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The Midwest’s New American Mother: The Story of Coeducation at the Valparaiso Male and Female College
No full textAgainst the backdrop of civil war threatening the United States, a push for patriotism and virtue surged throughout the North. Educating Americans, especially Northern white women, became the ultimate solution for both the social and economic gain of the United States. Americans realized that a mother was a child’s first teacher, so women needed to be educated themselves in order to pass on that learning to their children. This is a concept entitled in this paper as New American Motherhood. This movement stemmed from the ideology of Republican Motherhood, the 18th century belief that motherhood was a civic virtue and responsible for creating the next generation of upstanding citizens. In the mid-to-late 19th century, New American Motherhood ushered white American women into the college classroom, and institutions began to address this new need. The most innovative of these being coeducational colleges. Accordingly, the Northwest Indiana Conference of the Methodist-Episcopal Church formed a college that invited not only men but also women to take part in a complete, thorough educational and intellectual experience. Henceforth, the Valparaiso Male and Female College (1859-1871) came into existence. Scholarship, however, fails to include the Midwestern coeducational institutions that made these radical strides in women’s educational experience, focusing more on Northeastern women’s colleges. This paper expands into the study of nineteenth-century women’s education by uplifting the stories of Midwestern women in a coeducational institution. Moreover, this paper dissects the cultural context of women at the Valparaiso Male and Female College; and, in doing so, it explores how this new opportunity gave women a voice in the social and political machine, especially as the nation entered the Progressive Era and 20th century. The New American Mother, educated at a coeducational college, was indeed a woman rearing children for their success, her own success, and the success of future women
Raising the Bar(bell): A Gender Analysis of College Students’ Views, Attitudes, and Behaviors Surrounding Gym Participation
No full textThough sociologists have extensively documented gender discrepancies in physical activity participation and attitudes among adults, differences by gender in gym-related activity among college students remains understudied. This study explores differences in behaviors, motivations, and barriers to gym attendance and participation among college students using quantitative survey analysis. Based on previous literature, this study expected to find that women have more negative experiences surrounding their participation than men. Surprisingly, and in contrast to previous literature, I find few differences in behaviors between men and women. Some difference nevertheless persist, with men reporting higher levels of motivation to attend the gym and women reporting more barriers to attendance. These finding suggest that women still experience disadvantages related to their physical activity, though this study does not find as many disadvantages as previous studies
Theology And Videogames: Addressing The Incoherent Metanarrative Within Our Churches On Videogames
No full textThis paper tackles the Incoherent perspectives on video games within church communities, where polarized views among churchgoers – complete rejection or unrestricted acceptance – prevail. I promote a balanced approach, merging narrative and systematic theology to cultivate a discerning lens. Rejecting sweeping generalizations, the study advocates for a contextual evaluation of each game, emphasizing content, thematic depth, and age suitability. By integrating these theological frameworks, the paper posits that video games can serve as avenues for moral development and even divine encounters, echoing the Jesuit principle of finding God in all things. I draw upon Aristotelian virtue ethics and the exemplary life of Saint Carlo Acutis; my research underscores the importance of moderation and informed decision-making. Through case studies of titles I have personally engaged with, such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Persona series, I try to illustrate how engaging with game narratives can foster ethical reflection and spiritual growth. Ultimately, my research proposes a shift from fear-driven prohibitions to intentional, faith-guided interaction, transforming the digital realm into a space for meaningful exploration and personal enrichment.
Keywords:
- Narrative Theology
- Systematic Theology
- Virtue Formation
- Discernment
- Metanarrative
- Ludology
- Narratology
- Moderation
- Contextual Evaluation
- Incoherent Metanarrativ
Notes on the Biology and Damage of Two Acrobasis Species (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on Black Walnut in Michigan
Get PDFAcrobasis juglundis (Le Baron), and A. demotella Grote cause extensive damage to black walnut foliage and branchlets, and are potential threats to commercial production of walnut trees in Michigan. Both species are univoltine in Michigan and overwinter in hibernacula. lnstars 1-111 are morphologically indistinguishable between species and have similar feeding habits. In the spring, A. demotella was active about two weeks earlier, caused more damage. and was more abundant than A. juglandis. Five parasitoids were reared from A. juglandis including Trathala plesia (Cushman), a new record. No parasitoids were reared from A. denzotella
The Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Nicaraguan Immigrants in Costa Rica
Get PDFDuring Valparaiso University\u27s annual service learning trip to Costa Rica in March 2024, five public health clinics were conducted in the communities of La Carpio, Boca Arenal, and San Gerardo, which held a combined population of approximately 69,000 at the time, most of which were Nicaraguan immigrants. These clinics were led by students and translators, small groups of which were sent out each day to conduct home visits within these neighborhoods to gather qualitative and quantitative data, including demographic information, details about the home environment, health insurance status, reasons for immigrating to Costa Rica, and perception of health threats from their members. Participants\u27 blood pressures were also collected. A total of seventy-nine families provided us with invaluable information, which helped us answer questions surrounding the impact of social determinants of health on Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica in several areas, as well as gain insight into the perception and prevalence of chronic and preventable disease in these communities. Some findings of interest from this sample of participants were that the main reason for immigrating to Costa Rica as poor economic conditions in Nicaragua, the average blood pressure was 130/78, and that the two are potentially related. We were also able to obtain an understanding of the perception of Nicaraguan immigrants towards the Costa Rican public healthcare system. It is hoped that more data can be collected on how to assist the three above mentioned communities and better their health status in the future
Steady And Unsteady State Of Boeing 737 Airfoil
No full textComputational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to model objects based on the principle of fluid mechanics, with governing equations built in to understand how the fluid moves in the object. This study seeks to understand the fluid motion (air) of a Boeing 737 airfoil, a commonly used aircraft by airline companies, under different conditions in different stages of flight: takeoff, cruising, and landing. The primary objective is to compare steady state versus unsteady state due to velocity and turbulence at various stages of flight. Causes of unsteady state flow are weather, jet stream, mountain waves, and interaction of the surrounding during takeoff and landing. From my CFD model, I expect to see turbulence depend more on the velocity and the pressure when the airfoil is taking off and landing, compared to cruising. With this, comparing the lift coefficient at each of the stages of flight, the lift coefficient had a greater impact on the airfoil during takeoff and landing than cruising
Hydraulics Lookup Tool
No full textThe aim of this project is to build a website for finding interchangeable hydraulics parts and providing links to verified suppliers at the request of an expert in the hydraulics industry, as there are many hydraulics parts that can be substituted for each other, but no way of easily identifying them. This application will support customers\u27 ability to acquire parts from various suppliers via entering the name of a part into a public-facing website. The software shall search through its database and return a list of compatible parts with links to where they can be obtained. This project was created using the Agile Development Model, and authored using HTML, CSS, and PHP, with a SQL database. The database backend was populated using Python to scrape information from hydraulics catalogs and upload relevant technical data. Challenges included parsing and scraping data from PDF files with varying formats which raised the complexity of identifying and collecting key information. Considerations also included the ability to support regular updates to these information sources as manufacturers adjust and expand their product line. This project was built to be extended with a larger database and more options for users to search and filter parts
Predicting Running Backs Yearly Salary Based on On-Field Performance
Get PDFThe financial valuation of NFL running backs has become a critical aspect of team management, with contracts often sparking debate over player worth. This study examines the relationship between in-game performance metrics and salary outcomes to develop a predictive model for running back compensation. Using historical data, I analyze key performance indicators—including rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, and yards per attempt—alongside financial factors such as contract value, average annual salary, and guaranteed money.
Through machine learning techniques, specifically Linear Regression and Random Forest models, I identify the most significant predictors of running back salary. These results will hopefully help give a better understanding as to why teams are both undervaluing and overvaluing certain players based on on-field performanc
Calibrating for Nonlinearity in the CIBER-2 Detectors
No full textThe Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment-2 (CIBER-2) is a sounding rocket payload that utilizes HAWAII-2RG sensors to observe faint and diffuse sources in the extragalactic background light. In these detector arrays, each pixel is an individual light-sensing diode. The capacitance across each pixel is dependent on the changing voltage across the pixel as electrons are liberated from the detector material and pass into the readout system. To investigate the relationship between capacitance and voltage in the CIBER-2 detectors and effectively correct for non-linearities induced by the increasing voltage on capacitance, we developed algorithms to model the relationship between capacitance and voltage for each pixel in the detectors using a close-to-flat source of illumination in the laboratory. A model is fit to the C(V) curve in each pixel, which can then be used to correct for non-linear effects. This work will form the basis of a module used to analyze flight data collected by the CIBER collaboration
Representing Middle-earth: Tolkien, Form, and Ideology (2024), by Robert T. Tally, Jr.
Get PDFNook review, by Andrew Higgins, of Representing Middle-earth: Tolkien, Form, and Ideology (2024), by Robert T. Tally, Jr