Author: Ally

Letter from the Editor

January 11, 2020 / Ally

The Morningside Review is, to date, my proudest accomplishment. Morningside is a home and a community, but it is also filled with outstanding students who deserve to be recognized. For once, my talents had a place to shine in Kiosk, but so many other people never had the opportunity to be published; I wanted to change that.

For being such a small school, Morningside offers its students ample opportunity to be the best they can be. Research projects and symposiums are created and held, conferences are attended and presented at, international connections are achieved, and students are allowed to shine. There has never been a time where my ambition has been met by “that’s too risky” or “you’re not ready” while studying at Morningside. The Morningside Review stands to prove that.

As editor-in-chief of The Morningside Review, I have learned teamwork, cooperation, patience, and the irreplaceable idea that what I set my mind to can be accomplished. Morningside provides students of every caliber the ability to succeed beyond the ordinary. Our slogan states that we are to cultivate lifelong learning, ethical leadership, and civic responsibility. I hope that this publication meets all those standards; in my eyes, it does.

My hope is that every Morningsider now and in the future believes that their work is important. I hope that The Morningside Review proves to them that they are valued. I hope that every student, no matter their background or what their future holds, realizes that they are intelligent and talented. Finally, I hope The Morningside Review proves that no matter your discipline, Morningside is a community.

I want to thank Leslie Werden and Steve Coyne for believing in me so that I could believe in everyone else. I want to thank Ally Hecht, Ben Heib, and Kailyn Robert for being my incredible student team. To John Reynders, thank you for supporting and encouraging my crazy idea. Erin Edlund, Jessica Pleuss, and Tim Sesterhenn, thank you for taking on another responsibility in the name of student research. To Tatum, thank you for your countless emails and support. To my parents, I would not be who I am today without you. And to God, thank you for making me a capable and strong female.

The Morningside Review is for all of us.

Jackson, Amy-Millennial Sociolinguistics

January 11, 2020 / Ally

Abstract:
Communication through CMC (computer-mediated conversation) is hazardous. The commonality of CMC misunderstandings suggests this conclusion: proper grammar is not always adequate for expressing meaning. Many attempts have been made to bridge the gap between CMC and speech, but while academics were inventing fanciful additions to the keyboard, millennials were developing their own tactics for inserting nuance into CMC. Although some observers are quick to accuse millennials of illiteracy or laziness, dissection of these trends reveals that, since millennials engage in CMC at far higher rates than older generations, they have subsequently developed a number of grammatical quirks intended to mimic the nuances of face-to-face conversation in CMC. Through examining millennials’ treatments of sarcasm and emphasis as examples, the purposes behind these linguistic trends will be revealed, hopefully explaining if not outright justifying the phenomena.

Full Work:

Jackson, Amy – Millennial-Sociolinguistics Download

Custer, Riley-Examination of Claw Refraction in a Relatively Complete Specimen of Mesocyon

January 11, 2020 / Ally

Abstract:
Mesocyon temnodon is an Oligocene canid species that existed in localities such as South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska approximately 35.4 million years ago. Even though its evolutionary relationships and phylogenetic position are uncertain, it is known to be a member of the subfamily Hesperocyoninae, near the base of the canid evolutionary tree. Recent observations of Mesocyon temnodon fossils show that the ancient dog may have some anatomical similarities to feline specimens, especially in post-cranial samples. The presence of epicondylar fossae and the potential for retractable claws are two points of common morphology with felines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate claws from Mesocyon temnodon specimen NDGS 64 in order to determine the plausibility of retraction. This process was executed utilizing visual comparison to other specimens known to have retractable claws. This was conducted by examining three lines of evidence: the morphology of the middle phalanx module, depth of arc in the claw, and the sizes of the extensor and flexor muscle processes. In specimens capable of claw retraction, the middle phalanx has a curvature on the posterior side, making the bone asymmetrical in shape. Specimens incapable of claw retraction have a middle phalanx that is symmetrical in shape. Retractable claws have deeper arcs in the claw whereas non-retractable claws have a shallower depth of the arc. In addition to this, retractable claws have differing attachment sites of the extensor and flexor processes compared to non-retractable claws. Using this method of visual comparison, it was found that the observed specimen, NDGS 64, was incapable of claw retraction.

Full Work:

Custer, Riley-Examination of Claw Retraction in a Relatively Complete Specimen of Mesocyon Download