The Psychology of Black Women Newsletter Fall 2010
2010 APA Convention Photos of our awardees in San Diego
Student debt
Steps to understanding and tackling your student loans
End of semester crunch
Balancing work and real life during the last few stressful weeks of the semester
Reaching out, reaching higher: The importance of mentoring and being mentored
A PUBLICATION OF SECTION 1: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BLACK WOMEN DIVISION 35: SOCIETY FOR THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BLACK WOMEN NEWSLETTER
A publication of SECTION 1: The Psychology of Black Women, DIVISION 35: Society for the Psychology of Women, THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Fall 2010 Vol. 1, No. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 News & Updates APA Convention 2010 Awardees’ Photos… Awards Information… Mentor/ mentee Program… Membership Information…
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Career Resources APA Mentor Opportunities… 8 Ten tips for dealing with the end of semester crunch… 9 Options to pay back student loans for recent graduates… 13
Balancing Acts Sharing what we learned from our mentors … 5 Quick Facts: Mentoring Black women in academia… 12
CFP & Fellowship Opportunities
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Celebrating and strengthening our social supports
Who do you have on your team right now? Who can you lean on in a time of need? Who would you like to have in your support system in the future? What family, friends, professionals, and others might be of help? These are important questions that we sometimes forget to ask ourselves. Or more commonly, we fail to re-evaluate our sources of support over time and in different contexts. Social support can come from relationships with a variety of different people, including family members, friends, peers, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, co-workers, members of religious or other spiritual groups, classmates, mental health practitioners, and members of peer support groups. Building an effective social network from these relationships will mean that you will always have contacts to help you with your personal or career endeavors. The Psychology of Black Women is just one source of support we encourage you to take advantage of; as a professional organization dedicated to the lives of Black women in the field we know what you’re going through and advocate for your issues. Also, we take time to address your concerns and offer additional resources to ensure you have the psychological, emotional, and resource support you need to successfully navigate both your career and personal lives. So add us to your support circle. And check out one or two of the other suggestions in this issue. You’re not alone- you just need to reach out and let someone know you’re here! 1
2010 APA Convention Section 1: The Psychology of Black Women Awards
Left to right: 2010 Carolyn Payton Early Career winner Dr. Earlise Ward, President of Section 1: The Psychology of Women Dr. Guerda Nicolas, and 2010 Graduate Student Award winner Rashanta Bledman.
JOIN US! Become a member of Section 1: Psychology of Black Women Membership in Section 1: Psychology of Black Women provides you with the opportunity to connect with other Black women in the field. We encourage students, early career psychologists, and senior psychologists to join us. Membership in APA or Division 35 is NOT required for membership in Section 1: Psychology of Black Women. If you’d like to become a member please fill out the membership form included in this newsletter and email it to our Director of Membership, Dr. Beatrice Tatem: BTatem@saffairs.msstate.edu
Or visit our website membership page: http://www.apa.org/divisions/d iv35/Sections/1/section1.html Left to right: 2010 Graduate Student Award winner Rashanta Bledman, Dr. Lula Beatty of the National Institute on Drug Abuse & Award Reviewer, and 2010 Carolyn Payton Early Career winner Dr. Earlise Ward.
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Professional development opportunity for Graduate Students Contribute to the development of our mentoring program
Are you interested in developing leadership within an APA organizational structure?
Do you seek mentoring by Black women psychologists? Would you like to participate in the process of research review and evaluation? The Section for Black Women is seeking interested graduate students to participate on the Division 35, Section 1 Awards Review Committee. Please contact Dr. Wendi Williams (wendi.williams@liu.edu) for more information about this exciting opportunity.
Can I join The Psychology of Black Women?
OF COURSE YOU CAN JOIN US! Membership in Section 1: The Psychology of Black Women requires nothing more than an interest in psychological research relevant to the lives and experiences of Black women. Contact our Director of Membership, Dr. Beatrice Tatem (BTatem@saffairs.msstate.edu) for more information about membership in our organization! 3
Nominate someone- or yourself- for a Section 1 Award Each year Section 1: The Psychology of Black Women recognizes emerging scholars and practicioners with the Carolyn Payton Early Career and Graduate Student Awards. If you know of someone or are someone who is engaging in cutting edge research relevant to the lives of Black women, we encourage you to apply for one of these awards. Carolyn Payton Early Career Award. The Carolyn Payton Early Career Award is sponsored by Section I, the Psychology of Black Women, of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychology of Women (Division 35). The award recognizes the achievement of a Black woman in the early stages of her career. The applicant must be no more than ten years post doctorate and the submitted work (article, book chapter, or book) must be published. Although a submission need not focus exclusively on Black women, the specific concerns of Black women must be a focal point of the submission. Papers may be theoretical or empirically (qualitative or quantitative) based. Each submission will be evaluated on its creativity and must distinguish itself as making a major contribution to the understanding of the role of gender in the lives of Black women. If there are multiple authors, the applicant must be the first author. A $500 prize will be awarded. Graduate Student Award. Section I, the Psychology of Black Women, of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychology of Women (Division 35) sponsors the Graduate Student Award which recognizes the work of a Black woman graduate student in psychology. A prize in the amount of $500 will be awarded for the top submission of an empirical or theoretical (qualitative or quantitative) paper, including dissertation research, book chapter or other scholarly work. The work will be evaluated on its creativity, innovation and the degree to which it furthers understanding of the role of gender in Black women’s lives. It is not required that the work be published at time of submission. Nominations. Self- nominations are encouraged. To be considered for an award, please send a cover letter with contact information and electronic copy (PDF preferred) of the scholarly work to Dr. Wendi Williams (wendi.williams@liu.edu) by April 8, 2011. The award winners will be announced at the Division 35 social hour at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
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The most important things I learned from my mentor Mentoring your promising students can benefit them— and you. Mentoring means taking personal interest in seeing that a mentee develops the talent and knowledge needed to succeed- to have a successful career and contribute as much as possible to the field. We’ve gathered reflections from current mentors- early career to seniors in the field of psychology- to help remind us of the importance of the statement ―lifting as we climb.‖
Checking in before moving on It is such a little thing, but always start meetings with my graduate students by asking how they are doing. I take time to check in with them about what is going on in their lives and how things are going outside of school. It meant so much to me that my (masters) advisor did this- I didn’t realize how significant it was until another advisor clearly took no interest in me beyond what I contributed to her work and research projects. It doesn’t mean I get into the nitty gritty of my students’ personal lives. But I do want to let them know I see them as people outside of the class and research projects, and acknowledge that they are juggling multiple tasks and stresses. Taking this time also helps me understand when I need to pull back or push them further toward achieving their goals. Dr. Dionne Stephens, Assistant Professor of Psychology & African Diaspora Studies- Florida International University.
Importance of creating a 3 to 4P Plan One of the first things I learned through this mentoring program, called Next Generation, was how important it was to create a 3P plan. The 3 Ps stands for Publications, Presentation, and Procurement of funds. I was advised to create this plan in August for the coming year and to stick to it. The plan provided me with a guideline of what I was planning on doing with respect to publications, presentations, and grants. With the plan, I get specific about how many publications that I will work on, how many presentations that I will do, and how many grant applications that I will submit in a given year. Although I may have to adjust the plan a bit during the year, it has been an important aspect of my professional life. What I did not realized at that time, was how helpful this plan would be to me in saying ―no‖ to the many requests that I would receive during the year. I am able to use my 3P plan as an opportunity to reflect on what I have been asked to do and then make a decision based on where I am in achieving the other things on my 3P plan. In the last five years, I have added an addition P, Personal Self Care, to the plan so it is now the 4P plan. This helps me create a plan for how I am going to take care of myself while working to achieve the first 3Ps of the plan. I am forever grateful to my mentors for introducing me to this plan and I require it for every student in my research lab as well!!! Dr. Guerda Nicolas, Chairperson & Associate Professor of Educational and Psychological Studies-University of Miami
Think Big and don't be afraid! One of the most important things I learned from a variety of mentors over the years, and that I have shared with others, has been to always have a goal/dream/objective - and to not be afraid to dream big! Having a sense of your 'dream career/position/job' provides a key touchstone when making difficult career choices and life choices. This dream objective should be broad and BIG - it should give you something to aim for and work toward as well as a touchstone to help guide decisions about whether a particular change will help get you where you want to go. However, it is also important to realize that this goal can change over time - either due to life changes or just exposure to a new idea or option. Tied into this is the idea of not being afraid to take a chance - think that job offer is over your head? Will it be too challenging? I t may not be exactly what you wanted? You'll never grow if you stay comfortable! I hated that cliché when I first heard it and now I keep a copy of it on my desk! Dr. Virginia Robinson- Dick, Public Service Assistant of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government- The University of Georgia 5
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Balance, battles and be prepared As a woman of Color in the field of psychology, I have been fortunate to have had numerous Black women as mentors throughout my undergraduate and graduate tenure. There are a few words of wisdom that have been shared and continue to be true as an early career professional. They’re as follows (in no particular order): 1) As challenging as your training experiences may be as a student, they’re preparation for your experience as a professional. Your students and trainees will be colleagues in a few years. 2) You can’t do it all. That is why you meet people, you share, you mentor, and you build communities so that everyone will do a little piece of the work. You can’t do it all alone. There is far too much injustice in the world for you to do so. 3) Every idea or suggestion should be followed by an Action Item. 4) Know your armor! On many days it will feel like you are going in to battle. You should be able to recognize when your armor is beat up, dented, and damaged. It is at this time that you should figure out what to do and/or where to go to repair your armor. What you do will vary by individual but the need to do so is imperative if you’re going to get up and go back in. Dr. Maryam Jernigan, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry- Yale University School of Medicine.
Self work, self care and self empowerment While on pre-doctoral internship I had the wonderful opportunity to be mentored by three amazing African American women. For me this was the first time that African American women both held positions of authority in my training and were authorized to exercise their power toward my development. They taught me very valuable lessons about self-worth within a professional context, self-care, and the need to take up my own authority personally and professionally with tangible examples of how to do that. One way was in regard to the setting of emotional boundaries in the professional context. My mentor would meet with the intern group monthly to discuss our professional development. On a wintery afternoon, she told me and the three other women of color that we were not responsible for the feelings of others. This was powerful as I often have felt that I needed to consider others’ perspectives even to the neglect of my own. Though she encouraged compassionate decision-making and overall good judgment, her advice provided a liberating force that even to this day empowers my ability to exercise either yes or no effectively in my life – both professionally and personally. I’m grateful to Dr. Vivian Boyd. Dr. Wendi S. Williams, Assistant Professor of Counseling Human Development and Leadership- Long Island University, Brooklyn. 6 1
Become a mentor or mentee through the Psychology of Black Women By Kelli Johnson, PhD. Why is professional mentoring for women of Color important and relevant for early career psychologists? The tradition of multigenerational helping and informal kinship networks is one that deeply embedded among people of Color and maintains its cultural relevance today as mentoring continues to play a pivotal role in the professional development of women of Color. Seeing oneself reflected in those who hold positions of power/leadership can be helpful in one’s perception of possibilities, however, for those without access to the informal networks that may be more readily accessible to majority society members, the road forward can be confusing, difficult, and taxing. Navigating the ―unwritten rules‖ can be a challenge mentally, physically, and emotionally. Mentors can provide guidance, support, information, encouragement, as well as the potential for a longterm relationship with another who is intimately familiar with the inherent challenges of pursuing a career in a field in which one is underrepresented. As many can attest, the professional they have become is due in large part to the mentorship and guidance that they have received from those who came before. Mentoring offers the chance to capitalize on the opportunity to make the road easier for new professionals, particularly with regard to issues that are not always addressed in the course of one’s formal education. How does one decide how much to counter-offer in negotiating salary? How does one establish professional consultation fees? How does one identify and locate women of Color who would be willing to provide or have a desire to receive mentorship? APA’s Section on the Psychology of Black Women is devoted to embracing the professional responsibility of what has been invested in us and passing that investment forward to Black/African American women psychologists. In manifesting our role as part of a community of Black women psychologists,
we are working to develop a graduate/early career psychologist mentoring program. The purpose is to provide a means of connecting established professionals who wish to provide mentorship with new professionals seeking to benefit from their wisdom, knowledge, and experience. The opportunity to be involved is open to any Black female psychologist. Our first step is to compile a directory of those who are interested in order to facilitate finding a mentor/mentee in your geographic area. If you are interested in participating, please contact Dr. Kelli Johnson by email at kfjohns@uic.edu, and include your name, institution, location, and specify your interest in being a mentor, mentee, or both.
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APA mentoring opportunities & resources Recognizing the importance of mentoring, the APA has put together a number of opportunities and information for both mentors and mentees. Some key resources are listed below. The APA Centering on Mentoring Task Force created an Introduction to Mentoring guide for mentors and mentees. The document defines mentoring, outlines the stages of the mentor– mentee relationship, addresses the ethics and etiquette of mentoring, and presents research about mentoring in general. www.apa.org/education/grad/intro-mentoring.pdf The APA Centering on Mentoring Task Force also created a Mentoring Training module to guide the mentor and mentee as they enter into and maintain a mentoring relationship. The document addresses benefits of mentoring, roles for the mentor and mentee, discusses ethics and etiquette, and offers advice for the mentors and mentees in addressing issues and establishing a healthy relationship. www.apa.org/education/grad/mentoring-training.pdf The APA Disability Issues Office's Mentoring Program supports psychology students with disabilities, disabled psychologists entering the field, and newly disabled psychologists in their educational and professional pursuits by providing them with a mentor. www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/mentoring/ about.aspx The APA Graduate Students Committee on LGBT Concerns mentoring program is designed to provide an opportunity for LGBT graduate students in psychology to be mentored by colleagues who share similar interests, experiences, and goals. They are currently looking for professionals within the field of psychology (e.g., practitioners, researchers, professors) and advanced graduate students (i.e. those with 3 years of graduate school experience in psychology) who hold interests in LGBT issues to serve as mentors. www.apa.org/apags/governance/subcommittees/ clgbtc.aspx 8
The APA Women’s Program office contributed to the development of ―Surviving and Thriving in Academia: A Guide for Women and Ethnic Minorities‖. This guide discusses critical incidents and decisions that may confront women and ethnic minorities as they enter and progress through the academic pipeline. www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/brochures/ surviving.aspx The American Psychological Association (APA) Office on AIDS seeks qualified mentors to participate in a two-year, distance-learning, mentorship program designed to prepare doctorallevel behavioral and social scientists for careers as independent researchers in the area of HIV/AIDS and communities of color. www.apa.org/pi/aids/programs/cyber/mentor.aspx The APAs Section VI: Clinical Psychology of Ethnic Minorities of Division 12 seeks nominations for its Samuel M. Turner MENTOR Award which honors a psychology faculty member who has demonstrated a commitment to teaching and training clinical psychologists to work more effectively with ethnic minority clinical populations. www.apa.org/divisions/div12/sections/section6/ awards-2010.htm
Thriving through the end of semester crunch By Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Ph.D. These are the last weeks of my semester and like most academics, the end of the semester is an incredibly busy and stressful time! My classes are coming to a close, my students are hysterical, my colleagues are cranky, and deadlines are looming. In short, it's crunch time!
Tip #2: Lower your standards in non-essential areas I'm what is known as a "neat-freak" but during crunch time, I give myself permission to be a slob. It's okay because it's only one week. I love to eat out, but during crunch time, I'm okay with peanut butter and pickle sandwiches because I don't' have time for anything else. And that's okay because it's only one week of the semester. I sleep 9 hours per night. During crunch time, I sleep 9 hours per night! That's because sleep is not negotiable for me. So ask yourself: what can I let slide a bit for the next week (or two) without negative consequences?
The End-of-Semester Crunch If you're already clear about your plan to get from this moment to the end of your semester: CONGRATULATIONS! But if you are like me, you may be feeling concerned about how all the grading, meetings, holiday parties, and writing deadlines will get completed without a meltdown. Typically, I can juggle all the balls in the air during a regular workweek, but the end of the semester always brings a few flaming objects into the mix. Because I believe that stressful times call for unique coping strategies, I have collected the wisdom of some of my mentors about how to maintain balance and sanity during the end of semester crunch. I hope you find these ideas as useful as I have over the past few years.
Tip #3: Ruthlessly assess what grading ACTUALLY needs to get done Many students don’t read comments given on final papers and projects. I ask my students to indicate if they want me to write comments on their final papers. Fewer than 10% request comments and I save hours of grading that would never have been read, while concentrating my comments on students who genuinely want feedback and will benefit from it.
Top 10 Tips for Thriving During Crunch Time Tip #1: Clearly communicate to others it’s crunch time Let those who live with you and/or are impacted by your behavior know that the next week (or two) will be difficult, assure them that it's a finite period of time, and let them know you appreciate their support and understanding. I find that people are willing to assist me as long as I communicate my needs ahead of time.
Tip #4: Say NO to EVERY SERVICE REQUEST from now until the end of the semester When it's crunch time, the worst thing you can do is to take on additional responsibilities. Refer back to "The N-Word" and "Just Say No" Monday Motivators if you need ideas on how to say NO!
crunch time.. call u in 2 weeks-- when thing slow down :)
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Tip #5: Every day needs a plan Use your Sunday Meeting this week to develop a task list and map each of your tasks onto a specific time slot on your calendar. If you don't have enough time for the tasks just delegate them or let them go. Then each morning, spend two minutes reviewing the items you need to complete for that day. This will keep you focused and confident that the truly important things will get done.
Tip #6: Write for 30-60 minutes each day When we feel crunched for time, the first thing we are ready to sacrifice is our daily writing time. This semester, put yourself, your future, and your daily writing time into the nonnegotiable category. There are other ways to be efficient than eliminating the one activity central to promotion, tenure, and mobility.
Tip #9: Take Care of Your Body Exercise reduces stress. When I don't have time to go to the gym, I take the stairs in my building, walk a few laps around the block at lunch, or just have extra energetic sex with my husband. Be creative! Whatever you need to do to get your heart rate up and your body moving will benefit you during crunch time. If you need stress relieving ideas, see the "How do you relieve stress?" thread on the discussion forums for some great ideas (see red box at end of this article).
Tip #7: Only check e-mail 1 time per day E-mail begets e-mail. When you have little time, one of the least effective ways to spend it is writing e-mail. I'm only able to restrict my email to once-a-day during crunch periods. But for one week, it's unlikely to cause a crisis and typically works out just fine‌
Tip #10: End Every Day With Gratitude and a Treat! As each day comes to a close, take a moment to thank the universe for all that went well and affirm that everything in your life is working for your highest good. I insist on a treat every day during crunch time because I complete a huge amount of work in such a short period of time! If you need ideas for treats, check the discussion forum thread: "How Do You Treat Yourself?" (see red box at end of this article).
Tip #8: Sign off all listservs until January If you subscribe to any listservs, sign off until the new year. Most people sign off during the holidays, so why not do so now? Listservs create lots of e-mail in your in-box and very little is critical information that you can't do without between now and January.
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Challenge yourself to focus despite the fray This Week's Challenge As we head into crunch time, I challenge you to:
Try visiting the discussion forum for some comfort, laughter, support, and community during these stressful times and/or join the Acknowledge the end of the semester is Writing Challenge (see red box below). a stressful time If you're finding yourself at the end of another Pro-actively create strategies to manage the stress semester without any significant progress on If you've never tried a Sunday Meeting, give it a shot! your projects, consider one of our workshops on Spend 2 minutes at the start of each day reviewing (see red box below) your daily plan and spend 2 minutes at days’ end in gratitude for the things you accomplished Reprinted with permission from New Faculty Write every day this week for 30-60 minutes Success BlogSpot. For the original article visit Say "NO" with confidence and grace http://newfacultysuccess.blogspot.com/ to access
Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD is an author and speaker in the field of Faculty Development and Leadership. She is author of Beyond Black: Biracial Identity in America and Raising Biracial Children, as well as two-dozen articles and book chapters on multiracial youth. After Kerry Ann became a tenured professor (at the University of Illinois at Chicago), her focus shifted to improving conditions for pre-tenure faculty by creating supportive communities for professional development, writing productivity, and work/life balance. Her award-winning work with under-represented faculty led to the publication of her most recent book The Black Academic's Guide to Winning Tenure Without Losing Your Soul. Kerry Ann now provides writing workshops for new faculty at colleges facilitates a popular online discussion forum, writes a weekly advice column, and works with a select group of new faculty each semester in her Faculty Success Program. To find out more about her programs read below. Monday Motivator The Monday Motivator is a free weekly e-mail message providing advanced graduate students, postdocs, and new faculty with an electronic dose of positive energy, good vibrations, and a weekly productivity tip. The purpose of the weekly message is to reinforce core ideas and provide support for individuals making the transition from graduate student to professor. For more information visit: http://www.newfacultysuccess.com/TheMondayMotivator.en.html Faculty Success Workshops Each workshop is designed to address the core dilemmas facing new faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and advanced graduate students as well as provide concrete, empirically-documented, strategies for success. Individuals can join a small online support group or programs/ institutions can host an onsite intensive workshop. For more information visit: http://www.newfacultysuccess.com/2010FacultySuccessProgram.en.html http://www.newfacultysuccess.com/OnSiteWorkshops.en.html
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QUICK FACTS: Reviewing the research on Black women’s mentoring experiences Research indicates having a mentor greatly increases a Black woman’s ability to successfully negotiate graduate school and the tenure track process (Ramey, 1993). Mentors impact the career choices of Black women and how their socio-cultural and gender experiences define their career choices and development. Here are some of the key research findings related to Black women’s mentoring experiences:
Mentoring relationships are vital to the facilitation of successful experiences for Black women and are necessary in order for them to break the glass ceiling (Guido-DiBrito & Batchelor,1988; Locke,1997)
Barriers Black women in academia face include lack of networking opportunities, ethnic role models, mentors, and institutional support (Catalyst, 2004)
Black women overwhelmingly prefer Black female mentors, however, they often have a difficult time locating such women on predominantly white college and university campuses (Jackson, Kite, & Branscombe, 1996)
Black women in academia are less likely than Black men to have mentors (Blackwell, 1983; Patton &Harper,2003)
Black women often understand that unwritten rules exist, governing ―ivory tower‖ processes leading them to actively seek out formal and informal support to ―get through‖ (Johnson-Bailey, 2001)
Black women a have wide range of mentors including friends, relatives, work supervisors, and professional colleagues who provide spiritual, emotional, financial, and educational advisement (Mumford, 1996)
Many Black women rely on their mothers (who often live many miles away) to provide the inspiration, emotional support, and career advisement that is absent in mentoring relationships on campus (Patton &Harper, 2003)
Black women graduate students, particularly those mentored by white faculty, sometimes feel they had to portray an image of ―being okay‖ or not having ―real problems‖ (Patton &Harper, 2003)
The majority of Black women graduate students intend to become mentors someday (Howard-Vital & Morgan, 1993) 12
10 Student Loan Tips for Recent Grads Whether you are graduating or taking a break from college, these tips will help you stay on top of your student loans. That means avoiding fees and extra interest costs, keeping your payments affordable, and protecting your credit rating.
income, and forgive any debt remaining after 25 years of payments. Forgiveness may be available after just 10 years of payments for borrowers in the public and nonprofit sectors (see #10 below). To find out more about Income-Based Repayment, visit www.IBRinfo.org .
1. Know Your Loans: It's important to keep track of the lender, balance, and repayment status for each of your student loans. These details determine your options for loan repayment and forgiveness. You can start by asking your lender. If that doesn't work, try visiting www.nslds.ed.gov. Once you log in there you can find out your total loan amounts, lender(s), and the repayment status of your federal loans. If some of your loans are not listed, they are probably private (non-federal) loans. For those, try to find the paperwork that you signed; contact your school if you cannot locate any records.
4. Stay in Touch with Your Lender: Whenever you move or change your phone number, make sure to tell your lender right away. If your lender needs to contact you and your information isn't current, it can end up costing you a bundle. Open and read every piece of mail you receive about your student loans. If you're getting unwanted calls from your lender or a collection agency, don't stick your head in the sand! Talk to them about the issue: lenders are supposed to work with borrowers to resolve problems. Ignoring bills or serious problems can lead to default.
2. Know Your Grace Period: Different loans have different grace periods (how long you can wait after leaving school before you have to make your first payment). For Perkins loans the grace period is nine months; for Stafford and most other federal loans it's six months. The grace periods for private student loans vary, so consult your paperwork or contact your lender to find out.
5. Remember that You Have Options: If you're having trouble making payments, don't panic. Whether it's due to unemployment, health problems, or going back to school, there are legitimate ways to postpone your federal loan payments, such as deferments and forbearance. Beware: interest accrues on both subsidized and unsubsidized loans during forbearances. First see if Income-Based Repayment could help instead: your required payment could be as little as $0 when your income is very low.
3. Pick the Right Repayment Option: When your federal loans come due, your loan payments will automatically be based on a standard 10-year repayment plan. If the standard payment is going to be hard for you to cover, there are other options that can help you manage your debt, including monthly payments, but you’ll end up paying more – often a lot more – in interest over the life of the loan. The most important new option is the IncomeBased Repayment program. It can cap your monthly payments at a reasonable percentage of
6. Stay out of Trouble! Ignoring your student loans has serious consequences that can last a lifetime. Not paying can lead to delinquency and default. For federal loans, default kicks in after nine months of non-payment. When you default, your total loan balance becomes due, your credit score is ruined, the total amount you owe increases dramatically, and the government can garnish your wages and seize your tax refunds. Talk to your lender if you're in danger of default. You can also find useful information at studentloanborrowerassistance.org.
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KEY LOAN TERMS AND PROGRAM LINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW
7. Lower Your Principal if You Can: When you make a loan payment, it covers any late fees first, then interest, and finally the principal. If you can afford to pay more than your required monthly payment, you can lower your principal, reducing the amount of interest you pay. Include a written request to your lender to make sure that the extra amount is applied to your principal, otherwise they will just apply it to future payments. Keep copies for your records and check to be sure the overpayment was applied correctly. 8. Pay Off the Most Expensive Loans First: If you're considering paying off one or more of your loans ahead of schedule, or trying to reduce the principal, start with the one that has the highest interest rate. If you have private loans in addition to federal loans, start with your private loans, since they almost always have higher interest rates and lack the flexible repayment options and other protections of federal loans. 9. To Consolidate or Not to Consolidate: A consolidation loan combines multiple loans into one for a single monthly payment and one fixed interest rate. This calculator can help you figure out what your interest rate would be if you were to consolidate. If consolidation is right for you, shop around for the best deal, but banks and private lenders are not making consolidation loans as often as they used to. There may be other options, but Direct Consolidation Loans from the Department of Education are definitely available. 10. Loan Forgiveness: There are various programs that will forgive all or some of your federal student loans if you work in certain fields. Public Service Loan Forgiveness is a new federal program that forgives any student debt remaining after 10 years of qualifying payments for people in government, nonprofit, and other public service jobs. Find out more at www.IBRinfo.org. See the comprehensive list of loan forgiveness programs link on the right. Links to terms and organizations in this article are located to the right. Reprinted with permission from The Project on Student Debt. Visit http://projectonstudentdebt.org/recent_grads.vp.html to see the original article with links to related articles. 14 6
NIH Loan Repayment Programs http://www.lrp.nih.gov/ National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment program http://www.apa.org/monitor/may07/nhscloan.aspx National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program http://ncmhd.nih.gov/our_programs/loan/index.as Direct Consolidation Loans from the Department of Education http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/ Public Service Loan Forgiveness http://ibrinfo.org/what.vp.html#pslf List of Loan Forgiveness Programs http://www.finaid.org/loans/forgiveness.phtml Alternative Repayment Plans http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org/rep ayment/repayment-plans/ Deferments http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org/rep ayment/postponing-repayment/deferments/ Income-Based Repayment http://ibrinfo.org/ Forbearance http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org/rep ayment/postponing-repayment/forbearances/
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Submitting Newsletter Copy Electronic mail submissions in the Word format (.doc) is preferred. Mailed or faxed submissions are also accepted. The newsletter is published bi-annually and reaches readers approximately 2 weeks after each deadline. Summer/ July Issue Deadline May 15 Fall/ October Issue Deadline September 15 Winter/February Issue Deadline January 15
Send submissions to: stephens@fiu.edu
or With 175 million active Facebook users throughout the world, our page serves as a central meeting place for Black women in the field and those interested in topics related to Black women in psychology. No longer the purview of teens and students, Facebook is now drawing in the over 30 crowd at the fastest rate of all age groups, making the social networking site the perfect place for you to connect with other members- and potential members- of our section. Here you can post information about yourself and connect with others working on similar topics of interest. Just go to ―Black Women in Psychology‖ on Facebook.com and request to be added to our page.
Attn. Dr. Dionne Stephens Department of Psychology Florida International University 11200 SW 8th Street, DM 256 Miami, Florida 33199 Phone: 305-919-5249 Fax: 305-348-3879
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CALLS FOR PAPERS & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Calls for Papers The Journal of Black Masculinity The Journal of Black Masculinity is an online open access peer-reviewed international publication providing multiple discoursed and multiple disciplined based analyses of issues and/or perspectives with regard to black masculinities. The journal invites empirical, theoretical, and literary scholarship, as well as, essays, poetry, art, and music. Submissions from multiple disciplines beyond the Humanities and Social Sciences are encouraged. The journal will be published online quarterly; however, we are seeking papers for our inaugural issues. The first issue will be published Fall 2010. Contact Info: C. P. Gause, PhD, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership University of North Carolina-Greensboro cpgause@uncg.edu drcpgause@gmail.com www.drcpgause.com
Fellowships APA William Bailey Health & Behavior Congressional Fellowship The purpose of this fellowship is to provide psychologists with interests in health and behavior issues, including HIV/AIDS, health disparities, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health issues, with an invaluable public policy learning experience, to contribute to the more effective use of psychological knowledge in government, and to broaden awareness about the value of psychology/government interaction among psychologists and within the federal government. Deadline: January 7, 2011 Congressional Fellowship Program Government Relations Office Public Interest Directorate American Psychological Association 750 First St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242 For additional information, please contact Micah Haskell-Hoehl, Program Administrator, at (202) 336-5935 or visit the Fellowship website http://www.apa.org/about/gr/fellows/index.aspx.
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The Psychology of Black Women Section One of the Society for the Psychology of Women
Who we are: The Psychology of Black Women, Section One of Division 35, began as a committee on Black women's concerns. With vision and perseverance, the committee gained a more prominent voice within the Division and Section One, The Psychology of Black Women, was established in 1984. As a section, The Psychology of Black Women has its own bylaws and governance structure and has scheduled time for invited presentations at the American Psychological Association's annual convention.
T Our o
Vision:
To create a forum where Black women can network, find mentors, and get support from each other To provide outreach, guidance, and mentoring to Black female students in Psychology To promote the development of methods of research and models of treatment and intervention that are ethnically, culturally, and gender appropriate for Black women To increase scientific understanding of those aspects of ethnicity, culture, and class among Black women which pertain to the psychology of women To maintain and increase the overall status of Black women in the profession of Psychology To increase the quality of education and training opportunities for Black women in Psychology To encourage the evolution and development of the specialty of the Psychology of Black Women as a science To advocate on behalf of Black women psychologists with respect to the formation of policies of Division 35 To promote the general objectives of APA and Division 35
For further information If you have any questions about the Section, please contact Keith Cooke, Division 35 Administrative Office, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, Phone: 202-336-6197, Fax: 202-218-3599, Email: div35@apa.org.
Section on Psychology of Black Women A Section of Division 35, the Society for the Psychology of Women MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Membership dues are $10.00 per year ($5.00 for students; no fee if APA Dues exempt/Life Status membership). Membership period is January-December. After August 1, memberships are applied to the following calendar year. Name: Institution: Mailing address: City, state, and zip code: Telephone: Fax: Email address: Interests/Areas of Expertise: APA membership number (if applicable): APA Membership (circle): Member, Associate, Fellow, Dues Exempt (Life Status), Student Affiliate, International Affiliate, No APA Membership Type of membership desired (circle one): Member, Associate, Dues Exempt (Life Status), Student Affiliate, Professional Affiliate New member or renewal (circle one) Are you willing to be a mentor to students and/or early career psychologists?
YES
NO
Cardholder name (the name appearing on credit card): Cardholder's billing address: Credit card number: Credit card expiration date: Card type (only MasterCard, Visa, or American Express): Daytime phone number and email address (if available): Amount to be charged in US Dollars: Cardholder signature:
Please fax to 202-218-3599 or mail to Division Services Office- American Psychological Association750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 If sending a check, please make it payable to APA Division 35. Questions? Contact Keith Cooke at 202-336-6197 or div35@apa.org Find more information: www.apa.org/divisions/div35/