The SSW Bulletin is a monthly bulletin that includes all relevant notices and deadlines from SSW.

Students are welcome and encouraged to use the SSW Bulletin as a vehicle to post items that are relevant to their class or to the entire student body. See posting rules.

Need more updates? The Bulletin will now be updated on Thursdays as well. Deadline for Thursday's issue will be Wednesday night, 10:00pm.

August 18, 2011

Ongoing Meetings/Events

Announcements, Notices, Awards

MONDAY - August 15

Summer Lecture Series - Survive and Thrive: Fostering Resiliency When Responding to Major Disasters

Monday, August 15, 7:30pm, Weinstein Auditorium

Joshua Miller, M.S.W., Ph.D.

This lecture will present a model to guide work with individuals and communities after a disaster, a model known as psychosocial capacity building, which is strengths’ based and fosters resiliency. Psychosocial capacity building recognizes that individual and community well-being are intricately related and that local cultural practices are an essential foundation for recovering strengths and healing. This approach builds on a social ecology conceptualization of disasters and is multidimensional and multisystemic, often involving the use of groups and activities. Psychosocial capacity building will be compared with more traditional methods of offering mental health services after a disaster. Sources of individual, family and community resiliency will be discussed drawing on research and practice. Case examples from work in Haiti, China and the U.S. will be used to illustrate theoretical points.

Tuesday - August 16

Sound Healing Event - Wooden Dinosaur

Tuesday, August 16, 6:00-8:00pm, Capen Garden

Wooden Dinosaur, an indie-folk band from Vermont, will perform in beautiful Capen Garden (located across Prospect Street from Talbot, behind Capen House). Feel free to grab your dinner and come out to the garden to relax and listen to some wonderfully soothing music. In the event of rain the event will be in Cutter Living Room.

Check out a recent NPR profile of the band and listen to one of their songs. We hope you will join us as we celebrate the end of summer!

Sponsored by the Meditation & Holistic Healing Club and Campus Life.

Wednesday - August 17

International Field Internships

Wednesday, August 17, 7:30-9:00pm, Neilson Browsing Room

Students are invited to an informational session about the international field work internships that have been offered in past years. Drs. Joanne Corbin and Catherine Nye will present the work they and Smith SSW students have done in Uganda and Thailand respectively and will be joined by representatives from the field department to discuss students' interest and experience in international social work training. Please join us!

Thursday - august 18

Friday - august 19

Saturday - august 20

Sunday - august 21

Administrative Announcements

Counseling and Therapy in Video- Extended Trial Dates and Purchase Decision - NEW

Thanks to all for the feedback you've provided. The Libraries will purchase Counseling and Therapy in Video. We are still hammering out the funding details. In the interim, our trial has been extended to September 15, 2011. Access will be permanent after this date.

Please contact Pamela Skinner (x2961) with any questions.

Library Books - Bring 'Em Back!

Graduating students: Please remember to return all library books by 4:00pm on Wednesday, August 17; this includes Smith College books, Five College books, and books received from other libraries via interlibrary loan. Failure to do so will result in holds on your diploma and official transcript.

All other students: All Five College library books and interlibrary loan books must be returned to Neilson Library before you leave campus for any placement beyond the local area (Hampshire, Hamden, Franklin, and Berkshire counties).

You may take Smith College library books and theses with you. For books checked out or renewed on Saturday, August 13 or later, the due date is June 4, 2012.

If you are interested in taking a reserve book with you, you may check it out with a June 4, 2012 due date starting Friday morning, August 19, 2011.

Remember that all books are subject to recall at any time if needed by another use.

Lost and Found

There is a small number of lost and found items at the front desk in Lilly Hall. Please come to the Lilly Hall main office between 8:00am and 4:30pm to claim the following items:

purple sunglasses; red five-subject notebook; blue Kingston flash drive; green water bottle

Mandatory Course Evaluations

Student evaluation of courses is a program requirement (see Master's Program Handbook, section 200.7C). Failure to complete a course evaluation by the deadline will result in:

grade/transcript hold
registration hold
diploma hold

The deadline for Term 2 course evaluations is Friday, August 19, 2011 at 11:00pm. Instructions can be found here.

End of Summer Deadlines

By now you should have received via Smith email an important notice listing dates, deadlines, and responsibilities for the end of the summer. We urge you to read these materials soon. Thank you!

Anti-Racism Consultation Committee

The anti-racism consultation commmittee members are available to anyone who would like to have a discussion or dialogue about any concerns of a racialized nature on campus. Committee members can be contacted directly and they are: student reps - Maggie Matthew (A12) and Madeline Nussbaum (A11); council rep: Andrea Yoshida (A13); administrative staff: Idene Martin and Tonya Dixon; alumnae rep: Rani Varghese; faculty reps: Fred Newdom and Joyce Everett; and chair: Dennis Miehls.

Counseling and Therapy Databases on Trial this Summer - Extended Dates

Two databases of potential interest to social work students and faculty are currently on trial:

Counseling and Psychotherapy Transcripts, Client Narratives, and Reference Works

Counseling and Therapy in Video

The trials run through August 20, 2011. You may connect to these databases from this page: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/research/subject/trialdatabases.htm

We welcome your feedback; please use the feedback form on the Trial Databases page (see link above) or via this link: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/forms/trialdb.htm

Thesis Information

Eleanor Clark and Amith Ben-David Thesis Prizes

Each year the School for Social Work has the pleasure of administering the Eleanor Clark Thesis Prize and the Amith Ben-David Memorial Thesis Prize.

Eleanor Clark Thesis Prize
The Eleanor Clark thesis prize is awarded annually for a current Master's thesis advancing any of Miss Clark's several interests, which include: a) innovations in service deriving from knowledge about human functioning and the social environment; b) creative attention to social needs, especially in medical or psychiatric settings; and c) the education of professional social workers.

Eleanor Clark was the director of Social Work Services at the Massachusetts General Hospital for many years. The prize was established by her partner as a memorial for her service to her community and to the social work profession. Others have also contributed to the prize as a way of honoring Miss Clark's role in establishing a professional social work presence in medical social work. The cash prize will be announced at the commencement ceremony on Friday, August 19.

Nominees:
Levin Sibley-Schwartz: Clinical Use of Music as an Adjunct to Evidence-Based Treatment for Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Nicole Vengrove Soffer
When Childbearing Triggers Trauma: How Obstetric Nurses Support Sexual Abuse Survivors Through Pregnancy and Childbirth

Amith Ben-David Memorial Thesis Prize
The Amith Ben-David Memorial thesis prize recognizes excellence in cross-cultural family practice and theory and will be awarded annually to one master's thesis that advances Amith Ben-David's interest in family therapy. Preferences will be given to theses that incorporate ideas from a postmodern perspective and/or those that are theoretical in nature.

Amith Ben-David has greatly contributed to the field of family therapy and to the Smith College School for Social Work community. The class of 1998 and the faculty have strongly felt the loss of her presence; this award is not only a way to remember her but also a means for continuing the work she felt so strongly about. Selection for the award will be made by a faculty subcommittee appointed by the dean. the cash prize will be presented before commencement.

Nominees:
Neil Bilotta
Encompassing Acholi Values: Culturally Ethical Reintegration Ideology for Formerly Abducted Youth of the Lord's Resistance Army in Nothern Uganda

Marina Katarovich
Transmission of Narratives Among Former Soviet Union (FSU) Jewish Emigre Families

Sarah Matlock
White Anti-Racism in the Context of Parenting

The faculty is pleased to announce that Sarah Matlock is the Amith Ben-David Awardee for this year.

General Notices

Ongoing Events

Anti-Racism Task Force

Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30pm, Dewey Common Room

Come be a part of the commitment to our Anti-Racism Mission. The Anti-Racism Task Force has been the engine for many of the changes brought about at Smith SSW as we have along with our anti-racism commitment. The Task Force has been a very collaborative effort and a place where all constituents of the school have had a chance to work together.

Faculty liaison: Fred Newdom

Council for Students of Color Member Meeting

Wednesdays, 5:45-6:45pm, Ziskind Living Room

Join us for our general meeting providing a space to be yourself for all students of color (both masters and doctoral levels). We are a support and advocacy group that wants to know how students of color are doing on campus. Feel free to bring your dinner and your kids. See you there!

Holistic Healing and Meditation Group

Mondays & Wednesdays, 7:30am, Chase Lounge
Fridays, 1:00pm, Chase Lounge

Come join the Holistic Healing and Meditation Group Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30am and Fridays at 1:00pm for a 30-minute silent sitting meditation. We meet in Chase Lounge on the first floor. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Instruction provided upon request. Contact Ali or Eric with questions. Don't miss out on this important opportunity for self care!

Jewish Student Alliance (JSA) Weekly Meeting

Tuesdays, 12:45-1:30pm, Ziskind Living Room

Are you Jew-curious? come have lunch with the good folks of Jewish Students Alliance (JSA) and join in our continued curiosity and exploration of Judaism!

JSA embraces a full spectrum of Jewish experiences and identity, including those with a strong religious background, those for whom being Jewish is important culturally, those with little knowledge about being Jewish, and those students who wish to connect with an aspect of Judaism. The group's format is a weekly informal discussion on a topic related to being Jewish, and time set aside for planning events including speakers and community-building activities.

LGBTQQIF Alliance General Meeting

Tuesdays, 5:45-7:00pm, Ziskind Living Room

The Alliance is a welcoming space for the LGBTQ community and our allies at Smith SSW. All are welcome to join in as we build community, learn from one another and ourselves, and foster constructive action and dialogue. Feel free to bring your dinner!

Men at Smith

Wednesdays, 9:00-10:00pm, Ziskind Living Room

The Men at Smith Group is offered to support all self-identified men at Smith College SSW. It functions as an open and welcoming group. We meet every Wednesday.

Pedagogy and Diversity Seminars

Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00pm, Seelye 101

Norma Akamatsu and Joshua Miller

The Pedagogy and Diversity Seminar seeks to support all faculty teaching at SSW by creating a space where professor can discuss how issues of diversity, social identity and social oppression influence their teaching, the classroom environment, student interactions, and the overall campus culture and climate. Pedagogy and diversity is a major vehicle for furthering the SSW's anti-racism mission statement by deepening the capacity of faculty to explore and develop their awareness and skills to manage the inclusion of this content while also processing issues that arise in the classroom. The seminar will include a mixture of discussion, problem solving, presentations, and exercises that will be developed by participants and the facilitators. The minutes of each pedagogy and diversity session are posted on Moodle and distributed to all SSW faculty for information and resource sharing, comment and dialogue. All who are teaching at SSW are welcome.

CEUS are available for this seminar. Faculty attending four of the five sessions will receive 10 CEUs at the end of the summer (upon completing an evaluation). We are happy to offer this at no cost to our wonderful adjunct faculty.

SWAA - Social Welfare Action Alliance

Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm, Cutter-Ziskind

"The real choice before us as social workers is whether we are to be passive or active." - Bertha Capen Reynolds

Come be active with the SCSSW chapter of SWAA! Weekly meetings held in Cutter-Ziskind on Wednesdays at lunch.

Unlearning Racism Group

Wednesdays, 5:45-6:50pm, Ziskind Parlor

The foundational principles of the group are an emotional space, mutual support and accountability around issues of race and racism. This group is open to the entire student body and has historically been a space for white students to unpack, share, and reflect on privilege and embedded internal racism.