This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of students working as resident assistants (RAs) in college or university housing departments during the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown. Twelve current and former RAs participated in qualitative interviews exploring their experience as their institutions shut down because of COVID-19. Three broad categories of experience were found: RAs who were considered essential employees and required to work during the pandemic, RAs who were given the option of working during the pandemic, and RAs who were laid off at the beginning of their pandemic. The central research question was regarding the perceived experience of RAs during the pandemic. RA job duties were detailed from before the pandemic and after the shutdown had taken place. Subquestions regarding RAs’ experiences with their supervisors, their experiences with their peers, their experiences with support systems at their university, and their academic experiences were also detailed. Coding and subsequent analysis yielded the following themes: role of communication, motivation, confusion, disappointment, negative stress, residential life, and unexpected positives. The research includes a discussion about the differing outcomes based on whether or not RAs had choice in their decision to continue to work during the COVID-19 shutdown. The project concludes with recommendations for practice for staff and administrators in housing and residence life, student affairs, academic affairs, and human resource services. These recommendations included implications for RAs and their relationships, RAs as college students, the mental health of RAs, and RAs as essential personnel. Implications for further research included exploring the role of college student supervisor as advocate and caretaker, the services offered by universities during times of crisis, and the exploration of being essential personnel and student employees.

BACKGROUND: Nationally, 85% of general surgery graduates pursue fellowships reducing the incoming general surgical workforce with a predicted shortage of 41,000 general surgeons by 2025. In recent studies, the lack of confidence appears to be a major factor contributing to resident decision to pursue fellowship. The aim of the study was to determine if a hybrid academic/community program contributes to early autonomy and the decision to pursue fellowship in general surgery graduates. METHODS: We evaluated the level of confidence, level of autonomy, and decision to pursue fellowship at a hybrid academic/community program that historically graduates 70% of their residents into general surgery practice through an anonymous survey. Participants responded using Likert scales along with simple polar questions. RESULTS: Most current residents (90%) reported, upon graduation, that they feel very confident (45%) or fairly confident (45%) performing major cases independently. Most attendings (64%) reported that during their third year of residency, they began performing the majority (more than 75%) of their major cases as surgeon junior while current residents (55%) reported they were performing the majority as a second-year resident. Fifty-five percent of residents felt that confidence played a role in the decision to pursue fellowship. Thirty-three percent of our current chief residents and only 34% of the total general surgery residents plan to pursue fellowships. Conclusions: Our study showed that our residents appear to have earlier levels of autonomy than that experienced by our practicing surgeons when they were residents. Confidence continues to play a role in the decision to pursue fellowship and overall our residents are confident in technical skills at graduation. Our unique program continues to graduate the majority of our surgical residents into successful general surgery practice.

A great deal of attention has recently been focused on America’s undocumented immigrants, a population estimated at around 10 million people (Passel, Capps, and Fix 2004). Much less attention has been paid (in both scholarly and academic circles) to legal immigrants, although in 2010 (the most recent year for which complete data are available), the Department of Homeland Security granted 1,042,625 permanent resident visas. Indeed, since 1994 when the government began to publish the Annual Flow Report, we have granted between 700,000 to around 1,300,000 new legal immigrant visas annually. Legal immigration into the US involves a process of varying length. That is to say, the elapsed time between applying for a permanent resident’s visa and being granted that visa can range from as little as a few months to as long as several years. It is known that the type of visa being applied for (the various types are explained later) accounts for some of the variation in processing length, and also that lost paperwork is a significant factor (Jasso 2011). This study found no evidence of discrimination in regards to the race, skin color, and religion of the survey respondents in terms of the time it took to get their visas processed. The average wait time for visa processing was about 5 years; Mexicans and Filipinos waited longer than immigrants from other countries. For various reasons discussed in the text, our current immigration system has created a twotiered family-based immigrant visa system. That is, the system gives heavy preference to family members of persons who are already legal immigrants. The preferential status of so-called family reunification visas has been a point of controversy in immigration advocacy circles and that controversy is also reviewed.

The receptor tyrosine kinase, RON, is expressed on tissue-resident macrophages. RON functions by activating genes that promote wound repair and resolve inflammation, while repressing genes that perpetuate tissue damage and cell death. Chronic HIV infection is associated with dysregulated inflammation, and we hypothesize that diminished macrophage RON expression contributes to the development of end organ diseases including HIV-associated central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. We utilized CNS tissue from a SIV macaque model to examine the temporal regulation of RON in the brain during infection. Following prolonged SIV infection, RON expression was inversely correlated with the development of CNS disease: RON was highly expressed in animals that did not develop CNS lesions and lower in SIV infected macaques that demonstrated moderate to severe inflammatory lesions. Arginase-1 expression was low during late infection whereas expression of the inflammatory genes, IL-12 p40 and TNF &alpha, was elevated compared to uninfected animals. To validate a role for RON in regulating HIV, we infected human tonsillar tissue-resident macrophages. RON inhibited HIV replication in tissue-resident macrophages. Furthermore, HIV infection diminished RON in tonsil macrophages. We propose a model in which RON expression is decreased, genes that quell inflammation are repressed, and inflammatory mediators are induced to promote tissue inflammation following chronic HIV infection in the brain. The cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p21 is a factor that, like RON, negatively regulates HIV transcription. Elevated expression of p21 in HIV+ elite controllers, or by ectopic expression in primary CD4+ T cells, resulted in reduced HIV expression. Furthermore, these elite controllers had increased binding of factors that negatively regulate transcription elongation at the HIV long terminal repeat. RON and p21 are examples of cellular factors that limit HIV transcription and contribute to HIV latency. Latently infected cells are not targeted by anti-retroviral therapy and permit rapid rebound of viremia following treatment interruption. Understanding intrinsic mechanisms that establish latency may provide targets for purging these HIV reservoirs or maintaining their transcriptionally silent state.

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No abstract was provided. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

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Threatening behavior is a cause for concern on college campuses. Even though solutions presented cannot completely prevent crime and violence, steps must be taken towards continuous improvement of violence prevention efforts. The purpose of this case study was to examine resident advisors' attitudes and beliefs about the process of identifying and choosing to report threatening behaviors. Thirteen participants from Residence Life at a major Land Grant University served as the case study group. A qualitative approach guided the inquiry of the study and was represented through observations, document analysis, and participant interviews. Analysis of the research questions supported the study's findings. Overall, students' exposure to violence prevention on campus is often through educational programs and resources, while Resident Advisors are also instrumental resources in sharing information with students. They suggest making more efforts in sharing violence prevention education with students. Because a wide range of issues face today's college students, they seek assistance from Resident Advisors, as well as peers, friends, and family. Building community through the residence halls provides a proactive approach in efforts to develop and provide students opportunities for growth, responsibility, and accountability to their communities. Finally, despite reporting systems in place and resources available, barriers still remain for students. The inconsistency between the views and perceptions of violence prevention education and barriers to reporting between Resident Advisors and administration in Residence Life indicates need for further engagement between students and Institutions of Higher Education based upon policies, educational efforts, and reporting structures. Institutions have an obligation to engage students in the prevention of violence through sustained community-building measures and working with targeted peer groups, such as Resident Advisors. Conclusions from this study were explained through the individual, information, and social background factors of The Reasoned Action Approach and guided the recommendations for practice and further research. Addressing the disconnect between the administration and Resident Advisors' perceptions is crucial in reducing barriers to reporting. A need remains for further engagement with peers, friends, family, RAs, and other influential groups to help shape students' understanding, awareness, and continued involvement in the identification and reporting of threatening behaviors. / Ph. D.