Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / April 17, 2013, edition 1 / Page 6
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CAMPUS LIFE Abortion Panel Opens Discussion Between Students and Professionals Monique Kreisman, staff writer The speakers present were Irene Godinez from Planned Parent hood, Sarah Pres ton from the Ameri can Civil Liberties Union, Amber Layman from First Choice Pregnancy Solutions, and Amy Huffman . from N.C. Right to Life. Each repre sentative spoke for about five minutes regarding her posi- “The Last Clinic” via www.atavist.com , , , . and the function of her orgam On Thursday, April 4th, Meredith College hosted a panel discussion on the issue of abortion. The event began with a screening of “The Last Clinic,” a documentary directed by Maisie Crow. Students saw the challenges faced by the last remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi and the perspectives of nurses, women seeking abortions, protestors, and a doctor. zation, and the event concluded with questions from the audience. Dr. Steven Benko, the director of the Center for Women, Ethics and Public Life, said, “The panel continues our long tradition of engaging difficult social issues from a variety of perspec tives so that students have a better understanding of the diversity of moral responses that animate people’s behaviors and values. Students ought to realize that these sorts of events and conversations do not happen on every campus and it is a credit to the college—students, faculty and administration—that they do. These have always been good conversations and I am always gratified when people come away from them having learned something or being able to understand a different way of thinking.” Each of the panelists reported having a positive experience. Irene Godinez said, “I really appreciated the space that Meredith provided for all of these different perspectives to come. I think that the only way that we are able to address these really tough is sues is by having spaces like this where it is safe and where we can come and share our different perspectives and then allow you to make your own in formed decisions.” When asked about the significance of having this discussion at a women’s college, Sarah Preston stated, “I actu ally went to a women’s college. I think that it is very, very important that women understand their rights and “Students ought to realize that these sorts of events and conversations do not happen on every campus and is a credit to the college }} participate in the process if they are so inclined. This audience was a great group of young women and I thought that the panel was very respectful.” Amber Layman similarly said, “It was fun, and it was great to have people come from all sides of an issue for a friendly discussion,” and Amy Huff man added, “I am thankful to Mer edith. A Peek into the Meredith Autism Program Emma Johnson, staff writer 4. 'rogram via trianglenewsl4.com April is Autism Awareness Month, and Meredith College is a place of high awareness because it is home to the Meredith Autism Program, commonly referred to as MAP. MAP originated as research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health in order to replicate research published by Dr. Ivar Lovaas in 1987. According to the Meredith College website, the Mer edith Autism Program became one of these replication sites for Lovaas’ research in 1998 and maintained a relationship with LIFE until 2000 but now operates independently. The mis sion statement of MAP is “to provide a behavioral intervention in which chil dren with autism can develop to their fullest potential, provide experience and education in the field of autism to undergraduate students, while validat ing and expanding the current research.” In an interview with current MAP student, Hillary Verrilli, she com mented on her experi ence in MAP and how it as shaped her views on utism and her career. Hillary is a senior major ing in biology and minor- 'ing in psychology and has been working at MAP since July 2012. When asked about why she chose to sign up for MAP, she replied, “My future plan is to become an occupational therapist so I wanted to get more hands on experience with children with autism because the only other experience I’ve had is shadowing occupational therapists.” She explained that is was not ex actly what she expected it to be, saying “I’m so impressed that there is such a strict protocol that everyone follows so that everything can move smoothly. Teams are so detail-oriented and very determined to be on the same page.” When asked how it feels to know that she is one of very few students in the country to have this opportunity to work as an undergraduate therapist, she shared, “I’m honored to be part of the only program of its kind in the U.S. I’m so thrilled to have been part of a program that has been doing wonder ful things for children with autism and their families. We’re helping people in the Raleigh community and beyond.” When describing her relationship with her client, she said, “Well, I’m a teach er/ therapist that is helping him learn skills that are nec essary for daily life and that will help him in his transition to mainstream schoolings.” In reference to her perspec tive on children with autism or autism in general since working at MAP, Verrilli replied, “Children with autism are fully capable of living a . fulfilling life, it’s just that they have to take different routes and different adaptions have to be made. It’s definitely possible. I’ve been able to see these progressions eveiy day at MAP. Now that I’ve worked at MAP I’ll have a better un derstanding of ABA therapy. I now know how to work with a team and communicate and develop goals for clients.” For future students, Verrilli said she would definitely recommend signing up for MAP. She advises, “If you’re planning to go into any type of health field, social work, special education, or anything related to mental health, MAP is one of the best experiences you could ever have as an undergraduate at Meredith.” Meredith Autism Program via meredith.edu
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