INVITE: Free Suicide Prevention Conference

Working Towards A

CARING COMMUNITY…

Suicide Prevention and Intervention

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Preventing Suicide in Our College and University Communities

Friday, May 2, 2008 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

St. Francis College, Brooklyn (Borough Hall)

180 Remsen St. (2 blocks from all major trains)

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Free admission ~ Continental breakfast and lunch provided

Pre-registration required ~ Certificate of participation provided

This free event is presented by the Samaritans of New York, with major funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health and the New York City Council, in association with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, The Jed Foundation and St. Francis College

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WHO SHOULD ATTEND: NYC Metropolitan Area college and university mental health clinicians, health service, student affairs,residence life, RAs, student deans, chaplainry, athletic dept, campus safety officers, faculty advisors, campus facility personnel, student and Greek organization leadership and others who work in close proximity with college students. Note: this training is not for the general student population, but for those who provide them with education, services and care.

**Please forward this email to other staff (counseling, student/residential life, health service, deans, advisors, campus safety, chaplainry, athletic, etc.) at NYC Metropolitan Area colleges and universities. Thank you.

HOW TO REGISTER: (Deadline Tues. 4/29; seats available on a first-come, first-served basis)

• Download registration forms at: http://www.samaritansnyc.org/conferences/2008/college.html
• Save the Excel form to your computer and e-mail completed form as an attachment to suicideeducation@aol.com (preferred) or fax to (212) 677-1884.
• Samaritans will e-mail you a confirmation, which you MUST have received to attend the training.
• Directions to St. Francis College, conveniently located 2 blocks from Borough Hall (all major trains): http://www.stfranciscollege.edu/Media/Website%20Resources/images/pdfs/nyc_directions.pdf

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Significant Statistics:

• Suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of death of American college students, with an estimated 1,100 college students dying by suicide every year, an average of three per day.
• Most college counseling center directors report that the number of students seeking help for serious emotional problems is increasing... Yet the majority of students who die by suicide have never been to their counseling centers.

The CARING COMMUNITY Program will be an intensive all-day training program providing a comprehensive examination of the key components of effective suicide prevention practice on college campuses presented by experts from government, university and community-based agencies that will emphasize a realistic approach to responding to those at risk for suicide.

PRESENTERS INCLUDE: Cultural, communications and clinical experts from Columbia University, NYC Health & Hospitals Corporation, The Jed Foundation, New York University, The Samaritans of New York, NYU Child Study Center, Yeshiva University and others.

The Morning Program:

*Understanding the Problem – the statistics, trends, myths, and misconceptions tied to youth and college suicide; the personal and professional challenges we face when responding to those at risk.

*Cultural Sensitivity Panel – experts working with some of NYC's high-risk college populations discuss the key familial, social, and cultural barriers that those working with this population should be aware of.

The Afternoon Program:

*Crisis Communications – the skills, behaviors, tools and strategies used in the effective practice of active listening, including establishing rapport, steering into feelings and asking appropriate questions.

*Identification and Assessment – the warning signs, risk and protective factors tied to suicide in this population and the keys to determining degree of risk and doing effective assessments.

*Challengesof Dealing with Psychiatric Emergencies on Campus – a discussion of the social, psychological and legal challenges with general suggestions for approaches to these problems, focusing on both campus issues and integration with off-campus resources.

*Available Resources – learn more about ULifeline and other NYC college resources and referral services.

Continental breakfast and lunch provided

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THE SAMARITANS OF NEW YORK – Background Information

The non-religious Samaritans of New York is the local branch of the world’s oldest and largest crisis response network with 400 centers in 42 countries that operates NYC’s 24-hour suicide prevention hotline (212) 673-3000 and a Public Education Program that has trained over 30,000 frontline providers in the keys to effective suicide prevention at our workshops and conferences, including the NYC SUMMIT on Suicide Prevention. Samaritans also runs bereavement groups for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. To learn more, visit www.samaritansnyc.org.

Any questions should be directed to: Adrienne Rumble, Marketing Director, suicideeducation@aol.com

Records Management Issues

SEARCH

Information and Archive Management

Acquire the formal training and technological skills demanded by the international information economy.

• Design and implement information-based systems that advance the core mission of a commercial enterprise, nonprofit organization, or governmental agency.


• Conduct problem-based research using business and government databases and documents.


• Develop a capacity to think carefully about the legal, social, and policy questions raised by the handling and use of information.

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About the Program

Today, business, government, and nonprofit organizations face the enormous challenge of how to make more effective use of the information they create, gather, organize, and maintain. Information professionals are key decision makers who work with the principal business, program, and policy professionals in organizations as well as with IT experts. Anyone who works in an office has to be an information professional. Understanding how information systems work-—how information is categorized, stored, and retrieved-—is essential.

To advance the core mission of any organization, information managers must have an increasingly complex understanding of the information over which they preside. They must be able to create and manage an information archive, analyze a data set and the needs of its users, and evaluate database design. They need to have a practical understanding of the laws governing the use of information, and they must consider the social and policy questions that involve the lawful handling and use of information. They need to master the wide range of government and business information resources produced by city, state, and national governments, as well as by international governmental organizations and by commercial vendors. They must be able to work with an organization’s IT department to design and implement systems to house and retrieve information, and they must be able to work with commercial vendors to design information products that serve an organization’s specific needs.

Many individuals performing these functions today find that while their responsibilities are great, they do not have the systematic, formal training and up-to-date technological skills they need.

Columbia’s master's degree in Information and Archive Management trains students in the practical, real-world demands of solving complex problems in organizing information. This is a part-time program with courses offered during the evening to accommodate the schedules of working professionals.

Program Objectives

Columbia’s Information and Archive Management master's degree program is designed to teach the systematic and technical skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities demanded by business, government, and nonprofit organizations in what is now appropriately termed the "international information economy."

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I have attended the informational session for this degree program which was held at the School of Continuing Education. It is a three year program, all of the courses to be held in the evening and a B average must be maintained throughout. In addition, each course has a practical, applied component in which each student designs and works on an individual project that grows out of the course readings and lectures and that, when possible and appropriate, can also be related to the student’s own workplace.

Although I, myself, am not interested in obtaining the MA credentials, if some others are interested I don't mind working with them as part of my daily responsibilities. I can assist them with whatever workplace project they chose, (as time permits, of course, from my regular responsibilities) since I have had some records management experience in the past.