Author Archives: Melissa Anderson

Ballroom Dance Club moves to Event Center

The San José State University Ballroom Dance Club will be meeting in the Event Center Sport Club, on the lower level, due to the renovation of its regular meeting space in Spartan Complex. Faculty Adviser Bethany Shifflett invites students to join the group for great fun. The club has beginner’s lessons each Friday, from 5-5:45 p.m. Upcoming lessons include Salsa on Sept. 26 and Tango on Oct. 3. The full schedule semester can be viewed online at: http://studentorgs.sjsu.edu/sjsubdc/#/schedule. For questions, contact Bethany Shifflett by email at bethany.shifflett@sjsu.edu.

Drop in: $5 for 1 lesson or $8 for two lessons per night.
Semester membership: $25 SJSU students; $35 community members.

Community members please read: Community members who are not Semester BDC members will have to pay an additional $5 each night to enter the sport club. The BDC is covering the sport club cost only for individuals who have a semester membership.

Ballroom dance flyer( PDF)

Alumni Assoc. honors CASA students with scholarships

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts was well represented Sept. 16 at the San José State University Alumni Association Scholarship Reception. Of the dozens of honorees who were recognized at the event, seven hail from CASA majors.

CASA Associate Dean Greg Payne attended the celebration and had the honor of introducing the two students selected to receive the Alumni Association Dean’s Scholarship for Applied Sciences and Arts. David Elliott, a

David Elliott received the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Alumni Association Dean's Scholarship for 2014-15.

David Elliott received the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Alumni Association Dean’s Scholarship for 2014-15.

Social Work major, said he hopes to continue his studies in the Master of Social Work program, according to a bio provided by the Alumni Association. He has an upcoming internship with Unity Care, a nonprofit focused on youth and family development, to provide services to foster youth with behavioral and emotional problems. In the past, he has gained crisis intervention and facility management experience, including at Foothill College where he supported students working in the Pass the Torch program.

On the Alumni Association website, he said, “It is an honor and a privilege to be selected to receive the Alumni Association Deans’ Scholarship. Maintaining a balance between school, work and family can be challenging. I can be certain now that I will continue my education by working towards a MSW at SJSU. My wife, Theresa, and I have recently been gifted with a beautiful son, and financially we are working very hard to provide for our family. This scholarship has renewed my excitement about working towards an advanced degree. We are grateful and will continue our personal efforts to serve our community.”

Michelle Mussett received the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Alumni Association Dean's Scholarship for 2014-15.

Michelle Mussett received the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Alumni Association Dean’s Scholarship for 2014-15.

Michelle Mussett, a graduate student in Social Work, also received the Dean’s Scholarship. She has interned with the Record Clearance Project, a program in the Justice Studies department that helps eligible people clear their criminal records, and she also volunteers at the library advising clients in a free weekly program, according to the Alumni Association website. Prior to enrolling in her master’s program at SJSU, Mussett served in the Peace Corps in Benin, in West Africa, where she developed training materials and education programs to address gender and health issues. She is an intern at the CSU Monterey Bay Campus Health Center.

On the Alumni Association website, she said,  “I’m so excited about receiving the Alumni Association Dean’s Scholarship, because it will allow me to concentrate on my passion – my upcoming internship work as a therapist at the California State University, Monterey Bay campus health center. The internship requires a three-day a week commitment, and my full time classes require another two. This scholarship makes it possible for me to pursue my academic and professional goals without having to also take part-time work to cover living expenses. This is crucial at this time in my study, as my final year also includes a year-long thesis project. This scholarship makes it possible for me to put my best work into my final year internship and academics, allowing me to absorb as much as I can from these incredible opportunities.”

Gina Guglielmoni was awarded the Phyllis and Alan Simpkins Leadership Award to pursue a graduate degree in kinesiology so she can start a career helping athletes rehabilitate sports-related injuries with treatments their school or general practitioner do not provide, according to her bio. She volunteered as a trainer’s assistant and manager for the football and softball teams at El Camino High School as well as with groups supporting disabled veterans and at St. Veronica Parish. She noted that she comes from a family of Spartans.

“Being a third generation Spartan means a lot to me and my family as well as receiving the Alan and Phyllis Simpkins Alumni Leadership Award. Six of my family members are alumni of San José State and are part of the large group that makes this scholarship possible. The scholarship will aid in achieving my ultimate dream of obtaining a masters degree in Kinesiology (Athletic Training) and start a career as an Athletic Trainer.”

Three CASA students received the Santa Cruz Area Chapter Scholarships, including Nutritional Science student Anna Sramek, Nursing student Kelly McGuckin and Social work student Nancy Zuniga. Cuong Truong, a nursing major, received the San Jose Woman’s Club Scholarship. For more on these honorees, visit the Alumni Association website at http://www.sjsu.edu/alumni/scholarships/.

Social Work professor awarded NIDA grant

Important new study looks at differences in substance use among sexual minorities using an innovative sampling method.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently awarded funding to College of Applied Sciences and Arts School of Social Work Professor Laurie Drabble and Alcohol Research Group Scientist Karen Trocki for their study on rates of alcohol consumption, hazardous drinking patterns, and tobacco and illicit drug use among sexual minority women (SMW).The researchers will apply and test innovative methods and techniques for sampling rare populations in addition to comparing outcomes between populations.

Drabble and Trocki also hope to identify individual, community and societal factors that may contribute, either positively or negatively, to substance use outcomes. Such factors may include policies on same-sex marriage, social support and psychological distress.

Drabble said she had the support of a San José State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity grant to support her work with her research colleagues to put together the collaborative National Institute of Health grant proposal. The Alcohol Research Group is an Oakland-based Public Health Institute that is a leader in epidemiological and public health studies of alcohol consumption patterns and problems from over-consumption, as well as innovative studies of the many ways communities and agencies mitigate harms and treat alcohol dependence, according to its website.

 

Success Center shares services with new students

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts Student Success Center hosted an open house on Sept. 2, with more than 30 new San José State University freshmen and transfer students from the 10 departments and schools in the College present.

During the Open House, peer advisers and peer tutors talked about the many services available to students at the CASA Student Success Center, which is located in MacQuarrie Hall 533. Students can receive general education advising, help with completing change of major/minor forms or other paperwork on campus and even tips on navigating mysjsu. Drop in advising is available on Tuesdays, from 1:30-4 p.m. and other days by appointment.

Students also can receive tutoring for the following courses: Stat 95, Chem 30A, Biol 65 and Biol 66. Writing tutors are available in coordination with the SJSU Writing Center. The center also has laptops and iPads available by reservation.

Heather Miller, a peer adviser, shared some of the other benefits of the space on the Fifth floor.

“If you need, you can leave your lunch here,” she said, of the refrigerator and microwave available. “There are study rooms you can reserve for group projects.”

Throughout the year, the Center is host to workshops on taking the GRE, writing a personal statement for graduate school and how to be successful in Biol 65/66, a key course for many CASA majors.

The peer advisers and peer tutors, all who are students within CASA, led the new students through an ice breaker so they could get to know each other better. The students interacted by asking others about what year they were in school, what generation college student they were, what their major was and where they were from with the goal of finding the person who was most similar to them and least similar to them.

Tony Korsund, an academic adviser with the Center, said one of the goals is to help students build community.

“We’d like you to think of this as a home away from home,” he said.

To find out more about services or to make an advising appointment, call 408-924-2910 or email CASAsuccesscenter@sjsu.edu. Follow the CASA Student Success Center on Twitter at @CASA_SSC, on Instagram at @CASA_SSC or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CASAStudentSuccessCenter

New website shares SWEEP collaboration

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts Social Work Education Enhancement Program launched a new website last week to keep visitors informed about past and upcoming activities of the collaborative.

Alice Hines, the interim dean for the college of Applied Sciences and Arts and director of the Social Work Education Enhancement Program, announced the launch of the website via email on Sept. 10.

The site can be found at: http://sites.google.com/a/sjsu.edu/sweep/

According to the website:

SWEEP is an international consortium which includes USAID, SJSU, eight universities in Vietnam, government Ministries, Cisco Systems, Inc., and community agencies and stakeholders. The purpose of SWEEP is to assist eight universities in Vietnam with improving their undergraduate social work educational programs. The project, which is funded through September, 2015, aims to improve:

  • The administration of social work programs
  • Faculty capabilities in teaching and research
  • Social work curriculum, and
  • Network communication among the universities through the use of improved technology

“This site includes important resources from past SWEEP activities in the areas of professional development, research, curriculum development and collaboration,” Hines said in an email. “Lists of participant names and affiliations, photographs and information about upcoming events are also available on the site.”

The site will be updated as new events and activities occur, such as the upcoming SWEEP Leadership Academy at San José State University in October.

For more on SWEEP, visit: http://sites.google.com/a/sjsu.edu/sweep