Bellwether volume 10 2018

The Bellwether ď‚› An awards annual dedicated to housing the best and brightest student ideas at Bellevue University

Volume 10 2018

Editor: Amy Nejezchleb Editorial Team: Pat Artz, Kent Burkholder, Karla Carter, Anthony Clarke, Robert Hankin, Brian Kear, Colin Kehm, Tony Jasnowski, Kristin Lynch, Clif Mason, Kaylene Powell, Dan Silvia, and Michaela Schaben Cover artwork: Frida Slaying Serpent by Fredy Rincon Pen and Watercolor on paper, 22 x 24� Omaha, NE The Bellwether recognizes and awards academic, innovative, and creative written and visual works. We encourage submissions from across the disciplines. Our mission is to feature outstanding academic projects with a diversity of voices, styles, and subjects meaningful to the BU community.

The Bellwether is further evidence that critical thinking and creative expressions are valued and alive at Bellevue University.

The Bellwether is published in July of each year, coinciding with commencement. Submissions are accepted year-round from BU students and from nominating faculty. Please submit works to writing@bellevue.edu, and direct any questions to Amy Nejezchleb by calling 402-557-7505 or emailing anejezchleb@bellevue.edu.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team or anyone associated with Bellevue University.

Š2018 Rights revert to the author or artist after publication in The Bellwether.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ď‚› 5 Best Overall Fredy Rincon Deborah Reese Deborah Petru 6 Innovative Business or Community Idea Robert Millwood 12 Undergraduate Reflective Essay Warren Stull Amber Wolk 40 Undergraduate Creative Expression Aspen Oliverius Lori Labra Ann Vogel 57 Graduate Formal Composition Deborah Petru Connie Sixta 84 Graduate Creative Expression Deborah Reese Veronica Pinkerton Daniel Potmesil 104 Contributors

EDITOR’S NOTES

 Among the various tasks we have to complete in a given day, my hope is that many will find time to click, bait, and provide me with information.

Bruins – sleuths! – I need anyone who is reading these notes to send me a little ditty.

What do you like about the Bellwether? What would you like to change?

Would you like us to be creative? Would you like us to have a specific theme, focus, or interest group? For instance, someone publishes a compendium of delays, cancellations, and flights in the airline industry.

Might the Bellwether be the next publication to be known for specific readership? Hmm…short sketches on the miseries of boredom in gridlock – oh? too modernist?

Students might write 500-word essays that respond to a photograph or artwork. Another idea is to have submissions respond to a piece of music in writing – Édith Piaf’s “La vie en rose” or Sympathique’s “Je ne veux pa travailler,” anyone? The Bellwether could be more practical and offer some lessons on real learning for real life. The Bellwether could be known for 750word essays that share workplace faux pas; that is, mistakes or embarrassing workplace blunders. Perhaps, the Bellwether could request 750-word essays on workplace antiheroes! (Let’s start with Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu.) I would not have thought that an institution of higher learning would publish a journal on airline data, so let’s find Bellevue University’s authorial, eh, niche.

Here is a quick sketch of the idea based on response to a photograph: Behind the Gare St. Lazare, 1932.

Henri Cartier-Bresson Cartier-Bresson’s Gare St. Lazare depicts the decisive moment in the photograph, yet the image evoked within reminds one of contemporary dithering artistic films set in Italy and France. For instance, Teron Lexton’s Love of Il Maestro (Finding Fellini) captures the same poetic dancing, on water and elsewhere, that Cartier-Bresson’s illustrative photograph has enshrined for people everywhere. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris captures a protagonist who finds historical Jazz-age and Golden-Era artistic geniuses among his walks in the romantic city. These include Jazz-age artists, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dalí, Gertrude Stein, Toulouse-Lautrec, among others. Owen Wilson stumbles upon scenes much like you imagine the shadowing leaper might in Gare St. Lazare.

We can figure this out! I want a little of the French provocateur. Has the Bellwether turned hypocritical reader from Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal? T. S. Eliot, harkening back to Baudelaire in the infamous war-time poem, “You! hypocrite lecteur!—mon semblable,—mon frère!” What do you think would be a successful publication that would pique interest? Email me your ideas.

BEST OVERALL

First Prize Fredy Rincon Frida Slaying Serpent (cover image)

Second Prize Deborah Reese Intellitopia

Third Prize Deborah Petru Revamping Supply Chain Management Training Programs to Increase Employee Efficiency

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INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OR COMMUNITY IDEA

First Prize Robert Millwood Ship Right Consulting

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ROBERT MILLWOOD

Ship Right Consulting

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UNDERGRADUATE REFLECTIVE ESSAY

First Prize Warren Stull Service Learning Project

Second Prize Amber Wolk Feathers vs. Kippahs

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WARREN STULL

Service Learning Project Entry 1: Selection of the Service Learning Project American identity is about many things; owning a home is one of them. A home gives us pride, individuality, and says a lot about who we are.

It provides us a sense of community as we have neighbors and usually rules to abide by to ensure the community is a positive experience for everyone.

In the 1700’s, American Revolutionaries were defining parts of the identities we have today. There were challenges as British Law established that those born on British soil were always British; the British people living in America were against this concept (Samuelson, 2013, pp. 32-33). This created a revolution and what we know today as the United States.

A Christian-based organization that helps provide a sense of community, Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide movement, focusing on shelter, supporting reasonable housing, and providing self-respect and faith to people in need. Habitat for Humanity relies on generous donations and volunteers to help build better lives for families. Within the United States, statistics show that our sense of purpose and community values are hurting;

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more than half of Americans are struggling or suffering in these areas (Gallup-Healthways, 2014, p. 31). When volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, one is giving to his community and the people of that community, helping to revitalize a sense of purpose. Volunteers get a sense of pride and accomplishment, meeting their civic duties and obligations to one another. Payment is in smiles and tears of those who are being helped.

As a homeowner for more than twelve years, I understand what families go through to keep their home maintained. A person who owns a home quickly realizes that hiring others to fix things around the house is very expensive; the homeowner(s) start to learn some trade crafts of resolving issues that arise. Still, this takes money. Some homeowners do not have the financial standing to purchase tools and equipment for selfmaintenance. They do not have the funds to hire someone to fix issues.

Typically, the homeowner in this situation will let things go until they get so bad they have no choice. Through volunteers and donations, Habit for Humanity can help these families who are in dire need.

During home ownership, I have dived in and worked with people I hired to replace a septic tank, replace a roof, dig water run-off ditches, build a rock driveway/parking for a boat, install drywall, paint, install wood flooring, and many other tasks. I found the experience to be bitter/sweet.

Some of the work was very difficult and exhausting (i.e., replacing a roof).

Others jobs were fun, such as painting. All were gratifying. I chose Habitat 8

for Humanity as I feel I have expertise in home ownership that I can share with others to help those in need. I believe that volunteering for this effort will give me great pride in the community, and I feel excited to give back to others during this effort.

Entry 2: Projects Relationship to Course Objectives The middle class has taken an enormous economic hit since the year 2000 (Henderson, 2015). This has made home ownership more difficult for Americans. In fact, the percentage of homeowners who are using more than 30 percent of their household income just to make their mortgage payment has been rising over the past two decades. So much, that people are having a difficult time investing back into their home by improvements and necessary repairs. Habitat for Humanity provides the ability to help these people in need. Through their services, people donate their time to help others, such as putting a new roof on a family’s home.

Others help by donating excess housing material and supplies to the ReStore, a store where donations are accepted and resold at a lower price to help those in need. The money is then used to put back into the community. This helps Habitat for Humanity meet its mission to “build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.” This mission aligns with the course objective “Rights, duties, and necessity of engaged citizenship.” Habitat for Humanity provides an excellent service to the

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community, providing an avenue for community volunteers to assemble and exercise civic duties for their neighbors.

One should be concerned about the size of the government and their interaction within American citizen’s lives. Limited government is crucial to the strengths of society because it is essential for communities to be self-sufficient. Citizens should not be reliant on government to provide them everything (Messmore, 2007). However, there are many areas within the American government that overstep these boundaries. For example, nearly half of the federal tax dollars that Americans pay is to feed entitlement programs. Additionally, only half of Americans pay federal taxes to help feed these entitlement programs. There are different cultures within America, and some American cultures’ very survival is in these entitlement programs. For the disabled and for those unable to work, this is the right approach. However, when you hear stories about people who are receiving these entitlements and manipulating the system, these types of individuals are being encouraged to do nothing for society and let society do everything for them. This is considered big government and unhealthy.

Habitat for Humanity participates in the vision that its services are there to help people help themselves. They use community and donations, not government, to run their program, offering opportunity and empowerment. In several European countries, there are no food stamp programs. People in communities rely on the church and neighbors to 10

provide a helping hand when needed. Communities participate in local garden cooperatives where residents will grow various produce and then trade, with no money involved, for other produce their neighbors grew.

Habitat for Humanity thrives upon this mindset, not involving government.

This vision aligns with “analyzing strengths, as well as areas for improvement, in American society and government.� Habitat for Humanity not only does this for America but a worldwide, global community.

Entry 3: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is on the volunteer. Upon arriving at Habitat for Humanity, I did not know what to expect. A review of its website showed volunteers that were younger than me. There were several of us, and ages ranged from teenagers to mid-late 40s. Split up into groups; we went to start our work. I was assigned to the back room which accepted and processed donations. The back part of the store was substantial, more than I expected. It was a clutter of disarray, yet each section was grouped by types of donations – furniture, yard equipment, lighting/fixtures, and more.

Starting in furniture, I worked to clean and prepare dining room tables, chairs, and dish cabinets. Immediately, the volunteers started to get to know one another. Most described their reason for volunteering as court-ordered. In fact, most the volunteers I talked to were there because of a community service requirement for a crime they committed. I felt a little out of place being there on my own recognizance.

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As established in the US Constitution, Article 6, citizens have the right to trial for the crime they committed and they are innocent until proven guilty (“America’s Founding Documents,” 1787). Citizens also have the right to the assistance of counsel. It is fair to state that the volunteers I worked with had been before the judge and were found guilty and pleaded no contest. I assume they requested the ability to volunteer for community service and take a safety or counseling course, depending on the offense. I feel that volunteering for community service is appropriate for minor offenses; it helps the offender understand that they are part of a community and that their offense impacts others.

Volunteering helps offenders realize the positive impacts they can have on community versus a negative impact.

Lui (2014), during his Ted Talk, discussed three elements of citizenship: (1) the foundation of values, (2) understanding the systems that make the world work, and (3) set of skills to pursue goals and allow others to join in that pursuit. As a volunteer, working with others who volunteered (or were required to volunteer), I saw the values Lui discusses.

Habitat for Humanity has a foundation of values it expects its volunteers to adhere to – work hard, have fun, and help others. The process of people dropping off donations and volunteers working to accept them, clean them, price them, and place them on the store floor was the system in place. The volunteers provided their skill sets to meet these goals.

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Another older gentleman and I felt comfortable around electricity, so we volunteered to refurbish lighting fixtures. We had to disassemble, clean, test the electrical components, and put parts back together. If the unit was inoperable, we would break it down for parts that would be used to fix other units or be sold as parts on the store floor.

The volunteer event was fun and helped me to realize a bigger picture beyond what normal retail stores provide. The volunteers were cheerful and worked hard albeit the fact that most were there due to a court order. Everyone worked to meet the goal for the day – to provide customers quality, refurbished products which would generate revenue for Habitat for Humanity to help others with their homes.

Entry 4: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is on the International efforts of Habitat for Humanity. The mission of Habitat for Humanity does not just focus on needs in the United States. There is outreach worldwide in countries, including Canada, Latin America, The Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. This outreach encompasses nearly 70 countries and has helped more than nine million people (“Habitat for Humanity,�

2017). When one volunteers for her area community, she gets a sense that she is part of a broader movement.

John Winthrop wrote about Christian charity in 1630 (Winthrop, 1630). Winthrop talked about justice and mercy, and that it does not 13

matter who you are or how much money you have; each one of us is deserving. A reference to the Bible, Matthew 7:12, “so in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Here in the U.S. and internationally, Habitat for Humanity personifies this verse. Its outreach to ensure that everyone has equal rights to decent housing meets the fundamental human rights described in the Constitution (Amendment IV) – the right to feel secure in one’s home (Meese, Spalding, Forte, & Spalding, n.d.).

International outreach through Habitat for Humanity is available to any volunteer. During a volunteer event, I asked about international outreaches. I was told about opportunities next year to travel to Hawaii to help families in need of safe, affordable housing. Through the organization’s website, I learned that there are many trips planned to Zambia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Honduras, among others. This outreach helps with home construction, health conditions for vulnerable populations, and critical home improvements. For example, volunteers have the ability to serve a week in Zambia, South Africa to help orphans, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Teams are assigned an experienced leader for each trip to help guide volunteers in Habitat’s mission. The trip is not all work as volunteers can develop team rest and relaxation plans to explore.

As I stood there working during my volunteer hours, I come to 14

realize that the Habitat for Humanity outreach is much more significant than merely cleaning and pricing donations or repairing donated light fixtures for resale. The agency is a tremendous effort tied to countless communities around the world all working for a common cause to help people with their goal of affordable and safe housing. Despite the work being rather routine and, honestly, not very exciting, one realizes within this that he is part of something bigger. The volunteer starts to realize the power that Liu (n.d.) described as part of the three elements of citizenship: the power to identify a problem in one’s community and to work to make a change in the right direction. The power to become part of something bigger and even worldwide is as simple as volunteering in one’s local community. Each of us does not need to accomplish big things to make a difference. We merely need to step out of our comfort zone and participate.

Entry 5: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is on those who work full-time for Habitat for Humanity. As I worked side-by-side with the permanent employees of Habitat for Humanity, I came to realize that although it is their job they are also there for a purpose. That purpose is to be permanently part of something big and moving. From the employee’s mannerisms, I could tell that many of them come from good families and have support systems which allow them to be part of this team. They have a genuine concern for people; this includes their volunteers. There was no talk of religion or forms 15

of judgment from the full-time employees; they did not treat volunteers as a subclass. If I had to place my finger on their morals, I would place them in the normal range of social attitudes (Wormald, 2014).

Habitat for Humanity has an international board of directors and a well-structured senior leadership. The leaders help institute policy and work to ensure standards are established and laws are adhered to. Leaders have established the AmeriCorps which are full-time people helping to make housing safe and affordable around the world. Volunteers travel and spend time with the people they are helping, and this enriches the experience for everyone involved. I found it interesting to discover that community enrichment can be a career.

Full-time employees who volunteer abroad find that many urban regions are overtaking the availability of housing. Studies have shown that more than half of people worldwide live in urban areas. This makes affordable housing very difficult. This creates an opportunity for Habitat for Humanity and its employees to make a difference.

Employees get exposed to the broad definition of poverty. To some, poverty is defined based on basic needs: shelter, clothing, and food.

Others define poverty based upon a standard of living as defined in that community. For example, the Census Bureau defines poverty in the United States. Working with communities around the world, full-time employees realize that the definition of poverty depends on the country you live in or, 16

even more accurate, the region (village, town, city) that one lives in.

Employees also get a deep understanding of the medical care that is available in different regions as part of their enriched experience.

An example of what people require for well-being in a community is in the city of Atacama in Chile (OECD, n.d.). In this region, employees realize that there is inferior access to services. In fact, this area is in the bottom 7% in the world. Additionally, income is meager (bottom 17%), safety (bottom 10%), and housing (bottom 22%) are problematic. These statistics show that the efforts Habitat for Humanity conducts within this region are making a significant difference. Safety and housing are critical visions for Habitat for Humanity. Full-time employees help provide successes and betterment for people’s lives. They show that people matter.

As I have been volunteering, I think about these things and realize that although I see what I am doing as very minimal and sometimes inconsequential, I realize that it is part of a much bigger global picture. I feel like my contribution is making a difference somewhere on this beautiful Earth.

Entry 6: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is the people who receive help from Habitat for Humanity. The people who come to receive help come from all walks of life. Homeownership provides excellent stability for families and children, provides a sense of pride and dignity, and helps families with goals 17

regarding health, safety, and security. Those in need of housing can apply for the homeownership program. Home buyers may be dealing with issues in a home when they are looking at purchasing, particularly with a foreclosure. This is the only home they can afford. By partnering with Habitat for Humanity, help is provided, and in return the home buyer provides volunteering. Habitat for Humanity also provides affordable mortgages; their program helps recycle money back into the community to help build more homes. The focus is also on neighborhood revitalization efforts, clean-up after natural disasters, and home improvement (renovation and repairs).

Working in the ReStore, I did not have an opportunity to participate in any of the programs that go out into communities and work on homes or conduct clean-up efforts. However, I asked questions and heard stories from those volunteering in this vein at Habitat for Humanity.

Most found getting out into the community more rewarding and challenging. Tasks such as putting up sheetrock/drywall, painting, building decks, or working on roofing seemed to have provided some selfgratification on accomplishing the tasks, learning a new trade, and receiving the many thanks and gratitude from those who are being helped.

Women, specifically those who are single, divorced, and with children, find affordable housing without a spouse/partner to be tough.

Many women in these situations have left relationships that were violent, or 18

they were oppressed in one form or another by the other person (United, 2014). Women’s rights are also human rights; having the availability of affordable housing is essential. I learned that Habitat for Humanity even has a “Women Build” program, which started in 1991. It gives women the opportunity to volunteer to provide help, many of which received help from Habitat for Humanity, to have fun and make a difference.

Additionally, Habitat for Humanity helps women through ownership, property rights, and advocacy. This can be very challenging in other countries where women are treated differently than they are in the United States.

Race has also become part of Habitat for Humanity’s mission with the goal of helping people no matter their color. In fact, one of the challenges faced by Habitat for Humanity for the past 30+ years is that Black, Hispanic, and Asian homeownership has consistently maintained around 50% (Nekola, 2013). Poverty remains a significant factor in homeownership. For example, Black Americans are three times more likely to live in poverty as White Americans. Home ownership for Black Americans becomes much more difficult. Habitat for Humanity profoundly understands these statistics and ensures it is providing equality in its offerings, helping everyone in need no matter what their color.

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Those who receive help from Habitat for Humanity are no different from any one of us. They have families, dreams, aspirations, and goals. They want what is best for themselves and their families and strive to find the security of a home. I have found it heartwarming to hear some of the stories shared by the employees about those who receive help from Habitat for Humanity. In some way, I am starting to feel that they are helping me‌. helping me realize that my volunteer work is much more important than I initially thought it was.

Entry 7: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is on the people who donate. Today, we see that the sizes of families as compared to the 1960’s has drastically changed; an average of 1.9 children as compared to 3.7 children approximately 55 years ago (Krogstad, 2014). Despite this decline in family sizes, technology has increased product consumption; basically, we have more stuff, and we replace it more often. This change in purchasing habits of the average American family generates an excellent opportunity for donations. As I worked at the ReStore, I noticed that there seems to be a constant stream of people pulling up in their cars and dropping off donations. It seems that people are less likely to invest their time in having a garage sale (which is much work) and donate their household items and clothing they no longer want to leverage as tax donation. This is good for business at the ReStore.

The back room is cluttered with so many donations; it seems as if there is a 20

never-ending supply of light fixtures to test, furniture to clean and unused building supplies to accept and validate their reuse or quality. There is no lack of work for volunteers.

Another observation was that most donations taken in at the store seem to be from older people, those who are in their 40s or older. When reading the Themes and Threads of Family Theories: A Brief History by Bert Adams, one could consider that the reshaping of families of the 21st century has a play in donations (Adams, 2010). One could conclude that changing social norms of family size and family types (same-sex, life partners, single parents) have had an impact on younger generations’ purchasing habits. If people were purchasing fewer items that the Habitat for Humanity ReStore accepts (furniture, household items), there would be fewer donations from these generations. Reviewing donation habits as they compare to family studies could provide insight into investments Habitat for Humanity makes in the future, such as new stores.

During some conversations with ReStore employees and some research on the organization’s website, I found that there are so many ways that people donate to its cause. Habitat for Humanity accepts cash donations, memorial gifts in honor of loved ones, construction supplies, legacy donations, corporations through planned partnerships, fundraising, donation of vehicles, and workplace campaigns at the ReStores. With all

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different opportunities for donations to be given to the Habitat for Humanity cause, they reach a vast audience.

Having one more volunteer session remaining, I am starting to realize that I might miss the opportunity to help a cause such as Habitat for Humanity. I have enjoyed my time giving to their cause very much.

However, I feel that I will continue my path of volunteering but on a ptah that suits my background. ISC2, which provides my professional certifications, has a program to teach children, teens, and the elderly to be safe and secure online. Volunteering at Habitat for Humanity motivated me to research other volunteering opportunities, and I found this one. I am really excited about reaching out and being part of this program after this class. I do not feel I would have reached out had it not been for what I have learned in this class. I have pondered this thought quite a bit during my volunteer hours.

Entry 8: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is on the Habitat for Humanity ReStores and their mission. This seems to be an appropriate topic for my last volunteer week. As I spent my last week with Habitat for Humanity, my assigned task was once again working on light fixtures. It seems I have become an expert in refurbishing home lighting. I have appreciated the task as each fixture is different. As I focused on the ReStores and the

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organization’s mission, I thought about diversity and pluralism, part of this week’s readings.

Globalization, the technology, and processes to increase communications of people around the world define the mission of Habitat for Humanity (Schirato & Webb, 2003). The Restores are in more than 1,400 communities in the United States and seventy other countries. A vast network was created to meet the visions and mission of Habitat for Humanity. The ReStores exist not only for accepting donations of goods and services but also to refurbish the donations and resell them at a decent price (half or less the original cost) to customers who are looking for great deals. Most of what the Habitat for Humanity ReStore accepts are appliances, building materials, and used furniture. The ReStore is a home improvement store meeting the needs of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) enthusiast who is a homeowner.

The ReStores rely heavily upon volunteers. These volunteers help with creating decorative displays, customer service, stocking shelves, unloading trucks, pricing inventory, and organizing. The ReStore focuses on diversity, which is essential in today’s America where more than 95,000 foreigners arrive in the United States every day (Martin & Midgley, 2013).

Diversity can be seen in the hiring of permanent employees, volunteers, those who provide donations, and customers. This is a crucial point to Habitat for Humanity’s vision as a Christian-based organization which 23

focuses solely on helping people of all ages, races, and religions find affordable, safe housing.

Ultimately, Habitat for Humanity relies heavily on its ReStores to meet its mission. This provides a self-sustaining funding source for its international mission. Many contractor companies who build homes have excess material when they are completing a project. Much of this material is unique to the specific project and cannot be used on the next project. These donations are dropped off at the ReStore where the contractor can earn a tax deduction. In one case, a major renovation project was being conducted for the Doubletree Hotel chain. This hotel chain donated more than $600,000 worth of furniture to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore system, providing a great revenue source for the ReStore mission.

The one disadvantage I realized about the ReStore is in its volunteer program. Most volunteers seem to be students, those (like myself) who were getting volunteer hours for a program such as the Kirkpatrick Series or those who were court-ordered to complete community service.

There didn’t seem to be many volunteers from the community that were volunteering just to give back to others. This speaks largely to radical individualism where individuals are more focused on their rights and not their duties and obligations to their community and other citizens. It seems that most of us conform to this idealism of selfishness that presents a threat to our society.

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Entry 9: Narration of Project Experience The focus of this entry is on the education efforts and program resources of Habitat for Humanity. Volunteering made me dive deeper into the programs and support Habitat for Humanity provides to each community. Through educational efforts, low-income families have been provided the skills needed to help learn about managing household finances. Habitat for Humanity is not just about helping people in a community have better, safe housing; it is essential to teach them how to keep it. Through workshops and orientation sessions and measuring the changes in behavior, many success stories can be told about the mission.

Many of these educational programs are provided in other countries such as Bolivia, Columbia, Paraguay, and El Salvador. However, these programs can also be found in the United States.

As part of my volunteering, I came to realize that Habitat for Humanity values its employees. Its members realize the importance of finding balance in life and adhere to progressive reforms such as 40-hour work weeks and worker’s compensation for on-the-job accidents (Halpin, n.d.). The organization ensures that employees understand their rights through training and education. Habitat for Humanity prides itself on ensuring its employees and volunteers are knowledgeable about safety concerns in the workplace, for example, knowing how to read a hazard material report on chemicals used to refurbish donations. The organization 25

ensures that volunteers know how to work with electricity and the use of safety equipment before working on such projects. While working to refurbish household light fixtures, expert volunteers took great care to ask several questions about my skills and provided training and education in areas that I did not understand or in areas where I needed refresher training.

Through awareness and vision, Habitat for Humanity ensures its employees understand the direction of the company. The services provided to communities set a great example of accomplishing something meaningful to people without the oversight of big government getting in the way (Messmore, n.d.). This can be complex when working in many different countries whose political systems drastically vary.

I did not get the opportunity to participate in several of Habit for Humanities training programs. They are vast and cover family orientation, partnerships, mortgages, construction basics, health and home safety, being a good neighbor, living green, home maintenance, and landscaping. There are requirements for becoming part of the homeownership program; training is mandatory and must be completed before closing on the home the family is buying.

Lastly, there were several projects during my volunteering where I saw volunteers who had never accomplished specific tasks such as working with electrical fixtures, taking apart furniture for refurbishment and putting 26

it back together, and researching fair pricing for reselling of products. Fulltime employees were very friendly and helpful passing along information to volunteers to help them become successful. I was amazed at the age of the full-time employees (very young), and yet they were professional and always available to educate us on completing tasks successfully and safely.

Entry 10: Conclusion In the past, I had volunteered for events when I was in the military.

Much of this had to do with “checking a box� for a quarterly award or an annual appraisal. The military likes to see its members be well-rounded.

However, there was never any education provided behind the way of volunteering. I never really understood that until I took this class. I have learned that citizenship is more than just saying one is an American.

Through volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, and this course, I have come to realize that in the parts of my life that were not related to the service to my country (military) I was focused only upon the rights provided to me as part of US citizenship. For lack of a better term, I have been practicing radical individualism (Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler, & Tipton, 1996). I had forgotten about my duties and obligations to be a good citizen in the community I live in. My lack of being an engaged citizen has added to the weakening society.

According to Robert Putnam, social capital is measured by the level of trust and affinity displayed between individuals in a community (Putnam, 27

n.d.). We find that involvement in politics and government by American citizens has drastically dropped since the 1960’s. We also see a decline in civic duties, volunteering within the community. This disengagement has fueled radical individualism; every man for themselves. I saw this during my volunteering at Habitat for Humanity as most volunteers were courtordered to do community service. I have come to realize that this is an unfortunate predicament.

As I complete this course, I have come to realize that I will no longer live inside my shell and ignore the needs of my community. I plan to become engaged, teaching cybersecurity and safety on the Internet to children, parents, and the elderly. There have been countless times that I have run across a situation where people, specifically my Mom, have done things out of ignorance and made themselves more vulnerable to attacks. I have researched programs through ISC2, a cybersecurity certification community, where I can share my expertise and help others. I also plan to reach out to my local county and see about teaching online safety at the community center. I am looking forward to and excited about the opportunity to help others and give back, all thanks to what I have learned in the Kirkpatrick Series from Bellevue University. I look forward to better understanding the meaning of duties and obligations and not just focusing on rights. All three are needed to have good citizenship.

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References Adams, B. N. (2010). Themes and threads of family theories: A brief history. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 41(4), 499-IX. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/docview/756461531?accountid=28125 America's Founding Documents. (1787). Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs Bellah, R. N., Madsen, R., Sullivan, W. M., Swidler, A., & Tipton, S. M. (1996, May 08). Individualism and the crisis of civic membership.

The Christian Century, 113, 510. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/docview/217207407?accountid=28125 Gallup-Healthways. (2014). State of Global Well-Being. Retrieved from http://info.healthways.com/hs-fs/hub/162029/file-1634508606pdf/WBI2013/Gallup-Healthways_State_of_Global_WellBeing_vFINAL.pdf?t=1429113885083 Habitat for Humanity. (2017). Habitat for Humanity: Where we build.

Retrieved from https://www.habitat.org/where-we-build Halpin, R. T. (n.d.). The Progressive Tradition in American Politics.

Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/reports/20 10/04/14/7592/the-progressive-tradition-in-american-politics/ Henderson, T. (2015). The Shrinking Middle Class, Mapped State by State.

Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-andanalysis/blogs/stateline/2015/3/19/the-shrinking-middle-classmapped-state-by-state?hd&utm_campaign=2015-03-25 PNN&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua Krogstad, J. M. (2014, April 30). Five facts about the modern American family. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2014/04/30/5-facts-about-the-modern-american-family/ Liu, E. (n.d.). How to understand power. Retrieved from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-understand-power-eric-liu 29

Martin, P., & Midgley, E. (2003, June). Immigration: Shaping and Reshaping America. Retrieved from http://www.prb.org/source/58.2immigrshapingamerica.pdf Meese, E., Spalding, M., Forte, D., & Spalding, D. F. (n.d.). The Heritage Guide to The Constitution. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/amendments/1/religion -speech-press-assembly-and-petition Messmore, R. (2007, February 27). A Moral Case Against Big Government: How Government Shapes the Character, Vision, and Virtue of Citizens. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/politicalprocess/report/moral-case-against-big-government-howgovernment-shapes-the-character Nekola, A. (2013, August 22). Race in America: Tracking 50 Years of Demographic Trends. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/08/22/racedemographics/ OECD. (n.d.). How’s life? Retrieved from http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/ Putnam, R. D. (n.d.). Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital.

Retrieved from http://www.directoryonline.com/Rotary/Accounts/6970/Downloads/4381/Bowling% 20Alone%20Article.pdf Samuelson, R. (2013). The genius of American citizenship. Claremont Review of Books, 13(3), 31.

Schirato, Tony, and Jenn Webb. Understanding Globalization, SAGE Publications, 2003. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bellevueebooks/detail.action?docID=254626.

United, N. (2014). Women's Rights Are Human Rights. New York: United Nations Publications.

Winthrop, J. (1630). A Model of Christian Charity. Retrieved from https://www.winthropsociety.com/doc_charity.php

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Wormald, B. (2014, November 12). Chapter 5: Social Attitudes. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/13/chapter-5-socialattitudes/

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AMBER WOLK

Feathers vs. Kippahs Thoughts of Native American spiritualism typically bring forth images of large fires with tribe members dancing, singing, and beating drums, of medicine men using herbs to journey to a transcendental plane, or of warriors with feathers in their headbands painting themselves in preparation for battles. On what seems an entirely different end of a scale, thoughts of Judaism bring forth images of kippahs upon men’s heads, of strict dietary restrictions known as kashrut, of Fiddler on the Roof-style dancing and singing during weddings and Channukah, or of rabbis with their traditional curled fringes sticking out from underneath black hats. These two very distinct cultures might lead an observer to see no apparent connections between their senses of spirituality. It is often thought that Native Americans are warriors and Jews are victims. Native Americans not only believe in the Great Father, but also that every living thing has a spirit.

In contrast, in Judaism, God is transcendent and is above earthly things.

The two cultures also originated on opposite ends of the world. In this world, where religions are being so polorized that people are waging wars

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upon others, perhaps taking a step back and viewing them a different way would benefit everyone. When looking through a cultural lens, Native American spirituality and Judaism seem vastly different; however, if one looks closely at the overall principles, at the importance of storytelling, and at the ancestoral connection between the two, it is possible to see that they are much more similar.

Native American religion is often lumped together with Native American spiritualism. There were, and still are, many religions among the many different tribes throughout North America, and even more different rituals and practices. However, at the heart of Native American spirituality is the love and respect for the Great Father, Mother Earth, and all living things. The overall idea is one of peace and harmony within oneself as well as with nature, to include the people and animals in it. One connects with the land by respecting it, accepting it, and treating it well. Treating the animals with respect, never taking more than is necessary, and using every last bit is a way to connect to the spirit and to do good (Simoneau, 2007). It is easy to see how if one has a base of peace and harmony in self and uses that in his or her interactions with people and nature, he or she causes no harm. In causing no harm, one is, ideally, doing good for the world.

In Judaism, there is a midrash (story) about a Gentile man who went to see a Rabbi regarding everything there is to know about Judaism. “Tell me everything about what it means to be a Jew while I stand on one leg.�

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The Rabbi, thinking the man foolish, sends him away. The man goes to another Rabbi and asks him the same question. This time the Rabbi sends the man away stating that the Jewish spiritualism was far too complicated to be able to condense into the amount of time this man could stand on one leg. Never one to give up, the man asks a third Rabbi the same question.

This Rabbi starts sputtering, thinking of how he could come up with Judaism in ten words or less, finally shouts as the man starts to wobble on the one foot, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to have done to you!”

(E. Wolk, personal communication, April 22, 2018). Known in many cultures as the “Golden Rule,” this idea encompasses everything Judaism believes to be the main message above all else. In Judaism, to show a connection to God, Jews perform mitzvot (plural for mitzvah which means “commandment” in Hebrew). These mitzvot are the laws in the Torah – all 613 of them – which allow holiness into the lives of Jews. Through mitzvot, a Jew is engaging in repairing the world, or tikkun olam. These good deeds are so essential in this life that God himself deems performing mitzvot more critical than even observing Him and His Torah (M. Goldsmith, personal communication, April 22, 2018).

After examining the sense of spiritualism in each culture, the overall principles are quite similar. Both ask that a person does good in his or her life by treating everything he or she comes into contact with

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kindness. They both ask to cause no harm. No matter the other differences, this connection is striking and beautiful in sentiment.

Another seemingly unrelated commonality between Native American spirituality and Judaism is the tradition of storytelling. Since the Native Americans built nomadic communities to follow the food supply or because the American government forcibly removed them from their homelands (Native Americans: Celebrating traditions, 2001), the act of storytelling is what has allowed cultures, mythology, customs, laws, and history to carry on for generations. Storytelling has remained a meaningful way to stay connected with the spirits and with each other. Storytelling is not just about the spoken word, though; singing and dancing often go along with it. The stories provide entertainment, but more importantly, they can help guide people by using reasons, laws, and myths. When they feel connected to the story, they are engaging in the spiritual aspect of it.

However, these stories are not widely available to the public as they are passed down orally within the tribes.

In direct contrast, Judaism’s storytelling is endlessly written down.

The stories begin with a book inspired by God called the Tanakh (the Old Testament of the Bible in Christianity) which is made up of the Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Ketuvim. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible; the Nevi’im are the prophetic chapters, and the Ketuvim are all the writings. As these stories did not provide enough guidance, there is also the 35

Talmud, which is the rabbinic commentary on everything in the Torah. A midrash is a story that is written but is mostly oral and passes down through the generations. The folk tales, the legends, and the old wives’ tales can be found in these stories. Jews constantly study the Torah and other texts to find meaning in their current lives. Regardless of the delivery of the stories – written or oral – they have the same goals: carry on the culture, help guide their people, and encourage spiritual connections.

Finally, a similarity that may at first be unrecognizable would be the connection to ancestors. In Native American spirituality, ancestors are respected, honored, and looked to for guidance and comfort. In the movie Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee, a ghost dance ritual takes place at a gathering: “…there my children..are all your beloved ancestors…they want you to know that they are happy…and you shouldn’t grieve for yourselves” (Simoneau, 2007). In this, the speaker is connecting with the ancestors and giving comfort from sadness to those who are still living. “But if you will do the dance that I will teach you, all the ancestors will return, and the buffalo will be renewed, and you shall all live forever” (Simoneau, 2007). By looking and connecting to the ancestors, they hope for positive results in the future.

The thought in Native American spirituality is that if one looks backward for guidance, the ancestors can help provide answers for the future of the tribe (Native Americans: Celebrating traditions, 2001). In the culture, the

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Native Americans interact with the ancestor’s spirit in the present time and perceive them as speaking to them and guiding them.

Unlike Native Americans, the general belief in Judaism is that one cannot speak directly with a dead ancestor, nor can ancestors intercede on one’s behalf. Rather, in Judaism, the focus on ancestors is on the remembrance of them. This belief is unlike the Native American one where one speaks with an ancestor for guidance; however, in the memorializing of an ancestor, one can gain knowledge that is used as guidance. Elders and those ancestors who have gone before are essential in the history and traditions of the culture and religion. Studying the teachings of Rabbis and other significant scholars who have passed is something that happens every time a Jew visits a synagogue. During shiva, which is the time of mourning after a loved one has died, family and friends use the time to reflect on the loved one and how he or she influenced that mourner’s life. For the first year after a family member has passed, a mourner will stand and recite the Mourner’s Kaddish to honor the dead relative at each prayer service. After the first year, mourners continue to do so on the anniversary of the relative’s passing – known as the yahrzeit – and will light a candle and recite the Kaddish in memoriam (E. Wolk, personal communication, April 23, 2018). This is not because they are speaking with the ancestor or worshipping them, but instead are reflecting on the teachings and memories of the loved one.

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Taking a step back and viewing the Jewish and Native American forms of spirituality through a cultural lens, it is easy to spot the differences.

However, it also becomes quite evident that in connecting with ancestors, the importance of storytelling, and the overall principle of the religion’s message, there are significant similarities between the two. There may involve additional research and thinking outside of the box involved, but finding the similarities amongst different religions, such as Native American spirituality and Judaism, could begin a conversation where reaching a sense of peace would be the goal.

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References Native Americans: Celebrating traditions [Video file]. (2001). Retrieved from https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=97233&xtid= 12107 Simoneau, Y. (Director). (2007). Bury my heart at Wounded Knee [Motion Picture]. United States: HBO Films.

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UNDERGRADUATE CREATIVE EXPRESSION

First Prize Aspen Oliverius Epistolary Essay

Second Prize Lori Labra Creepy Classifications

Third Prize Ann Vogel Marian Anderson

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ASPEN OLIVERIUS

Epistolary Essay Dear Fourteen, I was your age when the topic of virginity was becoming very important, or so it seemed. All of the popular girls were having sex with the cutest boys.

They always had boyfriends, and it was because they weren’t virgins.

Watching them walk around school, it was as if they were some kind of royalty. I hated them because I wanted so much to be them. I wonder if you are feeling this way.

Love, Me Dear Fifteen, I know you think you should give into the idea of having sex; that it will make your life easier and you’ll become more popular. You’re probably thinking that you are the only one left who is a virgin and that you are a loser because of it. I want you to know: I don’t want you to go down that path. You’ll find yourself being seduced by a popular, cute boy because he knows that he is charming. He will convince you that he is a virgin and he’s just been waiting for the right girl. It won’t occur to you until later that it is odd that you are the “right girl” to have sex with, but he didn’t want to get to know you first or even talk to you in public. You won’t question how he could have picked you without even really knowing you. You will be blinded by his charm and good looks because it distracts you from your self-doubt. He will assure you that he cares about you and that he won’t abandon you afterwards. Do not ignore the doubts. Do not let yourself be tricked. I don’t want you to go through what happens next if you do.

Love, Me

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Dear Sixteen, It has been a rough year. Everything I told you before; it happened to me. I tried to warn you. I did not want this for you. He wasn’t there for you. The popular girls somehow found out, and instead of becoming popular like you thought, now they all hate you. They make fun of you. You don’t understand; neither did I. You’re hanging out with older guys now. I can understand how you wouldn’t want to spend time with the people your age, especially now that they are so mean. Older guys are more mature, aren’t they? I want you to know that you will meet some of the best friends you’ve ever had in these older groups of people, but you’re also going to look back one day and wish that you had experienced things you missed out on by growing up too fast.

Love, Me Dear Eighteen, You did it! You made it through high school. I’m very proud of you. Now there’s no need to rush into your future. Take time to think about what you really want out of your life. I was your age when I moved away from home for the first time. I was so excited, but I cried for my three-hour drive out of town. I had never felt more alone than I did sitting in my own place in a new town. This caused a lot of trouble for me as I started meeting the wrong people. I didn’t think I could afford to be choosy about who I hung out with because I hated feeling so alone. Do not ever let loneliness make your decisions for you.

Love, Me Dear Nineteen, I was almost your age when I found out I was pregnant. It was overwhelming, gut-wrenching, and exciting. I was head over heels in love, and I thought that was enough to bring a baby into this world and live happily ever after with my little family. Do not let me confuse you into thinking I regret becoming a mom. I just want you to make better choices so that these things happen to you when you’re ready for them. Let yourself grow up. Discover who you are and enjoy your youth.

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Love, Me Dear Twenty-One, Do not get so drunk that you leave the bar with a car full of people you barely know. You might get lucky, and the worst that will happen is that you’ll wake up in a stranger’s house simply because you were passed out, and nobody knew where to take you. You might not be that lucky, so don’t take that chance.

Love, Me Dear Twenty-Five, Hopefully by now you will have found someone to spend your life with.

You do not need to be married yet or have kids, but it is a wonderful feeling to at least be sharing your life with someone. Enjoy every minute of it. Do not look back at your life and regret making bad choices when you were younger. They led you to where you are now. It was your path to take. It may not have been easy at times, but it was yours.

Love, Me

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LORI LABRA

Creepy Classifications RAWR! A zombie just grabbed your arm and is pulling you closer to its gnawing, rotted teeth! Scared? Well, okay, zombies aren’t real, but there are tons of horror stories about them. We all know there are some typical scare tactics that usually work to frighten people when watching a scary movie or reading a horror story. The classic horror story usually has a monster or a build up to something ultimately awful happening. While these are strategies that are pretty well-known for evoking fear, I’m going to tell you about some other methods. There are two rather unusual classes of horror stories that can make a reader’s toes curl in fright that you may not have considered before: the “Crazy Clairvoyant Character” and “Insanity from Internalized Irritations.”

First, there are a couple of stories that fit the Crazy Clairvoyant Character category. You may be thinking “that’s not a real horror story type!” but it’s actually been used quite a bit, and can leave you feeling rather “creeped out.” In “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” for example, Joyce Carol Oates tells us of a teenage girl named Connie who is home alone because her parents and sister went to a barbecue. A strange man named Arnold Friend pulls his car into her driveway and tries to get Connie to leave with him. She actually seems to be a little intrigued at first but begins to get a little frightened when she realizes that Arnold seems to know things that he couldn’t possibly have knowledge of. He knows her name, which anyone could have known I suppose. But he also knows where her family is. He tells her that her sister is wearing a blue dress and that her mother is helping a fat woman husk corn right at that moment.

How could he possibly know these things? Maybe he’s a stalker or some sort of telepath. Or, as I like to think, a Creepy Clairvoyant Character. The knowledge he seems to have leaves us with a deep feeling of unease.

Additionally, “The Nine Billion Names of God” reveals another Crazy Clairvoyant Character that is most unnerving. In this horror story, a monk at a Tibetan monastery has ordered an expensive computer because he says that once he and his monks print all of God’s many names the world will end. The men who deliver and set up the computer are very skeptical of these monks when they learn the cause of their strange plan.

They finally decide to leave and go back home when the last of God’s 44

names are about to be printed because when the world doesn’t end, they don’t want to get blamed for the machine being faulty. As they are leaving though, the stars begin to go out! Those “crazy” monks were actually right, and we experience that same uncomfortable feeling of horror, wondering how they could possibly have known this would happen?

Next, we move on to stories that I classify as Insanity from Internalized Irritations. Maybe I’m just putting a bunch of words together that begin with the same letter, but maybe it’s a real horror story category!

I’ll let you decide. Think about this: how many times have you gotten mad at your boss but didn’t show him your anger? You kept it in because maybe you didn’t want to cause trouble or have an embarrassing outburst that you might regret, so instead, you seethe silently or write about it in your journal.

Sometimes it’s even a good idea not to react. But how much holding in of your emotions is too much? Is there a limit to how much you can conceal?

At what point will internalizing your irritations cause you to snap like Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe? The protagonist of this story, Montresor, has suffered some unknown injuries by his friend, Fortunato. He says of these injuries, “I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Montresor had been bottling up his anger at Fortunato for far too long, and we are shown his true insanity as he lures his friend underground, chains him to a wall in his catacombs, and proceeds to build a wall to enclose him and leave him there to die. Quite chilling! And all because he held in his anger.

Another horror story that shows Insanity from Internalizing Irritations is Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator in this story is a bit of a people-pleaser. She has a nervous condition, or so her husband John says, and he doesn’t want her to “give way to fancies” or show any anger as it “neglects proper self-control.” So, she hides her irritations from him and what happens? She goes completely insane! She starts obsessing over the wallpaper in their bedroom. She begins seeing strange things in it, and the story culminates with her locking herself in the bedroom and tearing the wallpaper from the walls because she thinks her husband keeps putting her back in there. Was her madness caused by the concealment of her frustrations and her tendency to try very hard to please her husband? Maybe. I worry because I’m a bit of a people-pleaser myself sometimes, although definitely not to the same extent that the woman in this story is. Perhaps I’d go insane too if I were in her shoes.

These groups may not be the ones you’d normally think of when considering the different genres of horror stories, but I hope this has opened your eyes to some of the other sorts of tactics that authors use when trying to frighten their readers. Now, be wary of people who seem to have strange knowledge of things, and be careful not to hide your emotions too much! Or not. Your call.

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ANN VOGEL

Marian Anderson

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GRADUATE FORMAL COMPOSITION

First Prize Deborah Petru Revamping Supply Chain Management Training Programs to Increase Employee Efficiency

Second Prize Connie Sixta

Communication Issues Affecting International Students: An Exploration of Practices Used to Assist Students with Cross-cultural Adjustment

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DEBORAH PETRU

Revamping Supply Chain Management Training Programs to Increase Employee Efficiency Executive Summary Recent studies clearly illustrate a need to improve the training and development of supply chain managers and related personnel to adequately compete with industry trends. For this reason, supply chain management (SCM) organizations seeking to enhance their training programs must address the generational shift occurring in the workplace along with the impact of several societal and economic factors. Research confirms a strong correlation between sustainable SCM and organizational learning, but gaps exist in current training content, as the focus is on cost and quality of services. In addition, studies indicate that current professionals in this field are experiencing low engagement and dissatisfaction in their work due to lack of collaboration with other organizations and their own managers.

Comprehensive learning programs positively impact individual and organizational performance outcomes. A review of literature points to five possible solutions for revamping present SCM training programs: (1) allinclusive stakeholder engagement, (2) continuing education and professional development opportunities, (3) full understanding of job competencies, (4) a supportive culture of coaching and energizing, and (5) implementation of post-training measurement objectives.

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Revamping Supply Chain Management Training Programs to Increase Employee Efficiency Former CEO of Union Pacific Railroad, the late Jim Young, has a quotation posted at its Omaha, Nebraska headquarters within the Employee Development Center entrance now named after him. It states, “Every railroad has tracks, equipment and facilities – the difference is people, and I believe we have the best employees in the nation.” In general, most jobs require definitive training to learn how to effectively perform the required duties. This requirement is especially true in transportation and supply chain management careers. Supply chain management impacts our local, national, and global economies and involves the delivery of products and services across the world, starting from raw materials to the end customers. Supply chain managers are intricately involved in all stages of product development and service from the initial design, implementation, quality control assurance, logistics, and supervision of the supply chain process (American Production and Inventory Control Society, 2014). In the industry of supply chain management (SCM), there is a growing need to develop highly skilled professionals to drive successful performance in business (Ellinger & Ellinger, 2014). Research demonstrates the need to provide soft (human) skills training to budding professionals, including enhancement of influencing skills, building teamwork, and resolving crossfunctional conflicts (Development and Learning in Organizations, 2014). This training would build an understanding of the balance needed between both human skills and analytical skills for specialists to succeed personally and in business (Development and Learning in Organizations, 2014).

To improve their current training programs, companies should provide effective training and promote constant staff development. First, effective training evaluation with feedback on how to improve adult learning educational processes completes the full circle of professional growth (Shenge, 2014). Second, promoting an environment of sustainable development through organizational learning has a direct, positive impact on a company’s corporate image and long-term financial performance (Oelze, Hoejmose, Habisch, & Millington, 2016). This white paper will focus on career development trends in the supply chain management and logistics services industry and what studies demonstrate regarding the need for improvement in professional training.

The organizations which would benefit most from this investigation will likely have an existing training program in place for both new and seasoned employees. These businesses have management personnel actively searching for ways to empower their team members to become efficient and knowledgeable leaders in their industry. The size of the organization varies; although, the majority of research has been a range 59

of small (under 100 employees) to mid-size (over 500 employees) companies. In addition, the workplace is increasingly diversified as more workers represent multiple generations and communication-style preferences. Consequently, as more Baby Boomers reach retirement age, these companies are facing the dilemma of how to mitigate knowledge loss.

These organizations seek to build an effectively diverse and blended training approach that addresses the generational shift taking place with younger, tech-savvy professionals dominating the workplace. This research will seek to answer: what components are necessary for management personnel to develop more effective, efficient training programs for the future of supply chain management and logistics services? Studies point to five potential answers: (1) comprehensive stakeholder engagement, including insight from customers and outside professional and educational entities, (2) further certifications and educational development, (3) knowledge of job-specific competencies, (4) an energizing culture of coaching, and (5) evaluation of the improved training.

Background Employee engagement, career development, challenging work environment, shortage of skilled workers, organizational learning: these factors significantly influence the current state of the supply chain management (SCM) and logistics services industry. Archival researchers in this field have focused more specifically on consumer product and transportation aspects of supply chain management, the cultural shift towards corporate social responsibility (CSR), and associated barriers to the sustainability of SCM’s future (Carter & Easton, 2011). SCM professionals are dissatisfied with their work, stating a lack of challenging, progressive work or poor relationships with their managers (Zimenoff, 2015). Other barriers include poor collaboration between organizations, absence of mutual trust, and limited training opportunities for new mindsets and skills (Trautrims, Defee, & Farris, 2016). Recent studies illustrate a strong correlation between sustainable SCM needs and organizational learning (Ellinger & Ellinger, 2014; Cooper, Huscroft, Overstreet, & Hazen, 2016; Oelze et al., 2016; Trautrims et al., 2016). However, there are blatant gaps between current SCM training programs and specific learning content necessary for managers and personnel alike to competently succeed with individual and organizational performance (Oelze et al., 2016; Handfield, 2002; Development and Learning in Organizations, 2014).

Research demonstrates positive relationships between knowledge management initiatives, learning culture, human capital, and organizational performance (Cooper et al., 2016). Inter-organizational and intraorganizational learning contributes to sustainable results for responsible supply chain management (RSCM) practices (Oelze et al., 2016; Trautrims 60

et al., 2016). However, most of today’s SCM training content focuses solely on cost and quality (Oelze et al., 2016). Technical and analytical skills are important to raising SCM competency levels, but learning and development also needs to be balanced with education on human skills (Handfield, 2002; Development and Learning in Organizations, 2014).

Training and development are used in tandem with adult learning practices, but each term represents very different spectrums in adult continuing education. On one hand, training is typically considered to be applicable to one’s individual, current job duties to improve upon weaker performance areas. On the contrary, development has more futuristic application to equip employees with the skills and abilities needed to perform better both individually and as a corporation (Shenge, 2014).

Training also represents a very narrow scope of topics unique to a person’s specific job whereas development topics apply more widely to an entire group or organization.

SCM as an industry ranges from manufacturing and textiles to transportation and logistics services. Supply chain managers and their personnel oversee all progression points within the supply chain process from beginning to end to boost the total customer experience and build a renewable competitive edge (Ellinger & Ellinger, 2014). Related terms expounded upon within SCM research include sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and responsible supply chain management (RSCM).

To better understand how organizational learning applies to the SCM industry, it is beneficial to define what this concept entails.

Organizational learning involves collaboration with others and is associated with supply chain processes like lean management, enterprise resource planning, innovation, and cycle times (Oelze et al., 2016). Current literature supports the positive relationship between organizational learning and individual and corporate performance and promotes other continuous learning opportunities through buyer-supplier relationships, between organizations (inter-organizational), and overall knowledge exchange.

With so many contributing factors to the status of the SCM and logistics service industry, it begs the question: How do SCM companies and logistics service providers revamp current training programs to meet these demands and improve long-term employee performance and satisfaction?

The next section will further explore answers to this question.

Possible Solutions Existing literature suggests five possible solutions as options to enhance existing SCM training programs: (1) engage with all stakeholders, along with outside agencies and human resource development professionals, to gain insight on other perspectives and needs, (2) obtain further certifications and post-secondary education with managerial 61

support, (3) nurture a cohort of job-specific competencies, (4) coach and energize others within all organizational levels, and (5) evaluate training impact on long-term behavioral changes.

Stakeholder Engagement The first possible intervention for revamping SCM training programs involves actively engaging all participants who play a role or have influence on outcomes of the supply chain process. In addition to interacting with customers, contractors, vendors, and suppliers, successful organizational learning includes assessing needs through engagement with outside agencies like universities, governmental bodies, and nongovernment entities (NGOs) (Oelze et al., 2016). This approach ensures supply chain personnel are familiar with customer and supplier expectations and pain points, which can lead to more responsible SCM. It will also foster more accurate implementation of social and environmental policies (Oelze et al, 2016).

Engaging human resource development (HRD) professionals in building human skills for supply chain managers supports leadership initiatives to enhance training programs (Ellinger & Ellinger, 2014; Developing and Learning in Organizations, 2014). HRD professionals build cross-functional, team building and influencing skills in SCMs to drive better individual and organizational SCM performance (Developing and Learning in Organizations, 2014).

Certifications and Education The second possible intervention to enhance an existing SCM training program includes managerial support for team members to obtain certifications and additional post-secondary education from nationally recognized third-party agencies (Oelze et al., 2016; American Production and Inventory Control Society, 2014). Investing in human capital (employee knowledge, skills, and abilities) is dependent on integral management backing amidst unstable economic factors. These adverse factors affecting human capital are balanced by advancing continuing education skills and professional development. American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), a leading international SCM professional development organization, recommends several certification options and various professional association memberships in its supply chain manager competency model. These certifications include (APICS, 2014): • Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) – APICS, The Association for Operations Management • Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) – APICS, The Association for Operations Management 62

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Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) – Institute of Supply Management SCOR/P – Supply Chain Council Certification in Transportation and Logistics (CTL) – American Society for Transportation and Logistics

Job Competencies The third possible solution to a more effective SCM training program involves sharing knowledge of the specific competencies vital for success as a supply chain manager. APICS’s competency model details the critical SCM skills and competencies in three categories: foundational (personal effectiveness, academic achievement, and leadership in the workplace), professional (technical), and occupational (post-secondary education and membership with professional organizations like APICS) (American Production and Inventory Control Society, 2014). Both technical (hard) and human (soft) skills are essential for the education and development of SCM professionals. Managers who display learning agility and adaptability are optimally effective in their roles. Therefore, managers must exhibit a continued openness to change and desire to be a lifelong learner in this ever-changing field (Kaiser & Craig, 2011; Oelze et al., 2016; Cross et al., 2003). Innovation, continuous learning, networking, and role commitment are also considered key attributes to SCM effectiveness, with continuous learning as the single most important attribute for individual competency (Kayakutlu & Büyüközkan, 2010). Knowledge sharing is a strong factor with high team and organizational competence (Kayakutlu & Büyüközkan, 2010).

There are a variety of suggested training topics on organizational needs and traditional or innovative best practices that existing literature recommends including in such innovative programs (Handfield, 2002; Mejías, Paz, & Pardo, 2016). The comprehensive list of human skill topics required for supply chain managers includes multi-media communication skills, critical thinking and organizational skills, facilitation for teambuilding, time management, leadership, understanding of customer anticipations, desire to learn, self-confidence in presentation, quick thinking and decisionmaking when needed, knowledge sharing and collaboration (Handfield, 2002). Best practices in purchasing include supplier certification, improving relationships with suppliers, and information sharing (Mejías et al., 2016).

Manufacturing best practices include strategic outsourcing, innovative practices with environmental technologies, production planning and scheduling, and just in time (JIT) operations (Mejías et al., 2016).

Coaches and Energizers 63

The fourth suggested intervention to a holistic learning program for supply chain managers incorporates the ability to both coach and energize others. There is a rapidly growing need for effective coaching skills in managers. Furthermore, coaching is rated as a top-ten training method for having a long-term, positive impact on employee performance, encouraging a self-motivated work ethic of action, accountability, and responsibility (Bennett & Bush, 2009). This skill is considered valuable in cultivating the manager’s role as facilitator for team members to collaborate with their supervisors on their strengths and career development needs.

Coaching has evolved such that it is becoming more widely recognized as a discipline and profession (Bennett and Bush, 2009). For instance, there are coaches who are certified or have obtained formal coach training. There is also an increased need for developing measurable impact of coaching results (Bennett & Bush, 2009) Yet another trend in SCM is the rising influence and need for professional coaching organizations and HRD professionals (Bennett & Bush, 2009; Ellinger & Ellinger, 2014). Lastly, coaching is also being viewed as a commodity as businesses search for ways to package and sell a product that is reproducible and provides proven outcomes.

Pioneering research within the last 15 years affirms the benefits of continuous learning and knowledge sharing (Rowden, 2002; Kayakutlu & Büyüközkan, 2010; Zimenoff, 2015). A strong correlation exists between business-related learning and perceived career advancement in recognition, promotions, and salary increases. Even companies with less than 200 employees and a potentially more limited budget for formal training programs can still benefit from both formal and informal learning opportunities, which translate to better employee engagement and higher job satisfaction, regardless of organizational size. In fact, informal or incidental learning, like on-the-spot, or integrated coaching opportunities, is rated even better for job satisfaction. Critical analysis of three Turkish textiles companies revealed correlations between competency levels, knowledge management dynamics, and SCM effectiveness, resulting in the companies pledging to revise their organization development to include skill enhancements (Kayakutlu & Büyüközkan, 2010).

The “Change Your Focus, Change Your Team” program Zimenoff (2015) implemented serves as applicable example that can be tailored to SCM by adding education to company core values. Zimenoff’s program incorporated the Five Dysfunctions of Teamwork framework and coaching tools for employees and managers to identify strengths. These strengths were connected to organizational resources to further develop meaningful talent. The project exhibited enhanced self-awareness of individual impact on project and organizational contributions, and strengths assessments were incorporated into performance reviews (Zimenoff, 2015).

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In addition to coaching, energy and engagement are valuable components to leadership training programs. By mapping out social networks, HRD and organizational development personnel are wellequipped with a foundation to analyze energizers and de-energizers within a given organization (Cross, Baker & Parker, 2003). One idea for building energy in corporations includes incorporating an eight-question survey (Cross et al., 2003). The survey questions that Cross et al. (2003) recommend emphasize people’s behavior choices and how they affect others’ energy levels. They are cited as follows: 1. “Do you weave relationship development into work and dayto-day actions? Concern for others and connections outside of workbased roles allow trust to develop.”

2. “Do you do what you say you are going to do? People's reservations fall away only if they can trust that others will follow through on their commitments.”

3. “Do you address tough issues with integrity? People are energized in the presence of others who stand for something larger than themselves.”

4. “Do you look for possibilities or just identify constraints? Deenergizers keep ideas from ever getting off the ground by seeing only obstacles to success.”

5. “When you disagree with someone, do you focus attention on the issue at hand rather than the individual? Energizers are able to disagree with an idea while not marginalizing the person who presented it.”

6. “Are you cognitively and physically engaged in meetings and conversations? Rather than going through the motions of being engaged — something that is much more transparent than many de-energizers think — energizers physically and mentally show their interest in the person and the topic of conversation.”

7. “Are you flexible in your thinking or do you force others to come to your way of thinking? Rather than force others to accept their way of thinking, energizers draw people into conversations and projects by finding opportunities for them to contribute.”

8. “Do you use your own expertise appropriately? Too often, experts or leaders destroy energy in their haste to find a solution or demonstrate their knowledge.”

Another idea details the contributing characteristics of positive organizational energy (Cross et al., 2003). Cross et al.’s (2003) study evaluated the social networks of seven large organizational groups, ranging from 44 to 125 people. The results found five common threads in energizing interactions: (1) they create and support a compelling vision, (2) they allow for meaningful contributions, (3) they fully engage others, (4) they acknowledge and recognize progress along the way, and (5) they 65

inspire hope and belief in the process (Cross et al., 2003). Consequently, active employee engagement that properly nurtures working relationships also has a positive impact on innovation and customer engagement (Zimenoff, 2015).

Effective Evaluation The last component to consider for SCM training is one often overlooked: evaluation and measurement of training programs after implementation of applicable content. Several effective training evaluation methods have been reviewed over the years, including Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation, Pine and Tinsley’s forms of measurement, and Sullivan’s recommendation for ways to measure training (Shenge, 2014).

Training evaluation methods warrant further research as it relates specifically to SCM companies and logistics service providers.

Multi-source Feedback Systems (MSFS), also referred to as 360degree feedback methods, are another way to provide coaching feedback (Brutus, Derayeh, Fletcher, Bailey, Velazquez, Shi, Simon, & Labath, 2006).

The most successful MSFS require careful preparation, implementation, and adaptability to specific team needs. While more common in international settings, HRD professionals can also utilize a MSFS when implemented as part of a comprehensive evaluation strategy (Brutus et al., 2006). The most successful MSFS require thoughtful execution and ability to adapt to a variety of scenarios. While less common in North America, MSFS can offer insight to the globalization trend in SCM with adaptation of performance management tools.

Recommendation With all the social and environmental trends and associated barriers impacting the SCM industry, there has been significant research to affirm a strong, positive correlation in meeting sustainable SCM through organizational learning. For SCM companies and logistics service providers to meet these competing demands and improve employee efficiency, there is supporting research to revamp existing training programs through the implementation of several critical components: active engagement of all stakeholder perspectives, encouragement of continuing education and certifications, inclusion of all necessary job competencies and skill sets, implementation of an energizing culture of coaching, and effective evaluation of the improved training program.

The needs of this ever-changing industry and a finite pool of resources implore a look at prioritization of these suggested additional components to training program. While each solution offers solid advantages and benefits, establishing clear standards on the required job competencies and skills sets for successful SCM professionals provides a 66

solid foundation from which the other solutions can support. With the future industry trends and groundwork laid by professional organizations such as APICS, much of the framework has already been researched and affirmed. In existence over 60 years, APICS is internationally recognized for its academic and analytical leadership in the SCM industry. APICS’ SCM competency model illustrates a visual representation of the core competencies necessary for SCM specialists to develop a successful career path. This model was developed out of an extensive research project and inspired by existing guidelines from the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor. With APICS internationally recognized as a reliable source in the industry, it also addresses the need to actively engage all stakeholders within an organization. APICS’ model is inclusive of the recommended certifications and educational opportunities to enhance one’s skill sets. Therefore, using APICS’ competency model is a reliable source for human resource and organizational development personnel looking to enhance their existing SCM training programs. SCM organizations can leverage the best practices recommended to tailor a training curriculum and development program for their professionals.

However, one disadvantage to addressing only the necessary job competencies in SCM training programs is that it puts the responsibility of development completely on the employee. Educating employees on the skills development needed to succeed in their profession is vital, but it fails to explain what support systems and measurements may be needed as reinforcement along the career pathway. Awareness of job competencies is the first step, but the need for encouragement and mentorship or sponsorship also deserves consideration. The growing culture of coaches and positive energizers within an organization can offer the catalyst for higher employee engagement and a more solid implementation of these skills. Knowledge of competencies alone does not measure the success rate for individual and organizational professional without some form of evaluation included after the training. While evaluation requires time and resources that may be limited, some measurement objectives should be established to validate progress. Hence, a phased approach to revamping SCM training programs is worthy of additional consideration.

Ellinger and Ellinger (2014) provide a helpful summary of how the training and development of identified skill sets can be implemented with the support of human resource development (HRD) professionals: Table 1: HRD approaches for developing supply chain managers’ skills and disseminating the SCM concept

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Oelze et al. (2016) provides a visual reference of how these solutions are interrelated and can be integrated to offer an optimal training and development package for SC companies:

Figure 1: Empirical relationship between organizational learning and sustainable development in the supply chain 68

Conclusion While numerous societal and economic factors impact the future of the SCM and logistics services industry, great strides have been made in research within the past 15 years. SCM companies choosing to invest in an overhaul of training initiatives should be prepared to apply these changes to all employees, not just top executives. HRD professionals can drive this much-needed shift in learning by incorporating a comprehensive needs assessment to identify unique organizational needs, integrating objectives with company strategic goals, proficiently facilitating courses, and sufficiently assessing results (Shenge, 2014). Trainers facilitating the revised content need to know their audience and gage their levels of acceptance and engagement with learning (Shenge, 2014). Also worthy of consideration is an organization’s physical office layout to optimize ongoing learning and knowledge collaboration (Laing & Bacevice, 2013).

While obtaining perspectives of all stakeholders in a SCM organization is important, the general groundwork has been completed by research contributions from academic experts and well-versed professionals in the field. Encouraging certifications and furthering one’s education can enhance one’s abilities to succeed in this career path. However, the journey to individual and organizational success starts with a mutual understanding among executives, managers, supervisors, and personnel of the skill sets required for individual success to positively impact organizational performance. These factors can be reinforced by developing a corporate culture that promotes a foundation of trust supported by collaborative coaching strategies and energizing activities among colleagues. By focusing first on the identification and implementation of supply chain manager competencies, the other solutions explored can provide a secondary support system to ensure proper cultivation of the most important resource in business today: our human capital.

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References American Production and Inventory Control Society. (2014). Supply chain management competency model. [PDF Document]. Retrieved from http://www.apics.org/docs/default-source/careers-competencymodels/supply-chain-manager-competency-model.pdf Bennett, J., & Bush, M. W. (2009). Coaching in organizations. OD Practitioner, 41(1), 2-7.

Brutus, S., Derayeh, M., Fletcher, C., Bailey, C., Velazquez, P., Shi, K., Simon, C. & Labath, V. (2006). Internationalization of multi-source feedback systems: A six-country exploratory analysis of 360-degree feedback. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(11), 1888-1906. doi:10.1080/09585190601000071 Carter, C. R., & Easton, P. L. (2011). Sustainable supply chain management: Evolution and future directions. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 41(1), 46-62. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/10.1108/096000311111 01420 Cooper, A. L., Huscroft, J. R., Overstreet, R. E., & Hazen, B. T. (2016).

Knowledge management for logistics service providers: The role of learning culture. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(3), 584602. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/docview/1776779178?accountid=28125 Cross, R., Baker, W., & Parker, A. (2003). What creates energy in organizations? MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(4), 51-56.

Ellinger, A. E., & Ellinger, A. D. (2014). Leveraging human resource development expertise to improve supply chain managers' skills and competencies. European Journal of Training and Development, 38(1), 118-135. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/10.1108/EJTD-092013-0093 Getting to grips with global supply chain management. (2014). Development and Learning in Organizations, 28(3), 21-24. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=https://search70

proquestcom.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/docview/1658529462?accountid=28125 Handfield, R. (2002). Skills for the new era of supply chain management: A look to the future. Supply Chain Resource Collaborative: NC State Poole College of Management. Retrieved from https://scm.ncsu.edu/scmarticles/article/skills-for-the-new-era-of-supply-chainmanagement-a-look-to-the-future Kaiser, R. B., & Craig, S. B. (2011). Do the behaviors related to managerial effectiveness really change with organizational level? An empirical test. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 14(2), 92-119. doi:10.1080/10887156.2011.570140 Kayakutlu, G., & Büyüközkan, G. (2010). Effective supply value chain based on competence success. Supply Chain Management, 15(2), 129138. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/10.1108/135985410110 28732 Laing, A., & Bacevice, P. A. (2013). Using design to drive organizational performance and innovation in the corporate workplace: Implications for interprofessional environments. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 2737-45. doi:10.3109/13561820.2013.792043 Mejías, A. M., Paz, E., & Pardo, J. E. (2016). Efficiency and sustainability through the best practices in the logistics social responsibility framework. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 36(2), 164-199. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.ezproxy.bellevue.edu/docview/1752983665?accountid=28125 Oelze, N., Hoejmose, S. U., Habisch, A., & Millington, A. (2016).

Sustainable development in supply chain management: The role of organizational learning for policy implementation. Business Strategy & The Environment (John Wiley & Sons, Inc), 25(4), 241. doi:10.1002/bse.1869 Rowden, R. W. (2002). The relationship between workplace learning and job satisfaction in U.S. small to midsize businesses. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 13(4), 407-425.

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Shenge, N. A. (2014). Training evaluation: Process, benefits, and issues. IFE Psychologia, 22(1), 50-58.

Trautrims, A., Defee, C., & Farris, T. (2016). Preparing business students for workplace reality – using global virtual teams in logistics and SCM education. International Journal of Logistics Management, 27(3), 886. doi:10.1108/IJLM-01-2015-0003 Zimenoff, M. (2015). Change your focus, change your team: An integrated, strengths-based approach to corporate career development. Career Planning & Adult Development Journal, 31(3), 52-58.

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CONNIE SIXTA

Communication Issues Affecting International Students: An Exploration of Practices Used to Assist Students with Cross-cultural Adjustment Executive Summary International students are coming in record numbers to study at colleges, and universities in U.S. communities benefit from their presence both economically and through cultural diversity that exposes international students and Americans to different viewpoints useful for understanding the world in which they live and work. Unfortunately, many international students experience communication issues that impede their cross-cultural adjustment, including lack of social support and academic struggles.

Language difficulties are noted as the most significant barrier to students in building relationships and in their academic success. One area of particular concern for international students is their understanding of plagiarism because American standards for acknowledging the work of others differ substantially than in some other cultures.

Colleges can assist international students during their acculturation process through a number of practices that have been found to be effective.

Programs that encourage interaction between international and native students help build social support networks while allowing English language learners opportunities to practice their language skills. Through onboarding programs and first-year experience courses, students are introduced to academic practices and support services they can use to increase success in their coursework. Faculty can also implement strategies that are useful to all students in developing a better understanding of academic expectations and course concepts. Of the practices discussed in this paper, a first-year experience course is recommended to address many of the problems students encounter.

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Communication Issues Affecting International Students: An Exploration of Practices used to Assist Students with Cross-cultural Adjustment Studying in a foreign country is an exciting opportunity for college students around the world as they meet new people and experience new cultures and environments. These students gain much through their experiences, and their presence benefits the colleges and communities in which they live. In the U.S. alone, the NAFSA Association of International Educators reports that 1,078,822 international students studied at the nation’s colleges during the 2016-17 academic year, contributing $36.9 billion to the economy that supported 450,331 jobs (Banks, 2017).

Furthermore, the U.S. is the most popular destination for international students and hosts 19 percent of the total number studying in a foreign country; the second most popular country is the United Kingdom with 10 percent (Countries, 2017). In addition to economic benefits, these students bring cultural diversity that helps international and native students learn how to work with each other and understand each other’s perspectives.

For international students studying in the U.S., the experience can be exhilarating and troublesome as they learn to deal with numerous cultural differences, language difficulties, and loneliness. This paper examines the major problems international students encounter as they learn to adjust to a new culture, many of which result from communication issues. Methods that faculty, staff, and native students can employ to assist these students in successfully integrating into American society will also be explored.

Struggles Faced by International Students Almost all college students go through a period of culture shock when they leave home and embark on a new chapter in their lives. They are both excited and frightened to meet new people, live in a different environment, and enter the world of higher education where expectations can differ greatly from high school. In addition to these challenges, many international students must deal with language difficulties, differences in academic practices, and lack of social support. The cross-cultural adjustment international students encounter involves psychological wellbeing and socio-cultural adaption, or the ability to use appropriate behaviors and social skills to fit into the new culture (Wang & Mallinckrodt, 2006). Other factors that can negatively affect their adjustment include homesickness, feelings of isolation, perceived discrimination, and academic pressure (Baba & Hosoda, 2014; Gatwire, 2015; Hirai, Frazier, & Syed, 2015; Wu, Garza, & Guzman, 2015). The stress students experience can

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lead to physical symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, and insomnia, as well as anxiety and depression.

One of the greatest obstacles faced is communicating effectively in a second language. Students who are not fluent in English and those unfamiliar with the colloquial use of the language usually have more difficulty with cross-cultural adjustment because of misunderstandings and miscommunication with others. Several studies have found that English language proficiency tends to reduce students’ stress levels while helping with cross-cultural adjustment and building friendships (Baba & Hosoda, 2014; DuBose, 2017; Gatwiri, 2015; Hirai et al., 2015).

Further compounding the problem is the fact that many students rely on family and friends in their home country for social and emotional support instead of people living in the U.S., which contributes to feelings of homesickness and isolation (Bhochhibhoya, Dong, & Branscum, 2017).

This is partly attributed to students’ perceived bias toward them, and in some cases, their perceptions may be accurate. In one study that focused on non-native English speakers from East Asian cultures, Americans indicated those with heavy accents were less intelligent and socially attractive than those with lighter accents (Wang, Ahn, Kim, & Lin-Siegler, 2017). When students feel prejudice, they are less likely to engage in conversation.

Language difficulties extend into classrooms and are one of the main reasons English language learners (ELL) struggle in coursework.

Students who do not understand the language well learn very little, if anything, from lectures (Mulligan & Kirkpatrick, 2000, as cited in Clausen, 2017). Clausen also noted that some students hesitate to participate in class discussions because of language difficulties, and they may complete assignments incorrectly because they did not understand the directions.

Additionally, written assignments can be incomprehensible due to limited English skills.

Factors, such as body language, eye contact, and other non-verbal cues, can have significant impacts on the communication process and its effectiveness when working with international students as well (DuBose, 2017). Likewise, behaviors can differ greatly among cultures. Hofstede (as cited in Liu, Liu, Lee, & Magjuka 2010) identified four dimensions that can have a profound effect on cultural understanding. These dimensions include power distance, which refers to the acceptance of inequalities among people in a culture, and individualism versus collectivism that refers to the acceptance of personal needs over the needs of a group of people.

Uncertainty avoidance indicates how well a culture deals with uncertainty over order and structure. Masculinity versus femininity alludes to the value placed on personal strength and dominance versus the value of relationships where personal accomplishments are not emphasized.

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An example of how these cultural dimensions impact communication can be found in the classroom. In countries with highpower distance, calling an instructor by his/her first name, interrupting a lecture to ask questions, and challenging an instructor would be considered highly disrespectful (Li & Guo, 2012). In China and India, for instance, it is common for the instructor to share his/her expertise through lectures and for students to listen and take notes to learn the material (Liu et al., 2010).

Uncertainty avoidance is also illustrated when peers are asked to discuss a topic in class. Liu et al. noted that discussion and interaction among peers during class are rare in some cultures, so students may be uncomfortable with the activity because of the disruption to the lecture.

Another major concern that stems partly from communication issues is plagiarism, or the use of another person’s language or ideas without giving credit to the source (Baird & Dooey, 2014). While plagiarism is a serious issue in American colleges and universities, in some cases, students may commit plagiarism unintentionally. Reasons for unintentional plagiarism are that in some countries it is not necessary to cite sources, students may have been taught to use the authors’ or experts’ words instead of their own, and students may not have the linguistic skills to use their own words (Baird & Dooey, 2014). Students who are punished for plagiarism, even though it was unintentional, may suffer academically and emotionally, and in the most serious cases, their visa status may be threatened.

Effective Strategies for Cross-Cultural Adjustment A number of strategies have been used to assist international students in their cross-cultural adjustment. Those that are supportive in nature have been found to be most effective in helping students improve English proficiency, increase understanding of academic practices, build social support systems, and successfully acculturate to the American culture.

Even though English as a Second Language (ESL) coursework is not discussed in this paper, it is vital for those lacking proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English.

One of the first things colleges can do is to develop an orientation or onboarding program to familiarize international students with American culture and academic practices. Zalaznick (2014) recommends that all new international students, regardless of their English language proficiency, participate in the program. Classroom expectations, such as attendance, participation, and Americans’ expectations of academic integrity are topics that should be covered. Informing the students about counseling services and explaining that it is common for people to seek counseling in the U.S. is important because in some cultures, stigma is associated with mental illness (Bhochhibhoya et al, 2017). Zalaznick (2014) also proposes pairing international students with student mentors in upper grades who will help 76

the new students build critical relationships that help in their cross-cultural adjustment and language development. Lastly, it is important to explain characteristics common to the American culture. For example, defining common expressions like, “How are you?” and explaining personal space might save the students from embarrassment when interacting with others.

Hirai et al. (2015) found that most international students experience high levels of symptoms related to stress in their first six months in the U.S. With this in mind, another effective practice is a first-year experience course in which international students and native students are enrolled. In a study by Yan and Sendall (2016), students indicated that being in a group consisting of approximately half international and half native students provided the international students with opportunities to socialize and practice their English skills. This also provided native students with opportunities to broaden their understanding of other cultures. The topics identified as most useful to both groups of students were “academic resources, healthy relationships, cultural diversity, community service, selfexploration, and academic major/minor” (Yan & Sendall, 2016, p. 39).

Students also preferred class activities rather than lectures because they could interact with each other. Additionally, journaling provided students the opportunity to practice their writing skills, and a final presentation was useful in practicing oral skills.

A number of strategies that faculty can implement in the classroom contribute to students’ understanding of course material. Scaffolding, such as visual aids, outlines, and modeling, can help to increase comprehension; however, it is recommended the use of these tools should decline as a course progresses so students do not become overly dependent on them (Clausen, 2017; Liu et al., 2010). Clausen also noted that instructors should be mindful of the language they use and avoid wordiness by encouraging students to participate more in the discussion. Koseva (2017) cautioned, “Slang, idioms, historic references, and pop culture references are just a few of the linguistic obstacles that may hinder communication” (p. 883).

Additionally, faculty should encourage students to improve their literacy skills, but banning the use of their native language can create a negative environment and be detrimental to the faculty/student relationship (Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2012).

By giving assignments and instructions both verbally and in writing, students can go back and review them for better understanding, and it is helpful for instructors to check periodically throughout a lesson for understanding because students may not ask questions until invited to do so (Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2012). When possible, emphasizing content and comprehension for grading purposes and abstaining from deducting points for grammatical errors will help international students build confidence, and instructors can give constructive feedback on their writing to help them 77

with later assignments (Clausen, 2017). Clausen noted accommodations like these can help native English speakers who may be struggling with college coursework as well.

Another technique to assist all students is to develop learning communities. Smith (2010) found that learning communities where ELL students are grouped together to study and practice their English skills with native students positively impacted learning. This is further evidence of the importance of social support and conversing with peers for international students’ cross-cultural adjustment and language skills. Benefits of learning communities extend to native students as well because they increase their awareness and appreciation of other cultures as they develop a deeper understanding of academic concepts.

Furthermore, academic settings can be used to increase crosscultural awareness for international and native students through internationalized curriculum. Bodycott, Mak, and Ramburuth (2014) found that incorporating activities, such as a game where students explain the origins of their names, helped international students build confidence in communicating with others while allowing them social contact.

Additionally, incorporating case studies and examples that are more global in nature or allowing students to present examples from their own culture when studying concepts are more effective because international students may not otherwise understand the context of the examples used. (Liu et al., 2010).

When addressing cases of plagiarism, Baird and Dooey (2014) recommend intentionality be assessed, and if it is determined the student unintentionally plagiarized because of unfamiliarity regarding acknowledgement of sources, an educational approach is more constructive than a punitive approach. Providing workshops, consultations with instructors, writing centers, and other resources can be used to help educate students on proper acknowledgement of sources. Liu et al. (2010) also recommended that instructors are clear about their expectations and inform students of resources available to assist them in meeting the expectations.

When plagiarism cases do follow a punitive procedure, Baird and Dooey (2014) suggested that an “Academic Integrity Officer� (p. 396) be assigned to help students through the process as a supportive measure.

Another way colleges can assist students with adjustment to their new environment is to offer programs designed to encourage interaction between international students and Americans to help them build social networks. Examples include host families, student clubs, and programs to promote friendships between international and native students (Bhochhibhoya et al., 2017). These types of programs help students shift their reliance from family and friends in their home countries to those living

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in the U.S., and students with strong local social support tend to experience lower stress levels (Baba & Hosoda, 2014).

The cliché that it takes a village to raise a child is applicable to helping international students’ cross-cultural adjustment and academic success. Ensuring that all faculty and staff are able to assist students in finding appropriate resources, including writing support, health services, and counseling, will contribute to the success of international students.

Koseva (2017) suggests that all college personnel should participate in professional development to increase their intercultural communication competence by examining their own biases and learning to be more sensitive to the viewpoints of those from other cultures. Storti (2012) noted, “[B]eing ethnocentric is human nature. It is only when you’re dealing with people who come from another ethnos that ethnocentrism doesn’t always work so well” (para. 7). Through workshops designed to increase cultural awareness and reflect on one’s own cultural norms, participants will learn to refrain from judging others, seek understanding, and communicate effectively as they interact with people from other cultures.

If colleges can only implement one strategy to assist international students adapt to the American culture and academic practices, the author of this paper recommends a first-year experience course that addresses several concerns. The course should introduce and reinforce academic practices that may be different than those in the students’ native cultures.

By encouraging interaction, students will build relationships and ELL students will practice English skills. Also, because the course will meet regularly during the first few months the students are in the U.S., faculty can reinforce concepts as students begin to encounter them in other courses. A disadvantage to employing just one strategy is the lack of synergy that can be gained through the use of several strategies. Also, without professional development for college personnel, practices that hinder international students’ success may be perpetuated unknowingly. Lastly, students may incur additional costs for tuition and fees; however, if the course helps them be more successful, it will be worthwhile.

Conclusion Communication issues, such as language barriers, cultural differences, and misunderstandings about classroom practices and plagiarism, can have significant negative impacts on international students’ cross-cultural adjustment and can lead to a variety of mental and physical symptoms that can hinder their academic success. A number of practices have been studied and shown to be effective in assisting these students adjust to American culture. These include onboarding programs, strategies that can be implemented in the classroom, programs to build social relationships, and professional development for college personnel. When 79

colleges can only implement one strategy, a first-year experience course is recommended. All strategies utilized should focus on building English language skills, increasing comprehension and understanding, and building social support for international students. As international students adjust to American culture, faculty, staff, and native students will also learn about the international students’ cultures while heightening their appreciation for diversity.

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References Baba, Y., & Hosoda, M. (2014, Spring). Home away home: Better understanding of the role of social support in predicting crosscultural adjustment among international students. College Student Journal, 48(1), 1-15.

Baird, C., & Dooey, P. (2014, February 14). Ensuring effective student support in higher education alleged plagiarism cases. Innovative Higher Education, 35(5), 387-400.

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Bhochhibhoya, A., Dong, Y., & Branscum, P. (2017). Sources of social support among international students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 7(3), 671-686.

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GRADUATE CREATIVE EXPRESSION

First Prize Deborah Reese Intellitopia

Second Prize Veronica Pinkerton Werewolf’s Bride

Third Prize Daniel Potmesil Datatopia Short Story

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DEBORAH REESE

Intellitopia “...our fetishization of IQ now extends far beyond the workplace. Intelligence and academic achievement have steadily been moving up on rankings of traits desired in a mate; researchers at the University of Iowa report that intelligence now rates above domestic skills, financial success, looks, sociability, and health.”

“When Michael Young, a British sociologist, coined the term meritocracy in 1958, it was in a dystopian satire. At the time, the world he imagined, in which intelligence fully determined who thrived and who languished, was understood to be predatory, pathological, far-fetched. Today, however, we’ve almost finished installing such a system, and we have embraced the idea of a meritocracy with few reservations, even treating it as virtuous. That can’t be right. Smart people should feel entitled to make the most of their gift. But they should not be permitted to reshape society so as to instate giftedness as a universal yardstick of human worth.”

- David H. Freedman “The War on Stupid People: American Society Increasingly Mistakes Intelligence for Human Worth” https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/07/the-war-onstupid-people/485618/ Part 1 Carol looked around with slight apprehension, breathing in cool, crisp autumn air. She was standing on a vast expanse of farmland in front of an old barn, next to which stood six massive silos. Carol imagined that the farm had probably once been manned by familial generations who owned hundreds, if not thousands of acres, but now it stood deserted. Marcus had insisted that this desolate location was the only place that was private and safe enough. His top priority was ensuring the secrecy of the meeting place and the safety of its participants.

As twilight settled in, enveloping Carol in a dim haze of soft, fading light, she stood silently appraising the imposing structure, looming eerily across 85

an endlessly flat and unremarkable terrain, casting curious shadows all around its perimeter. In the last moments of sunset as fiery orange hues peeked over a far distant horizon, she noted that the structure was a typical prairie barn. Except for the silos next to the barn and a dilapidated farm house, sitting about a hundred yards to the left of the barn, Carol could see literally nothing but fields in all directions for miles around.

As she continued to study her surroundings, Carol noted that the barn truly embodied an iconic and quintessential representation of an American farm.

The enormous formation had a gambrel style roof, the peak of which produced an opening to a hayloft, through which very old hay had sloppily spilled out onto the ground near the barn entrance.

Carol gingerly lifted the heavy, metallic latch to the barn door, slid the door open, and stepped inside. Immediately, she spotted a long, metal, rectangular table around which sat a dozen or so folding chairs centered in the middle of a concrete floor near the entry. She was immediately overcome with nostalgia. The set up reminded her of tables she sat at during pancake feeds and bingo nights held log ago at the American Legion while growing up in a small, rural farming community.

She was obviously the first one there. Not just obvious because she was alone in the barn, but because there weren’t any cars parked around the entry when she pulled up. She walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, feeling just a little unsettled. After all, she was alone in a creepy old barn during nightfall. As she sat patiently waiting for the others to arrive, she pondered the events that led her to an isolated and eerie barn out in the middle of nowhere on a cool autumn evening.

It all started about a year ago when she had received an unexpected call from Marcus. She had answered the phone with an almost questioning tone in her voice as she had been a little surprised to hear from him. Typically, she spoke with him about once a month and she’d just spoken with him a few days prior to that call. He had asked her to meet him at a nearby park right away so they could talk about something important.

“Come alone,” he had insisted, “and make sure no one follows you. Don't tell anyone where you are going, either.”

“What's going on, Marcus?” Carol had asked, perplexed and worried, more about his mental state than anything else. “You seem paranoid, is the CIA after you?” she joked, attempting to lighten the mood. And if his paranoid

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instructions weren't enough, the underlying tone of fear and panic in his voice clearly indicated something was wrong.

Carol's monthly conversations with Marcus centered around providing updates on how proctoring IQ testing sessions had been going since Mensa had been recruited by the US government to assist in the recently instituted National IQ Testing Initiative, also known as NIQTI. Marcus had been part of an overseeing group of regional Mensa members who agreed on behalf of the organization to participate in the program in exchange for generous government funding. In recent years, the government had developed a strong focus on funding research into human intelligence. The government wanted a smart workforce possessing the necessary intellectual capability to support an increasingly more complex and technological society. Mensa had been a leader in IQ testing for decades, using legions of its own well-trained and experienced proctors to test IQs all over the US for determining Mensa admission eligibility. It was a seemingly ideal partnership - the US government and Mensa working together in tandem, supporting the overall intellectual betterment of a rapidly and ever-increasingly more sophisticated, technologically based society. Carol had been proctoring exams for almost a decade when Marcus called and recruited her to participate in the program.

Carol had waited on the park bench for Marcus, feeling a little annoyed that he was late after insisting she drop everything and race down to the park to meet him immediately, only to find him absent when she arrived. But she had managed to pass the time by watching a particularly vicious black bird, probably a crow, mercilessly attack a tiny squirrel that had met the unfortunate fate of falling prematurely out of its nest. The bird had pecked at the helpless, tiny squirrel over and over, continuing to do so long after it had stopped struggling and lay completely inert. There had been no obvious attempt to eat the squirrel, but instead the bird had simply continued to obsessively peck away. As disturbing as it had been, Carol hadn't been able to look away. It had been mesmerizing in a macabre sort of way. Carol had once watched a documentary demonstrating that crows quickly train themselves to walk through busy intersections only when it's safe, patiently waiting for traffic to stop prior to venturing out onto the road. They also managed to train themselves to quickly vacate the road before the lights changed again and traffic started, avoiding being run over. As she had sat watching the grisly scene, she had noted that not only were crows very smart, but also apparently quite capable of being vicious.

Marcus had stealthily sneaked up on her, abruptly ending her introspection, nearly scaring the daylights out of her.

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“Marcus! Don't sneak up on people like that,” she had exclaimed in an exasperated tone of voice, the quick flash of irritation she had felt from being sneaked up subsiding just as quickly.

“Carol,” Marcus had started, a bit out of breath, “sorry,” he mumbled sort of sheepishly. A heaviness surrounded him. It was like a dense fog or like a dark, isolated cloud on an otherwise perfectly bright and clear day.

Marcus had plopped himself down onto the bench next to Carol. Having not seen him in several months, Carol had studied him closely, noticing he looked a bit more disheveled and unkempt than usual, sporting a long, patchy beard and a messy pompadour that he had clearly not bothered to comb that day. She had also noticed his hair was starting gray at the temples. His plaid button down shirt had looked like it was inspired by Joseph's technicolor dream coat: it was red and yellow and green and brown and purple and orange and so on and so forth. In other words, the shirt was hideous. It had also looked like he'd missed a button somewhere along the line when buttoning up his shirt, which, probably incidentally, had also been also poorly matched with his pea-green, chino pants, which had featured a noticeably gaping hole in the right side pocket. To be fair, he had actually been donning his typical garb. His tendencies toward maintaining a presentable appearance had diminished considerably over several years, but instead of saying something about it, Carol had just continued to let it go, knowing that for Marcus, simply dressing himself at all, much less presentably, presented a significant challenge.

“What's wrong, Marcus?” Carol had questioned in a nervous and tentative manner, knowing that whatever the answer was, she probably wasn't going to like it.

“Carol,” Marcus had started, his voice tense and strained, “if you thought the segregation of the low IQ population from everyone else was bad enough, it gets worse. They lied, Carol. Jacob created a fake ID and after finally managed to sneak into one of the camps near Kansas City to see what was going on in there. The reason why no one has come in or out of the camp in a long time is that they're exterminating people in the camp and they don't want anybody to know what's going on in there!”

Carol had frozen; virtually seized up, like a computer program that had experienced a processing error. She had listened silently, initially unable to fully grasp what she had heard. Her heart had begun to race and she had finally blurted out, “That can't be. Don't joke around Marcus, that's not funny. Not funny at all.”

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“I'm serious, Carol,” Marcus had continued somberly, “it’s not a joke.”

In her heart of hearts, Carol had known he was serious but didn't want to believe it. Carol knew that what he had said only confirmed her own rising suspicions, but it was still virtually impossible to fully wrap her mind around. This was beyond her worst nightmare, beyond what she could conceive of happening in reality. This was something that happened in dystopian sci-fi films, not in the United States of America in 2030.

“But...but...why...how??” Carol had stuttered, trying not to completely lose her composure.

“You already know why,” Marcus had continued, his voice shaky and cracking with emotion, “most lower IQ people are seen has a burden to the system, unable to perform few, if any valuable tasks in our advanced, technological society where resources are limited and where basic resources are seen as being deserved only by intelligent producers. We’ve become so dependent on automation to perform the low-skill jobs that less intelligent people used to perform that less intelligent people are now seen as useless by the government...Leah is in that camp...,” his voice had faltered, trailing off. His eyes, bloodshot from probably many sleepless nights, had filled with tears that had threatened to spill over his lower lids at any moment.

She had watched him blink rapidly several times to fight back the tears, his lower lip had trembled slightly. He had looked completely shattered.

Leah was Marcus’s twenty-three-year-old daughter. Leah had been a brilliant young woman, having earned a full scholarship to MIT. One day at the beginning of summer break at the end of her freshman year, as she was driving from Cambridge back to Kansas City, where she lived with Marcus, a drunk driver hit her. She suffered a traumatic brain injury from which she nearly lost her life and from which she never fully recovered. Leah had been not only exceptionally brainy, but also a pretty, bubbly girl who laughed easily and who could readily jump from discussing topics as scintillating as the intersection of quantum mechanics and computational complexity to eloquently debating the merits of various unique and elaborate concoctions offered by California Crazy Dog, a gourmet hot dog chain that had taken the country by storm for over a decade.

Marcus had been crushed. Having struggled with chronic, major depression his entire adult life, the tragedy dramatically worsened his depressive tendencies. He could barely take care of himself at times, sometimes lying in bed in a semi-catatonic state, nearly incapacitated for days at a time, without bathing, dressing or eating. Crippled by his worsening depression, he 89

eventually became completely unable to look after Leah, who now had the mental capacity of a seven-year-old child. So she was removed from his care and placed in a city-camp in which the majority of the low IQ adult population resided.

Marcus had started to weep uncontrollably and, between sobs, had mumbled something about putting people down like homeless cats and dogs in an animal shelter. Carol had reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort. She had merely sat and listened, not knowing what to say.

When Marcus had calmed down somewhat, Carol had finally quietly offered, “I'm sorry Marcus. I know Leah was placed in the city-camp outside of Kansas City.” And then she had very gently asked, “Do you know if Leah is still...in there?” She chose her words carefully, not wanting to further upset him.

Marcus had shrugged, despondent. After a few moments of additional silence, Carol had continued quietly, “the people who died in the city-camp viral outbreaks...do you think this is all somehow connected?”

“It very well could be...yeah...probably,” Marcus had replied. “They could have intentionally released the virus into the city-camps, then quarantined the camps, knowing or hoping it would kill off at least a certain amount of the city-camp populations. It would kind of be an easy thing to do and get away with. It’s a fairly easy way to get rid of people with built-in plausible deniability. They’re not just going to throw people in gas chambers like it’s Nazi Germany; they would have to be much more sly about it this time.

They could do this over and over, too, methodically, claiming that the previous outbreaks had not been fully eradicated, which would lead to additional outbreaks until all or most of the city-camp inhabitants have been wiped out.” Marcus had then stroked his scraggily beard, and in a thoughtful manner had continued, “You know, when they started ramping up those massive FEMA camps twenty-five years ago, I convinced myself it was a logical response to the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina, which the government was totally unprepared for. It’s just disaster preparedness, I convinced myself. We don’t want to be unprepared like that ever again.

And now they’ve been putting all these people in these camps that I thought were for set up to house people in the event of a disaster...then I had to convince myself again that the national jobless rate qualified as a disaster...sort of...damn it Carol, I should have known it. Those bastards have been planning this for a long time.”

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Carol had simply sighed. “There’s no way you could have known, Marcus.

You may be ridiculously smart, but you’re not omniscient,” she reminded him. She, along with many people at this point, had come to the conclusion that something was wrong in the city-camps which harbored the low IQ population, but no one but a true, die-hard conspiracy theory nut could have ventured a guess as to just how sinister the encampments actually were.

In 2020, the U.S. government had announced that with the rapid emergence of AI and increasingly ubiquitous automation, it wanted to ensure a smooth transition to a more technologically advanced society with as little social disruption as possible and was making plans and preparations for the transition. By 2024, the government had enacted the Social Technological Transition Act of 2024, also known as the STT Act. At that point, the US population had soared to 350 million and the global population to 8.5 billion. Resources were becoming increasingly scarce. In addition to the burgeoning population, climate change had already started impacting the environment, causing national and global droughts, making it increasingly more difficult to meet the populations’ demand for food, water, and other resources.

Due to the proliferation of AI and automation, jobs that had normally been filled by working class and poorer populations - factory jobs, fast food worker jobs, sales clerks, grocery and gas station clerk jobs, and many customer service oriented jobs - were virtually obsolete. As a result, a large part of the population - tens of millions - were jobless with no prospects for re-employment in sight. Because most of these workers’ IQs were at the lower end of the scale, the government figured they could not be trained to perform more intellectually demanding jobs. Employment data crossanalyzed with IQ test score data showed consistent trends indicating and confirming that less intelligent people had traditionally and overwhelmingly held the jobs now being performed by automation. The chronically unemployed created a huge population dependent on welfare for survival, and the government realized this situation would place tremendous longterm or even indefinite financial strain on the middle and upper income classes whose tax payer money would have to fund these programs.

Additionally, extensive research and data showed that on average, lower IQ people have twice as many children as normal and higher IQ people.

Officials were alarmed that the less intelligent, welfare dependent population was exploding while the population of highly intelligent people was dwindling. To put it very bluntly, the country was becoming increasingly less intelligent and less capable of handling the demands of 91

living in a high-tech society, and IQ test data proved it. For many decades, IQ testing had demonstrated that about 10% of the population could be classified as highly intelligent. But IQ test data in the last several years revealed that now only 5% of the general population could be classified as highly intelligent. Officials feared this trend could continue indefinitely until the highly intelligent would be nearly extinct.

The lower class, welfare-dependent and procreating excessively - as government officials put it - had been consuming precious and scarce resources at an alarming rate with no end in sight, providing “low value” to society in return (again, according to the government). They had become a drain on society and the economy, taking much, offering little, and contributing to overpopulation. In a desperate attempt to find a solution to control population growth, especially low IQ population growth, reduce the usage of dwindling resources, and diminish the tax burden on more intelligent and productive classes, the government took drastic actions; hence, the reason the STT Act of 2024 was conceived.

IQ testing was a major component of the STT Act. Data collected from nationally mandated IQ testing of anyone over the age of 18 enabled the government to determine if they were eligible for free participation in a residential job assessment, training and placement program, which also required participants to live in special camps. What kind of jobs? Well, the government was pretty vague about that but ensured that participants would find “productive work” inside these encampments. Skeptics pressed officials to define the work opportunities, as it seemed that if there was no work available outside of the camps, then there wouldn't be work available inside of the camps either. But officials remained vague. Some people were suspicious, even proposing that the camps were a cover for some other, more nefarious agenda, which was dismissed by officials as utter nonsense.

The sole qualification for admission to the program was possession of an IQ less than 90 as assessed by the National IQ Testing Initiative, which was based on the popular Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. This requirement was met by about 25% - 30% of the population. The program also included a component known as “Compassionate Care” for profoundly mentally disabled people who would be unable to perform even rudimentary jobs and who also would be unable to perform anything but basic self-care or would not be able to care for themselves at all.

The “Compassionate Care” program worked like this: people with IQ's below 60 were auto-enrolled in the program. To get out of the program, someone with IQ of at least 90 and gainfully employed had to sign a legal 92

affidavit vouching for the full care and responsibility of the lower IQ individual. Otherwise, the program was voluntary for everyone else, and almost anyone who qualified signed up since by the late twenties, almost everyone who qualified for the program had been unemployed for two years or more with no foreseeable prospects in sight for re-employment.

The government had cut virtually every welfare program drastically, presumably because all welfare funding had been shifted to fund the new city-camp program. With no welfare safety net program available, the chronically unemployed certainly had strong incentive to sign up for the “voluntary” new program. An incredible 45+ million people signed up for the program. In the beginning, people were relieved by the enactment of the program. The program seemed perfectly reasonable and viable given the alternative - homelessness, starvation, increasing crime, general lawlessness, and chaos.

The encampments were more like cities, which is how they became referred to as “city-camps.” There were three dozen of them all over the United States, very densely populated, each housing well over a million people.

There were strict entry and exit points and the perimeters were set up similar to maximum security prison facilities for miles surrounding the citycamps. An army of guards walked the perimeters 24 hours per day. This clearly indicated something wasn’t right, but again, the program seemed to be working on the surface. The program was housing and feeding people, so people mostly shrugged off suspicions. Times were desperate, and being fed and housed was clearly preferable poverty.

At first, people could come and go from the camps as much as they desired.

People residing outside the camps could visit people in the camps and viceversa. But gradually, over the course of a few years, increasing restrictions and curfews prevented free movement in and out of encampment zones. At first, officials said that resources and supplies had been removed from the camps in an unauthorized manner, and they needed to take tighter control of people coming and going to prevent precious and scarce resources from being stolen. Inventory control seemed like a plausible reason for enforcing more control, but then it then got to the point where almost no one could leave the camps, and visitors were no longer allowed in.

Officials then claimed that outbreaks of highly contagious and deadly viruses made city-camp quarantines necessary to protect those residing outside of the camps from infection. After being subjected to incessant conditioning through viewing endless idiotic zombie apocalypse movies and TV shows and hearing about constant Ebola Virus and Bird and Swine Flu outbreak news on TV, it was easy for the overwhelming majority of the 93

non-city camp population to believe such claims. However, officials could not quite adequately explain why outbreaks had occurred in all the camps dozens of them all over the United States - simultaneously, necessitating quarantines on all three dozen camps at the same time. Questions about these facts were dodged artfully. Despite rising suspicions, most people living outside the city-camps were merely worried about the welfare of family members and close friends inside the city-camps, anxiously awaiting word from official channels, wondering if they’re loved ones had survived the deadly outbreaks. Officials hemmed and hawed, dragging their feet on providing status updates regarding the well-being of camp residents to desperately worried family and friends, which only increased public suspicion. People tried to sneak into the city-camps, but were unable to do so due to impenetrable enclosures and air-tight security.

Eventually, government officials, responding to mounting public pressure to be more transparent and to assuage the fears of the populace, relented after the so-called “outbreak” had supposedly been contained, eradicated and it was deemed it safe to enter the encampment. But first, they broke the devastating news to families, friends, and the general public: approximately 10% of the city-camp residents had succumbed to the outbreak. And going forward, for everyone's safety, entry was allowed only under guided citycamp tours at designated days and times.

But the controlling measures didn’t stop there. Non-residents could meet with and see the camp residents, but people were no longer allowed unsupervised visitation within the camps, which also included no physical contact. No touching, hugging, kissing, or sex was allowed between camp residents and the outside residents. Visitors were required to wear surgical masks at all time on camp grounds. Officials claimed these were merely precautions since they could not be 100% certain that all outbreaks had been eradicated and didn't want to take any chances by spreading contagions to non-city camp residents via physical contact. Everyone went along with it, begrudgingly, but suspicions were not fully allayed.

All kinds of theories abounded as to what the real purpose of close supervision and no physical contact was about. Some speculated that the prohibition against physical contact was really about officials not wanting the higher IQ population procreating with the lower IQ population. To prevent the proliferation of lower intelligence, it made sense to prevent less intelligent people from procreating with those with better intelligence, as the average of the two parents might produce offspring with lower intelligence than the more highly intelligent parent, which was less than ideal. And perhaps even more imperative was to prevent the lower IQ 94

population from breeding with each other, producing more unintelligent people. Another theory in circulation was that forced chemical sterilization procedures were being unlawfully enacted on the camp residents through what were supposed to be innocuous flu vaccinations, in additional attempts to further suppress the spread of low intelligence, and officials didn’t want visitors stumbling on any evidence that this was happening. In light of the fact that research and data indicates a reasonably strong basis for the heritability of IQ, these theories, while a bit conspiratorial, didn’t seem too unreasonable. Given the governments increasing obsession with preserving and increasing intelligence so that people would be able to handle the demands of complex, technical jobs, combined with concerns about managing the burden of the less intelligent population, speculation abounded. It was becoming all too clear that officials were hiding and/or trying to prevent something.

Another recent so-called outbreak caused the tours and visitations to stop completely, and there hadn’t been any tours in the last year. And there had been no more updates regarding the status of the city-camp citizens, who the non-city camp population had begun to regard as “detainees.”

Carol sat quietly in the barn, stoically reflecting on recent conversations and events, waiting for the other Mensa members in the area to show up who knew about what was going. They had agreed to use their collective brain power to come up with a plan to put an end to the atrocities that had recently come to light. But then her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the unmistakable sound of tires rolling on gravel. Multiple vehicles were slowly approaching the barn. Honestly, she was relieved because it was now dark, and she didn't like being alone in a creepy and creaky old barn on the outskirts of civilization.

Carol got up and sauntered over to the barn door, anticipating the arrival of Marcus, Jacob and other members involved in the undertaking. She heard car doors opening then closing. As she strolled over to the door, she noticed that they seemed pretty quiet outside, but the meeting and topic at hand was a serious one, so everyone’s reticence was understandable.

She did not anticipate what happened next. As smart as she was, she should have considered the possibility, but she hadn’t. And it all happened very fast.

As she slid open the barn door, the first thing she saw was the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle pointed directly at her face. She looked around and

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realized she was surrounded by several armed, uniformed men standing around black SUVs. “Hand ups! Get down on the ground now,” a man's voice barked loudly.

Terrified, Carol immediately complied. “Don't shoot,” she shouted, “don't shoot!”

Carol, on her knees, cowered, trembling with fear. The man who had yelled at her swaggered over to her, exuding a palpable degree of menace. Carol nearly soiled herself as he knelt down on one knee, facing Carol. Although kneeling, he towered over her. He, like his companions, was dressed entirely in black. He was rail thin, had jet black hair and had terrible acne scars all over his face. He also had a pair of emotionless black, beady, and unkind eyes.

He locked eyes with her, with an expressionless look on his face. “I’m sorry to say your little pow-wow has been canceled, Carol,” his voice low, measured and slightly mechanical. His faced then suddenly changed to consternation. “Oh, I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself ... I’m Negan!” he declared, placing his hand over his chest in a self-referential manner.

“We’re all Negan,” he said throwing a quick glance to one of his surrounding associates. Carol continued to cower, silently terrified.

“Negan” studied her reaction carefully for a protracted moment. “Just kidding,” he finally snorted, throwing his head back, laughing. “Name’s Vick, pleased to meet you,” he continued in a more casual and friendly tone. “What?” He continued on with mock surprise. “Not a Walking Dead fan? That show was a classic! I was downright heart broken when the series finally ended in 2020.” Then Vick's tone changed once again. He sighed and shook his head. “You know what you peoples’ problem is? As smart as you are, you’re never as smart as you think you are. You didn’t think Simon would find you? You thought somehow Simon wouldn’t find out about your little rendezvous in this God-forsaken place? Listen, sweetheart, no one’s smarter than Simon, not even you and all of your brainiac friends combined!”

Simon was an AI program the government had launched in 2022, named after Simon Von Kirschner, the man with highest recorded IQ in the world.

The purpose of this program was to gather and interpret incomprehensibly vast amounts of knowledge, amongst other things. The government used Simon for a wide variety of different tasks. Apparently locating government detractors was among them. According to the government, Simon’s program was “intelligently and continuously self-enhancing,” which was a 96

fancy way of saying that Simon just keeps getting increasingly more knowledgeable and smarter.

“Simon saayyzzz...looks like our little tête-à-tête is over!” Vick declared triumphantly as he rose to his feet. “No hard labor and diggin’ shallow graves tonight, boys,” he announced in a loud and gleeful manner to his associates. “This one’s special. She’s smart as hell - so instead, we’re bringin’ her in!” Vick continued to study Carol closely with his dark, emotionless eyes. “You’re a lucky woman, Carol, a very lucky woman, I mean, really, you have no idea,” he continued, smiling broadly, looking down at her. He hesitated a moment, then winked at her. “Don't worry, Carol, we’re gonna take care of you...real good care of you.”

Part 2 Carol sat in her oversized, plush lounge chair staring silently out of the window in her quarters, watching the fog dissipate over the lake. It had been a foggy day and finally sunlight was breaking through the dense mist.

Today was one of her days off and on her days off, which were Tuesday and Wednesday, she liked to simply watch the gentle waves lapping the shoreline from the window in her quarters because it was a calming and relaxing respite from her daily life. Daily life now revolved around attempting to hack into Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies, fertility treatments, and managing pregnancies. After she had been convicted and tried for treason against the U.S. government, she was required to live in a facility populated with other “valuable” traitors. The facility housed highly intelligent and highly skilled young women who had caused problems for the government and needed to be contained and controlled but who were simply too valuable to be executed. The government maximized the value of its prisoners by requiring them to participate in a program to increase the incidence of high intelligence in the general population, which included fertility treatments, pregnancies, and egg donations.

Carol picked at her meal; five-cheese lasagna with toasty garlic bread and side salad drizzled with a delicious Champaign vinaigrette. The food was good. Officials wanted to ensure that the food in these types of facilities was both nutritious and appetizing to help ensure that all the women, within child-bearing age, were one, healthy, and two, would actually eat the food. Poor nutrition can cause fertility problems, which was to be avoided at almost any cost. So to ward off fertility issues, officials enacted many protocols (good food just one of them) to offset the stress of imprisonment since stress, in general, also impairs fertility. In addition to nutritious and delicious cuisine, every inmate had a private room, similar to an upscale 97

hotel room, but smaller, which also included private bathrooms. The mattresses were thick and comfortable and the sheets and blankets were soft, if not downright luxurious. Each room came equipped with a lounge chair, a small table, and table chair. Each room had a lake view. Inmates got three square meals a day plus unlimited snacks. So as not to tax the women too much, working hours were set very reasonably at 30 hours per week, 5 hours per day. There was a nice fitness facility on site and the ladies could walk on the beach. However, no matter what officials did to offset the stressors, life in the facility was still an Orwellian nightmare. It wasn’t just the forced insemination resulting in forced pregnancies and forced egg donations, which was a horror unto itself. It wasn’t just that there was no TV, no radio, or no Internet allowed unless it was necessary for work, as access to the aforementioned luxuries meant access to information and modes of communication, all of which could be a very dangerous thing in the hands of highly intelligent people. No, these things were actually not the most stressful. It was the fact that the women had to be alone when in their rooms and when they were not in their rooms, they were watched constantly to ensure non-fraternization at all times. The government didn’t trust the inmates, fearing their intelligence and fearing that if allowed interaction, they might collaborate and find ways to escape or change the system. No amount of good food, soft bedding, reasonable working hours, or privacy could truly offset the stress caused by being denied socializing and companionship.

But, if it’s not already obvious, that wasn’t even the worst part. It was having their babies taken at birth, never to be seen again. This is was a horror beyond words. And it happened over and over. There was a palpable, deep and abiding sadness and despair that permeated and saturated every inch of the facility, grounds and the very air itself, born of never-ending cycles of mourning over the loss of hundreds and thousands of babies, which was nearly impossible to bare. All that, combined with the inability to share the pain and burden of this terrible predicament with anyone was nothing short of soul-crushing.

Carol pushed her plate away. As she considered the bottle of aspirin sitting in front of her, she felt an overwhelming contempt for the stupidity of the guards. Not just the mere fleeting annoyance one feels in the moment when subjected to or witnessing something dumb someone has said or done. No, this was deeper. More visceral. More primal. Double-digit IQ guards supervised and lorded themselves over much smarter people, and the guards really got off on it. It made them feel special and powerful to be in control of the smart people.

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The women resorted to passing notes like insolent school girls when the guards weren’t looking in order to communicate with each other. Through their note-passing activities, they had begun to develop a one and only nickname which was applied to each and every guard: Double-Digit.

Watch out - Double-Digit is coming. Quick, before Double-Digit sees you!

Don't let Double-Digit catch you doing that.

It had become the insult of choice.

That guard I slipped that note past last week probably doesn’t have an IQ over 95, Carol thought to herself silently. That’s just six points shy of idiot city, her thoughts continued, racing and fueling her mounting disdain.

Honestly, Carol continued thinking, how do double-digit IQ people even manage to tie their own shoes? They really need to relax city-camp admission standards, she thought, as rage began to pulse through her veins and fill every cell of her body. Hell, why don’t they just open up admission to anyone with a double-digit IQ? Why stop at below 90? Just let all the double-digits in. Then quarantine the camps and release another super-virus into all of them.

Carol snickered to herself. She was on a roll. She had grown to love indulging in this disgusting kind of thinking; even though, she knew it was elitist, deeply cruel, and positively demented. She couldn’t stop herself. She was regularly on the verge of becoming totally unhinged, and to prevent a complete melt down, she vented her frustration on the less intellectually fortunate, who were easy targets. She reasoned that she had literally risked her very life to rescue dimwits from oppression and genocide and look where it had gotten her? A solitary life birthing babies she would never see again after their birth and constant, humiliating physical violations from the doctors treating her. Carol had been at the facility for nine years and had been impregnated six times. She had given birth to six children. Initially, the emotional pain and psychological devastation from these losses had been indescribable, but was replaced by slowly building, smoldering rage. Carol had become so acrimonious in the months and years of her confinement that she no longer recognized herself. She no longer liked herself. As a matter of fact, she now despised what she had become. And she knew she couldn’t live with herself any longer.

And so it had come to this for Carol. All of the recent, furtive note passing had culminated in this surreal moment. She reached for the bottle of aspirin sitting next to her half eaten lasagna. A fine last meal if there ever was one, she thought to herself, although she would have preferred a jumbo lobster 99

tail covered in a buttery wine sauce with a nice bottle of chardonnay. She got up from her chair, walked over to her bed, and sat resolutely. She then began to quickly down several aspirin at time, washing them down as quickly as possible with a thirty-two ounce container of water until she had finished off the entire bottle, containing well over a hundred aspirin tablets.

Carol lay down and watched the sunset over the lake. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, emanating a warm and welcoming orange glow, slipping further and further out of view, her eyes grew heavier. This sunset reminded her of those long-ago moments standing in front of the barn and magnificent Midwest sunset she had witnessed that fateful night many years ago. And then in the final moments before she lost consciousness, a black bird landed on her window sill. It stood silently and motionless for a moment, watching her from the other side of the glass.

The effects of the aspirin were kicking in. Her breathing and heart rate slowing considerably; her cognitive ability declining, Carol did not have the capacity to consider why the bird was simply staring at her. Then the bird did a peculiar thing. It started pecking the window pane. All she could do was watch the bird through partially open eyes as it pecked the window repetitively, during her final moments of consciousness. Her last thoughts were a mere haunting echo of words reverberating within her rapidly fading mind: smart...vicious.

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VERONICA PINKERTON

Werewolf’s Bride Tonight in the forest by hunter and curate Wolf with many scars was killed by silver bullet.

A yellow rose falls on the ice, The yellow sparkles hid deep in my eyes.

My legs are not weakened, I’m just stepping quiet, My love’s death will not stop the call of the wild.

A black rose falls on the snow, Someone will die tonight, someone I know.

My footprints are changing from two into four, My love will not come back to me anymore.

A red rose falls on the road, Someone will die in the place where I go.

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DANIEL POTMESIL

Datatopia Short Story The year is 2020, just a year and a half from now. We have evolved as a society to a status system based on data all social media and wireless networks collect on us. This data project was formed by a collaborative effort between Facebook and Google, two of the most powerful IT entities of the last 15 years. Initially users were led to believe that data wasn’t being collected and stored that had any personally identifiable information.

However, many users knew this wasn’t accurate, and it wasn’t until mandates from both Google and Facebook that accounts were suspended if anyone opted out of tracking data. Well, being the puppets many of us are, we caved and agreed to data tracking. Users that opted out have essentially been shunned by friends and family and have limited internet or social media access. It sounds far-fetched but is it? With major financial kickbacks from the Google/Facebook conglomerate, wireless providers, communication providers, and even politicians caved to pressure to change privacy laws. Google and Facebook presented the idea that data had to be tracked in order to provide better connectivity and more personalized services. Everyone was given “fitness” tracking watches, but the watches were much more than that; the watches tracked and recorded everything.

At some point in the last year and a half, all of this tracking eventually led to user ratings. These ratings were based on activity, feedback, survey responses, personal interactions, and social circles just to name a few. Literally, social status was based on a rating system given by Facebook and Google. If you disagreed with someone, you lost a point; if you argued a point that the majority didn’t agree with, you lost a point. I think you get the picture. The world has evolved to a lack of productive debates, a lack of opinions, and your social existence pretty much relies on conformity. If your overall reviews were too low, people shunned you. You wouldn’t be waited on, you wouldn’t get service, and your score would only go lower if you argued your case. How did we get to this point in society where free thinking was punished and we had to think and feel like the majority to have any social status at all? How did we allow this to happen?

When exactly did it happen? You can’t point to 2018 or any specific time before that because like the details in this story there is so much left out.

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Data has its purpose; we know that. We also know that misuse of data and information can really hinder growth, success, thought, and discussion. It can and will skew our personalities, our beliefs, and our freedoms, things we take for granted every day. Like controlled drones or better yet, puppets, we let social media influence dictate us and our daily activity. We care more about our status and ignore our family and friends.

We allow social media to raise our children; in a sense we live in a virtual world and seem to have lost all touch with reality. The year is 2020, just a year and a half from now. Seems like an impossibility, right? We would never let this happen; we are too strong and too resilient you say. I don’t have a reliance on social media or being connected you say. You just sit there and roll your eyes at such a far-fetched reality. It would never happen, not in real life. However, when you look around, you realize that so much of it already is happening. Social media and conformity have walked us right to the edge of the cliff: just a little persuading, and I am sure we will jump.

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CONTRIBUTORS (Appearing in alphabetical order) Lori Labra is a thirty-three-year-old student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Analytics at Bellevue University. She has a passion for learning new things. In addition to being a student, she also works full time at Allstate Insurance Co. as a workflow coordinator for their complaints department. In her spare time, Lori enjoys spending time with her husband and their beagle, reading, and growing and tending plants in her garden.

Robert Millwood. I am a Bellevue University student from South Carolina. I am currently enrolled in the Supply Chain, Transportation, and Logistics Business Management program. I am on schedule to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in August of 2018, and I am on pace to graduate with honors. I served six years in the South Carolina Air National Guard. I have already applied concepts I’ve learned in the Bellevue University program to functions in my current job position, and I feel confident that my degree will help me to advance in my professional career!

Aspen Oliverius. I am twenty-eight years old. My life consists of working full time, raising a stubborn but wonderful eight-year-old boy, taking care of two loving dogs, and managing to do it all without destroying my house.

Some of the things I enjoy doing include reading, writing, coloring, doing puzzles, and playing with my son. Writing has always been something I am very passionate about. It allows me to express myself and share my thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences with others. Writing can be a magical thing!

Deborah Petru is a senior consultant on the learning and development team in Union Pacific’s Marketing and Sales Department. Debbie is pursuing her master’s in Business and Professional Communication with anticipated graduation in June 2019. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2000 from UNO. She has a longstanding interest in training and development and is obtaining her facilitation certifications in Emergenetics and The Challenger Sale. She looks forward to developing curriculum and innovative teaching tools conducive to adult learning preferences. She enjoys biking, hiking, and traveling and soon will become a mother.

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Veronika Pinkerton. When you fall down on the ground and crush into pieces, and if you decide to rebuild yourself back after that, you may realize there is not much worth holding to. There may be only 2-3 pieces of you big enough to matter; everything else is a dust that your trembling fingers can't hold as it is blown away by the wind. It happened to me once, and one of the pieces that kept me together through dark times was writing. So I am here - and writing, of course.

Deborah Reese is a professional writer and current master’s Management of Information Systems degree candidate. A returning student, Deborah also previously earned an MBA from Bellevue University and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Her experiences as an MBA student, including the encouragement of great professors, motivated her to pursue writing professionally.

Fredy Rincon. I have been creating art as far back as my hands would allow. I am of Mexican decent and was born in Los Angeles, California.

Omaha, Nebraska has been my home for some time now. I live with my wife, Nicola, and our four children. In past years, I won the OEAA award for best emerging artist and the OEAA award for best 3D artist.

Furthermore, I was a part of the Horses of Honor program where I designed and painted the Kerrie Orozco horse. Currently, I am finishing up my degree at Bellevue University and hope to publish two books within the year.

Connie Sixta graduated from Bellevue University with a master’s degree in Business and Professional Communication in June 2018. She is employed at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb., as the Associate Dean of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. She is married and has two grown children who are both married and one granddaughter. She is a lifelong learner and encourages others to pursue their dreams through hard work and persistence.

Warren Stull is a senior cybersecurity and technical advisor for Headquarters Air Force (HAF), Security, Special Access Program (SAP) Oversight and Information Protection Division (SAF/AAZ) at the Pentagon, Washington DC. For the past two years, he has provided technical and architecture oversight of the Air Force Insider Threat Program, ensuring integration with Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise capabilities. Additionally, he has spent several years as a Senior Software Developer and Cloud Solutions Architect. In 2017, he earned the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.

He has served the United States Air Force for more than 32 years as an 105

Active Duty Military Member, Contractor, and currently a Government Civilian. A decorated Veteran who specialized in explosives/munitions, he provided his skills in combat operations during the Gulf War (Aug 1990 to March 1991) as part of a 34-nation, UN-Coalition Force.

Ann Vogel. I am a soon-to-be graduate of Bellevue University and likely one of the oldest graduates in the class of 2018. Over the last twenty-one months, I have taken classes with professors scattered around the country while working from my home in Washington D.C. I have commiserated with classmates who live hundreds of miles away and have made some friends along the way. My experience at Bellevue is changing the course of my life — not sure exactly how it will play out, but it has compelled me to explore new avenues and push myself in new directions. So, my bio, is something that remains a work-in-progress.

Amber Wolk is a first-year student in the Business program at Bellevue University after having been out of the world of academia for fifteen years.

She is a certified lactation counselor and advanced lactation consultant certified through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. Amber is both a military brat and military spouse, and she has been lucky enough to travel throughout much of America and Europe. Currently, she resides in northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. with her husband, two sons, and three rescue dogs. In the very little spare time she has, Amber enjoys volunteering with her son’s Cub Scout pack, running, and doing puzzles.

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