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welcome welcome to the department of social work newsletter many years ago the department published a social work newsletter for some time however we have been without a voice although both students and faculty have been very busy working with daemen and the community at large · the department initiated the listening circle for veterans and others in the community the listening circle meets the second wednesday of every month here at daemen college · the social work lecture series was held in january and march featuring play therapy with young children practical strategies for the home and community-based therapist presented by mary francis bayer and the picssl model as a path to intimacy connection sexual satisfaction and love presented by maureen ryan · the series will end this school year with a presentation on may 11th titled domestic violence and divorce the unique challenges and how to negotiate the legal system presented by hope r jay · the department and the social work alliance celebrated social work month by way of a presentation that was open to the community over the wall an intimate conversation with karl shallowhorn was engaging and informative mr shallowhorn a former employee of daemen college is the author of working on wellness a practical guide to mental health for more information about the activities of the department we are pleased to present this issue of the social work newsletter we plan to publish this newsletter at least twice a year to inform current students alumni field agencies and our many other stakeholders of news and activities from our very busy department as you read through this newsletter you can see why we are proud of our students faculty and departmental activities we look forward to your feedback on this edition of our newsletter and welcome your news and input for future editions renée daniel chair department of social work sociology 4380 main street amherst ny 14226

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saying good-bye as we all know dr martin j anisman fourth president of daemen college has announced his retirement dr anisman began his tenure at daemen in 1996 as the college approached its 50th anniversary while he prepares to say goodbye let us look at a few of the many things dr anisman has done for daemen over the years under dr anisman s leadership daemen college has seen their enrollment increase to 2,800 students an all-time high in 1999 dr anisman promoted the launching of the daemen college interactive distance-learning network which is now broadband-based in 2001 the college completed a $13.5 million dollar housing project ­ brick apartment-style residences offering students modern living units wired for the internet in january 2009 the college opened the latest and most impressive addition to the daemen campus ­ the $15 million 45,000 square feet research information commons ric the single most important construction project in daemen s history the ric is built with design features to conserve energy water and other resources maximize the use of recycled materials and minimize the use of toxic materials conceived and designed as an integrated building system incorporating environmentally friendly design features the ric is among the first freestanding green buildings on a western new york college campus the ric also functions as a core component of the daemen environmental studies program in december 2009 the research information commons received the prestigious gold leed certification from the u.s green building council the leed certification designates leadership in energy and environmental design daemen community is very grateful for all dr anisman has done for this college on behalf of the social work alliance and the social work department we would like to thank dr anisman for always supporting the social work department and attending every social work humanitarian dinner we have held we wish you good luck in your retirement and great wishes on your future plans by michelle thomas learning about child abuse april is national child abuse prevention month a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and create strong communities to support children and families the blue ribbon campaign began in 1989 when a virginia grandmother wanted to make a tribute to her grandson who died as a result of child abuse she tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her car as a way to remember him and to alert her community to the tragedy of child abuse the blue ribbon campaign has since expanded across the country and many wear blue ribbons each april in memory of those who have died as a result of child abuse most recently the focus has shifted to a more positive message of celebrating blue ribbon individuals organizations and communities that have done much to prevent child abuse and neglect nationally over 2 million reports of abuse or neglect are made each year and 1,500 children die from their injuries every day across the country the very people children rely on for protection and comfort subject them to abuse or neglect children in our own community face these same risks child abuse can be prevented please wear blue ribbons during the month of april to remember those who lost their life to child abuse and to help with the prevention of those who do not have to by michelle thomas source national child abuse month n.d retrieved april 13 2011 from u.s department of health and human services http www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/preventionmonth we would like to give a big thank you to our past swa officers for all of their dedication and hard work president nyisha thompson vice president allison hernandez secretary jessica rodriguez treasurer amy alexander a special congratulations goes out to those who will be inducted into the zeta zeta chapter of the phi alpha honor society great job also we would like to congratulate the 2011-2012 officers president aishah rudolph vice president monica batson secretary michelle thomas treasurer jennifer jeziorski amy alexander catherine escott rachel hezel desirae lechner krista palmero jasmine scott theresa tripi megan urbanski w w w daemen e d u

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social work events carey sparbel is a second semester sophomore in the social work program here at daemen she is a single mother of three boys two of them have cystic fibrosis to find out more about cf and carey s boys you can go to www.cff.org and youtube and look up sparbel boys cystic fibrosis if you would like more information you can contact carey at carey.sparbel@daemen.edu the great strides walk is a walk to raise funds for the much needed research to better the lives of those living with cf you can join sparbel super troops or create your own team just log onto www.cff.org and follow the prompts for great strides date may 22 2011 local walk site amherst island time 10:00 am chapter western new york duty he boarded the u.s.s john paul jones ddg-32 for what was supposed to be a year and a half but it was decommissioned after just nine months his change in commands landed him in okinawa japan on a marine corps base it was here that he got married for the first time and started a family to this union a daughter was born after his sixth year commitment had ended with the navy andy returned to san diego for his honorable discharge andy then moved to buffalo ny to be with his wife and daughter but after four years the marriage ended in 1990 andy settled down with a new wife sheron and enrolled in a nursing program at nccc he attended school from 1993 to 1997 and managed to graduate as a registered nurse his family consists of two daughters and a son nikki antwone and andrea in 2005 andy got into a horrible car accident leaving him incapable of working over the following months depression and boredom had taken over his thoughts andy found himself going to see the va vocational rehabilitation counselor while meeting with her he found similarities in nursing and social work he also learned about government grants that would pay for his education because of his military service upon coming to daemen he met with professor daniel and had been convincingly welcomed andy s goal is to graduate with his msw and work with veterans because of his history he is aware and prepared to do what it will take to help the returning soldiers timing is everything things aren t just by chance andy exclaims he believes that because of his car accident he learned about social work he also stated that s where god wants you to be at that time while ending my session with andy i found out that some of the things he enjoys are playing the trumpet acting in civil war reenactments andy and sheron are the only african americans in the 49th nyvi unit fishing camping hunting and bowling a monumental moment in andy s life is when he played a part in a movie called proudly we served with ossie davis and bill clinton funded by tommy hilfiger as for now andy is moving toward finishing his degree and continuing on for his msw he has faith and family in his life and feels the love and joy around him serving his country and taking his experiences and putting them to a good use to benefit others is his desire if you were to ask me this is one of the most courageous men i have ever spoken to by amber zielinski fellow social work students aishah rudolph and carly jo morgott brought the first african american play ever on daemen college campus to you way to go girls it was amazing we laughed we cried we were startled and intrigued about the play troy maxson is a pittsburgh sanitation worker who once dreamed of a baseball career but was too old when the major leagues finally admitted black players as he faces off against the racial barrier at work and his own disappointments troy also grapples with his son cory over the teenager s hope for a football scholarship and with his wife rose who confronts troy over a child he has fathered with another woman all of the cast and crew did a great job other social work students involved dania cristobal as raynell and jim jean-joseph as lyons fellow students andy finley navy veteran looking to help fellow veterans andy finley is a third year student at daemen college majoring in social work although andy is one of many students involved in the social work program his history separates him from the average student his past consists of ups and downs which he feels has been a part of his destiny andy grew up in chicago the oldest of seven siblings after graduating from high school he enlisted in the navy and served from 1980 to 1986 andy joined the navy in his hometown of chicago and was sent to great lakes il for boot camp shortly after boot camp he was sent to san diego ca for medical schooling to be trained as a hospital corpsman from his training in san diego he ventured back to great lakes for his first tour of duty which lasted 18 months for his second tour of great job to all a world of opportunity

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literary corner blue by amber zielinski you can t put words in her mouth and you can t put actions in her hands you couldn t help her if you offered and it wouldn t change if you made demands she represents herself with a sugarcoat but she s allergic to candy she has eyes of those who are intoxicated but doesn t like the smell of brandy she doesn t tell anybody she likes the pain but she wears her feelings on her sleeve she s the rock in her house but she could make a home anywhere if she could leave when her father passed she promised herself that it wasn t her fault but then why when she thought of him it felt like a wound full of salt others view her of a woman with pure confidence and a pretty smile but would they still think that if they knew she only felt denial if she has confidence then why the need to always get to the next high she counts the days up because she wonders why god won t let her die she never blamed anyone else for why she did the things she did her actions spoke louder than words and bought out her own bid she d bit off ten times more than she could chew but that s just why she always felt blue save the date as everyone knows each semester there is a conference held in a different city and social work students should try to attend at least one this past semester it was the bpd conference in cincinnati and only two of our fellow swa members attended argenis henriquez and andy finley both attended and said it was a magnificent experience the next conferences will be cswe conference october 27-30 201 in atlanta georgia bpd conference march 2012 in portland oregon let s meet patrick welch phd sgt usmc ret if you don t already know him meet patrick welch he has been married to his wife carol for 42 years and they have four daughters three son-in-laws and four grandchildren patrick w welch ph.d sgt usmc ret is the director of the daemen college center for veterans and veteran family services office as director of the center dr welch is responsible for the recruitment and retention of veterans and assisting in the development and implementation of a comprehensive program of services to military families veterans and the community at large we are very fortunate to have a veteran of patrick s stature to lead our program said daemen president dr martin j anisman daemen college has worked closely with him to create a campus environment that is supportive of veterans needs welch started his military service as an infantry squad leader with the 3rd division in vietnam in 1965 he was awarded the purple heart after being badly injured in combat as a result of his injuries patrick spent the next two years in rehabilitation and had to learn how to walk again prior to his work at daemen college dr welch advocated for over 100,000 veterans as the director of veterans services for erie county during his tenure veterans services and daemen college signed an agreement allowing all veterans especially returning active-duty veterans from iraq and afghanistan to obtain assistance in receiving an education from daemen college welch also hosts a local radio show on weck 1230 to promote opportunities for veterans among welch s distinguished awards are the purple heart combat action ribbon good conduct national defense vietnam campaign vietnam service medals and new york state conspicuous service cross daemen invites you to meet with dr welch or take the class about working with military families and veterans and/or discuss the veterans benefits that might be available to you the center for veterans and veteran family services at daemen college call patrick welch at 716-566-7855 or e-mail patrick.welch@daemen.edu the social work department has initiated an attend the conference contest you could win a free room for the conference of your choice or perhaps airfare to be eligible for this contest you had to attend the final departmental meeting of the semester on march 31st other activities that increase your chances of winning include · bring/make a basket for the chinese auction that will take place at the social work humanitarian fund dinner · assisting with the swhf dinner video · assisting with the newsletter · participating in the spring open house good luck to everyone special thanks to the newsletter staff carey sparbel michelle thomas amber zielinski advisor renée daniel transcend design pam gorman

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