2004-05 WSU Undergraduate Research Grant Application

Revised May 2004

Cover Sheet

________Assessment and Presentation of the Tip-A-Cop Program___

Project Title (10 words or less)

Dollar Amount Requested from Undergraduate Research Funds: ___$1450.52_________________________________________________________________

Student Name (last, first)

Clawson, Kami____________

Student ID #883689530

_107____________________________ _________Spring 2005________

Total Number of Credits Completed Anticipated Graduation (term/year) *

(* funds may NOT be spent after graduation)

______Fowler, Lauren__________________________________________________

Faculty Mentor Name (last, first)

_______________________________________

Faculty Mentor Department, Mail Code, and College

This project ____ DOES __X__ DOES NOT require review by the WSU Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects or the WSU Animal Care and Use Committee.

__________________________________ _________________

Student Signature Date

__________________________________ _________________

Project Mentor Signature Date

_________________ _________________

Campus Mail Code Phone Extension

__________________________________ _________________

Undergraduate Research Committee Representative Date

__________________________________ _________________

Faculty Mentor Department Chair Date

2004-05 WSU Undergraduate Research Budget Worksheet

Revised May 2004

BUDGET ITEM	Department or College Funds	Outside Agency Funds	Personal Funds	Undergrad. Research Funds	GRAND TOTAL
Materials *
Equipment *
Travel to gather data
Travel to present results (must have proof of acceptance)				$810.52	$810.52
Stipend: Hrs @ $10/hr Benefits @ 8.5% Total				$430.00	$430.00
GRAND TOTAL				$1244.52	$1244.52

NOTE – Equipment and left-over materials purchased with this grant will remain the property of WSU

Budget Justification

• Registration for the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Conference on Social Sciences = $30.00

Student/affiliate membership dues: $15.00

RMPA student member full convention registration fee: $15.00

• Expedia.com indicates a flight/hotel/car rental roundtrip package from SLC to Phoenix for April 13 – 17 would cost~ $ 780.52
• Student Stipend for translation on materials from English to Spanish

Approximately 40 hours @ $10.00 per hour = a total 0f $434.00

• Total Requested Amount = $ 1,244.52

1. Project description

Funding Request:

I am requesting funds for two reasons. I would like to cover a student stipend, payable to Joel Orton on a weekly basis as he translates all existing Tip-A-Cop (TAC) literature and creates a Spanish link for the TAC website. It is estimated that it will take approximately 40 hours to translate all of the material into Spanish. I would also like to present my research at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Conference, which is being held April 14 – 16, 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona. We will be presenting research that we gathered last semester and research we will gather next semester when we conduct another survey to assess community perceptions about the new TAC program. I realize that you would like to have notification of acceptance to the conference in order to fund travel to the conference, but the RMPA conference submissions are not until December. The conference is in April 2005, and your next student funding deadline would be after the conference. Because this is a regional conference, most student research is accepted for presentation, and therefore the chance of our presentation not being accepted is very slim. Please consider funding the presentation of this collaborative research project that has been going on for over a year.

Background Information

Fall semester of 2003 we created a survey to assess community members’ perceptions of the TAC program (managed by the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force). The English and Spanish survey was created to assess community perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes of the TAC program, using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. The survey revealed that while many community members had heard of TAC, few had actually participated. Survey results reflected apprehensions about how and when to use the program, as well as concerns about retaliation and safety issues. It was also discovered that 40% of the members of the community primarily speak Spanish in the target area. The survey revealed that none of the Spanish speakers had heard of TAC. In order to ensure program success it will be necessary to translate all of the English TAC literature and TAC website into Spanish. This semester I will have all of the literature distributed into the community in a collaborative effort with fellow WSU research students, the Strike Force, and Ogden City’s Operation: Weed and Seed.

This semester I am working with Dr. Fowler and WSU student, Joel Orton. Survey results indicated that no Spanish survey participant had heard of the TAC program. We have determined that in order for the new TAC program to be successful it will be necessary to provide English/Spanish versions of all TAC literature and the TAC website.

2. Student Background

I am a senior at Weber State University. I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree May of 2005, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Technical Sales. I plan to attend graduate school after graduation and research will be helpful. My course work at Weber State includes, but is not limited to, Statistics, Introduction to Counseling Theories, Theories of Personality, Fundamental and Advanced Sales Techniques, Abnormal Psychology, Drugs and Behavior, and various Psychology courses. The Drugs and Behavior course had a service-learning component, which is how I got started with the TAC program. Also, I completed a Directed Readings course spring 2004, in which I researched other major cities approaches to the reduction of use, production, and distribution of methamphetamines. I am currently enrolled in the Capstone Research Project, during which I am responsible for implementing the changes necessary to kick off the new Tip-A-Cop program.

During the final semester of my Capstone Research Project I will conduct a sample survey of the new TAC program about a month or so after the new materials are handed out. I will then record methods of disbursement and any issues or concerns that arise from implementing the new program. Based on periodic survey results, we will make amendments to the new program as needed. Initially, this will be based on evaluation of the new program. I plan to present my results at WSU’s undergraduate research symposium, as well as a regional psychological conference (RMPA).

3. Methodology and Timeline.

We are requesting funds to cover the required registration fee and travel expenses to present a poster presentation at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Conference on Social Sciences in April 2005. Our presentation at this conference will integrate research that has been gathered since Fall semester 2003 through the beginning of spring semester 2005. We are also requesting funds to cover a student stipend, payable to Joel Orton on a weekly basis as he translates all existing TAC literature and creates a Spanish link for the TAC website. It is estimated that it will take approximately 40 hours to translate all of the material into Spanish.

Time Line:

November 2004 – May 2005: Data collection, TAC program evaluation, and implementation of new Spanish Materials in the Ogden Area

April 14 – 19, 2005: Present Results at RMPA Conference