October 2006: WISR News Items

Dennis Hastings and Margery Coffey, PhD students at WISR, are currently working on a unique collaboration with Fulbright Fellow Dr. Karl Reinhard of the University of Nebraska's Natural Resource Department at Lincoln. Dr. Reinhard was retained by the Omaha Tribe to forensically examine the bones of the historic Omaha before they were repatriated to the Tribe for reburial. The Tribe felt that as long as the bones had already been disturbed they might as well be used for a good purpose.

This study, in turn, has become the basis for a culturally based course to be taught at the local tribal school in Macy, Nebraska, in which the diet of the historic Omaha is examined and changes due to the culturally damaging practices of the dominate culture are traced to show the basis of the epidemic diabetes that haunts the health of the tribe today. Local science teachers will be taught how to give the course so that it can be incorporated into the current curriculum and the Carl T. Curtis Health Center at Macy will also be involved in an effort to include the adult community in a continuing education program that is the hallmark of the Department of Natural Resources.

This collaboration by the Omaha Tribal Historical Research Project, Inc., OTHRP, an organization founded by Hastings and joined by Coffey in 2002, is the result of years of planning by Hastings and Reinhard who also is a Board Member of OTHRP.

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WISR MA alumnus, Annick Desmeules now lives in Cottonwood, Arizona, with her spouse of five years. After finishing her MA in 1998, she worked for social service agencies doing substance abuse counseling and domestic violence counseling (first in California, then in Arizona). She is now a training consultant and plans to soon teach part-time at a local community college.

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WISR PhD student, Andrea Turner is running for the Board of KPFA radio station.

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WISR PhD alumnus, John Borst, is running for the office of Governing Trustee in the Paso Robles School District. He has been endorsed by the local teachers' union as well as the Democratic party. To learn more visit his web site at http://www.votejohnborst.org

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WISR PhD alumnus, Urmas Kaldveer, tells us that his book, The Indians of Eel River, will be in print in the next several months. He will send us a copy.

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July-September 2006: WISR News Items

Through Tech Soup, WISR has just purchased a year's membership in GrantStation. This valuable online resource can be made available to members of the WISR community. For information on how to gain access to GrantStation online, please contact John Bilorusky, WISR President.

Here is some information about GrantStation: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Features & Benefits . . .

GrantStation does not simply collect and warehouse data. Instead, the company researches funding sources by interacting directly with funders nationwide. Our Members have access to the industry's most up-to-date contact information, and grantmaking priorities.

Membership Overview: Find-a-Funder--Gain instant access to thousands of foundation and corporate grantmakers that are actively accepting proposals. GrantStation Funder Profiles include private foundations, corporate foundations, corporate contribution programs, religious funders, association grant programs, and select federal and state programs. GrantStation Membership includes instant access to thousands of pre-screened National and International grantmakers. PLUS exclusive access to more than 2,000 hard-to-find local and regional funders that have a specific geographic focus within a state or region. Members Enjoy All of the Following Member Benefits: Grantseeker's Toolkit: Common Grant Forms - Speed up the grant process by having the right forms at your fingertips. The GrantStation Insider - Our weekly e-Newsletter provides you with grantseeking opportunities delivered right to your desktop. You'll receive the latest information on new funding programs, upcoming deadlines, conferences, seminars, and vital information for successful grantseekers. Federal Deadlines - Updated daily. Produced exclusively for Members and sorted by deadline date, our Federal Deadlines page offers detailed program, contact, and application information on numerous federal grant opportunities. Grant Resources - Handpicked websites that GrantStation recommends for new ideas and information including federal, state-specific, and international sites, as well as general philanthropic sites that post current RFPs and funding priorities Grant Research Immediately gain access to our collection of Research Tips designed to make you more effective and successful. Categories include Funder Facts, Concept Validation, Conducting a Search, IRS Form 990, Ask the Funder, and a Fundraising Glossary. Proposal Building Access our self-paced Proposal Building tutorial, where you'll master the art of putting together successful grant proposals. Learn everything you need to know about letters of inquiry. http://www.grantstation.com

All of the above is available to WISR for the next 12 months, so contact John Bilorusky to learn how to access this resource, to receive information and support for your efforts in seeking outside funding for community projects, either in collaboration with WISR and/or with other community groups.

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New Book just published by WISR MA and PhD alumnus, Anngwyn St. Just: Relative Balance in an Unstable World--A Search for New Models for Trauma Education and Recovery

This book is available by for $26.95 plus postage and handling. Order by Fax: +49-62 21-64 38 22 [Germany] or mail: Carl-Auer Verlag, Hausserstr. 14, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.

One copy is available on loan for brief periods from WISR's library (contact John Bilorusky). For more information: http://www.acst-europa.com/english/events.htm

Anngwyn tells us that this book is based on her decades of work in the field of trauma, healing and social change. In her note, she goes on to say that "This book would not have been possible without my three projects done at WISR and (the) invaluable guidance during those years. For me, the most challenging project was qualitative research, which in the long run turned out to be the most satisfying."

March-April 2006: WISR News Items

*******WISR announces May 20th deadline for its Annual Selection of a few new students to enroll in our experimental, partial tuition deferment program!*******

Letter Announcing this Year's Application for participation in partial tuition deferment (partial loan) program.

More details about the partial tuition deferment program.

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WISR MA student, Nzinga Pace was one of the lead artists for the recently completed 10-week 100 Families Project in Oakland. It was an art and social change project aimed to "creating opportunities for families to work together collectively with professional artists to make art that will bring beauty to the community as well as strengthen family ties through the creative process of making art together.

WISR MA student, Jane Johansen, has been helping to organize the upcoming Conference on Education as Preventative Medicine (Educacion como Medicinia Preventiva) which will be held from July 31 to August 5, 2006 in Guanajuato, Mexico. More information: www.koliskomexico.org

WISR PhD student, Judy Andreas, organized the just completed conference, "Facing a Challenge Within: A Progressive Scholars' and Activists' Conference on Anti-Semitism and the Left, East Coast." It was held March 25 -27 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. For more information: www.facingachallenge.com

WISR PhD alumnus, Rosemary Christoph,MFT, has announced two upcoming workshops, "Creative Breakthrough: From Impasse to Turning Point," on May 20th and June 24th.

WISR PhD alumnus, David Hough, who teaches English as a Foreign Language in Japanese universities, will be visiting WISR on June 13th (6:30 to 8:30 pm) to give a seminar. The seminar will critically examine issues of teacher education within the social, cultural and political contexts of indigenous and minority language education, policy and planning. It will draw on two community-based cooperative indigenous language dictionary and curriculum development projects supported by Shonan Institute of Technology in Fujisawa, Japan. The first, ongoing since 2001, is with the Kosrae State Department of Education in Micronesia. The second, begun in 2005 is with Far Eastern State University of the Humanities in Russia and involves the Naanai language. One of the first problems encountered was how to train members of the community to collect ethnographic and linguistic materials which could be used in the schools. It is believed that many of the issues raised have wider implications for those concerned with indigenous and minority language education, policy and planning around the globe.

January 2006: WISR News Items

Longtime WISR faculty member, Dr. Cynthia Lawrence is one of seven people who have been honored to be recognized in the 2005 San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor. To quote from their Sand Diego LGBT Community Center's publication on the 2005 Wall of Honor: "The San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor is the nation's only LGBT community memorial display dedicated to honoring and remembering important local LGBT members. Located in the San Diego LGBT Community Center. The Community Wall of Honor was created in 2004 by Nicole Murray-Ramirez, the Imperial Court de San Diego and The Center. The Wall recognizes and celebrates those San Diego LGBT community members and LGBT community allies who have had a significant positive impact upon the San Diego LGBT community. The Community Wall of Honor is also intended to help educate community members, particularly our youth, about these significant historical persons, their contributions to the community, and their lives." The publication goes on to describe in detail some of Cynthia's many accomplishments: "Dr. Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace describes herself as a feminist woman of African descent, who is a humanist. With her lifemate, Peggy Heathers, she was a member of the original planning committee for The Center in the early 70's. Among their other activities and in the company of other women, Cynthia and Peggy organized the first women's program at the Center. . . . Dr. Lawrence-Wallace is the founder and first director of the San Diego Women's Chorus (SDWC) in 1987. Created to sing music written by , for and about women, SDWC sang music that inspired social change and cultural inclusion and addressed human rights. The chorus is still active and is a member of Sister Singers as well as GALA, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses. . . . Cynthia has been on the board of GALA and is a founding member of LAGADU (Lesbians and Gays of African Descent United). She was honored to be the 1990 Grand Marshall of San Diego's Pride parade and has received the Susan B. Anthony Award from the San Diego Chapter of the National Organization for Women for her work in the community and her representation of women in her teaching. Cynthia wishes to share this honor with her lifemate, Peggy Heathers. The work they have done in the community has always been a joint effort. . . . Cynthia notes that Peggy has never been 'the woman behind the woman, but the woman beside the woman.'"

Dr. Nazreen Kadir has recently joined WISR's faculty. At WISR, her role is as Institute Scholar in Science and Public Policy, and her work with students and on special projects will focus on Natural Sciences and Public Policy. Dr. Kadir has an Executive MBA from Golden Gate University (1990) and Doctor of Business Administration from Golden Gate University (2004). Dr. Kadir is a Biotechnology/Intellectual Property Consultant, Clinical and Research Scientist, Educator, and Social Activist. She is editor of the book entitled A Low-cost Approach to PCR [polymerase chain reaction] (Oxford University Press) which describes a highly-successful program to teach individuals with limited resources in Latin America how to adapt and use sophisticated molecular biology laboratory techniques employing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), used in gene splicing. Dr. Kadir has 30 years of multidisciplinary scientific research, strategic management and policy experience in healthcare. She also spent 15 years as a staff research scientist/manager with a multinational corporation. In 1989, she received the Miles Science Award for Functional and Immunochemical Characterization of Recombinant Factor VIII. She is from Guyana where she did a clinical sciences internship (1966-68).

Also, in October, Dr. Kadir joined four other concerned, pro-choice professionals in filing a friend of the court brief questioning the legality of the recent California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, Proposition 71. It now appears that the public was either kept in the dark, or perhaps even intentionally misled, by the corporate, academic and scientific interest groups regarding the real likelihood of Proposition 71's economic and medical benefits to citizens from all walks of life in the State of California. More specifically, contrary to what the public was first told, it is not now so obvious that there will be public economic benefits. The decision-making body established by the Proposition is not committing to guarantees that all citizens, regardless of income level, will benefit from the fruits of the research. Yet, the voices of the legislature and the press are relatively muted in the face of evidence pointing to these concerns.

WISR MA alumnus, Carole Morton, has just passed her two exams for the California Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) License. Congratulations to Carole!

Recent MA alumnus, Raelene Weaver, has a couple of pieces of good news. She just got engaged and also just received her MFT intern number, and will be doing her internship with Almaden Valley Counseling Services in San Jose. It is a low-cost counseling clinic, and it has been in operation for 25 years. Raelene will be working in schools and in the clinic.

October-December 2005: WISR News Items

WISR Community mourns passing of former Board member, Fernando Alegria. Fernando passed away in his sleep on October 29, 2005, after having been in frail health for several years. Fernando was a key figure in supporting WISR from its beginning throughout its first 20 years. He was an internationally-acclaimed poet, writer, literary critic, and scholar who promoted progressive social change for disenfranchised people in Latin America, the US and throughout the world. The following biography is from taken from the web site of the film, Viva Chile M, about Fernando's life and work, which was made by WISR PhD student, Uwe Blesching, and WISR Board member, Marcia Campos:

"Fernando Alegría was born on September 26, 1918 in Santiago, Chile, son of Santiago Alegría Toro and Julia Alfaro Olivares. He married Carmen Letona Meléndez on Jan. 29, 1943. He received his MA from Bowling Green State University in 1941 and his PhD from University of California at Berkeley in 1947. From 1964 -1967 Alegría was a professor at the University of California in Berkeley. From 1967-1998 he was a Professor at the Stanford University and for many years he was Chair of the Spanish and Portuguese Language Departments there. He sat on the Board of Trustees at the Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) for about twenty years beginning with its inception in 1975. Alegría served as Cultural Attaché from the government of Salvador Allende to the United States from 1970 through 1973. He [was] the representative of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language in the United States for many years. Among the many awards he received [was] the Latin American Prize of Literature."

Here is a synopsis of the film, Viva Chile M, taken from its web site:

"This documentary film is a humanistic portrayal of one of the most influential figures from Chile and a key figure in the advancement of Latino culture in the United States of America.Alegría’s Viva Chile Mierda, the most recited poem of the Allende era, was written in the sixties. In the sixties the world was set on fire. It was a tumultuous time. Love and rebellion were key words under which youth rallied to change the world. It was the time of the Black Panthers; the free speech movement; peace marches; the sexual revolution; visions of social justice; it was the time when Fernando Alegría was a professor at UC Berkeley; it was also the time of the University Without Walls movement that responded to the call of universal higher education. The Western Institute for Social Research (WISR), a multicultural academic institution for community involved adults, is the legitimate child of that time and that movement. The legacy goes on. To honor Alegría’s support for the ideals of this institution since its inception, fifty percent of the profits of this film will go to WISR. (www.wisr.edu) Fernando Alegría grew up in the Independencia barrio of Santiago de Chile. This barrio was filled with the dreams of immigrants from all over the world and gave birth to the lyrical voices of Pablo Neruda, Violeta Parra, Volodia Teitelboim, and gave Alegría not only his voice but also his indomitable spirit of rebellion and sense of national identity. As an academic, visionary, writer and revolutionary Alegría brought prestige and legitimacy to the Spanish language in the United States of America at a time when children were punished in schools for speaking their native tongues. Fernando Alegría's works, both factual or fictional, capture the spirit of the people and places they depict. His gift of being able to articulate the feelings of a people, and to do so in a witty, reflective, and lyrically beautiful manner has endeared Alegría to his countrymen and earned him recognition from many literary and cultural icons such as Thomas Mann, Allen Ginsberg, Angela Davis and Joan Baez."

The San Francisco Chronicle's Obituary

Eulogy delivered at Fernando's Funeral by Marcia Campos

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WISR Faculty Member, Michael McGlathery, MFT has been appointed to The California Mental Health Planning Council's Human Resource Committee. It is a subcommittee of the California Department of Mental Health, which has decided to focus on MFT's as a profession in their upcoming Developing a Curriculum (DACUM)Project. Michael has been selected along with 13 other MFT's in the state to participate as a panelist for this MFT DACUM. The DACUM is a nationally recognized, standardized approach to job analysis that produces a complete job profile, including prioritized tasks. This would serve as a foundation for reviewing the current job skills and duties of MFT's and determining if current MFT educational programmatic requirements are sufficiently preparing graduates for the workplace. This will take place for two days over November and December.

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WISR has purchased software (Brain Glow) from Tech Soup to aid students, faculty and alumni who wish to pursue projects in digital storytelling. Here is what Tech Soup has to say about the software: "'BrainGlow: Ideas and Tools for Digital Storytelling,' [was] created by the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), [and] offers storytelling tools and inspiration to teens and anyone else interested in creating powerful, cinema-quality stories about themselves and their organizations. BrainGlow is a stand-alone application that teaches you to make digital stories (movies) using BAVC's rich stock of still, audio, video, and animation media. BrainGlow also contains a multimedia story gallery full of stories made by young media makers, a teacher's workbook, and more than 25 interactive skill-building activities."

July-September 2005: WISR News Items

WISR welcomes new PhD student, Mary K. Morrow-Farrell. Mary Kaye is currently the Museum Assistant at the La Salle University Art Museum in Philadelphia, PA. She also serves as a member of La Salle's Dialogue of Nations Symposium in the Diplomat-in-Residence Program, and freelances as a Mental Health Treatment Plan Consultant in Biracial Child Development. Mary Kaye holds a BA in Education from Eastern Mennonite College and an MA from La Salle University in Bilingual/Bicultural Studies. Her Master's Project was entitled "La Raza: The Third Dimension." She likewise has developed a series of workshops entitled Mothers, Daughters, and Diversity--an exploration of the dynamics of racial identity in biracial parenting/mentoring relationships and realities.

WISR PhD student, Shyaam Shabaka, is President of the Board of Food First--Institute for Food and Development Policy. Food First's purpose is to eliminate the injustices that cause hunger. It was founded in 1975 by Frances Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins. Information about Food First, and research, fact sheets and development reports, can be found at www.foodfirst.org

WISR alumnus, Dr. Urmas Kaldveer (PhD, 1993) has recently announced his new web site: www.urmaskaldveer.com. The web site contains some very engaging and interesting essays, opinions, and stories. One of his former faculty advisors at WISR had this to say about Urmas: "He is a naturalist, lover and preserver of marine life, adult educator, social activist and much, much more." He has been a part-time Instructor in Natural Sciences at Mendocino Community College, along with a number of other interesting and important professional positions over the past three decades. Urmas' WISR PhD dissertation, the disssertation abstract and a couple of his essays may be found at:http://www.urmaskaldveer.com/writings_educ_toc.html

Peter Kehoe, PhD, MFT (WISR MA, 1996) is a county social worker, working directly with children, parents, and the Court, promoting reunification or adoption. Last year, he completed the training to become a certified group facilitator for men's 52 week batterer's programs, and recently began his first group assignment in that program.

Former WISR MFT student, Sandra Yolles tells us that she has been busy working a couple of days a week at Bonita House in Berkeley, a rehab program for dual diagnosis clients, and working on other projects, including political work with a group trying to stop California from buying voting technology from Diebold and other such suppliers. She put together a collection of articles and reports about Diebold, mostly downloaded from the Internet, as a resource volume: A Diebold Reader. Also, Sandra is available to work for students doing freelance editing. She is a former University Press editor, with experience also as copy editor and proofreader on publications ranging from scholarly books to mass market books and periodicals. Sandra is interested in freelance academic assignments, and she will negotiate reasonable fees based on mutual agreement.

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April-June 2005: WISR News Items

Viva Chile M...! the documentary film produced by WISR PhD student, Uwe Blesching and WISR Board member, Marcia Campos, was just featured at one of the most prominent Latino Film festivals in San Diego. The film is about Fernando Alegria one of the most notable writers, poet, human right activist, literary critic and long time member of the WISR board of directors.

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WISR welcomes Dr. Kyle Morgan, our newest PhD student. She is an Osteopathic Physician in Michigan. Kyle completed medical school in 1999 and her Family Practice Residency in 2002. She opened her private practice in 2000. Her practice focuses on holistic healing and includes an emphasis on each individual's responsibility in attaining their own optimal health. She uses several modalities in assisting her patients, including osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, bioidentical hormone replacement, homeopathy, herbal medicine, functional medicine and bioenergetic techniques. In addition, she maintains a meditation center for her clients in her office space, and meditation and spirituality courses are offered. Kyle also holds an MA in Theology and has several years' experience working in the non-profit sector, including crisis counseling centers. She served as the Executive Director for the Michigan Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights and lobbied in Lansing, MI and Washington, DC. The focus of her work at WISR will be on developing a framework of understanding and a model for self-healing, which will be based in Quantum Mechanics and the primacy of consciousness. Kyle lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her two very supportive children ages 16 and 18 and their dog, Mallory.

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WISR core faculty member, Dr. Deborah Pruitt has a new web site for her consulting practice: www.groupalchemy.net. It describes the services she offers and her anthropological approach to helping groups and organizations achieve a fruitful balance between diverse skills and perspectives to accomplish their goals.

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WISR PhD student, Judy Andreas has made available her in-depth report on the 2004 Conference of Progressive Scholars and Activists on Anti-Semitism and the Left. The conference was an outgrowth of Judy's vision, leadership and organizing efforts, and she is currently planning another conference for 2006, which will be part of her PhD dissertation research-and-action at WISR. To read more about the conference, go to www.facingachallenge.com. The many and varied workshops are described, and there are bios of the workshop, academic, and plenary presenters -- in addition to texts of presentations which are included in the conference report and analysis. To learn more about the life and theories of Ricky Sherover Marcuse, go to www.unlearningracism.org. There you will find a wonderful biography by Bettina Aptheker, and concise versions of Ricky's writings about her anti-oppression theories. Judy has also announced that there a second conference is planned for March 2006 in Newark, New Jersey.

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WISR core faculty member, Ronald Mah, MFT, has just produced a new DVD on "Understanding Children . . . Understanding Behavior for Effective Discipline." The DVD can be purchased at the store of www.FixedEarthFilms.com. Quoting from that web site, "This information and video was developed in response to parents, teachers, and social services professionals who needed a systematic process to understand the motivations behind children's behavior (and adult behavior as well!). Often adults make assumptions about what may be the reasons behind a child's behavior. Children may exhibit the same behavior for a multitude of reason. Or, several issues contribute to a particular behavior erupting. Although it is usually important to set boundaries regarding the behavior, adults also need to understand what causes the behavior. Unless the underlying issues are addressed, the behavior often reasserts itself or is not responsive to boundaries. This video uses two sets of questions to better understand and address the underlying emotional, psychological, and other issues that arise in children that affect behavior and potential discipline responses by adults."

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WISR PhD alumnus, John Borst, tells us that he continues to teach on the Internet and in Santa Barbara, and in addition, he has recently started an art publishing small business.

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Welcome to new WISR student, Anthony Hernandez. Anthony lives in Oregon, and will be completing his BA in Psychology while pursuing his special interests is marriage and family therapy and in guerilla marketing. After completing his BA, he plans to go on for his MA in Psychology in WISR's MFT program.

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New web sites announced. Margery Coffey, WISR MA student and Graphic Artist/Administrative Assistant for the Omaha Tribal Historical Research Project, has just announced that she and her husband, Tom, have launched their new web site: http://www.jackalopearts.org This month, also, the Omaha Tribal Historical Research Project, whose Founder and Director is Dennis Hastings, WISR MA alumnus, has a new web site: http://www.othrp.org

Here is an excerpt from that web site about Dennis Hastings: "Umonhan (Omaha) Tribal Member Dennis Hastings is a veteran grassroots organizer who has committed his life to collaborative work between Native American and non-Native cultures. Hastings is the director/founder of OTHRP, which has created the vision of the Tae'ah'thee Interpretive Center/Museum as the latest in their many projects.Active in the Alcatraz and Wounded Knee occupations of the early 1970's, Mr. Hastings later went on to earn a Bachelor's degree from the New School of California in 1984, and a Master's from the Western Institute for Social Research in 1998 . . . He has co-authored with Robert Ridington the story of the return of the Umonhan's Sacred Pole in Blessings For a Long Time: The Story of the Omaha Sacred Pole (University of Nebraska Press, 1997), which later won Honorable Mention of the Victor Turner Prize in Anthropology. . . . In addition Mr. Hastings has been responsible for a series of video tapes about his culture -- two of which have won national awards -- and numerous published articles. He was instrumental in reintroducing early recordings of Umonhan music into our modern time, melodies of which were later incorporated into a collaborative work with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, West Meets West in 1993, a performance which likewise received awards."

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Andrea Turner awarded partial tuition scholarship in memory of Dr. Antonia Pantoja. WISR PhD student, Andrea Turner, is receiving some partial tuition assistance in completing her studies at WISR through a scholarship monies donated to WISR in memory of former WISR adjunct faculty member, Dr. Antonia Pantoja who passed away two years ago. Dr. Pantoja was known far and wide as an effective Puerto Rican social activist, educational innovator, youth advocate, and civil rights leader. She received the prestigious Medal of Freedom from former President Clinton in 1996. Dr. Pantoja was a long-time friend and colleague of faculty at WISR, and her book, Memoir of a Visionary: Antonia Pantoja (Arte Publico Press, 2002), may be of interest to many in the WISR community. Andrea Turner's PhD studies at WISR revolve around her many job and community involvements. Andrea helped to start the Freedom Song Network to support people involved in actions for social justice in the Bay Area, through the use of songs and singing. An offshoot of that effort was the creation of the Vukani Mawethu (in Zulu, this means "People Arise") Choir which initially focused on South African antiapartheid efforts. Andrea is the Director of the Senior Companion Program for Alameda County;she is the President of the Board of "A Safe Place" which is a shelter for battered women, and she is on the Board of East Bay Peace Action. Recently, Andrea has been organizing a number of intergenerational efforts, including a program to involve youth and elders in quilt-making, and to involve youth in writing and sending cards to elders in West Oakland who are shut-in and isolated.

January-February 2005: WISR News Items

Announcing a New Learning Program Option at WISR . . . Individually designed studies focusing on Guerrilla Marketing: WISR and The Guerrilla Marketing Business Academy are now opening enrollment for a limited number of candidates to participate in a unique learning experience. Learners will explore the relationship between the role of small business and social change. The curriculum will further explore the concept of social responsibility and profitability. The core of the curriculum is based upon the works of Jay Conrad Levinson and his best selling Guerrilla Marketing and "Guerrilla Business" series. The Guerrilla Marketing curriculum will draw from a current catalog of 37 titles which have been translated into 42 languages. The alternative guerrilla business philosophy and methodology has proven successful and in a variety of cultures and economies. The alternative business development program is perfect for business leaders and community activists who are looking for a way to balance the needs of business and the needs of the community. The program will begin in Spring of 2005. Contact WISR or email larry@california.com for more information.

Marcia Campos joins WISR's Board: Marcia Campos, long-time friend of WISR, has agreed to serve on WISR's Board. Marcia is the co-producer, with WISR PhD student Uwe Blesching, of the film, Viva Chile M. That film is about the life and works of Fernando Alegria, the renown Chilean poet and human rights activist who also served on WISR's Board for many years.
Marcia Campos was born in Santiago de Chile and was an active participant in the School of Psychology of the University of Chile in the students' movement that supported the government of President Salvador Allende. She was a political exile in Mexico after the coup. In Mexico, Ms. Campos was actively involved in the international solidarity movement with the victims of the military regime. Ms. Campos was a tenured Professor-Researcher in the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico. She holds a Masters Degree in Sociology from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) and did pre-dissertation Ph.D. work at the Faculty of Political Science at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM).Marcia has been in California since 1986, where she continues her lifelong work as human rights activist. She was elected president of the Alameda Council on Developmental Disabilities, is a staff member at La Familia in Hayward and has served as a volunteer adjunct faculty member at WISR.

WISR teams up with the Bay Area Black United Fund (BABUF) in conducting a participatory research/evaluation of the recent (Friday and Saturday, January 28-29) two day Summit on African American Health sponsored by BABUF. Friday's event was a professional-style conference attended by over 500 people, and Saturday's event was a Health Expo for the general public, and focusing on health screening, education and motivational empowerment among members of the Bay Area's African American communities. Thousands were in attendance. More information can be found by going to the web site of the Bay Area Black United Fund (BABUF). WISR collaborated with BABUF in investigating and evaluating the first Summit, held in 2003. That endeavor culminated in a Black Paper reporting on the insights and issues raised during that 2003 event, as well as projecting possible follow-up activities. As a result, this recent Summit gave greater emphasis to mental health issues, and this year's theme was "Embracing Wellness--Body, Mind and Spirit." Another new emphasis this year was the series of workshops and meetings that constituted the Faith-Based Health Ministry Institute during Friday's Conference on African American Health Inequities. Members of the research team from WISR included: recent PhD student, Barbara Cheatham, WISR faculty and Board member, Vera Labat, and the following WISR students--Jill Arrington, Mark Snare, Andrea Turner, Charlotte Epps, and Sevgi Fernandez. Prospective WISR student, Alita Alee, who is currently finishing her MPH at San Francisco State, and WISR faculty member, John Bilorusky were also part of WISR's research team. In the coming weeks, WISR will conduct follow-up focus groups and collaborate with BABUF in writing the Black Paper on this year's Summit.

San Francisco Chronicle article, "Richmond: Activist honors King by farming in the city," features WISR PhD student Shyaam Shabaka. The article is about Shyaam's work in founding and developing EcoVillage Farm Learning Center. Click here to read the Chronicle article.

The 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from Native Writers' Circle of Americas awarded posthumously to WISR PhD alumnus, Dr. Lee Francis III. Some of us in the WISR community have just learned with sadness that Lee Francis (WISR PhD, 1991) passed away 18 months ago. We learned this from an Internet press release we came across. That press release (dated March 20, 2004) announced plans to honor Dr. Francis with this posthumous award in October 2004.

WISR alumnus, Dr. Oba T'Shaka (PhD, 1991) was a keynote speaker, along with Dick Gregory, Dr. Maulana Karenga, and Rev. James Bevel at the Eleventh National African American Student Leadership Conference, which was recently (January 14-15) held on the campus of Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. The Conference, "A Call to Action! Bridging the Gap: Keeping the Civil Rights Legacy Alive," was "designed to address issues of liberation and analysis of progressive African American leadership models, past and present."

Congratulations to recent graduates, Nancy Taylor, and Jean Ringo!
Nancy Taylor completed her MA in Psychology this past October. She is continuing her job at Millhouse Children's Services in Nevada City and Sacramento doing individual and group therapy there, while also serving as Chief of Quality Assurance. She is gaining supervised hours as a trainee toward the MFT license. Her MA thesis, "Effective Treatment Strategies for Working with Severely Emotionally Disturbed Children," grew out of her work at Millhouse Children's Services.
Jean Ringo's Graduation Review Board was held in February. Her thesis is on "The Criminalization of the Mentally Disabled, Elderly and the Poor." Jean will receive her MA in Psychology, in the program that meets the State's academic requirements for the MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy) License. Jean began her studies at WISR almost 10 years ago, but had to take a break for a few years as a result of severe injuries suffered in an auto accident. Jean is to be congratulated on her determination and resilience in completing the program.

Welcome to new students at WISR: Mark Snare and Rick Eggers.
Mark Snare is pursuing an MA at WISR, and his interests include psychology, human services and community development. For the last several years, he has worked for the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) in the Workforce Development Department. He has been their lead staff person for their largest youth employment program, the Workforce Investment Act youth program. Mark initially learned about WISR because WISR PhD alumnus (1998) Richard Allen is his cousin. Mark joined with a few other members of the WISR community on January 28 and 29 in helping the Bay Area Black United Fund (BABUF) to evaluate and investigate their two-day, bi-annual African American Health Summit in Oakland (see write-up below).
Rick Eggers received his BA from the University of Iowa in 1982. For 10 years he was a grant writer and fund-raiser for non-profit organizations and schools. Currently, he is President of California.com and the Socially Responsible Internet Company (since 1993), as well as CEO (since 1989) for the non-profit Foundation for the Declaration of the Rights of Children, and Director of Guerrilla Marketing International (since 1994). He is pursuing a Master's degree at WISR, to include studies in Guerrilla Marketing, in order to develop programs to benefit small businesses and non-profits, specifically so that they can use technology and alternative marketing methods.

Letter from John Bilorusky and Cynthia Lawrence, Celebrating 30 Years of Outstanding Education 1975-2005