Mentoring Statement
Accepting new graduate students: No
Accepting new undergraduate students: No
Fun Facts
Favorite quotes/sayings?
My favorite quote is “assume diversity.” I first heard it from Dr. Donna Sollie (HDFS; Auburn University) when I was a graduate student. At first it seemed strange to me because during the 1990s we were taught to see (and celebrate) similarities across and within groups, not differences. However, when I began teaching my own courses, I realized that we do need to assume diversity – and to celebrate differences. When we assume that everyone around us is the same as us, we risk thinking that we all think alike and feel the same about various topics. But when you assume diversity, you accept the notion that everyone is different, even within groups. Much safer and more inclusive thinking.
Hobbies/hidden talents?
This is really strange, and may only come in handy if I’m ever selected to appear on the reality TV show “Survivor,” but I am really good at untying knots and detangling cords, jewelry, ropes, strings, etc. For real.
Education
Ph.D. Auburn University, Human Development and Family Studies, 2005
M.S. Auburn University, Human Development and Family Studies, 2002
B.S. University of Maine, Psychology, 1999
Research Interest
• Grieving on social media
• Intimate partner violence
• Childhood sexual abuse
Courses Taught
Human sexuality
Internship and field experiences coordinator
Parenting across the lifespan
Marriage and family in a global context
Social policy
Program development and evaluation
Child development
Family life education
Family resource management
Statistics
Administration and supervision
The disadvantaged family
Death and dying
Theories in human development and Family Science
Accomplishments
2019 Nominated for the NCFR Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring
2015 Commencement Marshal, Eastern Illinois University December
2015 Graduate Leadership Award, Eastern Illinois University
2013 Achievement and Contribution Award in Service, Eastern Illinois University
2013 Faculty Mentor Award, Illinois Council on Family Relations
Research Projects
Currently interviewing individuals that have experienced a disenfranchised type of grief (grief that is not typically acknowledged or recognized by society, including but not limited to loss due to a method that makes people reluctant to talk about or acknowledge it, like murder or suicide; miscarriage, abortion, giving child up for adoption, or stillbirth; loss of a pet; loss due to dementia or traumatic head injury (physically still present); loss due to divorce or the ending of a relationship that was not public (like an affair) or was not considered a “typical” family member; etc.) and how they use social media to process their grief.
Selected Publications
Moyer, L. (in press). Polyamory. In J.L. Hartenstein (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Marriage and Divorce in America: Issues, Trends, and Controversies.
Moyer, L., & Enck, S. (2018). Is my grief too public for you? The digitalization of grief on Facebook. Death Studies. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2018.1522388
Moyer, L. (2018). Review of Mimi Schippers (2016) Beyond Monogamy. Polyamory and the Future of Polyqueer Sexualities. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 10(4), 1-5. doi: 10.111/jftr.12303
Simpson, L., Smith, R., Taylor, L., & Chadd, J. (2012). College debt: An exploratory study of risk factors among college freshmen. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 42, 16-27.
Simpson, L., Taylor, L., O’Rourke, K., & Shaw, K. (2011). An analysis of consumer behavior on Black Friday. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 1(1), 1-5.
Taylor, L., & Hillyard, P. (2009). Betting on prevention: The effectiveness of the “Don’t Gamble Away Our FutureTM” gambling awareness program. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 7, 250-261.
