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Public Comment: Using Critique-like Mediating Artifacts to Democratize Discourse at City Council Meetings
Full text linkAre local governments designed for equitable citizen participation? While civic engagement aims to empower citizens and support representative governance, barriers to participation can hinder those outcomes. City council meetings, key venues for public input, pose specific challenges such as long durations, dense content, and intimidating formalities. These issues disproportionately affect Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), who frequently report feeling underinformed or having limited time to engage. This thesis explores how city council meetings might use multimodal mediating artifacts, inspired by design critique practices, to make public discourse more accessible for Gen Z adults.
Grounded in activity theory and Habermas’ public sphere theory, this research frames city council meetings as dynamic systems of discourse, where a citizen’s ability to contribute depends on the tools available to mediate communication. The author introduces multimodal mediating artifacts as unique instruments that utilize more than one mode of communication simultaneously for greater accessibility. To address the communication challenges within city council meetings, the author also turns to another structured form of discourse: the design critique. Contemporary critique practices, in particular, provide intentional, participatory frameworks for exchanging feedback that challenge traditional power dynamics. In this thesis, critique is used as an inspirational model for supporting inclusive, equitable public discourse.
Using Fayetteville, Arkansas’s city council meetings as a case study, this research identifies obstacles to participation through auto-ethnography, interviews, and observational analysis. These methods inform the design of a multimodal intervention encompassing a digital platform with touchscreen interfaces in and around the meeting environment. Drawing from critique structures, these interventions introduce new channels for engagement that are informal, asynchronous, and multimodal. Features are designed with Gen Z in mind, leveraging their comfort with digital communication and screen-based interaction, to build awareness for local issues and reduce knowledge barriers to participation. Ultimately, the work envisions how city council meetings could better support diverse audiences and how multimodal mediation tools can invite and inform civic participation
Experiences of Black Senior Housing Officers at Predominantly White Institutions in the South
Full text linkThis study examines the lived experiences of Black Senior Housing Officers (SHOs) at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in the Southern United States. This narrative inquiry study interviewed nine Black SHOs who worked at Southern PWIs. The findings of this study are that participants emphasized that racism remains a significant and present concern at their institutions as informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT). One participant stressed the importance of Black professionals fully understanding the historical context of the South when working in higher education, noting that this knowledge was critical for survival and success. Many participants also described how effective mentorship helped them navigate institutional challenges, resist burnout, and maintain their sense of purpose as Black housing professionals in predominantly white environments. Additionally, participants expressed their passion for fostering community and enhancing the residential experience in campus environments, which propelled them through various professional levels, including hall director, assistant director, and associate director, ultimately culminating in roles as executive directors of housing. Participants felt a sense of accomplishment, and their work matters as a key reason many of them remain in the field. This study also reveals that Black SHOs likewise turn to professional associations to find solidarity at the senior level to combat the feeling of onlyness. The results from this study magnify the importance of SEAHO and other regional housing institutions offering affinity groups and belonging initiatives to continue providing spaces for Black SHOs to be their true, authentic selves. SEAHO operates outside of state politics, which positions it to fill the gap where state institutions cannot do so due to anti-DEI legislation. A forthcoming research study emerging from this study will investigate the experiences of Black SHOs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Exploring 2SLGBTQIA+ Parenting in Northwest Arkansas
Full text linkSince the U.S. Census Bureau first published data on “same-sex” households in 2011, research has repeatedly indicated the majority of 2SLGBTQIA+ parents (here on referred to as “queer parents”) reside outside of major cities in heavily populated regions of the country. However, due to widespread metronormative narratives about the queer experience, the experiences of queer parents in less-populated regions are rarely studied. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of queer parents in Northwest Arkansas, a region of the politically and religiously conservative Southern U.S. with areas both urban and rural. Applying grounded theory and drawing from queer theory to analyze semi-structured interviews of self-identified, coupled 2SLGBTQIA+ parents of children under 18 years old, the author finds several overarching themes: 1) the context of NWA affects the participants’ socialization of their children as a queer family; 2) perceived similarities to heterosexual-presenting parents; 3) perceived differences to heterosexual-presenting parents; and 4) advice to social workers and other service workers. This study responds to the lack of research on 2SLGBTQIA+ parents living outside of metro areas. The participants’ experiences illuminate the need for social workers and other social service workers to practice with cultural humility and engage in advocacy for the dignity and worth of this population
Summaries of Arkansas Cotton Research 2024
Full text linkPlanted cotton acreage in Arkansas increased in 2024 to 670,000 planted acres, which was 160,000 acres more than in 2023 when Arkansas producers planted approximately 510,000 acres of cotton. A wet spring, and two hurricanes in three weeks in late summer/early fall led to a slight decrease in harvested acres that culminated in a final number of 640,000 (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=ARKANSAS). Producers harvested 640,00 acres of cotton, which ranked third nationally, behind Texas and Georgia (https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/k3569432s/nk324887m/qn59s0097/cropan25.pdf). The total harvested acreage is the greatest amount since 680,000 acres in 2011. The average cotton yield in Arkansas in 2024 was 1,313 lb lint/acre, which ranked third, behind California and Missouri, respectively. This average yield set an all-time record, surpassing the previous mark of 1,295 lb lint/acre set in 2023 (Fig. 1). Arkansas farmers produced 1.75 million bales of cotton, which also ranked third nationwide and set a new state record
ChatGPT Didn’t Write This . . . or Did It? The Emergence of Generative AI in the Legal Field and Lessons from Mata v. Avianca
Full text linkIt’s no secret: Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), for better or worse, is revolutionizing the world. The legal field and legal education at large are not immune to this explosion of possible uses for AI technology. However, as with any technological advancement, AI and Generative Language Models bring with them many challenges, including the implications of their use. One such challenge was vividly presented in the case of Mata v. Avianca, often referred to as “The ChatGPT Case.” Mata is a cautionary tale of the potential missteps that can trip up the unwitting user who naively relies on the lofty promises of programs like ChatGPT without exercising the due diligence and competence required of a legal professional. The core objectives of this Comment are three-fold. First, to identify some of the many ethical pitfalls that can emerge from the marriage of AI and the law, highlighting examples on display in Mata v. Avianca––the landmark case revolving around the misuse of generative AI. Second, to acknowledge the inevitable role AI is poised to play in legal practice and outline some basic guidelines that may help ensure the integration and use of AI in the legal field is responsible, fair, and ethically sound. Third, from the perspective of a law school student, to address the importance of implementing AI into legal education and the imperative of properly equipping future generations of legal professionals. Through an examination of the evolution of Artificial Intelligence in the legal field and lessons from Mata v. Avianca, this Author aims to shine a light on the nuances of AI’s ethically ambiguous landscape and provide a helpful roadmap for its responsible adoption into legal education and practice
In Vitro Assessment of the Antihistomonal Activity of Methyl Jasmonate and Jasmonic Acid
No full textHistomonas meleagridis is a protozoan parasite and the causative agent of histomonosis in gallinaceous birds. There are currently no approved prevention or treatment options available for histomonosis control in the United States. Mortality in affected turkey flocks can exceed 80% which highlights the urgent need for research investigating novel strategies to mitigate histomonosis in the field. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antihistomonal and antibacterial effects of of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and jasmonic acid (JA), two plant-derived compounds, in a xenic culture of H. meleagridis. Assays were conducted using cultured H. meleagridis (PHL strain) treated with varying concentrations of MeJA (0.5–10 mM; 3 assays) and JA (1–10 mM; 2 assays). Viable histomonad concentration (Log10 H. meleagridis cells/mL) was determined at 44-48 hours post-incubation at 40C. Chromagar Orientation agar was used for bacterial recovery (Log10 CFU/mL) in MeJA assay 3 and JA assay 1. Across the MeJA assays, treatment with MeJA ≥7.5 mM significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced H. meleagridis to a non-detectable level compared to the non-treated control. Bacterial recovery was significantly higher in the groups treated with 5 mM (7.85 ± 0.12) and 10 mM (7.81 ± 0.03) of MeJA compared to the non-treated control (6.77 ± 0.03) and the group treated with 1 mM of MeJA (7.09 ± 0.13), suggesting a trend of increasing bacterial growth as histomonad viability declined. In both JA assays, H. meleagridis concentration was significantly reduced in all groups treated at 1 mM, 5 mM, and 10 mM compared to the non-treated control. Although the effect of JA at all concentrations was significant, the effect of JA only reduced histomonad concentration by \u3c 1 log compared to the non-treated control group. In Assay 1, bacterial recovery was markedly reduced in the group exposed to 10 mM JA (8.26 ± 0.02) compared to the non-treated control (8.68 ± 0.12). These results suggest that MeJA potency and effect on histomonad growth in vitro is more pronounced than JA and that the impact of both compounds on H. meleagridis was not related to inhibition of the bacterial population in the xenic culture. Research is underway to assess the prophylactic and therapeutic effect of MeJA treatment in H. meleagridis infected turkeys
Decriminalizing Disease: A Health Justice Approach to Infectious Diseases and Criminal Law
Full text linkInfectious diseases, also called communicable diseases, are largely a public health issue and should not be criminalized. This Article seeks to re-frame the discussion around the legal framework for infectious diseases in a way that moves beyond a punishment mindset and toward a health justice mindset. The focus in this Article is on health justice rather than traditional understandings of public health, defined as the science and practice of improving the health of people and their communities. The Article makes three novel contributions. First, it applies a health justice framework to the critique of infectious disease criminalization. Second, the Article assesses the implications of recent efforts to repeal or reform laws criminalizing HIV. Third, this Article examines the criminalization of infectious diseases other than HIV, in particular, hepatitis and COVID-19. Part I discusses the history of the criminalization of HIV through the lens of health justice. Part II provides an overview of current laws enabling HIV criminalization (in the following referred to as HIV criminalization laws) and describes the use of these laws in recent years. Part III considers how criminal laws have been applied to infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis and COVID-19 and explores the ramifications of these applications. The Article concludes with some takeaway lessons for public health and criminal law
Did The Youth Hiring Act of 2023 Impact Wages In Arkansas?
Full text linkSome believe Arkansas Act 195 may create more problems than it looks to solve; the paper sets out to find if Arkansas is experiencing any benefits from the passing of the law. This paper is an economic analysis of Arkansas Act 195 of 2023 (The Youth Hiring Act of 2023), which removed a work permit requirement for fourteen and fifteen year olds. The paper also observes data from Iowa since the state passed a similar policy. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data on waiters, fast food workers, cashiers, and bartenders from 2017 to 2023 in Iowa and Arkansas, it performs a regression analysis on the occupational mean annual wage. To contextualize the data, it uses United States Census Bureau Data and touches on a brief history of labor laws in Arkansas and nationwide. This is a pilot study that looks to start a conversation about the economic impact of Act 195
Fairness in Recommender Systems: Balancing Bias in Academic Paper Selection
Full text linkBias in academic paper selection remains a consistent issue, even within processes designed to promote fairness, such as double-blind peer review, bias stays persistent. In this paper we investigate demographic bias while particularly focusing on racial bias in the process of selecting academic papers and explore the impact of fairness aware recommender systems on the demographic parity. To build an effective system our focus is on the Special Interest Group on Computer Human Interaction (SIGCHI) a pillar in the community, we develop a neural network-based recommender system that uses real demographic data collected by other systems withing the context of SIGCHI and evaluates fairness from using several methods. Using different parameters such as a fairness value of lambda, our system accepts that there will a tradeoff between utility which is actually measured by the h-index and fairness which is a comparison to the overall paper pool. Through a series of experiments across varying methods and number of papers selected, this paper demonstrates that it is possible to close the gap on bias by improving representation of marginalized groups in paper selection while maintaining appropriate quality of papers