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Student Org
is the central, elected, organizing body for students at the
School for Social Work. It has several functions which have
developed through the years and has a commitment and ability
to respond to the changing needs of Smith students. Its established
roles include providing student representation and input into
all aspects of the School, taking an active role in shaping
School policies and procedures, organizing extracurricular
activities, both social and intellectual, providing a forum
within which all groups and special interests of the student
body can be heard, and working together to share and allocate
resources. Through the Summer Lecture Series, special workshops,
and films arranged by students, the intellectual experience
at Smith is broadened to encompass ideas which enrich and
extend the Smith curriculum.
The Council is an organization
which extends membership to all students of color. The Council
was founded to acknowledge and support minority students’
experiences at Smith. It raises issues relevant to the total
Smith community concerning the relationship of race and clinical
practice, and plans an annual symposium on these issues. The
Council is dedicated to the training of social workers better
able to meet the needs of the minority community.
The Disabilities Awareness Group of the Smith College School for Social Work strives to promote awareness, education and support around issues of impairment and disability on campus and in the field for students, faculty and staff. The group is open to the entire School for Social Work. We are made up of people with disabilities; friends, allies and family members of people with disabilities; and allies and persons of Deaf culture.
Neither disclosure of a disability nor identifying as having a disability is necessary to participate in this group.
We recognize that the disability community is a diverse community made up of people with visual impairments, psychiatric disabilities, chronic health issues, HIV+ status, hearing impairments, developmental disabilities, and cognitive impairments. We also see ourselves in alliance with the Deaf community. The group’s goal of social justice, civil and economic rights, and inclusion for persons with disabilities are part of the school’s anti-racism mission that honors experiences of internalized oppression.
The Feminist Alliance
is a group which welcomes women and men. Central to the group
is a belief that expanding our ideas about gender roles enriches
the possibilities for us all. The group functions both as
a politically active organization and as a circle of women
and men whose shared philosophical stance creates an atmosphere
of warmth, humor, and friendship. The Feminist Alliance has
played an active role in helping shape the School’s
curriculum and sponsors a wide range of activities, including
bringing speakers to campus, offering workshops, and sponsoring
musical events.
The HIV/AIDS Coalition was formed to educate and to raise the consciousness of the community about HIV and AIDS. The Coalition works to integrate content on HIV and AIDS into the curriculum, to organize support for family members and friends of persons with HIV or AIDS, and to generate social action on behalf of and raise money for victims of HIV/AIDS.
The international/multicultural group is a group for students who have a
common interest in international and multicultural social work issues.
The group is also a support group that recognizes the impact of cultural
adjustment,
and is commited to providing emotional support for students from
international and/or multicultural background.
We strive to raise awareness about international social work and
multicultural issues within the Smith community.
The Jewish Students Alliance embraces a full spectrum of Jewish experiences and identity, from those with a strong religious background, to those for whom being Jewish is important culturally, to those with little knowledge about being Jewish, and to those students who wish to connect with an aspect of Judiasm. The group’s format is a weekly informal discussion on a topic related to being Jewish, as well as time for planning of events including speakers and community-building activities.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgendered Alliance acknowledges and supports the homosexually-oriented
and transgendered women and men at Smith. The Alliance serves
as a forum for the ongoing exploration of personal and pro-fessional
goals for lesbian, gay, and bisexual and transgendered social
workers and is a resource for the School on issues related
to sexual minorities and social work. The Alliance is working
to include relevant material related to sexual minorities
in the curriculum.
The Men’s Group is offered to support all men at Smith SSW, a predominately female environment. The group functions as an open, welcoming group where men can come have their voices heard and listen to their male classmates. We meet weekly and the format is open, has no agenda or specific focus other than community-building and mutual support.
Students Aging Gracefully through Education
This group offers support and community to self-identified non-traditional (older) students. We have dinner once a week and sometime gather off-campus for relaxation and informal conversation.
The students responsible for children during their time at Smith run this group. The group focuses on the challenges of being full-time students while also being caretakers of children.
The Group provides a forum for the exchange of information concerning day-care, camps, and other child-oriented services in the Northampton area. The group meets weekly to exchange information, share experiences and provide mutual support.
The group also plans activities for students and their children during the summer. The group may at times plan educational actions for the Smith community on issues that affect parents and children in this country.
FAQs
Area camps
Other resources
The Social Welfare Action
Alliance is a national organization of hundreds of progressive
social workers. The Society promotes the study and practice
of the progressive tradition in social welfare and social
work. It is committed to further ommunication, cooperative
support, and collaboration between and among social work practitioners,
social service workers, scholars, and clients, thereby reducing
the gap between theory and practice. Members strive to develop
agendas for alternative social policies aimed at incremental
and fundamental social change.
The purpose of the Unlearning Racism Group is to engage in an anti-racism
commitment through personal responsibility.
The group provides a supportive environment where we can explore and
question our roles in the perpetuation of racism.
Among other things, we examine white privilege from which we have benefited
and try to understand how we can become allies to our colleagues of color.
We acknowledge that we are responsible for how we respond to racism in our
daily lives, in our work with clients, and on the systemic level.
We know that our choices and actions make a difference.
Every summer, students
develop a number of support groups and interest groups such
as the Twelve-Step programs, the working class support group,
children of adoption, and the support group for friends and
family members of persons with HIV/AIDS. |
