Young people who are on the verge of maturity today have come of age during a period of rapid social change. The impact of such changes on personal values and attitudes raises the question as to whether these young people have lost formerly accepted social values, have retained them in part or whether they are in the process of discovering new ones... The purpose of this study is to analyze some prevailing attitudes toward the Church and some of its activities among college students. This analysis of attitudes toward the Church is part of a larger undertaking of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station which is studying country life trends in Virginia from 1900-1950. The Church section of the large study carries forward a bulletin published in 1929 / Master of Science

Using data from the 1990 Census of Population and Housing, the relationship between socioeconomic status and residential distribution was examined for the black population in four Virginia cities, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Norfolk, and Richmond. Three indexes were employed to measure degrees of segregation at the census tract level. These indexes were, dissimilarity, interaction, and isolation. The dissimilarity index is a measure of the evenness of residential distribution of minority members. The interaction index is a measure of the probability of minority residential contact with majority members. The isolation index is a measure of the probability of residential isolation of minority members. Census tracts were classified according to the extent of racial changes that took place in these tracts. Socioeconomic status of black residents was measured over two dimensions: education and income. The association between minority socioeconomic achievement and degrees of segregation was estimated with multiple regression. A majority of the regression results supported the human ecology theory that minority spatial assimilation is an outcome of socioeconomic achievements. Findings also suggested that the relationship between minority socioeconomic status and degrees of segregation did not vary in strength in the hierarchical pattern predicted by previous human ecology studies of segregation. The findings provide a minor departure from the traditional theory of human ecology. The regression models estimating the effects of socioeconomic variables on residential dissimilarity and residential isolation showed statistical significance. The regression models estimating the effects of socioeconomic variables on residential contact did not show statistical significance. This might suggest that present measures of residential segregation and socioeconomic status need to improved. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to examine tenant participation in self-sufficiency programs in Hampton Public Housing and to explore relationships that might exist between participation in programs, demographic factors, and housing values. A theoretical framework was developed based on the human needs theory and an adaptation of the home values test. Programs offered to the Pine Chapel community of Hampton, Virginia were ranked by HUD administrators to determine programs most likely to assist residents in achieving self-sufficiency. Higher ranked programs were related to education for adults and children. Data was collected from 42 residents. The sample consisted, primarily of black female single parents between 19 and 25 years old. Chi Square analysis was performed to test three hypotheses. Marital status, number of dependents, and household type were found to be significantly related to level of program participation. Findings indicate that households most likely to be involved in higher-level programs were married-couple households, households with two dependents, or dual-parent and multi-generational households. Most respondents had lower-level housing values. However, marital status was significantly related to housing values. Households most likely to have higher level housing values were those where respondents were separated, widowed, or divorced. No significant relationship was found between the level of program participation and the level of housing values. Conclusions reached were that households with two adults present may have offered more opportunities for respondents’ participation in educational programs. Most participant households included children and their program involvement often centered around children. / Master of Science

Using data collected by the Virginia Agricultural Statistical Service in 1989, off-farm labor participation models were developed to identify factors that influence the probability that a farm operator or spouse in Virginia would choose to work off the farm. The sample indicated that a substantial proportion of Virginia farms had at least one member working off the farm. Higher total incomes were also earned by families with an operator and/or spouse working off the farm. In addition, the proportion of total income originating from off-farm sources was large regardless of whether the operator or spouse worked off the farm or not. As a result of this survey, the picture developed of farm operators and spouses in Virginia is different than a traditional view of farming would support. Because of the dichotomous dependent variable and the different responses expected from the operator and spouse, probit analysis was selected to estimate separate participation models for the farm operator and spouse. The empirical results reveal that human capital, labor supply and labor demand characteristics influence the off-farm employment decisions of both the operator and spouse, though not in a uniform manner. Additionally, variables found to be important to off-farm labor force participation were primarily not farm specific. Changes in the non-farm economy are expected to affect the majority of Virginia farms more than changes in the farm economy. It is also clear that the majority of farm families in Virginia have a vested interest in efforts made to develop and strengthen the local economy. / Master of Science

With an average employee turnover rate of nearly 250% in the food service industry, operators agree that this problem is probably the most pervasive in the industry. An estimation of seven to ten percent of revenue is spent on turnover. This study addresses an approach to diminish this figure by enhancing employee job satisfaction which the literature reveals is a precursor to the decision or intent to leave. One of the major influences of satisfaction is the quality of the manager/subordinate relationship. Therefore, the current research investigates the potential of managerial behavioral characteristics and their effects on subordinate job satisfaction. Through a set of three surveys, respondents were asked to identify how important 77 behaviors were to them in their manager, their personal level of job satisfaction and the level of competency their immediate supervisor displays on the importance behaviors. Through correlation analysis 51 behaviors were identified as having significant relationships to the composite job satisfaction score. Seventeen variables saw higher correlation values for respondents who indicated the behavior is "Very Important" to them in a manager they work for. This supports one of the hypotheses which states that the level of importance an employee designates to a particular behavior influences whether or not the level of competency can affect job satisfaction. The results of this study can be immediately operationalized through training and development programs provided to managers. By increasing the level of satisfaction through these programs, management could transfer turnover dollars into profit dollars, an advantage to any organization. / Master of Science

This research examines the park site selection process in Virginia. This task was accomplished through personal interviews with parks and recreation professionals involved in the park site selection process. This information was augmented with an investigation into the site planning literature on capability/feasibility studies. The research focused on how parks and recreation departments determined recreation need, identified potential sites and evaluated those potential sites, hoping to find a common site selection process. The research identified a common site selection process in the literature but not in the field. Although a common site selection process was not identified, several common elements were identified for the site identification and evaluation portions of the processes. From the findings and the literature review, a site selection process has been outlined in the recommendations section of this paper. / Master of Landscape Architecture

The objective of this thesis is to determine the effectiveness of Federal, state and local government interactions in administration of tidal wetland protection measures in Virginia. Federal protection for wetlands is authorized by the Clean Water Act [33 U.S.C.A. 1251 et seq. (1986), as amended (Supp. 1987)] and the Rivers and Harbors Act [33 U.S.C.A. 401 et seq. (1986), as amended (Supp. 1987)]. State and local authority is provided by the Virginia Wetlands Act [Va.Code Ann., sec. 62.1-13.1 et seq. (1987)]. Because of overlapping jurisdictions of the statutes, Federal, state, and local governments must interact while implementing wetland protection programs. Effective interactions between the various levels of government are important for the preservation and protection of tidal wetlands. If the three levels of government are able to efficiently administer a program that provides adequate protection of wetlands, similar programs may be applied in other areas such as non-point source pollution control. A history of the development of the wetlands protection program is presented along with a description of applicable statutes, regulations, and permitting requirements. Included is an analysis of the implementation of the wetland statutes by case studies of program operations, a comparison of decisions on applications made by the three different government agencies, and identification of impacts and future trends of the wetland protection programs. / Master of Science

The relationships between contaminant removal from impervious pavements and raindrop impact energy, cumulative kinetic energy of rainfall events, and rainwater fit were evaluated. A commercial urban area was chosen to perform simulated rainfall experiments. The runoff from these experiments was collected and analyzed for total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, soluble Kjeldahl nitrogen, oxidized nitrogen, ammonia, ortho-phosphate, total phosphorus, soluble phosphorus, total lead and total zinc. Raindrop impact energy, rainfall intensity, rainfall duration, and rainwater pH were factors which were varied to examine their effect on contaminant wash-off phenomena. The present exponential decay theory of contaminant removal was verified and modified to incorporate the cumulative kinetic energy of rainfall events. An empirical model for contaminant removal was also developed. Data showed that both raindrop impact energy and cumulative storm energy had significant effects on contaminant removal. Contaminant wash-off was found to be independent of rainwater pH except for solids removal at low rain intensities. Additional results indicated that there is a "threshold impact energy" necessary before significant removal of contaminants associated with insoluble material can occur. The kinetic energy attributed to surface runoff overflow was found to be very important in the mechanisms responsible for contaminant removal at high rainfall intensities. / M.S.

The Saltville-Broadford area is largely on the northwestern limb of the Greendale syncline in the Valley and Ridge Province of Virginia. The area mapped covers 12 square miles of the northwest corner of Smyth County, Virginia. The rocks in the area ranging in age from Cambrian to Mississippian are found in three different structural settings, the hanging wall and footwall of the Saltville fault, and in two thrust slices located along the trace of the Saltville fault. The hanging wall consists of the Honaker Dolomite of Cambrian age and younger rocks outside the map area. The footwall consists of the Price Sandstone, Maccrady Shale and Little Valley Limestone all of Mississippian age and older rocks outside the map area. The larger of the two slices consists of an overturned sequence of the Juniata Sandstone of Ordovician age to the Brallier Formation of Devonian age. The smaller slice consists of undifferentiated Devonian shale. The Saltville fault, a low-angle thrust, has overturned and cut off the southeastern limb of the Greendale syncline. During thrusting, two slices, at least one of which is overturned, were carried with the overriding block to their present positions. A total of 12,500 feet of movement was measured where the Cambrian, Honaker Dolomite is in fault contact with the Mississippian Little Valley Limestone. Total movement of the fault is believed to be of the order of 4 miles. The upper part of the Mississippian Maccrady Formation is a sequence of evaporites. Halite and gypsum constitute the chief economy of the Saltville area. / M.S.

In an effort to determine the extent and type of usage of the libraries of the various high schools in District "M," a questionnaire was formulated. The group of students who composed the Graduate Seminar at Radford College during the Summer Session, 1950, cooperated with the study by responding to the first draft of the questionnaire; then by offering constructive criticisms. With the incorporation of their suggestions, the resulting instrument; found in Appendix "C," was mailed to all of the schools included in the study. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: first, Organization and Administration of the Library; second, Kind and Extent of Library Usage. / M.S.