CMU student elected to NASW board / Deceased student's research published

Writing Center award / Student Paper Competition

CMU student elected to NASW board

Senior Chrissy Michels of Troy has been elected to serve as the bachelor of social work student representative for the National Association of Social Workers board of directors.

In May, Michels received a majority of the more than 15,000 votes from NASW members nationwide. The previous board of directors chose two nominees for the election from a pool of candidates. Mary Zimmerman, a CMU alumna, held the position previously.

“It’s very cool that a CMU student was the representative for the last two years and that we now have the representative again,” said Susan Grettenberger, director of the social work program at CMU. “Having two people in a row from the same university is pretty special.”

Zimmerman presented the need for potential nominees to CMU social work students last fall, which is when Michels began to consider the opportunity. She had to submit a biography and personal statement in order to be considered for the nomination.

“It really is an honor to be selected, but this responsibility also requires considerable time and commitment. I am very proud that our students are willing to make these kinds of commitments,” said Grettenberger.

Michels, who has a minor in gerontology, incorporated her love for older adults into her set of goals as student representative, which include increasing membership of students in the NASW, advocating against inequalities and racism, and supporting issues for seniors.

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Deceased student's research published

Central Michigan University student Joanna Russ had a passion for conducting research on children with disabilities, and she was in the midst of conducting two simultaneous studies on a rare condition called CHARGE Syndrome when an automobile accident took her life in 2004. The findings of one of those studies was published in the journal “Child Neuropsychology” in July.

The research article, “Executive Function in CHARGE Syndrome,” addresses the presence of executive dysfunction in child-ren with CHARGE Syndrome, a genetic disorder with multiple physical anomalies and severe challenging behaviors.

Russ, a Grand Blanc native, was a psychology major with hopes of becoming a psychologist and work with special needs children and their families. After expressing her interest in helping children with autism, Russ was asked by CMU psychology professor Tim Hartshorne to join his research on CHARGE Syndrome.

“Joanna was involved in this project from the beginning,” said Hartshorne. “She helped to read and organize the research literature; design the questionnaire, to which we added a number of questions about communication skills at her suggestion; mail materials to the participants; score the instruments; and enter the data. She was extremely conscientious.”

After her death, Russ’ parents created the Joanna M. Russ Memorial Undergraduate Research and Presentation Grant, which is given annually to undergraduate students to support their research of CHARGE Syndrome or related conditions.

“CHARGE is a rare syndrome — about 1 in 10,000 births,” said Hartshorne. “There is not a lot of money to support research on CHARGE, and Joanna’s endowment therefore means something to the CHARGE community. In practical terms it also assists undergraduate students who want to be involved with research.”

To learn more about making a gift to the Joanna Russ memorial fund, contact the CHSBS development office at CHSBS@cmich.edu or (989) 774-3354.

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Writing Center consultant receives regional award

Senior Valerie Belill has been awarded the East Central Writing Centers Association’s Outstanding Tutor of the Year Award for her work with CMU’s Writing Center.

“Because the East Central Writing Centers Association is a five-state region, this award reflects the CMU Writing Center’s commitment to quality service, as represented by Valerie’s articulation of that commitment and philosophy,” said MaryAnn Crawford, director of CMU’s Writing Center.

The ECWCA, an affiliate of the International Writing Centers Association, serves writing centers from K-12 to colleges and universities, in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other nearby regions. The outstanding tutor award recognizes innovative approaches to tutoring, the quality of work with writers and the articulation of a tutoring philosophy.

Belill, a Holly native who is majoring in English in the secondary education program, was presented with one of two Outstanding Tutor of the Year awards at the ECWCA’s annual conference in March. For the past six years, CMU students have received eight of the sixteen awards given for tutor and/or leader of the year.

“The Writing Center fosters an environment where students, consultants and instructors are learning from one another on a daily basis,” said Belill. “It has been the grounds for my philosophy on teaching and learning: that we must view each other as equals and friends in order to establish the respect and trust necessary to learn to our fullest potential.”

Winners are evaluated and selected through a blind review of tutor philosophy and position paper submissions. The winners receive a cash award, a gift certificate and a registration fee waiver for this year’s conference.

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CHSBS announces paper competition winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2007 Student Paper Competition sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

A committee of CHSBS faculty members met in June to select the winners. Students may submit essays, theoretical papers, creative works, research papers or reviews of research written during the previous year for courses at the 300 level and above.

Graduate students received a $750 cash prize and undergraduate students received a $500 cash prize. The competition is funded through gifts received from faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the college.

Undergraduate Winners

Maria Carter

“The Future of ‘The Birds and the Bees:’ A Comparison of Seventeen and New Moon’s Messages about Sex”

Faculty Sponsor: Edward Clayton (PSC)

Amanda Slaten

“The Challenge of Change:  Social Justice Education in the Classroom”

Faculty Sponsor: Susan Steffel (ENG)

Joshua Trimble

“The Philosophy of ‘No:’ Freedom in the Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre”

Faculty Sponsor: John Wright (PHL)

Jessica Tuohey

“French Youth Throughout the Centuries”

Faculty Sponsor: Christi Brookes (FLLC)

Michele Koziatek

“French Youth Throughout the Centuries”

Faculty Sponsor: Christi Brookes (FLLC)

Graduate Winners

Michael Martin

“The Goal and the Gold Mine:  Constraints Management and the Dutch Herring Fishing Industry, 1400 to 1700”

Faculty Sponsor: David Rutherford (HST)

Kelli Rex

“Scenes from a County Fair”

Faculty Sponsor: Susan Schiller (ENG)

Honorable Mention

Frank Klackle

“Agitprop of the Almanac Singers:  An Examination of American Folk Music and Anti-Fascism During the Interwar Period”

Faculty Sponsor: Joel Lewis

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