Public Safety to make improvements

By Stephanie Luz

More officers, call boxes, and plans for the installment of surveillance cameras are just some of the new improvements coming to Public Safety Headquarters at UMass Dartmouth.

Plans are in the works for a new video surveillance system. This is exciting news for many students such as freshman Mark Realbuto, “I think it’s good… It seems like a lot of not so good activities take place in the parking lots. If anything could be done to either catch the people that [commit crimes] or prevent [crimes], than that would be a good thing, not only because it would prevent car vandalism but also because it would protect students.”

Colonel Emil Fioravanti, Director of Public Safety said, “It’s going to be at least three to six months until [surveillance cameras] are up. It’s not an easy process. We don’t want to build something that is not helpful.” In the upcoming months, plans will be reviewed with designers and engineers. Right now, the plan is for security cameras to be up in every parking lot with the number of cameras varying on the size and geography of the lot.

“A big thing is bringing staffing up to where it needs to be. We started the recruiting program at the beginning of the year. We are now requiring an associates degree with at least 60 credits,” said Fioravanti. College degrees were not a requirement in previous years. Fioravanti said that two more security officers and one more dispatcher are being recruited; there are hopes that Public Safety will be at full staff by the end of the summer. Working at full staff alone has been very hard to accomplish. The UMD Department of Public Safety has never been at full staff before this time.

New blue call boxes have also been added to different parts of campus: the end of Centennial Way, Dorm Road, behind the Campus Center, behind the CVPA building, at the entrance of campus and the Cedar Dell. “Our goal is to be able to get a few more. We want to put another one out on the residence hall drive and some by lot seventeen, lot thirteen… and lot seven” said Fioravanti. In addition to the new call boxes, old preexisting call boxes have been replaced.

There are plans to incorporate bus shelters—bus stop areas that will provide cover from precipitation—with emergency phone and call boxes. Fioravanti also hopes to get campus maps so that students know where they are at each stop and equip the shelters with solar panels for energy. Two of the bus shelters will be installed within the fiscal year and two more in the next.

“People seem to be getting the message about parking in the wrong spots, particularly in fire lanes… we’ve seen a big difference,” said Fioravanti. Stolen parking passes have been a major problem when the parking fees were first instituted last year. Two people were caught stealing the parking passes and are undergoing judicial review. Parking passes in the form of hang tags were thought to be the problem at first but many private institutions have been using them without any trouble.

A few other things to look forward to will be improvements to lighting on campus. Public Safety and Campus Facilities are also teaming up to add more light posts and sidewalks to Ring Road where many students walk and exercise.

South Coast delegation returns from the Azores

By Katie Bresnahan

A delegation composed of government, education and business leaders from the South Coast met at a press conference Monday morning to share the results of their recent trade mission to the Azores Islands, off the coast of Portugal.

Included in this delegation were United States Congressman Barney Frank, State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton), State Representative Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport), State Representative Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford), UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack, Bristol Community College President Jack Sbrega and Fall River businessman Fernando Garcia. These seven southeastern Massachusetts leaders ventured to the Azores for a week, discussing business, economics and the environment with leaders on the islands.

Chancellor MacCormack, who is back from her second trip to the Azores, said that while they were there she and Doutor Avelino de Freitas Meneses, the president of the University of the Azores “signed an agreement for student and faculty [exchange programs].” The university departments that will be involved in this program are Portuguese studies, nursing, management and economics. The chancellor said, “[This program] will begin to move right away.”

There will also be an exchange program between the libraries at UMD and the University of the Azores. According to a UMD press release, the Claire T. Carney Library and the library at the school in the Azores “will provide electronic delivery of library materials to each other.” The two schools will also develop a partnership, which will allow exchange related research and the two libraries would permit access to digital materials across the Atlantic as well.

The highlight of the trip, according to Representative Rodrigues was “the look on Tony [Cabral]’s face when we landed [on his island].” Cabral grew up in the Azores.

Cabral said, “It certainly was a pleasure to be part of this mission.”

While they were in the Azores, the delegation also took part in several other activities. One of these activities was a commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the eruption of the Capelinhos Volcano. This caused many Azoreans to immigrate to the United States.

The delegation also attended a conference that focused on energy and the environment, agriculture and fisheries, international business, logistics, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, tourism and health care.

According to Senator Pacheco, “The most pressing problem facing the world today is climate change.” In the Massachusetts State Senate he chairs the Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change.

They met with the president of the airport on one of the islands. They spoke to him about the value of tourism and transportation. “All of these things are important,” said Cabral, “but without transportation they would not be possible.”

Congressman Frank referred to the Azores as America’s “‘easy entry’ to getting established in Europe.” These islands are also located in an easy to reach location. They are only a four and a half hour flight from the U.S.

“I would like to grade [the mission] as an A,” said Garcia at the end of the conference, describing the successful trip to the Azores.

Students do community service in New Bedford during spring break

By Annie Willis

Each year, mid-March rolls around revealing a week for students to recover from a long winter of being battered around both by classes and the off-shore winds of UMass Dartmouth.

Many students use this opportunity to travel to a warm beach close to the equator or make extra money bagging groceries. But there is a group who swallow their desire to vacation and brave the muted colors and still-unimpressive temperatures of early spring to serve the communities of Dartmouth, Fall River and New Bedford.

Members of this group are called ASBers (Alternative Spring Breakers) and they dedicate five days out of their Spring Breaks to perform various community-building service projects in the towns surrounding UMass Dartmouth.

Last March, 10 students willingly stayed on campus and teamed up for the week with eight members of YouthBuild, a program in New Bedford that helps people ages 16-24 get their GEDs while learning indispensable construction skills.

Although the groups were from drastically different walks of life, they joined together and found they had a lot more in common than they originally thought.

Roselle Arpino, one half of the organizational team of Alternative Spring Break, found that putting together the break last year was truly an eye-opening experience. She said, “This may sound a bit corny, but honestly organizing last year’s alternative break was a life changing experience. Seeing all the hard work leading up to the break come together, watching everyone get along and have a good time, as well as work together in the community really moved me. It’s a sense of pride that I couldn’t get from anything else.”

Last year, the week began with once-loathed “Team Builders,” which, although purposefully embarrassing, are fun ways to reveal one’s true character and get to know others.

During the week, the ASB group participated in discussions with representatives from the Women’s Center in New Bedford, Buttonwood Park, College Now, the Dartmouth YMCA and the Coalition for Social Justice.

They did everything from planting seeds at the Dartmouth YMCA garden, to cleaning up Buttonwood Park, to registering voters in public housing in Fall River and helping sort donations at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church after the immigration raid. The group of ASBers also got all dolled up to help out at the SWIMS Conference (Successful Women in Math and Science) and the Men Who Cook Fundraiser for the Women’s Center.

The students gave YouthBuild members a personalized tour of the UMass Dartmouth campus and community, as well as worked late into the night to prepare floats for New Bedford’s annual Earth Day parade.

Celina Ruiz, a serial ASBer, says, “I met some of the best people during my first year, and the experience has always been great. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it because of the new perspective volunteering provides. I like most of the volunteering that we have done.”

Rita Wang, another serial ASBer (they always come back for more!) said, “The services we provide helps people in our own backyard. The media portrays national disasters or once in a lifetime events that require volunteers. But when you look hard at our own surroundings, there is always a great need for compassionate people to serve in the local community.”

Alternative Spring Break not only benefited the surrounding cities, but it also planted the seed for a fantastic partnership between YouthBuild and UMass Dartmouth. The relationship that was fostered between the two groups is everlasting and still continues to morph into a strong force that is still working to change the face of the community.

This year, the 2008 Alternative Spring Break will focus on different elements of social justice, access to higher education, and promoting diversity in the community. It is never too early to start thinking about getting involved in Alternative Spring Break! There are many perks too, such as a $400 tuition waiver for doing 40 hours of community service, creating contacts and networking amongst the community, moving in to the dorms hassle-free a week earlier than everyone else, and most importantly, making life-long friends who enjoy serving the community as much as you do.

Tho Pham, a freshman business undeclared major, will be spending her first spring break of college serving the cities around her. She says that she thinks Alternative Spring Break will be “good for the community,” and that it is “an experience that I have never had before.” Pham has high hopes that she’ll enjoy the week of hard work, community building, and service.

To get more information about this great opportunity, please contact Sophal Kea at uskea@umassd.edu or Roselle Arpino at u_rarpino@umassd.edu. And remember, as uncool as it may sound, community service is a great alternative to wasting your Spring Break at home in front of the TV or sweating on some tropical beach for a week!

A MESSAGE FROM RHC

An organization that often goes unseen

When students hear the three letters “RHC,” a look of uncertainty often appears. RHC is much more than three letters. It is an organization on campus that gives students the opportunity to become involved with the university as a whole.

In case you are wondering, RHC stands for the Residence Halls Council. RHC is an organization that is extremely versatile and offers students a chance to get their voices heard.

RHC is broken up into several committees ranging from creating programs for students to meeting with administrators from departments such Public Safety and Dining Services. The committees include Programs, Public Relations, Finance, NEACURCH, Constitution, Quality of Life, Public Safety, Community Service and the Food Committee.

RHC is a great organization to become involved with because it caters to each resident student’s perception of involvement. For instance, the Programs Committee allows for students to get a first hand experience in event planning.

On the other hand, the student who is looking to make a difference on campus can work on the Quality of Life Committee to deal with issues within the residence halls. One major issue Quality of Life is concerned with is the new online housing selection process. RHC selects delegates to attend the meetings with the housing board in order to be a representative of the students’ voices.

In addition to becoming involved on campus RHC’s NEACURCH Committee attends various conferences around New England in order to collaborate with schools within the region. At each conference members are able to network with peers as well as gaining a fresh perspective of how other schools run their Residence Halls Councils.

As mentioned, the Programs committee organizes various events for the student body. These events include the annual RHC Poker Night, pumpkin carving contest, Valentine’s Day carnation sale and the yearly Springfest celebration. RHC hopes to become involved with more major programs on campus as the organization expands.

The community service committee collaborates with noted organizations such as the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society. Each year RHC sponsors two blood drives and participates in the Relay for Life.

Many students are looking for a way to become involved with the community and RHC can help with that.

So if you are a student who is looking for a chance to build that resume and, more importantly, become involved on campus and off the Residence Halls Council is the organization to for you.

Come join us every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Conference Room located next to the SAIL Office.

Feel free to contact us with any questions at umassdrhc@umassd.edu or IM us at umassdrhc.

TOPICS IN MENTAL HEALTH

Why gratitude is important and how to increase it

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.” – Albert Schweitzer

As the study of happiness and emotional well-being gains popularity in psychological and scientific study (it has long been popular in the fields of religion and philosophy), there is increasing research on the nature of gratitude, its causes and its potential consequences for health and mental and emotional well-being. In this article I will review some of the recent findings about the relationship between gratitude and health, and will then outline some ways to increase the experience and expression of gratitude in your life.

Researchers like Martin Seligman, Robert Emmons, and Michael McCullough are turning their attention to the study of gratitude and its relationship to health and mental well-being. I will present some of their findings here to help us understand how gratitude is helpful and why it is important to our well-being.

1. People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis have been found to exercise more regularly, have fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and feel more optimistic about their upcoming week as compared to those who keep journals recording the stressors or neutral events of their lives.

2. Daily discussion of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality. Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.

3. People who think about, talk about or write about gratitude daily are more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or offered emotional support to another person.

4. Those with a disposition towards gratitude are found to place less importance on material goods, are less likely to judge their own or others’ success in terms of possessions accumulated, are less envious of wealthy people and are more likely to share their possessions with others.

5. Emerging research suggests that daily gratitude practices may have some preventative benefits in warding of coronary artery disease.

You might be asking yourself how this all works. There is a complex relationship between thoughts, moods, brain chemistry, endocrine function and functioning of other physiological systems in our bodies.

While an in-depth discussion of this relationship is beyond the scope of this article, suffice it to say that our thoughts can actually trigger physiological changes in our body that affect our mental and physical health. Basically, what you think affects how you feel (both emotionally and physically).

So if you increase your positive thoughts, like gratitude, you can increase your subjective sense of well-being as well as, perhaps, objective measures of physical health (like fewer symptoms of illness and increased immune functioning).

There are some very simple ways to increase your experience and expression of gratitude. As Albert Schweitzer notes in his above quotation about gratitude, increasing our conscious awareness of gratitude may require that we train ourselves to think differently. This can be done by incorporating some simple exercises into your life.

For example, you might begin to keep a gratitude journal, as noted above in some of the research. Gratitude journals can take many forms, but one way of doing this is to simply write down one thing that you are grateful for each day. It can be something that happened that day, something you felt, or someone in your life who has made a positive impact on you.

Alternatively (or additionally), you can speak your expressions of gratitude. You can engage a friend or romantic partner in a daily discussion about what you are grateful for. This might take the form of questions like, “What was the best part of your day today?”, or “What is one thing that made you feel really happy today?”

This kind of discussion not only helps to increase your own awareness of all that you have to be grateful for, but can also promote positive connection and experiences in your relationship with whomever you choose to have these exchanges. For example, instead of having dinner with a friend or partner and talking about all the stressors of your day, this kind of discussion leads you both to focus on the positive things, which in turn helps the stressors feel less significant, and helps you feel happier when around your friend or partner. Basically, gratitude promotes gratitude.

If you find that you are very busy and unable to stick to a regular gratitude practice, see if you can train yourself to notice things, in the moment, that you are thankful for. They can be small things: maybe you notice that your bed is very comfortable, that your lunch is tasty or that a good friend said something nice to you.

It is easy to take these kinds of experiences for granted and not direct our conscious awareness to them. But training yourself to notice these kinds of things and really feel grateful for them can help increase your own experience of happiness.

For those of you who have watched the popular movie “The Secret,” you are aware of the Law of Attraction that was portrayed and has been written about prolifically. The Law of Attraction states that whatever you think about or talk about will be drawn into your life. If this is true, thinking about what you are grateful for will draw more of that to you. It seems like that’s worth a try!

If you have questions or comments about the information presented in this article, please direct email correspondence to rachel.lively@netzero.net.

Rachel Lively, Psy.D.
Counseling Center

STATE OF THE QUEER NATION

Parents talk about transgender child’s transition

“When Andrea was three, she told us that she was in the wrong body. And that she was really a boy,” says Karen Boelts, the child’s mother in last Friday’s article, “Parents talk about transgender child’s transition” by Nelson Garcia from www.9news.com.

Karen and Eric Boelts are now the parents of 13-year-old Andy. “Between the ages of three and six, the Boelts say Andrea consistently told them about feeling like a boy.” These feelings were attributed to a “stage” or a “phase” that Andrea was sure to get over.

It was not until she started showing signs of depression and continuous persistence that the Boelts started to realize that this was not a phase. When they began to encourage Andrea to live as Andy, “a cloud of despair was lifted. ‘It was phenomenal,’ said Eric. ‘That was one of those moments for me that I knew we’re on the right path.’”

One of the best parts about this story is the ease that Andy had in transitioning. He was accepted by his younger sister, his friends, his classmates and his school. Andy’s Boulder Valley kindergarten through eighth grade school created a unisex bathroom for him and listened to transgender speakers about the reality of living as the opposite biological gender. “And, to this day…he has never been teased once for his gender,” said his mother Karen.

In conjunction with these steps taken by the school, on February 24 the 10th Annual Gold Rush Conference put on by the Gender Identity Center of Colorado addressed a “variety of transgender issues including the growing one involving young transgender children.”

Karen spoke at this convention along with Jean Hodges, the regional director of PFLAG, at a workshop entitled “Making Schools Safe for Trans Students and Teachers.”

In a society where transgender individuals are the most targeted for hate crimes, stories like this show hope for the future. “Recent statistics show that transgender people suffer from 11 percent of bias crimes committed against all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, a percentage of attacks far in excess of their numbers in the population, continuing to make the transgender community one of the most vulnerable in our society,” said Clarence Patton, executive director of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project” (taken from http://www.365gay.com/Newscon05/11/112005tgDay.htm).

As the Boelts said, “No matter what, there will always be people who disagree with them. ‘And, frankly, I’m not offended by them. I feel for them,’ said Karen. ‘Their hearts are so closed.’”

With steps being taken like the ones in Colorado and programs like PFLAG’s recent TNET (Transgender Network) chapter and the impact of things like Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20), there holds a strong promise for the future of transgender awareness, knowledge and acceptance. So while most transgender news stories in GLBT news might be of the worse kind, it is heartening to know that there are steps being implemented throughout the country to stop the hate.

Melanie Correia
Secretary
Pride Alliance

CAREER CORNER

Reducing Stress: On-Campus recruiting

By Colleen Foley

The UMass Dartmouth Career Resource Center is happy to announce the start of Employer On-Campus Recruiting, in conjunction with e-Recruiting for the spring 2008 semester.

What is Employer On-Campus Recruiting? It is a chance for employers to come to campus during the fall and spring semesters to interview job candidates in a relaxed environment (from the comfort of the campus). This environment reduces stress associated with going out and finding a job by bringing it to campus. Companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, EMC Corporation and State Street Corporation will be visiting campus as part of Employer On-Campus Recruiting this semester.

With the arrival of e-Recruiting, students can participate in Employer On-Campus Recruiting with one-click of the mouse. e-Recruiting allows students to load their resumes, sign up for information sessions and career chats and participate in the interviewing pre-selection process. To use the service, students must register with e-Recruiting.

For registration information, up-to-date lists of employers participating in the program, or more information regarding Employer On-Campus Recruiting, please visit www.umassd.edu/crc.

GREENING THE CAMPUS

Awakening consciousness in the leap year

The presence of an extra day this month—February 29—gives us a leap year, along with the sense of abundance and possibility contained within that term. Many scientists, philosophers and historians believe we are also now experiencing a leap in human consciousness as we awaken to the sense that we are on an environmental and historical cusp.

This awakening is analogous to Copernicus awakening from the mythological earth-centered solar system to a new story of a sun-centered system. Our current leap in consciousness lies in awakening from the mythologies that have dominated our dying worldview to new stories about who we are and the nature of the universe that we inhabit.

Chief among these are the Myth of Separation, the Myth of ‘Away’, and the Myth of Cultural Perfection.

The Myth of Separation goes something like this: We are separate from the environment, we are separate from each other and we are separate from the islands that are being engulfed by rising seas and the turtles that are dying in our oceans. We live in separate houses and communities and go off to work in separate professions. In universities we work in separate buildings and disciplines that some call silos. We work in businesses, non- profits, banks, churches and schools, but rarely with each other.

Closely allied to the Myth of Separation is the Myth that there is an ‘Away’ into which we can bury our trash, put our problem citizens, hide toxins, and emit noxious fumes.

The Myth of Cultural Perfection goes something like this: We are at the apex of human history and are living the best kinds of lives on the planet. We have nothing to learn from other cultures or from our own history. The only place to go from here is downhill. The choices we can make personally are narrow and confined to issues of employment, entertainment, and consumption.

Instead of the Myth of Separateness, sustainability tells the new story that we are all one.

Scientifically, we know this is true: we are made of the same stuff as the stars and the soil and the animals that share our planet. Sustainability also encourages us to work together across the silos of disciplines and cultures and professions. In fact, it insists that the only way forward is through holistic and systems thinking and through collaborative work and design

Instead of the Myth of ‘Away,’ sustainability tells us that we are already home. This means that degrading any of our environments degrades us. We, and our oceans and wildlife, are drowning in our trash and persistent toxins, and cleaning ourselves up is the only path to redemption.

To the myth that we have reached cultural perfection, Sustainability tells a New Story of Cultural and Evolutionary Growth.

This story tells us that many cultures have begun to adapt to the new world and have things to teach us. The country of Sweden for example, has a goal of becoming fossil fuel free in 10 years. The Kingdom of Bhutan measures their Gross National Happiness as an alternative to a Gross National Product. The slow-city movement is developing livable cities world wide, and, closer to home, many U.S. cities, including Portsmouth, New Hampshire, are committed to becoming eco-municipalities. Sustainability also teaches us that we have many skills and virtues that we have left behind in our rush to the future and that redeveloping those skills—such as composting, gardening, reuse, and even weaving and sewing—can help us through the transition.

Like the term ‘leap,’ sustainability carries within it hope, abundance, and excitement for those who choose to awaken. There is a new world in the making, and we are the makers.

Susan Jennings
Interim Director
Office of Campus and Community Sustainability