Improving Mental Health in Haiti

Students may be interested in this blog post from Partners in Health.

http://www.pih.org/blog/improving-mental-health-services-in-haiti

call for abstracts for the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development

Dear students:

Below please find an email from the IASSW, of which ETS is a member. Please let us know if you are interested in attending or presenting at this conference. I understand that the languages of the conference include French and Spanish, as well as English.We are happy to meet with any of you who may be interested in talking about this opportunity.

Jennifer Balistra and Athena Kolbe

Dear colleagues,

Let me draw your attention that call for abstracts for the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development is open till 18th of October, 2013. Details and submission are here: http://www.swsd2014.org/call-for-abstracts.

The theme of the Conference is “Promoting Social and Economic Equality: Responses from Social Work and Social Development”. It will be held from 09-12 July 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. IASSW members who paid their annual dues will have discounts for registration.

Withe regards,

Dr. Tetyana Semigina

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Secretary of the International Association of Schools of Social Work

E-mail:iassw.secretary@gmail.com

IASSW official web-site: www.iassw-aiets.org

IASSW at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IASSW.AIETS

IASSW at Twitter: @IASSW_AIETS

IASSW at Linkedin: International Association of Schools of Social Work (group)

International Association of Schools of Social Work

Good morning:

ETS recently became a member of the International Association of Schools of Social Work. You can find out more about IASSW by looking at their website: http://www.iassw-aiets.org/

"IASSW was founded in 1928 at the First International Conference of Social Work, held in Paris. It was initially comprised of 51 schools, mostly in Europe, and was known as the International Committee. Revitalized after World War II, the organization expanded its membership to include a wider range of countries and was renamed the International Association of Schools of Social Work. The association has member schools in all parts of the world; 5 regional organizations in Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America; and North America and the Caribbean are affiliated with the IASSW and represented on the Board of Directors."

We are proud to be a member of the IASSW and to promote the profession of social work, both in Haiti and globally.

Yours,

Athena Kolbe

Bon maten:

ETS dènyèman te vin yon manm nan Asosyasyon Entènasyonal la nan Lekòl nan Travay Sosyal. Ou ka jwenn plis enfòmasyon sou IASSW pa gade nan sit entènèt yo: http://www.iassw-aiets.org/

"IASSW te fonde nan 1928 nan Konferans Entènasyonal la Premye a Travay Sosyal, ki te fèt nan Pari. Li te okòmansman konpoze de 51 lekòl yo, sitou nan Ewòp, epi yo te li te ye tankou Komite Entènasyonal. Revitalisé apre Dezyèm Gè Mondyal, òganizasyon an elaji manm li yo . genyen ladan yo yon seri pi laj de peyi yo ak te chanje non Asosyasyon Entènasyonal la nan lekòl nan Travay Sosyal asosyasyon an gen lekòl manm nan tout pati nan mond lan; 5 òganizasyon rejyonal nan Lafrik di; Azi ak Pasifik la; Lewòp; Amerik Latin; ak Amerik di Nò ak Karayib la yo afilye ak IASSW la ak reprezante nan Konsèy la nan Direktè. "

Nou fyè dèske nou dwe yon manm nan IASSW a ak ankouraje pwofesyon an nan travay sosyal, tou de nan Ayiti ak globalman.

kenbe fèm,

Athena Kolbe

FAQs about CSWE, foreign professors, scholarships, and more

Below please find answers to questions asked by students at the recent town hall meeting.

1. Is ETS certified by CSWE?

No. Though not qualified for institutional accreditation because of our location outside of the United States, ETS faculty and some students attend the annual Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) conference and our curriculum at both BSW and MSW level complies with the current CSWE standards. This can help when ETS graduates apply for their individual degree to be recognized by CSWE if they choose to attend an MSW or PhD program in North America.  CSWE doesn’t certify programs outside the United States. But the international degree review offered by CSWE is accepted by many American schools of social work to demonstrate that the degree earned abroad is equivalent to the degree a student would get in the United States. Why would you want to do the degree review?  Some American NGOs require that their employees who work in social work or mental health have a degree from an accredited university. Since ETS is not accredited by CSWE and has not yet received MOE recognition, a degree review and approval letter can be used in place of a degree from the United States. Also, if you decide to do a social work PhD in the United States, you will likely have to prove that you have a graduate social work degree which is equivalent so that you don’t need to repeat the MSW. There is a separate international degree review process for students who are pursuing graduate degrees in Europe after they finish at ETS.

2. Who pays for the scholarships that students receive?

Usually no one. Most students have a scholarship that is actually a “fee waiver” which reduces or eliminates their tuition fees. Students who have a scholarship paid for a person are told who that person is and is required to write a letter of thanks to the individual donor. If you haven’t been told that you have a scholarship from a person and haven’t been invited to attend the scholarship thank you lunch, then you have a fee waiver and no one has paid for your school on your behalf.

3. Why isn’t the library open 24 hours a day?  Why can’t we stay and study after the office and classrooms close? 

Unfortunately we don’t have 24 hours security to let students in and out of the building. Because of this we close the library when the office closes and we don’t allow students to stay and study after hours. During finals week, arrangements can be made to stay late (or even all night) with prior permission from your professor and the office. Students who stay late to study are responsible for the laptop they check out until the office reopens. This is a privilege and is only granted when students can demonstrate they will be responsible in the study space.

4. Why don’t I get paid for my internship?  Why am I required to do field education work and not get paid, isn’t this slavery?

Social work students have, for years, complained about the fact that internships are required as part of the social work education and that social work interns are not paid. Some interns are paid, and we are always looking for opportunities for students where they can earn money while doing their field education internship. Internships help you build skills and apply knowledge that you learn in class to the real world. But we acknowledge that it’s not fair that some NGOs use interns in place of paid employees as a way to save money. This is something that we all experienced as MSW students and we also didn’t like the fact that we didn’t get paid (and were required to pay to do an internship). That’s part of the reason that we don’t require ETS students to enroll and pay for field education internship credit units. But we also see that it still doesn’t feel right that students, particularly highly skilled students, are not paid for their work. We will keep working to find paid internship and work opportunities for students.

5. When will the MOE finish their review and give ETS status?

We don’t know. There are many steps involved in this process. In the Fall of 2012, Almathe suggested that we retain an attorney to move the process forward. We did this and Almathe delivered the letter to the MOE that term. Still, the process can take a long time and there are more steps that we have to do before it is complete. We know that Madam Rea waited years for her paperwork. As we get closer to April 2015 (the month when students from the first cohort will begin to graduate) we will continue to keep everyone updated and to take further steps to facilitate the process if needed.

6. Why can’t BSW students take graduate classes?  This doesn’t seem fair.

Graduate students have their own classes in social work and social science which are separate because they have their own curriculum and are at a more advanced level. You may take classes with graduate students if the classes are professional development or language (so, computer classes, resume writing, English, etc.). But graduate students are taking classes that are too difficult or complex for you to attempt until you’ve had more education.

7. Do I have to write all papers in APA style?  Do all term papers have to be typed?

Yes. All homework, papers, essays, and reports must be written in APA style and must be created on a computer.

8. I heard that five students were kicked out for cheating. I’m afraid that I could be accused of plagiarism.

We understand that students are afraid of accidently plagiarizing when they do homework. The students who were recently suspended were all first year students who plagiarized more than one time. You are all aware of this incident because the suspended students were involved in group work projects in a social work class. You can be reassured that the other students doing group work were not disciplined for plagiarism that was done by other students.

Every term we offer a workshop in plagiarism prevention. This is required for students who have been referred by a professor but other students are invited to take this workshop as well. It’s useful to learn how to cite and how to write so that you guard your own words and prevent accidently using another person’s ideas or writing.  Students are not expelled or suspended the first time they plagiarize. But we will require students to watch their writing to assure that such behavior doesn’t become a habit; plagiarism is like lying. It is dishonest and is not an ethical behavior. Social Workers need to have high ethics and be mindful of these kind of issues.

9. Some students were invited to speak at the University of Michigan. Why wasn’t I invited? A student spoke at NYU and was hired to work at NYU. How come I wasn’t hired? What’s the relationship of ETS to this university? What is the relationship of ETS to other universities?

The students who were invited to speak at Michigan were part of a PTSD intervention and the professor who created the intervention was also speaking at the conference. We hope that all other students will get involved in research; presenting your research at a conference is fun and educational. The students who did an internship with an NYU professor were able to do a paid social work internship during their time working on the research project. They applied for this position when the announcement was sent out by the office and hired directly by the research coordinator from NYU, we were not part of the decision making process. We understand that it’s disappointing when other classmates get paid internships, but you don’t.

ETS doesn’t have a formal relationship with Michigan, New York University, or any other American university. We aren’t part of or operated by any other institution. Most of the professors at ETS are doctoral students or professors at other universities (including Wayne State, the University of Florida, SUNY, etc.) but at ETS these professors are volunteers; the foreign university with which they are affiliated doesn’t control or influence ETS or the teaching of these professors. We are grateful to the support and encouragement ETS has received from abroad. Donations of books, computers, and teaching materials have enabled us to provide educational resources that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. We are also grateful to universities who have paid for the travel expenses or donated the time of their faculty members and graduate students to teach in Haiti. Most recently, we have Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, to thank for this!

10. Why do we have foreign students study here sometimes?

The cost of university in the United States is very high. Tuition can cost $20,000 USD or more a year. Occasionally we have students who come from the United States to study in Haiti for a term or two. The student’s university usually only allows the student to transfer a limited number of credit units from another university to their home school. So, most foreign students don’t stay for more than a year, but going to school in Haiti (and only paying $1800 a year) helps them save money. Some foreign students also come to ETS because they are learning Creole or because they are interested in Haiti.

11. Can I change my major? What happens if I start in Psychology and want to change to Political Science?

Yes. You can change your major at any time. We expect that students will reassess their interests and change as they learn and grow. If you wait too long you may have problems graduating on time because you need to finish all the requirements for your social science major before you can graduate. If you start in one area and switch to another you should take this into consideration.

12. What’s the educational background of the professors?  Someone told me that the professors only have a secondary school education.

All professors hold a graduate degree from a recognized university program in their academic discipline. In general, professors only teach in the areas in which they have formal graduate training. So, for instance, a professor with a doctorate in Political Science would teach classes in that discipline. However, this is some overlap within graduate degree programs and professional training so that in some cases a professor with sufficient graduate preparation in a field may be asked to teach a related class that is listed in a different discipline. A good example of this is Political Science; many doctoral programs in Political Science include advanced coursework in macroeconomics and/or public policy. A professor with sufficient background in these areas many be allowed to teach a related or cross-listed course.

ETS offers the same quality of Social Work education as that available in the United States and Canada. All Social Work classes are taught by professors who hold a Masters in Social Work or an equivalent higher degree (PhD or Masters in Social Care, Social Welfare or Social Service Administration) from an accredited school of social work. Social Work practice classes are taught only by professors who have an MSW and at least two years of post-MSW practice experience.

Contributing as we prepare for part of the MOE process

Dear Students:

As you know, ETS is in the process of applying to the Ministry of Education for recognition. While we understand this process can take years to complete, we are hoping for everyone’s patience and participation. This process allows us a unique opportunity to review our curriculum, policies, and procedures, all of are also reviewed by the MOE during this process.

I invite all students to attend the informational session on the 19^th at 9am (at SOPUDEP lower level classroom) to learn about this process and to find out how individual students can contribute and give feedback on ETS policies (regulations), procedures, and the curriculum. 

Students in the Anthropology and Sociology undergraduate majors are also invited to participate in a focus group on the 25^th at 2pm. We will provide refreshments. The focus group will last one hour and will focus on the bridge curriculum (classes required for first year MA students who have earned their license in another discipline). The focus group will be at T48 in the group therapy room.

Thank you!

Jennifer Balistra

Course taken during the last term

Dear Students:

We hope that you are a having a productive semester thus far. Some of you have asked about the three classes that Dr. Timothy Schwartz was teaching last term. As many of you know, due to a demanding research schedule and frequent trips to Africa, Dr. Schwartz was forced to leave part way through the semester. Those of you who were enrolled in his classes will receive an email from us shortly which explains how this will impact your grades and credits from last term. Unfortunately, classes must include 13 hours of instruction for each course credit earned. Those of you who took his classes will see a reduced number of credits being granted to reflect the actual amount of class instruction given.

Though Dr. Schwartz is no longer affiliated with ETS we wish him the best of luck in his research and hope that he will be available to guest lecture at some point in the future.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this.

Sincerely,

Athena R. Kolbe

Director of Social Work Education

Enstiti Travay Sosyal & Syans Sosyal

Èske w se yon nouvo elèv nan ETS?

Èske w se yon nouvo elèv nan ETS?

Pa bliye pou yo vini nan SW199 semèn pwochen! Tcheke orè ou a wè si w anrejistre pou seksyon youn oswa seksyon de.

Seksyon yon sèl pral rankontre nan Petionville nan SOPUDEP nan jedi ak vandredi semèn pwochèn (3 janvye ak janvye 4) soti nan 10:30 nan maten an jouk 4:30 nan aprè midi.

Seksyon de ap rankontre nan Thomassin nan dimanch (desanm 30 ak 6 janvye) soti nan 12:00 jouk 6:30 nan aswè an.

Tout nouvo elèv dwe pran SW199 premye manda yo. Yo egzije ke w fin pase klas sa a nan premye ane ou nan ETS.

Si w gen nenpòt kesyon, tanpri imèl Alma Jean, administratè a ETS, nan Jean.Almathe.ETS@gmail.com.

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Are you a new student at ETS?

Don't forget to come to SW199 next week! Check your schedule to see if you registered for section one or section two.

Section one meets in Petionville at SOPUDEP on Thursday and Friday next week (January 3 and January 4) from 10:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon.

Section two meets at Thomassin on Sundays (December 30 and January 6) from 12:00 until 6:30 in the evening.

All new students must take SW199 their first term. It is required that you pass this class in your first year at ETS.

If you have any questions, please email Alma Jean, the ETS administrator, at Jean.Almathe.ETS@gmail.com.