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The HOPE Scholarship began in the State of Georgia in 1993 and is a statewide, merit-based scholarship program for postsecondary students. The program is fully funded by the revenues received from the state’s lottery program, the Georgia lottery, which disproportionately receives contributions from minority and low-income populations. Using logistic and OLS regression analysis this research investigates the distributional equity of the HOPE Scholarship by comparing the award receipts of postsecondary students in Georgia. The study found that the race, ethnicity, immigrant generational status, first generation college student, and financial independence have a negative impact on the likelihood of a student receiving the HOPE Scholarship. The findings also suggest that HOPE Scholarship recipients who are black or African American, first generation college students, and those with financial independence receive less overall funding than those without these qualities. These results provide sound evidence that the HOPE Scholarship, a merit-based program targeted at helping to reduce educational disparities, may be failing to reduce higher education inequities in the state. Given the established relationship between education and future economic success, these types of merit-based, state-wide programs may inadvertently exacerbate existing disparities. Recommendations include a mandated program analysis to promote accountability among program administrators, policymakers, and the greater public.

Today, school bullying does not just stop in the schoolyard. When children return home after a school day filled with bullying incidents they are oftentimes tormented by a new phenomenon: cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. Today, more adolescents and teens have access to technological mediums than ever before. Although different forms of technology can be used in productive manners, they are often misused by youth to torment their peers. Some researchers believe that cyberbullying can be even more detrimental than traditional bullying because cyberbullies can target victims through a variety of mediums, at any time. Cyberbullying can lead to harms ranging from short to long-term physical, psychological, intrapersonal and interpersonal effects in bullies, victims, and even cyberbystanders. School administrators struggle with the desire to help protect students from cyberbullying but are unsure of how they can intervene in activities involving off-campus behavior. These administrators have to find balance between protecting victims and avoiding violating the legal rights of bullies. Therefore, legislation and school policies must be updated and implemented to offer more guidance to administrators and protect students against cyberbullying. The purpose of this capstone project is to synthesize cyberbullying research among school-aged children and describe current policies in place to address this problem. Finally, policy recommendations for the state of Georgia will be offered so that systems and programs created to respond to and prevent cyberbullying may effectively reduce the occurrence of this behavior.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine the change in smoking policy status among bars and restaurants since the Georgia Smokefree Air Act of 2005 was implemented and identify restaurant and bar characteristics that are associated with allowing smoking. Methods: Data was obtained from similar Georgia indoor air surveys conducted in 2006 and 2012. Both surveys were designed to gather information about restaurant and bar smoking policies and examine owner and manager perceptions of the Georgia Smokefree Air Act. Descriptive analysis and paired sample t-tests were performed to identify changes in smoking policy status and other variables over time. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were used to test for significant associations between establishment smoking policy status and other characteristics. Results: The percent of restaurants and bars in Georgia allowing smoking nearly doubled from 9.2% in 2006 to 18.2% in 2012. The analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the percentage of establishments allowing smoking when minors are present. After adjusting for the effects of other variables, three variables were significant predictors of allowing smoking: having seats for drinking outdoors, having a liquor license, and generating greater than or equal to 25% of gross sales from alcohol. Conclusions: The Smokefree Air Act was enacted to protect the health and welfare of Georgia citizens, but the percentage of establishments allowing smoking has risen since it was implemented. These results suggest that policy makers should reevaluate the law and consider strengthening it to make restaurants and bars 100% smokefree without exemptions.

My thesis will examine the life and political career of Georgian statesman Eduard Shevardnadze. I have chosen to examine Shevardnadze through a Machiavellian lens; I will examine Shevardnadze’s politics while considering Machiavelli’s central ideologies. I have attempted to provide a context by which to understand Shevardnadze’s life and how it has allowed him to become a modern day Machiavellian figure.

This study conducts a multi-isotopic bioarchaeological analysis of the Avondale Burial Place (McArthur Cemetery), a recently discovered Emancipation-era African American cemetery near Macon, GA. Stable isotopic analyses were performed on available dental remains in order to reconstruct the diet and demography of the individuals buried at McArthur Cemetery. Specifically, δ18O and δ13C were characterized in tooth enamel and examined in tandem with collaborative osteological and mortuary analyses to reconstruct early-life diet and residential origin. The results suggest that members of the Avondale community buried in McArthur did not experience significant mobility, but rather resided in the area for most of their lives. Overall, these results greatly contribute to the genealogical research of McArthur Cemetery’s descendants as well as the fragmented history of the South by exploring whether the individuals in this community took part in the Great Migration following the Civil War.

This thesis is a collection of original poems written during my time at GSU in the Master of Arts program.

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of recommendations from selected educational reports and state mandates on curriculum, standards and policy in teacher education programs. The survey population included deans of teacher education in thirty-five public and private colleges in the states of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. The study also determined the attitude of the deans regarding the recommendations from the selected reports and state mandates in the survey states and colleges. The recommendations analyzed in the study were from the reports: A Nation At Risk. The Imperative for Education Reform, High School. A Report on Secondary Education in America, Meeting-the Need for Quality. Action in-the South, Paideia Proposal: An Educational-Manifesto, and A Place Called School. Prospects for the Future.A thirty item questionnaire containing recommendations from the selected reports and state mandates related to states surveyed was developed and utilized. Six research questions were tested statistically by use of percent response, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation,analysis of variance and covariance, and Chi-Square. The .05 level of significance was established as the critical probability level for the significant results. The .01 level was also indicated to further identify levels of significance.Conclusions1. There was a greater tendency for the deans of teacher education to agree with the recommendations that had been implemented and a tendency to disagree with the recommendations that were not implemented.2. The majority of the recommendations that were standard oriented were implemented or proposed for implementation.3. A majority of the recommendations that were policy oriented were not considered for implementation.4. The majority of the deans did not favor recommendations that stressed stringent standards regarding the admittance of students to teacher education programs.5. The majority of the deans did not favor reform in curriculum such as the recommendations related to pedagogy and teaching methods, and were divided between disagree and undecided regarding the merits of a five year teacher education program.6. The type of institution did make a difference when responding to recommendations from the reports. The private colleges favored more of the recommendations that were curricula oriented. The public colleges favored more recommendations that were standard oriented. The majorityof the predominantly black colleges did not favor recommendations that emphasized raising the entrance and exit standards in teacher education.This study found that state mandates had greatest influence on teacher education since the release of the national reform reports of 1983-1984. The national reports were not found to have significant influence on teacher education reform regarding implementation of suggested reform; however, the attitudes of the deans supported such reform effort in teacher education.

Introduction: According to the CDC (2008), tobacco-related deaths out number deaths from alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, murders, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and illegal drug use. One out of every five deaths in the United States can be attributed to tobacco, culminating in a staggering 443,000 deaths in the US every year. Smoking is also the leading preventable cause of death in America (CDC, 2008). In 2006, the Surgeon General’s Report speaks to not only the detrimental effects of smoking, but also the harmful effects second hand smoke can have on an individual’s health. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control’s Office of Smoking and Health reported that 49,400 deaths every year in the US are the result of second hand smoke exposure, of which 46,000 will have died from heart disease attributable to second hand smoke in the environment in which they live, work, play, and learn (CDC, 2008). While the negative health outcomes with tobacco use have inundated mainstream media and literature, tobacco use has another large and devastating effect on communities around the world. That effect is the result of Tobacco Product Litter (TPL). Beyond the unsightliness of TPL, several other unwanted complications to society result from the disregarded refuse, such as harm to the environment and damages incurred by other businesses not associated at all with tobacco products. Rationale for Intervention: First and foremost the Tobacco-Free GSU Initiative was intended to promote the health of the Georgia State University community consisting of students, faculty, and staff. The American College Health Association (2009) recommends 100% tobacco-free campuses, indoors and outdoors. Studies have shown that non-smokers and smokers attending college are in favor of campus policies that control the use of tobacco on campus (Rigotti, Regan, Moran, et al., 2003; Thompson B, Coronado GD, Chen L, et al., 2006). Sawdey et al. (2011) cites the need for the implementation of smoke-free policies by campuses in order to utilize the opportunity to create an atmosphere conducive to tobacco cessation. Considering that one third of young Americans attend a college or university (Rigotti et al., 2003), exposing one third of the youth population of the United States to a tobacco-free environment could potentially change the socially acceptable norms of using tobacco, whist simultaneously creating an environment free of TPL. Intervention Strategy Analysis: Tobacco-Free GSU utilized a methodology similar to the strategies Glassman, Reindel and Whewell outlined in their 2011 study Strategies for Implementing a Tobacco-Free Campus. The Glassman et al. (2011) strategy included: Creating a Committee, Utilizing a Student Debate, Publicity, Drafting of a Potential Policy, Targeting the College or University Board of Trustees, Addressing Barriers to Becoming Tobacco-Free, Student Involvement, Administrative and Staff Support, Resources, and Enforcement Conclusion: In order to facilitate the best possible outcome, we recommend those seeking to create a tobacco-free campus utilize the strategies outlined throughout this document, whilst creating strategies specific to their location, population, and situation.

Dawn Jones's sorority sisters thought she made a big mistake marrying blue-collar Reginald. But thanks to hard work and belief in each other, Dawn and Reginald left the big city and made their own happiness, complete with a comfortable home and two lively children. Dawn can't wait to show everyone just how perfect her choices were—especially when her mega-successful best friend, Sasha, shows up to visit. But she never expected Sasha would like Reginald so much she'd steal him for herself. . .or that Reginald would see Sasha as a second chance to pursue hopes he never fulfilled. With her perfect life now in shambles, Dawn will do whatever it takes to regain what she's lost. But the road back will mean facing the hardest of truths, even tougher choices—and risking more than she ever imagined to discover what her life could really be.