Sociology and Criminal Justice News
SPRING 2012 NEWS
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has awarded the Lebanon County Commissioners a grant of $136,832 for ongoing support of the Lebanon County DUI Court. As part of the grant, Marianne Goodfellow will continue working as the off-site evaluator of the program. The collaboration between the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department and the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office has been ongoing for four years. Initially, Carolyn Hanes and Marianne Goodfellow received a Pleet Grant for a collaborative student-faculty two year study of Lebanon County DUI offenders. The grant was used to support the faculty and students' travel to national conferences where the students presented their papers. The PCCD Grant will enable further faculty-student collaboration in conjunction with DUI Court by funding paid internships for the next three summers.
FALL 2011 NEWS
Four students in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department had a paper published in the Sociological Viewpoints, the Journal of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society. John Dimmick, Yanira Correa, Aleka Liazis and Holly McMichael’s paper, entitled “’Playing Hooky’: Examining factors that contribute to adolescent truancy”, was published in Vol. 27, No1, Fall 2011. The students had completed the work in the spring of 2010 in SOC 311 Research Methods in Sociology. Data for the student project was provided by Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
See below for picture of poster presentation at the Pennsylvania Sociological Society Fall 2010.
Becky Gentzler (2011, Education; Minor in Sociology) and Sarah Hoffman (2011, El. Ed.) returned to LVC to present results of study to SOC 110 Introduction to Sociology classes. Becky and Sarah completed a study regarding sexual health among college students as part of Holly Dolans's DSP 320 course, Health Colloquium. They utilized a quota sample study. The purpose of the project was to assess and identify a community health need as well as propose, present and implement a public health intervention.
Donalee Ünal, a senior Sociology major attended the national meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas this past August. While at the meeting she presented her paper “Hospice Care Today: Compassionate or McDonaldized?” at a medical sociology roundtable. This paper was displayed in poster form at the Eastern Sociological Society annual meeting in February. In addition, this paper has been published in the peer review journal Theory In Action, July 2011, Volume 4 No. 3.
Donalee will be graduating from LVC in December and in January 2012 attending graduate school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, studying sociology with a concentration in medical sociology.
SPRING 2011 NEWS
Medical Sociology students tour Pinnacle Health’s new Emergency Department and have a Q and A lunch with the Medical Director of Primary care.
During the spring semester, Sharon Arnold’s Medical Sociology class visited Pinnacle Health Medical Center in Harrisburg. The students were shown the new Emergency Department which has state-of-the-art features. The newly built emergency department is designed to expand community health resources, to increase access and to streamline emergency department processes and systems to better serve patients. The completed Emergency Department will consist of 4 triage rooms, 40 acute treatment rooms, ( two of the isolation units), 5 mental health treatment rooms, 1 decontamination room, 6 cardiac rooms, 2 resuscitation rooms and 15 express admission unit beds. The department is equipped with its own radiology room and CT scanner. After spending the morning in the Emergency Department, the students had lunch with Dr. Brian Uniake, Medical Director of Primary Care. The students and Dr. Uniake had a lively conversation about a number of medical issues they had discussed in class, including the changing structure of physician practices, the impact of health care reform on their delivery of services and the problems of instituting micro and macro approaches to preventive health.
The tour and lunch were hosted by Ann Hess Myers, Gift Officer, Annual and Corporate Giving at Pinnacle Health Foundation. The Foundation is leading the way to raise $12 million from the community to support this Emergency Department project.
Internships
Bryn Duffield- Internship at Lebanon County Juvenile Probation
Working at the Lebanon County Juvenile Probation Department has been a great experience for me. I was undecided with about which direction I wanted to take in law enforcement after graduation and this experience has definitely showed me that I am both capable and interested in doing this type of work. Throughout my internship I have learned the procedures involved when dealing with the juvenile justice system and also how to talk and work with juveniles and their authority figures in an effort to diminish their delinquent behaviors. Some of my experiences have included going to schools to check up on kids who are on probation, doing paper work and filing at the office, patrolling the city streets while the schools are dismissing and conducting curfew checks to make sure clients are home by their curfew. I have also helped with a community fishing day that was sponsored by our department and also made trips to Lancaster Detention to transport kids who have been detained. I enjoy working with my co-workers who have taken me under their wings so to speak, and showed me the ins and outs of being a successful member of their department.
Katie Evison
Internship at Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center (SARCC)
I currently have an internship at the Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center (SARCC) in Lebanon, Pa. SARCC is an organization that helps and educates victims, families, and communities about sexual assault and finding their path to recovery. In the beginning of my internship I had to complete 40 hours of training to be able to answer hotline calls, sit in on sessions, co-facilitate groups, and complete intakes. I have learned that sexual assault is a completely different type of crime and requires a special person to handle these types of cases. I also learned how to relate with victims, use reflective listening, and to always keep a positive attitude not only with the victims but in the office as well. I believe that this internship has opened my eyes to something that I was not comfortable with in the beginning, but thanks to my fellow staff members I was able to break through that comfort zone and become a successful counseling intern. Observing and counseling victims of sexual assault is not an easy path but it is definitely a rewarding experience, especially when you receive a hug or a thank you from one of the clients. It is an experience I will never forget and I believe that this internship has given me valuable tools to prepare myself for life after graduation.
Aleka Liazis
Internship at The Lebanon Valley Home
My internship at The Lebanon Valley Home has been more than just 405 hours of experience; it has helped me grow as a sociologist and a human being. I have been fortunate to work with faculty who encourage, push, and teach me new things on a daily basis. The residents’ smiles and personalities –sometimes better than others— have taught me to have patience and demonstrate love to those who need it most. Loving someone on a day when they are aggravating can be rather difficult. This experience has only confirmed my desire to become a Licensed Social Worker and work in geriatrics in the future.
Lou Struniewski
Internship at Warwick Township Police Department
Taking part in an internship at LVC has enabled me to apply the academic knowledge of the classroom to real life experiences in the criminal justice field. Through my internship I was able to learn the basics and procedures of police work. I took part in daily patrols, traffic enforcement, field sobriety testing, preparing crime reports, court sessions, serving warrants, and crime scene investigation. Through this internship I have developed professional relationships that will lead to future career opportunities. I believe that this internship has laid a strong foundation that will enable me to have a long and successful future in the field of criminal justice.
AKD Induction
Four students—John Dimmick, John Herr, Aleka Liazis, and Allison Verdi-- were inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society, ALPHA OMICRON CHAPTER of Pennsylvania. AKD was founded at the University of Southern California in 1920 and became affiliated with the Association of College Honor societies in 1967. AKD seeks to acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of Sociology, the research of social problems, and such other social and intellectual activities as will lead to improvement of the human condition. The Society sponsors student travel to regional meetings, supporting those who want to present their own work and learn from the scholarly presentations of others. The Society sponsors annual student paper contests, presenting awards which include monetary prizes, travel support and scholarships. To be initiated, students must maintain a 3.3 GPA. Students initiated into Alpha Kappa Delta will wear teal honor cords at commencement ceremonies. Adding honor cords to the cap and gown signifies that the wearer is an honor society member. The advisor to the honor society is Sharon Arnold, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology.
2011 Spring Award Winners
The following students were recognized at the Awards Ceremony and Banquet (April 28, 2011).
Senior Award for Academic Excellence in Sociology
Aleka Liazis
Senior Award for Academic Excellence in Criminal Justice
Allison Verdi
Robert A. Clay Award in Sociology (Awarded to a Junior)
Aryeh Halevy
Sociology and Criminal Justice Research Award
Yanira Correa, John Dimmick, Theodora Hermes, Aleka Liazis, Holly McMichael, Lou Struniewski, & Donalee Unal
Eastern Sociological Society
Sharon Arnold and Marianne Goodfellow—along with four students—attended the annual national conference of the Eastern Sociological Society in Philadelphia on Saturday February 26, 2011. The four undergraduate students presented their research as posters. Arnold received a $1000 grant from Alpha Kappa Delta, the honor society for sociology, to support these young scholars.
Theodora Hermes presented the results of an independent study: her poster was entitled The gender studies classroom: Does it make a difference?
Two students presented the results from the senior capstone course for the major (SOC 499). Lou Struniewski examined Racial disparity in crime rates: How inequality causes crime while Aleka Liazis explored How homosexuals fare in society: Are they at a disadvantage?
Donalee Unal presented work completed in Soc 321Social Theory class. The title of her work was Hospice Care Today: Compassionate or McDonaldized?
There was some time for site seeing! Here we are standing in front of the Besty Ross house. (Teddi Hermes, Sharon Arnold, Marianne Goodfellow, Aleka Liazis)
FALL 2010 NEWS
Marianne Goodfellow and four undergraduate students attended the 60th Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society held this year at Mansfield University, October 22-23. Marianne and coauthor Catharine Kilgore (Lebanon County CJAB Planner/Grant Coordinator) presented a paper entitled “DUI offenders’ beliefs about DUI statutes and DUI law enforcement: Implications for deterrence”. The four students—John Dimmick, Aleka Liazis, Yanira Correa, and Holly McMichael –participated in the undergraduate student poster competition. The poster, entitled “Playing hooky: Contributing factors to adolescent truancy” was awarded the honor of being the Best Poster and the students received a cash award of $50.00.
Marianne Goodfellow and Carolyn Hanes, along with undergraduate student Matt Celsky, are collaborating with the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, Penn State University Park, and the Lebanon County Probation and Parole Office to collect data on parole and resentencing. The enactment of Act 81 in 2008—a law redefining who may be released into reentry programs—mandates that the Commission on Sentencing collect county reentry information. Information and data on current policies and practices must be gathered and analyzed. Matt is now in the process of collecting data on a sample of offenders sentenced to county incarceration or resentenced due to revocations of sentences of probation or county or state intermediate punishment. Several other colleges/universities are collaborating in this effort within one or several respective counties including Gannon University, Erie; Indiana University of PA, Indiana; Millersville University of PA, Lancaster; Penn State Harrisburg, Cumberland, Dauphin; Penn State University Park, Allegheny, Centre, Philadelphia; Susquehanna University, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Lehigh, Northumberland, Snyder, Union; Villanova University, Delaware, Montgomery; Waynesburg University, Greene; and York College of PA, York.
robbery case, a sexual assault case, drug court cases, and many other petty crime cases. I also sat in with victims before they were put on the stand to make sure they felt comfortable and ready to testify. Not only did I get to see the court room process and the aiding of the victims, I did a lot of hands on things in the office as well. I learned how to use the computer programs known as VATS, Promis Gavil, and InfoShare. Other activities that I did were mailing letters to victims, filed paperwork, received records, and logged information on the computer programs listed above. My overall experience was eye-opening and it is something that I am really interested pursuing my career in. The atmosphere of the office to interacting with the victims was exciting and overwhelming, but definitely rewarding. I felt really connected with all the victims I interacted with and at the end of the day when I received a hug or a thank you from one of them I went home feeling accomplished. This internship was a great learning experience, and it made me feel as if I am one step closer to pursuing my dream of being part of the Criminal Justice Field/System.
SPRING 2010 NEWS
Three students--Christa Vrabel, Sara Piasecki, and Charlie Kline (not pictured)-- were inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society, ALPHA OMICRON CHAPTER of Pennsylvania. AKD was founded at the University of Southern California in 1920 and became affiliated with the Association of College Honor societies in 1967. AKD seeks to acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of Sociology, the research of social problems, and such other social and intellectual activities as will lead to improvement of the human condition. The Society sponsors student travel to regional meetings, supporting those who want to present their own work and learn from the scholarly presentations of others. The Society sponsors annual student paper contests, presenting awards which include monetary prizes, travel support and scholarships. To be initiated, students must maintain a 3. overall and a 3.5 in the major. Students initiated into Alpha Kappa Delta will wear teal honor cords at commencement ceremonies. Adding honor cords to the cap and gown signifies that the wearer is an honor society member. The advisor to the honor society is Sharon Arnold, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology.
Sharon Arnold and Marianne Goodfellow—along with five students—attended the annual conference of the Eastern Sociological Society in Boston on Saturday March 20, 2010. Arnold and Goodfellow, in collaboration with Sara Piasecki, undergraduate Sociology major, were discussants in a roundtable. The collaborative presentation was entitled “Does study abroad lead to greater intercultural competence?” Four of the undergraduate students presented their senior seminar research as posters: Rebekah Carver’s poster was entitled “Inequality among immigrants in the U.S.”, Cory Sabol- “Over the Limit, Under Arrest: DUI and Inequality”, Robert Evangelista- “Incarceration Rates and Poverty: Through a Social Capital Model”; Holly McMichael- “Does punishment fit the Crime?”
Carolyn Hanes and Marianne Goodfellow—along with three students—attended the annual national conference of The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in San Diego on Friday February 26, 2010. Hanes and Goodfellow were, respectively, roundtable moderator and discussant for a session entitled “Engaging Students Through Collaborative Research”. The three students, Rebekah Carver, Cory Sabol, and Christa Vrabel presented their paper entitled "Over the Limit, Under Arrest: Characteristics of ARD Treatment Offenders ". This paper was based on data supplied by the Lebanon County DA's office on 57 DUI offenders enrolled in the DUI Court Program. This project was phase II of long term research to assess the effectiveness of the Lebanon County DUI Court aimed at giving second and third time DUI offenders the option of alternatives to the traditional punishment approach to DUI offending. These presentations were both based on work accomplished as part of the Pleet Initiative.
The following students were recognized for outstanding academic achievement at the April 20, 2010 LVC awards ceremony and banquet:
Senior Award for Academic Excellence in Criminal Justice
Christa M. Vrabel
Major: Criminal Justice and Spanish, Senior
Senior Award for Academic Excellence in Sociology
Sara H. Piasecki
Major: Sociology, Senior
Robert A. Clay Award in Sociology
Ronny D. Acosta
Major: Criminal Justice, Junior
Sociology and Criminal Justice Research Award:
Rebekah Carver
Major: Sociology, Senior
Julie A. Enders
Major: Psychology & Sociology, Senior
Robert F. Evangelista
Major: Criminal Justice, Senior
Holly M. McMichael
Major: Sociology, Senior
Jehlisah R. Ortiz
Major: Sociology, Senior
Sara H. Piasecki
Major: Sociology, Senior
Cory M. Sabol
Major: Criminal Justice, Senior
Christa M. Vrabel
Major: Criminal Justice, Senior
TJ Giovarelli 11’, Criminal Justice Major, is the 2010 LVC Athletic Service Award recipient. TJ plays Varsity football and is an ROTC cadet. He received the award for his military and community service. He has volunteered for Relay for Life for three years ( 2007-2009), assisted with football recruits on campus, was National Guard volunteer for snow removal 2009 – 2010, completed campus landscaping 2007 – 2008, is Bethlehem, PA volunteer firefighter, volunteer football coach with East Hills Middle School, National Guard Recruiter, and is also working to establish ROTC at LVC.
Theodora Hermes attended and presented her research at the Lebanon Valley College Undergraduate and Collaborative Student-Faculty Research Conference in the Social Sciences and Humanities entitled Social Challenges for the 21st Century, February 20, 2010. Teddi’s poster was entitled “Reconciling Christianity and Feminism: What Women Think”. She was awarded the “Best Poster” award.
Sharon Arnold and Marianne Goodfellow attended a workshop called “Mapping Pennsylvania Communities: An introduction to GIS and Community Analysis’. The workshop was held in Philadelphia on January 22, 2010. The purpose of the workshop was to learn how to use GIS software to make maps (reference and thematic maps), spatial analysis, and Geocoding . These tools will be primarily employed in courses such as Urban Sociology and Senior Seminar to map poverty, crime, epidemiological data etc.
FALL 2009 NEWS
Dr. Marianne Goodfellow and Professor Sharon Arnold attended the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociology Society, October 23 and 24, at Shippensburg University. Dr. Goodfellow is the Treasurer of the organization. Four of our majors had their work accepted for presentation at this meeting….Julie Enders, Jennifer Ortiz and Amber Corcoran (09) presented their poster on “Study Abroad: The Effects of Re-entry,” a study of LVC study abroad students’ experience of culture shock. The data was gathered by Professor Arnold from 40 students who studied abroad at the Umbra Institute during the spring of 2005 when she served as on-site faculty in Perugia. The research was carried out in Dr. Goodfellow’s research methods class in the spring of 2009. Kayla Houser’s paper “Is the Red Flag Campaign Effective?” “Changing Perceptions of Dating Violence and Sexual Assault”, which was also on the program, was written in the context of an Independent Study course with Dr. Goodfellow.
SPRING 2009 NEWS
Three students, Kyle Ward, Jennifer DiMauro and Rebecca Hess attended the Annual Conference of The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in Boston on Friday March 13, 2009. Their paper was entitled "Driving under the Influence: Characteristics of Offenders". This paper was based on data supplied by the Lebanon County DA's office involving over 1400 DUI offenders from 2005-2007. This is the first phase of evaluation research that is being done to assess the newly implemented DUI specialty court for Lebanon County. The project was funded through a Pleet Grant awarded to Drs. Hanes and Goodfellow to undertake factuly-student research.
Sharon Arnold, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice gave the keynote presentation at the annual meeting of Meeting Planners International, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, February 1, 2009. The theme was "Making Diverse Groups Work." While there, the members of the organization participated in a community service project which involved purchasing and installing flush toilets into the out houses of an impoverished, overcrowded school, La Escuela Camila Castillo. Sharon was pleased to be able to work with them on this community service project. Additionally, many treats and supplies were taken to the students of the school.
Eleven students from Dr. Goodfellow's Soc 311 Research Methods class volunteered for the 2009 Point in Time Unsheltered Homeless Count in Lebanon Wednesday, January 28. The Federal government mandates biannual Point-in-time counts of the homeless. A point-in-time is a one-night count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons. The one-night count must occur during the last seven days in January and must collect information about chronic homelessness from all homeless people using statistically acceptable methods. Training began at 7:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army in Lebanon. From this home base, teams were sent onto the streets between 9 p.m. and 12 p.m. looking in designated areas for anyone who may be homeless that evening.
FALL 2008 NEWS
Heather Aurand attended and presented her research at the Pennsylvania Sociological Society November 1, 2008 held at the Dixon Center in Harrisburg. She was awarded the PSS undergraduate poster award and a check for $50.00.
Heather's poster was entitled Culturally competent collegians: The effects of study abroad. The primary focus of this study was to examine the effects of the study abroad experience on increasing intercultural competence. The participants of the experimental group included 30 undergraduate Lebanon Valley College students who chose to study abroad the spring semester of 2008. The control group consisted of 30 randomly selected undergraduate Lebanon Valley College students who would remain on campus. The entire sample was made up of 19 males and 40 females. Both groups were pre-tested with the Strategies Inventory for Learning Culture (SILC) and the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) questionnaires. Phase 1 of this study examines the differences and similarities between the two groups prior to the study abroad exposure. T-tests were used to evaluate the comparability of the two groups. Results suggest that the experimental and control groups do not significantly differ on cultural competence. Results also indicated that a majority of students are not interculturally competent.
Marianne Goodfellow attended and presented co-authored research at the Pennsylvania Sociological Society November 1, 2008 held at the Dixon Center in Harrisburg. Her presentation was entitled Barriers to statistical literacy among students enrolled in research methods classes: Implications for instruction and curriculum and was co-authored by Barb Wade from Penn State Schuylkill Campus.
The research topic dealt with statistical literacy. The American Sociological Association (ASA) has identified scientific literacy (i.e., statistical literacy) as a key curricular goal that needs to pervade the major (Howery and Rodriguez 2006: 23). Research Methods is the core course that addresses statistical literacy, but unfortunately many students possess significant quantitative skill gaps, often accompanied by significant anxieties associated with statistical concepts (Wade, 2003). This study has been undertaken to better understand how attitudes and beliefs toward statistics act as barriers to statistical literacy. Participants were 134 students clustered in four courses- statistics, research methods without a statistics course, research methods with a prior statistics course and a control group. Attitudes were measured in a pre- and post-test using the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS) (Schau, Dauphinee, Del Veechio & Stevens, 1991), and beliefs were examined in pre- and post-tests by using four open ended statements. Results for students' beliefs showed no significant changes between pre-and post-tests, with 48% of participants feeling insecure when doing statistics, 22% feeling statistics is irrelevant, 50% believed they would make math errors, and 45% that statistics formulas were difficult to understand. Results show a statistically significant difference between the types of class on the dependent variables; students in the statistics class and students in research methods after taking a statistics course showed higher levels of cognitive competence then students in research methods without a previous statistics course. Results suggest students' beliefs about statistics can affect their cognitive competence. Implications of these findings for the sociology curriculum are discussed.
SPRING 2008 NEWS
Two department majors -- Marci Ebur and Kyle Ward -- attended and presented research at the annual meeting of The Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Justice Educators, April 4 & 5, 2008, held at Penn State Altoona.
Marci Ebur presented her research (completed in collaboration with Heidi Lesher and Lila Zimmerman) entitled "Underage Drinking and Peer Pressure."
This study was conducted to examine the effects that peer pressure has on underage drinking. The participants ranged from 18 years of age to 20 years of age. Participants were freshman, sophomores, and juniors at Lebanon Valley College. Fifty (50) surveys were distributed and completed by the students. This study took place in the month of November 2007 at the college. Three Lebanon Valley College students in the Sociology Department conducted the surveys. The same three students then analyzed the data from the completed surveys. The results of the survey showed that very few college students felt pressured by their peers to consume alcohol, although many were affected by their peers in other ways related to alcohol consumption such as the supply of alcohol.
Kyle C. Ward presented his research (coauthored by Ashley Linn, Rasa Rupslaukyte, and Louis Laguna) entitled "Police Authoritarianism in Recruits vs. Experienced Officers"
This study explored the personality traits of authoritarianism in police officers, and investigated whether or not authoritarian traits are existent in recruits that attract them to police work or if the traits are brought on through job experience. The sample for this research consisted of 47 subjects (24 recruits and 27 experienced police officers) from an urban area. The personality traits of authoritarianism were measured by interpreting nine different scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) personality test. The scales used in this research consisted of the Lie scale (L), Fake Good (F), Defensiveness (K), Psychopathic Deviance (Pd), Paranoia (Pa), Psychastenia (Pt), Anger (Ang), Cynicism (Cyn), and Antisocial Practices (Asp) scales. Of the nine scales used, there were significant differences in the t scores for Paranoia and Antisocial Practices. The results revealed that the inexperienced police recruits actually demonstrated higher levels of authoritarianism than experienced police officers; however, the mean scores of both groups were below that of the normal population, meaning that overall, neither group demonstrated traits of high authoritarianism.
The Sociology Club and Criminal Justice Club was recognized for their donations to Helping Hands at Christmas time. Helping Hands is a joining of churches in the downtown Harrisburg area. Their mission is to feed a hot meal to the homeless and anyone who needs a meal. Meals are served on a rotating basis at the various churches in downtown Harrisburg. When the weather started to get cold, socks and other warm clothing were needed. At that point, all the churches began a drive to collect such items. The Sociology Club collected several dozen new socks, scarves, blankets, and other warm items. They were distributed to the very grateful homeless during the Sunday meal right before Christmas.
The club has been chosen to receive a N.O.M.A. (Notice of Multicultural Achievement) Student Achievement Award in recognition of their participation with the October Social Justice Day program.