Social Work News
March is National Professional Social Work Month
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and the School of Social Work in the Falk College at SU, began its annual commemoration of National Professional Social Work Month on March 1. The NASW designated March as National Social Work Month in the 1960s to provide recognition and voice for social workers who represent one of the largest professions in the country. SU’s School of Social Work has been recognized nationally for community organization and activism, clinical training in family systems, gerontology, and concentrations in health and occupational social work. SU’s School of Social Work has educated generations of social workers for more than 50 years, offering a bachelor of science in social work and a master of social work. In 2013, it announced the offering of the nation’s first dual master’s degree program in social work and marriage and family therapy.
As part of National Professional Social Work Month, SU social work students and faculty attended Lobby Day on March 4 in Albany, a collaborative project of NASW and the New York Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work. The legislative issue was “Loan Forgiveness.” Later this month, members of the NASW New York State Central Division will sponsor lunch for social work students, which includes a meal of soup and bread to remind students of the profession’s history in advocating for the poor.
Social Support and Service to Older Adults: Marjorie Cantor’s Legacy to Gerontology” hosted by Aging Studies Institute
The Syracuse University Aging Studies Institute—the collaborative initiative of the Falk College and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs—held a conference on “Social Support and Service Provision to Older Adults: Marjorie Cantor’s Legacy to Gerontology” in New York City in January. The event recognized the pioneering scholarship of the late Professor Marjorie Cantor that advanced understanding of the lifestyles of older persons, the importance of caregiver support systems, and needs of elders across class and culture.
The event featured a full-day agenda of aging-related topics and speakers with expertise in those areas, including faculty from the Falk College and Maxwell School and other invited experts. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services William Corr was the featured speaker. During his address titled “A New Day for Older Americans: Addressing the Needs of Our Aging Population,” he discussed the promise of the Affordable Care Act to meet longstanding needs for our aging population, particularly caregiving and health care disparities among minorities. While the ACA has received plenty of political feedback, Corr said the federal agencies particularly welcome input from scholars that can help expand the health policy community’s knowledge base.
Alford Featured Columnist on Cultural Diversity
The Daily Inspiration feature in The Syracuse Post-Standard and its online companion, Syracuse.com, presents the expertise of community thought leaders on topics of interest locally for personal reflection and enrichment. In addition to his faculty role in the Falk College’s School of Social Work, Dr. Keith Alford is a member of the InterFaith Works Board of Directors and was the featured author of the Daily Inspiration column for a week in February 2014. The inspirations are connected to Prof. Alford’s research focus, which includes cultural diversity, mental health service delivery, contemporary rites of passage programming, and loss/grief reactions.
Deborah Ducett named director of field education
Deborah Ducett joined the Field Office in the School of Social Work in January as the new director of field education. She received her MSW and BSW from Syracuse University. Her clinical, administrative and academic career has included psychotherapy, case management administration, and teaching in the School of Social Work at the University of South Florida (USF), where she also oversaw student placements and served as advisor and liaison to students in their internship settings. She initiated the first part-time MSW program and a BSW program on the Sarasota-Manatee satellite campus of USF. An active member of NASW, she chaired the Manatee County Homeless Coalition and was the driving force behind the initiative to create a one-stop center for homeless adults and children in Manatee County. She has facilitated support groups for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and led a task force that created a buddy system partnership for people living with HIV and AIDS. In addition to her community activism, Deborah is also interested in healthcare literacy, evidence-based practice and patient-centered medical homes.
Unsung Heroes Honored at SU’s MLK Celebration
The 2014 Martin Luther King Jr. Unsung Hero Awards were presented to four members of the Syracuse University and greater Syracuse communities during the University’s 29th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, “Pursuing the Dream: Against All Odds.” The event was held Sunday, Jan. 19, in the Carrier Dome.
This year’s Unsung Hero Award recipients were Joseph Bryant, Debra L. Person, Georgia A. Popoff and Dorothy Russell.
The awards are presented annually to people who, in the spirit of King’s “beloved community,” have made a positive difference in the lives of others but who are not widely recognized for their efforts.
Joseph Bryant
As board president of the Southside Community Coalition for the past four years, Bryant has spent countless volunteer hours advancing the coalition’s mission of developing a business and cultural district on Syracuse’s South Side.
Through his leadership, commitment and hard work, Bryant helped to make the Eat to Live South Side Food Co-op a reality, organized local businesses to apply for green infrastructure funding and was integral to the rehabilitation of a dilapidated house into a neighborhood Communication Center. He is also involved with rebranding the South Salina Street corridor into the new Sankofa District and helped push for the development of a vacant lot into a pocket park, with new lighting and area signage.
Born and raised on the South Side, Bryant overcame the challenges of living in a severely under-resourced environment and now owns three local businesses—all on the South Side—including the soon-to-open Java House café.
Bryant’s intensity, commitment and courage have made way for notable and long-lasting neighborhood improvements and community revitalization on the South Side.
Debra L. Person
Person has made a positive difference in the lives of others by providing spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional and social support through community outreach and residency programs. Person is the founder and executive director of Exodus 3 Ministries, a faith-based, nonprofit organization for women and children in need in Central New York.
Against many odds, and with limited funds, Exodus 3 Ministries grew from what began as an outreach program in 2010 and the overwhelming need for more community support to assist those seeking deliverance from the pain of addiction, prostitution, domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness.
Through the Exodus House residency program, women gain the skills and resources necessary to lift themselves out of poverty and to develop healthy, sustainable relationships with their families, service providers, faith communities and the community at large.
The community outreach component of Exodus 3 Ministries has helped hundreds of families in the Syracuse area with shelter, clothing, housing and other immediate needs.
Person is a beacon of light as she and Exodus 3 Ministries continue on a journey of healing and restoration in the Syracuse community.
Georgia A. Popoff
A resident of Syracuse’s University East neighborhood for the greater part of the last 50-plus years, Popoff embodies the saying, “Think globally, act locally.” Currently, here are some of the ways in which she serves the community: as a workshop coordinator and faculty member for the YMCA’s Downtown Writer’s Center; as a faculty member and program coordinator for the Young Authors Academy for middle- and high-school writers; as an active participant in two community-based organizations—Syracuse Stories and Wacheva Cultural Arts; as an after-school poetry teacher in the Syracuse area schools; as an instructor of arts in society in SU’s Honors program; and as a writer for SU’s College of Arts and Sciences.
A graduate of Nottingham High School, Popoff has been an active contributor in forming the arts community in Syracuse. There is hardly a long-term community art event, festival, organization or program of which she has not been a part. She has impacted the lives of thousands of young people by inviting them to experience words and language as a window in to their souls, and then as an act of social change through self-expression.
Popoff’s most recent published work, “Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy & Social Justice in Classroom and Community,” co-authored with poet Quraysh Ali Lansana, demonstrates the power of poetry in the K-12 classroom. Drawing on their combined 30 years as teaching artists, they explore the terrain of the 21st-century public school and outline strategies for using the reading and creating of poetry to improve students’ reading comprehension and writing skills. The book was nominated for a NAACP 2012 Image Award for Excellence in Instructional Literature and was one of five finalists.
Bringing diverse populations together as a way to form connections and share cultural history and lineage is a natural in which Popoff sees the world, and, therefore, creates programming. Last year she was awarded an SU Feinstone Grant for a program that brought together young women who are members of the Onondaga Nation, Habitat for Humanity and the Jocelyn Gage Foundation. The young women shared meals and learned of each others’ cultures.
Dorothy Russell
Russell, or “Dottie from the Schine,” as many people know her, is a long-time fixture on the SU campus. Her entire career has been with SU Food Services—in Sadler Dining Center, in the former Commons Snack Bar in Slocum Hall and in the Schine Dining Center since the building was opened.
No matter who comes in to Schine Dining, Russell welcomes them with open arms. From incoming first-year students to vice presidents, she has a smile and a hug for everyone. Because of the volume of people she meets, she doesn’t remember everyone’s name, but she is known for saying, “I’ll just call you Baby”—and she does.
Besides serving students and making them part of her campus family, Russell also served her coworkers as a chief union steward in 1990. She currently serves as a union steward for Schine Dining, helping new employees understand the contract and how it applies to them and their job. She represents employees who feel they have been unfairly treated. She is an advocate for the employees, working with the management team to ensure equitable treatment for all.
Not only does Russell give freely of her time and energy to her peers and campus family, but she is the first one to step in and help when a tragedy occurs. She is the one to start a collection when someone has fallen on hard times. She started a collection for the Golisano Children’s Hospital when it was being built. She was one of the driving forces behind the Schine staff’s efforts to provide a happy holiday for an underprivileged family in the area.
Russell lives the phrase, “People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do.”
Social Workers United working with Samaritan’s Purse on Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child delivers shoe boxes of gifts to children all over the world.
The Social Workers United student organization is currently collecting empty shoe boxes with lids or plastic containers and small gifts to fill each box. Those willing to donate can drop off boxes to Lisa Kennedy at 440 Sims Hall. Gift collection is set-up outside the 3rd floor Atrium in Sims Hall.
Gift Suggestions Include:
School Supplies: Pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
Toys: Small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky, etc.
Hygiene Items: Toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
Other: T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)
A personal note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family may be enclosed with your gift. If you include your name and address, the child may write back.
Please do not donate: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans.
Collections end on November 18th. As we will have a packing party on November 19TH to pack the boxes with the gifts we collect.
Social Work Students Explore Corrections System, Mental Health Policies, Services at 15th Annual Stone Legislative Policy Symposium
Jails and prisons have become the nation’s largest psychiatric institutions, especially for low-income persons and persons of color. The National Sheriffs’ Association reports that in virtually every county across the country, county jails hold more people with severe psychiatric illness than any psychiatric facility in that county. More often than not, these facilities are under-equipped to address mental health and related substance abuse problems.
The intersection of New York’s state and local corrections systems and mental health policies and services with respect to incarcerated persons who are seriously mentally ill was explored during the Syracuse University School of Social Work’s 15th Annual James L. Stone Legislative Policy Symposium on Monday, October 21. The event, co-sponsored by the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, was organized around the theme, “Criminalizing New York’s Severely Mental Ill: Where is Dorothea Dix When We Need Her?”
Keynote speakers and presentations included, “The Social Cost of Incarcerating of Persons with Severe Mental Illnesses: Legislative Responses,” highlighted by Jeffrion L. Aubry, Assemblyman (District 35) and Speaker Pro Tempore, New York State Assembly . “Reflections on the Relationship between Mental Illness and Corrections in New York State” was presented by John Allen, Special Assistant to the Commissioner and Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, New York State Office of Mental Health. Remarks were also presented by Falk College dean, Diane Lyden Murphy; director of the School of Social Work, Carrie Jefferson Smith; Zaudi Ramirez, president, Social Workers United/Students for Justice and Service; professor Eric Kingson, key organizer of the event and; MSW student and graduate assistant, Hannah Berner, who assisted Kingson in organizing the symposium.
The event’s speakers—advocates, state and county officials, people who have personal experience with the state’s and county’s criminal justice system, and service providers—explored the historical, attitudinal, political, and economic forces that have resulted in New Yorkers with severe mental illness being incarcerated and lacking access to proper care. Discussions looked at the efficacy of specialized treatment and diversion interventions. Speakers and panelists highlighted legislation, administrative changes and advocacy efforts to create a more effective approach to managing mentally ill persons, incarcerated or at risk of being incarcerated.
James L. Stone, SU School of Social Work alumnus whose support makes the symposium possible, moderated the panel, “Mental Illness in New York State’s Prisons and Jails: What’s been done? What remains to be done?” Stone is the former commissioner of the NYS Office of Mental Health. Panelists included: Donna Hall, deputy commissioner, NYS Office of Mental Health; Esteban Gonzalez, administrator, Onondaga County Justice Center and president, American Jail Association; Jack Beck, director, Prison Visiting Project of the Correctional Association of New York, and; Nina Lowenstein, senior staff attorney, Disability Rights New York.
Additional topics explored included:
Topic: “Experiential Perspectives on Life in the Correctional Settings.”
Moderator: Alejandro Garcia, professor, School of Social Work.
Panelists: Jen Terrero, officer, Syracuse Police Department; David Terrero, Syracuse, N.Y., and; Xenia Becher, internship placement coordinator, instructor, School of Social Work.
Topic: “Providers and Advocates Assess Local Implications: What’s been done? What remains to be done?”
Moderator: Nancy Mudrick, professor, School of Social Work.
Panelists: John Balloni, civil/administration department chief, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office; Jennifer Hardwich, police officer, mental health educator, Syracuse Police Department; Ruth Ann Riposa, director, mental health services, Justice Center , Correctional Medical Care, and; Patricia Warth, co-director, justice strategies, Center for Community Alternatives.
First-year students participate in WellsLink Leadership Program
The Falk College is pleased to announce seven first-year students from the Class of 2017 are part of the WellsLink Leadership Program, including: Isaiah Brown, Child and Family Studies; Niakale Camara, Social Work; Emma del Sol, Sport Management; Ashley Dixon, Child and Family Studies; Vida Ebron, Steve Lopez and Aja Watkins, Child and Family Studies. The Tenth Annual WellsLink Transitions Ceremony will take place on Friday, November 1 to honor WellsLink Scholars from the previous year who have successful transitioned to their second-year. Nikki Giovanni, a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator, will give the keynote address. Established in 2003, The WellsLink Leadership Program is an academic excellence and leadership program for first-year students of color. Through a series of structured academic, social, and cultural enrichment activities, WellsLink Scholars are poised for success and leadership at Syracuse University.
deLara Encourages Parents to Talk with Children about Hazing
Ellen DeLara, associate professor in the Falk College’s School of Social Work, interviewed hundreds of students for a book she co-authored, “And Words Can Hurt Forever: How to Protect Adolescents from Bullying, Harassment, and Emotional Violence.” She recently spoke with Channel 9/WSYR (ABC-TV) about the problem of hazing among student-athletes and the active, on-going roles parents and other adults must play. “Adults cannot afford to pay attention to hazing only when an incident erupts,” notes deLara. “Hazing is typically a part of an organization’s ongoing culture and traditions. Consequently, adults need to be looking for it, reviewing group practices, and interviewing kids about the types of ‘bonding’ they are participating in.”
deLara encourages parents to talk with their children about hazing for several reasons. “Sometimes kids end up quitting a team or a club due to these practices but parents never know the real reason why.” She adds, when hazing occurs, without prior discussion with a parent, kids don’t know what to do. They think they have entered of their own ‘free will’ but they end up being asked or demanded to do things they don’t want to do. As a result of talking it over with parents beforehand, they can have some strategies to help them in difficult circumstances.” In addition to schools constantly enforcing hazing policies and allowing students to get involved with education campaigns, deLara notes students need clear definitions of hazing from adults who take it seriously. She encourages parents to talk with their children about hazing.
deLara’s areas of research focus include childhood bullying and adolescent development. She is a faculty fellow at the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University, she is focused on research in the areas of school violence, bullying, and social policy. Her original research was provided to the American Medical Association for its platform statement on the national recognition of the social phenomenon of bullying.
Professor Corvo Receives Grant to Explore Domestic Violence Perpetration
As part of his on-going work in theory development in domestic violence perpetration, professor of social work, Ken Corvo, was awarded a $15,000 grant from the FHL Foundation for the proposal, “The Role of Executive Function Deficits in Domestic Violence Perpetration.” Corvo notes that for nearly 40 years, public policy response to domestic violence has been defined as the socially sanctioned dominance of women by men. The view of patriarchy as the sole cause of domestic violence is the underpinning for a policy/practice paradigm that has dominated the regulatory, legal, and policy discourse of the United States, Canada and other countries. While literature indicates a much broader range of psychological risk factors, policies regarding domestic violence perpetration often disregard or forbid considerations of mental health issues, particularly those with developmental antecedents. Corvo will undertake a synthetic review of the literature on the intersection of executive function deficits and psychopathology as they are manifested in dysfunctional violent coping in domestic violence perpetrators.
Comprehensive domestic violence literature review now available
The journal, Partner Abuse, where social work professor Kenneth Corvo is on the editorial board, has recently made available to practitioners and academics a comprehensive review of the literature on all facets of domestic violence. This project is entitled, “The Partner Abuse State of Knowledge”.
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