Human Development & Family Science News
Falk student leads summer camp for children of parents with cancer
Discouraged, frightened, alone. These feelings are an everyday reality for children whose parents have cancer. Sometimes what they need most is a friend who understands. Camp Kesem aims to be that friend. Founded in 2000, the national organization includes 86 chapters of student-run summer camps across the U.S. that support children facing parental diagnosis and parental loss due to cancer. It provides a one-week camp experience and a year-round support network of peers fighting the same battle. Syracuse University’s chapter was founded in 2012.
This year, 19 campers experienced Camp Kesem at Syracuse University, thanks to the efforts of approximately 25 student volunteers, including child and family studies major Anna Olson ’19.
“I wholeheartedly understand how it feels to have a family member undergoing treatment,” says Olson. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed when Olson was sixteen. This trying experience is what motivated Olson to pursue a career as a child life specialist. “I chose this path in life to help families like mine and children like me to deal with the hardships of having a sick family member or being sick themselves,” she explains.
As co-directors of Camp Kesem at Syracuse University, Olson and Abigail Hamilton ‘19, marketing and political science dual major, oversee an executive board of student volunteers. “Anna and her student team organize this week-long summer camp, which includes obtaining medical professionals, training counselors, obtaining donations, and camper recruitment,” said Camp Kesem at Syracuse University faculty advisor Colleen Cameron, CCLS, M.Ed., a professor of practice in Falk College’s Department of Human Development and Family Science. “It is quite an accomplishment—Anna took this task on as a freshman.”
Together, Olson and her team create an incredible week for the campers, including messy games, a major food fight and paint war, “a Camp Kesem staple,” Olson says. “It is definitely the most fun part of camp.” Cancer can make a child grow up fast, she says, but at camp, they get to just be kids, surrounded by others who fully understand the struggles they are going through.
Olson explains that her responsibilities as co-director have taught her how to work with different personalities, communicate effectively and sensitively, and also ensure that every voice in the group is heard. “Most importantly, co-directing has made me even more dedicated to my major and what I am headed towards in the future,” she says.
“At the end of the day,” she adds, “I just look at my fellow classmates that I work with, who I now consider my family; and I look at pictures of the smiling faces on all our beautiful and inspiring campers, and I just feel so incredibly blessed and grateful to be a part of this organization.”
Camp Kesem is one of the 2017 Orange Circle Award recipients, which recognize exceptional philanthropic work through financial contribution or volunteerism. Camp Kesem is currently recruiting Syracuse University student volunteers for next year’s camp. Interested students may visit campkesem.org for more information on how to get involved.
Falk student-athlete named ACC Player of the Year
Peterson Named ACC Player of the Year
Peterson led the league in scoring during the regular season
Senior guard Alexis Peterson has been recognized as the 2017 Blue Ribbon Panel Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday morning. Peterson is the first player in Syracuse women’s basketball history to earn conference player of the year honors.
A child and family studies major in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Peterson has put together an impressive list of accolades this year. She is finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, on the midseason watch lists for the Naismith Trophy, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, Dawn Staley Award, and Wooden Award, and was on the watch list for the Wade Trophy.
Peterson averaged 23.6 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.1 steals per game during the 2016-17 regular season. The Columbus, Ohio native led the conference in scoring in all games played and paced the league in assists and steals in ACC contests. She set the Syracuse single-season scoring record with 683 points. In addition, she set a program record with four conference player of the week honors.
The senior guard scored an Orange single-game record 45 points in a victory against NC State on Jan. 12. It marked the most points scored by an individual, male or female, in the history of the Carrier Dome.
In 130 games played in her collegiate career, Peterson has scored 1,890 points, which ranks second in program history. She has dished out 567 assists in her time on campus, seven shy of matching the top mark in Syracuse women’s basketball history. Peterson and Washington’s Kelsey Plum are the only two active players in the country with at least 1,800 points scored and 500 assists.
The No. 21/20 Orange open ACC Tournament action on Thursday night when they take on the winner of North Carolina and Pittsburgh. The second-round contest will tipoff at 8 p.m. at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C. The game will be shown locally on tape delay on the YES Network and will available live on ACC Network Extra.
Human Development and Family Science prepares students with experiential learning
Falk College students in CFS 325: Children and Families in Health Care Settings study theories and practices of recreational, developmental, and educational programs for children and families in the pediatric care setting under the instruction of certified child life specialist and human development and family science (HDFS) professor of practice Colleen Cameron. Her students may go on to work in health care as child life specialists, physician assistants, even play, speech, or rehabilitation therapists, however, there is a much greater depth of career opportunities for these aspiring professionals.
Some alumni take administrative or teaching roles in early childhood or special education, others may enter social services as counselors, programmers. Some accept government opportunities in legislation, advocacy, and protective agencies. Still others enter the field of communications in journalism or public relations.
Cameron currently sits on the Child Life Council’s (CLC) Undergraduate Endorsement Review Committee, responsible for reviewing the quality of undergraduate child life academic programs at the national and international level. In August, she attended the CLC Academic and Clinical Preparation Summit in Detroit, Michigan as one of 60 committee members to discuss topics impacting child life students, academic institutions, interns, internship programs, and the workforce as a whole.
Academic institutions face a serious task to prepare students for vital roles in a variety of professional sectors. Experiential learning, or “hands-on learning,” is one of the key differentiating factors for Falk College’s academic programs in HDFS.
HDFS students have access to Falk’s on-campus teacher training facility, the Bernice M. Wright (BMW) Child Development Laboratory School, which offers early childhood education programming accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children to the Syracuse community and supports research regarding early childhood education.
In addition, all HDFS students complete a two-semester, 180-hour practicum in an area agency or organization. A portion of the practicum includes a weekly seminar surveying the various professional roles that exist in human services.
With a deeper understanding of children and families in the context of a range of community, educational and social services settings, Falk’s comprehensive approach gives students a competitive edge as they enter the workforce.
Get started on a career path that makes a difference with Nov. 4 Information Session
When students think graduate school, they think curriculum, campus, community, but most of all, what the degree will mean for their lives. It’s not until after completing their degree that Falk College graduate students realize the profound difference it made not just for themselves, but for the lives of those around them as they discover new and exciting opportunities to have a positive impact. That’s what a graduate degree from Falk College means: it means our graduates can do more—more for the community, for society, and for the world. And they do!
Join prospective Falk College graduate students interested in child and family studies, food studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management at Falk’s Graduate Program Information Session on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in White Hall, part of the Falk College Complex.
The presentation will provide detailed information on Falk College graduate programs in:
- Child and Family Studies M.A., M.S., Ph.D.
- Marriage and Family Therapy M.A., Ph.D.
- Addiction Studies M.A.
- Food Studies M.S.
- Global Health M.S.
- Nutrition Science M.A., M.S.
- Public Health M.S.
- Social Work M.S.W.
- Sport Venue and Event Management M.S.
- Dual Degree Social Work and Marriage and Family Therapy M.A./M.S.W.
Information and advising will be available regarding Falk’s Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs including child therapy, trauma-informed practice, addiction studies, food studies and global health.
Falk hosts November 4 Graduate Program Information Session
When students think graduate school, they think curriculum, campus, community, but most of all, what the degree will mean for their lives. It’s not until after completing their degree that Falk College graduate students realize the profound difference it made not just for themselves, but for the lives of those around them as they discover new and exciting opportunities to have a positive impact. That’s what a graduate degree from Falk College means: it means our graduates can do more—more for the community, for society, and for the world. And they do!
Join prospective Falk College graduate students interested in child and family studies, food studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management at Falk’s Graduate Program Information Session on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in White Hall, part of the Falk College Complex.
The presentation will provide detailed information on Falk College graduate programs in:
- Child and Family Studies, MA, MS, PhD
- Marriage and Family Therapy, MA, PhD
- Addiction Studies, MA
- Food Studies, MS
- Global Health, MS
- Nutrition Science, MA, MS
- Public Health, MS
- Social Work, MSW
- Sport Venue and Event Management, MS
- Dual Degree Social Work and Marriage and Family Therapy, MA/MSW
Information and advising will be available regarding Falk’s Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs including child therapy, trauma-informed practice, addiction studies, food studies, global health, and intercollegiate athletic advising and support.
Carter appointed to Onondaga County/Syracuse Commission on Human Rights
Onondaga County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney has appointed Professor Bruce Carter as a Commissioner on the Onondaga County/Syracuse Commission on Human Rights. The term runs through December 2018. The Commission promotes understanding and acceptance of diversity, facilitates intergroup communication, identifies and addresses sources of intergroup tension and conflict, reduces conditions that can lead to discrimination and restrict opportunity, and provides related education, information and referral. In addition to his role on the faculty of the Department of Human Development and Family Science and the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Carter is a facilitator for the Community Wide Dialogues on Race and Racism and a facilitator for the CARE Dialogue Program at Syracuse University.
Falk Ph.D. student research fills critical data need on U.S. family medical leave policies
The late 1990s brought an economic recession to South Korea that would turn tradition on its head. Previously, fathers held jobs and mothers raised the children at home. The recession thrust many mothers into the workplace while middle and high schoolers like Woosang Hwang adjusted to a new home life. It’s what prompted him to study family policy and issues affecting dual-income families.
As a doctoral candidate in human development and family science, Hwang’s dissertation examines the effects of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on dual-income families in the United States. The FMLA allows eligible employees to take job-protected leave for specified reasons. However, parental leave is just 12 weeks and is unpaid. “Three months is not enough for both father and mother to take care of their children, compared to European countries that provide more than 180 days or six months,” argues Hwang.
He has been investigating this issue since 2015 under the advisement of Dr. Eunjoo Jung, associate professor of human development and family science at Falk College.
“The findings of Hwang’s project will provide theoretical and empirical evidence for both policy and academic fields to evaluate the current maternity leave policy in the United States,” says Jung. “His research is already assisting us to understand the status and challenges of low fertility, employed women, and intergenerational family relations. “This line of work has great promise to help us understand how we can prevent the lost potential in children and families in various contexts around the world.”
Hwang’s dissertation, “The Impacts of the Family and Medical Leave Act on Second-Birth Intentions: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model,” will be recognized with the Feldman Outstanding Research Proposal for Research in Family Policy award at the 2016 National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference November 2-5 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he will also receive an Issues in Aging Focus Group award for his work with the Syracuse University Aging Studies Institute on “Religious Discordance between Adult Children and Their Parents: Consequences for Intergenerational Solidarity across Several Decades.”
Hwang describes an unpaid leave scenario in which a parent is forced to reduce the family budget and therefore feels pressured to return to work sooner rather than later. Furthermore, employees are often concerned that parental leave will negatively impact their career by putting them at a disadvantage for promotions or wage increases. It creates what Hwang describes as an “internal conflict” that is not good for the parent or the child.
Hwang’s research shows that when mothers utilize maternity leave, the children demonstrate better developmental outcomes. “[Parents] can take care of their children from birth to three months or six months,” says Hwang. “That is a very critical period.”
The U.S. trails behind many nations as far as family leave policy, Hwang says. “To change policymakers’ and politicians’ attitudes and get them to think about this policy, then researchers should provide a lot of empirical evidence,” Hwang explains. Unlike European nations, the U.S. has very few empirical studies regarding this topic, and what research does exist is based on outdated data collected in the mid-1990s. “That data cannot represent today’s dual-income families’ attitudes and behaviors regarding the policy,” adds Hwang.
The U.S. fertility rate has steadily declined from 1960 to 2015. But today, Hwang notes, the drop has become alarmingly sharp among employed women, a trend that could greatly impact the economy as the U.S. labor population decreases and the aging population and expectant lifespan continue to increase.
Hwang believes that revising the FMLA to incorporate extended, paid parental leave is the first step to altering the perception of parental leave. A revised policy, Hwang hopes, will change employers’ mindsets, thus allowing employees to take leave free of concern. Parents will no longer have to choose between their family and their job, which will ultimately benefit the parent, child, and society as a whole.
Your chance to have an impact: What a graduate degree means at Falk College
When students think graduate school, they think curriculum, campus, community, but most of all, what the degree will mean for their lives. It’s not until after completing their degree that Falk College graduate students realize the profound difference it made not just for themselves, but for the lives of those around them as they discover new and exciting opportunities to have a positive impact. That’s what a graduate degree from Falk College means: it means our graduates can do more—more for the community, for society, and for the world. And they do!
Join prospective Falk College graduate students interested in child and family studies, food studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management at Falk’s Graduate Program Information Session on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in White Hall, part of the Falk College Complex.
The presentation will provide detailed information on Falk College graduate programs in:
- Child and Family Studies M.A., M.S., Ph.D.
- Marriage and Family Therapy M.A., Ph.D.
- Addiction Studies M.A.
- Food Studies M.S.
- Global Health M.S.
- Nutrition Science M.A., M.S.
- Public Health M.S.
- Social Work M.S.W.
- Sport Venue and Event Management M.S.
- Dual Degree Social Work and Marriage and Family Therapy M.A./M.S.W.
Information and advising will be available regarding Falk’s Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs including child therapy, trauma-informed practice, addiction studies, food studies, global health, and intercollegiate athletic advising and support.
Falk College attends graduate school fairs across New York, U.S. this fall
Falk College will attend many graduate school fairs this fall to connect with prospective graduate students in person and discuss interests and opportunities. This season’s travel schedule will take Falk College graduate admissions staff to many regional events in New York State and to major cities across the United States, such as Philadelphia, Boston, San Diego, and Washington D.C.
Falk College highlights graduate programs at November 4 information session
Syracuse University faculty, staff and current students will welcome potential graduate students interested in Falk College graduate studies in child and family studies, food studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management during its Graduate Program Information Session on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in White Hall, part of the Falk College Complex.
The presentation will provide detailed information on Falk College graduate programs in:
In addition, information and advising will be available regarding Falk’s Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs including child therapy, trauma-informed practice, addiction studies, food studies and global health.
There will be time for a question-and-answer session, as well as a time to meet with faculty, staff and current students. Light refreshments will be served.
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