Spring 2014 e-‐Newsle2er
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Please take a moment & let us know what you are up to! HSUsocialworkALUMNIupdates
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Dear Students, Alumni and Community Members, We here in the Humboldt State University Department of Social Work hope you found our Fall e-‐ newsleBer engaging. We believe that our occasional dispatch will help keep you connected with what is going on in our programs. In this semester's ediGon you will read about developments in our Distributed Learning programs and how we celebrated HSU's centennial year through a "100 Years of Radical Social Work" event. We'd also like to share news with you about our work to address hunger among HSU students. And we'd like you to know a liBle bit about how things are going in our second year of masters projects (instead of the comprehensive examinaGon which used to finish off the MSW program). Please share your own news with us, too. We are making a concerted effort to build up our alumni relaGons strategies, including on our website (humboldt.edu/socialwork). Check it out. Warmly, Ronnie Swartz Chair, Department of Social Work ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________
NaIonal & Community Partnerships
Humboldt County's Department of Health and Human Services program awards $45,000 contract to Humboldt State’s Department of Social Work
HSU staff and students will soon find it easier to enroll in California’s CalFresh program thanks to a $45,000 contract awarded to Humboldt State’s Department of Social Work. The contract, which comes from Humboldt County’s Department of Health and Human Services, is targeted at expanding enrollment in the CalFresh program among Humboldt State
Semester Spotlights -‐ Spring 2014
HSU Department of Social Work hosts "100 Years in Radical Social Work"
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, the Department of Social Work at Humboldt State University hosted “100 Years of Radical Social Work” in the Goodwin Forum. The event was coordinated by a planning commiBee comprised of Dr. Cesar Abarca, Dr. Jennifer Maguire, Rebecca Cacciari, and Corina MarGnez. “100 Years of Radical Social Work” was part of the College of Professional Studies’ Showcase Month in April for HSU’s Centennial CelebraGon. The celebraGon included a speaker series, open houses, forums, and recepGons highlighGng the college’s various departments and majors in honor of Humboldt State’s first 100 years. Dr. Ronnie Swartz, Department Chair, and Sheri Johnson MSW, Director of Field EducaGon, began with an introducGon of the department and its history, followed by a presentaGon by social work students Marialuisa Torres (BASW) and Porscha Cobbs (MSW), and Dr. Cesar Abarca highlighGng historical moments of radical social work over the past century and the field’s commitment to serving marginalized and oppressed communiGes. Dr. Michael Yellowbird, Social Work Professor and co-‐ author of the recent book “Decolonizing Social Work,” made closing remarks. Stephanie Weldon, HSU MSW alum, was honored at the event with the HSU Department of Social Work 2014 Outstanding Alumni Award for making significant contribuGons to our local communiGes. Read Stephanie Weldon's bio HERE.
(CalFresh, cont.)
students and staff, a populaGon that is tradiGonally under enrolled in assistance programs. CalFresh is the state’s version of the federal Supplemental NutriGon Assistance Program. The HSU CalFresh Outreach, Enrollment, and PopulaGon Study rolled out on campus in late November, 2013. Food insecurity and SNAP outreach emerged as naGonal concerns a\er the economy crashed in 2008. According to Jennifer Maguire, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work, research links the lack of access to enough nutriGous foods with serious health risks for people of all ages. “In California, we have one of the lowest SNAP (CalFresh) parGcipaGon rates in the U.S. and colleges in general are viewed as having parGcularly low parGcipaGon rates. We hope that the campus outreach and enrollment work will help students and staff increase access to healthy and affordable
LegislaIve Lobby Days
LegislaGve Lobby Days is a two-‐day event to educate students and professionals about important legislaGon affecGng clients and advocates in the social work profession. The event is a unique opportunity to learn more about the legislaGve process, to get "hands-‐on" lobbying experience, and to talk with state legislators about important policy issues. Professional Social Workers in all fields, BASW/MSW students, and faculty aBend. The Department of Social Work and HSU's Social Work Student AssociaGon (SWSA) co-‐sponsor the trip so that our BASW/MSW students can aBend a full-‐day training to learn the basics of lobbying and prepare for the following day's Social AcGon Rally and LegislaGve Appointments at the State Capitol. This once a year opportunity gives them a chance to network with other social workers, to stand up for others on important social issues, and to be a part of policy in acGon. Follow important Lobby Day Bills HERE. Student QUOTES: One thing that stuck with me during my experience at lobby days was this: We, as poli@cal social workers, need to address the causes of social illness -‐ not only the symptoms. -‐ Samantha Thompsen, BASW 2015 Lobby Days was a wonderful opportunity to understand the legisla@ve process. Presenta@ons on the selected bills were informa@ve and very interes@ng. I learned a lot. -‐ Marli Shoop, MSW 2015
(CalFresh, cont.)
foods and help us learn more about the connecGon between college food security and academic success,” says Maguire, who is also co-‐ Principal InvesGgator for the project with Dr. Ronnie Swartz. As part of the program, 10 student engagement assistants (all Social Work students) were hired to support enrollment and retenGon, which includes educaGng staff and students about CalFresh programs and reducing barriers to enrollment. Students will receive on-‐going training and report to Ronnie Swartz, co-‐ Principal InvesGgator for the project and co-‐Director of the AltruisGc Personality and Prosocial Behavior InsGtute in the Department of Social Work. The student assistants will conduct online and in-‐person informaGon sessions throughout the academic year. Other outreach will be aimed at raising awareness of the CalFresh program through the campus’s weekly University
The experience of Lobby Days was a moment to remember. Having the opportunity to talk to staff members about the bills gave me the experience to understand policy in its full affect. I am so grateful I was able to be a part of policy change. -‐ Patricia Ferrera, HSU SWSA Student RepresentaIve, BASW 2015 Lobby Days was a great experience, as a BASW student, to learn about macro-‐prac@ce. It taught me that policy change can really make a difference for those in the field advoca@ng for meaningful change in their clients' lives. -‐ Rodrigo Avila, HSU SWSA President, BASW – Class of 2015 ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
IMAGE: Dr. Ken Nakamura, Keynote Address -‐ Master’s Level Social Work
(CalFresh, cont.)
NoGces email digest, messages on the HSU portal, a website highlighGng the complex eligibility requirements as well as enrollment resources and nutriGon educaGon. Printed materials will also be made widely available on campus. "At our first outreach event on 2.12.14 we helped 26 campus members fill out CalFresh applicaGons and conducted 42 interviews -‐ a great beginning!" says Dr. Jen Maguire. "Hearing members of our campus community share on a very personal level how they do not have access to the quanGty and quality of food they need to be healthy and focused in school made it even more real how important the work is that we are doing" she conGnues. "Our team feels inspired to conGnue to further CalFresh outreach on campus through HSU OH SNAP! and we are working towards implemenGng a sustainable outreach plan.”
For more informaGon and to follow the program, click here: hsuCalFresh-‐outreach
Department PerspecIve
Distributed Learning Program Campus Intensive
Yvonne Doble MSW, Assistant Director of Distributed Learning and Field EducaIon
A unique feature of our Distributed Learning (DL) course of study for both MSW and BASW students is our annual Campus Intensive. In our DL program, students complete course work online throughout the year. In January, all DL students and faculty come together for several days of shared learning and community building. This convening also serves as the orientaGon for each of our 3.5 year MSW cohorts. In January of 2014, we welcomed our third cohort of DL MSW students and also included BASW students for the first Gme. At the beginning of each day, students and faculty have the opGon to parGcipate in wellness pracGces including mindfulness and yoga. We encourage students to integrate wellness in their field experience and future pracGce as a tool to promote well-‐being and pro-‐acGvely address stress. Students also aBend the first session of their spring courses. These were interspersed with a variety of presentaGons from faculty emeriG, community partners, regional mentors and faculty members including: Dr. Ken Nakamura presented the keynote address: Master’s Level Social Work Dr. John Gai & Serenity Bowen, LCSW: IntroducGon to Advanced Clinical PracGce Marianne Pennekamp: Partnership with Schools, Families and CommuniGes Assemblymember PaBy Berg: Social Policy and Aging Dr. Ronnie Swartz: Ethics & Values Vincent Feliz, LCSW: Social Work with Indigenous CommuniGes Cherie Shipley, LCSW: Trauma Informed PracGce Dr. Cesar Abarca: Affordable Foods, Starving Wages, and Exploited Labor Dr. Jen Maguire: Development & Grant Proposal WriGng Holly Scaglione, LCSW: Harm ReducGon as Social Work PracGce The complete agenda is available HERE.
Making ConnecIons: Students met with their Regional Mentors and other students in their region, including MSW and BASW students. Mentors provide students with opportuniGes for in-‐person meeGngs and support throughout the year, as well as insight into local professional resources and internships. Students also met together with their cohort members. These connecGons help sustain student parGcipaGon in the program. BASW Seniors: The first cohort of graduaGng DL BASW Seniors were honored during the intensive by BASW Program Director, Debbie Gonzalez, and Distributed Learning Program Director, Jamie Jensen. Since not all students may choose to return to campus this May for the graduaGon ceremonies, the intensive provides an opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedicaGon of our DL graduates. We look forward to honoring our first graduaGng DL MSW cohort at the 2015 DL Intensive! IMAGE: DL MSW Class of 2016
IMAGE: BASW Program Director, Debbie Gonzalez, and DL Program Director, Jamie Jensen with members of the DL BASW Class of 2014 ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
Student Story
Anna Anguiano, Advanced Standing MSW Student
Anna graduates this spring as an Advanced Standing MSW student and is a MSW Title IV-‐E Child Welfare EducaGonal SGpend Program recipient. Anna received her BA in Social Work in the Spring of 2013 from Humboldt State University and was a BASW Title IV-‐E Child Welfare EducaGonal SGpend Program recipient.
IMAGE: Anna Anguiano
Most of her previous work has been with the geriatric populaGon as a pre-‐nursing major.
“I wanted to work specifically with the geriatric populaBon, and gain experience. It was during my volunteer and work experience that I first met a social worker, and it felt like a beGer fit to what I really wanted to do. So, I switched my major to Social Work as an undergrad.” Anna is currently interning at Child Welfare Services (CWS). Fulfilling a BASW program requirement in her Junior year, Anna volunteered with the Juvenile Hall through Y.E.S. (Youth EducaGon Services) on campus. “Some of the kids I interacted with received Child Welfare Services, which then sparked my interest in that agency. Just seeing their struggles… I wanted to help in some way. I wanted to be an advocate for them. I thought maybe I could through CWS.” Anna chose the MSW program at HSU specifically because of the emphasis on rural and Tribal social services. It isn’t something she saw in other programs. She also enjoyed the richness, the discussion that happens in smaller classroom sizes, and professors who know your name. Anna is currently working on her Master’s Project, a requirement in the final semester of the MSW program. Her project explores the availability of bilingual and culturally appropriate services for the LaGno community in Humboldt County. Her focus is on domesGc violence services. Anna’s observaGon is that Humboldt County appears to be an area where bilingual and culturally appropriate services for the LaGno community are very limited, negaGvely impacGng women who are in need of domesGc violence services. She is conducGng a survey for service providers in Humboldt County in order to gain a clearer picture of what services exist while looking at the current barriers for LaGna women, in parGcular those who need bilingual services. "This project means a lot to me because no one deserves to live in a violent or abusive situaBon ever. Being a first generaBon Mexican American I have noBced first-‐hand the lack of services offered to those who do not speak English. There have been cases where I have had to be a translator for my family members. Moving here from Southern California, I find myself sensiBve to the lack of bilingual services offered within the community." Anna's goal is to use her educaGon and experience to discover each and every person's unique potenGal, expanding on her belief in the power of advocacy and acGvism. She hopes to work towards social jusGce and the celebraGon of differences.
Alumni Highlight
Susie Cha, BASW 2007, MSW 2010
IMAGE: Susie Cha
Born in Eureka, California, Susie Cha grew up in Humboldt County. She obtained her BASW in 2007 and MSW in 2010 from Humboldt State University. She completed her undergraduate field placement at Zane Middle School with the school counselor, Delores Haskamp. At Zane Middle School she led two groups; a mulG-‐cultural group and a social group where teachers referred students. She completed her graduate level field placement at MulGplicity as a co-‐facilitator of a group called "Adventure OuGngs". This group was for the siblings of individuals with developmental disabiliGes, such as auGsm or Down’s syndrome. The intenGon of this group was to address the needs and provide services to these siblings who, too, experienced their own struggles. Susie worked at MulGplicity for four years. She began as a behavioral aide before becoming a behavior management assistant. A\er receiving her MSW, she worked as a behaviorist. During her Gme at MulGplicity she formed strong relaGonships and developed a rapport that conGnues to inform her professional life today. “People asked how I got into social work and it has a lot to do with how I grew up, my beliefs, and having a conversaBon with someone like-‐minded. I took an IntroducBon to Social Work course as part of my General EducaBon. I remember walking into the Social Work Department back when it was in the library basement, and I ran into Ken Nakamura. He introduced himself and asked if I was a Social Worker major. I told him, "No," and that I sBll was not sure what I wanted to major in. I originally enrolled as a "business" major. I told him a liGle bit about my history of growing up in Eureka and having fond memories of going to "Hmong School" where my father taught students how to read and write in Hmong. I, too, one day knew that I would like the next generaBon to have the same opportunity to be connected to their cultural roots and language. Unbeknown unBl my conversaBon with Ken, he assisted in securing a grant to create a "Hmong School." That was when I realized that I needed to take the social work path.” Currently, Susie is the Hmong Community Outreach Coordinator for Humboldt State University's Social Work Department and is employed as a Social Worker for Humboldt County Children and Family Services. She is also currently working towards her clinical license. In her free Gme, Susie volunteers as a translator and assists with providing service referrals for Hmong community members. Susie is also married to a social worker with whom she shares two children and four dogs. They plan to stay in Humboldt for a long Gme.
Spring Gallery
IMAGES: (top row, L-‐R) SW 649 class (Wellness and Sustainability) farm visit to DeepSeeded in Arcata, Debbie Gonzalez & Vickie Thornburgh at Spring Preview, BASW/MSW students at Lobby Days 2014 IMAGE: (bo2om row) Spring Morning Department MeeIng
Our mailing address is: Department of Social Work Humboldt State University 1 Harpst Street * Arcata, CA 95521
Contact us: (707) 826 -‐ 4448 socialwork@humboldt.edu www.humboldt.edu/socialwork