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- Creator:
- Dao, Hong Thanh
- Description:
- Undocumented students make up one of the most underserved minority groups in higher education. Some federal legislation hinders undocumented students from pursuing higher education due to their immigration status. However, many states are creating their own policies to make postsecondary education more accessible and affordable for undocumented students. The California DREAM Act has positively changed the lives of many undocumented students, as it provided financial resources to students in the pursuit of higher education. As more and more undocumented students attend college, it is imperative that educational leaders understand the challenges and barriers impacting students in higher education so they can properly meet the needs of this population. Although undocumented students qualified for state and institutional financial aid, due to the recent implementation of the California Dream Act, very little is known of their educational journey as they work toward their college degree. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences and challenges encountered by AB 540 undocumented college students after the implementation of the California DREAM Act as they work toward a college degree. This study will contribute to the awareness around this student population so their educational needs are better understood. This study used a qualitative method to further understand the participants’ educational journeys. The researcher conducted all face-to-face interviews at a location that was most comfortable and convenient for the participants. All interviews were audio-recorded with the consent of the participants. Four Latina AB 540 undocumented college students participated in this study. Findings from this study showed that all the participants continue to struggle with financial, academic, and legal challenges even after the implementation of the California DREAM Act. However, the California DREAM Act has significantly impacted all four participants and made pursuing higher education possible. Without the California DREAM Act, the majority of the participants would not attend college because they are unable to afford it. Thus, it is critical that higher education leaders develop specialized services and resources to meet the needs of undocumented students with regard to being successful in college.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Higher Education Leadership)
- Creator:
- Stephenson, Ian
- Description:
- Reduction of drag has been an important topic recently to improve efficiency. However, most of the research on it has been at high speeds in the aerospace and automotive industries. This study focuses on the reduction of low speed drag with the idea of making bicycles more efficient. This is achieved by focusing on the aerodynamic properties of truncated airfoils as new tube shapes. Two different airfoils, NACA0020 and NACA0030, were studied for the coefficient of drag using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Each airfoil was systematically truncated by removing 10% of the chord length at a time up until the maximum width. Each of these shapes were then simulated at different angles of attack from 0 to 30 degrees in 5 degree increments and the coefficient of drag in the x direction was recorded and compared. The average was taken for each shape from 0 to 30 degrees. The NACA0020 and NACA0030 showed a 16% and a 19% decrease in average drag respectively when comparing the full airfoil to the fully truncated airfoil. Based on these results, two three-dimensional model of the front half of a bike were made, one using standard round tubes and one using the truncated airfoil cross-section. These were then tested at an angle of attack of 0 and 15 degrees. The frame using truncated airfoils had a 48% reduction of drag at both angles of attack.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Alaniz, Katrina Nicole
- Description:
- Over the years, policymakers have struggled to offer adequate mental health services and treatment to those who suffer from a mental illness. Those who are diagnosed with a mental illness, tend to be legally involved with the criminal justice system. In order to offer services and treatment to those in need, California voters passed the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) in 2004. The goals of the act were to reduce the legal involvement of individuals using MHSA services and programs. This study is a policy analysis examining whether California’s MHSA is decreasing arrest and incarceration rates for individuals utilizing its services. Secondary data were accessed through various government and county websites. Nine California counties were selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed to determine whether or not the county decreased the legal involvement for those who were utilizing its programs and services offered by the county. For the purpose of this study, legal involvement is defined as arrests and incarcerations. The data indicate that California’s MHSA is decreasing arrest and incarceration rates for individuals who are enrolled in MHSA programs and services. A majority of the counties sampled demonstrated a decrease in legal involvement for its participants. The findings also show which counties succeed and which counties need more assistance in the legal involvement aspect of the MHSA. The data clearly show that each county implements their MHSA programs differently from one another, each having their own strength and weaknesses. Overall, California’s MHSA is decreasing the legal involvement for individuals utilizing its services.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Criminal Justice
- Creator:
- Zickler-Martin, Laurel
- Description:
- Identification of closely related species is an enduring problem in zooarchaeology. This problem poses particular challenges for the Canine Surrogacy Approach, a model based on the premise that stable isotope signatures of dog skeletal remains can be used as a proxy for those of humans. Where Canis archaeological specimens (C. familiaris, C. latrans, and C. lupus) are fragmentary or recovered from variable depositional contexts, they may lack morphological characteristics commonly used in identifying these species to taxon, potentially resulting in overly broad or incorrect identifications. This study aimed to find a method for distinguishing dog, coyote, and wolf skeletal remains when DNA analysis is not feasible. The primary goal of this study is to determine whether statistical analysis conducted with readily available software on osteometrics taken with standard lab equipment could act as a reasonable substitute for DNA analysis in identifying prehistoric canid remains. A secondary facet of this research problem is the need to assess the accuracy of visual zooarchaeological identification protocols commonly employed in the analysis of archaeological canid remains; this is achieved by comparing the results of visual and statistical identification methods. The overall purpose of this research is to present a method for bolstering accurate reporting of Canis remains in California and help lay the groundwork for the more widespread use of the Canine Surrogacy Approach (CSA) here. Several factors shape the success of statistical identification of archaeological dog remains, including: the nature and size of the reference data set; the number of species included in the analysis; the morphological variability of Canis familiaris and the high degree of overlap with their wild cousins, C. lupus and C. latrans; and the effects of taphonomy and site formation history on the surface characteristics and depositional context of archaeological canid remains. Future research will better distinguish and control for the role of each of these factors.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Van Dyke, Aleia R. and Stiles, Sarah-Brooke J.
- Description:
- A new requirement was enacted into California law in 2015 to better equip school personnel to effectively fulfill their role as mandated reporters. California’s AB 1432 law requires annual training of school personnel on identifying and reporting suspicions of child abuse and neglect. This exploratory study sought to capture teachers’ and school-based mental health professionals’ perceptions of the efficacy of this mandated reporter training. The participants selected for this study work in six public school districts that serve low socioeconomic (SES) neighborhoods in the Sacramento Valley. This study employed qualitative content analysis to evaluate participants’ responses; data was collected via two focus groups (n= 12) and 12 in-depth interviews (n= 12). Of the 24 participants, 12 were teachers and 12 were school-based mental health professionals. The findings indicate a number of themes regarding the training itself (a refresher, convenient, impersonal, lack of information regarding early intervention/prevention strategies, and lack of information regarding risk factors and red-flag behaviors), as well as highlight some perceived barriers to reporting child maltreatment to in general (poor inter-agency collaboration and negative reporting experiences). Based on the research findings and conclusions, it is recommended that ongoing research be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mandated reporter training content as well as the method for delivering the training. For example, schools may be able to improve mandated reporter training by offering an in-person training to new employees and those employees unfamiliar with reporting. This can help better prepare school staff to recognize and report ongoing child maltreatment and so is an important investment for all school districts.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Aldous, Rachel Elizabeth
- Description:
- Coaches have long told athletes to get a good night sleep before competition, but little research has been done to support this advice. Though considered healthy, restorative and necessary, sleep has been placed low on this country’s list of priorities. As of 2002, college athletes were reported to receive fewer than 6.1 hours of sleep per night (Walters, 2002). This is very low considering the demands of school, social life and a rigorous practice schedule. Due to this gap, this study looks at one night of acute sleep loss reduced to 4 hours time in bed and its impact on an endurance treadmill exercise bout. 5 college-aged (18-24 years of age), recreational runners performed 3 maximal exercise tests. The first test was a VO2 max test performed after 8 hours time in bed. The subsequent 2 tests were time to exhaustion tests at 70% of each subjects’ VO2 max. One test was after 8 hours time in bed. The other, after 4 hours time in bed. The variables of interest were time to exhaustion (TTE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). There was no significant difference in time to exhaustion, though there was a trend toward sleep debt resulting in a decrease in performance (47.6 ± 16.22 min v 41.30 ± 20.33 min, p<0.1). There was no significant change in the respiratory exchange ratio. There was, however, a significant increase in the rate of perceived exertion (17.8 ± 1.79 v 19.2 ± 0.45, p<0.05). Though sleep plays an integral role on many metabolic processes, after one night of acute sleep loss, there was no significant effect on RER, the metabolic measurement of interest in this study. A trend towards decreased endurance performance and increased RPE without metabolic changes suggests that psychological variables may have attributed to the decrease in performance. More research must be done on mood as it correlates to athletic performance as well as to the effect of more than on night sleep debt on metabolic parameters.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
- Creator:
- Finn, Sarah L.
- Description:
- The world of evangelical humanitarianism is a sprawling social nexus, deeply rooted in Christian history, and constantly evolving on contemporary global scale. Since its earliest days, it has been fraught with cultural, religious, and political-economic tensions. While conventional approaches risk falling short of tapping the currents of meaning that flow under the surface of the humanitarian exchange, I use relational, multi-sited ethnographic analysis to provide an intimate portrait of evangelical humanitarian sensibility. This ethos is embodied by a handful of creative agents who structure their lives around international short-term mission endeavors. By including their voices and conceptual structures built from evangelical mythology, I hope to both capture the intricacy and depth of the evangelical humanitarian worldview, and add flavor to the critical discourse of evangelicalism. Short-term missionaries labor under the weight of heavy scrutiny—the worst of which they inflict upon themselves. The narrative portraits I offer illuminate humanizing inflections of self-awareness, doubt, faith, and resilience. By focusing on social spaces of conflict and negotiation, this thesis explores the subjectivity of these actors suspended between worlds, as they mobilize distant members of the “body of Christ” in the exchange of material, relational, and spiritual meaning. I argue that their position is marginalized, even within the evangelical community—and yet it is also abundantly fruitful. These subjects demonstrate the depths of creativity, grace, and sacrifice required to embody both evangelical and humanitarian identities, in the hope of “loving like Christ,” and uniting the global Church.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Boyd, Marissa Ashley
- Description:
- Brief Literature Review: While environmental factors play a role in a student’s institutional retention, student attitude and behavior may be just as significant to retention and degree completion. Exposure and prior knowledge of the social conventions of academia can be instrumental in preparing students for achieving success in a higher education setting (Farkas, 1996). Students who do not have family or friends who have been exposed to higher education cannot pass down the key tools to be academically successful in college. Students identifying as first generation are often from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and encounter decreased levels of family support, lessened college expectations, and lower educational values among parents (McConnell, 2000; Terrenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella, & Nora, 1996). Statement of the Problem: Institutions looking to promote the academic persistence of African American students may find that traditional retention practices may not work as well with students of color. Student retention is widely based on student engagement, including academic and social involvement with the campus community (Kuh, 2005). Identifying the ways in which academic and social supports effect attitudes of African American students towards academic persistence will allow colleges and universities to enhance existing programs or create programs to include support for students specifically through means of academic and social integration. Methodology: The study used a quantitative method to conduct research on all undergraduate African American students currently enrolled at a diverse university located in California’s capital. The study employed an electronic survey, and 103 students participated in the research. Conclusions and Recommendations: African American students’ most influential form of support came from themselves, indicating a high level of academic self-efficacy. The study revealed that African American students did not engage in academic and social activities on campus events with much frequency, but there seemed to be a slightly higher rate of academic engagement utilizing social informality than purely social activities between African American students and their peers. Understanding the influence of both academic and social support systems on student success, specifically African American student success, may allow institutions to foster or create support systems in alliance with academic programs.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Higher Education Leadership)
- Creator:
- Sahragard-Monfared, Gianmarco
- Description:
- NASA is currently preparing the Multipurpose Crew Vehicle Orion for a manned flight scheduled for 2023. In these preparations, the parachute system used by the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is being reviewed to ensure a safe landing of the crew and vehicle. This paper focuses on running software guided analysis simulations on the CEV and parachutes to determine if a safe landing at 24 ft/s is attainable. Multiple simulations were conducted with varying flight conditions. Although the parachute system was a success during Exploration Flight Test-1, NASA has chosen to continue analysis of the parachute system to ensure the velocity of the CEV does not exceed 29.5 ft/s at impact and therefore guarantee the safety of the crew during Exploration Mission-2. In this paper, SolidWorks Simulation was used to simulate the CEV’s decent into splash down. The objective of this study was to create a new testing method for vehicles that use large parachutes as a method of deceleration. A secondary objective was to confirm NASA’s parachute test data with this new test method.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Hinds, Thomas M.
- Description:
- Brief Literature Review: The literature review of this thesis focuses on both adult learning and organizational development theories to contextualize human resource development (HRD) practices specific to professional development. It then reviews the literature on professional development in higher education. Statement of the Problem: Traditional higher education institutions are faced with a changing environment that challenges their operating models, yet their professional development programs are not built to keep staff trained and educated enough to be able to respond with new, flexible, effective organizational, pedagogical and technological approaches. IT on campus faces a particularly dynamic landscape of increasing institutional demand, rapidly changing technology, unique issues such as security and customer service, and heavy marketplace competition for IT staff. There is recognition among higher education IT leaders that professional development of staff is an important component to the organizational success, but there is little literature on how these programs should be constructed. Methodology: This thesis used a qualitative study of the primary IT department at a traditional United States public university to understand perceptions and attitudes of the staff toward professional development. It contextualizes the findings to the theories and practices related to professional development, including in higher education and information technology (IT) departments in higher education. Conclusions and Recommendations: The literature review and research conducted for this thesis determined that there is a lack of rigor in the approach to professional development within IT departments in higher education, and identifies negative effects. The research suggests that IT departments in higher education would benefit from taking a more deliberate approach to professional development programming, using commonly accepted HRD and andragogic principles. In addition, in order to help address diversity issues in IT, they may additionally want to incorporate heutagogic, or self-determined learning, principles into their professional development approaches to address the deficiencies of standard HRD and andragogic models.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Higher Education Leadership)