In The News
Coop Corner: Maria Graceffa
by Jason Kornwitz from the NU Voice Issue 11/27/2007 page 8
NU Professor Receives NIH Award to Research Health Disparities Among Minority Families
from the NU Voice Issue 9/4/2007
Center to educate about violence
by Jessica Torrez-Riley and Jenna Jones from the NU News Issue date: 10/18/06
Women's center an "important resource"
by Sarah Sophia Dean from the NU News; Issue date: 10/1/07
NU Receives $200K Department of Justice Grant to Launch Campus Center on Violence Against Women
from the NU Voice 9/27/06
Straight from the victims' mouths: Students volunteering at a local rape crisis hotline gain a new perspective on sexual assault
by Brooks Wallace from the NU News; Issue date: 3/29/06
New sexual assault class teaches, prepares
by Vanessa Smith from the NU News Published 9/15/04
Coop Corner
"I've never considered myself a person of outstanding service. I just do my thing."-Maria Graceffa
Maria Graceffa, dual major with Human Services and Psychology Major 2008, fuels change. At Bay State Community Service�s Granite House, a residential treatment facility in Quincy, Mass., for adolescent mental health patients, Graceffa devises program-specific treatment plans, counsels patients during emotional crises and runs a psychological education group for 14- to 18-year-olds on building healthy relationships, nutrition and medication education.
Graceffa, a human services and psychology double major at Northeastern, prides herself on improving the mental health of individuals not much younger than she. "I know there's a huge amount of people that are different for the better because of me," she said. "It's so gratifying when I can see a behavioral and emotional change in another human being and know I am partially responsible."
Working with young patients suffering from depression, borderline personality disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Graceffa's immense responsibility on co-op has taught her an important lesson.
I've learned that nothing is a disability," she said. "It's only a disability if you allow it to be; you can learn to work with absolutely anything." Besides her co-op at the Granite House, Graceffa works at the McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., as an alcohol and drug treatment program researcher. She leads interviews with adult bipolar patients to determine whether they have substance abuse disorder.
For her outstanding devotion and commitment to serving others throughout her co-op experiences, Graceffa received the Thomas E. McMahon Award from Northeastern. "I've never considered myself a person of outstanding service," she said. "I just do my thing." In anticipation of graduation in May, Graceffa has applied to a number of graduate school programs, for clinical psychology.
Northeastern University Professor Receives NIH Award to Research Health Disparities Among Minority Families
from the NU Voice Issue 09-04-2007 Northeastern University Assistant Professor of Sociology and Human Services, Silvia Dom�nguez, has received the Health Disparities Research Loan Repayment (RLP) Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In exchange for a two-year research commitment by Dom�nguez into health issues impacting Boston�s immigrant community, the award will forgive a substantial amount of Dominguez's educational debt. �This award provides me not only with financial relief, but also with professional support for my two ongoing research projects into health disparities affecting minority groups,� said Dominguez. �As an ethnographer, I am particularly interested in the underlying dynamics leading to health disparities, including how violent conditions and mental health issues combined with certain economic backgrounds influence the lives of current, as well as future generations.� Dom�nguez�s two primary research studies focus on understanding how domestic and neighborhood-based violence influence the mental health and economic self-sufficiency of low-income immigrant and minority families. One study, titled "Three City Study of MTO [Moving to Opportunity]," examines how relocation of minority families from very disadvantaged to less disadvantaged neighborhoods in Boston, Los Angeles and New York impacts their mental health and social circumstances. (MTO is a federal government program that helps African-American, European-American and Latin-American families relocate from very disadvantaged to less disadvantaged neighborhoods). Dom�nguez�s other project under this Health Disparities RLP Award, titled �Parental Violence Consequences across Generations Leading to Stagnation in Poverty and a Variable in Health Disparities� aims to examine the family patterns that result from domestic violence and have detrimental effects on family members of consequent generations. This study will rely on data gathered by the �Welfare, Children and Families � Three City Study� project which includes the substantial history and dynamics of several families with children of 58 African-American and European-American women in Boston, San Antonio and Chicago. Both studies have important implications for the development of social policies aimed at promoting social mobility among women and their families affected by violence. Thus, Dom�nguez is preparing a policy brief in conjunction with the Washington D.C.-based Urban Institute, scheduled to be released in September in time for the return of legislators. The brief will be followed by an article on the same topic. For more information on Silvia Dom�nguez� research, please contact Renata Nyul at 617-373-7424 or at r.nyul@neu.edu.Center to educate about violence
Jessica Torrez-Riley and Jenna Jones Issue date: 10/18/06 Section: News The U.S. Department of Justice granted $200,000 to Northeastern's Human Services Program in the College of Arts and Science in order to open a new Campus Center on Violence Against Women. The Center will serve as a hub of information, education and services to "further develop the university's existing sexual assault prevention program, while enlisting students in peer education and strengthening the university's collaboration with community organizations like the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) and the Victim Rights Law Center," according to a release. "The receipt of this grant is representative of Northeastern's continued commitment to reduce incidences of violence against women, provide support to victims, and to ensure just prosecution of perpetrators," said Lori Gardinier, director of the Human Services Program, in the announcement. While there is no specific location set for the center, the plan is to house it somewhere within the Human Services Department by next spring, said Natalia Stone, an administrative assistant in the program. "The grant came about because we already had this course pretty well-established and we were getting a lot of notoriety on campus ... a lot of students were really interested in it," Stone said. The grant will provide the center with a full-time coordinator and create an undergraduate Peer Educators Program, which will allow students to complete a sexual assault training course and perform 60 hours of community education and outreach a year. Stone said the goal is to have students become sexual assault and rape crisis counselors themselves. "They're going to be able to offer peer counseling, whether working for BARCC or just for friends. It's really going to strengthen the services on campus," she said. She said students will receive four credits from the training course and will be able to receive additional credit for doing work in the field. The grant will also allow for increased collaboration with the Northeastern Police Department and the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution to expand response training to dating violence and sexual assault, as well as increase counseling and support services through a partnership with the BARCC. "We're making a lot of connections," Stone said. "We're looking to strengthen the partnerships on campus and really streamline the services to the students." Besides partnering with the law center and the division of public safety the center also plans to work with the Department of Residence Life to increase awareness of violence against women in residence halls, she said. "We hope that the campus center will really just streamline services on campus. That everybody at Northeastern and in the community will be more aware of violence against women in general. That they'll know what the services out there are," Stone said. Currently the university offers programs including the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program and a Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Seminar. University Health and Counseling Services also employs a full-time sexual assault counselor who is available to all students. Jim Stellar, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said in a statement he was pleased with the grant. "Violence against women is a persistent problem in our society and in the world," Stellar said. "As a university connected with the real world through its experiential education programs, we have an obligation and an opportunity to address this issue and thereby serve individuals locally and globally."NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY RECEIVES $200K DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANT TO LAUNCH CAMPUS CENTER ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
(9-27-06) BOSTON, Mass. Northeastern University's Human Services Program in the College of Arts & Sciences has received a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to open a Campus Center on Violence Against Women. The new center will further develop the University's existing sexual assault prevention program, while enlisting students in peer education, and strengthening the University's collaboration with community organizations like the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and the Victim Rights Law Center. Northeastern University already has a well-established reputation for addressing violence against women. Existing programs include the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program (MVP) and a Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Seminar. A full-time sexual assault counselor is also available for students through the University Health and Counseling Services, and an undergraduate Course, Sexual Assault Training: Techniques in Counseling and field work, is offered through Northeastern�s Human Services Program. Northeastern�s Campus Center on Violence Against Women will provide greater coordination of these programs while establishing a number of new initiatives. The $200,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant will provide for: � Hiring of a full-time coordinator for the Campus Center on Violence Against Women, a soon to be established hub of information, education and services at Northeastern � Significant growth in education and outreach on sexual assault prevention for students, faculty and staff including sessions for athletes, incoming freshman, and transfer students � Creation of an undergraduate Peer Educators Program: In alignment with Northeastern�s service-learning emphasis, undergraduates will complete a sexual assault training course and perform sixty hours of community education and outreach annually � Expanding training in responding to sexual assault and dating violence for the NU Police Department and Northeastern�s Office of Student Conflict and Conflict Resolution � Expanding counseling and support services for victims of sexual assault through a partnership with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center �The receipt of this grant is representative of Northeastern's continued commitment to reduce incidences of violence against women, provide support to victims, and to ensure just prosecution of perpetrators, said Lori Gardinier, director of Northeastern University's Human Services Program. �In addition, the creation of a Campus Center on Violence Against Women will further serve to formalize our already well-established relationships with community groups like the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and the Victim Rights Law Center,� added Gardinier. A working group will convene shortly to conduct a job search for a full-time coordinator. The Center is expected to be fully operational by spring 2007. About Northeastern's Human Services Program The Human Services Program is an interdisciplinary major that includes courses in human services, psychology, sociology, political science and other related fields. The mission of the human services program is to provide students with the theoretical and skill based background necessary to practice in macro, mezzo, and micro arenas such as political advocacy, community development and direct service work such as counseling. Students can pursue positions in both public and private agencies, including social services, advocacy organizations, mental health settings, programs for youth, rape crisis and domestic violence centers, drug treatment institutions, and criminal justice settings. About Northeastern Northeastern University, located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented education and recognized for its expert faculty and first-rate academic and research facilities. Northeastern integrates challenging liberal arts and professional studies with the nation's largest cooperative education program. Through co-op, Northeastern undergraduates alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, giving them nearly two years of professional experience upon graduation. The majority of Northeastern graduates receive a job offer from a co-op employer. For more information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu.Straight from the victims' mouths: Students volunteering at a local rape crisis hotline gain a new perspective on sexual assault
by Brooks Wallace from the NU News Issue date: 3/29/06
When sexual assault victims call Boston's only rape hotline, they don't know who they will be speaking to.
But for at least 10 hours a week, chances are good that they will speak to a Northeastern student volunteer.
At Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) in Cambridge, a group of 48 Northeastern students are qualified to work as sexual assault counselors to help victims cope with sexual violence simply by picking up the phone.
The hotline is available in 42 communities and is part of a large organization called Boston Area Rape Crisis Center with 20 professional employees, 100 volunteers and five to seven active Northeastern volunteers who set their schedule weekly.
Formed in 1973, the hotline was started by a grassroots feminist movement, and Northeastern jumped on board last spring, naming the program Sexual Assault & Rape Advocacy for Awareness (SARAA).
BARCC's partnership with Northeastern has become a learning experience for the student volunteers. Each went through sexual assault training in order to be prepared for each caller's different needs, said Jesse Jolly, a middler human services major involved in the program.
"Your first call is definitely nerve-racking," Jolly said. "With each call, you never know what you're going to get."
While most hotline callers are female, some are men, Jolly said.
Some of the male callers are victims themselves, while others call to inquire about resources for a loved one.
"It's an incredible experience that gives you the ability to roll with the punches," said junior human services and American Sign Language major Nicole Nordeste, who has been a volunteer for about a year. "You can get a call from anyone and you must be able to react and not make judgments. Sometimes callers just want someone to listen."
"Anyone" can even mean getting a call from a perpetrator. But the hotline is strictly for victims.
If a perpetrator calls, counselors refer them to other resources, since they are not trained to deal with perpetrators.
Leading the Northeastern volunteers is Laura Weiss, the university's sexual assault counselor. Weiss has taught the sexual assault training class that helps the students train for their calling for the last two years.
Though she is in her last week at the university due to her recent resignation from University Health and Counseling Services, she will be passing the class over to Jordan Fox-Kemper, a licensed social worker who works for BARCC. She said the hotline will continue despite her absence.
Each Northeastern volunteer who joined the hotline took Weiss' class, where they learned about sexual violence, its effects and the resources available to assist survivors. Students also learn counseling basics that enable them to react and respond to victims' needs.
Upon completion of the course, students become recognized as rape crisis/sexual assault counselors in Massachusetts. Students who take the class come from all different majors.
"People should take the class," said Laura Hamill, a sophomore human services major who has volunteered at the hotline for one semester. "The conversations in class are worth it and amazing."
In two years, 45 students have taken Weiss' class.
Only three were males. Weiss said that despite the low male-to-female ratio, the men were open to sharing with the group.
"It was great to have men in the class," Weiss said. "They brought great perspective and pushed discussions further. The class is my favorite thing I've ever done professionally."
Weiss said, to her knowledge, Northeastern is the first college in the country to have such a program.
"We're very proud of that," she said.
April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month, when Weiss and the volunteers will be making presentations at Northeastern residence halls to educate students, inform them of the hotline number (617-492-7273), answer questions and raise awareness about sexual assault in the Northeastern community.
"The hotline is a resource for everyone affected by sexual assault," Weiss said. "It hooks people up with services and is anonymous and free."
Weiss said she wants people to know that being a counselor takes an emotional toll on the students, and they should be recognized for doing incredible work.
"You definitely feel like you've made a difference," Jolly said. "It takes quick thinking, but it's always worth it."