The State-Level Risk and Protective Factors of Suicide for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Objective. To identify the risk and protective factors of suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Methods. Using a negative binomial regression analysis and state-level data, pooled data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2005-2010), and the 2000 U.S. Census to examine the state-level predictors of suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Results. An increase in the states urban population is associated with increased suicide rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives. An increase in the young male population is associated with decreased suicide risk for the population. No association was found related to religious adherence, or gun ownership. Conclusion. The results underscore the need for further demographic controls in the assessment of suicide for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Transforming our Library Reading Room for a Leisure Reading Collection

For our poster presentation, we wanted to highlight the success of our renovated reading room and the addition of a leisure reading collection in an academic library. One of the goals of our library strategic plan is to improve service to our community and to change the philosophical perception of our library so the students would have an inviting place to satisfy both heir educational and entertainment needs. Our drab 1960’s style reading room was the ideal location to refurbish and to locate our new leisure reading collection of books and magazines. To provide a pleasant environment for the students to relax and browse, we updated the room with new carpeting, shelving, tables, chairs and ottomans. We then began adding a collection of popular books and magazine which is kept up-to-date with new purchases and ongoing weeding of the collection. The collection is more than a couple of books shelved in a back corner and is visible to students upon entering the library. Our primary goals are to increase the reading among students and improve their college experience. So far it is successful and continues to flourish as demonstrated by our continuously improving statistics. As pictured in our poster, this project is a collaborative effort and we ask the community for both book and magazine suggestions. To publicize the reading room, we have used both traditional marketing methods and are also implementing social networking with facebook page, posting new books to our blog, and adding the collection to Library Thing which is listed on our library homepage. Overall, our project has been well-received on campus with good circulation and student usage of the reading room for browsing, reading and studying

Dental Hygiene Special Needs Education in New Mexico-A Survey

The number of institutionalized persons with developmental disabilities has decreased by 75 percent and those living in psychiatric facilities has decreased by 91 percent since deinstitutionalization began in the1960s1-3. These people have been integrated into community settings only to find out that their community is often unprepared to meet their dental and oral health needs2, 3. Those with developmental disabilities are experiencing an increase in life expectancy due to advances in medical care3. Dental professionals often avoid treating this population in fear of behavioral support techniques that may be unfamiliar to them15. Compounding this is the fact that many individuals may experience increased health problems due to unresolved oral health issues3. This issue requires a number of solutions of which education of dental providers remains foremost7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) has responded with a revision of the academic standard regarding special care education9. This study surveyed New Mexican dental hygiene students in their final year of study in order to assess the amount of time students received both clinically and didactically in treating persons with developmental disabilities. This was then compared to the students\u27 confidence level and likelihood to treat persons with developmental disabilities in the future

Producing The Drunkard with Wing and Drop Design : Construction, Painting, and Use of Roll Drop Scenery

The purpose of this study was to examine 19th century wing and border painting styles and their implementation in the design of The Drunkard or Down with Demon Drink. The play will be referred to as The Drunkard. This play was produced at Doner Auditorium, Brookings, South Dakota, on July 6, 9, and 10, 1988 and at the Prairie Village Opera House, Madison, South Dakota, on July 16, 17, 21, and 22, 1988. Through personal interviews and hands-on training, research was compiled to formulate background information and painting techniques for the seven settings required for production. A brief study of available material indicated that there had been no text written concerning roll drop scenery, although there are texts on painting techniques, pigments, and binders. Roll drop scenery was part of a valuable form of entertainment but there is little documented evidence. Many opera houses that once used roll drops have been abandoned or demolished to make way for progress and numerous artifacts for study have been lost with them. It is hoped that this study will inspire others to research and learn the painting techniques that were so valuable to a scenic artist. A study of this nature may also supply the information needed for some communities to use multiple roll drop scenery. Since no previous study has been conducted concerning roll drop scenery, the information in this study will be a valuable asset to any individual who wishes to attempt such a fascinating art form. Finally, it is hoped that this study will spark interest in individuals who, like the investigator, mistakenly thought the painting style was too involved to produce successfully on a large scale

Creating Critical Thinking Writers in Middle School: A Look at the Jane Schaffer Model

A key component of good writing is the use of critical thinking skills. Without deeper levels of reflection and thinking, writing becomes superficial, less interesting, and harder to follow. Too many essays do not reflect the use of critical thinking. This paper examines the effects of the Jane Schaffer method and the degree to which it has improved writing skills and critical thinking in my students. The sample consists of two classes of eighth grade students’ written response to literature essays. In looking at this widely used method of teaching essay writing, the paper evaluates strengths and weaknesses of the different strategies of writing insofar as how they create better, reflective thinkers. The research sought to determine how well students were able to create a thesis for a paper, and if they could create three topic sentences that support their thesis. Results indicated that students need more practice writing and more instruction in using critical thinking skills

Land, Gender, and the Politics of Identity Formation: Uncovering Hispana/Mexicana Voices in the Southwest

The southwestern United States has an exceptional history that makes the region a prime focus for study concentrating on culture, tradition, language and land. As an area closely tied to the concept of conquest, the Southwest has had its share of issues related to colonization, imperialism, Manifest Destiny, and cultural erasure. This study focuses on the Southwest as a region that is closely linked to the land as it relates to the formation of identities of its people. Mexican Americans in the Southwest have historically experienced struggle, particularly after 1848 and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when native Californios, Nuevo Mexicanos, Tejanos and others were thrust into American citizenship without many of the benefits afforded other citizens. They were also at the center of a battle for their land--land that was highly contested as the ideological concept of Manifest Destiny promoted the idea of westward expansion and takeover of undiscovered, unclaimed, and virgin lands. This study provides a comparative analysis of Hispana/Mexicana testimonios herederas, a concept I use to identify the shared, or inherited, history of women\u27s struggle and resistance across historical contexts. The specific testimonios examined develop from the cultural production of Mareda Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Jovita Gonzalez, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca and Eva Antonia Wilbur-Cruce. By using an interdisciplinary approach, this dissertation demonstrates the diverse range of historical materials that can be used in academic research related to Hispana/Mexicana land-related struggles. These include ethnographic, autobiographic, historical, and literary materials, all of which help to re-imagine traditional conceptions of identity, gender, history, and culture. The hybrid methods employed by the Hispanas/Mexicanas reveal what Chicana feminist Emma Perez (1999) calls the third space[s], where social, individual and community commentary emerge(s). This study demonstrates that women were active agents in land struggles long before the Chicano movement and Chicana identity politics. Specifically, it suggests that female agency was present in the fight for land in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries across the Southwest, in California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The analysis demonstrates that the women do not follow dominant narratives despite their social status as elites. This action indicates that, as a whole, Hispanas/Mexicanas pushed back, forcing contemporary scholars to acknowledge that regardless of class level, they actively engaged in the land struggle early on

Effectiveness of therapeutic Communities: a Comparison of Prison-Based and Community-Based therapeutic Communities

This study was conducted to determine whether therapeutic communities can be used as a restorative justice policy to lower recidivism rates. Particularly, it investigated the effectiveness of two Colorado Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Therapeutic Communities (RSAT TC)as treatment to reduce recidivism for male inmates with substance abuse addiction. The first, the Crossroad to Freedom House Therapeutic Community at the Arrowhead Correction Center (ACC TC)is a prison-based program. The second, Peer 1 Therapeutic Community (Peer 1), is a community-based program. The object of this study was to examine these two Colorado therapeutic communities and whether or not they should be mandated as a recidivism reduction initiative for a more cost-effective crime control strategy. This study incorporates the social learning theory and differential learning association theory as concepts for a therapeutic alternative to support the offender. It relies on secondary, quantitative data