HYPHEN
Snapshots | Reflections | Stories | 2018-19
SERVICE WITH A PURPOSE
Director’s Welcome Over the past year, the Stockton University Office of Service-Learning has seen a tremendous amount of growth, depth and expansion. To ensure our mark on the map, both locally and nationally, we have worked hard to make an impact. We started the year by hiring new professional staff, graduate students, AmeriCorps members, Faculty Fellows and students for our leadership programs, Bonner Leaders and Changebuilders. Our Service-Learning standards were completed with the support of our Faculty Fellow Dr. Betsy Erbaugh and launched to ensure quality in service experiences. These standards also allow Service-Learning courses to go deeper with our students, faculty and community partners as they impact the South Jersey area in a reciprocal way. Stockton University’s MLK Day of Service recognized a 15-year milestone, and the office received a grant to investigate the impact we have made in the area. The Office of Service-Learning has expanded our Bonner Leadership program with the creation of the Bonner Leader Team and Senior Intern role, and that allows students to foster experiential and leadership skills by following the Bonner Foundation developmental model. Lastly, the Office of Service-Learning has moved to our new suite in B106, establishing a stronger presence on campus in a location that meets the needs of our program and campus community effectively. On a personal note, I’ve accomplished a long-term vision of completing my doctoral program in hopes of leading our office to a brighter future. Looking ahead, we are excited to expand our Changebuilders program through a partnership with the Atlantic City EOF program and reimagining our Activist in Residency program – all with the focus of offering community partners additional tools to help them in the work they do every day. Enthusiastically,
Above: (L-R) Erin O’Hanlon, Elizabeth Erbaugh, Mohammad Ullah, Daniel Tomé, Veronica Rowland, Shawn Cooper, Aimee Wynne Below: (L-R)Mohammad Ullah, Daniel Fidalgo Tomé, Aimee Wynne
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Daniel Fidalgo Tomé, Ed.D. Director of the Office of Service-Learning Stockton University
Table of Contents
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Directors Welcome: Welcome to the 2019-2020 Edition of Hyphen
Learning Outside the Classroom: Service-Learning Courses Bring Unique Perspectives to Stockton
Serving America: Stockton Graduates Complete Service Years Through AmeriCorps
Bonner Leaders: Students Lead The Way as Service and Society Change Agents
Changebuilders: Building Change Happens Every Day Through Service Leadership
The First Generation Impact Collaborative: Supporting Students to Connect to Stockton in the First Year
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Activist in Resident: Dr. Leanne Trapedo-Sims Provides Perspectives On Prisons and The Incarcerated
Faculty Fellow: Connecting Experiential Best Practices for Stockton Service-Learning Courses
Looking Forward: What Will the New Academic Year Bring for an Office on the Move?
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Service-Learning By the Numbers
Front Cover (L-R): Tessa McHugh, Mohammad Ullah, Kyle Hunter. Photos (top to bottom) Above: Maddie Hindermyer serving food for MLK Day 2019. Bottom (L-R): Chris Lipari Pazienza, Maddie Dubbs, Kierston Connor, Kevin Gil-Clara, Andrew Dicken, Kyle Hunter, Stpehanie Sharo, Paige Richards, Maddie Hindermyer at Oxfam Banquet.
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Learning Outside the Classroom
Stockton University hosted unusual visitors during the Fall, 2018 semester -wolves! As part of Dr. Dan Hernandez’s BIOL3504 Conservation Biology course, a group of students successfully wrote a Civic Engagement Microgrant to bring Howling Woods Farm of Jackson, New Jersey onto to campus. It was a first for Stockton University to have the wolves and canine-wolf hybrids on campus, and a large gathering of students, faculty and staff were able to meet and take photos with the animals. Howling Woods also provided an educational session about the care of the wolves and wolfdogs and how each came to be adopted by the farm.
Dr. Hernandez’s Conservation Biology class is a standout every semester and typically has 3-4 groups apply for the Civic Engagement Microgrants. The microgrants can range from $50-$250 and can support special speakers on campus, educational programs, supplies for special events, and the purchasing of specialized equipment for local nonprofits.
Unique Perspectives
Janey Williams
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During the Spring, 2019 session of the class, students went on a trip to Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey Township with the support of a grant, learning about rescue adoptions and recovery programs.
The Women in Academia Conference was founded in 2014 and was initially funded internally. Several of the founding faculty were busy this year with sabbaticals, writing projects and other faculty responsibilities and it seemed there might not be a 2019 WIA Conference. That was when Professor Emily Van Duyne, Assistant Professor of Writing and First-Year Studies and Dr. Elizabeth Erbaugh, Assistant Professor of Sociology, stepped in. With the help of the Office of Service-Learning, their students in the two sections of GAH2358 Women, Gender and Sexuality (Professor Van Duyne) and SOCY1100 Introduction to Sociology (Dr. Erbaugh) organized the conference with campus sexual misconduct and Title IX as the focus. The keynote speaker was Janey Williams, of Los Angeles, CA, the author of the “This Happened” podcast. This podcast explores the common experience of women coming forward about sexual violence, and being disregarded. It was one of the texts of the class, where students listened and used that narrative to deconstruct larger changes currently happening in the United States. Students designed and led workshops across campus, and participated in focus groups about campus safety. This unique service-learning project tackled difficult topics, was student focused and student led, and was a collaborative project across three separate service-learning courses.
Serving America at Stockton
Changebuilder Coordinator: Veronica Rowland Veronica Rowland is an AmeriCorps member currently serving as the New Jersey Campus Compact Changebuilder Coordinator through the Office of Service-Learning. She graduated from Stockton University in May 2018 with a BA in Sociology/Anthropology. Her service year is specifically focused on developing civically engaged college graduates at the university, and she spends much of her time planning service-oriented events. Notably, she coordinated and organized the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, with 933 participants, National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week at Stockton, Read Across America, Service Year panel and National Volunteer Week. The Changebuilder program has received 2020 funding to expand programming and services over the next two years. She plans on renewing her year of service for the 2019-2020 year to continue her work.
Service Siblings!
Mohammad Ullah is the AmeriCorps VISTA at Stockton University as well was a full time student until he graduated in May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science with minors in Public Health and Business. He works collaboratively with the Office of Service-Learning with Join Together Atlantic County, which is a substance use prevention coalition housed at Atlantic Prevention Resources. Mo spent his service year working on various projects to help prevent, reduce, and delay substance use among the youth. Outreach projects varied from educating the public about stigma to addiction to handing out resources for proper drug disposal. Mo also assisted in promoting the Recovery Housing Program with Residential Life at Stockton University to the community, informing students and potential students who are in recovery about this resource. This position has changed Mo’s view on the impact community service has and helped him see a purpose in volunteering. It also helped Mo realize that he would like to be providing direct service on public health issues as he explores careers after his year of service.
Stockton University's Office of Service-Learning works collaboratively with New Jersey Campus Compact to run an AmeriCorps program called Changebuilders. New Jersey Campus Compact (NJCC) and Stockton University both strive to dramatically increase opportunities for college-going millennials to demonstrate excellence while engaging with and volunteering in communities, thereby enabling them to make a difference in their local communities as Changebuilders.
AmeriCorps VISTA: Mohammad Ullah
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Bonner Leaders
Students Lead the Way as Service and Society Change Agents The Bonner Foundation, based in Princeton, NJ, has developed a model of student leadership that is developmentally appropriate and rooted in the action of commitment to service and community. Bonners are found on over 60 campuses across the country, and are student cohorts that are scaffolded over their four years in individual service and community capacity building. One of the criteria for participating as an institution in the Bonner Network is that the Bonner students receive a stipend or wage in exchange for their 7-10 hours of service each week. Stockton University’s Bonner Leader Program is entering its 4th year in Fall 2019 and will be welcoming a new cohort of Bonner Leaders from the First Year and Transfer students. None of this would be possible without the help of key Bonner Leaders who have accepted leadership roles: The BLT, or Bonner Leadership Team. This group of four students plus a Senior Intern are crucial to keeping the Bonner Leader Program running smoothly. They take on responsibilities like communication, training, planning and recruiting new Bonners. They host and plan retreats for returning Bonners and support the students in choosing their service sites for the new year. The BLT has big aspirations for the coming cohort of students, and looks forward to being part of the selection process. The BLT recently attended the Summer Leadership Institute that is organized by the Bonner Foundation every year, and for 2019 was hosted at Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, PA. There they met Bonners from across the country, participated in leadership building workshops, and even got in some fun as well! The BLT for 2019-2020 are Kiya Barnard, Stephanie Sharo, Maddie Dubbs, Chris Lipari Pazienza. Paige Richards is the Bonner Senior Intern for 2019-2020.
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Changebuilders
Building Change Happens Every Day Through Service Leadership Stockton University is one of several state colleges and universities that received an AmeriCorps grant for 2018-2019 through New Jersey Campus Compact. NJCC is a coalition of New Jersey higher education institutions' guided by a mission to further community prosperity by generating both commitment and access to civic engagement initiatives. NJCC plays a crucial role in bringing colleges and universities from all sectors together with community service agencies, schools, government, business and nonprofit sectors to advance the cause of locally driven and sustainable solutions for the garden state. The AmeriCorps Changebuilders Program is a signature partnership that represents a massive statewide connection between AmeriCorps, the New Jersey Commission on Volunteerism, students and other NJ higher education institutions, expert practitioners from each campus, New Jersey’s businesses and industries, and numerous community partners. Veronica Rowland, ‘18, is the Changebuilders Program Coordinator for 2018-2019. She is a full-time AmeriCorps member and completed her first year of service recruiting and facilitating Stockton University Changebuilders into the community. “It was a great experience, I have learned so much in my first year. I am excited to stay on for a second year of service in this role,” said Rowland. She has also been accepted into the Masters of American Studies at Stockton, which will give her the expertise she is interested in for advanced work in museum studies and management. “Working with community partners, university partners and students has provided me with the confidence to organize and implement different programs and to maximize my communication with the public,” Rowland stated recently. There are over 20 ChangeBuilders who work with the program on projects from after school tutoring to special events like movie screening and fundraising with community partners.
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First Generation Impact Collaborative Project Coordinator: Aimee Wynne Aimee Wynne worked in the Office of Service-Learning as the First Generation Impact Collaborative Project Coordinator and Graduate Assisstant. She graduated from Stockton University in May 2017 with a BA in Studies in the Arts, and is a recent 2019 graduate with a MA in Instructional Technology. Aimee was awarded Stockton University’s Distinguished Research Fellowship through the Office of Graduate Studies to aid her in her Capstone research project. With this she was able to host two reflection sessions (traditional and art-based) that featured in her MAIT Capstone, and included the Bonner Leaders. In June, she presented this work at the 2019 ADP/NASPA Civic Learning & Democratic Engagement National Meeting in Florida. Aimee supported Bonner Leaders in multiple capacities in and outside of the office, one resulting in an internship with a local partner, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
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She helped build these important partnerships by sustaining these positive relationships with our community partners. She also worked closely with the Office of Service-Learning professional staff to support the Bonner Leaders in their academic and personal goals as well as the service-learning students. Aimee worked in Stockton University’s Service-Learning Blackboard to upload work and information for the dual credit program we are working on with Darren Babnew of the Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden. She also helped create an upcoming partnership between the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District in regards to the Dual Credit Program. There has been progress in connecting the Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT) to the service-learning dual credit program.
Activist in Resident:
Dr. Leanne Trapedo Sims
Providing Perspective on Prisons and The Incarcerated Dr. Leanne Trapedo Sims was dually appointed as the 2018-2019 Dr. Vera King Farris Fellow and Activist in Residence at Stockton University. In the Fall 2018 semester she screened Ovarian Psycos—a film on intersectional feminism, trauma, and community resistance. The students in her Critical Thinking course worked on collaborative media projects that interrogated the (mis)representations of African-American, inside (incarcerated), and Indigenous communities in film. The Activist in Resident planned a trip to the Eastern State Penitentiary at the end of the Fall 2018 semester. This provided a first-hand experience for students to consider the physical and psychological space that a prison holds for both individuals and a community. In April, Dr. Trapedo Sims organized a campus-wide performance/panel titled “Mary’s Daughter: Memoirs of an Artivist” by Blak Rapp Madusa. Blak Rapp Madusa is a queer, formerly incarcerated “artivist” (activist/artist) and political organizer. The success of the program, which was attended by over 200 students, and the meaningful post-event conversation about race, feminism, homopobia and the impact incarceration has on communities across America was a testament to her commitment to program-wide and college-wide diversity and community activities. The students from her Writing Women’s Lives class hosted the event as part of their service-learning experience and were active in many aspects of the performance.
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Faculty Fellow: Betsy Erbaugh, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Sociology
Providing Best Practices in Experiential Learning Dr. Elizabeth Erbaugh, Assistant Professor of Sociology, in conjunction with the Office of Service-Learning, was awarded a 2020 grant focused on Martin Luther King Day of Service. Dr. Erbaugh was the 2018-2019 Office of Service-Learning Faculty Fellow and partnered on the grant alongside the OSL staff and Alexis Poston, Graduate Student in the Masters in Arts of of Genocide and Holocaust Studies Program. Martin Luther King Day of Service celebrated its 15th year in 2019 at Stockton University, and qualitative data has been collected for the past five years focusing on the learning outcomes of the experience. In particular, four key pillars were reviewed as part of the study-- community connections, service, reflection, and learning. The final data is still under review, but initial data points to the finding that days of service play a crucial role in introducing college students to the concept of service, the community, and potential community partners. Stockton University has over 400 students participate in the Fall Day of Service each year and nearly 900 student, faculty, staff and community members who engage in the Martin Luther King Day of Service in January every year. While it is time intensive to organize and facilitate these days of service, there are clear connections between the clubs and organizations on campus and their “kick off” to service each semester through these dates. While there is still ongoing analysis of the data, the Office of Service-Learning is already gearing up for the 16th annual MLK Day of Service. It is anticipated that it will continue to be a popular event moving forward. Most recently, Dr. Erbaugh has written an article with Dr. Jess Bonnan-White, Associate Professor in Criminal Studies, for the Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education titled, “Do ‘Days of Service’ Meet Institutional Service-Learning Goals?: a Case Study in Assessment of the MLK Day of Service.” Graduate Student Alexis Poston presented a workshop on assessing Days of Service at the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting in June, 2019 on behalf of the MLK@15 Research Project. In addition to her research work on Days of Service, Dr. Erbaugh was instrumental in creating standards for Service-Learning courses and reviewing them with the faculty for feedback. These standards will be used in the coming academic year to create a committee of faculty that will review each service-learning course and designate it with a SRLN attribute for students transcripts.
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Looking Forward 2019-1020 2018-2019 was an exciting year for The Office of Service-Learning, and 2019-2020 is looking to be another year filled with growth, development and excitement. The Office of Service-Learning hopes to launch our new Service-Learning Standards to create a system of quality assurance for all Service-Learning courses. Our two new Faculty Fellows will play a role in running our curriculum committee as well as assisting faculty members engage in scholarship and research opportunities that benefit their tenure and promotion. Our Bonner Leaders Program begins it’s fourth year, and that means graduating our 1st cohort, recruiting 12-15 new students and diving deeper into their signature work of serving the campus and the community. Our AmeriCorps Changebuilders program will be working closer with the AC-EOF Program this year, focusing on Atlantic City-based projects. The Activist in Resident program will give four different community partners the opportunity to share and train our faculty, students and community partners a variety of skills they have from their own toolkits. Needless to say, the Office of Service-Learning is also very excited for additional programming offered in our new B-106 suite.
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Service-Learning...By the Numbers Special Thanks for their Unique Contributions: Paige Richards, Senior Bonner Intern Veronica Rowlands, Changebuilder Coordinator Shawn Cooper, Program Coordinator, Office of Service-Learning Erin O’Hanlon, Senior Program Coordinator Office of Service-Learning Daniel Fidalgo TomÊ, Ed.D., Director, Office of Service-Learning
www.stockton.edu/servicelearning