For current Bonner Center news and updates, you can also visit www.tcnj.edu/~bonner.
TCNJ Vice Provost Speaks about Teenage Fatherhood, Public Policy
Nov. 4, 2009
EWING -- When a teen becomes pregnant, how often do you think of the father?
According to Dr. Mark Kiselica, TCNJ Vice Provost and Professor of Counselor Education, teen fathers are too often left out of the picture in terms of obtaining health and professional resources.
Author of numerous studies and books, including "When Boys Become Parents: Adolescent Fatherhood in America," Kiselica today outlined the troubling statistics behind teenage fatherhood and the improvements that are needed during a Faculty Senate Seminar "The Complicated Works of Teenage Fathers: Implications for Clinical Practice, Public Policy and Research."
His research findings are startling: teen fathers are three times as likely to have suffered sexual abuse; two times as likely to have experienced physical abuse and neglect; twice as likely to be poor and three times as likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
"I vowed to myself that I would systematically explore the world of teenage fathers," Kiselica said. "What I've learned is we have to think complexly about these young men."
So what can be done?
First, "helping professionals" can extend their services to meet the needs of teenage fathers, including a more flexible schedule and offering home visits to allow meeting of family members, the child(ren) and to assist in making their home life better. Educationally and profesionally, teen fathers need more job training and academic support. These young men also need more resources to obtain mental health and substance abuse counseling.
Kiselica's data also shows that up until the child is one years of age, the teen father typically is invovled in their lives, including during pregnancy, birth and by offering monetary and emotional support to the mother.
"But after the first year, over time, only 1/3 of fathers are still engaged with the child's life," he said.
There is much to be done, he said, that can improve that figure and create a positive change in how teen fathers handle fatherhood.
Helping Turn Lives around -- Students work with Women in Need
Published in the Trenton Times
Oct. 26, 2009
TRENTON -- They call her Ms. Debra.
Nearly a year ago, Debra Davis of Trenton found herself in a situation she never imagined: homeless.
On disability for a spinal injury, Davis had been sharing an apartment with a roommate who one day decided to "jump ship."
"I couldn't get around to find a new place to live. I had no ride. I lost everything -- my home, my furniture, everything," Davis said. "I never imagined that would happen to me, ever." So Davis turned to Homefront.
A nonprofit emergency relief organization that assists homeless women and children in Mercer County, Homefront provides emergency shelter and transitional, affordable housing through a partnership with the Mercer County Board of Social Services.
But there's another partnership recently formed that provides other kinds of assistance to the clients at Homefront.
More than a dozen students from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) have been spending one-on-one time with the women from Homefront, learning about their lives and offering resources to get the clients thinking about college.
The students are freshman from the class, "Women and Sexuality, a Myth?" and scholars from the Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement.
They visit Homefront, and the organization's clients go to TCNJ to take a tour, participate in classroom activities, obtain educational resources and eat with the students."
A lot of the ladies here don't have college on their minds. They are focused on getting shelter, permanent housing and taking care of their children," said Case Manager Fantaija Graves.
To Read the full story, click Times Article.doc
Bonners and Women in Learning and Leadership featured in The Signal for Nicaragua Trip
Oct. 21, 2009
By Paige Giorla
Not everyone stayed close to the Jersey Shore this summer. Students from two different organizations who journeyed to Nicaragua to complete separate projects came together on Oct. 7 to share their experiences with faculty and their fellow students.
Twelve girls from Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL) and their group leader went to Nicaragua in June to complete the Nicaragua Solidarity Project. Six students who are Bonner Community Scholars also went to Nicaragua during the summer. Their project was given the name “Bonneragua,” and was taken with their director and another organization, Witness for Peace.
The Nicaragua Solidarity Project allowed the girls in WILL to see the struggles and successes of “socially, economically, politically marginalized people,” said Carolin Guentert, junior international studies major.
“Their reality and our reality are so different, and yet they have no complaints,” said Debra Cho, senior biology and women and gender studies major.
The students self-funded their trip, through fundraisers, odd jobs and personal donations.
In an outreach to the students of the College, they explained the ways that you can help — donate, volunteer, or create your own solidarity project.
“Instead of guilt, you should use your privilege,” said Janine Bernardo, a senior biology major.
The girls ended their presentation with a quote they heard from a woman on their trip. “How do you reinvest in a world that keeps breaking your heart?”
The second half of the presentation was given by two members of the “Bonneragua” trip.
Besides sharing photos of cultural dances and sharing other memories, the students recounted their discomforting trip to the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, where the supposed leaders admitted to not even going out on the streets or really getting to know the people of the land.
The two students also described a place they visited called “The Dump” where many impoverished Nicaraguans live and find refuge.
“To see their optimism keeps me going,” said Jonathan Waltz, senior management major.
They also showed the audience pictures of Free Trade Zones and their day at the beach, which was mostly empty except for a few stands that sold hand-made trinkets.
Megan Torpey, junior physics major, came to the presentation in support of her friend who went on the WILL trip.
“It’s very easy to go on living and not think about (the situation in Nicaragua). This is eye-opening,” she said.
TCNJ Bonner Center receives $50,000 grant
EWING, NJ – A struggling homeowner who lost it all in Hurricane Katrina, still in need four years later after the destructive storm.
A child in Nicaragua, eager for education, looks forward to one-on-one time and tutoring.
For them, assistance is on its way thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Bonner Foundation in Princeton that will allow student scholars at The College of New Jersey to help those living under such circumstances.
The annual enrichment grant – awarded to TCNJ’s Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement – will fund four separate trips, allowing the staff to create a comprehensive program that links service with a deeper understanding of democracy and justice.
“The heart of this plan is to create a comprehensive co curricular service learning program that allows students to learn about the struggle for equality and justice—and hopefully to slowly bridge the gap that exists between service and civic/political engagement,” said Patrick Donahue, director at the Bonner Center.
First-year Bonner students will spend a day in Philadelphia learning about the American Revolution and then depart for a week-long trip to New Orleans during winter break. There, students will help rebuild homes in the areas still devastated by Hurricane Katrina four years ago.
Sophomores will engage in a service project with colleagues from another Bonner School in Pennsylvania or Virginia—and while in the area, spend one day learning about the Civil War and the struggle for equality.
The junior class is looking to complete a project with students from Morehouse College in Atlanta, the alma mater of Martin Luther King, and then visit the MLK Museum and deepen their understanding of the Civil Rights movement.
Also funded by the grant includes a two-week trip to Managua, Nicaragua, where 15 Bonner student seniors will work with children at a Cultural and Education Center. The TCNJ cohort plans to live with host families while there.
Community-Engaged Learning days receive kudos from local media
Published in the Trenton Times (9/13/09)
"We're encouraged to see the idea of community service moving in from the fringes to become part of the educational experience at colleges and even some high schools.
Locally, The College of New Jersey offers an effective model of the concept known as community engaged learning. The idea, according to Assistant Provost Robert Anderson, is quite simple: "We want our students, when they get out of here, not only to be concerned with the shape of society as a whole but to understand their obligation."
...The TCNJ program nudges freshmen toward a role in fulfilling needs in the community. It's a comprehensive approach that houses students in dormitories according to their freshman seminar class, and in turn, by their chosen area of service. These options include building houses with Habitat for Humanity, tutoring children, gardening and planting, and so on -- an innovative and imaginative array of possibilities.
But, make no mistake, this is not charity. And even the term "community service" is not quite accurate, according to Anderson.
"We don't look at this as charity; we're learning from those who are being served," Anderson said.
"We've never called it community service -- that's as if some rich person comes in a limousine and helps out one afternoon. No. We're here to make real change and also to learn. We're serving (those in need) as they serve us."
TCNJ's 1,300 freshmen join students across the country who are exploring their communities. They're helping to break down the walls of ivory towers that have traditionally kept students isolated from the world around them. It's a learning experience for all concerned.
...In times such as these, with the continued polarization of the rich and the poor, it will be the volunteers in the middle, stretching their hands out to match need with resource, who will keep the country's character intact.
It's a worthwhile lesson, and we're glad to see colleges such as TCNJ imparting it."
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Bonner Center: Making the grade in the community
Published in the Trenton Times (9/8/09)
http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1252388710151040.xml&coll=5
Community service is becoming a more integral part of higher education across the country and The College of New Jersey is no exception.
In lieu of a graduation requirement that mandates freshmen to complete a specific number of community-engaged serving learning, the Bonner Center is helping the college fulfill its mission by facilitating service opportunities in which students can participate. Service areas include homelessness, hunger, education, juvenile justice, environment and many more.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
A new feel, focus at Hedgepeth/Williams School in Trenton
Read more about this in the Trenton Times (published 9/6/09) at
http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1252215916296420.xml&coll=5
When revving up for a new school year, appearance does matter.
That's one belief of the Bonner scholars and other members of the Bonner Center's education team, who spent Friday, Aug. 28 at Hedgepeth/Williams School in Trenton painting a new "Welcome" mural inside the school's front entrance.
"This is something we can do as a team, before the students even arrive, that will be a nice surprise for the school year," says Brittany Adyelotte, democracy project fellow and education coordinator. "The environment makes a huge difference. It shows the students that people really do care."
The brightly-colored mural, splashed with colors of blue, yellow, purple and green, is the kickoff to a year-long initiative that will involve student Bonner Scholars at TCNJ working closely with students at Hedgepeth/Williams to help improve test scores and academic performance.
Hedgepeth/Williams has repeatedly failed to meet state standards when it comes to proficiency on standardized tests. The Bonner Scholars, in partnership with school district officials, are aiming to improve those test scores with the help of student tutors and other after-school activities.
Bonners push students to “be the change.”
Save your coins, because we want change!
TCNJ’s Bonner Center scholars and staff officially welcomed 1,300 incoming freshmen on August 28 with that slogan and other inspirational messages – hoping to inspire them and instill a sense of urgency in meeting unmet needs within the community.
Coinciding with the community-engaged learning (CEL) requirement that all TCNJ students must now meet in order to graduate, the Bonners traditionally take time during Welcome Week to help students learn more about their service options and what they can expect over the next few years.
But this year’s theme, coined “Democracy Matters!” had a slightly different focus than years past.
This time around, the Bonners decided to make their own 90-second speeches, using eye-raising statistics about a variety of public issues, such as incarceration, gang activity, homelessness, drop out rates in education.
“I spoke about my connection to the issue of hunger,” says sophomore and Bonner Scholar David Karas. “When I was in high school, my family went into foreclosure and bankruptcy.”
The incoming freshmen split into two groups for the Welcome Week event. Half joined the Bonner Scholars and staff, while the other half attended a keynote address by Wayne Meisel, president of the national Bonder Foundation.
Over the next year, the freshmen will take part in different community-engaged learning days, focusing their efforts on an issue of their choosing, ranging from environment to urban education, hunger and many others.
The non-profit news magazine, Mother Jones, recently listed The College of New Jersey in its national top ten list of “cool schools that will blow your mind, not your budget.”
The article referred to the Bonner Community Scholars Program, explaining that “students at this small public college can make a four-year commitment to participate in service projects in return for a scholarship that covers up to full tuition.”
The magazine chose one institution for ten different "best value" categories, and the College placed first for "community service junkies."
Berea College, Kentucky, was named for its eco-friendly campus, and Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina, was named for its popular environmental studies major.
Both are also Bonner campuses. This year, there are 70 Bonner Scholars at TCNJ who work on a daily basis to meet the unmet needs of the local community.
Upcoming Servathon to raise funds, awareness
Bonner Center secures funding for future of community service efforts
The Bonner Center recently received a grant from The Corporation for National and Community Service, which, over a three-year period, will total approximately $750,000.
This funding will provide for 79 AmeriCorps positions each year, 15 of which will be utilized by the Bonner Center at TCNJ. The remaining slots will be awarded to other colleges and local non-profit organizations, including Mercer County College, Middlesex County College, Rider University, the Crisis Ministry, Jewish Family Services, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, the Trenton After School Program, Princeton Young Achievers, and Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen.
The program will begin on September 1, 2009, and will mark the seventh year that the College’s Bonner Center has administered the program.
“Bonner AmeriCorps members will provide critical services including mentoring, hunger relief and housing assistance to community members throughout Mercer and Middlesex counties,” Christen Foell, Program Director for The Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, said. “These services are especially vital during these trying economic times.”
Bonner Scholars use summer to enrich themselves and help others
Adam Sferlazzo, rising sophomore, is participating in Georgetown University’s Institute on Philanthropy and Volunteer Service.
His eight-week program is taking place in Washington, DC, and includes both classroom studies and an internship at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a non-profit health services institution. More information on his program can be found at
http://www.tcnj.edu/~pa/news/2009/sferlazzo.htm.
Meanwhile, rising junior Justin Freedman recently participated in the “Semester in NOLA” program, which included academic coursework at Tulane University and direct service work with the Upward Bound program, a placement that reflected his interests in urban education. His responsibilities included teaching a leadership and advocacy course, working on grant projects, and leading activities for students in the program, which is based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The program was administered by the Center for Public Service at Tulane, and the Bonner Center provided partial funding for Freedman to attend.
Locally, David Karas and Kathrine Avila, rising sophomore Bonner Scholars, were featured as panelists in the Republican Primary Gubernatorial Debate, which aired on ABC affiliates in New York City and Philadelphia on Sunday, May 17. Each student was able to question front running candidates Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan on issues ranging from higher education to transportation.
Even though it is the summer, Bonner Scholars continue to be active members of their communities, whether at home or over a thousand miles away.
Bonneragua!
From June 8-19, five Bonner Scholars and two staff members participated in a delegation on international inequalities in Managua, Nicaragua.
The team worked with the international organization Witness for Peace to tour oversees factories, sweatshops, and both free-and fair-trade coffee farms to learn about the impact of the international economy on social justice, while attending various seminars and performing direct service.
"It's really about trying to understand third world inequality," Todd Stoner, a Bonner center staff member who organized the trip, said.
Participants will also organize an advocacy event during the fall semester to share what they learned with the campus community. The group posted a blog about their experiences from Nicaragua; posts can be viewed at http://www.bonneragua.blogspot.com.
Bonners present at national conference
DELAND, FLA. -- A delegation of Bonner Scholars, staff, and a community partner made several presentations at the Bonner Summer Leadership Institute, June 4 and 5, in DeLand, Florida.
Director Pat Donohue and community partner Greg Grant, chairman of the Academic Sports Academy, were part of a panel aimed at sharing ideas and strategies from successful Bonner programs with other colleges and universities.
Also present were three students who are part of Grant’s program. The Bonner Center also led two workshops on its issue-based team structure and the Community Engaged Learning experience. Staff members Paula Figueroa-Vega, associate director, Rich Wilson, program assistant, and Morgan Reil, Bridge to Employment coordinator, presented alongside former Vice Provost Beth Paul and Bonner Scholars.
With its five years of programming, the College's Bonner Program serves as a model for Bonner campuses across the nation.
Sustainable TCNJ
Critical Issue Forums
Minding Our Business April 4, 2009
April 3rd Stand Against Racism Event
Poverty Simulation and Advocate Days March 28 2009
Global Awareness Week March 2 through 5 2009
Bonner Center co-sponsors event at TCNJ
February 16 New Orleans Forum
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