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Hand Up, Not Hand Out: Empowering Rural Communities to Combat Addiction and Mental Health Crisis
Ciara Smith, University of North Carolina at Pembroke; and Melanie Anne Escue , University of North Carolina at Pembroke
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Rural communities face significant challenges addressing addiction and poor mental health due to limited access to care, stigma, and geographic isolation. This research examines how non-profit organizations provide tools for combatting addiction and poor mental health in rural communities, like Robeson County, North Carolina. Specifically, this study focuses on two non-profit organizations, PAWSS Incorporated, which supports substance use recovery, and Spread da’ Luv, which advocates for safe spaces where students can explore their mental health needs and find community support. My role as a recovery ambassador with PAWSS and community advocate with Spread da’ Luv offers a first-hand look at how critical these organizations are in the lives of rural residents battling addiction and mental health issues in the poorest county in North Carolina. Findings will highlight the efficacy of peer mentorship, community engagement and advocacy, and culturally competent outreach in reducing stigma, increasing community connection, and empowering leaders to improve the well-being of all residents. Importantly, this study highlights the pressing need to put academia and community organizations in conversation to co-create tangible goals with meaningful outcomes that directly improve the lives of rural residents, especially those battling extreme poverty, limited healthcare access, and stigma.
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To Police or Protect? Calling into Question the Legitimacy of Campus Police in the U.S. Rural South
Savannah Brown, University of North Carolina at Pembroke; and Melanie Anne Escue , University of North Carolina at Pembroke
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Public perceptions of police have been shaped by mass media (Succar et al., 2024), current events involving police (the Black Lives Matter Movement – the killing of George Floyd, school shootings – Uvalde Elementary School), interactions with police (Maese & Lloyd, 2023), and the social environment in which one lives (Holmes, Painter, & Smith, 2017). Prior research has shown that there is a consistency in the lack of trust from college students toward campus police. This perception causes college students to believe that campus police are not as legitimate as municipal police (Jacobsen 2015). The current study engages a mixed-methods approach to examine the student perceptions of campus police in a small rural impoverished town in the U.S. Southeast. Survey questions address demographics, perceptions of police and campus police, and student needs and recommendations. Findings offer institutional recommendations for creating services and programs to support ties between campus police and the students they serve.
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Unseen Scars and Silent Battles: The Mental Health Burden Veterans Carry
Trey Watson, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
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Military veterans confront many issues transitioning back into civilian life. From battle exposure to social integration issues, to lack of access to mental healthcare services, veterans experience a myriad of mental health symptoms that impact their overall quality of life. Despite the mental health burden veterans carry, the stigma of seeking care keeps many suffering in silence. The current study leverages scholarship and the first author’s lived experience as a military veteran to draw attention to this pressing mental health crisis and unmet need. Findings offer directions for future research at the intersection of military studies and mental health. In addition, and importantly, findings reveal the pressing need to increase institutional support for programs, services, and interventions for veterans reintegrating back into civilian life both immediately and over their life-course.
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Disaster Without End: Rethinking Homelessness and Displacement
Shantija Francis, University of Louisiana
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Note: Abstracts for work to be done in the future.
When we talk about disasters—as sociologists, scholars, storytellers—we often imagine sudden, spectacular ruptures: the storm hits, buildings burn, news cycles flounder. But what if we see homelessness, in all its forms, as a disaster that never ends?
This paper argues that homelessness in the United States is not just a policy failure or unfortunate outcome—it is a structural catastrophe, a shock without end. Its textures are daily: loss of safety, warmth, belonging. Yet in these ravaged spaces, we encounter “textures of love”—lifelines of care, mutual aid born of necessity, and resilience that insists on living.
For Indigenous peoples, being unhoused is not an anomaly—it is the afterlife of conquest. Colonial dispossession is not a rupture, but a structure that renders home unattainable. Homelessness is landlessness rooted not only in policy, but in settler state violence.
For Black communities, homelessness is the wake of the Middle Passage and enslavement. Displacement is not episodic—it is a mode of being, manifesting in redlining, prisons, eviction. Homelessness is the residue of racial capitalism, built into walls, policies, and gentrified exclusion.
But the story doesn’t end in despair. In underground circuits—church basements, sidewalks, campfires—love persists. Recovery, often outside institutions, emerges through land reclamation, sovereignty, and naming belonging in communities that refuse disappearance.
Seeing homelessness as a disaster without end shifts our sociological gaze beyond rupture toward a continuum of loss, love, and survival.
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Housing Tenure and Safe Drinking Water Access: An Analysis of Predictors of Water Source Choices in the USA Households
Monisha Alam, University of North Texas
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Using data from the 2015 American Housing Survey (AHS) and multinomial logistic regression, this study analyzes predictors of drinking water source reliance among 14,217 U.S. households. Contrary to prior emphasis on housing tenure (Rosinger et al. 2018; Mohai et al. 2009), racial identity—particularly among Asian households—emerged as the strongest predictor, surpassing tenure, building type, or socioeconomic status. Renters showed higher bottled water use, but this association was insignificant when accounting for race and socioeconomics. Regional and infrastructural factors (e.g., building type) had no significant effects. Results highlight cultural and racial dynamics, rather than geographic or systemic factors, as key to water mistrust disparities. Policymakers should prioritize culturally informed strategies to improve trust in municipal water systems, especially for marginalized groups. Limitations include cross-sectional data and self-reporting biases.
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Active Learning and Its Impact on Academic Success Among Minoritized Students
Jas Harris, Tuskegee University; and Vivian Carter, Tuskegee University
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Educational research increasingly critiques the traditional "banking model," which emphasizes passive knowledge transfer, in favor of active learning strategies that promote meaningful student engagement. This study examines the integration of active learning methodologies and equity-focused initiatives within data science education, utilizing the Data 100 course at the University of California, Berkeley as a case study. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the impact of the active learning platform Slido on synchronous and asynchronous student engagement, and (2) evaluate the influence of the Data Scholars Program on the academic performance of minoritized students. The Data Scholars Program supports minoritized students by fostering community and providing targeted resources within data science education. The research methodology involved analyzing Slido participation data, program involvement records, and final course grades from a representative cohort of students enrolled in Data 100.
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Party at the Polls
Jaycob Beasley, Tuskegee University
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Political participation among young adults is vital for maintaining a healthy democracy, as they have the potential to significantly influence voting patterns and shape policy decisions. Despite this, voter turnout among young adults remains alarmingly low, with many feeling disconnected from the political process. This phenomenon is particularly concerning, as it can have long-term implications for the functioning of democratic institutions. The primary research question guiding this study centers around determining: "What sociological factors influence political engagement among young adults?” Therefore, this study proposes to identify those factors that influence political engagement of young adults.
The Specific Aim of the proposed study is to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a model to educate and engage young voters in discussions about the significance of voting at a time when voter suppression is increasingly common. The objective of the study is to enhance youth participation in civic discussions and encourage involvement in politics via voting. To achieve the objective, volunteers are trained to administer the education intervention and follow-up with participants to determine the level of voter participation. The study will partner with local NAACP chapters and Tuskegee University R.I.S.E organization to recruit volunteers and local study participants.
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The Importance of Mentoring: Past, Present and Future
Crystal Culberath, Southern University
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The Relationship Between Disasters and Mental Health: A Review of Literature
Amy Skinner, Shelton State Community College
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Natural disasters can leave a lasting impact on individuals, families, and entire communities. The physical destruction may be visible; however, the psychological effects may not be as obvious. Therefore, understanding how disasters affect mental health can help people prepare, cope, and recover more effectively. This review of literature focuses with a focuses on mental health outcomes, such as emotional disorders, behavioral problems including addictive disorders, and personality.