UNC Social Work Student Organization (SOWOSO)

The Social Work Student Organization (SoWoSO) is composed of all degree-seeking students in the School. It is recognized by the Graduate and Professional Student Federation (GPSF) and by the University. The mission of SoWoSO is to:

• Develop student leadership;
• Provide a collective voice for student concern;
• Organize educational, cultural, and political opportunities;
• Support all forms of student initiative; and
• Foster a positive relationship between students, faculty, and staff of the School of Social Work and the community surrounding the University.

SoWoSO is committed to improving students' academic experiences. SoWoSO gives students a chance to offer input into curriculum and related activities and provides a forum for pursuing student needs and concerns.

SoWoSO is directed by students elected by the student body. Tri-Chairs determine the time, place, and agenda for meetings; facilitate meetings; coordinate other SoWoSO activities; represent the interests of the membership to faculty and staff; and fulfill other duties.

SoWoSO Tri-Chairs ensure that student representatives are named to serve on a range of school committees and meet monthly with the Deans to exchange perspectives and information.

Caucuses are created within SoWoSO to provide support to and represent the interests of the School community. Caucuses are created by students and remain student led. If students have an interest in an area unrepresented, they are encouraged to create a caucus.

The caucuses typically supported by SoWoSO include:

Black Student Caucus

The Black Student Caucus, organized in September 1992, addresses the specific needs and concerns of African American students. Through student-oriented meetings and Afrocentric programs, the Black Student Caucus commemorates the contributions African Americans have made to the social work discipline and to the world at large. Honoring African American culture, resilience, and social welfare contributions, the Black Student Caucus assists the School of Social Work in recognizing the presence and value of diversity.

Diversity Caucus

The Diversity Caucus was organized in 1999. The mission of the Diversity Caucus is to strengthen connections between students, faculty and staff by providing a forum where members of the School of Social Work community can unite to break down the barriers of prejudice, contempt, and ambivalence, and to build knowledge and understanding of self and others for the common wealth of all involved. We will accomplish this through planned discussions, events, and celebrations.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Caucus (GLBT)

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Caucus serves to promote a better understanding of issues related to sexual orientation relevant to the community in general and to social workers in particular. It seeks to identify available resources and to be a resource for students and faculty.

The Social Justice Caucus

The Social Justice Caucus was formed in January 1993 out of the desire to explore further and act on social workers' imperative to pursue social and economic justice as articulated in the National Association of Social Worker'(NASW) Code of Ethics. Members are interested in upholding and advocating for people's basic human rights, including equal economic opportunity and freedom from discrimination on a national and global level. The caucus sponsors forums and events that raise awareness of social justice issues, and encourages community participation through direct action.

Spirituality Caucus

The spirituality caucus strives to promote a greater understanding of spirituality and how it should be assessed and utilized in social work practice; provide a forum for social work students to explore their own spirituality; and through lectures, workshops and/or open discussions increase awareness of the diversity of how others define their spirituality.

The Women's Caucus

The Women's Caucus engages students in a variety of activities which examine, address and educate others about gender-specific issues. Potential topics for discussion include domestic violence, eating disorders, financial management, human trafficking, and women's health/wellness. Specific activities may include group fitness classes, going to movies, brown-bag seminars and discussions, attendance at conferences, and a co-sponsored activity with the UNC Women's Center. Join other students in the Women's Caucus as they explore everyday issues of being a woman in today's world.

The Men's Caucus

Male stereotypes have permeated popular culture in society and stunted opportunities to confront important issues impacting men including high-risk health issues, high levels of incarceration, increasing alcoholism and substance abuse, issues around fatherhood, and men's roles in domestic violence. The Men's Caucus seeks to elicit awareness, empathy, and unity among anyone and everyone concerned about men in our communities. The Men's Caucus explores the experience of the male social worker in the academic and practice setting.

The News and Entertainment Caucus

The purpose of this caucus is to unify the SSW through social events and the production of a monthly newsletter. The newsletter provides a forum for students to share upcoming events, announcements, important topics, artwork, and to make us laugh and feel inspired.

International Social Worker Exchange Program (ISWEP)

ISWEP is not a formal SoWoSO caucus, however students are involved in its organization. It seeks to deepen the international interests of students, faculty and alumni. ISWEP also serves as the International Program unit of NASW-NC, connecting our school with international activities sponsored by our professional organization. ISWEP organizes monthly meetings to explore social issues from a cross-national perspective. Speakers have focused on social issues in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. In 1996, the group held a fundraiser for social work students in Honduras. In the same year, the School hosted two international conferences: Social Workers and the Challenge of Violence World-Wide and Women, Community and Sustainable Development. ISWEP also promotes summer school abroad courses which have been a feature of the School's summer offerings since 1994. In 2004 the summer school abroad course traveled to South Africa.

SHAC

SHAC (Student Health Action Coalition) is the oldest student-run interdisciplinary free health clinic in the country. For the past 30 years, the students of UNC have offered free health services to the community. Every Wednesday night, social work students collaborate with medical students, public health students, physical therapy students, pharmacy and nursing students to serve the community. Social work students assess all clients that come through the clinic and offer information and outside referrals. It is an excellent learning experience for students to apply classroom knowledge to a practical setting. SHAC provides social work students an incredible opportunity to get hands on experience with clients and to develop skills in collaborating with other professions.

Mobile SHAC

Mobile SHAC was started in 1999 in an effort to expand services offered to the elderly community. In 2001, Mobile SHAC joined forces with the Hubbard Program, which provides multidisciplinary home health evaluations to geriatric patients with complex medical and/or psychosocial needs. In teams that include students from the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Public Health, and Social Work, volunteers make monthly follow up visits to these patients and provide health education, monitoring of vital signs and medication management, assessments of the home environment, and referrals to community resources that are targeted to the needs of each individual patient. This caucus aims to provide clinical experience outside the context of a clinic or hospital and the opportunity to work with team members from other disciplines, under the guidance of preceptors, to learn how to help patients understand and manage their health and maintain their quality of life.

SHAC Outreach

SHAC Outreach is the newest part of the Student Health Action Coalition. Instead of working in the clinic, Outreach volunteers will be part of teams of students from the health disciplines. Each team will be matched with a community with unmet health needs. The student teams will work with community members to prioritize their health needs, create a health intervention, and build community capacity by linking community members to already-existing programs and information. This is a really great opportunity for social workers interested in community practice and planning OR in mental health prevention and education.

SoWoSO-sponsored Student Conference Funding

Each semester SoWoSO handles student funding requests to encourage student attendance at conferences related to the social work profession. Each student is eligible to be reimbursed for related costs up to $50 for an in-state conference or as much as $100 for an out-of-state conference annually. Students who are interested in applying for funding should:

1. Fill out the funding application form completely;
2. Present your request at the monthly SoWoSO meeting where it will be voted on by all attendants, and signed by a SoWoSO tri-chair;
3. If approved, submit your form to the Dean's assistant, Dana Caudill. After the conference, present your receipt(s) to Dana for reimbursement (please allow 4 weeks for your check to arrive);
4. Come back to SoWoSO's monthly meeting to share materials and information obtained during the conference, and submit a brief written summary to the SoWoSO newsletter.  

Funding for conference travel is provided through the Office of Development/Alumni Affairs and the Dean's Office.

SoWoSO Caucus Reimbursement

Active caucuses are eligible for reimbursement up to $200 from SoWoSO annually.

1. Download and fill out the reimbursement form.
2. Submit the form and the receipts to the SoWoSO treasurer, Rachel Billian.

Grievance and Discrimination Student Liaison

SoWoSO has a Grievance and Discrimination Student Liaison, Paul Lanier. Any student needing to anonymously report or discuss any instances of discrimination or any other grievance within the school can contact Paul Lanier (planier@email.unc.edu). Students may email Paul to report issues that need to be relayed to the Dean without breaking their anonymity.

For more information, contact one of the 2007-2008 tri-chairs: