Digital Commons Network^™

Scientific Technology And The Human Condition, Vernon R. Wiehe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Society applauds the recent advancements of scientific technology in fields such as medicine, energy, and communication. While humankind profits in many ways from this technology, a few voices are heard cautioning society to consider the implications of these developments. This paper discusses the gulf which appears to exist between scientific technology and the human condition. Reasons for this gulf are: I ) the failure to develop a philosophy of science in which human values, and aspirations are viewed within the context of scientific technology, 2) the reductionist approach to science in which the parts are emphasized at the expense of …

Computers In Social Work And Social Welfare Issues And Perspective, William H. Butterfield

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper provides a general overview of the areas in which technology has had significant impact. These are specifically important for social workers, since technology poses many challenges for both society and the social work profession. Most important about modern technology is that It can either improve the human condition or destroy society. With this In mind, social workers must learn about technology, so that Its benefits are understood and problems avoided. This will not occur, however, if technology is ignored or treated as something which is inherently bad because it disrupts the status gun.

The Implications Of Computer Technology In The Delivery Of Human Services, Narviar C. Barker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social service programs are nowadays required to operate efficiently and effectively. In order to insure that this occurs, service delivery must be documented and evaluated like never before. Nonetheless, at the same time, clients are reporting in ever greater numbers to receive services. Computer technology can assist practitioners to deal with this apparent conflict. For example, computers facilitate documentation, encourage the uilization of advanced research techniques, and free practitioners from paper work, so that increased services can be offered. Accordingly, this technology can be used to improve the delivery of social services.

Technology, Stress, And Family Violence: Some Issues In Teaching Social Work Practice, Shirley J. Porter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines family violence. Specifically, the variables most often associated with this phenomenon are discussed. As part of this analysis, a model for assessing family violence is proposed. It is noted, however, that this mode of assessment differs in many ways from technologically oriented methodologies. Moreover, the social work profession must come to recognize the difference between community sensitive and technological models, or misinformed social policies may be the result.

Computer Technology - 1984 And Beyond, Terry Holbrook

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the impact of computerization on record keeping. Particularly important about automated records is that their content becomes reified, thereby distorting the nature of client data. Because the technical side of documenting a client's activities is stressed, the existential nature of behavior is obscured. As a result, a practitioner may not gain much insight into the motives and social situation of a client. Yet without this information, irrelevant advice may be prescribed by a social worker. Accordingly, technology must not be allowed to alter the existential process of creating a client's biography in a record.

Social Service Delivery Systems: The Impact Of Technology And Organizational Structure, Louella Mann

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Changes in work and social structures are reviewed for the period from the early industrial era to the present. Work structure is hypothesized to have a significant impact upon society and the individual. The structure of the modern work setting and the rapid changes in technology have increased the stress associated with anxiety and isolation. In turn, these problems contribute to the onset of social ills. Also examined are ways to diminish the negative effects of the role conflict which results from the divergent structures present in the personal and work settings. Predictions about the future of social service delivery …

Western News, February 20, 1986, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Nearly 400 students to vie for scholarships Feb. 22, Arts and Sciences Forum to focus on role of college in teacher training, Mead Corp. awards gift of $25,000, Henderson announces appointments in admissions, Nominations due for service award, Person needed to head faculty development, Natural resources and people topic of book, Burian re-elected head of health agency

Western News, February 6, 1986, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: King speech to highlight Black History Month events, New institutes established in mechanical engineering, Haenicke finds Blanchard tuition plan 'intriguing', Blood pressure screening; measles vaccinations offered free, China; Russia are destinations for travel programs, Editor of Cincinnati Enquirer to speak

Wmu Board Of Trustees Annual Meeting January 24, 1986, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• Correspondence
• President's Remarks
• Resolution re Rededication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Room
• Election of Officers
• Western Michigan University Board of Trustees Meeting Dates for 1986
• Gift Report
• Grant Report
• Non-Academic Personnel Report
• Academic Personnel Report
• Recommendation re Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
• Recommendation re Addition to Code of Student Life
• Board Committee Reports
• College of Business Management-499 Report
• Public Comments
• Adjournment

University Employee Service Recognition Program 1986, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

25 Year Club

• New Inductees
• Members
• Retirees
• Thirty-Five Years of Service
• Thirty Years of Service
• Twenty Years of Service
• Fifteen Years of Service
• Ten Years of Service

Bulletin Western Michigan University: The Graduate Catalog 1986-1988, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

Section I: General Policies and Procedures
Section II: Master's Degree Programs and Requirements
Section III: Specialist Degree Programs and Requirements
Section IV: Doctoral Degree Programs and Requirements
Section V: Description of Graduate Courses
Section VI: The Graduate Faculty

Wmu Board Of Trustees Regular Meeting December 20, 1985, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• President's Remarks
• Report on Visit to Malaysia
• Gift Report
• Grant Report
• Recommendation re Reinvestment of Unitrust and Pooled Income Funds
• Academic Personnel Report
• Non-Academic Personnel Report
• Board Committee Reports
• School of Music Report
• Report of Fine Arts Complex Landscaping Project
• Public Comments
• Adjournment

Informal Helping Networks And Social Service Changes: A Community Perspective, Charles Hoch, George Hemmens, Rojean Madsen, Wim Wiewel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Interviews with 112 household respondents and 58 social service agency directors in three ethnically and racially distinct Chicago neighborhoods provided a comprehensive assessment of -- household helping relationships in a community context. Reliance on informal helping greatly exceeded use of formal agencies at the household level. Households were twice as likely to give help as receive it in a complex variety of ways, while agencies struggled to add new functional programs in a time of retrenchment. What households gave and got did not overlap with agency programs in any coherent way. Further, household respondents and agency directors disagreed in their …

Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms And Unemployed Black Adults, Diane R. Brown, Lawrence E. Gary

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using data from a probability based survey of unemployed Black adults residing in an urban area, this study explores factors related to the presence of depressive symptoms. Findings indicate that depressive symptoms are less among unemployed persons with higher levels of income, education, religiosity, age and satisfactory social support. Age, however, is the single best predictor of depressive symptoms among unemployed Blacks. There were no significant differences by gender.

Issues In Assessing Community Resources For The Leisure-Time Needs Of The Elderly, Jordan I. Kosberg, Juanita L. Garcia

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The growth of leisure-time, following retirement, is potentially problematic for the elderly and can result in such adversities as depression, problem drinking, loneliness, and boredom. Leisure-time resources include recreation, education, volunteerism, training, voluntary associations, familialism, and solitary activities. The use of resources for leisure-time needs of the elderly are influenced by idiosyncratic differences; cultural background, financial resources, geographic variations; and the characteristics of programs and services. There is a need to better prepare individuals for the use of leisure-time. Each community must ensure that leisure-time resources exist and do not exclude any elderly from possible involvement, for either structural, programmatic, …

The Social Support Networks Of Indochinese Refugees, Peter J. Pecora, Mark W. Fraser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Refugee sponsors and social service staff of agencies serving Indochinese refugees in Utah were surveyed to determine the relationship between social support and economic self-sufficiency among refugees. Agency staff and refugee sponsors rated contacts by family, work, school, and sponsors who are family members as most useful, with differences emerging between the two groups regarding other sources of social support. Respondents who had been refugees rated some forms of social support higher than nonrefugee respondents. Mutual Assistance Associations were seen as underutilized resources for helping Indochinese refugees build and maintain networks of social support.

Feminist Theory And Social Policy Or Why Is Welfare So Hard To Reform?, Dorothy C. Miller

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

More than 10 years ago Henry Aaron wrote a classic paper entitled "Why Is Welfare So Hard to Reform?" (1973). This paper answers that question from the perspective of the new discipline of Women's Studies. The author suggests that the use of feminist theories; notably those of Hartsock and Chodorow; can further one's recognition and understanding of male bias in social policy development. Tracing the history of U.S. welfare policies for women and children the analysis provides explanations for the differential treatment of women in the welfare system and the failure of work strategies to increase poor women's economic independence. …

Addressing Socio-Legal Problems: A Unifying Perspective For Social Workers, Raymond Albert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Problems where social work and the law overlap have consistently challenged social work professionals, and the challenges promise to continue. The overlap exposes important interdisciplinary issues, which are best addressed when certain conditions are met. The article describes these conditions within the context of a perspective that underlines the interaction between the two fields and structures the professional's approach to these interdisciplinary problems.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 12, No. 4 (December 1985)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Feminist Theory and Social Policy or Why is Welfare So Hard to Reform? - DOROTHY C. MILLER - pp. 664
• Addressing Socio-Legal-Problems: A Unifying Perspective for Social Workers - RAYMOND ALBERT - pp. 691
• Informal Helping Networks And Social Service Changes: A Community Perspective - CAHRLES HOCH, GEORGE HEMMENS, ROJEAN MADSEN, WIM WIEWEL - pp. 712
• Predictors of Depressive Symptoms Among Unemployed Black Adults - DIANE R. BROWN, LAURENCE E. GARY - pp. 736
• Issues in Assessing Community Resources for the Leisure-Time Needs of the Elderly - JORDAN I. KOSBERG, JUANITA L. GARCIA - pp. 777
• Demographic …

The Effect Of Changes In The Federal Disability Programs On State And Local General Assistance Programs, Courtney Scherer Petersen, Eric R. Kingson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since early 1981, there has been a large-scale removal of persons from the SSI and Social Security disability programs as a result of the Social Security Disability Amendments of 1980. This article reports on the findings of a national survey designed to determine whether the removal of persons from the federal disability programs had an impact on state and local General Assistance programs and the extent to which older recipients of General Assistance are in need of long-term income assistance for health and other reasons.

Some states and jurisdictions have noticed an increase in applications as a result of federal …

Demographic Understanding Of Volunteerism, David F. Gillespie, Anthony E. O. King I

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A large sample of volunteers from a midwestern city chapter of the American Red Cross were studied to identify demographic correlates of the reasons given for volunteering. The findings suggest that the reasons people give for doing volunteer work are conditioned by their age, sex, and marital status. Implications for volunteer programs and future research are discussed.

Social Development In Nigeria: A Case Analysis, Gloria Mead Jinadu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Nigeria is plagued by a social poverty that continues to escalate dramatically, in spite of the rapid economic growth associated with the "petrol naira." Efforts to check this deterioration and ensure development are hindered by the lack of culturally rooted structural and conceptual supports in the social development sector. These support components have been, and still are absent and until they are established, economic growth and ideological choices will be irrelevant to any rational effort to halt the escalation of social poverty and enhance the quality of life enjoyed by Nigerians.

Western News, November 7, 1985, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Soviet citizens visit to conduct 'Dialogue for Peace', Videoconference focuses on arms control, Grant project targets high risk infants, Dybek wins $25,000 Whiting Writers' Award, Interest in ethics results in new center at Western, Nominations sought for faculty scholar awards, Translation expert to be Visiting Scholar

Western News, October 10, 1985, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Five to receive Alumni Teaching Excellence Awards, Trees to be dedicated in memory of Denenfeld, Giving to United Way has long tradition, About 2,500 expected for Brown and Gold Day, Foundation assets total $7.7 million; up 47 percent, Holland; Brown elected Foundation officers

The Westerner Vol. 6 No. 2, Western Michigan University

The Westerner (1980-1997)

• Dear WMU Alumni: • 1985 Teaching Excellence Award recipients announced • Fall enrollment increases for the first time since 1980 • Engineering programs receive accreditation • Alumna Mary Jackson shines in benefit show • President Haenicke means what he says about his management style • Computerized data base improves registration • Board of Trustees approves 1985-86 operating budget • Attention is focused on quality teaching and learning • Career services aid alumni • Among Alumni • Sports • Alumnotes

Wmu Board Of Trustees Regular Meeting September 20, 1985, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• Correspondence
• President's Remarks
• Academic Personnel Report
• Non-Academic Personnel Report
• Recommendation re Approval of Appendix B (re Committee Meetings, Board of Trustees Bylaws
• Recommendation re General Fund Budget for 1985-86
• Recommendation re Campus Beautification Resolution
• Franklin Wright Settlement House Proposal
• Board Committee Reports
• Translation Center Report
• Public Comments
• Executive Sessions
• Adjournment

Western News, September 19, 1985, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Merit computer node installed at GR Regional Center, President affirms commitment to cooperation, Book on nontraditional jobs published, Faculty; staff retirements recognized by Board, Reception for Haenicke scheduled for Sept. 20, Enrollment up for the first time since 1980

Humanistic Perspectives In Criminology, Ronald C. Kramer, Stuart L. Hills

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the past two decades, the field of criminology has changed dramatically. Mainstream criminology, which focused primarily on the etiology of behavior taken for granted as criminal, has been successively challenged by a number of different sociological theories and perspectives. These challenges have come from the labeling or interactionist perspective, various pluralistic conflict theories, and a number of radical, critical, or Marxist approaches. Although there are many differences among these theoretical developments, they share a common set of humanistic concerns. All of these perspectives attempt to combine a theoretical explanation of crime and social control with a practical concern for …

Social Justice Vs Criminal Justice: An Agenda For Critical Criminology, T. R. Young

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper presents an overview of the features of crime and the criminal justice system in the United States. It notes the great disparities in use of five systems of justice. It discusses the amount and variety of corporate crime, political crime, street crime, white collar crime as well as organized crime. It emphasizes the inadequacy of current theories of crime in so far as corporate, white collar and political crime are concerned. The author argues that social justice is a far better way to prevent crime than are criminal justice systems and points to other societies with low crime …

Humanistic Criminology: Is It Possible?, Clayton A. Hartjen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A humanistic criminology is one that would be oriented to human betterment and fulfillment, as opposed to conventional criminology oriented to the control of crime and suppression of offenders. Some of the obstacles that stand in the way of developing a humanistic criminology, as well as some of the reasons why these obstacles do not necessarily preclude its being established, are addressed. Some reasons why humanistic criminology is desirable are suggested. Given that humanistic criminology is viable a critique of contemporary schools of criminology/criminal justice is offered and a number of suggestions are made regarding what an academic department of …