January 2014
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U e t a t S o d a r o l o C @
January 2014, Volume 1, Issue 4
1
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Cooking up confidence
Cooper Home and Kendall Anderson Nutrition Center partner to promote student independence
Cooper Home residents learn cooking skills at CSU’s Kendall Anderson Nutrition Center, which contributes to their independence as they transition out of Poudre School District.
BY SHANNON DALE
Jazmine Begay, left, works on a holiday craft project with her mentor, CSU student Monica Lopez-Islas, during a weekly session of CSU’s Campus Corps youth mentoring program.
Campus Corps: At-risk youth learn from CSU mentors BY GRETCHEN GERDING
Jazmine Begay faced multiple challenges in 2010 when she received a court-recommended referral to the Colorado State University Campus Corps youth mentoring program. On probation, receiving treatment for mental health issues, and doing poorly in school, Begay needed positive intervention to turn her life around. Attending Campus Corps, Begay has made encouraging strides. Now 16 and a junior, she has a goal of passing her classes and graduating from Fort Collins High School, a step she recognizes as important for getting a job. Kids such as Begay are referred to Campus Corps from a variety of youth and family community agencies, the local school districts, District Attorney’s office, Juvenile Probation, and the Department of Human Services. These at-risk youth are vulnerable to dropping out, substance abuse and delinquent behavior. Campus Corps is part of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences at CSU. It pairs up CSU students with at-risk youth ages 10-18 in a group setting to provide academic support and encourage positive social skill development. The groups are supervised by master’s and Ph.D. students and overseen by faculty and therapists. Mentors and mentees form strong bonds during the 12-week sessions, and many youth, such as Begay, return each semester to participate. Begay is one of the nearly 300 youth served each year by the program. Once a week,
the pairs meet in a group setting on campus for one evening during which they do homework together, eat dinner provided by the Food Bank for Larimer County, and participate in activities such as art projects and creative writing, or wellness activities such as yoga. Toni Zimmerman, a professor in the MFT program and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, says that both youth and CSU student mentors experience change because of the program. “The youth are going to school more and having a better attitude about scohol,” she says. “They report decreased substance abuse and an increase in psychological well-being. For the CSU students, many of them come back for more than one semester of the program. We’ve found that they graduate at higher rates than their peers, and their awareness of community issues and sense of civic duty goes way up. It’s nice to see mentor and mentee changing in positive ways.” Monica Lopez-Islas, a biology student serving as a mentor to Begay, enrolled in the Campus Corps mentoring class because she thought it would be good experience to be involved in helping in her community. “I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life,” she said. “Campus Corps has taught me to appreciate how lucky I am, after learning about some of the situations the other kids are facing,” says Begay. “I want to come back and volunteer as a mentor someday.” Campus Corps is funded in part by the Bohemian Foundation. For more information on supporting Campus Corps, or making a referral, contact Director Jen Krafchick at (970) 491-2171 or jen.krafchick@colostate.edu, or visit campuscorps.colostate.edu.
COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES One of the most diverse of CSU’s eight colleges, the College of Health and Human Sciences includes the Schools of Education and Social Work and the following departments: Construction Management
Food Science and Human Nutrition
Human Development and Family Studies
Design and Merchandising
Health and Exercise Science
Occupational Therapy
PRIORITY APPLICATION DATE FOR FALL IS FEBRUARY 1 Colorado State is currently accepting and evaluating applications for Summer and Fall 2014. Fall applications completed by February 1 receive priority processing and top consideration for admission-based scholarships for freshmen. Apply online at admissions. colostate.edu.
“I used to be nervous using a knife,” explains Ashley Nye, a Cooper Home student, as she confidently chops bell peppers for a flatbread pizza recipe at the Kendall Anderson Nutrition Center. “Now I cook a lot at home.” Students from the Cooper Home, a transition program for Poudre School District students with disabilities, visit the Colorado State University Kendall Anderson Nutrition Center monthly to learn new cooking skills that promote independence. Cooper Home offers programs to their students, ages 18-21, which help provide a smooth transition from high school to the real world – whether it is to a job, secondary education, or living on their own for the first time. The first lesson at KANC, part of the College of Health and Human Sciences, is knife skills, which students perfect over the course of the semester-long nutrition and cooking lessons. The classes are taught by graduate students in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition under the supervision of a KANC registered dietitian. The Center provides a safe and fun environment to learn while each new recipe challenges students with a new skill and to turn their favorite foods into healthier options. For Gayna Jobe, director of Cooper Home, the partnership with KANC provides her students with access to the CSU community. Anyone is welcome to take classes offered at the center, something Jobe hopes her students take advantage of after graduating from the Cooper Home program. “The partnership between the Cooper Home and the Kendall Anderson Nutrition Center is a win-win for both groups,” explains Jobe. “Our students make a great community connection and take their new skills home, while the graduate students teaching the class get to interact with a different population, students with disabilities.” The partnership also promotes one of Cooper Home’s mission: self-advocacy. Students are encouraged to tell their instructors what lessons and recipes would be most beneficial for them. In December, the Cooper Home students wanted to learn how to make one of their favorite side dishes, mashed potatoes, a healthier mealtime option. During their visit, the nutrition instructors taught them how to include some cauliflower to boost the health benefits. “Our students really open up here because they feel comfortable,” says Shannah Scott, a paraprofessional who works with Cooper Home students. “They work together as a team and often bring the recipes home to try with their families.” The recipes are also taken back to the Cooper Home, where students plan a menu, grocery shop, and cook for their peers four days a week. Students become comfortable in the CSU community through KANC with some Cooper Home graduates taking jobs in the dining halls or for on-campus food chains. The Kendall Anderson Nutrition Center, nutritioncenter.colostate.edu, provides affordable services open to all in the community, including nutrition counseling, healthy cooking classes, and group programs.
Dr. Steve Withrow, University Distinguished Professor January 21, 2014 • 6:30 p.m.
Inaugural Event!
University Theatre, University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St., Fort Collins The lecture and post-lecture reception are both free and open to the public, however, tickets are required as space is limited. Tickets are available at https://advancing.colostate.edu/ PresLectureSeriesJan14 and will be distributed on a firstcome, first-served basis.
MEDIA
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RESEARCHERS CREATING NEXT-GENERATION PROSTHETIC HEART VALVES A five-year, $1.8 million grant to Colorado State from the National Institutes of Health will support development of replacement heart valves that will be superior to current mechanical and tissue-based heart valves and reduce patients’ need for medication to prevent blood clots. The research team involves faculty in CSU’s School of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, led by Principal Investigator Lakshmi Prasad Dasi.