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Daily Egyptian THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014 VOLUME 98 ISSUE 121
Million dollar grant received for trauma research
Committee and community members talk arts Marissa Novel Daily Egyptian
Carbondale is no stranger to the arts. Many community members think more can be done to familiarize Carbondale residents and people from other areas with the city’s creative offerings. The Downtown Advisory Committee had its sixth meeting to discuss arts and entertainment at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Varsity Center for the Arts.
The meeting began with several speakers. Peter Piermann, president of the Varsity Center for the Arts Board, said the city’s art programs would benefit from working together. “The coalition would consist of different groups coordinating an effort to showcase the arts and entertainment in Carbondale and the surrounding area,” he said. “It is our belief that much can be accomplished if we work together instead
of working individually.” Trent Stevens, a committee member, said although there are varieties of community events, more can be done to invite people to the area, especially the addition of a family-friendly entertainment venue rather than relying on bars and restaurants for entertainment.
Please see DOWNTOWN · 3
Bras boost breast cancer compassion
Marissa Novel Daily Egyptian
Trauma, especially in children, hides in deep, unknown areas of the mind. Social work graduate students will soon enter a program designed to uncover specialized treatments for this issue. Twenty-three students in the School of Social Work master’s program will receive a $10,000 stipend for 16 weeks of half-day training sessions on therapy for youth affected by trauma in January. The fellowship is part of a three-year, $1.18 million Behavioral Health Workforce Education Training award Dhrubodhi Mukherjee received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mukherjee, associate professor and undergraduate program director for the School of Social Work, said the program, designed to create and test curriculum, will primarily focus on treating trauma in children, adolescents and adults ages 18 to 25. “Trauma can be caused by direct brain injuries, and trauma can be very psychological in nature,” he said. “The symptoms of trauma mimics the symptoms of mental illness, so something such as depression can be a chronic mental illness or can be a temporary manifestation of trauma.” Mukherjee said it is important for social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists to differentiate between medical and traumatic mental illness. “If children are experiencing trauma, it’s better to address that. Especially children who have domestic violence, sexual abuse and child abuse situations,” he said. “Trauma needs to be identified and resolved at the beginning rather than having that person live a traumatic life for a long period of time.” Mukherjee said one of the program sessions directed toward younger children will include play therapy, which often results in children mimicking traumatic experiences during playtime. “You let the children play and you see the content of the way they’re playing,” he said. “You can see it clearly when they reenact trauma because memory of trauma is visual, it’s never encrypted as words or as voices.” Mukherjee said it is also important to include transitional youth, or young people 18 to 25, in research rather than only populations 18 and younger. “This transitional youth is a very important, very critical population we don’t have much research on,” he said. “These are the people who are going through a lot of identity issues and economic issues, and suicide rates are highest among them.” Mukherjee said he conceptualized the program before applying for the grant and he will help train students and evaluate data collected in spring. He said the fellowship will increase to 29 students next year and 33 the final year. Nikole Justice, a graduate student from Freeman Spur, said she is planning on entering the program and is looking forward to the training opportunities it offers. Please see GRANT · 2
A idAn O sbOrne d Aily e gyptiAn Janie Beckman, a registered nurse at psychiatric clinic of student health services, displays the bra she made titled “Treasure Your Chest” Wednesday at the eighth annual “Be My Bra” event. “I haven’t had any family members directly affected by breast cancer, but I know how much of a struggle it can be for women,” said Beckman.
Jordan Duncan Daily Egyptian
Students participated in a contest Wednesday to display bra art and raise breast cancer awareness. The Student Health Center hosted the seventh annual “Be my Bra” contest where Registered Student Organizations and Greek organizations came together to express sentiments and experiences with breast cancer through art. Some talked about supporting those with breast cancer or the cause in general. Others talked about early detection and treatment. Andy Morgan, acting assistant dean of students and one of the contest’s founders, said one of his motivations for helping start it was that his mother is a survivor of breast cancer. He said the contest was the collaborative effort of SIU and Southern Illinois Healthcare. He also said the important part of the contest was not the contest itself. “If you’re going to compete over this, great, but the main thing is to inspire and reward others for being supportive of someone who has had breast cancer,” Morgan said. Dawn Null, wellness coordinator with the Student Health and Wellness Center, said she was excited to organize the contest
because it follows an issue that resonates with many people. “Cancer is close to many of our hearts because almost everyone knows someone who has or has had breast cancer,” Null said. Null said organizers of the contest did not want it to be a fundraiser. “It brings about a lot of awareness about breast cancer among college women,” Null said. Dr. Nova Foster, an oncologist with SIH and one of the judges, said breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the second most common cause of death by cancer. She said breast cancer does occur in women in their 20s and it is important for women to be comfortable and know what their normal breasts feel like. When breast cancer is caught early, it is much more curable and the prognosis is much better,” Foster said. Foster said she was asked to judge and was happy to participate. “Breast cancer is what I do. It’s a cause that is very near and dear to me both professionally and personally,” Foster said Dr. Kelli Webb, a plastic reconstructive surgeon with SIH, said in a speech it was important to educate young women about
self-examination and early detection because starting earlier can save lives. “Cancer does not care how old you are,” Webb said. Webb said she likes to take care of women who have had breast cancer and to ensure they feel whole. Delores Barfield, a sophomore from St. Louis studying animal production with Sigma Alpha, an agricultural sorority at the university which placed second, said women should be aware of their bodies and comfortable with examinations. “You should be in tune with your body,” Barfield said. “You should be the first to notice something is wrong.” Chloe Mccluskey, a freshman studying Physical therapy, said she appreciated the awareness the event planned to spread. “Through the creativity of so many students it shows just what precaution should be taken,” Mccluskey said. Morgan said he attends the event annually and he was touched by sentiments expressed by students presenting bras. “A bra is something of support and the stories those students told were so impactful,” Morgan said. Please see BRA · 2