Interdisciplinary – Page 4 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Interdisciplinary

Boards of Directors – A Behavioral Analysis

This project is related to the psychology of Boards of Directors. We are attempting to find out why certain companies allow or promote unethical behavior from their employees, and/or engage in it themselves. The purpose is generally to seek knowledge on the subject, but also to begin to lay down a framework for how companies can establish a healthy work environment. Our methodology is literature review, the findings from which have been put into a paper. The driving force behind unethical behavior is broadly capitalistic – our research has shown that many companies are willing to cut corners for the sake of saving money. These results are extremely relevant, especially when considering how to regulate this behavior moving forward. Calling more attention to the ways in which companies take advantage will hopefully help put better protections in place for employees and discourage further unethical behavior in the future.

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Cross Cultural Negotiation

As globalization and foreign policy have dominated international relations throughout the 21st century, the need for understanding how to strengthen and extend these bonds has only grown stronger as well. Sectors such as law, business, government, and trade rely on these inter and intracontinental ties in order to build their networks and provide necessary services that benefit both producers and consumers. Without them, productivity and revenue would fall, and very little chance for expansion or cultural exchange could take place. Studying topics such as etiquette, societal expectations, lifestyles, introversion, hierarchy, and individualism all contribute to how each city, state, and country expect to conduct themselves in cross-cultural settings. Not only do they inform diverse parties in how to approach a given situation, but they also provide a chance to bridge the similarities and differences that characterize each culture. Within the context of negotiations, it is essential that these attributes are well understood in order to produce the best possible outcomes for each contingent. In a world where opportunity is limitless, the information from these findings helps to establish a secure foundation from which a progressive dialogue can take place. By examining the inner-workings of cross-cultural negotiations, society stands to gain a more comprehensive interpretation and appreciation of how life differs in each region of the world, and how those changes influence exchanges.

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Nonviolent Resistance in Evereg and Fenesse

Current research on the Armenian Genocide of 1915 (??? ?????) is thorough and comprehensive, but when it addresses Armenian resistance to these crimes, it tends to focus on armed resistance rather than nonviolent resistance. Additionally, research on individual Ottoman Armenian towns and villages is generally cultural in nature, and while this is extremely important, it also tends to overlook the village’s nonviolent resistance to genocide, when present. This results in the belief that provincial Armenians were either passive to the atrocities they faced, or that they could only protect themselves through reactionary violence. This study aims to show that the Armenians the twin towns of Evereg and Fenesse (modern Develi) were able to nonviolently resist their complete erasure from this world through the foundation of the Evereg Mesrobian and Fenesse Roupinian educational societies by using a combination of historical analysis and interviews of the descendants of the survivors of Evereg and Fenesse. An analysis of these texts could show that the curriculum inspired a revolutionary mentality, or that the subjects studied at these educational institutions allowed for the preservation of the cultures of Evereg and Fenesse as its inhabitants (the few who were lucky enough to survive massacre, that is) made their way to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and eventually the United States. Hopefully, this research will show that the existence of these educational societies aided in the survival of Evereg and Fenesse Armenians themselves. These pre-genocide and post-genocide accounts will show that when armed resistance to ethnic cleansing is not an option, nonviolent resistance through the creation and maintenance of educational institutions and societies can ensure not just the survival of human beings, but also the continuation of their culture.

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How Do Motivations and Identities Effect Racial Dialogue?

Lauren Lott Pronouns: she/her/hers Research Mentor(s): Koji Takahashi, Graduate Student Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Session: Session 6 (4pm-4:50pm) Breakout Room: Room 3 Presenter: 6 Event Link Abstract For privacy concerns this abstract cannot be published at this time. Authors: Lauren Lott, Vimukthi

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How Do Motivations and Identities Affect Racial Dialogue?

Vimukthi Rupasinghe Pronouns: He/Him Research Mentor(s): Koji Takahashi, Graduate Student Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Session: Session 6 (4pm-4:50pm) Breakout Room: Room 3 Presenter: 6 Event Link Abstract For privacy concerns this abstract cannot be published at this time. Authors: Lauren Lott, Koji

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Sandy Hook Promise Evaluations

While schools have employed systems for students to report incidents of bullying, drugs, mental health, safety concerns, etc. they are often not anonymous, despite being advertised as so. Often times students are directed to report their concerns to a teacher/counselor directly or to fill out a form of some kind that they ultimately need to deliver to a teacher/counselor, thus defeating the point of “anonymous” reporting. This study aims to investigate how the number and demographics of student reports change when an actual Anonymous Reporting System (ARS) is introduced. This experiment included a school district in Pennsylvania where half of the schools implemented the ARS and taught the students how to use it while the other half of schools carried on with their normal reporting system. At the conclusion of the study, all of the tips were coded and categorized on the basis of type (sexual harassment, drugs, mental health, etc), race, gender, grade/age, and whether or not the victim was the one who reported or if it was a witness. After a careful analysis of the data, we expect to see a higher number of tips related to nonviolent bullying and harassment compared to other types of tips, including violence. This knowledge of how an ARS can be more effective for certain types of tips is part of a growing understanding of how to improve school safety and will lead to new standard legislation and implementation regarding reporting in schools.

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An Analysis of Types of Tips Collected Using an Anonymous Reporting System (ARS) in K-12 Schools

While schools have employed systems for students to report incidents of bullying, drugs, mental health, safety concerns, etc. they are often not anonymous, despite being advertised as so. Often times students are directed to report their concerns to a teacher/counselor directly or to fill out a form of some kind that they ultimately need to deliver to a teacher/counselor, thus defeating the point of “anonymous” reporting. This study aims to investigate how the number and demographics of student reports change when an actual Anonymous Reporting System (ARS) as part of the Safe2Say Something (S2SS) initiative is introduced. This experiment included a school district in Pennsylvania where half of the schools implemented the ARS and taught the students how to use it while the other half of schools carried on with their normal reporting system. At the conclusion of the study, all of the tips were coded and categorized on the basis of type (sexual harassment, drugs, mental health, etc), race, gender, grade/age, and whether or not the victim was the one who reported or if it was a witness. After a careful analysis of the data, we expect to see a higher number of tips related to nonviolent bullying and harassment compared to other types of tips, including violence. This knowledge of how an ARS can be more effective for certain types of tips is part of a growing understanding of how to improve school safety and will lead to new standard legislation and implementation regarding reporting in schools.

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How Do Companies Respond to Consumer Boycotts? A Deeper Understanding of the Interplay between Social Movements, Corporations and Political Actors.

Xinyue Cao Pronouns: she/her/hers Research Mentor(s): Pablo Sanz, PhD Candidate Research Mentor School/College/Department: Strategy Department, Ross School of Business Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Session: Session 6 (4pm-4:50pm) Breakout Room: Room 19 Presenter: 1 Event Link Abstract For privacy concerns this abstract cannot be published at this time. Authors: Xinyue Cao, Isaac Matti Research

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Disability Justice and Technology

Blind people use commercially available visual description services powered by either human agents or artificial intelligence in their daily lives to alleviate access barriers. However, few works discuss the security risks for Blind people when inadvertently exposing private content during the use of these services. From the personal narratives of Blind people, this study seeks to inform the design of privacy preserving and equitable technologies for and with Blind people. Through semi-structured interviews with Blind people, this study unearths the current privacy-preserving practices they use, and the values and considerations to be included in emerging technologies. This work offers the conceptualization of image obfuscation techniques in upcoming design iterations of visual description services.

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COVID-19 hidden stories

Despite the vast studies that exist concerning marginalized populations and discriminatory concerns within the healthcare system, there are little to none focusing on the first-hand narratives of Hispanic individuals who face barriers to accessing healthcare services. Most importantly, there is not enough research that delves into the perspectives of Hispanic immigrants who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this study, “COVID-19 Hidden Stories,” served to extensively analyze and investigate the various factors that play a role in accessibility to healthcare that has yet been captured by the media. This investigative study was a platform for Hispanic individuals within the Detroit and Grand Rapids communities of Michigan and from Chicago, Illinois, to share their experiences with COVID-19. Through non-contact interviews covering aspects of COVID-19, substantial journalistic research was gathered and analyzed to draw commonalities between the respective recounts of the interviewees; by far, there were high relevance of themes such as loss of family, strained health, financial constraints, and fear of deportation amidst the pandemic. Through this research, there were several barriers and factors that resulted in the silencing of Hispanic immigrants during this difficult period, suggesting a systemic fault in the American healthcare system. Their stories humanize existing statistics and add nuance to the understanding of the intersectionality between immigration policies and health care services. In documenting first-hand accounts of Hispanic individuals, these stories will be compiled to create a podcast that will help the Hispanic community trudge through isolation during the pandemic.

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