Social Work  News

In commemoration of National Professional Social Work Month during March, the School of Social Work in Falk College will present its annual Dan and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Award program 6:45 – 8 p.m. March 30, 2023 in Falk College room 200. This year, the program “Empowering Communities Through Advocacy: Leadership at the State and Local Level,” honors the Hon. Rachel May, New York State Senator for the 48th District, and the Hon. Sharon Owens, Deputy Mayor of Syracuse. The ceremony will be led by George Kilpatrick, host of Inspiration for the Nation radio program.

Presented for more than 30 years, the Rubenstein Social Justice Award is given in honor of the late professor Dan Rubenstein, a former faculty member in the School of Social Work and his late wife, Mary Lou, a former school social worker. Recipients of this award are role models whose courage and strength inspire others to stand up—and step up—to advocate and be a voice in the Syracuse community. The values of social justice are integral to their daily lives. The work of honorees each year, by their individual and collective examples, exemplify the true spirit of the Rubenstein Social Justice Award.

State Senator May is serving the City of Syracuse and areas of Onondaga and Cayuga County for her third straight term. Senator May ran for State Senate in 2018 after living in working in Syracuse as a professor. Senator May has been a strong advocate for bills that promote the healthy functioning of democracy. She uses her experience as an environmental professional to help draft climate change legislation. Senator May has advocated strongly for access to quality affordable home-based care for elders, and security and dignity for the people who care for them. Senator May has been a stalwart advocate for the city of Syracuse bringing legislators from around the state to Syracuse to support legislation that promotes economic opportunity in Syracuse and protect the rights and interests of vulnerable communities.

Deputy Mayor Owens has served the City of Syracuse through the Mayor’s office since 2017. Her portfolio of responsibilities includes emergency services, economic development, and neighborhoods. Deputy Mayor Owens has made social justice and racial justice one of the central pillars of her work as Deputy Mayor. She has spent her whole career serving families and communities in Syracuse. She worked for the Dunbar Association, Peace, Inc., and Early HeadStart promoting the wellbeing of children and families. She worked for Jubilee Homes and Home Headquarters seeking to ensure all residents have access to affordable homes in healthy communities. Deputy Mayor Owens also led the Southwest Community Center as a director. She has focused on a range of policies from promoting work opportunities for young people to expanding access to affordable housing.

The Social Justice Awards are free and open to the public. To register to attend, please visit the Syracuse University Community Calendar. For accommodations, please contact Kara Hughes at khughe07@syr.edu or (315) 443-5562.

As James Baldwin so eloquently wrote, it is impossible to understand our present without acknowledging our past. And for 18 undergraduate students from the School of Social Work in Falk College, discovering the past and how it connects to the present was the purpose of their “Roots of Social Work” Onondaga Historical Association tour of the City of Syracuse in late October.

“We developed this opportunity to provide students historical context and help them make connections to contemporary social work practice in the City of Syracuse,” says Nadaya Brantley, Undergraduate Director and assistant teaching professor in the School of Social Work. “We want our students to develop consciousness and respect for the historical roots of social injustices experienced by those in our community.”

On the tour, the students learned from Robert Searing, Curator of History at the Onondaga Historical Association, about the thousands of primarily Black residents who at first were forced to live in the city’s 15th Ward, and then forced to leave their close-knit community filled with Black-owned houses and businesses to make way for the construction of Interstate 81.

“It became apparent to me that in order to understand the social, economic, and political issues that the city faces today, I would have to understand the history of Syracuse,” Social Work student Chyler Rosenberg wrote in an essay. “Learning about the destruction of the ward and the terrible effects it had on the community made me feel frustrated, but also eager to engage in a community that has been shaped by its unfair past and a very serious racial and economic divide.”

The students also learned of Syracuse’s deep connection to abolitionism, including Secretary of State Daniel Webster’s “Syracuse Speech” in 1850 warning the city to adhere to the Fugitive Slave Act; the minister at Wesleyan Methodist Church who assisted fugitive slaves; and the Jerry Rescue statue in Clinton Square that celebrates the 1851 rescue of William “Jerry” Henry, who was arrested for defying the Fugitive Slave Act but saved by a group of residents who freed him from the police station.

“I learned much more about the depth of history of Syracuse and its active, central, and open role in the abolitionist movement,” Social Work student Lily Kuzminski wrote. “Syracuse was an exceptional area for previously enslaved people or ‘freedom seekers’ to come for solace from slave states–a stop on the Underground Railroad used to move runaways to other areas of either upstate New York or Canada.”

Following the tour, Brantley asked the students to write a reflection essay that expressed their feelings about what they learned. Brantley says the assignment was designed for the students to think critically about the how a city’s history impacts current social work practices with its residents.

Here are excerpts from the essays from five students who were on the tour:

Amaya Saintal ’26

Syracuse fell victim to a displacement epidemic in 1938. The 15th Ward was a beautiful ethnic, cosmopolitan, polyglot community. It was home to many Jewish and Black businesses. Both ethnic groups were victims of prejudice and came together to create a safe space. In 1938, this ward was destroyed to create Pioneer Homes–one of the first of five public housing projects in the United States. Many families were left to figure out what to do next, and redlining was openly being used in Syracuse. Black families were stuck and eventually lived in impoverished conditions.

This information is relevant to me because when displacement occurs, the person’s well-being and basic human rights are denied. It creates high vulnerability and often increases discrimination and poverty. But also, it still influences the present day and is actively affecting communities in Syracuse.

Throughout the entire tour, I kept thinking about my home–Newark (New Jersey). The similarities in the economy, redlining, and poverty rates between both cities are daunting. The systemic issues are rooted deeply in both cities, and I felt moved to do something about it. Social workers are the trailblazers in helping people improve their well-being and create paths for contentment. Overall, the job is not easy but after touring Syracuse and its history, you see why the difficulty is worth it.

Carson Wright ’26

After hearing the statistic that 33 percent of kids in Syracuse are not ready for kindergarten, my eyes were opened. I wanted to learn more about the city because I was able to see how poverty stricken the downtown area is. I never knew that so many different families had the same path as the people who lived before them. In Syracuse, kids have a hard time going to school because of multiple factors that contribute to their impaired learning, whether these factors are lead poisoning, violence, or just parents not knowing how to prepare their kids for the early stages of school.

On the tour I learned about the Dunbar Center, which has been around for over 100 years trying to get people the help they need.

I believe that you truly must be in Syracuse to learn about how things were, because I honestly had no clue what it was like for people living in poverty until I learned about it in social work class and toured the city. The Jerry Rescue was cool to me because I didn’t even know that happened, and it was amazing because we were standing right where it happened, across the street from the jail where he was held.

Layla Soberany ’26

Pioneer Homes is one of the oldest housing projects in the country, and they are still used for many low-income residents.

I feel this is where social work skills and workers can come in to help solve these problems. If there are people living in actively unfit conditions and people need help, as a social worker I would find more suitable living areas and be there to provide for the ones seeking help. I can find out how to improve their homes as a group and community.

One example I feel that a social worker will come into play in Syracuse would be the jail at the center of the city. This can not only be an opportunity to provide for those inside the jail, but also the community who have been to jail and are out. We can help those coming out of jail new to the current lifestyle, or those who may have families suffering with a loved one inside. Either way, I feel like there is always room for social work to be able to thrive in Syracuse. With the extreme rates of poverty and endless violence that runs in the city, there is always a time and space for the aid of a social worker. The current community needs the support from others on macro and micro levels throughout the entire city.

Chyler Rosenberg ’26

Before attending the University, I lacked any knowledge on the complex history of Syracuse or the lives of its residents. For example, the city was a pivotal place during the Civil War and many influential abolitionists spoke and fought to free slaves. Syracuse hosted feminist leaders and women’s rights conventions, it was home to settlement houses, and had an impressive salt market in its prime. Syracuse is much more than what meets the eye, and I am very appreciative that I had the opportunity to hear about its history–the good and the bad.

The issues facing Syracuse and its residents are ongoing, and social workers are at the heart of finding the solutions. In the South Side of Syracuse, the schools are worse, poverty is extremely concentrated, and there is a lot of violence. The fact that the more recent generations are facing the consequences of the past is disappointing.

One improvement the city plans on enacting to address some of these obstacles is remodeling Highway 81. This highway divides Syracuse into four sections and largely contributes to the segregation of the city. We can only hope that by redoing this highway the lives of residents improve, but it will take a long time to reconstruct both the highway itself and address the repercussions it has caused.

Lily Kuzminski ’26

Syracuse is regarded as one of the poorest and racially segregated places in the United States. Over time, the city has been divided into sections, the southern/western parts of the city are established as the most impoverished, and the most in need. The southern side of the city is where around 90% of the African American population lives.

With new consideration and plans to take down I-81 and replace it with a street-level grid, there is hope for the hard-hit community that surrounds it. By taking a hard look at the harms done to people in the past, there is a real chance for the I-81 project to improve housing conditions, health outcomes, and economic and educational opportunity for all people in Syracuse.

As a social worker, it is incredibly beneficial to understand the realities of the people who inhabit this city, and what structural systems are in place that keep it so heavily segregated and impoverished. It makes me want to spring into action and wish that my individual influence will suffice to make this city a city of progress, and less one based on negligence and racial discrimination. Syracuse’s poverty is derivative of the federal policies made at the expense of people of color, so it is essential to combat these systems through the resources we have at our disposal here at Syracuse.

– Matt Michael

Social Workers United from the School of Social Work at Falk College has selected the Q Center at ACR Health as the beneficiary of its annual Spring Donation Drive.

The Q Center, which has locations in Syracuse, Utica and Watertown, offers a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, their families, and allies to gather, share, and receive support. Q Center programming promotes equality, celebrates diversity, provides resources that cultivate pride and leadership skills, and strives to create a safe and inclusive community for all.

Social Workers United is comprised of undergraduate (BSSW) and graduate (M.S.W) students from the School of Social Work.

“We are so excited to be able to help such an amazing organization in our Syracuse community and look forward to the great work ahead of us this semester,” says Jennifer Genovese, an assistant teaching professor and the M.S.W. program director.

For the donation drive, the Q Center provided Social Workers United with a list of items needed to help provide support for LGBTQIA+ youths and their families in Central New York. The items include:

• Menstrual products (liners tampons, pads, menstrual cups).
• Affirming hygiene products for both gender neutral and gendered (deodorant, razors, shaving cream, soap, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste).
• Household cleaning supplies.

Social Workers United has provided three ways to donate:

• An Amazon Wishlist to donate safely and securely through Amazon.
• Through the mail to Syracuse University School of Social Work, 244 White Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244
• In person at the School of Social Work office at 244 White Hall on the Syracuse University campus.

ACR Health is a not-for-profit, community-based organization providing support services to a wide range of individuals. Q Center programming includes case management, after-school programs, support groups, outreach and education, special events, school-based GSA support/education, and free LGBTQ-affirming HIV/STD testing.

If you’re unable to donate items through any of the methods provided and would like to donate, please contact Jennifer Genovese at jgenoves@syr.edu. To learn more about social work academic programs, career paths, and experiential learning opportunities, visit the School of Social Work webpage.

On Nov. 1, the Syracuse University Division of the Student Experience named Sheriah N. Dixon G’12 the dean of students, leading the teams in Community Standards, Parent and Family Services, Remote Programs Student Support, Student Title IX Case Management and Student Outreach.

While Dixon may be new to the role, her connection to Syracuse University began nearly 15 years ago when she arrived as an assistant residence director in Flint Hall. During this time, Dixon balanced working while also pursuing a master of social work degree at the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. She then went on to spend more than five years at Onondaga Community College in leadership roles in residence life and student conduct.

Returning to the University in 2018, Dixon was hired as an equal opportunity and Title IX investigator. Building upon her experience in student conduct and Title IX, Dixon then took on the role of director of Community Standards. For more than four years, she oversaw the University’s student conduct system, collaborated with campus partners to address student behaviors and promote welcoming, inclusive communities, and supported recruitment and training for conduct boards.

“Sheriah’s professionalism, student focus, broad experience and demonstrated leadership made her well-positioned to take on this critically important role in our division. In her first few months, her positive impact on our students and families can already be felt,” says Allen Groves, senior vice president and chief student experience officer.

Now that Dixon has settled into her new role, we asked her four questions to learn more about her and what to expect as she starts her first spring semester as dean of students.

What made you interested in working in student affairs?

College was hard. I struggled my first two years and didn’t feel prepared because I didn’t know how to study, I had culture shock, I was insecure, I was nervous and my mom was paying for college, so I felt obligated to work to help with extracurricular things I wanted and needed.

During this really critical time in my college experience, my advisor, the director of residence life, a financial aid counselor and a faculty member—people I am still close with today—all played a huge role in my success. I became a resident advisor and an orientation leader, and I worked for the Alumni Office. The support I got from them, the advice I received and the encouragement, all helped me walk across that stage. Their guidance and support helped me to develop the confidence I have now and helped me realize that I wanted to do the same for others.

From those experiences, I knew I wanted to work with college students and be on a college campus. I wanted to give back and support students who struggled like me, empowering them to meet and overcome challenges. I wanted to work with parents and give them advice on how to support their students while they are in college. My mom was there every step of the way when I went to college and did all she could to support me and give me opportunity. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without her.

What are you most looking forward to in your role as dean of students?

I am looking forward to getting to know our students and their families on a more personal level. College can be hard and being a parent or support person can be hard. In those times, I want them to know we are here to support them every step of the way the best way we can. We are also here to support them in achieving their goals and celebrating their successes.

The dean of students team comprises five distinct units. How does your team work together to enhance the student experience?

While our team may have different specialties and areas of focus, we all have a common goal—to provide support to students and families as they grow and develop. We all work together to help our students and families understand expectations, provide guidance and support when there is a concern, and empower students to develop critical life skills, like independence, accountability, self-advocacy and resiliency.

What are your top priorities for the spring semester?

First and foremost, attending as many events as I can to meet and engage with students. In my first few months in the role, I have already had the opportunity to connect with students and families and hear their stories, provide support or address concerns. Listening to our students and families has and will continue to be a top priority for me in this role. I also want to continue to get to know the talented staff on my team and the dedicated campus partners who all play a part in shaping the student experience.

Montgomery, a former NFL star running back and Super Bowl-winning assistant coach, was at Duke University watching his son participate in a football camp. Montgomery says when he looked across the field, he couldn’t help but notice Sobczak, who was born with cerebral palsy and had difficulty walking.

Sobczak, a high school sophomore who had dreams of coaching in the NFL, was talking to a Duke coach who told Sobczak that if really wanted to coach football, he needed to talk to that man over there. He was pointing at Montgomery.

“I saw the struggle he was going through just to walk,” Montgomery says. “But he walked all the way around to the other side of the field to ask me if he could visit me sometime and talk about football. What drew me to David right away was watching this young man being a competitor with what he was dealing with.”

Montgomery, who has become Sobczak’s most trusted mentor, learned that day what many other football coaches and players have learned over the last several years: Never underestimate David Sobczak.

Now a Syracuse University senior, Sobczak is walking without braces following multiple surgeries, and he’s finishing his fourth and final season as an offensive student assistant coach at Syracuse under head coach Dino Babers. On Dec. 29, the Orange will make their first bowl appearance since 2018 against the University of Minnesota in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Sobczak is on track to graduate this spring with a degree in social work from the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. He gravitated toward social work and helping others because of the time he spent in hospitals with other children and families who didn’t always have the resources to get the help they needed.

Once he’s established as an NFL coach, Sobczak says he’d like to create a foundation to help families with their children’s hospital bills and serve as a role model for those with disabilities who have dreams of their own.

“The biggest thing I always remind myself is that I have an opportunity to do something bigger than myself,” says Sobczak, a Maryland native who was born in Kingsville and now lives in Owings Mills. “I’m not saying by any chance that I’m going to save the world; I’m not. But there might be a kid down the road who looks at me and says, ‘Hey, if he can do it, I might be able to do something, too.’”

‘See His Personality’

Cerebral palsy is a congenital disorder that affects movement, muscle tone, and posture. It’s caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, often before birth, and isn’t always noticeable in the first year or so of a child’s life.

When Sobczak was about 15 months old, he wasn’t walking yet and had trouble sitting up. His parents, Dee Anna and David Sobczak, enrolled their son in an infant tumbling program, but the teacher who been running the program for 20 years said she observed that David’s movements were different than the other children.

His parents eventually took David to a neurologist, who ran several tests and determined that he had cerebral palsy. But it wasn’t degenerative, meaning that through braces, surgeries and physical therapy, David would still be able to walk.

Naturally, Sobczak was frustrated by the braces that went right below his knees, the bigger shoes he had to wear for support, and the constant trips and stumbles. Mean kids on the playground threw sand in his braces, and he was once pushed off a swing and had to get stitches in his head “just because I walked weird.”

But two things happened during his childhood that would change the course of Sobczak’s life. He fell in love with football, and he developed a dynamic personality and a gift to talk with anyone at any time about anything, especially football.

“David’s baby brother came along when David was 2, and whenever they met people before Danny could talk, David started to do this thing with his personality to get people to engage with him talking and laughing,” Dee Anna Sobczak says. “He was able to get people to see his personality before they saw he was walking differently. He developed that skill at a very young age, and to this day he has that ability.”

‘What Can I Do?’

Sobczak’s first memories of football are watching games with his father, David, and maternal grandfather, Richard “Pop” Lutz, and going outside to throw the football with them at halftime. Only later, after Lutz had died while Sobczak was in middle school, did Sobczak discover that Lutz was a Syracuse University football fan.

Sobczak played flag football in elementary school but had to stop when boys his age started playing tackle football. By the time he reached middle school, he already had two surgeries: One at 9 to cut and lengthen the spastic muscles in his legs so they would grow with his bones; and one at 11 to create arches on the bottom of his feet with cadaver bones.

Through fifth grade, Sobczak attended a Montessori school, which emphasizes a child’s natural interests rather than formal teaching methods. His move to middle school and test-taking was a disaster at first, but in a sign of what was to come, he adjusted and received the most-improved student award in sixth grade.

Still, it was a difficult transition as his physical limitations became more of issue. While his classmates were playing dodge ball in gym class, he was lifting weights. While his classmates were running around at recess, he was meeting with a physical therapist because he repeatedly dislocated his knees.

“You’re like, man, I can’t do the things that other kids do,” Sobczak says. “I had to navigate my world a little faster than others. Meaning, I had to find out early, what can I do?”

And it was during sixth grade that his beloved Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl and Sobczak chose a life in football. At first, he wanted to be a commentator. But then, thinking like a true coach, he figured if he wanted to be a great commentator, he’d have to master the sport first, so he should become a coach.

From that point on, Sobczak couldn’t get enough of football. He studied games, read books, and watched the NFL Network 24/7. His parents had trouble getting him to read until he started reading football books, and then they couldn’t get him to stop.

“I had seen him miss out on other enjoyments like riding bikes and running, things he would never be able to do,” says his father, David Sobczak. “To see him get so much joy out of something like learning about football and football coaching, you couldn’t ask for anything more as it became the No. 1 thing that he looked forward to.”

‘Teacher First, Coach Second’

Sobczak’s first coaching “break” came at St. Paul’s high school in Baltimore County, Maryland. Head coach Paul Bernstorf named Sobczak as a student coach assigned to work with the quarterbacks, scout upcoming opponents, and help design game plans.

“I’d stay up late, read as much as I could, watch DVDs (of previous games), and diagram plays,” Sobczak says. “I found football, I found coaching, and it was the first time in my life where I was like, oh, my God, this is something I can do and something that I love.”

In addition to the coaching experience, St. Paul’s provided Sobczak with the opportunity to network with other college and NFL coaches and Sobczak’s contact list ballooned. There are several examples of his networking, but here’s one of Sobczak’s favorites:

The father of one of St. Paul’s quarterbacks at the time is Marty Mornhinweg, a longtime NFL coach who was then the offensive coordinator for the Ravens. After meeting Sobczak, Mornhinweg asked if he wanted to sit in on a meeting of team’s quarterbacks during offseason practice in the spring. So there’s Sobczak, a high school senior, talking Xs and Os with the likes of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco, rookie and future star Lamar Jackson, and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

Not only that, but later at practice Mornhinweg, with the blessing of head coach John Harbaugh, called Sobczak to the sideline, handed him a clipboard, and asked him to call out the plays for Flacco and the offense. That was a daunting moment, even for someone as gregarious as Sobczak.

“If I didn’t have that moment, I would have never would have felt that OK, maybe I can do this,” he says. “There’s one thing of wanting to, and there’s another thing of getting out of your shell and getting comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Sobczak attended about 15 Glazier coaching clinics throughout the country when he was in high school to meet coaches and pick their brains. “He’d be the only kid attending and he grew really comfortable introducing himself to people, talking, and sharing contact information,” Dee Anna Sobczak says.

That’s how he met Montgomery, who played in a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and won Super Bowl championships as a coach with the St. Louis Rams and Ravens. When they met at Duke, they realized they lived only 30 minutes apart in Maryland.

“I thought he’d call me, we’d talk a little bit of football for 15 minutes, and that would be it,” Montgomery says, laughing. “But now it’s been six, seven years and we’re still talking.”

Many times, one of Sobczak’s parents would drop him off at Montgomery’s house and they would spend hours talking about the intricacies of football. Since Sobczak has been at Syracuse, Montgomery has emailed him after every Syracuse game to share his thoughts on what happened in the game.

“Coaches, they’re a dime a dozen. But I saw that this guy here wants to be more than a coach, he wanted to be a teacher,” Montgomery says. “A lot of people can coach, but to be a teacher it takes a different kind of guy who wants to do that. That’s how I view David, as a teacher first and a coach second.”

‘Made Me a Better Coach’

To be a successful teacher, you must be able to communicate with your students, show empathy for their individual situations, and build trust. Those are also the building blocks of social work, and that’s why Annette Hodgens–then the assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Falk College–recommended that Sobczak enroll in the School of Social Work.

Social Work Assistant Professor Ryan Heath, Sobczak’s advisor, first met Sobczak at the freshmen orientation meeting. Normally, Heath says, department advisors and their students don’t have serious conversations until the student’s sophomore year. But like with Montgomery years before, Sobczak made it a point to march across the room and introduce himself to Heath.

“David came right up to me after the meeting and introduced himself, which to me signaled one of David’s great strengths, that he is very attuned to, and interested in, pursuing and maintaining relationships,” Heath says.

As their relationship developed, Heath says they learned from each other as Heath discovered how social work principles apply to coaching. Sobczak says he appreciates that Heath never tried to talk him out of coaching as his profession.

“It’s made me a better coach because you learn every individual is different, whether it’s in their learning style or the way they interact, and it’s taught me how to reach people who don’t come from the same background,” Sobczak says. “I think that’s a very important tool as a coach, because if you only reach a certain group of guys, it’s going to be hard.”

‘You Wait, Just Watch’

Before he went off to college to pursue his dream, Sobczak had one more surgery in March of his senior year of high school, when he had what he calls his “hockey puck” surgically inserted into one side of the abdomen near his hip bone. Technically called a baclofen pump, the device delivers baclofen, a medicine, directly into the spinal canal to reduce the spasticity of Sobczak’s leg muscles.

Before his surgery, Sobczak had considered several schools and Syracuse was on his list because his high school coach was close with then-Syracuse tight ends/receivers coach Reno Ferri and they had arranged a visit to campus. Sobczak met the coaching staff on his visit and was encouraged that he would get an opportunity to coach.

“When I got my baclofen pump put in my senior year, (Syracuse Director of Player Personnel) coach (Roy) Wittke reached out on behalf of the coaching staff to my mom and asked how I was doing,” Sobczak says. “I was a student coach (in high school) and I’d been on campus, but I never coached a day in my life at Syracuse. When they reached out like that, I said this is where I’m supposed to be.”

It has been quite a ride for Sobczak, who has filled a variety of roles from working with the tight ends, running backs and special teams to scouting to designing plays on a computer for the offensive line to study. He has made friends for life with the players and coaches, and he’s grateful that none of them “looked at me like I have a disability.”

“I learned a lot, I failed a lot, and even with my disability, these guys have been more than supportive, and they’ve treated me just like they do with the other players and the other coaches,” Sobczak says. “Coach Babers has been awesome toward me. Like any good coach, he’s been good to you, hard on you, and he’s given you opportunity and responsibility.”

Following the bowl game, Sobczak will turn his attention to a professional career in the NFL. Montgomery, who has seen Sobczak’s determination first-hand for several years, says he has no doubt Sobczak will be hired by the NFL because when a team interviews him “they’re not going to just be impressed, they’re going to be shocked by his understanding of the game.”

And if all goes as planned, Sobczak will eventually find a way to help those in need who may not have the support system in place that enabled him to realize his dream.

“He has resilience, and he has learned how to take his adversity and turn it into his champion,” Dee Anna Sobczak says. “And he’s not given up. When people say you can’t, he says, ‘you wait, just watch.’”

An Open Letter From David Sobczak to Coach Babers and the Syracuse Football Team

“Thank you, everyone, for taking me in. Thank you for giving me my first opportunity. Syracuse has been the best four years of my life. I never thought the best friends in my life would grow up in different places than I did. You gave me friendships and relationships for life. I look at schools all across the country and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. Through every win, every loss, that’s the way it feels. I love this place and I love this football team. This football team is the reason I came here, and this football team is the reason why I’m going to leave here a better person and better coach than when I came.”

For the 23rd time, the School of Social Work at Falk College hosted the James L. Stone Legislative Policy Day Oct. 28 at the Onondaga County Courthouse in downtown Syracuse.

And for the 23rd time, the School of Social Work students who attended the annual symposium were provided a unique opportunity to witness the real-life involvement of community leaders, citizen organizations, politicians, and social workers who are actively involved in shaping policies that address an important social issue.

“Legislative Policy Day sounded quite daunting at first, but being surrounded by so much passion for change was energizing, enlightening, and motivating,” says Lauren Barry ’24, a first-year Master of Social Work (MSW) student. “The opportunity to expand my learning beyond the four walls of the classroom and be surrounded by people who are driven by passion is like no other.”

The most recent Legislative Policy Day symposium in October was called “Equity in Reproductive Health and Wellbeing: A Human Right,” and it focused on the causes, impacts, and possible solutions for the disparate maternal and child health outcomes in Central New York and across the country.

The event featured distinguished speakers from a range of governmental, non-profit, and community organizations, and the keynote speaker was reproductive justice advocate Sevonna Brown, co-executive director of Black Women’s Blueprint, a nonprofit organization dedicated to co-creating a vibrant and safe community where women and all people can live lives of sovereignty and dignity.

In the United States, perinatal health outcomes are substantially worse than in other high-income peer nations. Community advocates in Onondaga County have worked to direct attention to the needs and perspectives of mothers and children to broaden and facilitate a holistic approach to community reproductive health.

With substantial changes in funding for perinatal care in the 2022 New York State budget, a focus on maternal health in the governor’s office, and organizations working to reframe approaches to perinatal care, there are opportunities to address longstanding disparities and gaps. Legislative Policy Day explored policies that enable or hinder these efforts and opportunities to advocate for women and their infants.

To get a sense of what the social work students learned in the Legislative Chambers of the Onondaga County Courthouse on Legislative Policy Day, we asked three of them to share their experiences: first year MSW students Lauren Barry and Christine Harris, and final-year MSW student Cheryl Elizabeth Mann. Here are their stories:

Lauren Barry ’24

“Legislative Policy Day was on our syllabus as a required event, and I knew it would benefit my education and provide valuable insight into reproductive health and well-being. Additionally, the topic was relevant in an ever-changing political scene with trickle-down policies. These policies create systems that can be exhausting to navigate.

“As a Syracuse native, I am aware of Planned Parenthood, health services at local hospitals, and resources in the community. I assumed professionals from these organizations would share their perspectives, along with how policies influence us today. But in addition to exploring different angles on the topic, I stepped into a room full of passionate people advocating for equity in reproductive health and well-being.

“Standpoints from professors, healthcare professionals, and county legislators stressed the importance of these services and resources. Their insights displayed how students, faculty, and community members are impacted and can alter the path of those seeking this information. These much-needed voices were speaking to many of my classmates, future professionals who will engage with those who are often overlooked or have nowhere else to turn. These viewpoints and many more need to be heard and considered when putting policies in place.

“Legislative Policy Day provided information and expressed how crucial these services are in a community. With foundational information and viewpoints, people can then form their own decisions. There is no way to tell what policies will be revised, created, or established in the future; however, we are headed in a direction that considers the complexity of reproductive health and well-being. A direction that offers more person-centered policies focusing on full-circle and quality care. With various voices impacting policymakers, hopefully, more equity in reproductive health and well-being will develop.”

Cheryl Elizabeth Mann, ’23

“You can call me an anomaly because I am one of the few MSW students who has attended the Legislative Policy Day twice. LPD is a convenient way to become educated on the issues that are challenging our community, as well as the efforts that are underway to address them. LPD provides a prospective that allows attendees to become informed voters, which assists in bringing about real change.

“In my first experience with LPD, I felt an empowering feeling as I walked through the doors of the beautiful historic courthouse building. As social workers, it is not enough to simply practice social work. We must take the steps necessary in our own lives to stop injustices in our community. LPD has helped me become more informed about the process to bring about change, and specifically understand what role I can play to assist.

“LPD hit home that we must vote in our local elections for our voices to be heard. LPD emphasized our participation in problem-solving with the leaders of our community instead of simply identifying the problems. LPD showed me the way to take an active role in creating a solution.

“Being in a room full of like-minded individuals who care about humanity made me feel optimistic about where the community is headed. Building relationships with influential individuals that have the power to make change is necessary, and opportunities like LPD provide the environment for these types of introductions. The topics discussed provided several new ideas for potential employment following graduation. It was also rewarding to hear the gratitude from the speakers, as they are aware of the benefit that this career path will bring to the community.”

Christine Harris ’24

“Legislative Policy Day was an incredible opportunity for social work students to experience the intersection between advocacy work and direct practice. I was so grateful to participate in such a relevant and important topic and conversation around women’s reproductive health policies.

“I was inspired to hear from true advocates in the field who are making a difference in our own community. Not only did we get to hear from respected county legislature representatives about issues related to women’s reproductive rights, birthing care, and preventing sexual violence, but we had the privilege of hearing from our own professors in the MSW program at Syracuse University. Knowing that we are learning from strong community leaders and advocates, with their vast array of experience and knowledge on the topics, gave me even more confidence in our program of study here at Syracuse. I strongly valued the intentional selection of diverse speakers and topics, including advocacy workers in Black and Latinx communities.

“Speakers shared their work with excellence and extended opportunities for internship, future advocacy work, and networking connections within the community for students. We had the privilege of hearing from speakers such as Christine Kowaleski, a perinatal psychiatric nurse practitioner who started the first perinatal mental health clinic for women in Syracuse. Likewise, Tiffany Lloyd leads a local movement for Black women called Power to Decide and is the director of women’s health and empowerment at the Allyn Family Foundation. While these are only two of the incredibly passionate and experienced speakers from whom we heard, all the speakers were inspiring, educational, and informative in their presentations.

“I feel confident that these resources will provide me with future internship and/or career opportunities and they inspired me to join with local social workers, advocates, and leaders as part of my training here at Syracuse University. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have had this educational experience.”

The Legislative Policy Day symposia, which have been held annually since March 2000, are a vital component of the curriculum and signature event for the School of Social Work. They are made possible by the generous contributions of James L. Stone, MSW Class of 1964, the former New York State Commissioner of Mental Health and current chair of the Falk College Advisory Committee.

“Each Legislative Policy Day is designed to reflect and reinforce the proud tradition and responsibility of professional social workers to participate in social reform and community change efforts as part of their professional practice,” says School of Social Work Professor Eric Kingson, who has been the driving force behind the symposia since they started in 2000.

“Much of the credit for the success of this year’s event,” Kingson adds, “rightly belongs to Social Work Associate Professor Kendra DeLoach McCutcheon, who played a major role in planning the event, and MSW Social Work student and graduate assistant David Nagle, who, for the second year in a row, helped plan and coordinate all aspects of the event.”

The School of Social Work has an important legacy on the Syracuse University campus, in the local and regional communities, and beyond. Visit the School of Social Work to learn more about academic programs, experiential learning, and career opportunities.

To commemorate Veterans Day this year, LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Veterans, where they looked at cities with high populations of veterans and determined it by ease of navigation of resources, housing affordability, employment, educational opportunities, and other metrics. The city of Syracuse was ranked #5 overall on this list of 200.

Kenneth J. Marfilius, DSW, LCSW, assistant dean of online and distance education and associate teaching professor of social work at Falk College, spoke to why Syracuse is ranked so high on the list. “Here at Syracuse University, we are committed to distinguishing Syracuse as the premier university for veterans, military-connected students, and families. We have a National Veterans Resource Center that cultivates and leads innovative academic, government, and community collaborations. This serves as the center of Veteran life on the campus of Syracuse University, the local community, and across the Central New York region.”

Read the interview below:

What are three of the best but undervalued programs or nonprofits benefiting veterans?

Veterans have the drive to succeed, and their experience in the military helps them develop leadership skills and learn new skillsets that are valuable in the civilian world. Unfortunately, veterans often face high unemployment rates, housing instability, and other challenges when they return to civilian life.

There are a plethora of programs providing support for veterans who want to find a good career path after leaving the military. These organizations provide important resources such as education, housing, occupational opportunities, and counseling.

Here at Syracuse University, we are committed to distinguishing Syracuse as the premier university for veterans, military-connected students, and families. We have a National Veterans Resource Center that cultivates and leads innovative academic, government, and community collaborations. This serves as the center of Veteran life on the campus of Syracuse University, the local community, and across the Central New York region.

Syracuse University is also home to the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). IVMF is higher education’s first interdisciplinary academic institute, singularly focused on advancing the post-service lives of military veterans and their families.

Across the nation, there are also local Vet Centers and VA Hospitals and a robust VA benefits and claims system. This system is designed for those veterans who may be diagnosed with military-related mental health or physical challenges and may be eligible for service-connected disability compensation and treatment.

In addition, there is a program called Support Services for Veteran families serving low-income veterans, providing supportive services and case management to prevent the loss of a veteran’s housing or identify new safe, stable, and affordable housing for the veteran and their family.

Our local communities are often the strongest advocates and assets for our veteran populations, as they are our neighbors and support systems. For example, in the Central New York region, an organization called Clear Path for Veterans offers art programs, canine programs, peer support programming, and culinary programs for veterans. These types of programs can be found across the nation, and I encourage our veterans and their families to engage in these types of programs as they assist in finding strong support among social connections and like-minded people—serving as protective factors against the many challenges our returning Veterans face.

These programs play an essential role in helping veterans reintegrate into society after serving our country proudly. Veterans looking for help can find information on their local facility’s website or call the Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, and press 1, or text 838255 to connect with a VA responder.

What is one way local and state governments can better support their veterans?

Local and state governments can support veterans by providing resources and programs specifically tailored to their needs. Some examples of government-sponsored programs for veterans include job training, financial assistance, and mental health counseling. By supporting military veterans and their families, we are investing in the future of our nation and showing our appreciation for their service.

To really sustain improvement in veteran health, we must first understand the need to sustain improvements in overall public health. Before an individual raises their right hand to become a service member, they are a civilian. Upon completion of their service, they transition out of the military and end up back in our local communities, part of the social fabric of our society.

I have previously served as an active-duty Air Force officer as a mental health clinician and worked for the Department of Veteran Affairs Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Team. As a result, I have seen firsthand that serving in the military in and of itself is not necessarily the sole reason a veteran may be experiencing mental health challenges. While military service may be a contributing factor, we must understand that prior adverse childhood experiences, including pre-military trauma, are a significant risk factor for the development of PTSD or mental health disorders.

Our local communities and state governments must work together on preventing society’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences and build the capacity to create knowledge around ongoing resilience-building when faced with adverse experiences. This can be done through the implementation of parent support programs, peer support systems, family-centered schools, and access to quality and safe education.

Furthermore, access to medical care; stable, safe, and affordable housing; food, transportation; and internet for the technological advancements in our society are critical for the public health of our nation. The single most important factor in developing resilience in children is to a have stable, safe, and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult.

Programming must be done on a local, county, state, and national level. Our children will eventually become service members and we want them to not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity before, during, and after their time in service.

What is one thing civilians can do to show support this Veterans Day and beyond?

There are many ways civilians can show support for our veteran community and their families. Educating oneself about the unique challenges that veterans face and how you can best support them is the first step.

Volunteering with organizations that help support veterans and their families and actively listening, without interruption, to what a veteran has to say about their experiences or struggles advances all our understanding. Patience is critical when communicating with a veteran, as they may have experienced things beyond your comprehension.

We must continue to work on reducing the stigma around mental health issues among veterans. There is strength in reaching out, and social support protects all of us. Sometimes the best thing to do is simply call a veteran and ask how they are doing, expressing that they are not alone. It is important to engage in this messaging, so our veteran community and their families do not feel othered and begin to isolate, which only perpetuates the risk involved for those experiencing mental health challenges.

What is the best way to prevent veteran homelessness?

When mental health is left untreated for extended periods of time, there could be several consequences. For example, waiting to seek treatment could impact relationships and occupational function, which are risk factors for homelessness. Individuals with untreated mental illness make up a significant portion of Americans experiencing homelessness.

The VA is committed to ending homelessness among veteran populations. There are coordinated outreach efforts across the nation that connect homeless or at-risk veterans with housing opportunities, employment services, and health care.

We have engaged state and local leaders that have committed and implemented efforts focused on ending veteran homelessness. The VA implemented a housing-first approach, ensuring veterans experiencing homelessness can move into housing with wrap-around services, as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Housing first intently focuses on removing barriers to housing and accepts veterans regardless of financial history, substance use or abuse, and even criminal history. Transitional housing must act as a bridge in an effort to house our veterans as quickly as possible.

Partnerships with local landlords is critical to moving veterans out of homelessness. These partnerships increase housing supply and secure housing units more efficiently. Once the veteran is housed, we must work to maintain the housing unit by connecting the veteran to employment opportunities, health care, legal services, and community programs.

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