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Rural Policing in Northern Wisconsin: Will Small-Town Police Officers Stay at Their Current Agency Until Retirement Based on Age and Community Size
No full textThis study examined the plans of small-town northern Wisconsin police officers to remain at their current agency until retirement, based on age and community size. The hypothesis was that older officers who had been with an agency for a longer period would stay until retirement, while younger officers would be more likely to leave. Younger officers tend to have less buy-in to the community and possibly fewer ties to a specific community. Officers who are older or have been with an agency for a long time have a greater investment in the agency and the community. The study results showed a statistically significant relationship between an officer\u27s age and their likelihood of staying or leaving their current agency before retirement. Another hypothesis is that agencies in smaller communities will experience higher rates of officer turnover before retirement. The study results showed no statistically significant relationship between the size of the community in which an officer works and whether officers will stay until retirement or leave prior to retirement. The study group consisted of small-town rural municipal police officers and police chiefs in northern Wisconsin who serve communities with a population of less than 5,000
A Pilot Study of Life Model Informed Therapy and Its Efficacy for Reducing Anxiety and Increasing Joy in Adults
No full textThis pilot study researched Life Model Informed Therapy (LMIT), a modality developed into a six-week treatment targeted to decrease anxiety and increase joy in adults that self-reported as having anxiety. Fourteen participants were recruited by Facebook ads in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Outcome data were collected using the State Joy Scale (SJS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Participants received the same LMIT treatment for six consecutive, weekly, one-hour sessions. Participants self-reported on their joy and anxiety levels at three periods of time, including a pre-treatment, post-treatment and one month after-treatment test. Two one-way RM-ANOVA tests were conducted. Results of the analyses revealed significant changes in BAI scores decreasing from pre-treatment to post-treatment and this decrease maintained at one-month follow-up. Results for BAI scores were reported without correction, revealing a significant effect of time on anxiety levels. Upon analysis of SJS scores Maulchy’s Test revealed that sphericity had been violated (p = .03). To account for this, Greenhouse-Geisser corrections were applied. The RM-ANOVA revealed a significant effect of time on SJS scores. These findings suggest that LMIT may be an effective therapeutic strategy for increasing joy and reducing anxiety. Discussion was centered around how this study connects to current research on anxiety reducing therapies. In addition, the discussion pointed out how this research fills a gap in existing research due to LMIT’s unique attributes of providing an attachment model for right-brain psychotherapy with theological implications
The Impact of Education and Awareness in Influencing Lifestyle Behaviors that Prevent and Treat Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Research Study
No full textThis mixed-methods, cross-sectional study assessed the current level of knowledge and awareness among people aged 50 and older about sarcopenia, as well as their willingness to adopt lifestyle changes that could prevent or reverse the condition as they age. The study aimed to determine whether a lack of awareness and knowledge is linked to current lifestyle behaviors that contribute to or protect against the development of the disease. The population included men and women 50 and older, living independently in the community with no prior diagnosis of sarcopenia. The study used a custom-designed questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. A total of 171 older adults completed the questionnaire, and 149 completed the interview. Quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics for each item and category of the questionnaire, assessments of questionnaire reliability and validity, sample size power analyses, tests for normality and linearity, simple linear regression with ANOVA, Spearman’s rank order correlation, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. Qualitative data analysis was carried out in three phases: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, following the constructivist grounded theory approach. The results suggest that most older adults are unaware of the adverse impact of sarcopenia on their longevity. The findings provide new insights into older adults\u27 willingness to change their lifestyle behaviors once they understand the reasons and the steps necessary for effective change. Additionally, results show that older adults are willing to change their behavior when they receive accurate, trustworthy information from reliable sources. Future research should include other ethnic groups and healthcare providers in the USA, as well as longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of sarcopenia educational and intervention programs
Public Administration\u27s Ability to Ensure Service Quality Through Occupational Licensing Requirements: A Multiple Linear Regression Analysis
No full textOccupational licensing was developed to protect the public good. Public administrators are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring future workers enter their professions prepared to provide adequate service quality to the public. This study is grounded in the framework of public interest theory and seeks to evaluate whether the administration of occupational licensing and its associated requirements by public licensing boards aligns with the theory’s intended purpose of serving and protecting the public good. Public interest theory posits public administration operates in the best interest of the population, rather than for personal gain. A multiple linear regression was performed to assess if the licensing requirements established by public administrators ensure service quality and work towards the public interest. These requirements included the passage of state and national exams, experience or training requirements, educational requirements, as well as fingerprinting or background checks. The multiple linear regression analysis was performed in SPSS to determine if to what extent, and how, can a combination of licensing application requirements by licensing agencies predict the quality of services provided by licensed workers in Arizona. This study found the predictor variables only accounted for 5.8% of the variance in complaint rates. The results of this analysis outline the complex and multifaceted nature of the relationship between occupational licensing and service quality as well as a misalignment between the intent of these requirements and their practical outcome on service quality
There Is No Finish Line: The Intersection of Sport and Race in St. Louis During the Civil Rights Era
No full textThis project focuses on the intersection of sport and race in St. Louis during the 1950s and 1960s, revealing how Black athletes became both symbols of progress and targets of resistance, illustrating the broader Civil Rights Movement’s parallel fight for visibility and systemic change. St. Louis was a city of contrasts. Its location and culture made it a focal point for the racial struggles that defined the Civil Rights Movement, often symbolizing both the persistence of inequality and the potential for change. Black athletes not only challenged racial barriers on the field but also catalyzed social change off it, revealing how sports in St. Louis functioned as both a reflection of systemic racism and a powerful platform for Black agency, activism, and transformation within an evolving urban and national racial landscape. Professional sports served as a mirror and a battleground for the city’s broader racial struggles, reflecting both the persistence of segregation and the growing demands for equality. Through the experiences of its major league teams, the Cardinals (baseball), the Hawks (basketball), the Football Cardinals, and the newly arrived Blues (hockey), the city revealed deep divides in fan behavior, media portrayal, player treatment, and institutional resistance to integration and activism. Historically analyzing St. Louis’s professional sports organizations during the civil rights era, through research largely dependent upon local and national newspapers, highlights the athletes who played key roles in the push for progress, their experiences with discrimination, and the ways they experienced and challenged social and cultural norms. Athletes’ presence and perseverance challenged the status quo and reshaped the racial dynamics of the city’s cultural identity. Examining these sporting arenas reveals the complex ways in which race, identity, and power intersect in St. Louis, offering critical insights into the city\u27s civil rights landscape and the landscape within the national movement
Crafting Policy in the Shadow of the Bomb: The Influence of Nuclear Weapons on Conventional Force Structure
No full textThis manuscript sets out to understand the degree to which nuclear force structure influences conventional force structure. In February 1953, regarding the problem of containing the worldwide spread of communism, President Dwight Eisenhower stated that “Our problem is to achieve military strength within the limits of endurable strain on our economy.” By October 1953, the New Look strategy reached its final form as articulated in NSC 162/2. In January 1954, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles made the New Look strategy known to the world through which nuclear lethality would offset conventional lethality to deter aggressors. However, the result of such a strategy according to Glenn Snyder would result in a stability-instability paradox. The limited published research that exists on related topics adopted primarily qualitative approaches due to uncertainty of how to approach the subject quantitatively. However, this manuscript employs regression analysis of continuous measures of nuclear and conventional (mixed) lethality among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) between 1984 and 2024. In analyzing the data, it becomes possible to understand correlations and if causal relationships exist, as well as the rational thought that connects mixed force planning. Such findings will be used to confirm whether or not nuclear lethality can be shown to have achieved meaningful offsets via a causal relationship with conventional lethality with statistical significance. The results and conclusions herein will create future research opportunities at Liberty University regarding new public policy subject matter. As the first to publish, Liberty University is the first-mover into this particular research space with influence on civil, military, and commercial policies and goals
The Role of Forgiveness in Health and Healthcare: Perspectives from Graduate Nursing Students and Faculty at a Private Faith-based University in the United State[s]
No full textHow a Loving God Can Send People to Hell: Exploring C.S. Lewis\u27s Arguments on Divine Justice, Free Will, and Eternal Punishment.
No full textThe realization that God is all-loving when faced with the reality of hell has been a longstanding conflict in debates surrounding the doctrine of hell. This thesis will explore how Christian and skeptics both struggle with the conflict that arises between the belief in all-loving God and the existence of hell by focusing on arguments developed by C. S. Lewis. Using a collection of his literary works, such as The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce, and Mere Christianity, the thesis will investigate Lewis’s attempts to reconcile God’s love with His justice, human free will and the reality of eternal condemnation. Rather than seeing hell as a cruel sentence invoked by an unfeeling God, Lewis builds the case that hell is the natural consequence of the individual freely rejecting God. This study will evaluate these claims while addressing the critiques that arise from the discussion by engaging with Lewis’s literature and the published works of academic scholars. In the end, the dilemma that drives the broader conversation on whether God is all-loving or if something is wrong with the doctrine of hell will be addressed. This thesis argues that C. S. Lewis offers a logical and sufficient apologetic response to the perceived tension between divine love and eternal punishment by reconciling the two through demonstrating that hell is ultimately the result of free will, and love and justice are inseparable aspects of God’s nature
Operation Evil Empire: The Strategic Weaponization of Rhetoric in Psychological Warfare
No full textThe Cold War redefined warfare around information, ideology, and perception. Victory depended less on territory and more on legitimacy. In 1983, Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were extremely high. President Ronald Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech emerged at a critical juncture, marking a pivotal moment when U.S. foreign policy embraced assertive ideological confrontation. The rhetoric of this speech did more than address the American public; it served as a strategic instrument aimed at weakening Soviet ideological cohesion. It became a turning point in U.S. Cold War rhetoric, targeting both the Soviet leadership and its oppressed citizens. In this study, a close textual analysis was performed on Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech artifact, revealing the role of the “Evil Empire” rhetoric in delegitimizing Soviet authority and undermining Soviet morale. Through the lenses of social judgment theory and centers of gravity (COG), the findings of this study validate the assertion that Reagan’s “Evil Empire” rhetoric functioned as an intentionally designed and employed strategic non-kinetic weapon and further validate the potential for intentional design and employment of rhetorical psychological operation (PSYOP) strikes against targeted enemy COGs, in particular ideological, political, and leadership COGs
The Fruit of the Spirit Beyond Sunday: A Practical Implementation of the Fruit of the Spirit through Visual and Experiential Learning
No full textIn today’s world, modern Christian women recognize the importance of the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, meekness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and temperance—but many Christian women find it difficult to consistently put these virtues into practice. A key reason for this struggle is the lack of practical methods and visual reminders that help women recall and apply these qualities in their daily lives. Without clear, accessible ways to nurture these spiritual fruits, believers may find that their growth in these areas is limited or inconsistent.
This thesis explores how combining intentional spiritual habits with creative visual tools can make the Fruit of the Spirit more real and attainable in everyday life. Practices such as setting aside time for reflection, and engaging in acts of service are highlighted as effective ways to develop these virtues. In addition, the use of visual aids—like illustrated planners, inspirational artwork, and simple graphics—can serve as daily reminders, making it easier for modern Christian women to focus on and live out these qualities.
Central to this thesis are the questions:
1. What challenges prevent Christian women from regularly demonstrating the Fruit of the Spirit?
2. How can visual narratives and symbolism be used to convey and help the viewer recall complex spiritual concepts?
3. How can visual and hands-on tools help bridge the gap between knowing about these virtues and living them out?
4. What positive changes can be seen when these methods are put into practice?
This thesis encourages a well-rounded approach that blends spiritual disciplines with creative reminders, empowering modern Christian women to consistently reflect the Fruit of the Spirit in their attitudes, actions, and relationships. By examining real-life examples and exploring various creative approaches, this thesis will show that structured routines and visual prompts can greatly enhance a woman’s ability to embody the Fruit of the Spirit