School of Social Work News

Professor Joe Ryan is quoted in the American Public Media story “How Utah has let its many youth treatment centers off the hook” about the use of horse troughs as “therapeutic discipline” at a residential treatment center for young women in Utah. Ryan said “It clearly was humiliation."

Ryan reviewed Utah state and law enforcement reports on trough discipline used “If that's not humiliating public shaming, I don't know what is."

Michigan Social Work mourns the loss of Flint native Larry Davis, MSW '73, PhD '77 professor and dean emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. Davis was deeply intellectual, a quality that he attributed to his Michigan interdisciplinary doctoral education, and he continued to be a strong supporter of the School, serving on the Dean's Advisory Board for many years. In 2014 Davis received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan Social Work. He also created a scholarship, the U-M SSW Clara P. and Larry E. Davis Scholarship in 2006 to support a PhD student whose research focuses on poverty and social justice. To date the scholarship has supported 15 doctoral students.

Davis holds the honor of being the first person to receive both the 2016 Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award by the Council on Social Work Education, and the 2018 Society for Social Work and Research Distinguished Career Achievement Award. His latest book, “Why Are They Angry With Us: Essays on Race” is described as, "his most personal book—touching on themes of racial identity, internalized racism, and the legacy of slavery." 

Davis’ contributions to the field of social work were giant. He was a teacher, mentor, colleague and friend to many at the School, and his loss is deeply felt.

Hey SSW,

As many of you may or may not have seen, this week Arkansas passed a law banning health care providers from providing trans youth with access to healthcare. Along with Arkansas, there are similar bills being introduced in several states across the country including Michigan. Many are attacking the ability of trans youth to participate in sports, others are attacking access to healthcare and the ability of transgender people to participate in public life.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

This is a direct attack on the trans community. As social workers, we must make a commitment to organize in order to ensure that transgender youth have life-saving medical care by any means necessary. 

Now more than ever, cis people must stand up for the rights and dignity of their transgender peers. The solution is and must be intersectional solidarity, advocacy, and mutual aid. The trans community must not face these attacks alone.

On this Trans Day of Visibility, we are asking everyone to make at least ONE call to either the Governor of Arkansas or to an Arkansas State Senator to call for an end to this inhumane legislation.

• Call Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and demand a veto to HB 1570: (501) 682-2345
• Call Arkansas State Senators to voice opposition to this bill. Here are their numbers.
• Additionally, here is a template to email the governor at [email protected].

To view the anti-transgender legislation in other states, see the following links. It is vital we stay up to date and advocate alongside our trans friends and colleagues. 

• BREAKING: 2021 Becomes Record Year For Anti-Transgender Legislation
• Legislative Tracker: Anti-Transgender Legislation  

Finally, if you or a loved one are in need of resources, several are included below:

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
• Trevor Project LGBTQ+ Hotline: 1-866-488-7386
• CAPS After Hours: 734-764-8312
• The UM Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES): 734-936-5900

In Solidarity,

Queer Advocacy Coalition

Edie Kieffer and a team from the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation study on the impact of dental coverage is featured in the latest issue of ADA News. Their research suggests that Medicaid’s dental coverage has improved enrollees’ health in ways that have helped them seek a new job or do better at the one they have. “Many enrollees spoke passionately and sometimes joyously about how having dental benefits had changed, and in some cases, saved their lives,” said Kieffer.

Dean Lynn Videka was one of the six of U-M’s women deans who wrote a letter protesting the remarks U-M Regent Ron Weiser made on Thursday at the North Oakland Republican Club. The deans called on Weiser to “repair the serious harm” he had caused. “Regent Weiser's name-calling and use of language suggesting violent actions are hostile, threatening and offensive to all women,” said Videka. U-M President Mark Schlissel and Provost Susan Collins also issued statements denouncing Weiser’s comments.

PhD student Garrett Pace, Associate Professor Shawna Lee, and Professor Andrew Grogan-Kaylor's research was cited in public policy discussions in Colombia, leading to a ban on corporal punishment of children in that country.  Colombian legislator Julián Peinado Ramírez shared his memo on Twitter, which references Grogan-Kaylor, Lee and Pace’s 2019 work. The research and ban were also featured on Radio Santa Fe 1070 AM Bogotá.

Once again, America has been devastated by another mass shooting. Yesterday in Colorado, ten people were killed — it is the second mass shooting in less than a week.  

We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and to the communities in and around Boulder, Colorado.  Senseless violence not only robs us of loved ones but also our sense of security.

We encourage our Michigan Social Work community to seek the support or counseling they need to address their own trauma. Check in with your networks, come together and remind each other of the power of human connection in terrible times. 

Social workers are fed up with the pervasiveness and normalization of gun violence. We must act on behalf of our communities to denounce acts of hatred and violence, and to demand meaningful reform to end this epidemic of gun violence plaguing our nation.

To take action: 

Tools for Social Workers to Prevent Gun Violence: Safe Storage of Guns in the Home, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and Other Methods of Gun Violence Prevention

Professor Luke Shaefer’s book “$2.00 a Day'' helped lay the groundwork for current antipovery legislative efforts, including President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.  A recent New York Times article describes how Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) arranged for all his Democratic Senate colleagues to receive a copy of the book.

Shaefer’s research was also cited in a New York Times article detailing how the availability of safety net programs have compounded the uncertainty and hardships faced by vulnerable populations during the pandemic — especially for those struggling with poverty and depression. “When the government acted, things got better — when the aid went away, things got worse,” he said.