Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Helen Jackson Gougar (1843-1907) was perhaps the most prolific writer and orator in support of women’s rights to emerge from the Midwestern United States. Yet, despite an unwavering commitment to the causes of prohibition and women’s suffrage that spanned nearly thirty years, she remains one of the least recognized leaders in women’s history. Working from her home in Lafayette, Indiana, Gougar struggled for thirty years as a regional and national leader to procure the vote for women and to secure their rights as individuals. In this paper, I hope to partially remedy her obscurity by tracing her career through her rhetoric, which includes a review of her work as a newspaper columnist, an owner/operator of a pro-temperance, pro-suffrage tabloid newspaper and as a speaker fighting for voting rights.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Irvingia wombolu (bush mango; Irvingiaceae) is a perennial, medium sized, ever-green tropical African tree. It naturally occurs in dry-land forest but thrives in wet conditions. Its kernels are highly valued by local people, containing oil, protein, essential amino acids and vitamins. They are extensively utilized as a soup thickener in most West African countries. Seeds are harvested mainly from natural forests by children and women with planted trees accounting for less than 10% of total annual harvest. The kernels are widely traded domestically and internationally with potential for further market expansion. It however, faces the risk of genetic erosion through loss of natural habitat and intense pressure on seeds, the most successful means of propagation. As a basis for proposing a conservation plan and sustainable harvesting of I. wombolu seeds, we carried out a preliminary investigation into its indigenous knowledge, management and conservation status in Midwestern Nigeria using Egor Local Government Area as a case study. We performed field observations in selected markets and farms within five random locations and interviewed respondents and key informants, employing methods as free-listing and ranking. This pilot study documented the local uses, economic potential and threats to the conservation of I. wombolu in Midwestern Nigeria.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study aims to understand how elementary school principals manage chaotic events happened in their daily activities through the lens of Chaos Theory (Lorenz, 1972). I argue that traditional linear modes of explanation fail to successfully address the situations that school principals face oftentimes. This study was conducted at four Midwestern elementary schools. Data was collected by in-depth semi-structured interviews from which a chaotic circumstance was given to the principals so as to understand what a chaotic situation looks like and in what way a principal manages the situation. The principals report that the chaotic situations they confront are related to parents, staff, students, central office, and the beginning of the school year. The daily work of school principals (Deal & Peterson, 1998) can be best understood by Chaos Theory. In addition, the characteristics of these chaotic situations in this study were similar to the major concepts of Chaos Theory. The ways that school principals address these chaotic challenges are through strategic problem solving, critical thinking, reflective learning, and mental rehearsing. The last two methods are identified by school principals as the most effective ways to tackle the chaotic situations they confront. I suggest that teaching the application of Chaos Theory in a school setting can help school principals be more sensitive of how the school experiences change during processing each chaotic case.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Community policing has become the paradigm of modern policing in the United States. Cordner (1995) has identified the central elements of community policing and the requirement of its implementation. This study evaluated the design and implementation of community policing in a medium sized city in the Midwestern United States using mixed methods. The results reveal lack of congruence among program components in theory, specifications, and implementation. In addition, there is a lack of congruence on the perceptions stakeholders in the need, program components, and implementation of community. These findings suggest that police departments and communities should seriously examine the utility of community policing and their strict adherence to its central elements.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The unprecedented growth in state prison populations over the last few decades, along with concerns over the high reincarceration rates of offenders released from correctional institutions, has generated a considerable amount of interest in strategies designed to facilitate the successful reentry of released offenders. Graduated, or progressive, sanctioning has emerged as one such strategy. Graduated sanctioning approaches have been implemented in many jurisdictions and several outcome evaluations have highlighted their potential effectiveness for aiding successful reentry. More outcome evaluations are ongoing. Less clear, however, are the effects of the implementation of graduated sanctioning strategies on the officers and departments charged with carrying out the supervision of offenders released from correctional facilities. In the current study, we examine the effects of a statewide transition to graduated sanction guidelines on officers and supervision units in a Midwestern state. Findings from a statewide survey of parole officers, as well as information attained from focus groups and interviews are presented to inform about the organizational effects of a change to a graduated sanction strategy.