Snap And Tanf Administration In New York State Counties: Comparing Case-Based, Mixed Methods And Task-Based Processes, Ryan Gadzo

Public Administration Master’s Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the administrative style used in New York State (NYS) counties for administering two needs-based federal programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Needs-based federally-funded policies have significant implications for public administration and intergovernmental relations because these programs involve public servants in the determination and delivery of services of federally-mandated programs which states deliver through a variety of models (state, county, or contracting with private or nonprofit agencies). In NYS, counties are given this responsibility. While the numbers of persons receiving TANF has leveled off since the …

A Financial Analysis Of Buffalo Charter Schools: Are Charter Schools Getting Their Fair Share Of Public Funds?, Kimberly R. German

Public Administration Master’s Projects

The charter school movement has existed for approximately 20 years and just under that in New York State. Charter schools are privately-managed public schools. As the quantity of charter schools and the students attending them increase in the city of Buffalo so too does the amount of taxpayer dollars directed to them. Charter schools receive tuition payments from local school districts for students from those districts attending their school. The payments are public funds, the amounts of which are derived from a funding formula created by the state and paid by the local school district. Charter schools argue there is …

The Effect Of Commercial Development Types On Property Tax Revenue: A Case Study Of Commercial Property In North Buffalo, New York, Jordan P. Then

Public Administration Master’s Projects

Municipalities largely rely upon property taxes to fund their operations. They also have a great deal of control over the types of developments permitted within their jurisdiction. Different development types have different levels of value and it is important that municipalities understand the relative values of each development type in order to make an informed decision as to what they should permit to be built within their jurisdiction. This study tests the theory that urban/new-urbanist type developments are more valuable than suburban types and thus provide greater property tax revenues to the municipality by comparing various commercial building development types …

Evaluation And Needs Assessment Of H.E.A.L’S Summer Youth Program, Esperance Utetiwabo Rwigamba

Public Administration Master’s Projects

This is an evaluation of the Help Everyone Achieve Livelihood (H.E.A.L.) summer youth program for refugees between the ages of 14 and 21. Research into the issue of refugee youth not having sufficient public service programs available to aid in the transition to life in the US was examined in the literature review. Previous research suggests summer programs help form the bridge between the home culture and new culture of refugee youth. The H.E.A.L. program offers a variety of services to their clients which includes cultural orientation, job building, and ESL classes. The program runs six weeks during the summer …

A Study Of Compassion And Job Satisfaction Among Erie County's Child Protective Services Caseworkers: Vicarious Trauma, Coping, Supervisory Style, Bureaucratic Structure, And Safety, Sharon L. Rochelle

Public Administration Master’s Projects

Abstract

When high profile child fatalities with previous Erie County Child Protection Services (CPS) involvement generated considerable negative media commentary questioning the competency of CPS, there was concern over the mental well-being of CPS caseworkers. Furthermore, a key problem to be resolved was the high turnover of CPS caseworkers, which is both a budgetary drain on the County due to the training costs involved with new caseworkers, but also deprives the Department of Social Services of experienced family and child welfare personnel. This study seeks to understand factors negatively affecting the CPS caseworkers. Previous research indicate that human service workers …

Land System Science And Sustainable Development Of The Earth System: A Global Land Project Perspective, Peter H. Verburg, Neville Crossman, Erle C. Ellis, Andreas Heinimann, Patrick Hostert, Ole Mertz, Harini Nagendra, Thomas Sikor, Karl Heinz Erb, Nancy Golubiewski, Ricardo Grau, Morgan Grove, Souleymane Konaté, Patrick Meyfroidt, Dawn C. Parker, Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Hideaki Shibata, Allison Thomson, Lin Zhen

Geography

Land systems are the result of human interactions with the natural environment. Understanding the drivers, state, trends and impacts of different land systems on social and natural processes helps to reveal how changes in the land system affect the functioning of the socio-ecological system as a whole and the tradeoff these changes may represent. The Global Land Project has led advances by synthesizing land systems research across different scales and providing concepts to further understand the feedbacks between social-and environmental systems, between urban and rural environments and between distant world regions. Land system science has moved from a focus on …

Rainfall Interception And The Coupled Surface Water And Energy Balance, Albert I.J.M. Van Dijk, John H. Gash, Eva Van Gorsel, Peter D. Blanken, Alessandro Cescatti, Carmen Emmel, Bert Gielen, Ian N. Harman, Gerard Kiely, Lutz Merbold, Leonardo Montagnani, Eddy Moors, Matteo Sottocornola, Andrej Varlagin, Christopher A. Williams, Georg Wohlfahrt

Geography

Evaporation from wet canopies (. E) can return up to half of incident rainfall back into the atmosphere and is a major cause of the difference in water use between forests and short vegetation. Canopy water budget measurements often suggest values of E during rainfall that are several times greater than those predicted from Penman-Monteith theory. Our literature review identified potential issues with both estimation approaches, producing several hypotheses that were tested using micrometeorological observations from 128 FLUXNET sites world-wide. The analysis shows that FLUXNET eddy-covariance measurements tend to provide unreliable measurements of E during rainfall. However, the other micrometeorological …

Editorial, Teri Behrens, Michael Quinn Patton

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

The Blandin Foundation: The Journey To A Theory Of Philanthropy, Kathy Annette, Wade Fauth, Allison Ahcan

The Foundation Review

The Blandin Foundation, located in Grand Rapids, Minn., is one of the few foundations focused on rural communities.

The foundation’s trustees commissioned the senior leadership team in 2007 to undertake serious, sustained, and annual assessments of the foundation’s work and impact. The first assessments focused on the ways in which they were delivering on the strategic plan, observations about impact, and potential adjustments.

After focusing on strategies, foundation leadership asked themselves what their theory of change was. This question led to a deeper process of exploring why and how they do their work, eventually leading them to a theory of …

Reflections And Commentary On A Theory Of Philanthropy, Michelle Gagnon, Nathaniel Foote, Michael Quinn Patton, James Radner, Patricia Patrizi, John Bare, Kay Sherwood, Teresa Behrens

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Place-Based Initiatives: Lessons From Five Decades Of Experimentation And Experience, James M. Ferris, Elwood Hopkins

The Foundation Review

This article summarizes the findings from a yearlong inquiry into the state of place-based initiatives, underscores the lessons learned, and develops implications for foundation practice.

Place-based approaches have matured in response to five decades of historical change. In more recent years, a new framework for such initiatives has emerged that views place as an open system where neighborhoods are aligned with larger areas and influenced by market forces and public policy. Consequently, place-based initiatives targeted to a specific neighborhood are only part of any solution.

Seven key lessons emerged from this inquiry that animate a renewed sense of the possible …

Ramsey Equilibrium With Liberal Borrowing, Robert A. Becker, Kirill Borissov, Ram Dubey

Department of Economics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper considers a multi-agent one-sector Ramsey equilibrium growth model with borrowing constraints. The extreme borrowing constraint used in the classical version of the model, surveyed in Becker (2006), and the limited form of borrowing constraint examined in Borissov and Dubey (2015) are relaxed to allow more liberal borrowing by the households. A perfect foresight equilibrium is shown to exist in this economy. We describe the steady state equilibria for the liberal borrowing regime and show that as the borrowing regime is progressively liberalized, the steady state wealth inequality increases. Unlike the case of a limited borrowing regime, an equilibrium …

A Comparison Of Two Function-Based Interventions: Ncr Vs. Dro In A Preschool Classroom, Zachary C. Labrot

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative efficacy of non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) after behavioral functions have been identified through indirect, descriptive, and experimental assessment. Participants included three preschool-age children in center-based classrooms (Head Start) in a southeastern school district. Functional assessment data were used to inform treatment procedures, which were examined with an alternating treatments design. This study examined (1) relative differences in the efficacy of NCR and DRO in decreasing problem behaviors in preschool children, (2) relative differences in the efficacy of NCR and DRO in increasing appropriate behavior, …

Forging New Library Connections Between Vermont And Peru, Fred C. Pond, Laurie Kutner, Mara Saule

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Researchers at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont (UVM) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima, Peru (PUCP) have built extended collaborative relationships based on an umbrella affiliation agreement between the two institutions. Originally centered on health technology and instrumentation, the relationship soon expanded to include partnerships in science and engineering, public administration and, most recently, in library collaboration. In September 2015, three of us from the UVM Libraries travelled to PUCP for a week to strengthen library connections between our universities. In order to understand the PUCP research context and the role of librarians at the …

Hollywood & Media Portrayals Of Veterans Who Suffer From Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Francesca C. Katafias

Senior Theses

According to the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs: National Center for PTSD, it’s recorded that, “approximately 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans (or between 11-20%) who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year”. In my research study, my focus is to better understand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, how prevalent it is in military veterans, and how the media (Hollywood) projects our veterans to be to the public. There are three important questions I have put together to further explore my topic without losing direction on my prime focus. The three questions I …

The Transformative And Healing Powers Of Compassion, Forgiveness, And Wonder, Anna C. Eriksson-Marty

Senior Theses

Since time immemorial, humankind has struggled to coexist peacefully together. As human beings, we strive on our relationships with each other and, yet, with actions of hatred and prejudice, we seem to consistently destroy those very relationships we value so deeply. Our current society is plagued by fear, which seems to run more rampant now – more than ever – with assistance of our rapidly evolving communication technology. The question must be asked, “How can we end this madness and heal ourselves into a kinder and more fulfilling future?” By providing up-to-date scientific research on the human emotions of compassion, …

Creating An Ethical, Non-Intrusive Native Advertising Model For Mustang News, Jacob Lauing

Journalism

With the arrival of the digital age of journalism, the industry has seen massive changes in the past 10 years. Those changes extend to the financial operations of journalism as well, where advertisers have been forced to follow suit as readers’ consumption habits move from print to digital. Traditional digital advertising solutions are not ideal for any party involved — they’re intrusive for readers and ineffective for advertisers. Native advertising, an emerging source of revenue where advertising content is created to look like editorial content, is becoming a big part of the digital advertising equation for some media companies. This …

The Application And Adaptation Of Psychological First Aid: The Filipino Psychologists' Experience After Typhoon Haiyan, Ma. Regina Hechanova, Bernice Vania Navarro Landoy, Pia Anna P. Ramos, Niel Steve M. Kintanar

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This study examined the experiences, adaptations, observations, and insights on the use of Psychological First Aid (PFA) in the Philippines. Nineteen PFA providers who were trained in the basics of PFA from three major cities in the Philippines took part in this study. Respondents' knowledge about PFA was consistent with the core principles of promoting a sense of safety, calm, self-and community efficacy, connectedness, and instilling a sense of hope. The delivery of PFA was adapted to the Filipino culture through the use of local counseling models, a group-based setup , and the use of mindfulness and relaxation techniques. The …

A Social Cognitive Approach To Disaster Preparedness, Ervina Espina, Mendiola Teng-Calleja

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Using the social cognitive perspective, the study sought to determine the individual and environmental factors that predict disaster preparedness. Specifically, the research determined the relationships between risk perception, disaster experience, community disaster preparedness, and disaster preparedness behaviors. Data were collected from 401 participants from areas affected by recent typhoons and heavy monsoon rains: Tacloban and Metro Manila. Risk perception, severity of disaster experience, and community disaster preparedness were found to significantly predict the participants’ disaster preparedness behaviors. Severity of previous disaster experience seems to be the strongest determinant of individual disaster preparedness. Implications to future research and development and improvement …

Vicarious Trauma And Natural Disasters: A Transcendental Phenomenological Analysis Of The Experiences Of Families Of Typhoon Haiyan Survivors, Arvin Jeremy N. Tan, Andrew O. Jardeleza, Florian Antoinette P. Sta Maria, Mendiola Teng-Calleja

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Using transcendental phenomenology, we examined the experience of vicarious trauma in the context of natural disasters. We specifically looked at the narratives of domestic migrants whose family members were Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Findings show that the survivors’ families experienced painful and intrusive psychological distress. The gravity of the pain and loss experienced by the participants was relative to the amount of pain, loss, or damage sustained by the subject of their attachment. Vicarious trauma was experienced as a void-filling phenomenon occupying the emotional space created by the physical distance of the participants from their families experiencing the disaster. This phenomenon …

2015 December, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for December of 2015.

Delivering Green Streets: An Exploration Of Changing Perceptions And Behaviours Over Time Around Bioswales In Portland, Oregon, Glyn Everett, Jessica Lamond, Anita T. Morzillo, Annie Marissa Matsler, Faith Ka Shun Chan

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Green Infrastructure (GI) is an increasingly popular means of dealing with flooding and water quality issues worldwide. This study examines public perceptions of, and behaviour around, bioswales, which are a popular GI facility in the United States. Bioswales are highly visible interventions requiring support from residents and policy-makers to be implemented and maintained appropriately. To understand how the residents’ perceptions and attitudes might develop over time, we interviewed residents of Portland, Oregon, living near bioswales installed 1–2, 4–5 and 8–9 years ago, to determine awareness, understanding, and opinions about the devices. We found no consistent patterns across time periods, but …

An Examination Of Psychological Climate Linking Mechanisms Across The Strategic Priorities Of Health And Stress, Alec Munc

All Dissertations

Given that employee health and well-being represent a significant source of financial costs for organizations, this dissertation seeks to address some of the pathways through which organizational efforts to improve physical and mental health may operate. This study drew from a model of safety climate (Neal & Griffin, 2000) to propose that psychological climate exerts in influence on employee health and well-being through the joint moderators of knowledge/motivation and behaviors. The model also extended beyond the typical climate linking mechanisms to include moderators both individual (behavioral activation & behavioral inhibition systems) and contextual (workplace physical exposure). Using a two-wave prospective …

Estimating The Effect Of Extended And Emergency Unemployment Benefits On The Long-Term Unemployed, James Jones

All Dissertations

Unemployment insurance is designed to help workers smooth consumption in the event of a negative employment shock. These benefits are traditionally funded and administrated by the individual states and territories of the United States. The depth and severity of the “Great Recession” that started in December of 2007 and ended in June of 2009 was such that, Congress was compelled on multiple occasions to extend those benefits. Legislation during this period extended the duration of unemployment benefits to the longest period in history, as unemployed individuals in many states could receive up to 99 weeks of unemployment compensation. The policy …

Hyperbolic Memory Discounting And The Political Business Cycle, T. Scott Findley

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

The vintage political business cycle framework of Nordhaus (1975) represents the idea that the macroeconomic business cycle is manipulated opportunistically by an incumbent government to achieve re-election. A key assumption in this prototypical framework is that voters discount their memories about unemployment and inflation at a constant rate. Yet starting with Ebbinghaus (1885) and Jost (1897), a large body of research in psychology documents an empirical regularity that has come to be known as Jost's Second Law of Forgetting-individuals discount recent memories at a higher rate compared to the rate at which they discount older memories. I find that incorporating …

Paleopathology At The Shady Grove Site (22qu525): A Study Of Health In The Upper Yazoo Basin During The Middle Mississippian Period, Christopher Brady Davis

Master's Theses

The Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1539) is characterized by increasingly sedentary populations, mound building, ranked societies, and intensified agriculture. As agriculture spread throughout the Eastern Woodlands, it led to widespread health consequences, including poor nutrition and increased levels of infection. Also, environmental shifts during the Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1539) caused drier conditions, potentially leading to crop failures further exacerbating nutritional problems.

This thesis focuses on the health of the Shady Grove site in the Upper Yazoo Basin, a Middle to Late Mississippian medium sized mound center where an ossuary containing up to 100 individuals was excavated in 2010. Focusing only on …

Gender, Othering, And Loki 2015, Amanda Munson

Master's Theses

With many enigmatic characters and engaging stories, Norse literature and mythology have had a formative impact on English literature from the early Middle Ages in poetry like the Edda and many Icelandic sagas. A lot of scholarship has been done on Nordic myth and literature, including character studies on many figures, especially Odin and Thor. However, it is difficult to find studies of the figures who make up the "other" in Nordic tales, such as the trickster Loki. While Loki plays a significant role in many tales, his position as the "other" in general Norse mythology and folklore is perhaps …

Marketing Alaskan Seafood: Strategies With Brand Identification, Differentiation, And Promotions, Anna Jacobson

Journalism

Everyday the globe experiences changes with food. New methods in growing and harvesting are becoming approved, while others are frowned upon. People care more about where their food comes from than ever before. This research is to explore how Alaska seafood can successfully market their products in an ever-changing world. As challenges present themselves in the industry, opportunities are there as well.

This study sets out to explore marketing strategies for promoting a seafood brand. Through exploring current literature and interviewing experts to obtain data, conclusions will be drawn and analyzed. These findings will help to understand the best practices …

The Dove® Campaign For Real Beauty: What’S Next For Inclusivity?, Kelly Indermill

Journalism

This study analyzes the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, examining the brand’s overall implementation of the campaign, as well as its successes and failures. More than ten years after the launch of Dove’s first campaign, the advertising world has greatly evolved. In an ever-changing media world, Dove took the first step towards an attempt at an all-inclusive advertising campaign. This study examines the degree to which Dove’s innovative campaign set the bar for future advertisements. It demonstrates the importance of corporate social responsibility, brand management, inclusivity and the two-way symmetrical communication model.

Social Justice Education: Using Communication Activism Pedagogy To Help University Cultural Centers Increase Campus Diversity & Inclusivity, Sophia T. Vu

Journalism

This study examined how student affairs professionals, especially those in cultural centers, could increase campus diversity and inclusivity. More specifically, it sought to find a theoretical basis for social justice education programs that could increase campus climate. It was performed as a single site case study at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Three Cal Poly student affairs professionals were interviewed for qualitative data which were then compared and analyzed with the literature surrounding campus diversity and inclusivity. The study concludes that student affairs professionals can increase campus diversity and inclusivity by developing social justice education programs that not …