Social Work Student Association Issue 8: February 25, 2013

A student led organization focused on developing an environment that fosters positive relationships between students, faculty, and staff of the College of Social Work at USC within the broader South Carolina community.

Important Dates

Notable…Conference Presentation

Sarah Wilson

2nd Year MSW/MPH Student

from New York

§ Mon. Feb. 25 @ 4:30 – SWSA Interview Workshop

o Field Office Staff

o Sumwalt 338

§ Wed. Feb. 27 @ 4:15 – Guest Speaker

o Director of Youth Empowerment Project

o Sumwalt 338

§ Mon. March 11 to Fri. March 15 – Spring Break

§ Mon. March 18 to Wed. March 20 – SCNASW Spring Symposium

o $85 NASW Member/$90 non-member

o See article on page 3 regarding event

§ Tue. March 19 – SCNASW Student Day

o 15$ student members/$25 non-members

§ Tue. March 19 @ 4:15 – Phi Alpha Meeting

o Sumwalt 338

§ Wed. March 20 @ 4:15 – Phi Alpha Meeting

o Sumwalt 338

Congratulations

Matthew Willkie & Caroline White

on passing the licensure!

Passed the licensure? Email schrenka@email.sc.edu

Area of interest? Unplanned pregnancy prevention, sexual health and disability Where did you present? TASH Conference in Long Beach, CA How did you get to present at a conference? It evolved from my internship. I was at Center for Disability Resources (CDR) working on the Supportive Community Living Initiative and my supervisor was talking about the conference. I decided to apply online, never thinking I would actually get it. What was the presentation about? I did a poster presentation about how to make living independent work, explain how the work CDR was doing to establish inclusive communities. At a poster presentation you stand by your poster and people walk around and ask questions about the topic you’re presenting. Biggest challenge? Funding. If you want to find funding to present at a conference, request early! Know the deadlines for the Grad Student Association and Public Health has funding available, too. *Editor’s Note: Public health funding is for MPH students only.* Advice to other students who want to present at a conference? Don’t’ be afraid to ask for help. A friend gave me a template for my poster and told me where I can print the poster really inexpensively. People want to help you – just ask! Would you present again? I went in thinking, “Oh, I’m just a student…” but we are all in social work for a reason. You have a really important story to tell. Every social work student has an important story to tell because we are all doing amazing work. This was an incredible experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Issue 8: February 25, 2013

Field Placement: PASOs (hosted at the Arnold School of Public Health) Major Tasks: Praise coordinates the agency’s volunteer program, which includes the recruitment, training, and supervision of volunteers that support PASOs programs and services. Praise is also involved in a research project that evaluates how PASOs programs impact the ability of Latino immigrants in South Carolina to navigate healthcare resources.

Faculty Facts: Dr. Kirk Foster

Praise Dunyo 2nd Year MSW Student Macro Concentration

From Ghana, West Africa

Micro or Macro: PASOs is a good placement for macro students interested in healthcare education and program management, program evaluation, advocacy, or community leadership development. Experiences Gained: “I feel comfortable working with and serving people from different cultures. It enhanced my program management skill and ability to work well in a team. I am also learning a lot from the research project.” The best part about working at PASOs: “Collaborating with the staff on projects. I appreciate the rich ideas they share on issues.” Post-grad goals: Praise plans to work in South Carolina for a few years before employing her social work skills in her home country of Ghana. Questions? Feel free to contact Praise at Dunyo@email.sc.edu

In the Field

Where are you from? I’m from Dupo, Illinois. My family has lived in that area of Illinois since immigrating to the US from Germany in the mid-1800s. What is your area of interest? Broadly speaking, I am interested in the factors that promote social and economic mobility among low-income populations and the role of community based organizations in promoting environments for collective action. More specifically, I study how religious congregations facilitate access to social capital and encourage civic engagement. You might think of me as a neighborhood researcher. Current Research Projects One is in Atlanta exploring the relationship between people’s impressions of their neighborhoods and involvement in their communities. Another is in partnership with a local community-based organization to develop an interview that helps us understand better the types of resources people have access to in their  different social networks. And lastly is a project with local congregation  examining the  relationship

between entrepreneurial orientation and civic engagement.    What is one piece of advice you would give to graduate students?  Follow your passion – it’s what gives you the energy and determination to continue the fight for justice.  If you could rule the world for a day, what would you do?  Give everyone access to clean water and stable shelter/housing.  Greatest thing about being a COSW Professor?  Having the freedom to do what I love.  What is one of your favorite jobs? How did you get it?  I received a phone call one afternoon while walking my dog. I was in the throes of my dissertation and the voice on the other end, a well-respected colleague, asked me to consider assuming an emergency interim Senior Pastor position of a local congregation. I had a history with this church, substituting one summer while their beloved pastor was on sabbatical. Sadly he suddenly passed away and the church needed someone who they trusted and could carry them through the grief process. They called me specifically because of my training as a pastor and social worker. It was a powerful and deeply meaningful experience.  

Issue 8: February 25, 2013

Get out in the community!…and build your resume….

Youth Empowerment Project

• Melissa Sawyer, Director

• Wednesday, February 27th

at 4:15pm

• SUMWALT 338

• Melissa Sawyer, Director of the Youth Empowerment Project, will be coming to talk with students about her project. Melissa Sawyer is a dynamic person, a real go-getter, a real inspiration to those who want to work for social change, and we are very excited about having her on campus! Please join us for a fun and informational time with Dr. Sawyer!

• Click here to visit the website!

Confidence Building Workshop for Boys & Girls

• Thursday, March 28th • Alcorn Middle School 4 –

6pm • MSW students to come

volunteer to do hair, nails, take pictures, individual counseling, etc. for middle school boys and girls

• The contact is Alycia Smith, a first year MSW student whose placement is at Alcorn Middle School. This school is located in Richland County School District One and over 90% of the children come from low-income families.

• Contact Alycia – smith445@email.sc.edu

Burmese Refugee Camps

§ Amanda Martin § Tuesday, April 9 and

Wednesday, April 10 at 4:15pm

§ SUMWALT 338 USC COSW alumna Amanda Martin, a Rotary Scholar who is working in a Burmese refugee camp, will talk to students about the Public Health Institute that she is establishing in a Burmese refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border.

Back to School Drive • February to end of April • USC & Local community • Benefits Alcorn Middle

School • Help as possible to spread

the word and collect donations.

• If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Alycia - smith445@email.sc.edu

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Mirrorless Monday • Mon. Feb. 25 • USC Campus • Look around campus for

positive messages about how our bodies provide strength, stamina, grace and ability to perform our daily activities.

FREE Yoga Class • Mon. Feb 25 • Strom Wellness & Fitness

Center @ 7:30pm • For all levels and abilities! Keynote Speaker – Jenni Schaefer • Tue. Feb. 26 • Russell House Ballroom @ 8pm • Author of Life without ED;

Goodbye ED, Hello Me • Discussing her personal

recovery journey, Jenni's presentation addresses making peace with food, learning how to love your body, and overcoming perfectionism. She also discusses society’s eating disorder and the mixed messages we all hear about food and our bodies. Jenni encourages listeners not to let an eating disorder or any other illness define their lives.

FREE Zumba Class • Wed. Feb. 27 • Strom Wellness & Fitness

Center @ 5:30pm • For all levels and abilities! Me, Myself & My Body Student Discussion • Thur. Feb. 27 • Honors Residence Hall Room B

110 • The purpose of the event is to

provide students with an open forum to discuss and share their struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with food, physical activity and body image.

• More info here!

National Eating Disorders Awareness WALK

• Saturday, March 2, 2013 • Carolina Children's Home at

2pm (Registration is at 1:30pm)

• Cost is $15 for students, $20 if you would like to walk the mile with your dog

• TO REGISTER: follow the link, click the "Participate" tab, then "Register as an Individual"

• Register here!

Issue 8: February 25, 2013

Tobacco Free USC

As a graduate assistant at Healthy Carolina, I have had the opportunity to work on initiatives that aim to change the social and physical environment in which we live to promote health and wellbeing. The Tobacco Free USC initiative has been one of our main focuses this school year as we work to pass a policy that would make USC completely tobacco free. A completely tobacco free campus would mean all tobacco products including cigarettes, smokeless cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and hookah would be prohibited in all buildings, facilities, grounds, and spaces either leased or owned by USC. Why should social workers care about tobacco free environments? By passing a tobacco free policy, we will be empowering members of the USC community to live healthy, productive, and successful lives on campus and beyond. Research shows that only 14% of USC students smoke, but 70% of these smokers want to quit. Passing campus-wide bans on tobacco products has proven to improve cessation rates and reduce the number of students who start using tobacco products in college among the 562 other college campuses who have already passed tobacco-free policies. The deadly consequences of smoking are no secret with tobacco being the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Smokers are 2 times more likely from coronary heart disease, 2-4 times more likely to have a stroke, and are12-13 times more likely to develop obstructive lung diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. The health effects of exposure to tobacco smoke goes far beyond just the health of the smoker with the majority of cigarette smoke being released into the air, not absorbed in the smoker’s lungs. Second hand smoke exposure at home or work increases your risk of developing lung cancer by 20-30% and approximately 10% of all lung cancer cases are caused by secondhand smoke. Furthermore, secondhand smoke contains approximately 70 cancer-causing chemicals including nickel, arsenic, and formaldehyde. Everyone deserves to work and live in an environment that promotes health and well-being and the tobacco free USC policy is a step forward in making our campus community a better place to be.

Tobacco Free USC (con.) Katherine Kovich MSW/MPH Student

Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA

kovich@email.sc.edu

What can you do to help support the Tobacco Free USC initiative? • Write an article or letter to the

editor in the Daily Gamecock, Free Times, or Garnet and Black

• Have the student organization you are involved in pass an official Resolution in support of the proposed policy (If you are interested, contact our office for more information!)

• Voice your opinion through social media! @MyHlthyCarolina, #TobaccoFreeUS www.facebook.com/HealthyCarolina

• Send your thoughts and suggestions to TobaccoFreeUSC@sc.edu

• Help out with the Kick Butts Day events (which will include a flash mob!) on March 19th on Greene St.

Tuesday March 19th is the Student Day at the SCNASW Spring Symposium at the Doubletree Hotel on Bush River Road. It is a great opportunity to learn and network with other social workers. Here is a list of COSW members that will be presenting on Student Day. Click here to connect to the full schedule.

• Dr. Reitmeier & Dr. Wolfer: Sharing Best Practices: Problem Solving Ethical Dilemmas

• Dr. Whtiaker: Understanding Human Trafficking: Strategies for Prevention and Intervention

• Meredith Powers & Amber Schrenkel: Refugees in SC – Invisible but Indispensible

• Dr. Iachini & Dr. Hock & Dr. Thomas: What Youth and Parents Want from their Service Providers

Morning plenary speakers include Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter, MSW and Attorney General Alan Wilson.

SCNASW Spring Symposium