Session D: 3:30PM – 5PM
Humanities and Social Work, Session D – Oral Presentations, Pano East, Union
SESSION D
Location: Pano East, A. Ray Olpin University Union
Key Partner Program
Megan Allred, Utah State University
Faculty Mentor Jayme Walters, Utah State University
SESSION D 3:30-3:45PM
Pano East, Union
Humanities
Utah’s Bear River Region (BRR; Box Elder, Cache, and Rich Counties) has seen a disproportionate increase of unsheltered individuals, up 400% from 2017-2019 (1). When a person is unable to afford their rent and is evicted, finding safe and affordable housing is harried by the high demand for housing, the lack of available housing (1), the absence of a comprehensive emergency shelter, and insufficient homeless response systems (2). Thus, homeless prevention and intervention efforts are vital to addressing homelessness. Landlords are important actors in housing issues, and they can contribute by learning about homelessness locally, ways to support high-risk renters, how to avoid evictions when possible, and supporting homeless mitigation programs in their community (3). Past research indicates that landlords in the BRR want to help address homelessness, but they do not know how to help (3). Using a qualitative design, the present study sought to understand program content and delivery methods preferred by landlords or property managers (n=15) in an engagement program about homelessness and housing solutions. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. A deductive, two-cycle coding approach (descriptive coding and pattern coding) was adopted to analyze the data. Final patterns informed the development of an online course as part of the larger landlord engagement program, called the Key Partner Program (KPP), which includes: Information about homelessness in the BRR; Homeless resources in the BRR and how and why to access them; Interpersonal skills and landlord-tenant mediation training; and Problem-solving techniques to prevent evictions. Participants desired a combination delivery method – online and in-person. Landlords communicated that they would be interested in a program like this, and a gift card would also help incentivise participation. The online course of KPP is currently being piloted with local landlords, with hopes to roll out a full engagement program in Summer 2023.
Systemic racism in America; at the foundation of the social contract and the significance of choice
Roxana Carranza, Southern Utah University
Faculty Mentor Gretchen Ellefson, Southern Utah University
SESSION D 3:50-4:05PM
Pano East, Union
Humanities
In this paper I analyze the systemic treatment of people of color in America. I propose that America’s social contract and individualism is rooted in racism by creating differences between races and seeing people of color as inferior. This in turn, creates an issue of separation on a systemic level. I claim that this issue creates a “trickle effect” where the individual adheres to the social contract and in turn allows the contract to continue to purport systemic racism. This I contend allows for ignorance in individuals as they are not educated in how their choices affect everyone on the systemic level. Therefore I propose the choice of the individual to challenge the social contract (as is stated that we have full right to do so in America’s Declaration of Independence) and educate ourselves of the struggles that people of color face on a day to day basis.
Goalkeeping or Gatekeeping? A Lexical Analysis of Sexism in Italy’s Female National Football League
Rachel McDonald, Brigham Young University
Faculty Mentor Dan Paul , Brigham Young University
SESSION D 4:10-4:25PM
Pano East, Union
Humanities
The Italian language as an echo of its country’s culture has contributed to the historical alienation of women in sports as well as reinforcing the gender-based discrimination that occurs in Italian soccer today. Rooted in a defiance of Italy’s developing Fascist state, the Women’s Soccer Group established in 1932 contradicted Mussolini’s emphasis on the value of women lying solely in their reproductive capabilities. “Fascist Italy needs good mothers, not ‘virago footballers'” Lo Schermo Sportivo, a Milanese sports journal, claimed in a 1933 article. The propagation of negative sentiment towards Italian women in sports not only disbanded the Women’s Soccer Group, but also maintained its absence for a subsequent 35 years. It is with these origins in mind that I conducted research through social media tracking, interviews, and academic study in order to understand language’s impact more fully on Italian women’s soccer. In monitoring specific hashtags across various social media platforms over a period of 8 months, the statistics concluded that Italian women’s soccer was referred to negatively in 20.2% of mentions, as opposed to 14.6% positive references. The idea that female soccer continues to be spoken of unfavorably is reflected in the amendment scarcely made in 2022, allowing the Italian women’s soccer league to become professional and its salary cap removed. Though language continues to mirror a culture cemented in its hegemonic foundations, it may also positively influence the perception of Italian women in sports, which then transforms their reality.
Institutional Enablers: The Catholic Church As An Enabler to Abuse, Rape, and Child Predators
Matylda Blaszczak , University of Utah
Faculty Mentor Amos Guiora, University of Utah
SESSION D 4:30-4:45PM
Pano East, Union
Social Work
According to the Massey Law Firm, more than 19,000 survivors have come forward claiming abuse by priests. Many of these survivors feel as though they were abandoned. They feel abandoned by the institutions and people within those institutions whom they trusted would protect them. Widespread abuse within institutions like this is made possible by enablers. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of the Catholic Church, specifically in enabling child predators and to propose legislation and other measures to hold enablers accountable and prevent enabling in the future. Using mixed-methods this proposed research project analyzes interviews with survivors and reports of sexual assaults within the Catholic Church. By gaining a better understanding of how these sexual assaults were allowed to occur, we can begin to develop measures to prevent enabling. This study proposes four potential solutions: legislation, expanding mandatory reporting laws for all adults, rigorous in-person enabling training distinct from the standard online bystander training within institutions, and therapy and counseling for those involved in the assault and those that enabled the perpetrator. Those 19,000 survivors, and countless others, deserve to see the enablers who abandoned them held accountable.
Firm, Massey Law. “How Much Has the Catholic Church Paid to Abuse Victims – Massey Law Firm: Scottsdale AZ.” Massey Law Firm | Scottsdale AZ, 13 Dec. 2021, dmasseylaw.com/how-much-catholic-church-paid-abuse-victims/.