"That Sucks?": An Evaluation of the Communication Competence and Enacted Social Support of Response Messages to Depression Disclosures in College-Aged Students

Daniel Vieth
Communication Studies

Recent communication research on depression has focused on which response messages are most effective in providing emotional comfort to depressed individuals during depression dialogues. This study investigates the impact that a confidant's initial response to a disclosure has on the disclosing individual, a key moment of dialogue for those with depression.

The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Cadet Performance and Behavior: A Proposal to Reform the ROTC Program at James Madison University

Josh Wells
Psychology

This paper addresses the problem of sleep deprivation among cadets in the Army ROTC program at James Madison University. Drawing on existing research and Army doctrine, the author examines the necessity of sleep for decision making, the biological consequences of sleep deprivation, and the effects of sleep deprivation on emotional intelligence.

The Contact Hypothesis and the Diffusion of Public Opinion toward Undocumented Latino Immigrants in the United States

Sawyer Hackett
Political Science

Negative and positive attitudes between population in-groups and out-groups are matured through a variety of experiences, chief among them being the extent of interaction between the two groups. This research analyzes the potential effect that the undocumented Latino immigrant population has on the sentiments of the established native population.

Bacteriophages: The Answer to Antibiotic Resistance?

Allie Casto, Adam Hurwitz, Kunny Kou, Gregory Mansour, Allison Mayzel, Rachel Policke, Alexander Schmidt, Rowan Shartel, Olivia Smith, Augustus Snyder, and Allison Woolf
Biology

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have numerous applications in the medical, agricultural, and research fields, especially as an alternative to antibiotics in the age of antibiotic resistance. Phages are able to lyse, or break apart, bacterial cells with fewer side effects, more specificity, and less likelihood of resistance than antibiotics. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the history, uses, and regulation of phage therapy.

Test Anxiety: Prevalence, Effects, and Interventions for Elementary School Students

Lauren Talbot
Psychology

Academic pressure has the capacity to cause stress for students of all ages. From grade school through the collegiate level, students are likely to experience, to some extent, pressure associated with the demands of schooling. Based on the articles used in this review, a common and debilitating stressor for students is test taking. This paper aims to identify the definition and prevalence of test anxiety, the physiological and psychological effects associated with this stressor, and the long-term consequences of ignoring it.

Do-It-Yourself Girl Power: An Examination of the Riot Grrrl Subculture

Lindsay Wright
Communication Studies

The Riot Grrrl subculture emerged from the punk rock scene during the third-wave feminist movement in the early 1990s, uniting women and girls against capitalist and patriarchal cultural ideologies. Creative forms of protest including music, fanzines, and other do-it-yourself expressions have allowed Riot Grrrls to counter the dominant ideological narrative in the United States. Despite the Riot Grrrl movement’s commodification by mainstream culture, it has evolved and expanded to continue to influence the world today.

Cover Image Courtesy of 
Cassey Jennings