University Health Services: The UMB University Health Services Department announced the addition of Deborah Cohen, clinical social worker, to their professional staff. Cohen brings with her an extensive history of practicing in college counseling centers, including Wheaton and Harvard. She is an experienced clinician who has provided individual, couples and group psychotherapy to undergraduate and graduate students and has experience in crises intervention. Her expertise includes peer counseling programs, working with sexual abuse survivors, eating disorders, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered clients.

Public Safety Notes: October is Crime Prevention month. As always at this time of year, the UMB Public Safety Department likes to remind people that it is a time to gear up your awareness. “Traditionally, we often start to see a rise in the larceny rate. It occurs because people become rushed and busy with the increased activity in the community. Please remember to secure your workspace when you leave it. Do not leave personal belongings unattended. If you see or hear suspicious activity please notify us so that we can check on the situation. Remember the words of McGruff, “Crime prevention is everybody’s business.”…Dumb Criminal of the Week: In Sturbridge, Massachusetts, an officer arrested a subject for driving under the influence of alcohol. As the officer brought him in the subject asked to use the bathroom. He was escorted to the bathroom. When they returned to the booking area, which is videotaped, the subject ran ahead of the officer and attempted to do a back flip, but landed on his face. He picked himself up, looked into the camera, and said, “I must be drunk because I can do that when I’m sober.” He was later convicted for drunken driving.

Boston Recycling: The City of Boston’s household hazardous waste collection will be held on Saturday, October 13 from 9:00am-2:00pm at UMass Boston. This is for Boston residents only. No commercial waste accepted. Proof of residency required. The following is a list of materials which will not be accepted as hazardous waste: explosives, medical waste (biomedical and pharmaceutical), PCB’s, radioactive material and material with no hazardous contents. For more information, please call the Boston Recycling Hotline at (617) 635-4959.

Faculty Presentations: Marlene Kim, assistant professor of economics, presented “Has the Race Penalty for Black Women Disappeared?” at the Western Economics Association annual meetings held in San Francisco … Sociology’s Siamek Movahedi was a featured speaker at the CZMI Psychoanalytic Institute conference held in Vermont. He presented the paper “Defense Against the Fear of Influence: Toward a Psychoanalytic Understanding of the Dynamics of Prejudice.”…David Nellis of the Earth and Geographic Sciences Department participated with students, faculty, and environmental business leaders in the “Environmental Internships Symposium” held in Bethel, Maine.

Community Church of Boston: The church is sponsoring a forum on Sunday, October 7, titled “The Legacy of Columbus: USA imperialism in Vieques.” The featured speaker will be Roberto Torres-Collazo, the coordinator of Latinos/as for Social Change, a Boston-based solidarity organization of anti-imperialists. His visits to Vieques and his continued work within the mainstream Latino/a community in Boston provide an expertise to address the topic of Vieques solidarity in the context of the perpetuation of the “beneficient Columbus” myth in the United States, according to the forum’s organizers. The event takes place in the Lothrop Auditorium, 565 Boylston Street ,2nd floor, Boston (above the White Star Tavern), at 11:00am. Admission is FREE. Childcare will be provided. For more information, call Rev. David Carl Olsen at (617) 266-6710 or email [email protected].

Center for the Improvement of Teaching: The CIT invites all members of the University community to participate in a presentation titled “Multiculturalism or Ethnocentrism? Reflections on teaching The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman. The discussion will be led by Estelle Disch (Sociology), Elizabeth Palma (UMB student) and Lin Zahn (College of Nursing and Health Sciences). Facilitators of this discussion will talk about differences between Hmong culture and U.S. culture and how ethnocentric barriers hamper people’s access to primary healthcare. They will also address ethnocentrism, attitude change, and immigration issues. If you are interested in the way this book is taught from different disciplinary perspectives; would like to consider using it in a class; or would simply appreciate an opportunity to discuss the book; the event takes place on October 4 from 2:30-4:00pm in Wheatley 6-047 (English Depatrment Lounge). If you have questions, please ontact CIT at (617) 287-6767 or [email protected].

League of Women Voters: The League’s Citizen Education Fund’s Fall Conference is titled “Repairing the Process: Restoring Public Confidence in Elections.” The keynote speaker will be Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Panelists include: a representative for William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth; Stephen Ansolabehere, professor, MIT; George Pillsbury, policy director, Boston VOTE and Leonard Atkins, NAACP, Boston. The event takes place on October 13, from 9:00am to 3:00pm, at the Minuteman Regional High School, 758 Marrett Road (Route 2A), Lexington, Massachusetts. The conference is FREE. Lunch is available by advanced registration for $11. Contact (617) 523-2999 or [email protected].

Faculty Awards: Bill Alexander of the Psychology Department has been awarded a certificate of merit from the American Psychological Association (APA) for his outstanding contributions to public service through his clinical work in the community, and his teaching and research…Silvia Dorado, board member of the Office of Service Learning and Community Outreach (OSLCO) and College of Management professor, has been selected as an Academy Partners Service-Learning Fellow by the Academy of Management Task Force on Service Learning in Management Education. She is working with OSLCO to conduct a service-learning course in entrepreneurship this fall.

Assertiveness Training for Women: This group for UMB students will be offered between the weeks of October 15 and December 10 (8 sessions total). This group will help participants learn how to assert themselves in a respectful manner (rather than be passive or aggressive). The cost for the group is $25. Call the Counseling Center at (28)7-5690 or email [email protected]…A Women’s Body Image Group will also be offered from October 15 to December 10 (8 sessions total). This group will help participants develop a better relationship with their bodies. The cost is $25. Call the Counseling Center.