Families, teachers and students unite for the good of the children
When children with disabilities come to the Psychoeducational Center, they enter a caring environment that combines school, their families, staff members and Montclair State students in an enriching experience for all involved.
"It's wonderful when purposes intersect," said Antoinette Spiotta, director of the Center. "We're here to train students to work with people who have disabilities, and at the same time we are joining families in building futures for their children. And of course, it's fun." Marking its 30th year on campus, the Center provides services for 200 individuals annually, while providing hands-on training to 300 students from Communication Sciences and Disorders; Psychology; Music; and Human Ecology. The Center offers a speech clinic, Demonstration Program, assessment of school- related difficulties, the Jeffrey Dworkin Early Childhood Program and summer intervention.
The Demonstration Program is a pre-school that provides special education services for children ages 3 to 5. Located within the Center on Clove Road, the program has an enrollment of 12 children from surrounding communities.
According to Spiotta, staff members are aware of each child's individual needs. "Many of the children need sensory diets. Some may need pressure to the body and crave sensory input, like a strong hug, while others may find certain sounds or noises to be offensive," she explained.
Among the staff of the Demonstration Program are two teachers, a speech/language specialist, teaching assistants, a consulting music therapist, an occupational therapist, a consulting occupational therapy assistant (COTA), a consulting psychologist, a school psychologist and a physical therapist.
"About 50 percent of the children from the Demonstration Program go on to regular kindergarten classes," Spiotta said. "A lot of them are doing well, and that's exciting because we can see that the Center has an impact."
The Demonstration Program alone is not responsible for behavior changes. The Center emphasizes the importance of family. "What really makes a difference," Spiotta said, "is what happens within the families when the children are not in school. Family members are viewed as equal partners of a team whose goal is to produce involved, nurturing relationships."
"Our experience with the Center has been great," said Randi, whose son, Michael, has been in the Demonstration Program for two years. "The staff is phenomenal. They really take the time to get to know the children and parents, and I can only speak highly of them." Younger children are the focus of the Jeffrey Dworkin Early Childhood Program (formerly called the Parent-Infant Program) for children from birth to three years of age. The program helps children who have delayed development, such as impaired motor and sensory processing. Staff members work with families in their homes providing early intervention for the children. More than 100 families participate in the program, with 30 staff members who visit families' homes. Graduate students occasionally assist the staff members with the in-home visits.
"The staff member is like a consultant," Spiotta explained. "If a parent is going to the grocery store with the child, the staff member goes along." He or she works with the parents until they have gained enough confidence to be with their child in similar situations. Parents can meet at the Center for a support group on Saturday mornings while the children take part in a play group with assistance from University students and staff members.
As you make plans for the summer, don't forget to include the exciting season TheatreFest has lined up, featuring concerts by Betty Buckley and Melba Moore.
The season will kick off June 10-13 when Betty Buckley performs the songs she made famous on Broadway. Best known for her role as Abby Bradford in the television series "Eight is Enough," Buckley is a Tony Award-winning singer and actress who brings to the stage the heralding voice that won her recent acclaim as Norma Desmond in the Broadway and London productions of "Sunset Boulevard."
Then it's on to a madcap comedy with "Kiss the Bride," June 17-27. Written by award-winning playwright John Wooten, artistic director of TheatreFest, the play takes the audience to a wedding and reception like no other where a scheming groom is out to murder his bride.
On June 25-26, alumna Melba Moore '70 returns to campus to perform her critically acclaimed one-woman show.
The winning play of the Regional Playwriting Contest will be presented July 6-11. The playwriting contest was inaugurated last season to encourage and present works by new voices in American theater. The winning play will be produced by a guest international director.
The greatest show on Earth comes to campus July 15-Aug. 8 when "Barnum" takes the stage. The Tony Award-winning musical dazzles audiences by bringing to life the astounding career of the indomitable ringmaster P.T. Barnum.
And TheatreFest never forgets about the kids. This summer TheatreFest for Kids presents Pushcart Players in three productions for young theatergoers. "Wow! What a Century!" is a whirlwind tour of an era that offers a spirited view of the 20th century. Filled with music, styles and events of the decades, "Century" combines a dazzling journey down memory lane with a star-studded look into the future on Friday, June 18, at 11 a.m.
"Stone Soup and Other Stories" is a well-seasoned blend of familiar favorites from around the world. These carefully selected folk tales support the literacy movement's emphasis on the joy of reading and help children appreciate the value of diversity in the United States. "Stone Soup" will be presented Friday, July 9, at 10 a.m. and noon.
"Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories" is an enchanting collection of the classic tales-"Princess and the Pea," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "Little Red Riding Hood" and "All's Well that Ends Well." See it Friday, July 30, at 10 a.m. and noon. For prices, call the Box Office at 5112.
Join the Red Hawk baseball team as it celebrates the opening of its first conference game against William Paterson University on Thursday, April 1, at 3 p.m. in Yogi Berra Stadium. This is the first season the Montclair State team will be playing in the stadium and Yogi Berra is scheduled to throw out the first pitch of the game.
WGHT Radio will be broadcasting the game live on 1500-AM. There also will be free prizes, trivia contests and other fun and games.
Tickets are $3 for adults; $2 for children, senior citizens and visiting students with I.D.; free for MSU students with I.D. For more information, call 5249.
Working for Guaranteed Overnight Delivery may not have been what Kevin Bohan thought was in store for him as a psychology major, but the 1994 graduate is now director of Human Resources for the global shipping company. Bohan was one of five alumni who spoke to students last week about various careers they can pursue with a psychology degree.
Following a brief introduction by Mark Koppel of Psychology and Lynn Davies of Career Development, students had the opportunity to attend two 45-minute sessions. Senior psychology major Jaime Anderson attended the workshop. "I'm looking for some direction and I want to find out how far I need to go in school," she said.
Graduate student Kristie Yeung '96 spoke about her experiences in industrial organizational psychology working at Watson-Wyatt. "Industrial psychology blends psychology with business," she said. "I entered the field because I was interested in finding out how the work environment affects people's feelings about their jobs."
Master's candidate Michelle Turjancik '94 is a residential manager at United Jewish Appeal, Association of Developmental Disabilities. An adjunct faculty member, she taught Clinical Work Methods in the fall and spoke to students about using psychology in a residential setting.
Completing both undergraduate and graduate work at Montclair State, Maureen Notarangelo '90, an Educational Opportunity Fund counselor, coordinator of the Probation Program and assistant professor at Felician College, spoke about changing careers and working in higher education. "I love coming back to talk to students," she said. "Seminars like this really help students decide where they want to go."
Junior psychology major April Pichirallo gathered information about internships, specializing in child psychology and entering graduate school. Pat Sudol '98 offered advice by talking about her personal experiences. After raising a family, she returned to college in 1993 and earned a bachelor's degree. She's now a full-time student enrolled in Yeshiva University's Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, where she hopes to earn a Psy.D. in 2003.
Sudol encouraged students to participate in the Cooperative Education program, citing her own experience working in the psychiatric wing of St. Joseph's Hospital. "Co-op can only enhance you as a student," she said. "You should try to get all the experience you can."
Barbara Chasin
professor, Sociology
"Structural violence puts people at risk in ways that nobody intends to have happen, but because of the way the system works, it occurs...We live in a society that essentially kills people."
We've become numb to the daily headlines reporting heinous acts of violence that have become epidemic in this country. Infants are routinely killed while innocent people are tortured and murdered because of their sexual preference or race. But there's another, less publicized kind of violence that kills far more people than street violence. Barbara Chasin of Sociology calls it structural violence, and it stems from society. Her book, Inequality and Violence in the United States-Casualties of Capitalism, published by Humanity Books, deals with inequalities and violence in the United States. At a lecture last week sponsored by the Women's Center, Chasin discussed violence experienced by women and explained how gender roles in our society put both men and women in jeopardy.
INSIGHT: What is structural violence?
Chasin: First there's interpersonal violence, where one individual hurts another and we can identify the individuals. Structural violence is more serious. It results from the routine workings of our society. Structural violence puts people at risk in ways that nobody intends to have happen, but because of the way the system works, it occurs. For example, if someone murders an infant, we're horrified. That murderer is seen as a monster who must be dealt with. But compare the mortality rate of white infants to black infants in the United States. White infants die at an average rate of seven out of every thousand, while African-American infants die at a rate of 14 per thousand. This is most likely because African-Americans are less likely to be well-served by the health care system for reasons both of income and for biases in the system. We live in a society that essentially kills people.
INSIGHT: How does socialization result in gender violence?
Chasin: Social class, race and ethnicity make the lives of some women more dangerous than that of other women. There's a definite relationship between the incidents of domestic violence and household income. It's not that lower-income men are inherently more violent than affluent men, but lower-income homes are more subject to stress, which could be alleviated by social programs. Because of gender discrimination in the workplace and a lack of day care facilities, it's difficult for low-income women to support themselves, which is why abused women stay in the household where they're abused. Low-income families need better access to social services that will help them cope with their problems. The system also needs to provide more shelters and low-income housing, so an abused woman who wants to leave an abuser will be able to afford a safe place to live. There's also a relationship between income and the likelihood of becoming a rape victim. Women in lower-income neighborhoods are more vulnerable. They live in communities where they have to walk on streets that are not always safe. Even their own apartment buildings may be dangerous.
INSIGHT: What has been done to help these women?
Chasin: The things that have been done to make women's lives healthier and safer are due to the strength of the women's movement. Social problems are never attended to until some form of protest movement brings them to public attention and pressures government officials to deal with the problems. The women's movement has resulted in more shelters, rape crisis centers and support services for women in the United States, and the legal system has changed the questioning procedures for rape victims.
INSIGHT: How does society promote homophobia?
Chasin: Men show that they're "real men" by distancing themselves from any feminine qualities by being militantly heterosexual. That sometimes takes the form of gay bashing and killing. The larger society is implicated as well because mainstream politicians and religious figures stigmatize homosexuals as being immoral, ill, dangerous and perverted. The message they give is that we should be afraid of these people, that it's all right to discriminate against them because they pose a threat to the larger community.
INSIGHT: Are there any answers to putting an end to the violence?
Chasin: I hope we can engage in more rational discussions of how to use our social resources. I'm looking at how other disciplines such as anthropology, psychology and philosophy can help us understand violence. We can learn from the other disciplines and synthesize the insights from each to help create a less violent world.
World Series trophy comes to Berra Museum
The Yankees' 1998 World Series championship trophy will be on display at the Yogi Berra Museum beginning April 14.
The trophy, which has been shown at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., for several months, is being loaned to the Berra Museum through an arrangement with Yankees' principal owner George Steinbrenner. The trophy will be housed in an independent glass structure, allowing visitors to take pictures with it. The trophy will be on display at the museum for an indefinite period of time.
School of Conservation offers fly fishing clinic for women
The New Jersey School of Conservation (SOC) will offer a Fly Fishing Clinic for Women April 16-18 at the School, located within Stokes State Forest, just north of Branchville.
The clinic will be open to 60 participants and will begin with dinner at 6 p.m. on April 16. Sessions will be offered in fly tying, casting techniques and equipment basics, as well as information on entomology and stream ecology.
The workshop fee is $165 and includes program materials, use of equipment, meals and lodging. For more information, call the SOC at 948-4646.
Chinese artist exhibits work in Gallery One
"Hints," a solo exhibit of color woodcuts by Mi Qui, director of the Modern Art Workshop Gallery of Shanghai University in China, is on display in Gallery One through April 2. An artist and architect, Qui has spent several years in Europe where he organized exhibition exchanges for some of China's most prominent artists. He received recognition this year from the Movado Corporation for his contributions to the arts. The exhibit on campus is part of a series of exchanges between faculty at Montclair State and Shanghai University initiated by Catherine Bebout of Fine Arts.
In January, Bebout had a solo exhibition of prints, "Impressions of China," at the Mi Qui Modern Art Workshop of Shanghai University. While in China, Bebout and Marina Cunningham of the Global Education Center met with the president and faculty of Shanghai Theater Academy, gave a slide presentation of her work, toured artists' studios and discussed plans to bring theater, music and dance troupes from the Academy to Montclair State for Arts Fest 2000. "My solo show was a catalyst in providing a meaningful dialogue and interaction with other Chinese artists and students," Bebout said.
Sponsored by the School of the Arts, Arts Fest 2000 will showcase the talents of international artists in the visual and performing arts. This fall, MSU faculty will exhibit their works in Shanghai, and next spring Shanghai University faculty will have their works exhibited on campus. Bebout said the exhibition exchange with China is significant on many levels. "First, it is a rare opportunity for artists from a western university to exhibit in China. Second, it creates a forum for dialogue between the artists as well as promotes investigation of the art-making process. Third, it affords the public, the university community and its students a chance to view Chinese art and cultural events in a non-commercial setting," she said. "This project has the potential to provde an even broader audience with the exposure and insight into a culture that is remotely different from our own."
In Memoriam
Diane Schulz, a faculty member in Accounting, Law and Taxation since 1985, passed away last week from a brain tumor. Donations in Diane's memory can be made to the Immaculate Conception Church, 30 N. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, Attn: Msgr. Shugrue.
April is Open Enrollment Month for health and dental plans. A vendor fair will take place on Monday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms.
The MSU Golf Team is offering golf lessons for the campus community. All abilities and beginners are welcome. Sessions are March 31, April 1, April 7 and April 8 from 7 to 8 a.m. in Panzer Gym, Gym 6. Cost is $55 for all four sessions. For more information, call Bob Downey at 731-0833.
Public skating at Floyd Hall Arena this week is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday; 8:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m.-5:40 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday; and 1:15-4:45 p.m. and 8:45-10:15 p.m. Saturday. The arena will be closed Sunday, April 4, for the Easter holiday. Public session skating is free on weekdays to Montclair State employees and students. Regular prices are $6 adult, $5 child and $5 seniors Monday-Friday and $7 adult; $6 child and $5 seniors Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Skate rental is $3.50. An Easter Egg Hockey Puck Hunt and Skate will be held Saturday, April 3 from 1:15-4:45 for children age 13 and younger. For more information, call 746-7744.
Employees who will receive Service Awards will receive invitations to the April 15 reception this week. Replies to the Personnel Department are requested as soon as possible. For more information, call Adele White at 7136.
Workshops to help students prepare for the April 8 Career Fair will be held March 29-30 in the Career Development Office. For more information, call 7199.
Greg Waters of Academic Affairs, Freyda Lazarus of Career Development, Reesa Greenwald of the Service-Learning Program, Ken Brook of Anthropology and Tamara Lucas of Educational Foundations presented a workshop, "A View from the Inside: A Cycle of Action and Reflection for Building a Service-Learning Program," at the recent conference of the American Association for Higher Education in Washington, D.C.
Wayne Bond of Speech Communication has been inducted into the International Listening Association (ILA) Hall of Fame, the Association's highest honor. Bond has served as president, vice president and treasurer of the ILA, in which he has been active for 18 years. Chip Maxwell of Anthropology had his article, "Bikers vs. Motorcyclists," published in the "Cutting Edge News" section of the March issue of the American Anthropological Association's Anthropology Newsletter.
Thomas L. Millard of Counseling, Human Development and Educational Leadership and his wife were recent guests of the South African ambassador and Joan Sonn at a farewell cocktail reception in Washington, D.C. The ambassador was returning to South Africa for reassignment after a four-year tour of duty in the nation's capital.
Ira Sohn of Education and Finance had his letter, "Time Japan Mustered Political Will," published in the Feb. 19 issue of the London Financial Times.
Students Niki Shah of India, Thuy Trong of Vietnam and Grigori Lvov of Russia recently shared their immigration experiences with the campus community during a panel discussion sponsored by the Center of Pedagogy, Anthropology and Educational Foundations. Ana Maria Villegas of Curriculum and Teaching and Flora Keshishian of Speech Communication also participated in the discussion.
Diane Cooper
coordinator, Academic Monitoring
Wanted
Mah-jongg Set. Complete and in excellent condition. Call Dora Bartolo
of the Center of Pedagogy at 7691 or via e-mail to bartolo.
For sale
Furniture. Antique pine dining room set (table opens for eight), six chairs, server and China, $700; treadmill, $300; four-drawer file cabinet, $30; corner curio, $125; girl's bedroom set, $400. Call Margarette Carelus of Architectural and Engineering Services at 4323 or send an e-mail to carelus.
If you have an item you would like advertised in the "Bulletin Board," send it to Diana St. Lifer of Public Information.
For tickets to or information about theater events, call the Box Office at 5112.
Noon Recitals. McEachern Recital Hall.
Afternoon/Evening Recitals. McEachern Recital Hall.
For tickets to or information about dance events, call the Box Office at 5112.
Immigration Series. Sponsored by Anthropology, Educational Foundations and the Center of Pedagogy.
Home games only are listed. Schedule is subject to change. For more information, call the Athletic Office at 5234.
ON 'CARPE DIEM'
The weekly television show produced by MSU broadcasting majors features Enrico Cortese discussing his education on the GI Bill, working at NBC and his career as a makeup artist to the stars, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Randall and Leonard Nimoy. Produced and directed by Brendan O'Melia; hosted by Larry Londino. Airs April 6 at noon on Cablevision channel 6 and 9 p.m. on Comcast channel 57; and April 8 at 8:30 a.m. on CTN.
AT THE MUSEUM
Admission to the Yogi Berra Museum is $4 for adults; $2 for children and students. There is no additional charge for programs.
Saturday at the Movies. 3 p.m.