Scholars and their Research Project

Lia I. Cisneros

Title: The Influence of Student English Proficiency and Free Lunch Qualification on the Proximity of Liquor Stores and the Availability of School Resources

Abstract: Past findings have shown that children of low socio-economic status living in non-White neighborhoods are exposed to alcohol advertisements in their immediate environment more frequently than are children of high and middle socio-economic status living in predominantly White neighborhoods. This researcher proposed that a similar trend would be found in Sacramento, California, by hypothesizing that schools having a large percentage of students who qualify for free lunch programs and who are not English proficient would be more closely located to liquor stores and would provide fewer educational resources to its students. Sixty elementary schools in Sacramento, California were evaluated. The hypotheses were supported. The findings are explained within the context of aversive prejudice.

Luis De La Torre

Title: Exploring the Death Penalty: An Analysis of the Disparity Hypothesis

Abstract: Over the past decade, there has been some debate about equity in the criminal justice system. In an attempt to reenergize the dialogue about how African-Americans and whites are sentenced, this research analyzes data published by the National Institute of Justice to explore the sentencing disparity hypothesis as it relates to the imposition of the death penalty between whites and African-Americans from 1999-2002. The purpose of this research effort is to discern whether a sentence of death is imposed disproportionately for African-Americans in comparison to their white counterparts. Additionally, this research uses statistics from the 2000 Report of the Census and the number of capital crimes, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, to assess how African-Americans are punished in the United States by looking at variables such as income and educational attainment. Using the most widely accepted scholarly resources to guide this venture, the main goal of this examination is to resurrect the debate regarding the prevalence (or lack thereof) of the death penalty sentencing disparity hypothesis. The majority of studies reviewed herein overwhelmingly reveal that African-Americans who kill whites are more likely to be punished by death than are whites who kills an African-American. If this finding is true, it is important for scholars of criminal justice to disseminate this information so that policymakers and public officials can be made aware of this disparity, and develop interventions to prevent further indiscretions in the realm of sentencing disparity. If this finding is untrue, then a more thorough examination of the scholarship in this area deserves serious reconsideration as to its validity.

Maura Dykstra

Title: White Lotuses, Shining Red Lanterns, and the Eternal Mother: The Subversive Legacy of the Wusheng lao mu from the White Lotus Rebellion to the Boxer Movement

Abstract: This research posits that Eternal Mother worship in late imperial China established a cultural precedent for two uprisings in the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries in China, specifically the White Lotus Rebellions and the Boxer Movement. This argument is based upon the supposition that Eternal Mother worship wasinherently heterodox and, as a result, proposed an alternative social order that encouraged anti-dynastic and unorthodox behavior among believers. In order to form a conceptual framework for the argument, in depth background information is provided. Brief histories of the White Lotus and Boxer uprisings are followed by a discussion of the nature of orthodoxy and heterodoxy in China. This research proposes that Eternal Mother beliefs posed a challenge to Confucian orthodoxy, and examines the evidence of Eternal Mother worship influence in the White Lotus and Boxer uprisings. The probable connection between the two uprisings is discussed in two sections dealing with: (1) the tensions between both movements and traditional authorities; (2) the other with the synthesis between religious and political concerns evident in the beliefs and practices of each. Concluding remarks outline the importance of this study, and its place in the study of history as a whole.

Teresa Z. Galindo

Title: Racial Identification and Racial Preference in Children

Abstract: The pioneering yet controversial study by Clark and Clark (1947) reported that African duplication of the study has refuted this claim. The purpose of this study is to examine whether all children, not just African American children, currently identify with their own ethnicity, and whether they have positive or negative views of their ethnicity. It will further demonstrate that children today correctly identify their ethnicity when presented with dolls of different ethnicities.

Henry Garcia

Title: Wide Angle Achromatic Prism Beam Steering for Infrared Countermeasures and Imaging Applications: Solving the Singularity Problem in the Two-Prism Design

Abstract: A two-rotating-prism system is an inexpensive lightweight two-dimensional beam steering device. Moreover, it can be designed to be achromatic over a wide spectral range. However, the current two-prism design has a singularity problem at the center of the "viewpoint." If a beam is to be steered through the center, one of the prisms must make an instantaneous 90° flip. This research solves this problem by adding a third prism to the system. The apparatus is optimized by minimizing dispersion effects as well as predicting the theoretical speed and manor in which the beam may be steered.

Rocio Mendoza

Title: The Ethnic Self-Awareness of Hispanic Americans and European Americans

Abstract: This study examines how the ethnic composition of interpersonal situations is related to perceptions of ethnicity, emotions, and attitudes. Fifty-five college students from California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) participated in this study. Male and female students were asked to complete three vignette questionnaires, a multicultural ethnic identity measure, and a demographics form. Findings showed no significant differences in ethnic self-awareness between European American and Hispanic American students. The results are discussed in relation to the experiences of European American and Hispanic American students.

Mario A. Ochoa

Title: Transnational Families and Identity Formation: A Case Study of the Jaripo Community in Stockton

Abstract: This qualitative study examines the identity formation of the "1.5" (those individuals who immigrated at the age of six or younger), second, and third generations within a Mexican transnational community in Stockton, California. How does transnationalism impact identity formation as compared to those with less of a transnational experience? Some goals of this research are to understand the variances, common patterns, and implications of identity formation for the Jaripo community, and general implications to society. Participants, ages 18-30, originate from Jaripo, Michoacán, whose community has been migrating to the United States for about a century (Barajas 2002). Data has been collected through purposive snowball sampling, using surveys, oral histories and participant observation. Among the propositions this study examines and elaborates include upon are: (1) U.S. born Jaripos with families living in Mexico are more likely to be transnational, (2) Jaripos with families who have houses or land in Mexico are more likely to be transnational, (3) high level transnationals (those who visit Mexico at least one every three years) are more likely to feel at home in both Mexico and U.S., (4) social marginalization (poverty) contributes to transnationalism, (5) transnational Jaripos are more likely to feel comfortable with diverse groups, (6) transnational Jaripos feel more comfortable being bilingual than monolingual.

John L. Ortiz

Title: California's Gaming Propositions: How Has Expansion of Gaming Rights Affected Local Communities?

Abstract: In the past twenty years, the growth of tribal casinos has given the California the distinction of being second only to Nevada in casino gaming Upcoming statewide propositions could potentially double the size of existing the state. Yet, there has been surprisingly little research on how legalized already affected the state of California. This study investigates the affects Indian gaming casinos have had on California communities. In particular, how casino gambling has affected local tax revenues, bankruptcies, employment, crime. In both cross-sectional and panel regression analysis, a modest correlation between Indian casinos and county employment rates. On the other hand, finds that counties with a larger casino presence experience somewhat higher higher rates of personal bankruptcy. This study also finds that casinos have correlation with certain categories of tax revenues and expenditures. In stronger relationship was found when the number of Indian gaming tables, the number of slot machines, is used as a measure of casino presence.

Olgalilia Ramírez

Title: Student Activism from a Grounded Experience: A Standpoint Analysis

Abstract: This paper examines how the personal experiences of marginalization and oppression motivate Chicana/o college students to engage in political activism. Through a self-administered survey and qualitative interviews of California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) students, this study examines whether personal experience causes a Chicana/o college student to become civically engaged or politically active. The research is grounded in standpoint theory: "An approach that suggests that inquiry and research grounded in the standpoints of . marginalized groups is more objective and more complete than research based on the perspectives of the privileged" (Harding 2004). Moreover, the theory suggests that marginalized individuals are more likely to develop a counter-hegemonic perspective of political action. Though much has been said about this link, there has been little empirical work done on establishing the connection. Standpoint theory is used to support the perspective of the Chicana/o students that result from the data collected. Moreover, the study identifies politically active students through a series of questions to determine whether or not personal experiences were the cause of their activism.

Rebecca Romo

Title: The Impact of Race and Gender on Income Earnings: A Multivariate Analysis

Abstract: Guided by an intersectional theory, it is hypothesized that women of color are significantly disadvantaged by the relational and intersecting effects of race, gender and class inequalities. This study uses existing data from the 2002 General Social Survey, which is a national random sample of adults. This study analyzes the impact that race and gender have on annual personal income. A multivariate analysis examines the variance that race and gender account for in women of color's income, as compared to white women and men. This analysis controls for the following individual characteristics: educational attainment, age, and hours worked per week.

Edgar Vidrio

Title: Study of the Kinetics of the Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Levoglucosan

Abstract: The acid-catalyzed hydrolysis reaction of levoglucosan was observed in order to determine the rate constant for this reaction as a function of [H+] and temperature. During the combustion phase of wood, levoglucosan is released in large quantities to the environment. Because levoglucosan is a source specific to wood, it is an effective candidate to trace biomass source emissions in the atmosphere. One impediment to its usage is the possible atmospheric chemical reaction that levoglucosan undergoes: hydrolysis with water droplets found in the atmosphere. The hydrolysis reaction was monitored for a period of 10 days by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) connected to an aerosol charge detector (ACD) system. Using HPLC, the concentrations of glucose and levoglucosan can be determined and correlated to pinpoint the conditions at which levoglucosan undergoes the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis to produce glucose. The rate constant for a hydrolysis reaction with a [H+] of 0.9 stored at 50°C was determined to be (2.61 +/- 0.09) X 10-6 s-1. The overall activation energy for the hydrolysis reaction of levoglucosan was determined to be 97 kJ/mol. From this data, this researcher determined that the loss of levoglucosan is significant only at high [H+] and temperatures (e.g. [H+] = 4 at 50°C). Otherwise, the rate of the hydrolysis of levoglucosan is negligible at normal atmospheric conditions.