tier of oppressors including

Coyotes (the persons who guide

them across for a hefty fee),

desert bandits, human traffick-

ers, and the Mexican Drug Car-

tel. I have focused the past

months on learning about these

issues; meeting with affected

people, evaluating local media

information, making profes-

sional connections, and attend-

ing community events. I’ve

been traveling to the Nogales

border assisting with Kino Bor-

der Initiative program develop-

ment, particularly focusing on

designing protocols, methods

and tools to evaluate activities.

Last month I completed a paper

entitled, Bringing Catholic Social

Teaching to the Border. I antici-

pate using some of the paper’s

principles to guide curricular

infusion of Catholic Social

Teaching in a variety of social

justice courses.

Personal enrichment activities

have been exciting and varied.

Upon my arrival, I found oppor-

tunity to join a monthly Parker

Palmer reading group, discuss-

ing his book Let Your Life Speak.

In late August, I took a 6 day trip

to Washington D.C. meeting

with the Director of Public

Policy and Programs of Jesuit

Refugee Services. I also spent

time with a gentleman who is

(continued on back page)

Three months and two thou-

sand miles later, I find myself on

my sabbatical journey in sunny

Tucson, Arizona, 75 miles north

of the Mexico border. So you

might be asking the two famous

questions I am asked wherever I

go, “What is it like living in Ari-

zona?” and “What is a sabbati-

cal?” The first question is much

easier than the second, though

both are definitely unpredict-

able, exciting journeys. Yes,

Arizona is really different than

Minnesota. When I put on my

hiking shoes and sunscreen to

prepare for my morning walk,

the 80 degree weather beats 40

degree digits in MN hands

down. Everywhere you look

there are cactus, mountains,

dove and quail families, darting

geckos, and lots of dirt. No

lawn mowers here. It’s some-

times hot and dry, with the

most predictably beautiful pink

and purple sun sets ever seen.

Sixty minutes into the moun-

tains, I can don a jacket for 50

degree weather and explore

amongst beautiful mountain

aspen and pine. Everyone

wears sandals; most need more

driving lessons; ‘Espanol’ is

everywhere; you can have free

avocados on your Subway sand-

wich, ‘pollo’ (chicken) fast food

is attached to names like feliz

and loco. There are wonderful

music, art, markets and ethnic

festivities. Water never comes

out of the tap very cold. The

word ‘coyote’ takes on new

meaning (more about that

later), and I’ve yet to see a mos-

quito. (I have seen a rattler skin

and a very animated scorpion.) I

can regularly count on unsolic-

ited commentary on my “Minn-

e-so-ta” accent with reference

to Fargo. It’s made me very

careful not to say “ya bettcha”.

Understanding the concept of

‘sabbatical’ has been a journey

in itself. I think I’m redefining

the experience every day.

Along with recently becoming

an empty-nester, I have no

office to go to, no phone calls to

return, papers to grade, stu-

dents to advise; disciplining

myself to set my day’s activi-

ties. ‘Sabbatical’ is described as,

“a leave from regular work,

taking time for research, study,

acquire new skills, travel; taking

time to restore and rest, re-

evaluate one’s life.” One blog

entry I found remarked on a

sabbatical as an experience that

was both exhilarating and

frightening. Believe it or not,

sabbatical time takes regular

planning. Arizona has proven a

wonderful sabbatical environ-

ment.

This political year has been one

of significant economic and

social justice crisis for the state

of Arizona. Arizona was re-

cently identified as having the

second highest poverty rate in

the nation and being one of the

top tier countries for mass

home foreclosures, education

budget cuts, and water resource

challenges. With a reported

500,000 undocumented mi-

grants in the state, media sen-

sation of border violence be-

tween Mexican Cartel, an identi-

fication of 254 desert crosser

deaths in the past year, 2.4

billion dollars spent on building

670 miles of border fencing on a

2,000 mile border, and 120 tons

of marijuana seized in the past

month, Arizona has become a

state with political turmoil and

challenging humanitarian con-

cerns. Undocumented migrants

attempting to cross the rugged

desert terrain must deal with a

Sabbatical Adventures from Marcia Runnberg, Social Work Program Coordinator

St. Paul Social Work Scoop

From the patio of Marcia Runnberg,

Social Work Program Coordinator

Inside this issue:

Doin’ It in the

Field

2

Focus on Field 2

Meet the Faculty 3

Classroom Connec-

tions

3

Hollaback 3

January, 2011 Volume 1, Issue 5

Take Note:

Apply online at http://

www.css.edu/Academics/

School-of-Health-

Sciences/Social-Work/St-

Paul-campus/Application-

to-Program.html

Info/Orientation sessions

coming! (See page 3)

Marcia and Nancy Fitzgerald at

the Kino Border Initiative

in Nogales, Mexico.

December is a time to reflect on

the year that has gone by and

prepare for the New Year to

come. In December we gradu-

ated 12 seniors! I am so proud of

our graduates and all the hard

work they have put forth to

achieve their goals of obtaining

an undergraduate social work

degree. Way to go gang!! We

accepted 19 students into the

program this last September and

they are now preparing to begin

Preparation for Field I. In this

course students begin to identify

the craft of the social work pro-

fession. Students will learn the

importance of a well structured

resume, how to interview for a

field placement, the importance

of self-awareness and self care,

and how to build professional

relationships in the field. Stu-

dents also learn about how the

new core competencies are inte-

grated into their field experience

and the stages of development

that they will experience through

out their practicum experience.

Students will begin interviewing

for their Field I practicum in late

January/early February, 2011. I

look forward to working with

many of our field instructors this

coming spring!

A new exciting program that we

kicked off this fall was our men-

toring program. Our mentoring

program is a two tier process.

We recognized that our incoming

juniors needed additional support

and guidance with getting organ-

ized, coping with the intensity of

our accelerated program, and

fine tuning their professional

writing skills. To assist with these

needs volunteers from the senior

class offered up their time to

mentor juniors. Seniors identified

the need to learn more about the

licensing process, applying for

graduate school, and obtaining

employment after graduation.

To support our seniors many

alumni agreed to mentor seniors

during their final months prior to

graduation. Feedback to date

has been very positive! We actu-

ally have more mentors on file

then mentees! We will host an

appreciation breakfast in January

2011 to reward all those that have

partaken in our mentoring pro-

gram.

Finally, I want to thank those

field partners that came in to

present in SWK 3370 Generalist

Social Work Practice this fall. I

was able to teach this course

while Marcia Runnberg, Program

Coordinator, has been on sab-

batical. I felt the need to intro-

duce students to the various

agencies and services available in

the twin cities metro area. Our

speakers introduced students to

their agency, the types of pro-

grams/services offered and the

internship opportunities avail-

able. I hope to structure this class

the same next year! Very special

thanks to Pheng Thoa, AWUM;

Shawyn Lee, GLBTA Programs

Office at the U of M; Lorna

Leistikow, Ramsey County Care

Center; and Sara Schlegelmilch,

Brain Injury Association of MN.

As another year comes to an end,

I reflect on the wonderful rela-

tionships that I have been able to

build and foster with those that

have committed to being a part

of our field education program. I

am grateful for those field in-

structors that have committed

their time and expertise to our

field program. The success of our

program is attributed to all their

hard work! I wish you all a

healthy and happy new year!

Doin’ It in the Field

an intern at Wilder. Judy’s

breadth of experience in provid-

ing services to children and fami-

lies in St. Paul gives her the ability

to assist an intern like myself, to

continually see the big picture

when it comes to serving families

in need.

Judy started her career in Foster

Care. She worked in the county

system prior to coming to Wilder,

where she licensed Foster Homes.

Judy then developed an aftercare

program for children coming out

of residential treatment. These

two areas of experience prepared

her for the Program Director role

at Bush Memorial Children’s Cen-

ter. Her comment was “I knew

what children needed when they

were coming out of treatment,

now I can prepare children in

treatment, how to transition

home” (personal communication,

October 11, 2010).

Bush Memorial Children’s Resi-

dential treatment center also

happens to be where

St.Scholastica’s very own, Jenni-

fer Gervais, Social Work Field

Coordinator, completed her in-

ternship. Judy was also Jennifer’s

undergraduate social work field

instructor and was her first con-

tact when she became the field

coordinator at CSS.

Focus on Field — Thirty Years of Service —

I was asked to share my intern-

ship experience regarding my

junior field supervisor, Judy Ohm.

Judy has her B.A. in Social Work

and to me, is an example of what

it means to truly be a genuine

social worker. As I began my

internship, I soon learned that

Judy has many roles and goes

above and beyond what her job

title entails. Through my senior

internship, I have continued to

learn about Judy’s colorful and

long experience at the Wilder

Foundation. Judy is completing

her 30th year with Wilder. I

wanted to share her knowledge

as it relates to my experience as

Page 2 St. Paul Social Work Scoop

Jennifer Gervais MSW, LICSW Social Work Field Coordinator The College of St. Scholastica 340 Cedar St. St. Paul, MN 55101 651-403-8631 jgervais@css.edu

Judy Ohm

The Proud 2010 Grads!!

Front Row: Kristina Wolfe, Tami Costley, Mary Thompson, Maria Hipkins, Tes Belachew

Back Row: Angel Ertle, Megan Rodri-guez, Nancy Wiedmeyer, Amanda Palmer, Kainani Bye, Ashley DePover

Dr. Jane Yank

Dr. Jane Yank, is a clinical social

worker and psychologist with

experience providing medical

social work, counseling, and train-

ing in corporate, not-for-profit,

county, and Federal agencies.

Currently, she serves cancer pa-

tients and their families and offers

psychotherapy to adults through

Fairview. Her special research

interests include the effect of

stress on handwriting. Having

studied for her MA and PhD as a

mid-career adult, she is interested

in the challenges faced by non-

traditional students and strategies

that help them succeed.

Dr. Yank will teach her first class at

CSS during the upcoming Spring I

term. Welcome to the Social

Work Department at The College

of St. Scholastica—St. Paul!

LGSW exam in September. We are

so proud of all of you!!

Thanks to Meredith Pedroza for

sharing her good news as she was

named Counselor of the Month at

Avanti. Way to go Meredith!!

Nicole Hendrickson recently ac-

cepted a supervisor position at The

Villages of North Branch, a sister

Please send us your good news—

we love hearing from you!

Congratulations are in order for

these CSS SWK alums — Nicole

Hendrickson and Angela Marti on

passing their LSW exams this fall;

Bree Meduna who graduated from

Monmouth University in May with

her Masters Degree and passed her

facility to Parmly, one of our part-

nering agencies. Melanie

(Swaner) Christiansen accepted a

position as the new Program Coor-

dinator/QMRP with Fraser in

Bloomington. She will be oversee 2

residental houses with a total of 8

residents and 16-20 staff mem-

bers. Congratulations to all of you!!

Meet the Fantastic Faculty

Hollaback — Alumni news and notes

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 5

Project Coordinator, shared with students the programs offered at Centro and the internship opportuni-ties available. We are very apprecia-tive of their time and commitment to further our student’s education!

Our SWK 4470 Independent Profes-sional Projects course this year pro-duced 4 research projects. We were able to work with 3 local agencies; AWUM, MN AIDS Project, and Volun-teers of America’s Avanti Program. Students presented their research projects December 16. If your agency is interested in partnering with us for a research project please contact Jennifer Gervais at 651-403-8631.

At the end of every senior year we honor our graduates and field instruc-tors by inviting them to Dixie’s on Grand in St. Paul. At this dinner stu-dents introduce their field instructors, share their most memorable stories, and what they will take away from the experience. During this dinner, social work faculty welcome seniors to the social work profession by presenting them with a special pin. Faculty also present seniors with fun awards that highlight a student’s personality/characteristic while in the program.

In SWK 3370 Generalist Social Work Practice this fall juniors were able to tour two local agencies; Neighbor-hood House in West St. Paul, and Centro in Minneapolis. At Neighbor-hood House students were able to learn about the multi-cultural services offered, and learn how mezzo and macro level programming affects individuals on a micro level. Neighborhood House is located in the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Commu-nity Center. Students posed for a photo in the rotunda where many of the cultural populations have artwork and murals displayed. Special thanks to Jenny Javitch for taking the time educate our students!

At Centro students were able to tour a Day of the Dead exhibit, learn about the how the current recession has impacted the Latino population in their community, and enjoy a catered dinner from Salsa A La Salsa. Marlon Ferrey, Cultural & Arts Coordinator and Juventina Navarro, Truancy

Calendar Notes

Priority Deadline for SWK

Applications—March 1, 2011

Upcoming info sessions: Feb. 8 5-7:00 p.m. Orientation session for Spring: Jan. 6 5:30-7:00 p.m. Social Work Schedule: Spring Term I & II Jan. 18-Mar. 10 Mar. 14-May 6 Summer TermI & II May 23-July 8 July 11-Aug. 26 Classroom Connections — A Busy Semester

The Border Battle is always a popular event!! After the wearing of the purple last year, Jennifer was proud to be wear-ing the green this year—twice, no less!! Ashley—well, not so much!!

Mary Thompson introduces her field

instructor.

Proud Seniors!

Back Row: Angel Ertle, Nancy Wiedmeyer, Mary Thompson, Ash-ley DePover, Megan Rodriguez, Kainani Bye, Becky Lindquist, Maria Hipkins

Front Row: Kristina Wolfe, Tami Costley, Amanda Palmer

Senior Field Appreciation Dinner

Becky Lindquist, Kainani Bye & Kristina Wolfe present on the MN AIDS Project.

of experience in servicing children

and families is now a lifetime of

building, supporting and sustain-

ing programs. In all of this, Judy

continues to believe that serving

families one day at a time is what

keeps her going and that each

day is a gift in the lives of the

children and families we serve.

She has a real passion and true

commitment to assisting children

and their families.

My experience with Judy has been

nothing short of amazing; she is

all the many roles a social worker

can be wrapped in one. I have

watched her advocate for services

in the community in the morning

and later in the afternoon help

with bathroom breaks in the

classroom. I feel grateful to have

had this wonderful opportunity to

intern with Judy and aspire to one

day be a social worker of her

magnitude.

Thirty Years of Service (continued from

page 2)

Judy’s experience at Bush trans-

ferred to Juvenile Horizons, a

residential and day treatment

program for teen mothers and

their babies. This was a multiple

service program. It was a residen-

tial and day treatment program

with a child care center and a

Level 5 school program. Judy

delivered her first step-

grandbaby! A short stint in facili-

tating a training series for Foster

Parents on the topic of Reactive

Attachment Disorder for the next

two years, prepared her for her

next stop. She is currently at the

Child Development Center, which

is where I was granted the privi-

lege of doing my undergraduate

junior internship.

Since 2005, Judy has been the

Director at the Center; in 2008 her

responsibilities broadened to

Early Childhood Services through-

out the Foundation. Thirty years

Sabbatical Adventures (continued from

front page)

an archivist for the Holocaust

Museum and is writing a novel

about border crossings. This

month I had the fortune to spend

time with Nancy Fitzgerald and

her husband. Nancy is a retired

English Dept. faculty member and

poet from C.S.S. who resides in

Tucson during the fall and winter

months. She lives in an inten-

tional community of retired

teachers. Last week I began a

watercolor painting class with 15

‘elder’ members and sat in on a

memoir writing course that

Nancy teaches to twenty students

between 75 and 90 years of age.

Several of the community mem-

bers have asked if I would take

them on an immersion experience

to the K.B.I. border program in

Nogales, Mexico and conduct a

community presentation on mi-

grant crossing issues. Traveling

with a group of seniors to the

Focus on Field — (continued) Sabbatical Adventures — (continued)

340 Cedar Street

Suite 50

St. Paul, MN 55101

Phone: 651-298-1015

Toll Free: 888-298-4723

Fax: 651-298-8532

jgervais@css.edu

Social Work Program

The St. Paul Campus

Direction for Life....

We’re on the Web

http://css.edu/Academics/

School-of-Health-Sciences/

Social-Work.html

border will definitely be interest-

ing.

Last night I attended a dinner

sponsored by a national aviation

mission organization which pro-

vides basic needs assistance to

remote indigenous villages in

Latin America. Gracia Burnham

was the key note speaker. (She is

author of In the Presence of Mine

Enemies; Gracia and her husband

Martin were held captive in the

Phillipines for over a year in 2001

by a radical contra Muslim group;

Martin was killed.) Gracia’s pres-

entation reminded me that the

virtues of Christian love, compas-

sion, forgiveness, healing, and

self-sacrifice are still operating

amidst human pain and injustice.

Tonight I am off to the ‘All Souls

Procession’, a nationally recog-

nized event with over 10,000

persons gathering parade-style in

the Latin celebration of the Day

of the Dead. I hear it is an experi-

ence not to be missed!