MST Workshop

This was a short story I wrote, in which I covered a workshop that addressed military sexual trauma, how to treat it and many of the mental health problems that follow. 

Cleveland State University’s School of
Social Work held two workshops Friday
April 11th, the first of these two workshops
focused primarily on female veterans
and the growing epidemic of MST
(military sexual trauma)—and how to
effectively and properly clinically treat
the growing number of both male and
female veterans who suffer from MST.

The presenter for Friday’s workshops
was Dr. Jennifer Knetig, a clinical psychologist
and the Military Sexual Trauma
Coordinator at the Louis Stokes
Cleveland VA Medical Center.

MST is a term that refers to the psychological
trauma experienced by military
service members as a result of sexual
assault or harassment, according to the
Department of Veteran Affairs, (VA).

MST is also known to lead to other
mental health sequelaes—conditions
such as PTSD, depression and substance
use disorders.

Although the idea of sexual assault
within the military isn't a new one, the
VA didn't begin screening for MST until
1999—and even now questions about
whether a service member was ever sexually
assaulted or harassed while serving
are only required to be asked once
every 99 years, said Knetig.

According to studies and reviews presented
by Knetig, reporting rates vary
drastically—some reviews show that 50-
77 percent of service members report
sexual harassment while 11-48 percent
report being sexually assaulted.

A 2007 study found that 22 percent of
women veterans and 1 percent of men
screened positive for MST—a 2010
study of 125,729 VA care receiving veterans
found that 15.1 percent of women
and 0.7 percent of men reported MST.

However, Knetig stressed that—for a
number of reasons—MST may be severely
under reported.

MST brings with it a distinctive number
of problem—both in getting service
members to admit to having suffered
sexual assault while serving and finding
treatment care plans that work for
this unique and unfortunately growing
group of veterans.

Knetig discussed four different “evidence
based treatments” for MST and the
mental health sequelaes it may cause—
these treatments included dialectical behavior
therapy, acceptance and commitment
therapy, prolonged exposure and
cognitive processing therapy.

Each therapy is tailored to tend to the
varying and distinctive needs of veterans
suffering from MST, said Knetig.

Throughout the workshop, Knetig also
showed clips from the film “The Invisible
War,” a 2012 documentary that featured
interviews with veterans in which they
recounted the events that surrounded
their own sexual assaults.

Many of the clips shown were difficult
to watch—and the effect of watching
these women (and men) describe the
horrors they lived through was visible
on many faces in the audience.

Attendance at the workshop was small,
only eight students (all women)—all of
them current social workers, counselors
or therapists.

Among those attending was Cheryl
Williams—who is an eight-year veteran
of the United States Navy.

Williams, 52, served in the Navy from
1981-1989, she is currently an Information
and Referral specialist with the
United Way 211— a phone line community
members can call to find resources
to help them with needs such as gas bill
assistance and homelessness.

“I was offered the opportunity to attend
the workshop through my employer, in
December 2013, 211 launched a veteran
line to better assist veterans with their
needs. I assist with the veteran line
when needed,” said Williams.

Before the workshop, Williams admitted
she hadn't had much experience
with MST or veterans who suffer from
it—but afterwards she felt as though
she had gained the knowledge needed
to assist veterans who seek help through
the United Way’s veteran’s phone line.

“I feel as though I learned a lot from
the workshop. I now have a better understanding
of what can happen to military
men and women,” said Williams.

“I now have some resources to refer
my callers to, for example, the VA Medical
Center and the “DOM” which was
mentioned in the workshop.”

Overall the workshop appeared to be
quite a success. Interesting, informative
and impactful—it is safe to say that
those who were in attendance gained
not only new knowledge but a new found
respect for female veterans and
the problems and struggles they can
face in their continued commitment to
serving their country.

The second workshop presented Friday
focused on the best clinical treatments
for female veterans who suffer
from PTSD—both the workshops were
offered through the School of Social
Work’s Continuing Education Division.

The goal of the Continuing Education
Division is to “provide opportunities for
learning experiences that will prepare
professional social workers…to meet
the multiple needs of individuals, organizations,
and the communities they
serve in the provision of social work and
counseling interventions,” said the program
coordinator Dr. George Tsagaris.

The Continuing Education Division has
held various veteran-focused workshops
in the past—and this semester decided
on something a little different.

“We came up with the idea of doing
something that would focus primarily
on women [veterans],” said Tsagaris.

The workshops held Friday are among
a series workshops designed to give social
workers and counselors the opportunity
to complete board required continuing
education hours.

Rising unemployment and underemployment rates among black college graduates

Following my story on retention rates among black college students, this enterprise story explored the problem of rising unemployment and underemployment rates of black college graduates. Enjoy!

By Lalita Smith

The time has finally come; after four,

five, maybe even six years of perspiration,

dedication and preservation (of

sanity) it’s finally here — college graduation.

As hundreds, even thousands

of nervous

students anxiously await that glorious

moment when their name is called

and they walk across that sacred stage

— many of them are thinking to themselves,

“What’s next?”

Unfortunately, for many of these students,

the answer to that question isn't a simple one.

The dream is the same for many of

these students: go to college, graduate

from college and get a job.

Sounds simple, right? For many graduates,

it’s far from simple.

According to an annual report released

by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),

in 2013 the unemployment rate for college

graduates over 25, who earned a

bachelor’s degree or higher, was 3.7 percent.

The Economic Policy Institute reports

that the current unemployment rate for

college graduates between the ages of

21 and 24 is over eight percent.

This means that at any given time —

there are roughly 2,000 unemployed

college graduates searching for jobs that

may not even exist.

Sounds bad — but the sad part is,

for many black graduates, it gets even

worse.

A report released by the Center Economic

and Policy research reports that

in 2013, the unemployment rate for recent

black graduates is over 12 percent

— compared to the only 5.6 rate for all

recent college graduates.

The same report released by the BLS

also stated that the unemployment rate

for blacks who earned a bachelor’s degree

or higher was 5.7 percent in 2013,

compared to the unemployment rate of

3.5 of their white counterparts.

Many people may argue that the difference

in rates isn't that much — it’s only

a little over two percent, right?

However in 2103, the total number of

employed graduates was over 47,000

— and over 38,000 of those were white

graduates — meaning that over 75 percent

of the entire college educated workforce

was white.

While blacks made up less than 10 percent.

Suddenly that two percent doesn't

seem so small.

Lauren Carter, 24, a recent black graduate

of Cleveland State University —

knows just how hard it was to find a job

upon graduating.

“It really sucks,” said Carter. “I put in

more applications than I can even remember,

and most of the time that’s

about as far as I got. I had been out of

school for two years before I just gave up

and decided to go back to college.”

Fortunately people aren't turning a

blind eye to the problems that face these

black graduates — articles, studies and

reports run rampant throughout the internet,

all shedding light unto a plight

that might otherwise go unheard.

Unfortunately, the bad news for black

graduates doesn't end there.

With unemployment comes under employment

— a twofold term that can

include college graduates who work in

fields that don’t require a college education

(for example a law school graduate

who works as a bus boy) and also those

who want to and could work full-time,

but were forced to accept part-time positions.

It’s true that black graduates aren't the

only ones who suffer from underemployment

— a recent article published on Slate.com points

 out that the underemployment

rate for college graduates between

the ages of 22 and 27 was nearly

44 percent.

The underemployment rate for all college

graduates was around 35 percent.

However, when you consider that fact

that white graduates make up nearly 75

percent of the entire college educated

workforce, it’s would be a safe assertion

that they make up quite a large portion

of those underemployed as well, right?

A separate report released by the Center

for Economic and Policy Research

found that in 2013, 55 percent of all

employed black graduates were underemployed

— more than half of all black

graduates are underemployed.

“It’s really hard knowing you spent all

that time in college, yet companies will

offer you part time work or try to underpay

you, when you know you can do

better,” Carter said.

Seems as though there are a whole lot

of people not seeing a return on that

good ole’ “college investment.”

So, why is it so hard for black graduates

to find jobs?

A recent PBS News hour segment featured

Nela Richardson, a Senior Economist

for Bloomberg — who attempted to

answer this question.

“This is a problem that is fixable,” said

Richardson. “When it comes to black

youth, you still see double the unemployment

rate [compared to] other college

graduates, so that’s when we have

to match job training programs, perhaps

paid internships, with college graduates

to make sure they have the same employment

opportunities going forward.”

Nothing is ever easy, but if college

graduates are willing to do the work,

choose the right degree programs for the

right jobs, there just might be hope for

the next crop of black graduates.

Importance of and relationship between involvement and retention for black college students

This is one of my first enterprise stories; in it I explored the poor retention rates among black college students, and how on campus involvement among these students helps improve their college experience and encourage them to not only stay in school, but finish. Enjoy.

By Lalita Smith
The struggle is real for black college
students not only at Cleveland State but
across the nation—the struggle to not
just go to college, but to stay in college.

Studies have shown that one solution to
this struggle is student involvement.

According to a report released last year
by the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), in 2008 only 11.8 percent
of first year, full-time black students
attending a public university, graduated
within six years.

A report released by Cleveland State
cited that black students comprised only
20 percent of all undergraduate students
in 2009—and a study conducted
by Cleveland State reported that only
14.3 percent of black students who were
enrolled in 2001 went on to graduate
within six years.

In the “Book of Trends” released last
year by Cleveland State University, the
reported retention rate for black students
between Fall 2011 and Fall 2012
was 46 percent, compared to the 70 percent
retention rate of their white counterparts—
and of the 2,066 bachelor degrees
awarded that year, only 352 were
to black students.

For years, black people have fought;
fought for the right to live free, fought
for the right to enjoy political freedom,
fought for equality and fought for the
right to educate themselves and their
children.

Black students today are free to go to
college, free to earn an education that
50 years ago may have been denied to
them—but the fight must not end there.

These same students now have to fight
to gain the education that is available to
them—a fight that it appears many of
them are losing.

Allen Smith, 23, who attended Cleveland
State from Fall 2008 to Fall 2009,
knows first-hand how hard it is to stay
in school.

“I thought I was ready to go to college,
but once I got there, I was just so overwhelmed,”
said Smith.
“I just wasn’t ready.”

What can be done to help students like
Smith get ready, instead of give up?

Research done by Dr. Walter R. Allen,
professor of sociology and the Allan
Murray Cartter Professor of Higher Education
at UCLA, supports the assertion
that student involvement is the simple
(and best) solution.

Dr. Allen and his colleagues at the
UCLA graduate school of education and
information studies have studied the
performance of minorities in college—
and in his book “The Color of Success,”
Dr. Allen reports that black students who
participate in social activities become a
part of the social environment of a university,
and as a result are more likely to
continue their education.

In addition, he argues that supportive
social college environments also “communicate
to black students that it is safe
to take risks associated with intellectual
growth…and increase the probability
that they will succeed.”

Marquis Brannon, 25, who started at

Cleveland State in 2007, can attest to
the importance of being involved
on campus. Brannon was a member of the
swim team and also pledged a
fraternity while here at Cleveland
State.

“If I wasn’t involved, I wouldn’t
be where I am now,” said Brannon.

The Office of Inclusion and
Multicultural Engagement has
recently created a new retention
initiative--the Navigator
Program--that is focused on
assisting minority students in

their goals to achieve academic
success, while at the same time
getting (and keeping) them involved
and engaged.

“We say it’s a continuous system
of support, from the time
you enter until the time you
leave,” said Dr. Charleyse Pratt,
assistant vice president of the
Office of Inclusion and Multicultural
Engagement.

The program utilizes the efforts
of trained “navigators”--
recruited individuals who support
and assist students and are
specifically trained to attend
the particular needs of students
throughout the various stages
of their college career.

“My vision in the long term
is that we would have like 500.
Right now we've got about 40,” said
Pratt.

These “navigators” are not just
students, but faculty and staff
members who are able to provide
students with the help and
advocacy they need.

Another facet of the Navigator
Program is student involvement.

“Research shows that students
who are engaged, who are involved,
who are connected are
more likely to be retained,” said
Pratt.

“If you create a space where
people can be involved, where
they can feel connected...where
they can get the help that they
need…that contributes to retention.”

Within the Navigator Program
and the Office of Inclusion,
there are various ways that students
can get involved.

A book club, three student organizations,
available learning and study groups and a weekly
Lunch and Learn event are just
a few of the involvement opportunities
offered to students.

With the support of the kind
of programs and opportunities
offered here at Cleveland State,
perhaps minority and majority
students alike will be able to
overcome the struggle and not
just go to college, but stay in
college.

Coach Gary Waters Ben Jobe award nomination

I wrote this story for the Cleveland Stater, Cleveland State University's laboratory newspaper during the Spring 2014 semester. It was one of my earlier stories, but I actually ended up being very pleased with it; it was my first time interviewing a "celebrity," local or otherwise. Enjoy.

By Lalita Smith

Cleveland State University’s

very own men’s head basketball

coach Gary Waters has been

named a finalist for the Ben

Jobe National Coach of the Year

award.

The Ben Jobe award is a minority

coaching award presented

by Collegeinsider.com. It is

awarded annually to the top

minority Division I men’s basketball

coach.

“This award recognizes class

and coaching excellence, which

all of the finalists embody,” said

Angela Lento, co-founder of

Collegeinsider.com, in a recent

press release.

The Ben Jobe award was created

as a way to pay tribute to

and recognize outstanding minority

coaches.

The award is named in honor

of Coach Ben Jobe. Coach Jobe

made history as a legend among

men’s basketball at historically

black colleges and universities,

according to benjobeward.com

“It’s a great award because it’s

been given to what I call very

qualified and quality people, in

the past,” said Waters.

“To be even considered is an

honor.”

Coach Jobe is recognized most

often as the head coach of the

Southern University Jaguars,

in his 12 years there he led

the team to four NCAA tournaments,

won 11 Southwestern

Athletic Conference championships

and won five Southern

Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

championships.

“It feels good [to be a finalist],

it feels that they’re recognizing

that you’ve contributed to the

game of basketball,” said Waters.

And his contributions to basketball

here at Cleveland State

have been nothing short of legendary.

Last season Waters became

the winningest head basketball

coach in Cleveland State history

as he recorded his record breaking

150th win on Jan. 28.

He also led the Vikings to a 21-

12 regular season record, his

two Horizon League Championships

in 2009 and 2011 stand as

the first and only times Cleveland

State have been league

champions in school history.

“[If I were to win] it would

mean that I’ve been acknowledged

by my peers, that I have contributed to the game over

the years,” said Waters.

Not only does Waters contribute

on the court—but he does

so off the court as well.

Waters is a co-chair of the

2014 Radiance Faculty and

Staff Campaign—a fund raising

campaign whose main goal

is to raise and distribute scholarships

to academically qualified

students who are at risk of

dropping out due to financial

struggles or limitations.

“I think it’s a quality program

and I think it’s something that

all the faculty and staff here

need to be a part of,” said Waters.

Waters is one of 15 finalists for

this year’s award—other finalists

include Rob Murphy (Eastern

Michigan), Ron Hunter

(Georgia State) and Joe Jones

(Boston University).

The winner will be announced

at an award banquet hosted by

Collegeinsider.com on April 4

in Dallas, Texas.