Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

2017-18 CCAR Annual Report | 15 In 2017–18 the Center for Community Action and Research and their student research fellows undertook several research initiatives connected to issues of civic engagement and social justice. Here are just a few. Best Practices to Enable Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students to Thrive in Higher Education It is crucial to ensure that all students are given the best chance to succeed both in college and the workplace. Working with Connor Wills '21, Applied Psychology and Human Relations, CCAR constructed a best practices document that could be distributed to campuses and professional organizations that serve queer, trans, and gender nonconforming students. Wills and CCAR Program Coordinator Tyler Kalahar were recognized as the top Pleasantville Undergraduate Faculty Research pairing of 2018. College Students and Food Insecurity Food insecurity is a major concern for many college students across the nation. The CCAR, working with Fatimah Majors '20, Applied Psychology and Human Relations, Mental Health Counseling, received a grant to collect data on the Pleasantville campus on food insecurity and homelessness. The data will be used internally to help make policy decisions on how to best tackle food insecurity among Pace students. Suburban and Urban Traditional College Student Attitudes Towards Civic Engagement This past year the CCAR, working with Rachel Skopp-Cardillo '20, Digital Cinema and Filmmaking, continued to examine college students' attitudes towards civic engagement. Gathering data from both the Pleasantville and New York City campuses, researchers examined trends focusing on local politics, attitudes about community service, skepticism towards charity, and a focus on how students educate themselves about politics for suburban vs. urban students. "I am currently a first-year student at Regent University working towards my Master's and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Through my research with the CCAR, I learned the methods to properly design a research construct. The experiences and knowledge I gathered through the CCAR have enabled my success at the graduate level. The CCAR fostered the development of my professional identity and challenged me to push myself academically." Anna Magnante '17 Applied Psychology and Human Relations Spotlight On: Research Initiatives

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