MAJOR OF THE QUARTER: SANDRA TAYLOR

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1 Volume 2 Issue 1 Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bob Oxley Student Managing Editor: Emily Mildenhall November 2018

2 MAJOR OF THE QUARTER: SANDRA TAYLOR BY: EMILY MILDENHALL The Applied Sociology Program is pleased to announce that Sandra Taylor has been selected to be the Major of the Quarter. Interestingly enough, Applied Sociology was not actually Sandra s first choice for a major when she enrolled at DSU; she originally planned to go into nursing. This changed when she took Social Problems from Professor Logan Reid to fulfill an elective credit. To quote her directly: Every bias, everything I thought I understood about society and norms within our society, were thrown out the window My mind was blown away. It taught me to think outside of myself, to understand rather than judge or assume. It changed my life. Sandra is also involved in the Institute for Social Research and working on the Quality of Life Initiative: Part 2, which examines the cost of living in St. George for a single mother with two small children. She said she enjoys working with Dr. Oxley and her peers, and that the case study really hits home for her: I have a passion for sociology because I can identify with it. I was a single mother of three boys. I know all too well the stigma of being on social welfare, and part of sociology is that we want to make social change. She also stated that she hopes to make people more aware of underrepresented groups, such as her own. Sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. Sandra states it helped her make sense of things she felt were unattainable for her, it brought a fresh perspective to questions like Why didn t I have the mentality to seek higher education? and Why didn t my parents push me? and Why did I have to go through all these trials to get somewhere? She explained that the expectation for her was to graduate high school, get married and be a traditional housewife. At first, this was fine for her. But she always wanted more for herself and her family, she wanted a better quality of life with more meaning to it. The road to higher education was difficult for Sandra. She had to break many social norms that made her feel like she was living a marginal life. Fortunately Sandra explains My husband and children are always there encouraging me to move forward, I am so blessed to have them. As for goals, Sandra s immediate one is to graduate, but it doesn t end there. My dream is to be a motivational person to mentor other individuals as a counselor. But I also love the healthcare setting, so clinical work, too. I love working with people, she explained. All the good advice I got was from people older and wiser than me. I

3 want to pay that forward now. Sandra also said that in terms of being a sociology major, she loves that it branches out into many employment fields; it s not limiting in any way. That said, Sandra is currently an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) with Family Healthcare where she is fulfilling her Sociology internship requirement for this fall semester. Sandra will implement an employee survey for clinic staff to better understand how they culturally define childhood or adult trauma and how trauma may influence short-term and longterm health for their patients. Sandra will be working under the direction of DSU professor, Matt Smith-Lahrman, PhD, and Patient Support Services Director for Family Healthcare, Sue Wilkey, DNP, RN. To quote Sandra: I am excited about my internship, the goal of Family Healthcare is to provide health education and preventive health measures to patients and staff and to link them with needed resources to improve their health. From my personal perspective, it s how health-care should be. It looks at everything. Each person s experience of trauma is socially constructed, and sociology helps us understand why. On a final note, Sandra gave a word of advice: Things might seem impossible, we might even be socially conditioned to think things are impossible. But are you willing to try? Be the outlier? We can do anything when we make our own social construct. Don t get discouraged. Even when you are only taking one or two classes you are still moving forward. Each class you take is one step closer to your goal. Sandra Taylor working diligently

4 INTERNSHIP REMINDER BY: AUTUMN NUZMAN Juniors, don t forget to start looking for internships. If you can t find them on your own, try using Handshake (the login is the same as for Canvas unless you ve changed your password). If you re looking for a more in-person experience, try going to the Career Center in Holland 523, or talk to your advisor. APPLIED SOCIOLOGY TEA BY: EMILY MILDENHALL On September 18th, the Applied Sociology Program hosted an informational tea on the 5th floor of the HCC to share the latest updates and advancements in the program itself. In fact, by this time next year, Applied Sociology will be merged with the Criminal Justice department. More information on that will come out as it is received. Building on their findings from last year, the Institute for Social Research is currently working on the Quality of Life Initiative: Part 2. The purpose of the two teams is to highlight the cost of living issues in St. George (one of the fastest growing cities in the United States), including rent, tuition, childcare, job availability, etc. The case study they are using is based on a single mother who has two small children, attends DSU, and saves $100 per month. In addition, the members of the Institute for Social Research now have access to SPSS and NVivo 12 on 14 of the computers in the McDonald Center. Having access to these new quantitative and qualitative softwares will provide Applied Sociology students with hard skills that will aid in finding future jobs in the field. Shane Blocker and Diane Maughan from Career Services attended the Applied Sociology Tea and provided some information about Handshake. Handshake (similar to LinkedIn) is a career and internship site that provides a medium for students and employers to find each other. Shane explained that companies look for interns through Handshake, and that the earlier students come to the Career

5 Center about arranging an internship, the better the chances they will have at getting the one they want. Networking is key, Shane stated, emphasizing how important it is to make connections with employers as early as possible. The Career Center also offers assessments that narrow down strengths and weaknesses to help students be aware of what internships they d have the most success with. The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance has partnered with DSU, and as a result, the Applied Sociology Program is going to host a new CNP (Certified Nonprofit Professional) Program. It will be offered in five counties (Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington), and hopefully, it will be open to enroll in by Fall Completion of the program requires attendance of one National Career Conference, satisfaction of the NLA s 10 competencies (through specified DSU coursework), 300 service hours, and a passing score on the Formal Qualifying Exam. The Institutional Certificate offered by the program will be designed to complement any major, not just Applied Sociology, and furthermore, 97% of CNPs get nonprofit jobs. There are only 10,500 CNPs in the U.S., so this new program will be a great opportunity for students looking to broaden their horizons. All in all, the Sociology Tea showcased how the Applied Sociology Program is growing faster than ever in both enrollment and development. Students and faculty at the Sociology Tea

6 FAREWELL RICHARD FEATHERSTONE BY: VERONICA GONZALEZ In the Fall semester of 2018, Richard Featherstone left his position as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Dixie State University. He has accepted the new position of Dean of Instruction at Linn-Benton Community College. Featherstone will be succeeded by Cheri Crenshaw, a professor who specializes in teaching English, grammar, literature, and professional/technical writing. Crenshaw completed her Ph.D. from Texas Woman s University, and she has been teaching at Dixie State for 10 years, now. We are sad to see Dr. Featherstone go, but we are excited for this change. We wish Cheri Crenshaw the best of luck, and we are excited to see how Dixie State University will grow and prosper this year. INTERNING FOR FAMILY HEALTHCARE BY: SANDRA TAYLOR As a student of Applied Sociology, I have studied such topics as culture, socialization, institutions, groups, deviance, social stratification, social control, and social conflict. Wanting each Bachelors in Sociology graduate to be successful in obtaining employment, the Sociology department offers an internship program where students like me can combine sociological knowledge learned through coursework with hands-on experience in a variety of employment fields. This fall semester, I have the opportunity to fulfill my Sociology internship at Family Healthcare, a community health center that provides medical, behavioral, dental, and psychiatric services. Family Healthcare serves patients of all ages, insured and uninsured, and can generally offer same-day appointments. Their mission statement is Making Lives Better. Family Healthcare is participating in The National Council for Behavioral Health s learning collaborative on Trauma- Informed Care (TIC). My internship involves surveying clinic staff to better understand how they culturally define childhood or adult trauma and how trauma may influence short-term and long-term health. In order to further understand patients, staff is learning about TIC and how they can create a safe and welcoming environment for all. As part of this TIC learning collaborative, Family Healthcare is providing trauma education and training for employees. Employees are considered assets to Family Healthcare and their health and a positive working environment are key

7 Sandra Taylor interning for Family Healthcare to job satisfaction and retention. Family Healthcare values providing the most effective quality of care for their patients, that is why employee healthcare needs are equally as important to them. For my internship, I will implement an employee survey that will help identify what some of those healthcare needs may be. The survey will include Sociological theories, like those of Émile Durkheim and Marx Weber, that evaluate cultural classification, institutional settings, and stratification hierarchies as essential elements in explaining the origins of trauma. I will be working under the direction of DSU professor, Matt Smith-Lahrman, PhD, and Family Healthcare s Patient Support Services Director, Sue Wilkey, DNP, RN. Family Healthcare medical providers are highly trained in Family Medicine. The agency has earned Patient-Centered Medical Home Level Three Recognition (the highest level) from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) across all practice sites. Family Healthcare is an important resource for primary health care in Washington and Iron Counties and is part of the solution to problems of access to health care for people in St. George, Cedar City, Hurricane and surrounding communities. Family Healthcare s medical, dental, and behavioral health providers deliver safe, affordable, comprehensive, culturally appropriate, and timely health services. I am excited to learn more about TIC, conduct the survey with staff, and understand the research behind childhood trauma and health outcomes.

8 GOOD NEWS BY: EMILY MILDENHALL Starting off in its second year, there has been a 22% increase in enrollment in the Applied Sociology Program. There are currently 6 ongoing Sociology 1010 courses, and the program as a whole continues to grow; way to go, DSU! THIRD TIME S A CHARM BY: EMILY MILDENHALL This is the third issue of The Observer that I ve had the pleasure of putting together, and it s been a wild ride. Keeping in mind that the Applied Sociology Program is a very recent addition to DSU, there is still work to be done in terms of getting students involved. There has been a 22% increase in enrollment in the program, and that is major. However, this newsletter cannot stand on its own without support from its students. There are always informative and fascinating events happening, and The Observer strives to be a voice for them. I ve met a great deal of amazing individuals and attended many enlightening functions through working for this newsletter. This opportunity is open to any student, not just Applied Sociology majors, and every article counts. We are in great need of writers for The Observer. Full time school, homework, and a job on the side can be overwhelming take it from someone who has all of those things. Nonetheless, time is flexible for article deadlines, and it takes less time to write one than one might think. You don t have to be a flawless writer or a trained journalist to participate. We are more than happy to give background information and edit as needed. This is an excellent way to gain experience with interviews, photography, and how to structure articles. It would also be a great addition to your portfolio to showcase your writing abilities. Topics are abundant, but outside topic ideas relevant to sociology are welcomed. The Applied Sociology Program is expanding quickly, and now is the perfect time to be a part of it. If you re interested, Dr. Oxley can be contacted in room 240 of the McDonald Center, at , or through his roxley@dmail.edu.