Campus Connection

Student project explores a program to address racial disparities in education

UWL sociology major Sadie Halfrich spent spring semester studying a potential solution to bridge racial disparities in schools. After researching and conducting interviews with key stakeholders involved in the Freedom School movement, Halfrich points to the promise of this summer program through the Children’s Defense Fund. Halfrich presented her research at the Midwest Sociological Society's Annual Conference March 22-25, in Minneapolis. She attended with 15 other UWL sociology students, including 12 who shared their research. Seven UWL faculty also presented. Halfrich’s research is inspired by a need for change in Wisconsin. The state ranks worst for African Americans across several markers of well-being, according to the Wisconsin Council of Children and Families (2014). Also, in Wisconsin, the gap between black and white students is evident with 44 percent of white students proficient in reading compared to 11 percent of Black students, according to The National Center for Education Statistics (2015). Halfrich, who interned at a Freedom School in summer 2017, saw improvements in children’s reading first-hand in the program. This sparked her interest in researching the program as a potential solution to fill these gaps. She found studies showing how Freedom Schools can help increase reading scores and have a positive effect on social skills. During interviews with key stakeholders, she focused on the process of starting the schools, the perceived benefits, and the challenges. Overall, the people interviewed expressed the invaluable importance of Freedom Schools, which allows scholars to be their authentic selves and hire a staff that make it a priority to champion young children of color. Still Halfrich found that a lack of funding or racial consciousness can be obstacles to starting freedom schools. She ultimately recommended school districts in Wisconsin adopt freedom schools as a way to improve scholar’s reading and reduce racial disparities in education.

‘Do computer scientists dream of a jobless future?’

UWL sociology student Lucy Putnam interviewed UWL computer science majors at a time when research illustrates that automating the workforce will have major effects on employment, capital accumulation, and has the potential to create a jobless future. She wanted to see whether her UWL peers in computer science considered the effects that their work has on not only the jobless future, but also various other aspects of social life. She shared her interview results at the conference, which show he majority of computer science majors did not consider these effects, nor did they think it was their responsibility. She says her research provides implications for future research exploring effective measures to decrease the disconnect between computer scientist’s work and its impact on social life. Dawn Norris, UWL associate professor of sociology, says the conference helps students to synthesize multiple views on their research and gain awareness of potential career and graduate school paths. For faculty, the conference is a way to keep up-to-date with current research to bring into classrooms and research. They are also able to present original research more widely while networking with other sociologists.

Faculty presentations at the conference

Nick Bakken Author or Practitioner Meets Critic Panel Featuring Gerry Cox's Handbook of the Sociology of Death, Grief, and Bereavement: A Guide to Theory and Practice. Can One Computer Lab Assignment Increase Both Statistical and Global Competence? Carol Miller, UWL; and Nick Bakken. The Role of Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders on Reentry Outcomes Among Incarcerated Offenders. Nick Bakken; Christy Visher, University of Delaware Laurie Cooper Stoll Gender-Blind Sexism and Rape Myth Acceptance: Results from a Nationally Representative Study. Laurie Cooper Stoll; Terry Lilley, UWL; Ray Block, Jr., UWL Enilda Delgado Post-Baccalaureate Educational Aspirations of College Seniors: The Impact of Institutional Experiences. Adam Driscoll "What, Me? Biased?:" Cultivating Student Awareness of Social Class Bias in Criminal Justice Sanctions. Dawn Norris, UWL; Adam Driscoll Lisa Kruse Partnering with Practitioners: Academic Work in the Criminal Justice System and Beyond Privacy on Social Media: Users’ Conceptualizations of Privacy on Sites Meant for Sharing. Lisa Kruse; Elizabeth Wagner, UWL Sarah Malone Naloxone and the Opioid Overdose Epidemic Sadie Tenhagen, UWL; Sarah Malone Peter Marina Transgressive Living on the Urban Social Fringes: Down and Out in the Big Easy Dawn Norris Strength Through Adversity?: Millennials' Social Class of Origin, Mastery, and Depression Symptoms. Leah Foltman, UWL student; Dawn Norris Writing Resumes Presider: Dawn Norris; co-sponsored by the Student Issues Committee "What, Me? Biased?:" Cultivating Student Awareness of Social Class Bias in Criminal Justice Sanctions. Dawn Norris; Adam Driscoll Off-Time Parenting, Age Identity, and Mental Health

Student presenters at the conference

Fiona Boler Roundtable Presentation: A Cross-National Comparison of College Students’ Attitudes towards Populism and the Outcome of the United States 2016 Presidential Election Katherine Craig Poster Presentation: Confidence in Health Care in South Africa and the Netherlands as a Result of the World-System Status Leah Foltman Strength Through Adversity?: Millennials' Social Class of Origin, Mastery, and Depression Symptoms. Sadie Halfrich Poster Presentation: Racial Disparities in Wisconsin: How Freedom Schools Can Close the Gap Kyleigh Hall Roundtable Presentation: White Perceptions of Black Social Movements Haley Nicole Ingersoll Roundtable Presentation: Exploring Stereotypical Expectations of Masculinity and Their Relationship to Stigmatization of Schizophrenia using Stereotype Content Model Sara Nagengast Roundtable Presentation: Homeless Identities and Their Influence on Service Utilization Lucy Putnam Poster Presentation: Do Computer Scientist's Dream of the Jobless Future? Carissa Schlafer Roundtable Presentation: Modern Mexican-American Immigrants: Searching for Humanity in the Era of Color-Blind Racism Maya Schulte Paper Presentation: Pregnancy in Prison: A Doula's Perspective Alexis Seitz Poster Presentation: Decent Housing, a Right or a Privilege? Sadie Tenhagen Paper Presentation: Naloxone and the Opioid Overdose Epidemic Sydney Yarbrough Roundtable Presentation: “I’m Not Sexist But…”: Female College Student’s Experiences of Gender Microaggressions