1 Chair’s Corner I would like to welcome all new and returning social work students to the Undergraduate Social Work major. I hope you are adjusting and feel confident about your fall semester classes as we want you to be successful as a social work student. I do have a small request if you have not done so already stop by my office and introduce yourself. As your department chairperson I love talking with matriculating social work students, feel free to stop by the office, call, or email me for some common times to chat. Our goal as faculty members is to answer any questions and educate students about the profession, the community, and to address any other professional guidance you feel you may need. Faculty members are here to serve you, so stop by the Undergraduate Social Work office and let us get to know you. West Chester University Undergraduate Social Work Department has a long history and a great reputation in the community, the state, and the nation. Although the program is small I feel that the department‟s hands-on approach, that is also the core of the department‟s teacher-scholar model, assist in developing our majors to become social work leaders once they graduate. Recently, I attended the Social Work Alumni Panel that was hosted by the Phi Alpha Honor Society. Thank you, Phi Alpha members all of you did a wonderful job developing a program that invited graduates from our program to come back and speak about their experiences. I could not help but feel joyous as I watched individuals talk about their journey as undergraduate social work students; as employees; as employers; as master degree students; as completed doctoral degree professionals. To know as the chairperson that the West Chester University Undergraduate Social Work Faculty had a small part in the panel‟s career development brought nothing but smiles, pride, and a re-commitment to continue our rigorous academic legacy. The department will pursue an additional faculty member for the 2010/11 academic year. A tenure-track search will begin immediately headed by Dr. Richard Voss, Search Committee Chair. We hope to hire a faculty member that enjoys the roles of advising, mentoring, assisting in the curriculum design and delivery, while adding a needed expertise in innovations in technology and program delivery that will also enhance the creativity of the Undergraduate Social Work Departments curriculum. The search committee anticipates appointing a student to the committee and/or to participate equitably in the search process. Let Dr. Voss know if you are interested in serving on the search committee. We want all candidates to have an opportunity to meet and discuss their teaching philosophy with social work students before they are hired. The department invites your feedback on any issues, concerns, or ideas that you have in regards to the Undergraduate Social Work Program. We encourage you to attend the student/faculty meetings that are held once a month at noon in Sykes 252. Students are free to voice theirs ideas at that meeting, however, if it is not possible for you to attend the meetings, feel free to email me directly at [email protected]I promise to get back to you with a response to your concerns. Continued on page 3 The Advocate Fall 2009 Chairs Corner 1 Message from Field 2 Article from C.A.T.A. 1 From our clubs 2 Pictures from Liv Live 8 Motivational Corner 6 Calendar of events (plus much more…) 9 Inside this issue: C.A.T.A. El Comité de Apoyo a Los Trabajadores Agricolas The Farm workers Support Committee Promoting Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the U.S. Farmworkers are the lowest paid occupational group in the nation: the median seasonal income for male farmworkers is $5000 and half that for farmworker women. This pov- erty is compounded by a lack of legal rights: farmworkers are exempt from the National Labor Relations Act, and have fewer protections than other workers or are entirely ex- empt from a wide range of laws, including federal minimum wage, overtime, child la- bor, Social Security, and unemployment legislation. Agriculture is also one of the most hazardous occupations in the nation. Injury rates amongst farmworkers are up to twice as high and the death rate over five times as high as the national average. The G.A.O. has estimated that over 300,000 farmworkers are poisoned annually by exposure to pesti- cides. CATA, el Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas, or Farmworker Support Com- mittee in English, is a migrant farmworkers' organization governed by and comprised of farmworkers who are actively engaged in the struggle for better working and living conditions. CATA's membership is based in southeastern Pennsylvania (with an office in Kennett Square), New Jersey, and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia). The majority of farmworkers in this area are from Mexico, Central America (Continued on page 5)
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1
Chair’s Corner
I would like to welcome all new and returning social work students to the Undergraduate Social
Work major. I hope you are adjusting and feel confident about your fall semester classes as we want you to be
successful as a social work student. I do have a small request if you have not done so already stop by my office
and introduce yourself. As your department chairperson I love talking with matriculating social work students,
feel free to stop by the office, call, or email me for some common times to chat. Our goal as faculty members is
to answer any questions and educate students about the profession, the community, and to address any other
professional guidance you feel you may need. Faculty members are here to serve you, so stop by the
Undergraduate Social Work office and let us get to know you.
West Chester University Undergraduate Social Work Department has a long history and a great
reputation in the community, the state, and the nation. Although the program is small I feel that the department‟s hands-on approach, that is also
the core of the department‟s teacher-scholar model, assist in developing our majors to become social work leaders once they graduate.
Recently, I attended the Social Work Alumni Panel that was hosted by the Phi Alpha Honor Society. Thank you, Phi Alpha members all
of you did a wonderful job developing a program that invited graduates from our program to come back and speak about their experiences. I could
not help but feel joyous as I watched individuals talk about their journey as undergraduate social work students; as employees; as employers; as
master degree students; as completed doctoral degree professionals. To know as the chairperson that the West Chester University Undergraduate
Social Work Faculty had a small part in the panel‟s career development brought nothing but smiles, pride, and a re-commitment to continue our
rigorous academic legacy.
The department will pursue an additional faculty member for the 2010/11 academic year. A tenure-track search will begin immediately
headed by Dr. Richard Voss, Search Committee Chair. We hope to hire a faculty member that enjoys the roles of advising, mentoring, assisting in
the curriculum design and delivery, while adding a needed expertise in innovations in technology and program delivery that will also enhance the
creativity of the Undergraduate Social Work Departments curriculum. The search committee anticipates appointing a student to the committee
and/or to participate equitably in the search process. Let Dr. Voss know if you are interested in serving on the search committee. We want all
candidates to have an opportunity to meet and discuss their teaching philosophy with social work students before they are hired.
The department invites your feedback on any issues, concerns, or ideas that you have in regards to the Undergraduate Social Work
Program. We encourage you to attend the student/faculty meetings that are held once a month at noon in Sykes 252. Students are free to voice
theirs ideas at that meeting, however, if it is not possible for you to attend the meetings, feel free to email me directly at [email protected]
I promise to get back to you with a response to your concerns.
Continued on page 3
The Advocate Fall 2009
Chairs Corner 1
Message from Field 2
Article from C.A.T.A. 1
From our clubs 2
Pictures from Liv Live 8
Motivational Corner 6
Calendar of events
(plus much more…)
9
Inside this issue:
C.A.T.A.
El Comité de Apoyo a Los Trabajadores Agricolas
The Farm workers Support Committee
Promoting Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the U.S.
Farmworkers are the lowest paid occupational group in the nation: the median seasonal income for male farmworkers is $5000 and half that for farmworker women. This pov-
erty is compounded by a lack of legal rights: farmworkers are exempt from the National Labor Relations Act, and have fewer protections than other workers or are entirely ex-empt from a wide range of laws, including federal minimum wage, overtime, child la-bor, Social Security, and unemployment legislation. Agriculture is also one of the most
hazardous occupations in the nation. Injury rates amongst farmworkers are up to twice as high and the death rate over five times as high as the national average. The G.A.O. has estimated that over 300,000 farmworkers are poisoned annually by exposure to pesti-cides.
CATA, el Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas, or Farmworker Support Com-mittee in English, is a migrant farmworkers' organization governed by and comprised of farmworkers who are actively engaged in the struggle for better working and living
conditions. CATA's membership is based in southeastern Pennsylvania (with an office in Kennett Square), New Jersey, and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia). The majority of farmworkers in this area are from Mexico, Central America
In 2010, the annual BPD Conference that social work students attend will be held at the Hilton, Atlanta, March 17-21, 2010. If you are interested, see Social Work
Club President, Katie Suchniak. In order to receive a free shared room you must participate in at least two social work programs. Join other West Chester stu-
dents in Atlanta this spring for a wonderful opportunity to meet other students, attend a student conference, meet authors of your books, and talk with various
graduate school representatives from across the United States. Please visit www.BPDonline.org to learn more about this exciting upcoming national conference.
Over the last month, in my capacity as a representative of the Undergraduate Social Work Department of West Chester University of PA I have
attended numerous events. I hosted the fall, WCU Undergraduate Social Work Advisory Board Meeting which brings together a student representative, alumni,
social work community leaders, field instructors and others to discuss how the social work program fits with the needs of the surrounding community. If you are
interested in reviewing the minutes or attending an Undergraduate Social Work Advisory Board Meeting, please let me know.
In addition, I attended a meeting at the NASW headquarters in Washington, DC. I am proud to announce that I will serve as a convening national mem-
ber of the upcoming 2010 Social Work Congress which will be held in late April in Washington. In preparation of the Social Work Congress, I want to talk with
groups of social work students to ascertain how they envision social work in the next ten years.
I was appointed to Vision 2020, which is a national group of leaders that will convene at the Philadelphia Constitutional Center on October 21 and 22, 2010.
A group of women leaders representing all states and the District of Columbia will engage and discuss the topic of “American Conversation about Women and
Leadership”. The American Conversation goal is to launch an action agenda that moves America towards equality by 2020, which is the centennial celebration of
the 19th Amendment. Please feel free to search, Vision 2020; a project of The Institute for Women‟s Health and Leadership and learn more about this upcoming
event.
In the community one of my service commitments is serving as the Chairperson of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. On October 3rd, LBBC raised over one-half
million dollars to assist the organization educate women who are diagnosed with breast cancer live a quality of life that they deserve. To learn more about the
organization or access information for your clients, friends, or someone you know that was diagnosed with breast cancer visit www.LBBC.org
Finally, a capstone to my career is that I was elected to serve as the President of Council on Social Work Education, (CSWE) from July, 2010 to June 2013,
serving this year as the President-elect. In my capacity as President-elect, I will involve some West Chester University students so that they are aware of social
work education functions nationally and globally. I am honored to serve in this office and will represent social work and West Chester University in the United
States and globally. To learn more about this organization or learn about graduate schools and receive other information pertinent to social work education please
visit the website www.CSWE.org
I know that other Undergraduate Social Work faculty members are also involved in numerous activities that expand our social work program beyond the
walls of West Chester University providing unique opportunities for students, faculty, and our graduates.
Once again, enjoy your semester. Before you know it, we will be preparing for the winter break. My best advice to each of you is to study hard, and have fun
as your social work journey is just beginning.
Fondly Social Work Undergraduate Chairperson,
Professor Mildred C Joyner
Are you interested in finding out what former
students had to say about different field sites? Check out the field section of the
October‟s Mental Health Awareness Week allowed Active Minds to organize and take part in a variety of
events while getting our name and purpose heard on campus. Our National Day Without Stigma information table
in Sykes provided WCU students and faculty with buttons and ribbons to support Mental Health Awareness Week,
along with information about what Active Minds does, what mental health is, and what stigma is regarding mental
health. In collaboration with the Mental Health Awareness Committee, Active Minds also had the opportunity to
attend a night with Jordan Burhnam who spoke about his experiences with mental health and suicide, and the Men-
tal Health Awareness Exhibit. Our major event of the week however was the Jake Kelleher Liv Live Concert Event.
The Jake Kelleher Liv Live Concert Event was a great success! In collaboration with the Chester County
Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force, Active Minds put on a great display of awareness for youth suicide and de-
pression prevention. Four performers provided excellent musical entertainment, a number of mental health organi-
zations along with Active Minds provided literature and information regarding mental health, the crowd heard from
a variety of speakers, and great raffle prizes were given away. Active Minds was able to raise money for the Youth
Suicide Prevention Task Force, as well as host an event which brought great awareness to suicide and mental health
awareness and to Active Minds. It was a great job by everyone involved!
Active Minds is collaborating with the Wellness Center on two events in the upcoming months regarding stressing
less. Be on the look out for details! November hosts the 1,100 flowers event for suicide awareness on November 6th,
along with the To Write Love on Her Arms Event on November 13th. Active Minds is excited to promote further
awareness and stomping out the stigma for mental health in the upcoming months. A number of members will also
be attending the National Active Minds Conference on November 13-14th in Washington, D.C. This national event
allows WCU Active Minds members to meet other members of Active Minds Chapters from all over the United
States. Active Minds meets every other Friday at 2:30pm in Sykes room 254. Also check us out on Facebook! Search
Active Minds at West Chester University 2009-2010. Feel free to contact Jessi Gregory at [email protected]
with any questions or comments!
(Continued from page 2)
"Let Mama marry Mama, HEY
OBAMA!!"
Heather A. Jacoby
On Sunday, October 11, 2009, hundreds of thousands gathered in our
nation's capital to march in support of equal rights for LGBTQA community.
Amidst a sea of rainbows, and even one in the sky right before the march began,
protestors from all across the country came together for a common purpose to say,
"No, separate is NOT equal". Various signs, some funny, some serious were carried
by protestors, accompanied by chants including, "What do we want? EQUAL
RIGHTS! When do we want them? NOW" and "Two, Four, Six, Eight, love does not
discriminate". The support was overwhelming and for one day, differences were
not looked down upon, they were embraced.
David Mixner gave a call to action and people most definitely responded.
All walkers gathered on the lawn in front of the Capital Building to unite and lis-
ten to various inspirational speakers including Lady GaGa, Lt. Dan Choi, Cynthia
Nixon, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, and Judy Shepard. Each person gave mov-
ing speeches in support of equal rights as well as supporting the repeal of the mili-
tary's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy and the Defense of Marriage Act. The audience
seemed to stretch on forever and the unity connected every person for miles.
Each person who attended the event came from a different background,
had a unique story, and a plethora of experiences, but for one day, only a few short
hours, we all shared in one struggle, one fight. I can honestly say that I was hum-
bled by the experience and so lucky to have been able to be a part of something so
inspiring. This march exemplified social work values. Dignity and worth of every
person, we all deserve equal rights. Self-determination, to love and marry whom-
ever one may choose, and empathy, feeling the pain of others who are deemed less
worthy because of sexual orientation. To be surrounded by thousands of people
demanding equality was overwhelming and I am left feeling empowered to stand
up and fight so that no human beings have to feel ashamed and hide who they
truly are.
Social Lights
Social Lights is a new faith-based
social work organization on campus. God pre-sented the founder and president of Social Lights, Charet Sanders the vision of uniting social work-ers from all walks of life and encouraging students to either build or strengthen their relationship with Christ. Social Lights welcomes everyone from all races, ages, religions, cultures, sexual orienta-tions, etc! You are ALL welcome and encouraged to come out and discuss daily social taboos to help prepare students for the working force and any ethical dilemmas that we may face.
The Social Lights motto states: We are torches for Christ by letting our light shine for him. As followers of Christ, the Bible verse that Social Lights strives to live and act upon is Matthew 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand. And it gives light to everyone in the house in the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.
Spirituality and strengthening our relationship with God is key in the lives of the founder and leaders of Social Lights. With Christ being the center of our lives, we feel that many of the values such as empathy, genuineness, and compassion for others that we all withhold will be carried into our profession as social workers. We are excited and committed to spreading the love
of Christ by living a Godly lifestyle and sharing God’s love with our actions. Likewise, as social workers we share a common goal to the commit-ment of strengthening and empowering our clients to be self-sufficient and bringing support and hope to many. So although we may all come from very different walks of life, as social workers we share a very common interest in spreading hope to the hopeless. So come join us every Monday at 12pm in Sykes room 255 and together lets spread more light into the world!
and the Caribbean. CATA's mission is to empower and educate farmworkers through leadership devel-opment so that they are equipped with the skills needed to effectively challenge the structures that op-press them. For the past thirty years CATA has been committed to facilitating the organizing of farm-workers, based upon the belief that only through organizing and collective action will farmworkers be
able to achieve social, economic and environmental justice.
The local farmworker community itself governs the organization and formulates its work plan. Carlos Diaz, the current President of the board of directors of CATA, first came to the USA from Mexico in
1959, having crossed the border to work in Texas and California as part of the bracero program. Seeing the abuses in that program, including being sprayed by pesticides and watching his colleagues and coworkers get sick and in some cases die, Carlos has been committed for decades to working for justice for migrant and immigrant workers.
Carlos, who has been living in this region since 1980, believes that there is currently no higher priority for the organization than to achieve just and comprehensive immigration reform. “Our focus right now is to help our colleagues without documents who don’t have rights, who don’t have a space in
which to make their case in front of a judge or court.” To achieve this, Carlos points out the importance of alliances with students and others: “It is crucial that American citizens make their voices heard by petitioning their government in Washington, so that immigrants can come out of the shadows and act with power in the future and make themselves fully part of Society by being able to get drivers’ licenses,
buy houses and cars, and other basic things we all want in life.”
CATA has been working with student volunteers from West Chester University in a variety of ways, including scheduling presentations to raise awareness and more recently, working with CATA’s organic
committee to promote workers’ rights in sustainable agriculture and increase farmworkers’ access to healthy food. “It is vital,” says Carlos, “to support each other and learn about each other. Solidarity with others is part of our struggle."
Prepared by Richard Mandelbaum, CATA
(Continued from page 1)
“None of us are home until all of us are home”
I am on a quest to save the world! In the midst of my journey to do so I have found myself at Project H.O.M.E, an agency in the Art
Museum section of Philadelphia that serves the cities homeless population. As an intern, I am filling the social work role of case
manager to three homeless men and women. I also spend one day per week seeing walk-in clients, who come in from 8am until
4pm with a plethora of needs. This job is stressful, demanding and exhausting, but most of all it is life changing. My clients are
actually making such an impact on me that I feel myself changing…morphing into an actual social worker and the human being
that I have always wanted to be! What a feeling!!!!!
Some of my clients have absolutely nothing. They come into my office, vulnerable and desperate for something or somebody to help
them get back on their feet. I have the privilege (thank you Dr. Voss) of being that somebody to help a client succeed! (Of course,
the client must help him/herself in this process as well.) What a position for a human being to be in; homeless, needing everything
from clothing to housing and having the strength to ASK for these things.
My clients are incredible; every single person I have seen and spoken to thus far has contributed to my growth as a social worker
and as a human being. I encourage you to be kind and compassionate and welcome the change that human connections can bring
to your life. Everybody has something to offer even when they feel like they have nothing. Keep on keeping on, my fellow social
workers in training….we will change the world!!!!!!!!
-Nikki Cronin
“Simple kindness may be the most vital key to the riddle of how human
beings can live with each other in
peace, and care properly for this planet we all share.”
--Bo Lozoff
6
Motivational Corner
Unity
By Melissa Fassler
I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there
The clay they used was a young child‟s mind
And they fashioned it with care
One was a teacher; the tools he used
Were books and music and art;
One a parent with a guiding hand,
And a gentle, loving heart
Day after day the teacher toiled,
with touch that was deft and sure,
While the parent labored by his side
and polished and smoothed it oer.
And when at last their task was done,
they stood proud of what they had wrought.
For things they had molded into the child
could neither be sold or bought.
And each agreed he would have failed
if he had worked alone,
For behind the parent stood the school,
and behind the teacher, the home.
Submitted by Whitney Moore
A gift of Hope
H. Jacoby
Look into these eyes
and tell me what you see.
Is there a light
even the smallest glimmer
somewhere, concealed beyond
my veil of deceit?
I can see it,
dim as you think it may be
To me it shines brighter than the stars
Dream sweet dreams for me
as I am no longer capable
Hold tight to them
I have lost all my strength.
I will keep them safe
and nurture the energy
that emits from deep within.
The bottom is all too familiar
no hope, no glow
only the immense pressure of darkness
waves crash with fury, pounding
I absorb your aura of despair
overwhelmingly desperate
Take my hand and we shall walk to-
gether.
I look to the heavens
to catch a glimpse of blue
welcoming the light rain that fills my
eyes
with faith that had long ago
been swept out with the tide.
Feel the soft sand beneath your feet
and stand on the legs
that you never trusted to hold you
I promise, they are strong
“…And why would you want to do that?”
J. Martin
Perhaps it is the sole word „sex‟ that turns heads or sparks further interest.
Or more importantly, perhaps it is the meaning behind the combination of words
„sex‟ and „offender‟ that raises eyebrows and provokes further questioning, questions
(Continued on page 7)
7
like: “Why would you want to do that?” Questions like this are among some of the thought provoking, and mind you, sometimes unsup-
portive looks from many outside the social work family. When asked where is my internship placement, I simply respond: “At PCS, a
residential treatment facility for 13-21 year old males who are, dare I say, SEX OFFENDERS! And as anticipated, the common re-
sponse of “Why would you want to do that?” follows. Well then, let me tell you…
At my last internship in my junior year, I had the opportunity to work with homeless men and women. These individuals
came from different backgrounds and had different factors in their lives that may have contributed to their then homeless status. One
of my clients was homeless because he was just released from prison after serving a sentence for committing a sex crime. He was one of
my first clients, and I had the chance to see him struggle on many levels as he tried to re-create a lifestyle for himself in today‟s society
among everyday people not only as a man who was homeless, but as a sex offender. Long story short, he did not follow rules of his pro-
bation and was sent back to prison. This incident sparked my initial interest in individuals who have committed sex offenses, and I
discussed this with my prior supervisor. We discussed the harsh, in-your-face approaches to the realization and admittance of one‟s
crime and the effort of those working to treat offenders. And so when the opportunity to intern at PCS arose, I considered it. This is a
treatment facility for juvenile sex offenders and while differences do remain, treatment for the offenses is still priority.
And so why would I want to do this? Well, first of all, I considered how these attending male youths were so young and in
treatment for such horrific crimes, and then I considered how society reacts to sex offenders. Most are disgusted. Most are frightened
for themselves, their friends and families. And therefore, rules and laws exist (Megan‟s law, probation rules, etc). And then I consid-
ered my previous client who faced so much difficulty in trying to rehabilitate back into society after committing his crime, and I noticed
how, unfortunately, an individual can be defined by their past crime because of the way society reacts. So having the opportunity to
work alongside therapists and counselors at PCS to help treat these offending youths, to control their thoughts and behaviors, and pre-
vent recidivism, I took it. I do not want to see these individuals continually make mistakes that will cause suffering for years to come.
Yes, what they do is incredibly wrong and horrific and by no means, acceptable, but as social workers we start where the client is at,
and I‟m learning more and more, how sometimes it isn‟t easy and it‟s scary, but risks are necessary; necessary for growth for myself,
growth for the client, and growth for the community. These youths are and foremost, still individuals, individuals who have committed
sex offences and yet, individuals who are capable of change!
(Continued from page 6)
Do you know a social worker exemplifies professionalism,
integrity and commitment to the profession and clients? Do
you want to see his or her work acknowledged? Do they work
in Chester or Delaware County? Then, nominate her or him
for the DNB Loyalty to Service Award. You can find the
nomination form at:
www.dnbfirst.com/DNBLoyaltyadv4.pdf
The deadline for nominations is December 1st so don’t delay and do it today.