Social Work newsletter includes articles:   BSW Scholarship: Engaging Students for Success in a Global Society Note from the Department Head Graduate Student Organization Meet Our New Faculty & Staff – Melanie Randolph Departmental Faculty: Scholarly Activities – Suzie Cashwell, Muh-Bi Lin, Cindy Snyder, Saundra Starks Phi Alpha Honor Society Inducts New Members Save the Date! – National Institute on Social Work & Human Services in Rural Areas Thank You . . . & Best Wishes – Serena Britt Focus on Field: Field Supervisor, Todd Haze

WKU Social Work

English

TopSCHOLAR

Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® WKU Archives Records WKU Archives Spring 2006 UA61/5 Social Work Newsletter WKU Social Work Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records  Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, and the Social Work Commons This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact topscholar@wku.edu. .... w Department of Social Work WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY College of Health and Human Services Academic Complex 2 I I 1906 College Heights Blvd. # 11039 Bowling Green, KY 4210 1-1039 D1891 Focus on Field: Field Supervisor, Todd Hazel, MSW According to Todd Hazel, "My advice for beginning social workers would be to seek guidance and supervision by networking with colleagues, to attend conferences and trainings to further your knowledge of the field, and to make every experience a learning opportunity." Todd is employed as a school social worker at Franklin-Simpson Middle School in Franklin, Kentucky. As he supervises the field hours of MSW students who want to gain experience in the school system, he hopes to educate them about school social work and what it involves. He views being a field supervisor not only as a teaching opportunity but a chance to learn additional new knowledge. His goal is to see that his MSW interns incorporate what they learn in class as well as put the new skills and knowl-edge into practice. Todd believes that the most impor-tant responsibility of a school social worker is serving as an advocate for students. A majority of his job consists of individual counseling sessions, small group sessions, and support groups. Topics he frequently deals with include divorce, bullying, anger management, rumors, hygiene, and peer mediation as well as numerous other topics that arise. Working closely with the school staff and community representatives, he aids in assessing student needs and uses the data in order to plan and evaluate various programs and services that the school offers. Besides working NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 closely with students, he also works with parents that need community assistance such as housing, food, heating and cooling, and medical services. Todd received his MSW from Spalding university in 2003. When he first began to wonder if the field of social work was a good fit for him, he volunteered at Big Brothers/ Big Sisters. Later he was employed at Lifeskills, Inc. as a Therapeutic Child support Provider and then worked as a mentor for children and adolescents who received case management services. While working as a case manager for Lifeskills, Inc., Todd teamed up with schools lo assist in serving clients on his caseload. Later, a colleague who worked for the school system informed him that a position was available in the school system. He applied, was hired, and has been working at the middle school for over seven years now. s~c .... WO w WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY N E w s L E T T E R Spring 2006 • Susan Wesley. Jay Gabbard & Serena Brill, Editors BSW SCHOLARSHIP: Engaging students for Success in a Global SOdety Meet Marybeth Hammers and Nihada Zulcic. Both are students in western's BSW program, but their diverse backgrounds reflect the breadth of Westem's social work majors. Marybeth, a senior from Morgantown, Kentucky, near Bowling Green, has lived in this area all her life. She came to Western straight out of high school, choosing the university because of its loca-tion close to her home. On the other hand, Nihada, a junior, grew up in Bosnia (part of the former Yugoslavia) during the tumultuous I 990's. She and her family fled the country in 1995, spending five years in Germany before coming to the U.S. and relocating in Bowling Green through its refugee resettlement program. Calendar Girls. Then they developed viewing and discussion guides designed to help their classmates recognize and understand the stereotypical ways in which older adults are portrayed on the "big screen." The assignment was received so well by their classmates that when the opportunity arose to share this information in a wider venue, Marybeth and Addie were excited about the possibility. As it happened, the 27th Annual Despite their different back-grounds, both Marybeth Hammers Nihada Zulcic young women found their way into the baccalaureate social work program at Western Kentucky University. Marybeth is completing her internship this semester with the Barren River Area Agency on Aging. She will graduate in May 2006 with a major in social work and a minor in gerontology. While at Western, Marybeth has cultivated an interest in working wilh the growing population of older adults in today's society. Her involvement in the gerontology minor led her to enroll in the class, "Services for Older Americans." As part of the course, Marybeth and fellow classmate, Addie Caulk, sociology major, were given the assignment of selecting and presenting popular films that portrayed older adults. The two classmates chose the films Grumpier Old Men and Meeting of the Southern Gerontological Society (SGS) was scheduled to take place in Lexington, KY in April 2006. The students refined their class materials and submitted a proposal entitled "Ageism & Stereotype: Strategic Use of Video for Student Engagement." After several anxious weeks of wai ting to hear the verdict, Marybeth and Addie were delighted to learn that their proposal had been accepted for presentation as a poster session al the SGS conference. Besides having presented a poster session at a regional gerontology conference, Marybeth has begun collaboration with a member of the BSW faculty on a manuscript dealing with aging offenders and the criminal justice system. Representing a different cohort of BSW students, Nihada Zulcic has incorporated her experiences as a refugee into her developing role as a BSW scholar. During the spring semester 2005. Nihada enrolled in Dr. Cindy Snyder's HBSE class. In the context of that class, this faculty/student pair began to dialogue about Nihada's experiences in her war-torn home count1y and her journey as a refugee, and a partnership began lo evolve. Ever the one to pursue scholarly knowledge, Dr. Snyder began researching the events that lead to war in the Balkans. A significant part of the research focused on an under-standing of the cultural dynamics of rape, which was used as a )Var strategy during that period of conflict. Working collaboratively, Dr. Snyder and Nihada reviewed the literature and developed a paper on the strategic use of mass rape during times of war, focusing on Bosnia-Herzegovina as a recent, representative example. It was their hope that an under-standing of the unique factors of mass rape as a war strategy would be informative and helpful for the social work community who are involved with refugees from that part of the world. The paper was accepted for presenta-tion at the Annual Program Meeting (APM) of the Council on Social Work Education, held in Chicago, IL in February 2006. Nihada traveled to Chicago for the APM where she shared the podium with faculty members Ors. Snyder, May, and Gabbard in presenting not one, but two scholarly papers on this topic. Both papers have been accepted for publication in peer-reviewed professional journals in the field of social work (see "Scholarly Activities" inside). Collaborating with faculty in scholarly activity is an exciting aspect of BSW education. In the words of Nihada Zulcic, " I am very thankful to all the faculty that gave me the opportunity to go lo the conference in Chicago. II was a great experience that I will always remember' " Note from the Department Head As promised in my last note, 2005-06 is shaping up Lo be an eventful year for the Department of Social work. Several high-lights have occurred this spring semester. In January, a site team from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) commission on Accreditation reviewed the MSW program. The site visit was highly successful. we are looking forward to the commission meeting in June regarding our accreditation status. Another highlight this semester was the department sending ten faculty and four students to the CSWE Annual Program Meeting in Chicago. several of the faculty presented at the conference and Nihada Zulcic, a BSW student, was co-presenter with the faculty at two of the presentations. The depart-ment was very well represented at this national conference. We are currently in the process of hiring two new faculty and an office associate. Conrad Davies resigned the office associate posi-tion in Febrnary after three years of dedicated service. He recenlly earned his graduate degree at WKU and decided it was time to take on new adventures. He will be greatly missed, particularly by me! Dr. Michelle Blake has also recently decided to resign her faculty posi-tion to pursue clinical practice full-time. She w ill continue to teach for us part-time, but I wil l miss our many lunches that we have shared over the last three years. It is truly fascinating and energizing to watch the department grow and prosper. This growth results in the addition of new faces and ideas as well as watching and supporting colleagues and friends as they move on to other opportunities and challenges. Until the next newsletter, take care! Social Work Humor Hear about the social work firing squad? They stood in a circle. Source: Workjoke.com Students Shadi Haddad (MSW), Andrea Whitmer (MSW), and Nihada Zulcic (BSW) with Dr. Suzie Cashwell at the APM in Chicago. Graduate Student Organization The Graduate Student Social Work organi-zation has carried out several philanthropic projects this year, including: financially supporting a hurricane victim, distributing holiday stockings to youth at Rivendell Behavioral Health Services in Bowling Green, collecting items for indigent inmates at a KY prison, and volunteering overnight at a homeless shelter in Owensboro. The organization also helped sponsor several graduate students to attend the Annual Program Meeting (APM) of the council on Social Work Education in Chicago, IL The graduation committee of the GSSW is actively planning a special ceremony for the MSW graduation, which will be held on May 4, 2006, at 4 p.m. A special thanks to Joey Minor for his excellent leadership as Meet our New Faculty & Staff Melanie Randolph, MAE, joined the faculty in November 2005 as Visiting Assistant Professor and coordinator in the Credit for Learning (CFL) project. She earned her bacca-laureate degree in Social Work at Arkansas State University and her Master of Arts in Education at WKU in 1998. Melanie's professional background includes having served as director of the Family Preservation, Family Reunification, and FACTS programs with Community Action of Southern GSSW President this year. In other MSW student news, several graduate students, along with Ors. Saundra Starks and Janice Chadha, went to lhe NASW Social Work Day at the Capitol in Frankfort. Students spoke individually with their representatives and senators and were recognized as a group on the floor of the House of Representatives. In the Rotunda, a representative of Governor Fletcher read the Proclamation for Social Work Month in Kentucky. Other speakers included social workers who have been elected to office and currently serve in the House of Representatives. The students plan to go back each year and encourage others to join them. It was an energizing and empowering experience' Kentucky. She also has a number of years experience with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and has served as Clinical Coordinator for Juvenile and Children's Services under contract with the Florida Departments of Juvenile Justice and Children and Family Services. Most recently, she held the position of Statewide Training Specialist with EKU and the cabinet for Health & Family Services, Department of Protection & Permanency. Melanie holds professional memberships in two international honor societies: Pi Gamma Mu and Alpha Kappa Delta.Melanie enjoys spending Lime with her human and canine family, singing in her local church choir, cooking, and reading. She states she is "thrilled to be a member of the Social Work and University faculty1" Departmental Faculty: Scholarly Activities SUZIE CASHWELL Duffy, P.A., lrimia-Vladu, M., Cashwell, S. T., Bartkowski, J.P., Molnar, J. J., & Casanova, V. (in press). Food pantries and the populations they serve: Strange bedfellows or strategic partners? Sociological 1nqt1i,y. Starks, S. H., & Cashwell, S. T Women of color in social work education. (2006). In H. F. Vakalahi , S. H. Starks, & C. O. Hendricks (Eds.). Women of color as social work edt1ca-tors: Strengths and swviva/. Alexandria, VA: CSWE Press (under contract/review) . MUH-BI LIN Lin, M. B., & Chen, P. Y. (2005) . The need of globalness in health and human services: Comparative views from the U.S. and Taiwan. Proceedings of the 2005 International Conference on Social and Health Care in Aging Society (pp. 39-51 ). Pintung, Taiwan: Meiho Institute of Technology. Long, J. S., & Lin, M. B. (2005). A compara-tive study on the long term care policy and practice in Taiwan and the United States. Proceedings of the 2005 Intcmalional Conference on Social and f-leallh Care in Aging Society (pp. 213-22 1). Pin tung, Taiwan: Meiho Insti tute of Technology. CINDY SNYDER Snyder, C., Gabbard, W. J., May, J. D., & Zulcic, N. (in press). On the battleground of women's bodies: Mass rnpe in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Aj]ilia: Journal of Women and Social Work. Snyder, C. S., May, J. D., Zulcic, N., & Gabbard, W. J. (2005). Social work with Bosnian Muslim refugee children and fami-lies: A review of the literature. Child Welfare 84 (5), 607-630. SAUNDRA STARKS Starks, S. H. (2005) . NASW cul tural competency standards Local and global applicability. Article submitted to the NASW International Network Nevvs. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press. Mama, R., Salett, E., Hokenslad, M. C., & Starks, S.H. (2006). Modern day slave,y: A challenge for social work edt1cation and practice. Presented al the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Februa1y 2006, Chicago, IL. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • : Anything New? : • You are important to us! Help us be able to contact you. • • • • Please let us know of any changes: • Name _________________________ _ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Address ___ ________ _____________ _ STREET CITY STATE ZIP Phone _________________________ _ Fax ___________ _ ___________ ___ _ Email ___________ ______________ _ You can also e-mail us your information to swrk@wku.edu or ca/1745-5312. • • • • • ·· ............................... . Honor Society Inducts New Members On April I, 2006 an induction ceremony was held in Academic Complex to recognize the BSW and MSW students who achieved membership in Phi Alpha Honor Society. Congratulations on this important accom-plishment in your academic career ! ' The Phi Alpha inductees include: Jackie Barber Serena Britt Heather Cann Kevin Cofer Tonya Dishman Particia Estes Elizabeth Freeman Marybeth Hammers • Jason Herring • Susan Kyle Julie McCoy Susan Martin * Joey Minor Lauren Shelton Tiffany Shoulders • Cynthia Michelle Stinnet • Andrea Whitmer Jennifer Williams Lindsey Woodward • * denotes BSW students Save the date! Western Kentucky University and Murray State University will co-sponsor the 3 I st National Institute on Social Work and Human Services in Rural Areas at the Holiday Inn University Plaza in Bowling Green, Kentucky, July 19-21, 2006. This year 's conference theme is "Seasons of Rural America: Practice Implications for Geographically Diverse Populations throughout the Life Span." CEU's will be offered I For more information visit : http:// www.wku.edu/ Dept/ Academic/ chhs/ social-work/ Thank you ... and best wishes!! Serena Brill, who has served as one of the editors of the departmental newsletter since spring 2005, will graduate in May with her master of social work degree. We congratu-late Serena and thank her for all the hard work she's put into the newsletter while a student in the MSW program. 

UA61/5 Social Work Newsletter

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10145&context=dlsc_ua_records

UA61/5 Social Work Newsletter

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

TopSCHOLAR