanzania. Using these data, we multiplied the rate of success of each step cumulatively to estimate the overall success of the system. RESULTS: The rate of coverage for use of insecticide-treated nets among pregnant women was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI] 19%-27%). We observed large differences in coverage by socio-economic status, from 7% (95% CI 4%-13%) among participants in the poorest households to 48% (95% CI 38%-59%) among those in the richest households. The rate of success of each step in the process was high (60%-98%). However, the cumulative rate of success for the process as a whole was low (30%). The largest and most inequitable reduction in coverage occurred in the step involving treatment of nets with insecticide. INTERPRETATION: The cumulative effect of modest attrition at several steps in the process substantially diminished the overall rate of coverage for all women, but most markedly among the poorest participants. Analysis of the process suggests that delivery of nets treated with long-lasting insecticide rather than untreated nets packaged with an insecticide-treatment kit could result in an improvement in coverage of 22 percentage points, from 30% to 52%