The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and performance of native and community college transfer students at a rural land grant institution. The study included students’ perceptions of the following areas: (1) academic and intellectual development; (2) faculty concern of student development and teaching; (3) social integration; (4) goal and institutional commitment; and (5) transfer students’ perceptions of their transfer process. The theoretical framework of the study was Tinto’s Longitudinal Model of Student Departure. A survey research design was employed in this investigative study to collect and analyze the data. A total of 567 Mississippi State University (MSU) students participated in the research study. An instrument entitled The Student Experience Survey was used to gather the data utilized in the research study. The researcher sought to answer 6 research questions related to participants’ perceptions and performance at MSU. To analyze the collected data both a Multivariate of Variance (MANOVA) and an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were used. Other statistical tests that were utilized in this research study were cross tabulations, descriptive frequencies, and Chi-Square. All results were presented in both descriptive and table forms. Among the major findings of the research study were: (a) there was a significant difference in the grade point averages (GPAs) of university native and community college transfer students, (b) there was a significant relationship between the collegiate GPAs of community college transfer students and their perceptions of specific transfer variables; and (c) there were significant differences in the students’ perceptions of the factor variables of academic and intellectual development, faculty concern for student development, social integration, and goal and institutional commitment among university native and community college transfer students.

This dissertation seeks to expand our conception of what constitutes Native American letters by examining how the periodical became a prominent form in Native American literary production in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With its focus on the boarding school, Writing against Erasure provides insight into the context in which students first learned how to make complex and sophisticated choices in print. Within the contested disciplinary space of the boarding school, the periodical press functioned as a site for competing discourses on assimilation. Whereas school authorities used the white-run school newspapers to publicize their programs of cultural erasure, students used the student-run school newspapers to defend and preserve Native American identity and culture in the face of the assimilationist imperatives of the boarding schools and the dominant culture. Writing against Erasure highlights the formative impact of students' experiences with the boarding school press on the periodical practices and rhetorical strategies of two well-known Native American literary figures, Zitkala-Sa and Charles Eastman. By treating the periodical writings of these two prominent boarding school graduates alongside the periodical writings produced by boarding school students while they were still at school, Writing against Erasure provides a literary genealogy that reveals important continuities between these writers' strategic and political uses of the periodical press. Writing against Erasure argues that Native American boarding school students and graduates used the periodical press not to promote the interests of school authorities as some scholars have argued, but rather to preserve their cultural traditions, to speak out on behalf of indigenous interests, and to form a pan-Indian community at the turn of the twentieth century. / English

This research addresses the identification of a Native American presence at the 18th century homestead of the Pharo family in coastal New Jersey, and what it reveals about life during the Contact period. Various stratigraphic contexts were excavated at the site that contain both European-made and Native-made artifacts. The foundation of this research is the definition and assessment of the contemporaneity of excavated contexts that include colonial and native-made artifacts at the West Creek site. By examining these contexts, conclusions can be drawn about the persistence of Native American technologies and settlement patterns into the 18th Century, as well as the interactions between Europeans and Native Americans at the site. Spatial distribution analysis utilizing ArcGIS technology was used to visualize the distribution of diagnostic artifact types throughout the site. Individual distribution maps were created for each of the selected artifact types. These maps were then compared to discern any site-wide patterns that exist. The spatial analysis conducted as part of this project demonstrates that Native Americans occupied areas at the West Creek site very close to one another. Native Americans and the Pharo family were interacting with one another on a regular basis for at least a short period of time. These interactions show no evidence of being violent or forceful. Despite the evidence of interactions, the Native Americans residing at the West Creek site maintained many Late Woodland technologies, including ceramics and projectile points. Furthermore, Native Americans continue to settle in settings similar to what is seen during the Late Woodland period. / Anthropology

Temperate grasslands and the services they provide are threatened with severe degradation from human-driven land use changes. Among the worst affected services is pollinator support with grassland degradation contributing to the global decline in insect abundance due to habitat loss and a lack of floral resources. This has prompted conservation organizations to support pollinator conservation on working landscapes by increasing floral resources, but gaps remain in the consistent establishment of native forbs in intensively managed agricultural areas. We evaluated factors that influence native forb establishment during seed-based enrichment planting of tall fescue-dominated cattle pastures in two separate experiments: one testing a range of site preparation treatments with different seasons of sowing and comparing their effects on tall fescue suppression and seeded native plant establishment and the other investigating the effects of seed rate and pre-seeding cold stratification on native forb establishment on separate plots. For the site preparation experiment, we observed a mean target plant density of 0.12 target plants per m2 (SD = 0.247) The greatest target plant stem density (P < 0.0001) and species richness (P < 0.001) was in plots treated with a 2% glyphosate solution and sown with native seeds in early summer with the next five best treatments composed solely of fall sown replicates. For the seed and stratification experiment, we observed a mean target plant density of 88 target plants per m2 (SD = 73.9). Higher seeding resulted in greater target plant abundance in plots (P < 0.0001) with a seed rate of 56 kg/ha-1 resulting in almost three times as many target plants compared to 2.24 kg/ha-1. Pre-seeding stratification resulted in an increase in target plant abundance (P < 0.01). Target species richness was consistent between treatment levels. Results suggest that native forb establishment can be enhance by eliminating pasture grasses prior to seeding and the use of high seeding rates sown in the fall or using stratified seed. / Master of Science / Temperate grasslands and the services they provide are threatened with severe degradation from human-driven land use changes. Among the worst affected services is pollinator support with grassland degradation contributing to the global decline in insect abundance due to habitat loss and a lack of floral resources. To reverse this decline, conservation groups are encouraging the use of native plants throughout the landscape especially on farms and ranches to provide more resources for insect pollinators. One exciting opportunity exists in planting wildflowers into tall fescue-dominated cattle pastures that occupy millions of hectares of land in the Southeastern United States to provide food for pollinating insects. However little information exists on how to successfully establish wildflowers as much expertise is based on work done in the tallgrass prairie region of the Midwest. This study's goal was to investigate what control wildflower establishment by evaluating the success of an existing establishment experiment testing several site preparation techniques and different sowing seasons. A separate experiment was set up looking at the effect different seed rate and cold moist stratification had on establishment success of wildflowers. For the site preparation experiment, establishment was low for all treatments with a mean target plant density of 0.12 target plant per m2 (SD = 0.247). Summer sown 2% glyphosate had the highest wildflower richness and abundance at 0.35 target plants per m2 (SD = 0.247) and fall sown treatments were found to have higher sown wildflower abundance and richness than summer sown treatments. For the seed and stratification experiment, we observed a mean target plant density of 88 target plants per m2 (SD = 73.9). Target plant abundance did change between treatment levels with the highest and second highest seed levels yielding nearly three times and twice as many sown wildflowers as the lowest treatment respectively. Stratification resulted in an increase in sown wildflower abundance and sown wildflower richness did not differ significantly between treatment levels. Results suggest that native forb establishment can be enhance by eliminating pasture grasses prior to seeding and the use of high seeding rates sown in the fall using stratified seed.

Seeking vengeance for his mother’s murder, a young Native man becomes corrupted by a pelt that turns him into a bear at night.

Habitat destruction/alteration and non-native species are widely considered the two most serious threats to biodiversity within freshwater ecosystems, which are among the most threatened in the world. I examined the effects of these factors, specifically focusing on land use and non-native species as drivers of abundance patterns of native fishes in the highly invaded and anthropogenically impacted New River basin (NRB) in the Appalachian region of the United States. In chapter 2, I examine current native and non-native species abundance patterns related to the highly variable land-use mosaic present across the NRB, with specific focus on the species-specific effects of intensive land-use practices (agriculture and urbanization) at varying spatial extents (upstream watershed, upstream riparian, and local riparian). In chapter 3, I investigate historical context of basin-wide and site-level abundance spread and decline of natives and non-natives in the upper and middle New River basin (UMNR) over the past 60+ years. Finally, in chapter 4, I partition the variation in native species abundance explained separately by land use and non-native species to determine which factor might be most influential in describing abundance distributions of UMNR native fishes over the past 20+ years. My results indicate widely varying responses of native species to various combinations of intensive land use and non-native species across contributing watersheds and widespread biotic homogenization and native species declines over the past 60+ years. These declines include reductions in unique communities and endemic species provided little consideration or protection under current conservation law. I suggest potential avenues for improvement of conservation actions to help preserve these unique species and communities based on their responses to various land-use and non-native species stressors. My study framework should be broadly applicable to other drainages and should provide opportunities for early identification of potential native species declines and the stressors that may be contributing to them. / Master of Science / Freshwater fishes are experiencing world-wide declines that have the potential to cause major negative ecological and economic impacts. Two of the biggest contributors to fish declines are habitat destruction and non-native species introductions. I examined populations of numerous fish species in the New River basin (NRB) in the Appalachian region of the United States to identify declining native species and determine how intensive land use (one type of habitat destruction) and non-native species may be contributing to these trends. My results suggest that nearly half of the native species occurring in the NRB may be experiencing widespread reductions in abundance. As a result of these declines and the spread of a few common native and non-native species, fish communities across the NRB are becoming less unique over time. Land-use changes, such as agricultural and road development near streams, which contribute to increased soil erosion and run-off of silt and sand into streams, could be causing broad habitat changes that lead to diminished populations of sensitive species and overall local and regional fish diversity. While no single non-native species may be held responsible for all native fish species declines in the NRB, complex interactions, such as competition and predation, between many natives and non-natives altogether could be contributing to many native fish declines. Farmers and other landowners can help to prevent future fish declines by re-establishing natural vegetation, such as trees, along streambanks and implementing other practices, such as cattle fencing, that reduce the streambank and soil erosion that harms fish habitat. Other stakeholders, such as anglers, can help prevent future native fish declines by limiting introductions of additional non-native species. For example, these stakeholders could avoid releasing aquatic pets and live bait into NRB streams. These practices would help limit future negative impacts caused by non-native species.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

論文名稱：非典型原住民活力：傑偌•維森諾《熱線療者》中的 後印地安、喜劇與移動力 指導教授：梁一萍 教授 研究生：尤吟文 論文提要內容： 傑偌•維森諾（Gerald Vizenor）認為所謂的「印地安」（indian）是一個沒有指涉目標的空集合（absence without reference），而「原住民」（native）才是指這個文化所代表的真正的意涵。相較於其他原住民作家的作品，維森諾的寫作方式可說是獨樹一幟。在原住民文學中，許多的主題不外乎是尋找身分認同（identity）的過程、強調人與自然之間的和諧關係、表現白人社會與原住民文化之間的隔閡等等。這種思鄉式（nostalgia）的描寫方式對於維森諾來說不只是種老掉牙的（stereotypical）表現方式，更是主流文學（literature of dominance）加諸在原住民文化上的表現方式（manifest manners）。為了與主流文學抗衡，維森諾以搗蛋鬼論述（trickster discourse）的寫作技巧來顛覆原住民文學的傳統，以天馬行空的想像力及奇異怪誕的內容來表現另類的原住民作品。 《熱線療者》是維森諾在1997年的作品，書中的主人翁－－差不多部朗（Almost Browne）是本書中的搗蛋鬼，他穿越時空的限制，帶給讀者一個又一個的故事，這些故事不具有教導意義，而是表現出想像力的無限。差不多部朗曾經在許多維森諾的小說故事中呈現，在《熱線療者》一書中，他與他的姪子，也就是小說的敘述者，以插訶打諢、嘻笑怒罵的方式與政治界和學術界有了第一線接觸，他們也回到過去，目睹了原住民傳說的起源。每個小故事，不管時間地點為何，差不多部朗和他的姪子總是在場。這些故事也搭著原住民第一列火車－－納那波佐快車（Naanabozho Express），隨著列車的移動傳出去。 本文的第一章為總論，簡述維森諾生平、《熱線療者》的故事情節與維森諾自成一格的批評理論。為了表現出原住民文化以及生活的生命力、多樣性和複雜性，維森諾提出所謂的「後印地安」的觀念，指出「印地安」是一種虛擬的再現（simulated representation），只有具有想像力和生命力的「後印地安」才是真正的存在（presence），這也是第二章所討論的部分。第三章則是從喜劇出發，檢討原住民文學的悲劇犧牲性（tragic victimry）實為主流文學的表現方式，只有透過全喜劇論述（comic holotrope）才能真正了解原住民文學。第四章則聚焦於移動力（motion），直指原住民文學的不可限制性，唯有透過對於移動力的了解，原住民文學才能表現出其生命力及想像力，就像差不多部朗或是納那波佐列車一樣，永遠在宇宙間移動（always in motion）。第五章為結論，《熱線療者》是維森諾寫的最後一本有關差不多部朗的小說，在這本小說中，維森諾以另類的筆調及呈現方式將原住民文學帶到一個充滿創造力的世界，經由他的喜劇效果，《熱線療者》提供了另一個檢視原住民文學的角度（alternative, alter-native）。 / Indian, as Gerald Vizenor points out, is the absence of natives without reference to real native cultures while native is the presence of the native survivance. In the field of Native American Literature, the most common themes are the quest for identity, the harmony between nature and people and the conflict between native and white cultures. The nostalgic representation of natives depicted in these common themes, for Vizenor, is not only a stereotypical clich□ but also the manifest manners imposed on Native American Literature by the literature of dominance. In order to resist the burden imposed on Native American Literature, Vizenor, with his unique writing style, applies trickster discourse to subvert the stereotypes brought forth by the literature of dominance. With creativity and imagination, Vizenor presents alternative aspects for Native American Literature. Fascinated by the extraordinary writing style and narrative strategy, I find that the novel, Hotline Healers, illustrates Vizenor’s comprehensive viewpoints on Native American literature. Hotline Healers is Vizenor’s most recent novel which was published in 1997. In the novel, Almost Browne is a protagonist trickster who travels beyond the spatial and temporal limitations. The stories he tells with his travels are not intended to provide lessons; on the contrary, they are the true representation of native imagination. Almost Browne and his cousin, the narrator in the novel, take the first Native train, the Naanabozho Express, to give lectures in several occasions and result in several funny and hilarious encounters with politicians as well as academia. They also return to the past and witness the origins of the native folklores. Almost Browne and his cousin are omnipresent in the stories. With the moving of the Naanabozho Express, more and more stories disseminate native imagination and creativity. There are five chapters in my thesis. The first chapter, “Introduction,” summarizes the life and works of Gerald Vizenor, gives a plot summary of Hotline Healers, and introduces Vizenor’s critical conceptions on Native American Literature. In Chapter Two, I illustrate Vizenor’s view on postindian. Postindian, as Vizenor indicates, absolves the burden of stereotypical indian representations. With the idea of postindian, Vizenor focuses on the presence of natives as well as native vitality and imagination and thus subverts the culturalist stereotypical portraita of indian which is the simulated representation without reference. In Chapter Three, I concentrate on the comic effect employed by Vizenor in Hotline Healers. Comic holotrope is one of Vizenor’s writing techniques which is different from the themes of tragic victimry found in most Native American literary works. Comic holotrope presents the vitality of native culture while tragic victimry burdens Native American Literature with “manifest manners.” In Chapter Four, I explore the concept of motion in the novel. The idea of motion is not only the demonstration of the bounderlessness of Native American literary imaginatinos but also the representation of the transformative native wisdom. In the fifth chapter, I conclude that the novel, being Vizenor’s latest novel on Almost Browne, incorporates his alternative vision of tribal survivance and critical concepts of postindian, comic holotrope, and motion to elevate Native American Literature to a creative and imaginative world. The novel provides readers with an alternative point of view toward Native American Literature.

Påträngande och störande annonser har blivit alltmer vanligt på internet vilket har medfört att konsumenter fått en alltmer negativ inställning till online-annonser. Därmed har användningen av mjukvaror för blockering av annonser på senare tid blivit alltmer vanligt. Detta har medfört minskningar i reklamintäkter för företag som använder sig av webbaserad marknadsföring, vilket har lagt för handen att de måste anpassa sina online-annonser till konsumenten för att kunna hålla verksamheten lönsam. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilken typ av online-annonser som används för att nå ut till användare på internet på ett mindre påträngande och irriterande sätt samt vilken inställning de har till annonsblockerare. Uppsatsen har en triangulär ansats i form av kvalitativa semi-strukturerade intervjuer som stärks och jämförs med en kvantitativ enkätundersökning. Av slutsatsen framkommer det att native advertising är det mest effektfulla annonsformatet för att nå ut till konsumenter på ett mer accepterat sätt. Samtidigt börjar fler företag som använder sig av online-annonser att införa betalväggar på sina hemsidor där konsumenter på internet tvingas stänga av sin annonsblockerare, bli nekade innehållet eller betala för att få tillgång till det. / Intrusive and annoying ads have become increasingly common on the internet, which has led to that consumers have a more negative attitude to online ads. Thus, using softwares for blocking ads have lately become more common. This has led to reductions in advertising revenues for companies that use web-based marketing which have forced them to customize their ads to the consumers in order to keep the business profitable.     The aim of this paper is to examine what type of online ads that is used to reach out to internet users in a less intrusive way and to see their opinion about adblockers. From a consumer perspective the study examines the view of the consumer on this development and if they fulfil their purpose. The thesis has a triangular approach with semi-structured interviews that is strengthened and compared with a quantitative questionnaire. The conclusion of the research have showed that native advertising is the most effective ad format to reach out to consumers in a more acceptable manner. At the same time more companies that are using online ads choose to introduce paywalls on their webpages where consumers on the internet are forced to deactivate their adblockers, to be denied the content or to pay to gain access to it.

One of the most profitable fields of exploration for the history student today is in the realm of Indian history. Many books have been written concerning the social, cultural, and military aspects of the Indiana, but few have been written to expost the abuse and fraud the savage suffered at the hands of the traders, agents, and government officials. It was for this purpose that this study of the Miami Indians has been prepared.