The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Our Students Reach for Excellence

Danielle Casal Receives Glenn Kendall Public Service Award

Juarez Outreach Display

Danielle Casal, a graduating senior majoring in health science with concentrations in gerontology and health education, has received the university's Glenn Kendall Public Service Award. Endowed by former university president Glenn Kendall, this award annually recognizes one outstanding graduating senior who has a strong record of both scholarship and public service. Danielle has an outstanding academic record, and at the same time has had the drive to be involved in so many extracurricular activities that include vice president for the student chapter of the Health Professionals Association, providing environmental education to low-income junior high students through CAMP WILD, providing health education to the local Hmong community on a variety of health and fitness topics, interning at Windchimes Assisted Living, and working for Earth Day, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Cancer Society, and more...

Because of her commitment to the field and to her service in the community, the department chose her as their 2007 Outstanding Undergraduate Health Education Major of the Year, an award sponsored by the American Association of Health Education. In addition, Casal has been named the Outstanding Graduate in Health Education for Commencement 2007.

Sylvana Carie, Geography and Planning Major, Recognized for her Work
At the spring meeting of the California Geographical Society in Borrego Springs, Sylvana Carie won first prize in cartography. Her map showing the travels of Ché Guevara (upon which the movie Motorcycle Diaries was based) won her this recognition.

Sociology Class Taking Action on Women's Murders

Overthe last 13 years in Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, over 400 women have been raped, murdered and butchered while thousands of others are missing. Most of the murders and disappearances have gone unsolved, in part, because Mexican authorities are not putting much effort into solving them. For the past three years, the students in Dr. Janja Lalich's "Women in Contemporary Societies" class have been working on a community outreach project about the women in Juarez. They created information displays, sponsored letter writing campaigns, and, this fall semester they are lobbying the American-owned factories in Juarez where many of these women worked when they were abducted, asking for improved lighting and transportation. They also brought a documentary about the murders, "Seniorita Extraviada," to campus.

Constitution Day Test Winner
The winner of the Constitution Day test is Gregory M. Leben, Political Science, class of December 2006. Mr. Leben, from Thousand Oaks, CA, scored an impressive 59 out of 66 correct on the Constitution quiz. He received a $50 gift certificate to the AS Bookstore. The quiz was actually a version of the 1965 Alabama Voter Literacy test routinely used in the past to deny African-Americans access to the vote. Congratulations to Mr. Leben and a special thanks to the Political Science department for their help in organizing Constitution Day activities. To try the quiz yourself visit http://kpearson.project.tcnj.edu/interactive/imm_files/test.html.

Rawlins Award Winners

In a wonderful ceremony on the campus grounds in early Fall 2006, five outstanding BSS students were presented with $2,000 Robert Rawlins Merit Awards. Peeking in the background is Interim Dean Jackson with the student award winners and their faculty nominators. Catherine Benjamin, Geography and Planning (nominated by Professor Paul Melcon), Irene Korber, also of Geography and Planning (nominated by Professor Mark Stemen), Alyssum Root, Political Science (nominated by Professor Diane Schmidt), Anna Sorensen, Sociology (nominated by Professor Kathleen Kaiser), and Shyloh Stearns, Psychology (nominated by Professor Jane Rysberg) were recognized for their grades, their extra curricular activities and their community involvement. We are very proud of these students. (Stearns and Rysberg are not pictured here)

Economics Club Visits High Schools
Under the leadership of Alex James, President of the Economics Club, club members have been visiting high school economics classes in the north state this semester. Their half hour presentation starts with a strong plug for going to college and moves into a discussion of how economics is an interesting subject to study, using examples of environmental and international economics and social issues like the economics of abortion, blood banks, crime and prisons. James said he came up with this idea because he “wanted to destroy the Ferris Bueller stereotype that economics is boring.”

Congratulations Anna Sorensen

Anna Sorensen, a senior majoring in sociology, received the prestigious 2006 William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement. She will be honored at a ceremony in Long Beach on October 19th where she will receive one of two $6,000 awards recognizing her academic performance, her community service and her personal accomplishments in the face of hardships and challenges.

Outstanding Geography and Planning Major
Congratulations to Martha Martínez, a junior in the Department of Geography and Planning, who received a California Planning Foundation Scholarship (Sacramento Section) for the 2006-2007 academic year. She will be awarded $1,000 at the 2006 California Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference in Orange County. Martha is working towards a degree in Geography with a Certificate in Rural and Town Planning. She is presently a planning intern at Colusa County.