School of Social Work News

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.

Associate Professor Terri Friedline and her co-author argue in their commentary “Powerful alternatives to predatory lenders: Postal Service banking and public banks” that the payday and auto title loan industry exists only because there are so many communities in the United States lacking even one traditional bank. The commentary was published in the Chicago Sun Times.

Dear Community,

We are appalled by the shooting deaths in Atlanta at three different locations where 6 of the 8 dead were Asian American women. Given the country is in the midst of an epidemic of rising anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes, we urge authorities to investigate whether these killings are racially motivated hate crimes.

Irrespective of motive, the outcome remains the same, and we are here to offer our support and solidarity with you during this time. Violence against some of us, harms us all, and we know this incident will have a significant impact on our students, faculty, staff, and community.

Our community is grieving and hurting, which is why it is important for us to take time to address our trauma, grief, erasure, and most importantly, HEALING. This is complex, difficult, and necessary work. We urge you to seek self-care and support (resources below), and to report hate if you or someone you know experiences it (see below).

Please reach out to us or the resources below with any support you need during this time.

Sincerely,

Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, Lecturer and ENGAGE Program Manager, Chair of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission
Lorraine Gutierrez, Associate Dean for Educational Programs
Lynn Videka, Dean
Katie Lopez, Director of Office of Global Activities

Lecturer Ayesha Ghazi Edwin’s letter to the editor “Race and ethnicity shouldn’t determine women’s pay” was published in the Detroit News. Edwin discusses Asian American/Pacific Islander women’s Equal Pay Day writing “If we are to close the pay gap, we need to strengthen equal pay laws to allow women to discover and fight against pay discrimination.”

Kaitlin Paxton Ward, Joint PhD Program in Social Work and Developmental Psychology student, will intern at Google this summer as a People Analytics Researcher in the People Innovations Lab. Ward will research how parents who are Google employees adjusted during COVID-19, and will explore how to improve work conditions/policies for parents.

Professor Rogério M. Pinto is the Council on Social Work Education Diversity Center’s Educator of the Month. The accompanying article discusses his scholarly approach to incorporating arts into his research as well as his work advancing intersectionality and championing diversity. The profile also covers  the online COVID and Racial Inequalities Forum series Pinto hosted last summer, and links to his presentation “Diversity Matters: What About Equity & Inclusion?”

Joe Ryan is a member of a new task force created by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) charged with preventing and eliminating systemic racism in the state's child protection system. He will chair the data subcommittee.

Clinical Associate Professor Debra Mattison has been named an Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) 2021 Fellow. The fellowship honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science and practice of psychosocial oncology.