Social Work
Centralized human services more effective
by Sherry Baker,
Ginger Gay, and
Mr. Eugene Sumner
The social work
profession consistently
borrows relevant ideas from
other professions and
disciplines such as sociology,
economics, and psychology,
modifies them, and uses them
to provide valuable services to
the public. In 2028 social work
continues to be utilitarian and
eclectic in its selection of
ideas and resources, adapting
its techniques to the changing
needs of people from all
economic and social strata of
Newspaper of the Students of Meredith College
VOL. LII, NO. 18
MEREDITH COLLEGE, RALEIGH, N.C.
MARCH 22, 2028
Biology
Sickle Cell Anemia cured
by Dr. Clara Bunn
and Lisa Biddix
The research team for
Genetic Alterations at Mt.
Sinai Hospital in New York
has announced success in the
first correction of the inborn
error. Sickle Cell Anemia. The
team has achieved this
breakthrough by employment
of a virally mediated tran
sduction of fetal cells from an
eight cell embryo.
The parents of the child
were selected by a govern
ment clinic from among those
who applied for permission
last year to have a child. The
prenatal tests conducted at
that time on the parent-
candidates indicated a 50
percent chance of the ap
pearance of the trait in their
offspring and were denied
permission. But as a result of
the development of the virally
corrected DNA these parent-
candidates were chosen to be
the first test case. The
pregnancy saliva test was
conducted by the mother
routinely. She reported to Mt.
Sinai as soon as the test paper
indicated positive results, the
second day after conception.
Doctors there injected the
viruses into the mother by the
endometrium cell layer
technique on three con
secutive days. The mother is
now in the third trimester of
pregnancy and cells taken by
aminiocentesis from the
embryo sac indicate a com
plete correction of the Sickle
Cell error.
The hospital reports that
they now have pools of the
virus containing a sufficient
amount of the corrected
section of DNA
CAAGTAAACTGAGGGGTT
GTTTTT with its com
plementary strand. This virus
will be for use on parents
screened by a government
clinic who are found to have a
high chance of producing a
child with the sickle cell trait.
This procedure would be for
those who do not wish to un
dergo the routine removal of
the embryo at the four to eight
cell stage. Use of the tran
sduction procedure will be
available for high risk sickle
cell parents who have
previously been unable to
have children and who have a
pregnancy that they wish to
enter into the transduction
Art
program. However, since the
first transduced child will be a
boy, the viral correction of
sperm may be an alternative
to the transduction of the
embryo in the female.
As a result of this success
in Genetic Alterations, new
legislation will have to be
passed when Congress meets
next week. The main concern
of this Congressional meeting
will be a bill that would give
permission for child-bearing
to individuals who are a
product of transductions. This
measure is expected to cause
great debate but is predicted
to eventually be passed.
Exhibit includes
color holograms
by Beth Wicker
An art exhibit by senior
art majors will open Sunday in
the art gallery of the Women’s
Center. The works include
alkyd paintings, fiber
structures, photographs,
holograms, and ceramics.
One selection is
specialized in the areas of
color and light, with the
majority of works being color
photographs and color
holograms. The works include
both pictoral and non
objective pieces. Art majors
consider one of the best works
to be a moving hologram,
designed to be viewed in the
round, and appearing to ex
tend beyond the film plane.
This is a brilliantly colored
non-objective piece, with vivid
reds and blues.
Another speciality is a
three-dimensional work in a
sculptural format. Most of
these artist’s pieces are non
objective fiber structures.
They have a loose, free motion
and an uninhibited use of
color. The artist’s ceramic
works are all flowing, airy,
sculptural pieces. Both the
fiber and ceramic pieces have
an organic feeling and sense
of motion.
There will be an opening
reception Sunday from 2-5
p.m. in the art gallery. All
Meredith students and faculty
are invited.
life.
With the centralization of
human service delivery
systems becoming more of a
reality in 2028, more people
are being effectively and
efficiently served. Any in
dividual with financial,
emotional, physical, family,
legal, school, or any other
problems is served in a
centralized agency in some
counties. As more and more
counties are moving to this
system, the duplication of
services that has been such a
problem in the past is now
being eliminated. Some cities
are also beginning to establish
referral centers in some of
their shopping centers and
office complexes. These
centers are staffed with
counselors who can refer you
to the appropriate department
of the centralized agency
known as Human Services
Delivery System. There has
arisen some opposition to
these referral centers because
the agencies dislike being
accountable to these referral
centers.
Another area in which
social workers are beginning
to find just cause for debate is
the computerization of con
fidential records and files. At
the touch of a few buttons we
are able to locate individual
files and other pertinent in
formation on any person in the
state who has received help
from the Human Services
Delivery System. For
tunately, computerization has
provided only ongoing records
of services rendered to the
individual; it has not yet
categorized individuals ac
cording to the specifics of
their treatment plans. Social
workers are striving to
preserve one of the most
important aspects of the
social worker - client
relationship: confidentiality.
This concern for the
preservation of human dignity
and respect is now
penetrating the realm of
health care. With genetic
counseling now being required
for couples obtaining a
marriage license, it is hoped
that problems related to birth
defects will decline. However,
social workers are emerging
as advocates for the right of
individuals to make the final
decisions regarding their
future. In 2028 social workers
continue to respect the
principle of client self-
determination. Social workers
are now in battle against some
leaders who feel that progress
can be made only when people
are told what to do and think.
Of course, this is often the
easiest way, but most
professional social workers
today are committed to
providing the atmosphere,
information, and support that
will encourage the client to
help himself. There does
appear, however, an in
creasing tendency for social
workers to diagnose, react,
and provide services to in
dividuals in a pre-determined
manner. Here again, forms
and stereotypes are the
easiest way, and in
dividualization presents more
of a challenge - one that all
social workers are not ac
cepting in 2028.
Social workers are
however accepting the
challenge of a more active
role in social policy
development and im
plementation. For example,
social workers are initiating
and participating in groups of
professionals from different
disciplines who are meeting to
make policy recom
mendations relative to
changing social conditions.
For example, policies sup
porting the family such as a
policy to provide a guaranteed
annual income for all families
and policies encouraging the
use of demogrants so that
more families will have
children are being discussed
this year very seriously by
legislators.
These are two very im
portant policy considerations
for several reasons. First of
all, since our population is
slowly declining because
fewer and fewer couples are
choosing to have children,
such a policy would have
implications for the job
market. Reports show that for
the year 2028, workers are
more unhappy with their jobs
than they have ever been. The
reason lies in the fact that
everything is now so
automated and impersonal;
people are not challenged by
their jobs and find themselves
bored and unhappy. If policies
to support families and
children become a reality,
which means that more in
dividuals will be competing
for jobs; it may be that once
again people begin to do the
jobs that machines are now
doing. Secondly, the above
two policies are significant for
the social work profession
because some of the stigma
now associated with welfare
will be reduced. Thirdly, the
profession will begin not to be
tied so closely to making
monetary allocations, which
would help increase the
public’s respect and ap
preciation of the skills and
training social workers are
receiving.
The training social
workers are receiving this
year on the undergraduate
level is from a specialist as
opposed to a generalist per
spective. Most social work
certification programs are
now providing extensive
training in one of the existing
social work models such as
problem solving, socio-
behavioral approach, the
game model, encounter
groups, or crisis intervention.
Group work and community
organization are proving to be
more effective means of
dealing with individual
problems according to a study
conducted during 2026-28.