INTRODUCTION

Social work's origins lie in early twentieth century efforts to meet the needs of poor, neglected children, and exploited workers.  Early social workers led in the struggle for child-labor laws, more humane working conditions, voting rights for women, and other reforms.

Today, professional social workers continue to advocate for their clients along with performing a wide range of needed services.  Some search out adoptive and foster homes for children.  Some counsel patients and families experiencing traumatic illnesses.  Some social workers do rehabilitative work with emotionally or physically impaired people.  Others organize citizens to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods or work for policy changes at the local, state, or federal level.  Still others assist senior citizens to make new life adjustments.  Today's social workers belong to a dynamic, involved, growing profession which struggles with social concerns as varied as child abuse, drug addiction, housing and homelessness, aging, and mental illness. They work in diverse settings such as government agencies, private industry, schools, faith-based organizations, neighborhood centers, and health care organizations.

Calvin College, with its commitment to Reformed-Christian, liberal-arts education, sees its mission as educating its students to live "the Christian life."  Jesus taught through what he said and did that the Christian life requires us to reach out to others without any thought for our own reward.  It seems natural then, since social work too is dedicated to meeting the needs of others and has learned so much through the years about professional helping, that Calvin would offer a social work curriculum.  Actually, Calvin first offered social work classes in 1934.

Today, we offer a full Bachelor of Social Work Degree Program (BSW) and are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.  Calvin's B.S.W. curriculum integrates the teachings of the Bible with the knowledge of the social work profession to best prepare our graduates to serve others in professional settings.  This handbook includes information that Calvin students interested in social work should know about.

IS SOCIAL WORK FOR YOU?

If social work seems like an attractive career to you but you are not yet ready to make the commitment, there are some things you might do to help yourself make the decision. First, consider volunteering in a "people helping people" setting. You might be able to do this through any one of several community agencies, and you might want to use Calvin's Service-Learning Center (SLC) to help you identify an organization with whom to work. Or, consider finding a part time job in a social work setting. Many students have found jobs working in residential-care agencies, summer camps, community centers, nursing homes, etc. Another idea is to read the pamphlet "Careers in Social Work" published by the National Association of Social Workers. You can get a copy from Kathy Bardolph in our department office (Room 226, Spoelhof Center) or pick one up from the information box directly across from the department office. Finally, think about enrolling in Social Work 240, Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare. This course provides much information about the profession and includes presentations by practicing social workers about their work, its costs, and its rewards. By the end of the course, you almost certainly will be better able to decide if the profession is for you.

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THE MISSION OF CALVIN COLLEGE AND THE B.S.W. PROGRAM

In order for you to get a more complete understanding of what B.S.W. education at Calvin is all about, you need to read this section about the mission of Calvin College and B.S.W. program goals and objectives. This section starts with Calvin's overall mission and then shows how this mission helps define the nature and purposes of Calvin's B.S.W. program.

College Mission Statement

In the college catalog, there is this statement of Calvin's mission:

Our primary purpose is to engage in vigorous liberal arts education that promotes lifelong Christian service. We offer education that is shaped by Christian faith, thought, and practice. We study and address a world made good by God, distorted by sin, redeemed in Christ, and awaiting the fullness of God's reign. We aim to develop knowledge, understanding, and critical inquiry; encourage insightful and creative participation in society; and foster thoughtful, passionate Christian commitments. Our curriculum emphasizes the natural, cultural, societal, and spiritual contexts in which we live; and our learning proceeds as a shared intellectual task.

Calvin's mission statement, most fundamentally, involves graduating students intent on Christian involvement, action, and service to others. This commitment has proved to be a hospitable context in to offer a professional degree in social work.

B.S.W. Program Mission Statement

The mission of the B.S.W. program is to prepare students for competent and effective entry-level generalist practice in social work within the context of a Reformed-Christian, liberal-arts education.

B.S.W. Program Goals

Our progam goals are:

1. To prepare students for competent and effective entry-level, generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

2. To promote and develop in students an understanding of social work knowledge, values, and skills with a strengths perspective emphasis.

3. To prepare students for professional practice within the context of a Reformed Christian, liberal arts perspective - particularly its emphasis on the pursuit of interpersonal, social, and economic justice with diverse persons.

Below, we clarify the main ideas used in our goal statements.

Reformed Christian Liberal Arts Perspective

In Reformed-Christian thinking, God is sovereign over everything, all of the world and every creature living in it. The Christian life is a person's response to God's revelation of Himself through the Holy Scriptures and His creation. Living that life involves everything a person does, whether it be selling insurance, studying Spanish, nurturing one's children, attending a worship service, or practicing as a professional social worker. All activities and callings are potentially of equal value and all can be carried out in a manner faithful or unfaithful to God's revelation. It follows, then, that crucial to living the Christian life is being informed about God's creation and discerning from God's revelation of Himself through the Scriptures and His creation, as best we can in this life, the manner in which Christians ought to relate to the many parts of God's creation.

Reformed Christians, as a community, have historically been committed to Christian higher education as a means of achieving the Christian life. The existence of Calvin College and other Reformed colleges are evidence of this commitment. Moreover, Calvin has long embraced a core study of the liberal arts integrated with understandings from Scripture as the most effective way to achieve the understanding necessary to live the Christian life. In 1970, Calvin College published Christian Liberal Arts Education. This document asserts that Christians, as a community, are called to work at an integrated understanding of the Scriptures and God's creation which encompasses the physical, biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual realities of the world along with their interrelationships (Calvin College Curriculum Study Committee, 1970: 57-61). These ideas were emphasized again in An Engagement with God's World: The Core Curriculum of Calvin College (1999), the college's revised statement of curricular purpose and structure. Consistent with this commitment of the Reformed community, Calvin's B.S.W. program includes requiring students to complete several core, liberal-arts courses. These courses are taken primarily in a student's freshman and sophomore years and serve as the foundation for the courses in the social work major.

Generalist Social Work Practice

Generalist social work practice has been defined in various ways. A definition used by the Calvin social work program defines a social work generalist as:

..a human service provider with broad-based skills, generic knowledge of persons and environments, and a commitment to social work values. The generalist is able to demonstrate basic competence in working with a variety of clients and services (Council on Social Work Education Commission on Educational Planning, Subcommittee on Specialization, 1979. Specialization in the Social Work Profession . Paper submitted to Board of Delegates, CSWE, Annual Program Meeting, Boston, MA).

The generalist practitioner is one who, through completing an accredited B.S.W. program, has the social work knowledge, skills and values to work at these purposes with client systems of several sizes and degrees of complexity. The clients of the generalist practitioner may include individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities.

Strengths Perspective

The strengths perspective represents a particular emphasis in a practitioner's approach to clients. It rests on the following assumptions (Saleebey, 2002, pp. 13-18):

1. Despite life's problems, all persons and environments possess strengths which can be used to improve the quality of clients' lives. Practitioners should respect these strengths and the directions in which clients wish to apply them.
   
   
2. Client motivation is fostered by a consistent emphasis on strengths as the client-not the practitioner-defines these.
   
   
3. Discovering strengths requires a process of cooperative exploration between clients and worker; "expert" practitioners do not have the last word on what clients need.
   
   
4. Focusing on strengths turns the practitioner's attention away from the temptation to "blame the victim" and toward discovering how clients have managed to survive, even in the most inhospitable of circumstances.
   
   
5. All environments-even the most bleak-contain resources.

Integration

The unique character of Calvin's B.S.W. program is represented in the integration of the above ideas. Thus, a Reformed-Christian perspective has definite implications for how we conceptualize generalist social work practice. In both our social work courses and our student seminars, we have sought to conceptualize the interface of Reformed-Christian thinking with generalist practice.

Reformed thinking views God's special revelation (The Bible) as teaching that there are three predominant turning points in God's relationship to His creation: First, God made everything in the world perfect-physical, biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual reality (Creation). Second, sin entered the world and distorted the creation (Fall). Third, God, in His infinite love, sent His son to sacrifice Himself for the disobedience of human beings, thus offering the hope of ongoing restoration of the creation (Redemption). Reformed thinking differs from many other theologies in that it gives primary emphasis to the "relationships" among the various parts of creation rather than to the parts themselves. Therefore, in reflecting on the impact of the Fall on human beings, Reformed thinkers emphasize the distortion in relationships that occurred between people and their environments, between people and God, between one another, and so forth. Similarly, in reflecting on the implications of Redemption, these thinkers emphasize that, because God has not abandoned His world but rather sent his Son to redeem it, healing and justice can occur in the broken relationships in different areas of life. In Reformed-Christian terminology, this process of restoring broken relationships in the world is often called "transforming culture" toward the ideal relationships intended by God in the Creation.

We have conceptualized generalist social work practice in the B.S.W. program at Calvin to be one aspect of this transformational or restorative process. Therefore, a worthy calling for a Christian is to gain the professional knowledge and skills necessary to aid clients productively in meeting their developmental needs and so contribute to the restoration of a troubled world.

In addition, as Calvin's B.S.W. program has matured, we have come to believe that "transforming broken relationships" at all levels of society is best accomplished by practitioners focusing on and identifying the strengths of clients and the directions in which they want to apply them. We believe this "strengths emphasis," addressed in many of the courses in the social work major, reflects the redemptive theology of a Reformed, Christian outlook.

B.S.W. Program Objectives

Much of the above discussion about the relationship of Calvin's mission and the goals of the B.S.W. program is reflected in our statement of the program's objectives. "Objectives" are our statements about what we expect students to achieve as a consequence of completing the B.S.W. degree.

Social Work Major Objectives

B.S.W. graduates will be able to:

1. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice.
   
   
2. Understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards and principles, and practice accordingly.
   
   
3. Practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge, and skills related to clients' age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.
   
   
4. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and apply strategies of advocacy and social change that advance social and economic justice.
   
   
5. Understand and interpret the history of the social work profession and its contemporary structures and issues.
   
   
6. Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work to practice with systems of all sizes.
   
   
7. Use theoretical frameworks supported by empirical evidence to understand individual development and behavior across the life span and the interactions among individuals and between individuals and families, groups, organizations, and communities.
   
   
8. Analyze, formulate, and influence social policies.
   
   
9. Evaluate research studies, apply research findings to practice, and, evaluate their own practice interventions.
   
   
10. Use communication skills differentially across client populations, colleagues, and communities.
    
    
11. Use supervision and consultation appropriate to generalist practice.
    
    
12. Function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems, and seek necessary organizational change.
    
    
13. Understand and apply the principles of the strengths perspective to generalist practice with client systems of all sizes.
    
    
14. Integrate a Reformed-Christian perspective with the knowledge, skills, and values of the social work profession.

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THE B.S.W. CURRICULUM

Courses in the Social Work Major

The B.S.W. degree program is intended for students who want to prepare for a career of Christian service as a professional social worker. The social work major consists of 12 courses (47 semester hours) and several required core courses. The courses in the major are:

240 Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare . F and S (3 hours). An introduction to the profession of social work and the field of social welfare.  Attention is given to the development of social welfare as a social institution, including the development of philosophies, values, and attitudes which influence the theory, policy, and practice of social work.  Practice settings, professional roles, and value and ethical issues are also considered to increase awareness of the profession and aid students in considering social work as a career.
(This course has no prerequisites and is typically taken in the student's first year or sophomore year.)

250 Diversity and Inequality in the U.S. F and S (3 hours).   An analysis of the social structure of diversity and the social processes of inequality in contemporary North American society.  The major objectives of the course are to study the interrelationships of gender, race, and class and to develop an understanding of current social conditions through inclusive analysis of gender, race-ethnic, and class relations.  Emphasis is placed on patterns and consequences of discrimination and oppression. 
(This course has no prerequisites and is typically taken in the student's first year or sophomore year.)

255 Social Science Statistics . F and S (4 hours). An introduction to statistics and computer applications in sociology and social work.  Concepts and procedures taught include levels of measurement, measures of central tendency, correlation techniques, probability theory, and hypothesis tests.  Prerequisite:  an introductory course in one of the social sciences.
(Students normally take this course in the second semester sophomore or junior year. Note: counts as core for Mathematics category)

320 Social Research . F and S (3 hours). An assessment of the nature of the research process as applied to the study of theoretical problems in social science.  Students are guided in designing and conducting a research project, involving definition of the problem, consideration of appropriate methods, and the collection and analysis of data.  Prerequisites:  Sociology 151, SOWK 240, 255. 
(Junior level)

350 Human Behavior and the Social Environment . F and S (4 hours). A study of the person in her/his environment using a systems model of human behavior.  Knowledge about persons as biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual creatures is integrated as the "person" is followed through the life cycle.  Theoretical frameworks from prerequisite courses are integrated to enable students to assess micro and macro influences on human behavior.  Prerequisites: Biology core, English 101, Soc 151, Psych 151, SOWK 240, 250.
(Second semester sophomore or junior level)

360 Social Welfare Policy Analysis . F and S (3 hours). A value-critical analysis and evaluation of social welfare policies and programs as responses to defined social problems in their historical, political, and economic contexts.  Students examine the role of the direct provider of social services as a policy practitioner.  Prerequisites:  History core, SSNA core and cognate, SOWK 240. 
(Junior level)

370 The Helping Interview . F and S (3 hours). A course to teach students the basic skills necessary to conduct a helping interview.  Students participate in videotaped role plays.  The course also contains contextual material about ethical issues, a Christian view of relationship and interviewing, and interviewing people from different backgrounds.  Prerequisites: SOWK 240 and 350 (or concurrent enrollment with 350).
(Junior level)

371 Generalist Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups . F (4 hours). A study of generalist social work practice within an ecological and problem-solving context.  This course focuses on practice skills, interventions, and issues with individuals, families, and groups.  Special attention is given to working with clients from different backgrounds.   Prerequisites: SOWK 320, 350, 360, and 370
(Senior level)

372 Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities . F and S (3 hours). A study of generalist social work practice skills, interventions, and issues with organizations and communities.  Prerequisite: SOWK 320, 350, 360, 370.
(Second semester junior or senior level)

373 Vulnerable Populations:  Programs, Policies, and Practice .  F and S (3 hours).  This course integrates social welfare policies and generalist practice skills relevant to serving groups which are economically or otherwise at risk.  Prerequisite content in human diversity, policy, and practice is used to teach current programs intended to meet the needs of groups such as abused children and their families, the frail elderly, and the persistently mentally ill.  The course emphasizes how these approaches draw on several support systems including the family, community organizations, and state and federal resources.  Prerequisites:  SOWK 360
(Senior level)

380/381 Social Work Practicum and Integrative Seminar .  F, I, and S (14 hours).  Students are placed in a community agency (minimum of 400 hours) under the supervision of a professional social worker.  Students engage in several social work roles and activities to continue to develop generalist practice skills and knowledge.  A weekly integrative on-campus seminar (1 hours) and interim seminar course (4 hours) is also required (SOWK 381). The seminar requires students to integrate the liberal arts core, the content of courses in the social work major, and the practicum experience.  Students draw on core concepts and principles from the profession and from Christian faith as they discuss issues associated with professional role and identity.  Prerequisites: Admission to the B.S.W. program, satisfactory completion of the practicum admission process, and previous or concurrent enrollment in 371.
(Senior level)

Core Requirements and Model Program

The core course requirements for the B.S.W. are noted below. If no specific course is noted for a category, students are free to select from the catalog choices for that category.

Prelude: IDIS 149
Gateway: IDIS 50/150
Written Rhetoric: English 101
Research and Information Technology: RIT 110
Rhetoric in Culture: one course
Health and Fitness: three one-hour courses
Foreign Language: completion through the 123 or 202 level; Spanish encouraged
History of the West and the World: HIST 151 or 152 Philosophical Foundations: PHIL 153
Biblical or Theological Foundations I: REL 121 or 131
Biblical or Theological Foundations II: one course (note: must do crossover)
Persons in Community: PSYC 151 and SOWK 250
Societal Structures in N. America : SOC 151 and one additional course; recommend students take this course from Political Science or Economics SSNA category choices.
Literature: one course
Global and Historical Studies: one course
The Arts: one course
Mathematics: SOWK 255
Living World: BIOL 115
Cross-Cultural Engagement: met through successful completion of the BSW program
Capstone: SOWK 381

The various core requirements and social work major courses required for a B.S.W. degree have been combined into the following model B.S.W. program:

DO I NEED A MINOR TO GO WITH MY SOCIAL WORK MAJOR

Social Work majors commonly ask whether a minor is "required" and/or "a good idea." First, social work majors are not required to have a minor. With your elective credits, you may choose to take whatever courses you find interesting, assuming you have the necessary pre-requisite courses. Second, is it a good idea to have a minor? On the one hand, social work faculty know of few, if any, social work majors who found employment or were accepted into graduate school because they had taken a particular minor. In other words, it is not necessary to have a minor. On the other hand, minors are very useful organizing and advising schemes to use, should you find yourself interested in other disciplines. Declaring a minor will help you find your way into the important key courses of another discipline. In this respect, minors are a good and useful thing to have.

Students interested in having a minor often ask for recommendations about what minor to choose. The answer? A minor depends largely on your interests and/or your ideas about what kind of social work practice you might be most interested in doing some day. So, for instance, some social work majors minor in Spanish because they want to be fluent in the Spanish language (note: if you minor in Spanish, you will be taking a fair number of Spanish literature courses). Other students want to combine social work with missions (hence, a Missions minor), with global social work practice (hence, a minor in Third World Development Studies), or with public policy (hence, a minor in Political Science). The possibilities are limited only by the number of possible minors and the length of time you wish to remain at Calvin.

Many social work students choose a minor in Sociology . Such a minor provides a theoretical underpinning to many of the issues and populations that social workers encounter. Consequently, sociology courses such as Family (Soc 304), Urban Sociology (Soc 302), Deviance (Soc 306), Gerontology (Soc 316), Death and Dying (Soc 317), and Intercultural Communication (Soc 253), to name just a few, are very useful to social work majors.

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HONORS PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL WORK MAJORS

To graduate with Honors in Social Work, a student must apply to the honors program and must meet the following criteria:

1. minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 within the major as well as overall and a total of six honors courses (18 hours minimum) overall, including at least three honors courses outside the major;
   
   
2. at least three honors courses within the major;
   
   
3. at least two of the three courses must be chosen from SOWK 320, 350, or 360;
   
   
4. the third course may be chosen from SOWK 255, 371, 372, or 373;
   
   
5. completion of an honors research thesis or project developed in an independent research study (390 course), the 381 capstone seminar, or another approved means;
   
   
6. public presentation of the results;
   
   
7. honors students are encouraged to participate in department seminars and colloquia, when appropriate.
   
   The department's honors advisor is Professor Hugen.

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POLICIES GOVERNING THE B.S.W. PROGRAM

Admission to the B.S.W. Program

Students who wish to pursue a B.S.W. degree must make application to the Social Work Program Director by mid-February of their sophomore year. Decisions about admission to the program are made by the Social Work Program Committee, which is composed of social work faculty and two B.S.W. students appointed by OSSW, the student organization of social work majors. Applicants are informed of the committee's decision not later than the last week of March. The committee bases its decisions on the following criteria:

1. Applicants must have earned 35 semester hours of credit, and either have completed or currently enrolled in Biology 115, Psychology 151, Sociology 151, a second Societal Structures in NA course), and Social Work 240 and 250.
   
   
2. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a minimum grade of C- in each of the courses specified in #1.
   
   
3. Applicants must have completed at least 50 hours of social-work-type volunteer or paid service and submit a letter of reference from an appropriate supervisor.
   
   
4. Applicants must submit a written personal statement which includes information about their commitment to social work as a vocation, and their strengths and areas for development as potential professional social workers.
   

Applicants should be aware that since enrollment in the community-based practicum must be limited to the number of placements available, admission to the program also is limited, and fulfillment of the admission requirements does not guarantee admission. Additionally, in the evaluation of transfer credits or past experiences, academic credit is not given in Calvin College's B.S.W. program for life or previous work experience. This policy applies to all courses in the B.S.W. program, including the Social Work Practicum.

A student who does not fully meet one or more of the admission criteria may be admitted to the B.S.W. program conditionally provided that the student agrees to remove the deficiency by a time specified by the Social Work Program Committee. (Conditionally accepted students should be aware that there are risks involved in pursuing the junior year of the social work major on a conditional basis.)

The forms necessary to make application to the B.S.W. program may be obtained online at http://www.calvin.edu/academic/social_work/admission.htm or from the department's administrative assistant, Tess Lindholm, in Room 206, Spoelhof Center . Racial and ethnic minority persons are encouraged to apply.

Advising

Before new students begin their course work at Calvin, they are asked to complete an "Advising Information" questionnaire. Those who indicate an interest in majoring in Social Work are assigned to a social work faculty person as an advisor.

Students applying to the B.S.W. may indicate a preference for a particular advisor from among the social work faculty. Once accepted into the program, the Director re-assigns students to advisors, attempting to honor student preferences. A B.S.W. student who wishes to change advisors should first make the request of the new advisor and then fill out a B.S.W. Program "Change of Advisor Form" available from Ms. Lindholm (Room 206, Spoelhof Center).

B.S.W. students minimally meet with their advisors once per semester to plan course selection and scheduling. They also confer with their advisors about their functioning in the B.S.W. program, career-related matters, and graduate school options and opportunities.

Additionally, each academic year, the Social Work Program Director calls a meeting of all those interested in applying for the B.S.W. program to share information about the program and admission to it. In the fall of each year, a meeting of all junior-level B.S.W. students is called by the Practicum Coordinator to share information about the following year's practicum placements.

Although the college permits second-semester seniors to not consult their advisors prior to their last semester before graduating, B.S.W. students are excluded from this policy. They must see their advisors to do a final check on their earned credits and remaining requirements for the B.S.W. degree. The Council on Social Work Education recommends this advising policy.

Retention in the B.S.W. Program

Policies and Procedures for Continuance and Graduation: Due to the nature of social work practice and the expectations of a professional program, academic standards for continuance in the program include professional behaviors and practices.  All undergraduate social work students will receive and are required to comply with the following standards as well as related policies in the program and practicum handbooks.  Additionally, social work students are expected to adhere to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and the Michigan Social Work Licensing Code of Ethics. 

Faculty regularly evaluate academic performance in several areas, including but not limited to the demonstration of basic professional practice skills, stress management and emotional self-awareness, professional judgment, and academic performance.  Criteria defining each of these four primary areas of academic expectations are identified below. 

1.         Basic Professional Practice Skills

• Communication:  practices using effective oral and written skills; uses existing technologies as appropriate; employs effective interpersonal skills including the ability to take appropriate responsibility for one’s own actions and decisions and their potential impact on others; and possesses the ability to identify and acknowledge limitations. 

• Ability to Exercise Critical Thinking:  demonstrates the ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate practice interventions and overall practice; articulates the planned change process. 

• Physical Skills:  demonstrates sufficient motor, sensory, and speech and language skills to actively attend and participate in class and practicum sites.

All students must meet the basic requirements of the Social Work Program with or without accommodations.  Please refer to the section on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.

2.         Stress Management and Emotional Self-Awareness

• Effective Self Care and Coping Skills:  handles stress appropriately by use of self-care techniques and supportive relationships; recognizes personal needs and plans accordingly.

• Emotional Maturity:  demonstrates understanding of appropriate self-disclosure; maintains respectful relationships with peers, colleagues, faculty, and others; demonstrates empathic support to peers; and uses assertive problem solving strategies rather than aggressive or passive actions.  Seeks professional help for medical or emotional issues that interfere with professional and scholastic performance.  

3.         Professional Judgment

• Comprehension of Ethical Behavior:  demonstrates adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics, state licensing laws, and practicum site policies and procedures; practices within the competencies and limits of a generalist BSW practitioner. 

• Committed to Professional Learning:  takes responsibility for learning and seeks feedback and/or supervision from practicum instructors, faculty, peers, and colleagues; participates in classroom discussions and stays engaged in learning; holds self accountable for work assigned.  

• Self Awareness:  demonstrates awareness of one’s own attitudes and beliefs (economic status, age, ethnicity, and lifestyle differences) and their impact on professional practice; acknowledges when personal values interfere with professional practice and client relationships and makes appropriate referrals or takes appropriate action. 

4.         Academic Performance

• Earns a minimum of C in courses in the social work major beyond SOWK 240 and 250 (C- is minimum grade for SOWK 240 and 250), and maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.  Classroom performance and class attendance constitute behaviors that factor into a course grade. 

• Fulfills the expectations and standards detailed in the Practicum Manual. 

• Obtains a mid year (mid semester for block placement cases) evaluation from the practicum instructor and faculty liaison that satisfactory progress is being made toward competent, ethical practice; earns a final evaluation in the practicum which affirms the student is adequately prepared to graduate as a beginning generalist social work practitioner.  Specific expectations and standards are detailed in the Practicum Manual. 

Accommodations for Students With Disabilities

No student who demonstrates professional ability and qualifications will be discriminated against or excluded from the social work program on the basis of disability.  Qualified individuals with disabilities seeking reasonable accommodations must work with the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities and provide required documentation to request reasonable accommodations.  Coordinators within the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities will make the recommendations for reasonable accommodations.  The social work program will work with the student and the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities to reasonably accommodate a qualified student with a documented disability.

Policies and Procedures for Academic or Disciplinary Probation or Termination

All faculty are involved in the formation of students’ professionalism and are responsible for reporting concerns to the social work program director and other faculty as appropriate to assure ethical practice and academic achievement.  The specific process employed for reporting and reviewing a concern relative to a student’s performance will be based on the severity of the issue.  Relevant information may be disclosed to the practicum site per the Release of Information form (which all students are presented with after being accepted into the program) if the concern is practicum related or is affecting performance in the practicum. 

In most situations, a faculty member will address concerns directly with a student and establish a plan of action with that student to resolve the concern.  Faculty will inform the Social Work Program Committee (SWPC) of the concerns so that any pattern of behavior or issues is identified and addressed in a timely manner.  (The Social Work Program Committee includes social work faculty and two B.S.W.-student representatives.) Documentation of individual meetings, concerns addressed, and plans of action will be completed if appropriate and maintained by the concerned faculty member.  In most cases, the student’s advisor will become involved as a support to the student.  If the concern is practicum related, the faculty liaison may offer to meet with the practicum instructor and the student. 

In the event the concerns are unresolved or of a more serious nature, a meeting will be conducted with the student, the involved faculty member and/or the academic advisor, and the program director.  If the problem is related to the practicum, the meeting will include the practicum coordinator.  The outcome of this meeting is discussed with the SWPC; the student is invited to be present.  This committee has the power to terminate the student from the program through a simple majority vote.  The program director does not vote.  Action of the SWPC can include:

• Continuation in the program with no restrictions;
  
  
• Probationary status; or
  
  
• Termination from the program. 

Following the meeting a letter will be written by the social work program director documenting the outcome of the meeting and any actions taken.  In the event of probationary status, the student will be advised in writing of the actions he/she must take to address the concerns and a timeframe for doing so in order to regain full program status.  This may include (but is not limited to) future meetings with his/her advisor, seeking outside assistance, re-evaluating academic load and readiness for the major, meeting a minimum GPA during the subsequent semester, and/or meeting a specific performance level in practicum.

This letter will be sent to the student, the concerned faculty member, the academic advisor, the practicum coordinator, and the program’s academic dean.  If the matter is related to field performance, a copy will also be sent to the practicum instructor.  The program director will also write a summary of the meeting.  This summary and any related documentation will be maintained by the program director. 

Students placed on probationary status or terminated from the program have the right to appeal the decision (see Student Appeals). 

Compliance with Other Policies, Laws, and Regulations

Social work students are subject to the policies and procedures for appropriate conduct as set in the Calvin College Student Handbook.  In addition to all college regulations governing student conduct and responsibilities, social work majors as citizens are also subject to all federal and state laws.  A student may be terminated from the social work program for violating these laws, rules, or regulations.   Social work students may also be dismissed from the program for violations of the NASW Code of Ethics. 

Students placed on probationary status or terminated from the program have the right to appeal the decision (see Student Appeals). 

This policy does not supersede or replace any applicable college wide disciplinary process or policy. 

Student Appeals

Should a student be refused admission to either the B.S.W. program or practicum, or should a student otherwise be informed that he/she may no longer continue in the program, the student has the option of appealing such actions.  If the student chooses to appeal, he/she must submit a written appeal to the social work program director within two weeks of the date of rejection or discontinuation from the program.  The program director will forward the appeal to the Social Work Appeals Committee.  This committee consists of two social work faculty, a student member of the SWPC, and the program director.  Social work faculty are appointed to one-year terms on this committee.  The student appealing may request replacement of one member of the committee if the student believes there is bias or prejudice.  Similarly, a member of the committee may request to be excused from hearing an appeal.  Both requests should be made to the social work program director, who will make final decisions and, if necessary, appoint another member.

The Social Work Appeals Committee will follow this procedure, processing the appeal within four working weeks of when the appeal is received, and notifying the student of its decision in writing within one week of the date of that decision: 

• The program director will present the reasons for the termination. 
  This will be done in writing, including any supporting evidence.
  
  
• The student will present his/her appeal in writing and with supporting evidence.
  
  
• Other parties may submit responses and documents.

• All parties may appear in person before the committee.  The program director must be notified if an appearance is desired.

• The Appeals Committee will discuss the matter and vote.  A simple majority is needed to approve the appeal.  The program director has the right to vote.
  
  
• The program director will notify all parties as to the outcome.  The student will be notified by email.  The program director will maintain the files.

Students wishing to appeal the decision of the Appeals Committee should follow the college’s Student Protest and Appeals Procedure, beginning at the level of the academic dean and following the outlined steps (see Calvin College Catalog and Calvin College Student Handbook for policy).  This process ensures that the student’s concern is heard by a new audience. 

Student Initiated Grievances

On occasion, a student may have criticism of a professor for which he or she requests some action.  Criticisms may regard the requirements of a course, the nature of a test, a grade received, teaching effectiveness, personal lifestyle, general performance, or sanctions given for academic dishonesty.  The student should present such criticism directly to the faculty member. The student’s concern or criticism should be heard and given serious attention by the faculty member.

If the faculty member’s response does not satisfy the student, or if the student, for good reason, does not feel free to approach the faculty member, the student should bring the concern or criticism to the social work program director.  The program director should work for resolution.

If the grievance involves the social work program director, the most senior faculty member of the program shall serve in all areas indicated as program director responsibilities. If the student or the involved faculty member does not accept the advice of the program director, then one of the following procedures will be followed: 

• If the complaint concerns academic standards and expectations, the student must follow the appeal procedure as outlined above, submitting a written request to the program director that presents the concern and asks for resolution.  This must occur within two weeks following the meeting with the program director.  The program director will forward the appeal to the Appeals Committee, and the process noted above will be followed. 
  
  
• If the complaint concerns matters other than academic standards and expectations, the student must follow the procedure as outlined in the Calvin College Catalog and Student Handbook. 

Admission to Practicum

B.S.W. students are required to make formal application for the practicum sequence to the Practicum Coordinator. During the fall, an informational meeting is held for all junior students planning to enter practicum during the following academic year. At this meeting, the application materials for practicum are distributed. The application process requires:

1. a written personal statement of preferences and goals for one's practicum work.
   
   
2. an interview with the practicum coordinator.

Students who wish to do their practicum through the Chicago Semester or Washington D.C. Semester should be certain of their plans by the fall of their junior year. An information meeting regarding practicum options is scheduled in mid-October.

Students who wish to complete their practicum requirements in ways other than the normal design (for example a block placement) must make application through the Practicum Coordinator for an exception. Exceptions are not guaranteed and must be approved by the Social Work Program Committee. For more information, contact the Practicum Coordinator, Professor Lissa Schwander.

Should significant reservations about a student's continuation in the B.S.W. program arise at the point of application to practicum, these will be processed by the Social Work Program Committee. In cases where the committee decides to deny admission to the practicum, the student involved will have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Social Work Program Committee.

A great deal more information about the practicum is available from Professor Lissa Schwander, who is the program's Practicum Coordinator.

Student Files

The Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 along with 1976 amendments to the law require that institutions such as colleges provide:

...students access to official records directly related to the students and an opportunity for a hearing to challenge such records on the grounds that they are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate; that institutions must obtain written consent. before releasing personally identifiable data about students from records to other than a specified list of exceptions: that . students must be notified of these rights;." (Federal Register, January 6, 1975)

In accordance with this law and the standards of the Council on Social Work Education, B.S.W. students will be granted access to their files for review. Requests must be in writing and must be submitted to the Director of Social Work. Students may appeal in writing to the Social Work Committee to remove any inaccurate information from their files. These appeals will be acted on and the student notified within four working weeks of the date of the request. Students with concerns about their files are encouraged to first discuss these concerns with their advisor.

Upon being admitted to the B.S.W. program, students will be asked to sign a "Release of Filed Information" form so that social work faculty can use this information in making decisions about student retention in the B.S.W. program, entry into the practicum, recommendations to field instructors, recommendations for employment, and recommendations to graduate school.

Students' Rights to Organize

Students have the right to organize in their own interests in matters related to academic and student affairs. This also applies to the B.S.W. program. B.S.W. students are encouraged to maintain and participate in Organization of Students in Social Work (O.S.S.W.), a social-work-student organization which affirms two students to serve on the Social Work Program Committee, advocates with the college structure for the needs of social work students, invites social work professionals to campus for presentations, and organizes social and educational events.

Course/Faculty/Program Evaluation

B.S.W. students are asked to give written evaluation of course content and instructors who teach courses in the social work major and are under review for tenure or reappointment. A college-wide evaluation instrument is used in these cases. In the cases of other courses in the social work major, social work faculty may ask students to complete the same instrument or provide one of their own design. Additionally, just prior to graduation, senior B.S.W. students are asked to complete a survey about the B.S.W. program relative to program objectives.

B.S.W. graduates are also surveyed after they have been practicing social work for two years. They are asked for their estimate of how well the program has prepared them for professional practice. Part of this survey contains questions which other accredited schools of social work ask of their graduates and another part has questions tailored specifically to Calvin's B.S.W. program. Employers of graduates who have held social work positions since graduation are also surveyed if the graduates have given permission for their supervisors' participation. All data collected are used to make changes intended to strengthen Calvin's B.S.W.

Transfer Students

Calvin College's stated procedures and policies regarding transfer students are given in the college catalog. In brief, students transferring from other colleges and universities must follow the same application process as that for first-year students. Academic credits from accredited institutions are normally accepted according to the following stipulations:

1. The courses must be academic and similar in nature to courses offered at Calvin College.
   
   
2. A minimum grade of C- is required in each course to receive credit.
   
   
3. No more than seventy semester hours of advanced credit are allowed for work completed at an accredited community college.
   
   
4. No matter how much work done at other institutions may be accepted, all students must complete their last year in residence at Calvin.

Once admitted to Calvin, the records of transfer students are first evaluated by the Office of the Registrar and then passed on to the Social Work Program Director, provided there are courses on these records which might transfer as credit for courses in Calvin's social work major. The Social Work Program Director makes these determinations after reviewing course syllabi of the social work courses taken at other institutions (the syllabi must be detailed enough to indicate learning objectives, course topics, learning assignments, required reading, suggested readings, and, ideally, course bibliographies). Once transfer students know which of their courses will transfer, they are required to make full application to Calvin's B.S.W. program and await a decision from the Social Work Program Committee. Care is taken in this procedure to grant transfer students the maximum allowable credit for their previous academic work without violating course sequencing in the B.S.W. Program of otherwise compromising the integrity of the program.

In the evaluation of transfer credits or past experiences, academic credit is not given in Calvin College's B.S.W. program for life or previous work experience. This policy applies to all courses in the B.S.W. program including Social Work Practicum (380).

Program Statement on Non-discrimination

The Social Work Program Committee has adopted the following statement on non-discrimination:

The Calvin College Bachelor of Social Work Program, convinced that all persons are created in the image of God, affirms the worth and right to personal dignity of all persons. Consequently, the program is committed to operating in all respects without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, handicap, or political or sexual orientation. (In regard to creed, the program appoints social work faculty who are committed to and articulate about the mission of the college and the objectives of the B.S.W. program. Regarding field instructors, students, and support personnel, the program is also committed to non-discrimination based on creed.)

Any person formally associated with Calvin's B.S.W. program (faculty, field instructor, student, support personnel) who believes that he/she has been discriminated against has the right, and is urged, to make complaint to the Director of Social Work (students are encouraged first to make complaint to their social work faculty advisor and then to the Program Director). The complaint may be related to any aspect of the program, including, but not necessarily limited to, admission to the program, course procedures and assignments, field placement procedures and assignments, classroom and field placement interactions, grades, field evaluations, faculty advising, and student organization. The Program Director, upon receiving a complaint, will within two weeks initiate attempts to help the person reach satisfactory resolution of the complaint. If this fails, the person has the right, and is urged, to seek advice and help from those in the college administration formally empowered to respond to such complaints. (Complaints of discrimination by faculty, students, and field instructors are processed by the Dean and the Provost; complaints by support personnel are processed by the Vice President for Administration and Finance. Ethnic minority students who are making complaint are urged to contact the Dean of Multicultural Student Development for additional service and support.)

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SCHOLARSHIPS

There are several department and program scholarships available to B.S.W. students. These scholarships are in addition to those offered by the college. They include:

Barbara Gezon Baker Scholarship for Academic Excellence in Sociology and Social Work. Scholarships are awarded to students entering the junior or senior year who have an outstanding academic record, particularly within the Sociology and Social Work Department. The quality of the student's written work may be considered as well. Candidates are nominated by department faculty; no application is required. Two awards are given each academic year.

Donald and Marie Boersma Family Scholarship in Social Work. One scholarship is given annually to a student entering the junior year in the Bachelor of Social Work program. It is renewable for the senior year. The scholarship requires an application.

Dr. Donald Bouma Memorial Scholarship in Sociology and Social Work
Two scholarships are given annually to a sociology or social work major entering the junior or senior year, in memory of Dr. Bouma, Calvin's first professor of sociology. The scholarship requires an application.

Connie Bratt Social Work Scholarship. Two scholarships are awarded annually to students entering the senior year in the Bachelor of Social Work program who exhibit a commitment to Christian service. This scholarship requires a written application.

Sociology and Social Work Faculty Honors Scholarship. One scholarship is awarded annually to a sociology or social work major entering the senior year. An application is required.

Leanne Joy Knot Scholarship. Two scholarships are given annually to a sociology or social work major entering the junior or senior year. An application is required.

Richard and Janice Van Deelen Scholarship. On scholarship is awarded annually to a social work major entering the junior or senior year. The award is intended for students who are adopted persons, have special interest in adoption, or have interest in working in the field of adoption. The scholarship requires an application.

Vanderploeg-Edgerly Scholarship. One scholarship is awarded to a sociology or social work major entering the junior or senior year. The recipient agrees to write a major paper on child sexual abuse in one of his or her courses. An application is required.

Mary E. VandenBosch Zwaanstra Scholarship. One award is given to a social work major entering the senior year based on the student's commitment to the field of gerontology and principles of social justice, as demonstrated by personal aptitudes and testimony, backed by actions (volunteer service and/or work experience) and his/her intentional choice of a field placement in gerontology in the senior year. In addition the applicant(s) shall submit a course paper(s) and/or essay in which the cause of the elderly is argued in a clear and cogent way from the perspective of a social worker.

Department and program awards are made in April with application forms and information distributed in late February or early March in courses and through announcements in hallways or on bulletin boards near the department, and also via the social work list serv. More information on each of these awards is given in the college catalog.

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FACULTY

Cheryl Kreykes Brandsen

Ph.D. (Michigan State University), M.S.W. (University of Michigan); worked for several years in child welfare doing counseling, training, and administration; current research interests are in gerontology, particularly long-term care and end-of-life care; teaches Social Gerontology, Sociology of Death and Dying, The Family, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, and the Integrative Capstone.

Jennifer Renkema

Teaches Social Work Practicum through the Washington D.C. (Social Work) Semester.

Nancy Triezenberg Fox

M.S.W. (University of Michigan); has experience in community organization, teaches Social Work Practicum through the Chicago Semester; directs the Chicago (Social Work) Semester.

Beryl Hugen

Ph.D. (University of Kansas), M.S.W. (Western Michigan University): has experience as a psychiatric social worker; previously directed the B.S.W. program at Dordt College; current scholarship investigates the influence of faith in human service delivery; teaches Vulnerable Populations: Programs, Policy, and Practice and the Helping Interview; and is the Director of the Social Work program; works part-time in the Social Work Program at the Russian American Christian University (Moscow).

Michelle Loyd-Paige

Ph.D. (Purdue University); has research experience in gerontology and teaching experience in social problems; current research interests focus on Black clergywomen; teaches Diversity and Inequality in North American Society and is the Dean for Multicultural Affairs.

Mark Mulder

Ph. D. (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee), M.A. (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee); has scholarly interests in urban studies, race and ethnicity, and Native American populations; teaches Diversity and Inequality in North America and Urban Sociology.

Lissa Schwander

M.S.W. (Rutgers University); education and professional experiences in the area of social welfare policy and administration, particularly in housing and homelessness; teaches Introduction to Social Work, Social Welfare Policy Analysis, and is the Social Work Practicum Coordinator.

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DEPARTMENTAL FACILITIES

The Social Work Program departmental office is located in Spoelhof Center , Room 220. Ms. Kathy Bardolph, the administrative assistant, works from this office. Faculty mailboxes are also in Room 220 and students are welcome to leave messages for faculty there if they wish.

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OTHER RESOURCES

Library

The social work faculty has been reviewing Calvin's social work holdings and adding to them over the past several years. We have now either acquired or have on order the most recent editions of all social welfare policy and social casework titles listed in the standard reference, Books for College Libraries , and the titles listed in the council on Social Work Education's publication, Building the Undergraduate Social Work Library: An Annotated Bibliography. We also have several major journals in social work including Families in Society, Public Welfare, Social Work, Social Work and Christianity, Social Work Research and Abstracts, as well as others in social problems and social research. Calvin's library is also a partial depository of U.S. government documents holding some 100,000 items.

Faculty members review new titles in their areas of expertise and place orders to keep our holdings up-to-date.

When using the library, remember that there are library personnel willing to assist you. Ms. Diane Vander Pol is the librarian who is particularly trained to respond to the questions of social work majors, although any library employee is willing to meet with you about specific papers or projects.

Computer Services

The Computer Center offers several services to students. The Information Technology Center (ITC) lab is located on the first floor of the library and offers PC and Macintosh computers attached to the college network. Other computer labs on campus include PC's and terminals attached to the network in residence halls, a Sun and MAC classroom in North Hall, an English classroom in the Fine Arts Center, as well as others, including one in the department (Spoelhof Center, room 208). The social work program gives instruction in computer use in its social science statistics and research design courses, and encourages its students to develop and use Microsoft Office and PowerPoint skills for their writing assignments and projects in social work courses. The social work list serv is also available to majors through KnightVision.

The Broene Center

The Broene Center offers a range professional counseling services for students. Counselors are available by appointment or by daily walk-in times. The latter are posted on the entrance to the Broene Center .

Career Development

The Career Development staff provides assistance for students searching for careers by helping them recognize their own resources and talents and by exploring with them the variety of careers available to them. The career resources area includes a variety of career information resources including a computerized informational system.

Student Academic Services

Student Academic Services (SAS) offers services designed to help students become more effective at learning. It offers review courses in English and mathematics as well as a course which assists students in developing study skills and adjusting to college-level work. Tutoring by trained upper-class students is available in many courses free of charge for any student whose professor agrees that it could be helpful.

Minority Student Services

Calvin College is striving to become a genuinely multicultural Christian academic community and one in which a cross-cultural community is celebrated. The Dean of Multicultural Student Development provides programs and support services to help minority students adjust to Calvin's campus culture and achieve their educational goals. The Dean also serves as a link between Calvin College and local, ethnic-minority communities. Minority students who have questions, ideas, or concerns are encouraged to contact the Dean at (526-8702).

Rhetoric Center

This service offers tutors to assist students in their preparations of term papers. Students at any level of writing experience are welcome to come for services. The office is in Library 207 and open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during both fall and spring semesters.

Graduate School Information

The SW Program collects information from several graduate schools of social work in Michigan, more widely in the U.S., and in Canada. This material is on file in the social work student lounge (Spoelhof Center 200) and may be reviewed there. An informational audiotape on graduate education in social work is also available in the lounge. Each October, assigned faculty conduct an informational meeting about graduate education in social work which describes types of programming, admissions information, and resources available to help with decision making. Lastly, students are encouraged to consult with their social work advisor about graduate schools.

Career Information

Information about social work careers is provided in various courses throughout the social work major. Students individually may meet about careers with their social work advisor. The social work practicum faculty works with the Office of Career Development to help B.S.W. seniors prepare professional resumes and make them available to potential employers at college-sponsored job fairs. Lastly, a listing of open positions in social work is kept at the Office of Career Development.

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