Vallo Vault
Welcome to Vallo Vault, UM's Digital Archives and Scholarship Hub.
This open and searchable site contains scholarly works of UM faculty and students. It also features archival collections related to the history of the university and the city of Montevallo. To learn more about Vallo Vault, including policies and submission instructions, visit this guide.
Communities
Select a community to browse its collections.
Recent Submissions
Front Matter
(McNair Research Journal, University of Montevallo, 2023)
The front matter for Volume 11 (2023) of the McNair Research Journal contains the following sections: Welcome by Jamaica Dunigan, History of the University, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents. It also contains information about TRIO, Ronald E. McNair, and the McNair Scholars Program.
Examining the Value of Latino Educators in Rural Communities
(McNair Research Journal, University of Montevallo, 2023) Avalos, Vanessa; Samuels, Gregory
“Equity” may have connotations of inclusiveness and opportunities for all, but in schools throughout the United States, Latino students, as well as other students of color, fall alarmingly behind in their academic achievement. Latino students in K-12 schools who are exposed to Latino educators and leaders are often uplifted and encouraged to reach above society’s expectations. Interestingly, however, Latino educators only make up a small percentage of educators in this country, yet the percentage of Latino students is expected to grow over the next decade, making the demand for Latino educators who understand the cultural differences of their students even higher than ever before. Additionally, diversity among K-12 educators falls short of the minimum needs in most schools. This literature review will examine the aspects of educational equity, the role of Latino educators, and the impacts Latino students must overcome in a politically-charged society, especially in rural schools.
Resilience Processes for First-Generation College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
(McNair Research Journal, University of Montevallo, 2023) Bloemetjie, Sean; Wang, Tiffany
Resilience is a communicative process in which people engage in storytelling, sensemaking, and adaptation during disruptive, traumatic trigger events. The COVID-19 pandemic is well- documented as a global disruption to people’s everyday lives, and, when addressing the ways in which the academic institution can better assist students, it is useful to know the ways in which they persisted through. This study aims to note and analyze first-generation students’, a group already subject to challenges within academia, resilience processes in order to advocate for policy improvements.
Is There a Possible Correlation Between an Expecting Mother's Antidepressant Usage and the Development of Autism in a Fetus?
(McNair Research Journal, University of Montevallo, 2023) Braxton, Sherena; Sestero, Christine
Depression is a mood disorder that affects the way individuals view and perform tasks they deemed as once being entertaining. In recent years, more women have experienced depression during their pregnancy. Depression is typically treated with a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and they are prominent in treating depression while pregnant. Some women that conceive may not have the opportunity to discontinue the usage of antidepressants, and with that comes an unavoidable risk of health concerns for the mother and child. One of those outcomes could be the development of autism in young children, which is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social skills, cognitive thinking, and verbal communication. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the possible correlation between an expecting mother taking antidepressants and the fetus developing autism. This review was conducted using primary research articles and background information about the subject of depression that were no more than six years old. This review concluded with the notation that a distinct relationship between a mother’s antidepressant usage and the child developing autism remains unclear until further research has been done investigating individual antidepressant medications.
Is the Mediterranean Diet Special?
(McNair Research Journal, University of Montevallo, 2023) Daw, Joshua M.; DeVane-Hart, Kelley
The Mediterranean diet, first coined by Ancel Keys in the 1960’s, is a diet pattern which has been purported to be the gold standard of all diet patterns. The Mediterranean diet has been recommended for general health, weight loss, and heart disease prevention by many physicians and health organizations for many years; and for good reason. Perhaps the most well researched diet in the world is the Mediterranean diet and a majority of the research is in consensus of its health benefits. However, there is currently not enough evidence to support the Mediterranean diet being labeled as a gold standard. Despite all of the evidence for the Mediterranean diet and its health benefits, there is no clear consensus on its definition and common recommendations for food quantity and type are generalized. Furthermore, there are other diet patterns that provide functionally similar health effects.