Social Work News
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not donate: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans.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”.
SWK alumna, Kathleen Glow-Morgan, to serve as VA acting national director of social work
Kathleen Glow-Morgan, LCSW-R, social work executive at Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), will be the VACO acting national director of social work from May 12-24. She has a master of social work from Syracuse University’s School of Social Work and a BS in human development, also from SU. “She has been assigned to this extremely high-level position, which reflects the regard in which she is held here as well as in Washington. We are very proud of her and know she will do a great job,” notes Robert W. McLean, Lt. Col. USMC (Ret.), public affairs officer, Syracuse VAMC.
Glow-Morgan, in a previously published article in Syracuse Magazine, spoke about the important role social workers play in helping soldiers, veterans and their families. “Social workers are uniquely poised to not only address the needs of the soldier or veteran, but also to look at the larger system and the negative impact that soldiers coming back and leaving again is having on them and their families.” “There is now recognition that social workers have the skill and training that uniquely prepares them to intervene on behalf of veterans.”
The Syracuse VA Medical Center and its affiliates serve as hands-on training sites for students in the MSW program in the School of Social Work. In her role with the Syracuse VAMC, Glow-Morgan provides administrative and clinical oversight for the social work staff and field placement program.
Social work students inducted into Phi Alpha Honor Society
On April 10, the School of Social Work held its Phi Alpha Honor Society, Zeta Gamma Chapter, induction ceremony at Hendricks’s Chapel. Twelve undergraduate and 20 graduate social work students joined Phi Alpha this academic year. Associate professor, Keith Alford, was the keynote speaker. Leondra Polk, Phi Alpha president, led the ceremonies, with assistance from Deborah Monahan, professor of social work and associate dean of research. Awards were presented by Bette Brown Thoreck, director, Baccalaureate social work program. The concept of a National Social Work Honor Society came from a group of undergraduates at Michigan State University. In November, 1960, a National honor Society Committee was formed and in 1961 the society came into being. The Syracuse University Zeta Gamma Chapter was founded in 1996 as part of the School of Social work’s 40th Year Anniversary Celebration. This year’s inductees comprised the eighteenth group of students to be elected as members of Zeta Gamma Chapter.
The charge and purposes of the Phi Alpha Honor Society are:
- To recognize and encourage scholastic achievement among the students who are majoring in social work.
- To improve and further the goals and objectives of social work by encouraging objectivity and awareness of current developments and practices in the various fields of social work.
- To improve and further the goals and objectives of social work by stimulating research in preparation for a career in social work.
March is National Social Work Month
SU School of Social Work’s activities include 2013 Social Justice Award Ceremony March 26 honoring Professor Alejandro Garcia
As the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) begins its annual commemoration of National Professional Social Work Month on March 1, the School of Social Work in the Falk College has planned a series of activities as part of its month-long national celebration.
The Syracuse University Bookstore will feature faculty titles from the School of Social Work in its Schine Student Center window display March 6-12 spanning critical topics including aging, school violence and bullying, mental health care in the African-American community, persons with disabilities and the child welfare system, among many others. The books will additionally be available for purchase in the SU Bookstore.
The 2013 Daniel and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Award ceremony will take place March 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Schine Student Center, Room 304ABC. Professor of Social Work, Alejandro Garcia, Ph.D., will be the recipient of the 2013 Social Justice Award that recognizes a person who reflects the values of social justice in his or her professional and personal life. All are welcome to attend this event sponsored by Social Workers United, the School of Social Work, CNY-NASW and the Falk College.
Additionally during National Social Work Month this March at Syracuse University:
- 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.
- Workshops will be held for field instructors and students to address key topics of interest, such as preparing students to work in the profession, and regulations and licensing governing social work practice in New York State.
- During the New York City Social Welfare History Tour March 27-29, sponsored by the Alan B. and Barbara Mirken Foundation, students will study the development of U.S. social welfare touring sites important to social work history and contemporary practice, including: Goddard Riverside Community Center, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Jewish Childcare Association, Mount Sinai Hospital and The Center (LGBT).
- Details for a blood drive organized by Social Workers United will be announced soon. This organization held a very successful blood drive in November 2013 to respond to the needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
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. The Syracuse University School of Social Work, which has educated generations of social workers for more than 50 years, offers a bachelor of science in social work and a master of social work. It has been recognized nationally for community organization and activism, clinical training in family systems, gerontology, and concentrations in health and occupational social work.
Professor of Social Work Alejandro Garcia to Receive 2013 Daniel and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Award
In honor of his significant contributions to the field of social work through teaching, research, policy advocacy, and service, Professor Alejandro Garcia, Ph.D., received the 2013 Daniel and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Award March 26, 7 p.m., in the Schine Student Center, 304ABC. Sponsored by Social Workers United, the School of Social Work, CNY NASW and the Falk College, the program was free and open to the public. This annual event was one of several activities celebrating National Professional Social Work Month commemorated each March.
According to students in Social Workers United, “Dr. Garcia was chosen as this year’s recipient of the Social Justice Award because of his significant influence on social justice not only within the university community but throughout the nation. In working with him, his genuine interest and respect for others is apparent. This year, Social Workers United not only wishes to acknowledge Dr. Garcia’s work in social justice but also to honor his 35th anniversary with Syracuse University.”
Throughout his distinguished 35-year career at Syracuse University, Dr. Garcia has touched the lives of tens of thousands of students through his courses on gerontology, human diversity and social policy as well as in his role as director of the School of Social Work. A valued contributor who has served on the editorial boards of The Encyclopedia of Social Work and numerous national journals, he is the co-editor of three books and author of numerous articles and book chapters. A Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, he was elected vice president/secretary of the Council on Social Work Education in 2012. He has held national leadership positions with the National Association of Social Workers, the National Board and Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education, the National Policy Council of AARP, and the National Hispanic Council on Aging. On a national level, he is known as a strong advocate for Hispanic populations, especially the elderly.
Dr. Garcia has been the recipient of honors including Lifetime Achievement Awards from the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and from the New York State Social Work Education Association. He was named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers, and honored by the National Hispanic Council on Aging with its Special Recognition Award for outstanding leadership and advocacy on behalf of older adults. He is a recipient of the Andrus Award, the highest recognition that AARP New York awards for community service and received the Distinguished Service Award by California State University at Sacramento. He has also received several outstanding teaching awards at Syracuse University, including the Scholar/Teacher of the Year. He has also been honored by the SU LGBT Resource Center with the Foundation Award for Outstanding Faculty Member.
Through his visionary commitment to students, he created the Alejandro Garcia Latino/Hispanic Excellence in Social Work Fund through a generous donation. This scholarship fund provides financial assistance to graduate students enrolled in the School of Social Work who reflect academic excellence, professional potential and an interest in serving the Latino/Hispanic community. He additionally created a book fund to help graduate students who need financial assistance to purchase their required textbooks.
For over 30 years, the Rubenstein Social Justice Award recognizes a person who reflects the values of social justice in his or her professional and personal life. The award is given in honor of the late professor Daniel Rubenstein, a former faculty member in the School of Social Work and his late wife, Mary Lou, a former school social worker. For more information, and to RSVP, contact the School of Social Work at (315) 443-5550.
Advocating for Social Security
Professor of social work, Eric Kingson, co-authored a Huffington Post piece about the importance of Social Security and the significance of that message in President Obama’s inauguration speech. He is the founding co-director of Social Security Works, an organization that launched and staffs the Strengthen Social Security Campaign.
Kingson’s scholarship examines the politics and economics of population aging, Social Security policy, Baby Boomers and cross-generational obligations. His research also examines the distributional effects of changes in retirement age. A founding board member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, he is past-chair of the Social Research, Policy and Practice section of the Gerontological Society of America and a member of the board of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
In February 2013, Eric Kingson also presented “The Changed Politics of Social Security: Who’s At Risk and What Needs to Be Done” at the Florida State University Claude Pepper Center.
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