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Contest
Winners Table of Contents
2007 Contest Winners
BSW Students: WINNING BSW LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY PROJECT SUBMITTED TO ISP CONTEST 2007 BY KAJSA ANDERSON, AMELIA BOYLES, SAMANTHA DOYLE, JOSEPHINE MBURUGU & HEATHER WAIT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AT TACOMA. FACULTY MENTOR WAS DR. GINA BREUKELMAN.
The purpose of our group was to encourage support from our State Senators and Representatives of House Bill 1131: Creating the Passport to College Promise Program. This Bill proposes additional funding for the educational development of foster youth within Washington State. It is intended to increase the amount of foster youth, ages fourteen to eighteen, in completing their high school education and going on to college. House Bill 1131 focuses on partnership between high school counselors and colleges to address mentorship among foster youth. Further, successful completion of high school would then give foster youth between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six the opportunity to receive financial assistance and additional resources enabling them to work toward a college degree or certificate.
As a group, we each sent our district Senators and Representatives a letter personally expressing our reason for supporting this Bill. To further show our support of this Bill, we rallied more than fifty people to send a letter to each of their Representatives and Senator in their district, this totaled over 150 letters being sent in support of foster youth furthering their education. To better understand what House Bill 1131 signifies we created a fact sheet to provide to individuals who would support our letter campaign and this Bill. To help assist individuals in sending a letter to their legislators, we created a template letter for both legislative sponsors and non-sponsors of House Bill 1131. In addition to supplying individuals with a fact sheet and a letter, we taught them to navigate the Washington State Legislature’s official website. This included showing them how to find what district they lived in as well as whom their Senator and Representatives were. Not only did this gain their support for House Bill 1131, it sparked their interest in learning more about the legislative process. Additionally our group attended a lobby day and met with Senator Mike Carrell, one of our district representatives who is also a member of the Ways and Means Committee.
The first reading of House Bill 1131 was on January 11th, shortly thereafter it moved to Appropriations, and on March 6th the first substitute bill was submitted with 81 yeas! House Bill 1131 is now on the Senate side with a scheduled public hearing in the Senate Committee on March 15th. We believe our letter campaign, communication with our legislators, and our meeting with Senator Carrell, has encouraged the speedy progression of this Bill.
In Washington State there are more than 7,300 children in foster family or group care. Only 34 percent of foster care youth graduate from high school within four years, compare to 70 percent for the general population. Only 20 percent of former foster care youth earn a high school degree and enroll in college, compared to over 60 percent of the general population. We believe the funding provided through House Bill 1131 will likely increase the graduation rates for foster youth as well as encourage them toward higher education.
Through this process we learned that our voice does make a difference. We have the ability to represent a multitude of individuals by sending emails, making phone calls, and having meetings with legislators. Have a Heart for Kids Lobby Day was incredibly empowering as we witnessed people rallying together to bring about change for Washington State children. More importantly we learned how easy it is to create positive change for others. House Bill 1131 did pass and was sent to Governor Gregoire on April 20th, 2007 for her consideration.
MSW Student:
WINNING MSW LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY PROJECT SUBMITTED TO ISP CONTEST 2007 BY JENNIFER GREENFIELD FROM THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICES IN ST. LOUIS, MO. FACULTY MENTOR WAS ASHLEY CRUCE, MSW
During the spring of 2007, I completed a social work practicum at Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU), an interfaith organization representing 62 congregations in Metropolitan St. Louis. My primary goal was to work during Missouri’s 2007 legislative session to build MCU’s Health Care Task Force and to advocate for Medicaid reform in the wake of cuts made in 2005 that affected 400,000 Medicaid consumers. I also represented MCU with the First Things First (FTF) campaign, a coalition of 20 advocacy groups working on Medicaid reform. As part of a quick response strategy crafted by the FTF coalition, I influenced the Medicaid debate by writing policy briefs and action alerts, organizing a rally and lobby day, and testifying before a House committee. Through this work, I directly impacted the language of the Medicaid reform bill that is now moving through the state legislature.
My tasks included creating a one-page policy critique of the Missouri Governor’s Medicaid reform proposal, called the MO HealthNet plan, which was sent to 20,000 people as part of an action alert. Once the Governor’s plan was introduced as legislation in the Senate, as SB 577, I organized a rally in opposition to the bill. The rally was attended by over 100 people, and was covered by KMOV (CBS affiliate), a popular radio station, and a local newspaper. I worked with three disabled consumers who had been adversely affected by the 2005 Medicaid cuts but who had never told their story in public, and I helped them prepare personal testimony for the rally. Afterward, 75 participants marched in downtown St. Louis holding signs saying “MO HealthNet is NO HealthNet,” and “MO HealthNet is the Wrong Rx for Missouri.”
At the rally and at church services throughout the city, participants signed prescription slips calling for comprehensive Medicaid reform, which were then placed in mock prescription bottles. During a lobby day the following week, thirty FTF volunteers and I delivered these mock prescriptions and my policy critique to every House Representative. I spoke directly with several legislators, and helped to prepare testimony given by the MCU Task Force chair and a Medicaid consumer during a committee hearing. At the end of the hearing, we presented a large container of prescription bottles to the Committee Chair and to the Governor.
The following week, the Committee released a new draft of the MO HealthNet legislation containing several of our proposed amendments but failing to address our primary concern: eligibility for the 400,000 people who had lost Medicaid coverage or services in 2005. Therefore, a Medicaid recipient and I again went to the Capitol on behalf of the FTF partners to deliver over 10,000 petition signatures to the Committee and to speak at a press conference about the bill. Unexpectedly, the Committee Chair announced that testimony in support of full restoration of cuts would not be allowed that day. With just a few minutes to prepare, I identified a specific line item in the bill to target and proposed new language that reflected the FTF principles. I then presented the 10,000 signatures, in a stack of paper over one foot tall, to the Committee Chair. I received a follow up email from the Chair on May 6 noting that my proposed language had been included in the final Committee version of the bill. The press conference and hearing were covered by several major media outlets in Jefferson City and Kansas City, and I was quoted in the Jefferson City Tribune (see http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2007/05/03/). The Committee version of the bill will be heard in the Missouri House in the week of May 7th.
This practicum experience has taught me several important lessons. First, it is not always possible to plan an advocacy strategy in advance, because the legislative schedule and process are highly fluid. Therefore, it is essential to remain flexible and to be skilled at thinking on your feet when working to influence legislative policy. Second, the press can be a valuable ally in advocacy work, and cultivating relationships with reporters is an essential part of advocacy practice. Third, social workers have a unique opportunity and responsibility to engage personal stories and involve affected consumers in the advocacy process so that those who are most vulnerable can have a direct impact on policymakers’ decisions.
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All MSW and BSW entries to the 2007 Contest
ISP BSW Students 2007 Contest Entries
Tony Cox, Laurie Frohreich, Leah Kurbis, Karley Overland, Danielle Thomas, and Crystal Tyree of University of Washington at Tacoma actively promoted support for HB1088, a proposal for the development of a children’s mental health research facility, through distributing fact sheets, attending Lobby Day with the Children’s Alliance, personal visits to legislators, and a letter writing campaign. The bill was passed by the legislature in April 2007 and was sent to the governor for signature. Faculty member assisting these students: Gina Benkelman, MSW
Sheri Forker and Shanna Groen of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey identified a lack of adequate substance abuse treatment for women in New Jersey, and in particular, expectant mothers with substance abuse issues. Working to amend S807 (which would appropriate monies to mental health clients who already have insurance, and not to those who are uninsured), students investigated the scope and depth of the problem, visited existing facilities that treat mothers with substance abuse issues, and encouraged these facilities to be actively involved in the legislative process. Students also attended Rutgers-Newark Influencing National Policy Symposium, presenting their project to their peers, and garnered support from their local legislators. Faculty member assisting these students:Michael S. Cronin, PhD
Terri Pennington, Rachel Craig, and Donald Landof Slippery Rock University advocated to change Pennsylvania’s minimum wage exemption law for employees who receive more than $30.00 per month in tips. Students participated in writing over 250 letters to every member of the senate and house, designing a website that includes form letters and information on elected officials, sending mass emails to the public, and designing business cards with information about the website to leave with tips, in an attempt to reach wait-staff and servers. While they have yet to hear from their representatives, they remain committed to pursuing policy change. Faculty member assisting these students: Alana Atchinson, PhD
Kathryn Cook, Amanda Hudson, Constantine Kopf, Lorena Scott, and
Valentine Seleaneva of University of Washington at Tacoma engaged in lobbying, educating the public, and building support for legislation HB 1071 & SB5093 that would provide healthcare to uninsured families and children who are within 300% of the federal poverty level. Students participated in gathering signatures, writing and meeting with legislators, encouraging public awareness, attending a committee meeting and a Lobby Day. Faculty member assisting these students: Gina Benkelman, MSW
Jenna Wood, Ashley Tasky, Jessi Thomas, and Deborah Yunker of Slippery Rock University advocated for the passage of HB 59 and SB 269, which provides funding for domestic violence programs in the state of Pennsylvania. Students participated in coalition building, lobbying, media and letter-writing campaigns, and creating public awareness. Faculty member assisting these students: Alana Atchinson, PhD
Jane Knable of Cedarville University (Ohio) participated in supporting efforts to change legislation that currently caps the amount of funding provided to the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (HTF). The HTF is designed to help low-income Ohioans with housing options and services. Jane increased public awareness through the use of fliers, class presentations, a Lobby Day, and personal meetings with senators and representatives, who agreed to support the changes. Faculty member assisting this student: Christine Fulmer, MSW
Nick Cevallos, Dave Pianese, and Angela Shaner of Romapo College of New Jersey campaigned and presented testimony to the Senate Labor Committee in support of New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance bill (S 2249/A 3812). This bill proposed paid leave to New Jersey workers who have to care for a sick family member or to bond with a newborn/newly adopted child. As a result of their efforts, members of the group were asked to give a presentation at Rutgers-Newark Influencing National Policy Symposium. Students also participated in increasing public awareness. The bill passed and will affect thousands of New Jersey citizens. Faculty member assisting these students: Valerie Scott Massimo, PhD
Amy Salahshour & Matthew Prenticeof Appalachian State University responded to the lack of affordable housing in WataugaCounty by first researching the issue and then advocating for more funding to the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund. They prepared an issues brief and presented it to committee members. Amy and Matthew also participated in coalition building and increasing public awareness through campaigning efforts. Their efforts were recognized by the NASW-NC and in May they were invited to attend the NC Housing Coalition’s Annual Conference to receive the Sister Barbara Sullivan award. Faculty member assisting these students: Kellie Reed-Ashcraft, PhD
Jenny Moreno, Julie Veldman, and Kristen Leone of Indiana University, in an effort to address the problem of methamphetamine addiction, waged a public awareness campaign targeted specifically towards college age students, who are typically among the largest group of meth users. Students created a Facebook on-line support group containing informational facts and statistics about methamphetamine use and prevention. Faculty member assisting these students: Bruce McCallister, PhD
Marianna Johnson of Winona State University advocated to support legislation that would limit college and university tuition increases. Marianna increased public awareness by posting flyers, handing out over 300 policy briefs, emailing legislators and encouraging the public to contact their representatives. Faculty member assisting this student: Ruth Charles, PhD
Dan Herisko, Christine Tebbets, Lauren Sandulli, Kenneth Jones, and Megan Greb of Slippery Rock University worked to gain community support for legislation that would legalize same-sex marriages in the state of Pennsylvania. The group began their project with researching the history and policies of same-sex marriages and conducted community interviews with citizens to determine the level of support. They organized a petition and collected signatures. These petitions and personal letters of support were then mailed to legislators. Faculty member assisting these students: Alana Atchinson, PhD
Jennifer Gretz of Winona State University tackled the issue of rising tuition costs in Minnesota by supporting legislation that would freeze increases. In an effort to educate the community, students wrote letters to numerous newspaper publications, created and posted informational posters on campus and appealed to representatives who were alumni of MinnesotaStateColleges and Universities (MNSCU). Faculty member assisting these students: Ruth Charles, PhD
Jessica Villareal, Katie Curry, Tyne Tennyson, Reed Harding, Nakia Jackson, and April Aikenof University of Washington at Tacoma developed a public awareness campaign to help promote the Marriage Equality Bill (HB 1350). This bill would allow Washington’s same sex couples to obtain a civil marriage license. Students organized an informational table on campus, encouraged students to write letters and to telephone their legislators, and went to the Capitol building to lobby in support of the bill. They also met personally with their legislators. Despite their efforts, the bill died in the judiciary committee. Faculty member assisting these students: Gina Breukelman, MSW
Cynthia Tri of Winona State University advocated for Minnesota bill HF 327 which provides an increase in funding for early childhood (pre-K) education. Cynthia’s efforts included increasing awareness through educating college students, parents, citizens and legislators, and by meeting with prevention professionals and legislators, including a trip to WashingtonDC to meet with her Congressman. HF 327 became House Omnibus Early Learning bill (HF 1056) and included an increase for school readiness programs of $1.9 million for the biennium. Faculty member assisting this student: Ruth Charles, PhD.
ISP MSW Students 2007 Contest Entries
Amy Rust Bennett and 12 students of Boise State University released a legislative briefing paper during a press conference to educate Idaho’s Legislature about the causes and implications of global warming, and provided recommendations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the state of Idaho. The briefing also included 17 recommendations for further action, based upon best practices of other state legislatures. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. William H. Whitaker.
Kaela Byers, Davis Gross, Irene Muniz, Jake Weissmann, and Jennifer Will of University of Maryland-Baltimore drafted a legislative bill (HB 839) and had it introduced at the 2007 Maryland General Assembly. HB 839 would create a program to collect and refund deposits on beverage containers. Students organized a community effort to lobby, build coalitions, write letters, and participate in public awareness activities. Some students also testified at the committee hearing. Unfortunately, HB 839 failed in subcommittee. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Stephen Soifer.
Ericka Dubois, Kate Leonard, Patricia Oh, Suna Shaw, and Amanda Swanson of University of Southern Maine advocated for the passage of LD 144 - legislation designed to exempt clinics that provide free medical care to the indigent or uninsured from paying state sales and use taxes. Students contacted legislators to urge their support, created and distributed an informational brochure to increase public awareness, and helped organize a public information session. The bill is in the Appropriations Committee as of this writing. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Otrude Moyo
Elizabeth Franklin, Alice Wightman, Yadira Mazon, Kathy Laboe, and Kim Hawke of University of Illinois at Chicago worked together to support legislation that advocates for court diversion drug schools instead of incarceration for persons charged with low-level drug offenses. Students developed a coalition and participated in lobbying for The Smart Act, as well as participating in the Justice Summit. If implemented, more than 49,000 people will be affected. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Alice Johnson Butterfield
Elizabeth Lanter of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee decided to take an innovative approach towards aiding “at-risk “ families to bridge the gap between Head Start programs and beginning traditional school. Elizabeth contacted U. S. senators expressing her concerns about the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and proposed the collaboration of Head Start and NCLB for a smooth transition of the “at-risk” families into a successful school career. Faculty member assisting this student: Dr. Wendy Volz-Daniels
Joseph Le Roy, III of University of Washington-Tacoma has been involved in a community project for over 2 years mapping the system that serves youth who are “aging-out” of the foster care system. He advocated for bills SB5305/HB1201 which would extend Medicaid coverage for all children leaving foster care from age 19 to age 21. Joseph organized a youth group to go to the capitol for Youth Advocacy Day, became involved with a coalition, met with representatives, and empowered the youth to testify in front of the House and Senate with personal testimony. Joseph also had the opportunity to testify for SB 5305 in committee. The bill made a successful passage and was signed by the Governor in May of 2007. More than 450 youth who are aging out of the system will now have health care until age 21. Faculty member assisting this student: Dr. Janice H. Laakso
Tamikia Jackson, Belinda Loera, Liberty Nicholas, Alma Reyes, and Theresa Tankson of Texas State University-San Marcos created "Project CIS” with the purpose of increasing awareness of the Communities in Schools (CIS) program. The program aims to prevent students from dropping out of high school. Currently, the program is only able to serve 3% of the Texas population. The group gained support of HB1609/SB127, which would increase funding to the CIS program, by obtaining signatures from the community and legislative advocating. Both bills have been sent to the calendar. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Mary Jo Garcia Biggs
Veliska (Perumal) Thomas, and social work students at University of Tennessee-Knoxville addressed the need to change a non-discrimination policy that currently protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity. The UTK Commission for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender persons was approached to include gender identity under the scope of sexual-orientation. Through brochures and lobbying, students persuaded the Commission to include transgender issues into the policies of UTK Commission for LGBT. The Commission passed a resolution which prohibits discrimination in hiring and personnel practices on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Cynthia Rocha
Bethanie Poe, Sarah Gwaltney, Jennifer Holmes and Carolyn Burton Williams of University of Tennessee-Knoxville decided to advocate for domestic violence bills SB0196/HB1161- legislation that would include pets in domestic violence orders of protection. These students created an informational brochure and emailed it to over 320 domestic violence and animal welfare organizations across the state in order to gain support. They spoke to state legislators, presented a poster at the Social Work Legislative Conference and succeeded in persuading the Tennessee chapter of NASW to become involved. The group is very hopeful that the legislation will pass. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Cynthia Rocha
Travis Rice of University of Nevada-Reno, during a MSW field internship with State of Nevada Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, became involved in advocating for Leslie’s AB 126, a piece of legislation designed to increase the amount of funding for transitional housing for the homeless. Travis co-coordinated Nevada's Tent-City – a demonstration held on the grounds of the state Capitol to raise public awareness of the state’s homelessness crisis. Over 200 people camped overnight in tents or cardboard boxes. Travis also arranged a public photo exhibit, presented information during committee meetings, and held a press conference to educate the public. If passed, AB 126 would provide a one-time appropriation of $20 million for transitional housing. Faculty member assisting this student: Dr. Susan Chandler
Josephine Paulette Tittsworth of University of Houston, in conjunction with the Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) Student Association (SA) succeeded in convincing her state representative and senator to submit a bill that would exempt college and university textbooks from statewide sales tax. Students tracked the bill, spoke with various legislators and issued Student Action Alerts via e-mail whenever immediate action was required. Passage of SB 49 will affect students throughout the state of Texas. The last update (in May 2007) stated SB 49 passed the senate unanimously and was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee. Faculty member assisting this student: Dr. Ira Colby
Shadia Boraby, Terry Fregapane, Elizabeth Patino, Mel Phillips, Jessie Schwartz, Diane Skinner, Jessica Walker, and Pat Woytek of Dominican University in Illinois took social action to help the more than 400,000 legal immigrants who are eligible to apply for citizenship, overcome difficult barriers such as high application fees and communication difficulties. By collaborating with a community-based coalition called the 8th Day Center for Justice, students advocated for the state to permanently fund the New Americans Initiative (NAI) – a group (previously grant funded) that links immigrants to information and services to pursue citizenship. Students prepared letters and fact sheets, met with legislators, obtained sponsors to introduce legislation and participated in the NASW-Illinois Lobby Day. Faculty member assisting these students: Dr. Charlie Stoops
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2006 Contest Winners
BSW Students: Kaela Byers, Lisa Crook, Lis Sojourner, and Chris Veeh of University of Kansas in Lawrence tracked Senate Bill 47 that addressed the overrepresentation of minority youth in the Kansas juvenile justice system. Recognizing that the issue was not well understood, they devised an educational strategy by developing relationships with legislators, bureaucrats, and religious leaders. The students successfully advocated for SB47, which is aimed at reducing racial, geographical, and other biases, awarding grants to county programs. SB 47 is awaiting the governor’s signature. Students increased their knowledge of how legislative maneuvers are used to advance or retard the progress of a bill. Dr. Lori Messinger was the faculty member supporting these students.
Amy Vitale of Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island became involved in Marriage Equity Rhode Island (MERI), a community organization aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. She worked with the Coordinating Committee to transport residents to a rally at the Rhode Island State House and became a registered state lobbyist in April 2006. Through conversations and research, she analyzed how voters can influence legislators’ policymaking. Her persistent presence at the Legislature helped influence some lawmakers’ ideas. Although the bill did not pass this year, Amy demonstrated that new faces and new strategies remind decision makers of the necessity to understand the underlying issues of controversial legislation. Dr. Johnelle Luciani was the faculty member supporting this student.
Forrest Robert Stepnowski, Katie Stevens, Alice Jenagin, Kallie Gatzmeier, and Karie Rice of University of Washington in Tacoma responded to an ongoing legislative battle for the past 29 years involving discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community. They lobbied for HB 2661, which adds the words “sexual orientation” to the state’s existing Anti-discrimination law and gives LGBTQs the same rights as other oppressed groups. They handed out fact sheets, set up an information table on campus, placed posters in school, initiated a phone chain, monitored legislators’ voting, and provided contact information for students to contact their legislators. The bill was passed in January, 2006, and the group learned how to fight for the disenfranchised and discriminated populations who feel powerless. Dr. Janice Laakso was the faculty member supporting these students.
MSW Student: Through her internship with Health Care For All (HCFA), Jessie Buerlein of Boston College advocated for the restoration of adult dental benefits that had been eliminated in 2002. This affected over 700,000 persons. Her work consisted of increasing the visibility of this issue to legislators and the public through the development of literature reviews documenting the micro and macro effects created by the elimination of these benefits. She also facilitated the distribution of educational materials to state legislators on a weekly basis. In April 2006, a health care reform bill was passed which included the restoration of dental benefits. Jessie learned the power of activating a diverse group of stakeholders in advocacy and how important persistence is in influencing state legislators. Ms. Stacey Auger, MSW was the field instructor supporting this student.
Jill Carmichael and Helen O’Beirne of Virginia Commonwealth University lobbied against HB 1146, which was introduced to provide statewide title protection/licensing for social workers. However, the bill’s sponsors negated involvement by macro social work professionals and students resulting in legislation that was based solely on models for licensing clinical social workers. Jill and Helen were instrumental in raising awareness and support for counteracting this exclusion, eventually leading to the elimination of some of the bill’s initial components. The bill passed, but the title protection and licensing components were removed so that they could be reviewed at a later date with more macro social work participation. Jill and Helen learned the importance of working with a coalition, and about how to build trustworthy relationships. Dr. Robert L. Schneider was the faculty member supporting these students.
Pamela Hancock and Clare Johnston of the University of Denver applied grassroots strategies to advocate and support Colorado's HB1212, giving women the opportunity to obtain emergency contraception from pharmacists without a prescription. They believed this measure would greatly impact the lives of low-income and minority women who often have little to no access to primary care doctors. Pam and Clare formed a coalition through the local Planned Parenthood and mobilized a campaign to raise awareness among state legislators. The bill passed both houses, but was vetoed by the Governor. The students learned about the importance of coalition building and keeping long-term goals in mind. Dr. Jean East was the faculty member supporting these students.
Pua Kaninau of the University of Hawaii-Manoa transformed personal tragedy into an advocacy effort to establish a statewide program for the early intervention and prevention of suicide for persons between the ages of 10 to twenty-four. HB 3131 was introduced to establish early intervention and prevention programs. By making use of available community resources and having the tenacity to persevere, Ms. Kaninau learned how the personal can become political and helped shape the legislative process. She spoke at many hearings and helped to break the stigma and silence surrounding teen suicide. A bill passed this year opening the way for the Department of Education to implement a prevention program. She learned that it is necessary to be flexible, identify resources, and be willing to persevere. Dr. Ann R. Alvarez was the faculty member supporting these students.
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All MSW and BSW entries to the 2006 Contest
ISP NATIONAL BSW CONTEST 2006
Student Projects
Rachel Peterson and Emily Williams of Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota advocated for the Governor’s Mental Health Initiative. This bill addresses federal cuts in spending for mental health by targeting investments to build up Minnesota’s mental health infrastructure, including school-based mental health services. The bill is currently stalled in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Amy Stroman, Alecia Lubinus, and Melissa Behrens of Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota investigated homelessness and insufficient housing in Minnesota and organized an event to increase student awareness of the issue. A display, Portraits of Home, put a face on homelessness and insufficient housing, and students were given an opportunity to sign the Housing Solution Act petition. If passed, the Act will significantly increase funding for available housing.
Caroline Holmes, Jason Fagan, Heather Lewis, and Tiffany Brewer of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio addressed the importance of increasing the minimum wage in Ohio. They collected petition signatures to help get a “Fair Minimum Wage” amendment to the constitution on the November 2006 ballot. They also met with Senator C.J. Prentiss’ legislative staff to advocate for legislation. If passed, the wage ballot proposal would affect 14% of Ohio workers.
Whitney Mallow and Wendy Steinhauer of Indiana University of Social Work in Indianapolis researched the dangers associated with methamphetamine production, abuse, and availability. They pursued their goal of educating the public on the devastating effect meth has on children and society by presenting information on current laws and outlining a plan to broaden support for additional legislation.
Kaela Byers, Lisa Crook, Lis Sojourner, and Chris Veeh of University of Kansas in Lawrence tracked a bill that addresses the large number of minority youth in the Kansas juvenile justice system. Recognizing that the issue was not well understood, they devised an educational strategy by developing relationships with legislators, bureaucrats, and religious leaders and advocating for SB47, which is aimed at reducing racial, geographical, and other biases in statewide programs and awarding grants to county programs. SB 47 is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Kendra Mueller, Kassie Meyer, and Noreen Carter of Loras College in Dubuque Iowa created a program to enhance training for workers in Iowa youth homes. Their project calls for mandatory yearly attendance at a two-day seminar to be held quarterly at universities, colleges, and other locations statewide. They spoke with social workers and contacted local legislators, and confronted issues of money and politics. This program has great potential to affect children, youth workers, and families.
Jean Dutton, Gabby Richardson, Kady Steger, and Jenna Unsen of Lorcas College in Dubuque Iowa took social action in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students who were being harassed and bullied in Iowa schools. They supported a proposed bill in the state legislature that would mandate that all school districts include sexual orientation and/or gender identity anti-harassment or anti-bullying policies. They participated in the “LGBT Student Day at the Capital,” where they broadened their base of support.
Ann Chisholm and JaVonda Palmer of University of Missouri in St. Louis researched the effects of problem debt on low-income families in Missouri. They represented their university at the annual Undergraduate Research Day at the Capital State Rotunda, where they testified on minimum wage law reform. They identified key causes of debt and created a poster that outlined their findings and proposed solutions. As a result of their project, one of them has been selected to participate in the 2006 21st Century Leadership Academy at the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life.
Amy Vitale of Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island became involved in Marriage Equity Rhode Island (MERI), a community organization aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. She worked with the Coordinating Committee to transport residents to the Rhode Island State House and became a registered state lobbyist in April 2006. Through conversations and research, she analyzed how voters can influence legislators’ policymaking. The bill did not pass this year.
Celena Garrett, Angela Carter, Dianna Perez, and Ireyda Escamilla of Austin State University in Texas participated in a rally to educate people on issues related to immigration reform. They countered popular misconceptions reported in the press by displaying signs that said, for example, “Get Facts; Get Informed!” The local newspaper featured them for two days, and they reached a readership of more than 10,000 subscribers.
Emily Hill, Staci Colson, and Leah Booth of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee responded to a cut in services that dropped 26,000 mentally ill people from Tennessee’s public health care system. Those who were retained and have both mental and physical illness are forced to choose between medications that treat one or the other. The students focused on educating legislators and the public; strengthening coalitions among advocacy organizations; and fighting the stigma of mental illness.
Jennifer Jones, Ashley Stephens, Rachel Cooper, Britney Stephens, and Kasey Nunn of Union University in Jackson Tennessee advocated for SB 2594/HB 2605, a bill similar to Jessica’s Law, which targets violent sex offenders. They met with lawmakers, researched successful efforts by other states, and sought support from a popular national news commentator. The bill did not pass this year for fiscal reasons, but the students are poised to continue their advocacy efforts.
Sixteen students from Union University in Jackson Tennessee responded to the challenge of requiring the Tennessee Division of Claims to honor Tennessee Code Annotated Title 29, Chapter 13, which provides for a trust to be established for children who are victims of crime. The group requested documents that would enable child advocates to file applications on behalf of foster children in rural areas. They collected petition signatures, participated in a community crime march, and produced a PowerPoint presentation that they will present at a state victims’ advocacy conference in September 2006.
Rachel Conger, Jennifer Duong, Jessica Gavre, Aurora Jewell, Malissa Page, Felichia Schaefer, and Kendra Varadi of University of Washington in Tacoma advocated for low income housing in Washington state by supporting H B2984, which enables cities and counties to implement affordable housing incentive programs. They initiated a letter writing campaign, provided laptop computers and cell phones for students to contact their representatives, and established a Take 5 Table at the campus. They also participated in a housing lobby day, a rally, and met with leaders of the Low-Income Housing Alliance as well as their state representatives. They further educated themselves by taking part in the Pierce County Homeless Count and attended the Friday Night Feed for homeless people. HB 2984 passed, benefiting the elderly, single parent, and low-income families.
Forrest Robert Stepnowski, Katie Stevens, Alice Jenagin, Kallie Gatzmeier, and Karie Rice of University of Washington in Tacoma responded to a legislative battle that lasted 29 years and involves discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community. They lobbied for HB 2661, which adds the words “sexual orientation” to the state’s existing Anti-discrimination law and gives LGBTQs the same rights as other oppressed groups. They handed out fact sheets, set up an information table on campus, placed posters in school, initiated a phone chain, and provided contact information for students to contact their legislators. The bill was passed in January.
Melissa Laws, Heather Bowen, James Oliver, Michelle Mudwilder of the University of Washington in Tacoma tackled the issue of confidentiality for domestic violence and sexual assault victims who seek help from state agencies. They found that domestic violence advocates did not have legal privilege and sexual assault advocates did. The students educated, advocated, and lobbied for HB 2848, which provides privacy protection for domestic violence survivors. The bill supports the 250 trained domestic violence workers as well as the estimated one in three women who is a victim.
Melissa Pinkowski and Debra Sutcliffe of Western Connecticut State University organized a letter writing campaign to enact harsher laws and penalties for those engaged in human sex-slave trafficking. They prepared and sent form letters addressed to the Governor, State Attorney General, senators and representatives, and local and federal officials. Their letters generated responses from state officials and press coverage.
Jessica Bromilow of Bob - she does not list a university in Winona, Minnesota learned about policy enforcement by participating in the electoral process as a candidate. She ran for and was elected a delegate for the Winona County DFL convention and the District 31 convention. She advocated for holding Minnesota responsible for upholding Minnesota State Statute 135A.03, which requires the state to provide 67% of student college tuition; the state was only paying 47%. Her actions affect 5 million Minnesotans and illustrate the power of grass-roots advocacy.
ISP NATIONAL MSW CONTEST 2006
Student Projects
M1 The entire class of first year graduate students at the University of Southern California worked to raise the awareness of the needs of the homeless in Los Angeles County. The students collected data, performed research, identified gaps in services, and organized lobbying efforts in order to promote change for various populations of the homeless. Through their efforts, they were instrumental in the passing of SB 1689 in the California State Legislature, which will place a $2.85 billion dollar housing bond benefiting low-income Californians on the November 2006 ballot.
M2 Mindy Bakken, Kim Stoll, and Amy Wurster of Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN advocated for the Early Childhood Mental Health Screening Tool, a proposed piece of legislation on the 2006 Public Policy Agenda in Minnesota. This piece of legislation would benefit children with mental health concerns by focusing on early intervention through the use of mental health screening tools for preschool aged children. The students provided statistics and information regarding the proposed amendment to state legislators. At the time of this paper, the bill had been approved by the Senate and was waiting to be debated in the House of Representatives.
M3 Gina Breukelman of the University of Washington-Tacoma served as the Advocacy Chair of the Pierce County Human Services during the 2006 Washington State legislature. Her work included coordinating and leading the coalitions advocacy efforts, such as drafting the coalitions 2006 legislative agenda, analyzing legislation to determine compatibility to agencies mission, and meeting with legislators regarding relevant issues. One of her primary efforts was the promotion of asset building among low-income working families. She worked with Representative Jeannie Darneille (D-27th District) in developing HB 3156, a bill establishing a pilot program to assist in low-income families in accumulating assets. Her efforts contributed to the bill being passed by both House and Senate, therefore being signed into law on March 17, 2006.
M4 Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison directed an advocacy campaign in an effort to develop a broad coalition of state and local groups in support of the inclusion of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (FCIA) in the State of Wisconsin’s 2007-2009 biennial budget. FCIA enables states to extend Medicaid coverage to youth aging out of foster care on or after their 18th birthday in response to evidence of increased physical and mental health risks of these foster care children due to a lack of healthcare coverage. Their efforts resulted in the development of a position paper on the need to extend Medicaid coverage, the allying of NASW-WI and the Youth Advisory Council (YAC, composed of former and current foster youth), as well as involvement in the planning committee of Lobby Day 2007.
M5 Jessie Buerlein of Boston College through her internship with Health Care For All (HCFA) advocated for the restoration of dental benefits for adults enrolled in MassHealth, which was previously eliminated in 2002. Her work consisted of increasing the visibility of this issue to legislators and the public through the development of literature reviews documenting the micro and macro effects created by the elimination of these benefits. She also facilitated the distribution of educational materials to state legislators on a weekly basis. In April 2006, a health care reform bill was passed which included the restoration of dental benefits.
M6 Jill Carmichael and Helen O’Beirne of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va lobbied against HB 1146, which was designed to provide statewide title protection/licensing for social workers. However, the bill lacked involvement by macro social work professionals and students resulting in legislation that was focused solely on licensing and title protection for clinical social workers. Jill and Helen were instrumental in raising awareness and support for this exclusion of the macro perspective in the bill, eventually leading the dissolution of some of the bill’s initial components. The bill was passed, but the title protection and licensing components were removed so that they could be reviewed at a later date and with more macro involvement.
M7 Students at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN developed a campaign to increase funding to support the Minnesota Children’s Comprehensive Act (MCCMHA) of 1989, which has previously lacked the appropriate financial resources necessary for adequate service delivery. The campaign slogan entitled “Children’s Mental Health Funding: It Doesn’t Make Cents!” was used in collaboration with postcard petitions that served to increase citizens awareness of the need for increased children’s mental health funding and broaden support necessary to influence state legislators. A partnership was developed with the National Association of Mentally Ill of Minnesota (NAMI-MN) leading to the issue becoming the theme of NAMI upcoming event, Mental Health Day on the Hill at Minnesota’s state capitol. Several students participated in this event through presentations.
M8 Larissa Carpenter and other students of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA collaborated with Equality Virginia to campaign against the Virginia Affirmation of Marriage Amendment (VAMA), which would not only ban gay marriage in the state, but also deny legal recognition to civil unions. Through door-to-door canvassing and an organized campus event, the students attempted to increase the awareness of this amendment that will be appear in the upcoming November ballot. The students handed out leaflets and stickers in support of their cause and added fifty signatures to Equality of Virginia’s petition of opposition.
M9 Students at the University of Tennessee led opposition against HB 775/SB 1615, which would provide adoption preference to married, heterosexual couples. These bills were developed to prevent adoption by homosexual couples. In addition to lobbying in the state capitol, the students presented at the Family to Family Conference to a group of Regional DCS administrators in order to raise their awareness of the current legislation. At the time of this paper, the bills were stalled in a subcommittee.
M10 Kristen Connors, Eanna Aaron, Erin Jackson, Tori Keel at the University of South Carolina campaigned in support of a bill in the state legislature to promote individualized graduation plans for high school students. The bill will provide a curriculum that emphasizes strong academics in conjunction with real-world problem solving skills such as career orientation, career development, and job training skills. The students sent letters to school superintendents educating them about the bill and developed a survey for high school students to determine how they would be affecting by this bill.
M11 Samantha Cummings, Annie Kosel, Scooter Lippert, and Carrie Peterson of Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN campaigned to promote the passing of the In-State Tuition for Immigrant Status Bill, also known as the Minnesota Dream Act. This bill would be important step in removing the barriers to education and immigrant students by qualifying them for in-state tuition. The students collaborated with the Augsburg College MSW Student Forum and used the Dream Act as the signature project to promote at Social Work Day at the Capitol. Their efforts assisted in educating BSW and MSW students in lobbying with state legislators, as well as encouraging student participation.
M12 advocated for a national prescription drug plan for persons over age 65 and vulnerable populations. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003-- Medicare Part D is touted as the first nationwide attempt that seeks to provide coverage of dual eligibility, alternative and flexible formulas for vulnerable populations, involuntary withdrawal for disruptive behavior, appeal procedures, as well as, outreach and enrollment.
M13: In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, M13 was inspired by the Influencing State Policy (ISP) national essay contest to initiate her own contest as an attempt to raise money for the victims of these three devastating natural disasters. Incorporating outreach and grassroots fundraising strategies to attract contest participants, M13 endeavored to bring attention to the hardships endured by these victims with the hope that her efforts will shape disaster relief policy for the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans.
M14 tracked South Carolina's Financial Literacy Act of 2005, a measure designed to implement finance education in high school course curricula across the state. The ratification of this bill led to the development of a finance literacy program spanning from kindergarten to 12th grade for state public schools.
M15 led a campaign advocating for the passage of a bill that would increase the sales tax on tobacco products throughout the State of South Carolina. If enacted, these tax dollars would be allocated to fund the necessary expansion of the state's Medicaid and S-CHIP programs to provide affordable health insurance to an estimated 500,000 residents.
M16 pursued an in-depth understanding of the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR) by conducting research that aided South Carolina state lobbyists and legislators in their consideration of enacting this policy. This group's effort provided valuable experience and insight into how social workers can effectively participate in the policy process.
M17 advocated for the passage of S110, a bill before the South Carolinian State Senate that would use the proceeds from the sale of the Bull Street property to provide additional funds to the state's Department of Mental Health. Through campaigning and collaborating with the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) and South Carolina's Department of Education, M17 helped raise awareness of mental health issues and gained a valuable lesson in the complexity of state policy development.
M18 applied grassroots strategies to advocate and support Colorado's HB1212, giving women the opportunity to obtain emergency contraception from pharmacists without a prescription. Believing this measure would greatly impact the lives of low-income and minority women who often have little to no access to primary care doctors, this group formed a coalition with a local Planned Parenthood and mobilized a campaign to raise awareness among state legislators.
The students of M19 conducted a public opinion poll to inform residents of increased sexual violence and the presence of pedophiles living in their communities. M19 advocated for the placement of roadside billboards identifying and announcing the presence of sex offenders living in nearby neighborhoods.
M20: Students enrolled in a Family Social Policy course at Augsburg College lobbied for support of Senate File #3103, a bill that stipulated an educational benefit to parents partaking in the Minnesota's Family Investment Program (MFIP). Through the extensive research of their action project, these students were able to inform participating families and state legislators of limitations in the current welfare-to-work policy and its education guidelines.
M21 transformed personal tragedy into an advocacy effort to establish a statewide program for the early intervention and prevention of suicide for persons between the ages of 10 to twenty-four. By making use of available community resources and having the tenacity to persevere, M21 learned how the personal can become political and helped shape the legislative process.
M22 lobbied against a proposed amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, civil unions, or any legal recognition of same-sex couples throughout the state. Their intent was to draw attention to the negative impact such a ban could have on the lives of these couples and their families. Additionally, these students endeavored to invoke the principles and values of the social work profession through a grassroots campaign that highlighted the discriminatory nature of the proposed amendment.
Alissa Abelson, Rebecca Laisy, Andrea Luehring, Maddi McDonnell, and Caryolyn Serie of Augsburg College educated key legislators in the Minnesota General Assembly about SB 3103, which would reduce the number of work hours required by participants pursuing postsecondary education who receive financial aid from the state. These students used a letter writing campaign and designed a bookmark in order to persuade key legislator to vote in favor of the legislation.
Megan Macalady of St. Louis University organized efforts to increase awareness about Alzheimer’s disease in the state of Missouri and the need for legislation that would increase Alzheimer service grants to coalitions, Medicaid reform, restoration of funding for Alzheimer’s research and improvements for assisted living facilities. Megan participated in coalition building activities, tracked legislation and implemented lobby day events.
Millie Mitchell and Llora Jean Negro of University of South Carolina researched the knowledge social workers had regarding South Carolina’s Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA). Millie and Llora hoped by examining this issue it would encourage thoughtful discussion and political actions regarding effective implementation of CAPTA programs and policies by social workers.
Catherine Britt, Tiffany Harris, Kelli Parnelle, Tiffany Price, and Claire Wise of the University of South Carolina led a campaign to educate and encourage state legislators to pass policy that would protect working class families from predatory lending companies. This group of MSW students developed information brochures about the issue and made individual visits to inform their legislators. They also developed a petition that was sent to South Carolina’s Governor, Mark Sanford, which illustrated strong support for laws restricting predatory lending.
Jennifer Blanken, Bessie Lovingood, Jennifer McDaniel, Sara Prothro, Maggie Webb, and Shayla Wilkinson of the University of South Carolina sought to raise awareness regarding HB 4314, which proposed tuition caps in South Carolina. In order to raise awareness and allow voters to make informed decisions, these MSW students planned a town hall meeting at USC and invited key legislators to speak for and against the proposed legislation. Armed with first hand knowledge about the multifaceted legislation, they will be able to inform and educate others about the potential affects of the legislation.
Fawn Pettet of Boise State University advocated for several proposed bills during the 2006 Idaho Legislative Session. Two of the bills Fawn supported, mental health parity and moratorium on coal fired power plants, passed the Idaho Legislator. Fawns advocacy efforts included research, coalition building, lobbying, addressing legislative committees, and grassroots organizing.
Leroy Robertson and Christian Vesterfelt of the University of South Carolina sought to raise awareness in South Carolina regarding funding cuts in the South Carolina Foster Care system. The funding cuts would, specifically, affect residential services for emotionally disabled children in the foster care system. In order to raise awareness, Leroy and Christian wrote an editorial to the state newspaper, regarding their opposition to the proposed cuts.
Devon Snider of the University of Maryland lobbied for the passage of HB 39 in the Maryland Legislature. HB 39, if passed, would reinstate medical assistance benefits to legal immigrant pregnant women and children. Devon lobbied legislators, in order to find additional co-sponsors. In addition to this activity, he testified at committee hearings. HB 39 was passed with amendments.
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2005 Contest Winners
BSW Students: Brandon Bailey, Lindsay Lawrence and Amanda Thedford, BSW students at Union University in Jackson Tennessee advocated for a loan repayment incentive plan that will aid the Department of Children Services in hiring professional MSW and BSW graduates and catalyze higher worker retention rates. To raise awareness of this potential social service aid, the students wrote editorials that were published in local newspaper and were interviewed for a later published article in the newspaper. Furthermore, the Tennessee chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) requested copies of their written report in addition to a video presentation they had prepared. In the state of Tennessee over 37,000 children are reported to be abuse and/or neglected yearly. The students believe that this policy could drastically improve the lives of these victims and the people that help them. Through the advocacy process, the students learned that legislators are not the immovable Leviathans they are sometimes stigmatized as. Instead, they learned some important steps for effectively advocating for their proposals and do not feel powerless when advocating for less powerful and vulnerable populations.Faculty member assisting these students was Dr. Theresa Blakely.
At the University of Texas at Austin, Lauren Postler advocated for House Bill 1685, which created a Interagency Coordinating Council for Building Healthy Families to help agencies work together to prevent child abuse and neglect and strengthen families across Texas. In the weeks after the bill was filed by her internship supervisor, Representative Dawnna Dukes, Lauren worked hard to advocate HB 1685 to advocacy groups, legislators and the Texas Governor. She and Representative Dukes articulated that the focus of their bill was to shift the need of dollars out of the defunct system into a much more efficacious and fiscal sensible program. The program would help children at a much younger age, which in fact is more beneficial to them. Furthermore, the Governor and the House Committee on Human Services unanimously agreed that the legislature must promote prevention programs, like HB 1685, which in turn will decrease the likelihood of abuse and neglect. Representative Dukes and Lauren anticipate a full passage of the bill and signature into law. Faculty member assisting these students was Dr. Noel Busch.
At the University of Washington in Tacoma, Deanna Carron, Michelle Trevino, Emily Peck, Kerri Godina, and Kellie Nelson advocated for the passage of House Bill 1441, which would eliminate monthly premiums for impoverished families and expand health care coverage for children. The students believed that all children should have access to health care, and that it was there goal to educate people on this issue while providing legislators with a clear and consistent message. On their campus, the students opened a Take 5 table on campus that provided students with a fact sheet on children’s health care issues in the state, who their representatives are and how to send letters to them. Through this venture, they acquired over 65 letters, which were sent to representatives. In addition, the group created a mass mailing campaign, reaching 4 campuses or about 5,000 people, asking for support for HB 1441 and a link to the necessary representatives. In April, a substitute version of the bill passed that was even more favorable than the original version, extending health care to children to 60,000 children in the state immediately, and by 2010 over 100,000 children. Overall, the students learned that legislative advocacy is not as daunting as it seems, rather legislators are accessible and are willing to listen; after all, we are their bosses. Faculty member assisting these students was Dr. Janet Laasko.
MSW Student: Rebecca Schrier, Tulane University. In 2002, the Louisiana state legislature enacted a bill that would refund tax credit to assist families with the cost of childcare while they worked. Unfortunately, this bill did not function properly and some eligible candidates were prevented from receiving their tax credits. Rebecca advocated that a simple change to the state credit worksheet could solve this problem. Since March, Rebecca has collected 64 letters from area social services groups and sent them to the Louisiana Governor and other state officials. In addition, Rebecca has scheduled presentations of this problem to other area groups. Through this, she hopes to collect over 100 letters of support. Rebecca believes that there is a good chance for a legislative fix of this problem this year. At the time of submission, three pre-filed bills had been proposed. Concurrent with the legislative session, Rebecca is preparing a journal for submission, describing her advocacy efforts with the Louisiana Child Care Tax, for historical record, which will serve as a paradigm for future advocates. Faculty member assisting this student was Dr. Heather Gillis.
Mary Stratton, a first year student at Southern Connecticut State University advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 1139, which would protect the title of “Social Worker” because there is no legal restrictions on calling oneself a social worker in Connecticut. Mary began her advocacy project by surveying the Connecticut Chapter of National Association of Social Workers to determine whether she would have support for this legislative measure. Upon receiving large support, Rebecca, through in depth research, found that Connecticut was one of only five states that did not have title protection for social workers. Next Mary created the bill SB 1139 “An Act Concerning Social Worker Job Classification”. Her bill was sent to the Land and Public Employee Committee, where she and other social workers gave testimony before its passage. Next SB 1139 passed in the house committee and at the time of this submission was to go before the Senate for vote. An estimated 2,000+ social workers will be positively affected by this bill. Mary opined that this bill is important to her because she believes that the social work profession should be given the same recognition that other professional groups receive. Faculty member assisting these students was Dr. Al Siegel.
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All MSW and BSW entries to the 2005 Contest
ISP NATIONAL BSW CONTEST 2005
Student Projects
Students at the Ramapo College of New Jersey directed their advocacy efforts, as a class, toward getting their state to come out against the Bush Administration’s plan to privatize social security. In addition, they sought to inform other students about the importance of this issue and how it will affect the younger generations. With the combined efforts of their class and other supporters, Senate bill 94 was passed, mandating that the state strike down privatizing social security.
Lisa Brown, Joy Furman, Laura Schroeder, Erin Stearns and Kristine Wellman of Presentation College advocated for the passage of HB 1229 in the South Dakota Legislature. If passed, this bill would require standards for family day care providers. During the process, they contacted the Senators and Representatives that supported and opposed the bill in hopes of garnering support. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass; however, the advocacy experience was empowering to the students.
Jamie Kern, Erick McElroy, Andrea Ruhnke, Andy Cowan and Erica Hardy of Presentation College in South Dakota researched whether or not it was feasible to create and run a homeless shelter in their town. Through their research, they found that many key legislators supported this idea in their local town, Aberdeen. Out of this realization has grown plans for working to draw funds, and build and run a homeless shelter for next year’s advocacy project.
Amanda Zeiders of the University of Pittsburgh is an advocate and co-chair of the Save Our Transit (SOT) group in Allegheny County, PA. As the co-chair, she organized rallies, marches, pickets, researched relevant legislation & information and communicated with necessary community leaders. Through her efforts, a new fare increase that was supposed to take place in March of 2005 has been tabled.
Peter Ninemire of Wichita State University lobbied for the passage of SB 2231 in the Kansas legislature. SB 2231 is a retroactive drug treatment bill that would close a loophole in a previous bill allowing 516 men and women out of prison and into a drug treatment facility. In his efforts, Peter organized a Legislative Task Force with legislators to help pass the bill.
Anna Long of Seattle University served on the “Tent City” planning committee at her university. Anna’s time with the committee was spent coordinating efforts to provide adequate shelter for the homeless people that would be living on the Seattle University Campus during the month of February. This experience piqued her interest in understanding homelessness, so she attended a lobby day at her state legislature. This in turn led to her interning for Senator Maria Cantwell.
Elizabeth Berry, Kathleen Lokey, and Annie Ross of Union University led opposition against HB 1542/SB 0811, which would remove the requirement of the chief security officer of a college/university to notify local law enforcement if an alleged rape were to occur unless the victim wants them to be notified. This bill was created to help the reputations of schools. Unfortunately, though they lobbied for its demise, the bill passed in committee.
Amber Dixon, Whitney Morreau, Rachel Peterson and Victoria Shackelford of Union University campaigned for HB1116/SB 0556, which would eliminate the spousal rape exception to Tennessee law. From their research, they developed a policy brief and a brief documentary DVD detailing their findings on spousal rape. In addition, they published an article in a local newspaper. At the time of this paper, the bill was still being debated.
Students at the University of Washington advocated for and helped successfully pass a Mental Health Parity bill, which had been defeated eight times in the Washington State legislature. This bill would require insurance companies to cover mental health illnesses as if they are physical illnesses. Throughout the advocacy project the group distributed support letters to officials, created slogan “Be a Lifesaver for Mental Health” along with buttons and sent letters that were put in the local newspaper.
Angelly Cardenas of Nyack College sought to get the Student Adjustment Act passed so that undocumented students brought over by illegal parents, who have the potential, will be able to go to college receiving in state tuition. To garner support for this bill, Angelly formed “Students with a Dream” to advocate for this bill.
Students at the University of Washington at Tacoma recently advocated for the dissolution of three bills in their state legislature that would cut funding to domestic violence legal advocacy programs. Students created a fact sheet and put on a elaborate, well-done rally in support of their efforts. In the end, funding was still cut but not at the levels, the governor has asked for.
Students at the University of Arkansas traveled to their state capital in Little Rock to advocate for the passage of HB 1078, which would appropriate 40 million dollars for pre-K programs. In addition to lobbying at the state capital, the students distributed fact sheets, joined forces with a Coalition and emailed state and local officials in hopes of gathering support for this bill.
Alicia Dean and Kristen Thoen of Winona State University lobbied for “No New Taxes” in their state legislature. They advocated against new taxes because of a rise in student loan debts, which are compounded by low wages and decreasing benefits for social workers.
Kristine Lindell of Luther College in Iowa tracked and lobbied against bills that would limit a woman’s right to choose abortion and the ready access to comprehensive family planning that discusses abortion as an option. In her efforts, Kristin contacted the author of these bills to voice her dissent and attended a pro-choice lobby day.
Rachel Fate of Luther College advocated for the inclusion of eating disorders and substance abuse in the mental heath parity law. Rachel lobbied for this through letters she sent to a local paper and Iowa Legislators.
Laura Robinson of Luther College advocated for the Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace. Laura supported this campaign by writing letters to her U.S. Senators and Representatives. In addition, Laura addressed several students with her advocacy piece, garnering their support.
Kara Kulzer of Luther College researched and lobbied three bills in the Iowa legislation regarding women’s rights. Through her work, Laura learned how she could affect what was being decided in her state.
Lindsey Hoodjer of Luther College lobbied for the passage of gay and lesbian marriage acts in her state of Iowa and in the United States. Lindsey sent signed letters and emails to members of the Senate in Iowa and in the U.S. government. Lindsey stated that she learned that persistence is vital to any advocacy project.
Rachel Jensen of Luther College sought to raise awareness of the Mine Treaty Ban in the United States and lobby for the U.S. to support the treatise. To accomplish this Rachel created information flyers surrounding the Mine Treaty Ban and our government’s reluctance to support it. Furthermore, Rachel created a letter writing campaign on topic and sent it to the President of the United States. In all, there were 40 letters sent to the President.
ISP NATIONAL MSW CONTEST 2005
Student Projects
MSW students at the University of South Carolina sought to convince state representatives to vote against cutting the Dept. of Social Services budget. The group of students created and mailed out an information packet about potential budget cuts to D.S.S workers, clients and others that would be affected by the cuts. These students empowered many people to help themselves in this process.
MSW students at the University of South Carolina organized to raise awareness in their community about a potentially harmful bill known as “Put Parents in Charge”. With their hard work, these students were able to hold an educational forum, with knowledgeable, influential speakers concerning this bill.
Elizabeth Bienz of Case Western’s MSW program organized the rally and lobby day for the grassroots coalition that she belongs, Advocates for Budget Legislation Equality (ABLE). Elizabeth was able to recruit over 1,500 Cleveland residents to attend, coordinated bus travel, trained the bus drivers and provided food for attendees. In addition, an estimated 4,000 people from other groups showed up to support the rally/lobby day.
Sarah Bounds, Stephanie Hewitt, Sandi Johnson, and Lesley Plugge of Salisbury University MSW program campaigned for psychological evaluations to be made mandatory for juveniles with animal cruelty backgrounds while under the watch of the Dept. Juvenile Services. The students hope to garner support for the creation of a bill later this year.
Students at the Washington University in St. Louis formed a task force to provide clarification on important issues concerning Medicaid in Missouri. This task force created a 45-page report of their findings and recommendations and disseminated these findings in a 30-minute presentation presented on local, state and national levels.
Allen Braswell, Kim Cassie, Chris Chardos, Megan McClary and Kelly Owen of the University of Tennessee worked to help current “Medicare” style program TennCare recipients from losing their current benefits. The group distributed over 300 flyers to Knoxville residents and sent 56 letters to a state representative on the TennCare Oversight Committee.
Carrie Corthan-Williams of the University of Texas at Austin advocated for consolidated and more organized data collection on court proceeding involving family violence. She hopes that with this change, Texas will be able to better assess the effectiveness and implementation of current family violence polices whereby reducing future incidents.
MSW students at the University of South Carolina tracked and advocated for S49, a mental health parity bill that would require insurance companies to cover mental illness the same way they cover physical illness. These students aligned themselves with other advocates of this bill, specifically with two of the students testifying before the House Banking and Insurance subcommittee.
Sarah Garlington, McClain Sampson and Amy Wilson of the University of Tennessee advocated for the blockage of a bill that allowed pharmacists the choice of not filling prescriptions that are not morally agreeable to them and for the passage of a bill that require hospitals to provide factual information and access to emergency contraception. After this project, these future MSW’s better understand the political process and how to advocate within it.
Jennifer Glick, Karina Lewis, Kathryn Price and Jason Ostrander of the University of Connecticut organized their efforts to educate social workers and others on the importance of voter registration and political participation. They distributed information packets on conducting voter registration drives, regulations, FAQ’s and 449 voter registration cards to MSW students. Along with this, students played an integral part in the passage of a voting bill in the state legislature.
Jessica Honke and Matthew Winters of Virginia Commonwealth University endeavored to eliminate the juvenile death penalty through their legislative advocacy and grassroots organizing effort. Through their work, a record number of state legislators sponsored this bill and it was sent to study. Because the bill was not killed, all who supported it considered the effort successful.
You Mi Jo and Monet Traeye of the University of South Carolina advocacy project goals were to increase awareness for those eligible for food stamps, create ways to decrease food stamp stigma and ensure no more cuts would be made to the state food stamp budget. With robust research on hunger in South Carolina, You and Monet created and distributed a fact sheet to people around the capital building entitled: Hunger in South Carolina
Erin McAleer of Boston College University coordinated the NASW’s “Legislative Clearinghouse and Lobby Day”. The lobby day which has been held for over 40 years, brought in many distinguished guests including State Senators and Representatives as guest speakers. With more than 400 supporters attending, Erin’s efforts culminated in one of the most well attended lobby days in recent years.
Students at the University of South Carolina teamed up with the Carolina Peace resource center to campaign against a section in the No Child Left Behind Act that allowed for student contact information to be sent to military recruiters. The students collected and developed a myriad of fact sheets and brochures on this mandate. Their efforts to protect student information have so successful that they were recorded for a CBS Nightly News spot.
Mark Meachem and Travis Johnson of the University of South Carolina advocated against Senate Bill 165 in the state legislature that would reduce the amount of funding Drug and Alcohol treatment facilities receive each year. After in depth research, Mark and Travis developed a Fact Sheet of the consequences of this bill and mailed it to the bill’s sponsors.
Students at the University of Houston School of Social Work worked through their legislative internships with state representative to help these elected officials understand policy through a social work perspective not just a fiscal one. These students were responsible for analyzing, tracking and recommending if their representatives or senators should support the bill or not. During the process, the students became known for their advocacy of tax equality, worker’s comp fairness, better school conditions and Medicaid clients
Nancy Padron and Anastasia Karloutsos of Fordham University supported the loan forgiveness bill in New York that would help address the economic hardship that social workers face when working with underprivileged clients. Through their efforts, they were able to help this bill pass and potentially enable more than 55,000 social workers rid themselves of debt.
Andria Salucka and Julie Ramirez of the University of Texas at Austin conducted a research project on whether or not protective orders alleviated spousal abuse and fostered feelings of safety among victims. The researchers concluded that a statewide system that reported the number of protective issues ordered and violations of these would benefit legislators in better policy creation.
Peri Stone Palmquist of the University of Michigan designed an independent study of the lives of children expelled from school. In January 2005, Peri published her 34-page report entitled “Nowhere to Go”, documenting the hardships of these children. In it she makes policy recommendations that would ensure that all of these children would receive an education during their expulsion. Finally, she mailed copies of the report to every state legislator, school superintendent and other policy makers.
Ashira Wendler of Indiana University campaigned for better social program assistance to victims of violent and sexual crimes. Through Ashira’s legislative advocacy, aid for this problem was sent to study this year and will be voted on in the 2006 state assembly.
Raylissa Batten, Beth Crumley, Korlu McCainster, Stephanie Peveler and Latammera Woodley of the University of Tennessee supported and advocated for the “Voluntary Pre-K Act for Tennessee” which would create a Pre-K program for four year olds in Tennessee. During their advocacy, these students met with legislators and lobbyists to educate them about the bill.
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2004
Contest Winners
BSW
Students: Malinda Brown, Pat Cripe,
Jeannie Jackson, Robert Nowak, Julie Nygaard, and Catherine Wilson
at the University
of Washington at Tacoma advocated for the passage of House Bill
2769 and Senate Bill 6411, known as the Family Stabilization and
Emergency Hunger Act in the 2004 session of the Washington state
legislature. They developed a fact sheet, attended Hunger Action
Day, visited their legislators and met with legislators on the committee
that heard the bills. The students enlisted 533 other social work
students and sought their support and action on this legislation,
providing them with names, sample letters, and phone numbers to
call. The bills passed intact including controversial rules on an
expensive school food program and eliminating a lifetime ban on
convicted drug felons. Approximately 7,272 individuals will benefit
from their advocacy. The group learned “of the importance
of making our voices heard.”
Jadrian Barnard,
Lori Smith, and Jessica Triplett At Union University advocated
on behalf of incarcerated women in Tennessee correctional facilities,
raising awareness about unjust and inequitable treatment of inmates
with a special focus on gynecological and pre- and postnatal standards
of health care. The group obtained the support of one Representative
who became an important ally who assisted in gaining access to
the warden and Commissioner for Child and Family Services. Through
extensive research, the student wrote a “white paper”
that official used as a reference. The students also educated
the public by producing a DVD presentation, writing articles for
newspapers and having a letter to the editor published. Approximately
148,000 are in prison in Tenneesee and could benefit from this
advocacy. Students learned that “we realize the powerful
role of a social worker. We must speak on behalf of those we cannot
speak.”
MSW
Students: Judith Atala, Bobbi Closser, Cassandra Corley,
Trish Huffman, Woojin Jung, Vu Le, Teresa McNamee, Vicki Mudd, Amy
Senneke, Megan Schulz, and Galia Wolff at George Warren Brown School
of Social Work at Washington University lobbied for mobile home
tenants’ rights during the 2004 Missouri legislative session.
There are approximately 300,000 mobile home tenants who tend to
be older adults and/or low income families. Student advocated successfully
to change the law from requiring 60 days notice of trailer park
closure to 120 days and to focus on basic health and safety standards,
the right for residents to organize and to eliminate discriminatory
evictions. They joined a coalition, Alliance for Justice in Mobile
Home Parks, sent letters to editors, provided fact sheets, had petitions
signed, organized a lobby day, visited key legislators, raised funds,
organized constituents from mobile home parks, and arranged transportation
for attendees. This experience helped them to learn that “citizens
do not need to wait for legislators to create a bill. It also created
a desire with us, as future social workers, to be more involved
in future legislative activities.”
Faculty
Winners: Janice Laakso, Ph.D., The University of
Washington at Tacoma, Theresa L. Blakely, Ph.D., Union University
in Jackson, Tennessee, John G. Robertson, Ph.D., George Warren
Brown School of Social Work at Washington University
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2003
Contest Winners
BSW
Students: The BSW Social Policy
Class - 2003 of the Ramapo College of New Jersey taught by Dr. Scottie
Massimo advocated for the Fairness Alliance tax proposal that
was designed to raise $972 million and preserve many social services
and educational programs slated to receive massive cuts. They collaborated
with the New Jersey Citizen Action group. Students each wrote to
their state legislators and various community groups. They spoke
at meetings, assemblies, and symposia at their college and in the
state and circulated a petition, collecting over 250 signatures
including the President of Ramapo College and 50 signed statements
of support. This proposal eventually was introduced as a bill in
the legislature. Students “learned not only about policy and
advocacy, but also about the dynamics of group work.”
BSW
Faculty: Dr. Susan Chandler, an Associate Professor at
the University of Nevada at Reno School of Social Work, developed
a project, “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in Northern
Nevada.” Her students addressed the issue of low-income
wages by constructing “family budgets” and discovering
if a low-income mother could survive on low wage work. They went
throughout the community investigating costs of childcare, housing,
food, medical care, assistance and jobs. They learned that low
wages took on a whole new meaning for themselves. Students then
advocated for a minimum wage bill in the Nevada legislature. They
held press conferences, met with legislators, testified at hearings,
lobbied by email and visits, and marched on the capitol. Students
were successful in raising the issue and becoming involved in
legislative advocacy.
MSW
Students: In an independent study section in social policy
at Louisiana State University School of Social Work taught by Jill
Murray, MSW, initiated Senate Bill 756 in order to remove the
phrase, “who is not the spouse of the offender” from
the Louisiana simple rape and sexual battery statutes. This would
allow for the criminal prosecution of a spouse involved in marital
rape. Students persuaded Sen. Fred Hoyt to introduce the bill and
they began meeting with senators on key committees. Students created
a web site, distributed flyers, and made presentations on campus
and at conferences. They created a slogan, “Marital rape:
a crime not a privilege.” Students learned the importance
of timing and developing supportive networks. Governor Mike Foster
signed the bill in June, 2003, completing the successful voyage
of the students’ legislative initiative.
MSW students
at Tulane University School of Social Work in New Orleans
worked on a project assisting the Louisiana Aging and Disability
Consortium. They staffed the coalition and lobbied for Senate
Bill 302 that allows Medicaid recipients in nursing homes to receive
home and community based services by allowing their Medicaid dollars
to “follow” them to a setting of their choice. Students
reviewed all legislation filed for the 2003 session that was important
to the Consortium and developed a spreadsheet that helped prioritize
and track bills. They identified constituents who could share
their stories with the media and policy makers and developed a
one-page fact sheet. It is estimated that from 20 to 75% of the
24,000 Medicaid recipients could benefit from this bill. Students
learned how a policy directive set at the federal level must be
implemented at the state level through statutory enactment and
administrative rulemaking.
MSW
Faculty: Robert
Vernon, a Professor at the Indiana University School of Social
Work, created a web site-based assignment in order to improve
students’ skills in incorporating the web into policy practice.
Students review 5 websites for a semesterlong advocacy project.
They study a custom web site with a tutorial maintained by the
professor. Students must find quickly specific information on
policy issues on their own. They master critical evaluation skills
to determine the reliability and validity of web-based information.
Students then publish their finding online at the “Lobby
Day” web site for Indiana or a larger clearinghouse for
social work resources. To review the web site, go to: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/dbsocialwork/naswcol/main.htm
Ph.D.
Student: Paul T. Shattuck of the University of Wisconsin
School of Social Work co-led a successful grassroots campaign
to restore funding for a Medicaid benefit for children with autism.
Slated to be eliminated in the Governor’s budget was $32,000,000
and after much advocacy and intervention, Mr. Shattuck and others
secured a commitment from the Governor to reinstate $29,000,000.
He made several presentations in communities around the state, created
new content on effective advocacy practices for a web site, and
wrote a guest editorial for the largest newspaper in Madison. More
than 1,100 children and their families were helped. Paul learned
how one needs to act very quickly in the heat of advocacy even though
full information and a full buy-in by stakeholders may be unavailable.
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2002
Contest Winners
BSW
Students: Jennifer Benz, Robert
Fusco, Emily Kimmett and Cheryl Stover, BSW students at the University
of West Florida Division of Social Work designed a petition
in support of the Family Violence/Cross-Reporting bill at the Florida
state legislature. This bill requires animal control workers to
report child abuse cases and mandated reporters of child abuse to
report known or suspected animal abuse. They developed a webpage
(www.students.uwf.edu/jlb24) and made presentations at the university.
“We learned that small successes lead to greater passion about
creating larger successes. We learned about the power of coalition
building as well as the importance of personal communication and
grassroots work.” Students recruited 30 individuals to help
out, obtained 950+ signatures and reached about 12,000 people through
their efforts.
Debbie Miles,
Michelle Andrews, Sharon Foster, and Robyn Cryer, BSW students
at the University of West Florida Division of Social Work created
Citizens Against Second-hand Smoke (CASS) to educate citizens
of the harmful effects of smoke-filled environments. They joined
forces with Smoke Free for Health, a non-profit organization and
helped gather signatures for a referendum petition to put an amendment
on the ballot in November. The students created a website
(http://members.cox.net/casshome) and made legislators aware of
the issues by presentations, leaflets, emails, newspaper articles,
and letters to the editor. CASS directly contacted approximately
3,000 residents of Pensacola. Students learned about “the
importance and power of social capital, that there is power in
numbers, and that the media is a strong tool for moving the community
to action.”
BSW
Faculty: Dr. Frank A. Sansone of the University of West
Florida Division of Social Work developed The Social Action
Campaign Project for a sequence of two senior BSW courses. Teams
of students research a community or state issue relating to social
justice such as an unmet service need or a change in policy. Students
prepare a plan that includes a problem statement, measurable objectives,
strategies and tactics, a budget and an evaluation plan. Implementation
begins in one semester and is completed in the next. Dr. Sansone
expects “students to learn that involvement in a democracy
is not an option for social worker/citizens.” Students at
UWF got petitions signed for a state constitutional amendment/referendum
on smoke-free environments for the upcoming November election;
supported bills for social workers to report pet abuse and animal
workers to report child abuse; advocated for improvements in ADA
accommodations at the university; and were appointed to an advisory
board for advocacy for learning disabled students. (See two of
his student projects in the winning BSW student category.)
MSW
Students: Cynthia Blumenthal, Ron Dixon, Rex Fields, Gloria
Mikells, Chris Nergaard and John Ziegler of the University of Illinois-Chicago
Jane Addams College of Social Work worked with a state legislator
on House Bill 4098 for automatic expungement of some felony and
misdemeanor offenses in the state of Illinois. Impacting over 500
individuals, the bill increases community awareness and empowers
individuals eligible for expungement. Students organized a lobby
day, designed a fact sheet, conducted workshops and power point
presentations, held a press conference, traveled to the state legislature,
met with key law makers, distributed 5,000 flyers and assisted two
men in completing the expungement process. The group learned “that
effective policy advocacy requires creating partnerships with multiple
community factions.”
Danielle
Rosenzweig and Carolyn Long of the Temple University School of
Social Administration had a joint field placement with the
Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) and with State Representative
Lawrence Curry and they supported Senate Resolution 192 and House
Resolution 473 to promote a dialogue on economic human rights
in PA. They organized a grassroots campaign aimed at uniting people
living in poverty, social workers, the state NASW chapter, and
over 50 cosponsoring legislators. 600 persons attended their workshops
and Lobby Day presentations. Students learned that “relationships
are central to all social work practice. Allies can align their
interests and negotiate differences when they are clear about
a common goal. Social workers can position themselves to make
change by creating conditions for new debates and opportunities
for people to raise their own voices.”
Andrea Hicks,
Marnie McDonough, Vivian Roberts and Katherine Wilson of Georgia
State University's School of Social Work worked to promote
the passage of House Bill 1361, the Georgia Fair Lending Act.
This bill helps to sto | |
