Author: vermontnews

School officials focused exclusively on bullying prevention efforts might want to consider the findings of a new study showing the highly damaging effects of multiple forms of victimization on school climate.

The study, published in the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, measured the impact of polyvictimization – exposure to multiple forms of victimization – on school climate at the middle and high school levels. Results show that bullying, cyberbullying and harassment were significantly associated with decreases in perceptions of school safety, connection, and equity.

Overall, 43.1 percent of students experienced at least one form of victimization during the 2015-2016 schoolyear. Just over 32 percent of students reported being bullied, 21 percent were victims of cyberbullying and 16.4 percent experienced harassment – defined as “experiencing negative actions from one or more persons because of his or her skin, religion, where they are from (what country), sex, sexual identity or disability.”

Based on data from the 2015 Vermont Middle and High School Pilot Climate Survey, the findings highlight the need for comprehensive policies that address all forms of victimization to offset further erosion to safe and equitable school environments, which is tied to educational outcomes.

“For each form of victimization, school climate measures go down precipitously, so if we only center the conversation about kids who are being bullied that limits it to ‘that’s not my kid,’” says study author Bernice Garnett, associate professor in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. “But if we change the conversation to bullying can actually damage the entire school climate, then that motivates and galvanizes the overall will of the school community to do something about it.”

Polyvictimization highest among students who identify as female and transgender

Prior research shows that students from vulnerable populations are most frequently victimized. Garnett’s study found that students experiencing polyvictimization were most likely to identify as female and transgender. Students who identified as “multiracial” or “other” also experienced higher levels of polyvictimization than their peers. Additionally, students experiencing polyvictimization were more likely to report doing “worse” academically.

The finding related to students who identify as female and transgender would not have been possible without the addition of a question by the Vermont Agency of Education to the Vermont School Climate Survey that gives students the opportunity to identify as transgender. The finding is unique, according to Garnett, due to the fact that most states, as well as the National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, asks about sexual orientation, but not gender identity.

“We asked both to align with how Vermont policy is written and because Vermont schools protect both gender identity and sexual orientation,” says Garnett, who is a member of the committee that designed the Vermont survey. “I wasn’t surprised by the results, because transgender youth experience worse things across the board, but it was surprising to find that this is a reality in Vermont, particularly given all the work that’s been done here.”

Crafting an effective policy response

The National Center for Educational Statistics tracks a number of ways students are victimized ranging from serious physcial attacks to verbal-based assaults. Garnett points out that bullying is motivated by another students real or claimed identity, and if that’s a protected identity, its actually discrimination.

“That’s an important distinction, because current bullying prevention programs focused on teaching students to be nicer or more empathetic would look very different,” seh says. “If a student is targeting someone either implicitly or explicitly because of an identity they were culturally taught not to like, then it changes the conversation to ‘wait, why I am I thinking these thoughts? Why do I hold them? What am I learning from home and the media, and how can I check-in with my assumptions?”

Such prevention efforts would be difficult, if not impossible, to develop without data showing which students are being targeted. A recent study from Columbia University, for example, showed that queer youth living in states where schools enumerate homophobic bullying, experience less victimization. Data differs regionally, however, making it difficult to protect students in places where “people are using identities to target for power,” says Garnett.

“Policies can actually shape the experiences of students in schools,” says Garnett. “This study is trying to show that we need to be thinking about the structural forces that make bullying prevalent among certain groups of kids, which is not a coincidence. The reason why queer youth, English Language Learners, kids with disabilities and overweight kids are targeted is because those are socially acceptable identities to target depending on where you live.”

 

 

 

 

Source: UVM News

The University of Vermont and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have signed an affiliation agreement to provide eligible students with an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree from UVM and a doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) from ACPHS in a total of seven years. Students seeking both of these degrees typically require eight years to complete the academic requirements of the two programs.

The terms of the agreement are effective beginning with students commencing their undergraduate study at UVM in the current academic year (2017-18), with the earliest anticipated matriculation at ACPHS in the fall of 2020. 

Through this arrangement, UVM students may seek admission to the “3+4” program at the conclusion of their first year of study at the university. If accepted into the program, students will attend UVM for three years and then enroll at the ACPHS Colchester campus for their final four years of study.

Students in the 3+4 program will earn their bachelor’s degree from UVM upon satisfactory completion of their first year at ACPHS. Students will subsequently earn their doctor of pharmacy degree from ACPHS after meeting all of the remaining requirements of the Pharm.D. program. The Pharm.D. is the entry level degree required today to become a pharmacist in the United States.

“Since opening our Colchester Campus in 2009, the University of Vermont and the UVM Medical Center have been great partners of the College,” said Robert Hamilton, Pharm.D., MPH, dean of the ACPHS School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “We look forward to broadening our relationship through this agreement which will provide qualified UVM students with a clear pathway to a doctor of pharmacy degree, while allowing them to remain in the area and continue enjoying all that northwest Vermont has to offer.”

“This agreement opens a promising new pathway for our undergraduate students to a rewarding professional career,” said Tom Sullivan, University of Vermont president. “The Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has been a great partner in the past; we look forward to expanding our collaboration and to the exciting new opportunities our students will benefit from as a result.” 

Pharmacists have long enjoyed excellent earning potential and job security, and recent developments in both the profession and the health care system indicate that will continue. The past decade, in particular, has seen a significant expansion of the pharmacist’s role in patient care through the delivery of services that include immunizations, health and wellness testing, management of chronic diseases, and medication therapy management. The expanding scope of practice has also resulted in opportunities for pharmacists in non-traditional settings such as physician offices, ambulatory care clinics, and managed care organizations, further underscoring the increased role that pharmacists are expected to play in helping meet the nation’s health care needs.

Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a private, independent institution with a long tradition of academic and research excellence. The College opened its Colchester campus in 2009, and it remains the only pharmacy program in the state of Vermont. For more information, please visit www.acphs.edu.

Since 1791, the University of Vermont has worked to move humankind forward. Today, UVM is a Public Ivy and top 100 research university of a perfect size, large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet small enough to enable close faculty-student mentorship across all levels of study, from Bachelor’s to M.D. programs. Here, students’ educational experience and activities are enriched by our location — from the energy and innovation of Burlington to the forests, farms, and independent spirit of Vermont. UVM provides students endless ways to explore the world, challenge ideas, and dig in on the most pressing issues of our time.

Source: UVM News