Reporting Back to the Community

The Poverty of Poverty Intervention: Doing More with Less

Prepared by

Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships University of South Florida

Jennifer Webb Research Assistant

Lance Arney, Ph.D. Associate Director

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620 (813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • [email protected]

Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities

The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. USF is a Top 50 research university among both public and private institutions nationwide in total research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation. Serving nearly 48,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion.

USF is one of 40 public research universities nationwide with very high research activity that is designated as Community Engaged by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Carnegie Foundation defines community engagement as “collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.”1

1 http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/descriptions/community_engagement.php

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620 (813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • [email protected]

Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities Executive Summary

The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research university. Community engagement guides its mission. As Florida’s leading metropolitan research university, USF is dedicated to: . Research and scientific discovery to strengthen the economy, promote civic culture and the arts, and design and build sustainable communities through the generation, dissemination, and translation of new knowledge across all academic and health-related disciplines. . Partnerships to build significant locally- and globally-integrated university-community collaborations through sound scholarly and artistic activities and technological innovation. USF created the Office of Community Engagement and Partner- ships (OCEP) in 2009. The mission of our office is to expand local and global initiatives that strengthen and sustain healthy communities, promote social justice, and help improve the quality of life for all. The OCEP carries out its mission by building mutually beneficial and reciprocal university–community partnerships founded on community engaged research, scholarship, and service-learning. On January 29, 2014, the OCEP held a half-day forum titled The Poverty of Poverty Intervention: Doing More with Less at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County in Tampa, Florida. The forum was designed to foster more dialogue and collaboration between the university and the community in order to break through the invisible distance between university researchers and activists in the trenches. We are all intent on reaching the same goals of understanding poverty and finding pathways for individuals and families who are struggling to get out of it.

Indeed, so many of us—in the community and at the university— are precariously teetering on the brink of financial distress, or have already begun falling into long-term financial despair. It is therefore crucial that we come together in solidarity, identify the root causes of such pervasive economic hardship, and take action to improve our quality of life by reducing poverty and inequality in our region. • • • This report presents some of the results of this forum. In particular, the OCEP responds to participant feedback and recommendations as to how USF can create constructive dialogue with the community about ways to build mutually beneficial relationships, as well as strengthen already existing partnerships, that address the causes, consequences, and best ways to reduce poverty and alleviate its symptoms.

Defining the Problem and Identifying Constraints on Provision of Services

We have entered a new era for combating poverty—one of greatly increased demand for poverty related services as well as a growing scarcity of resources to meet those needs. We are in a period of new fiscal austerity that has greatly hindered efforts to alleviate these problems. Participants at our poverty forum are already well aware of these problems. They noted the negative impact that specific policies and budget cuts have had on the populations and clients they serve. Like- wise, they understand that austerity measures are straining each organization’s operational and program budgets. Additionally, the majority of forum participants reported that, in general, the provision of services is being harmed by a political culture and legislative language that poison the public discussion of social welfare.

Bridging the Apparent Divide between USF and the Community

Forum participants described collaborating with USF in ways that could help bring about more systemic change. USF’s emphasis on research and scientific discovery were hailed as significant assets in the overall endeavor to improve service provision in Tampa and work toward reducing poverty and inequality in the region. Forum participants expressed a desire for USF to work with local service providers on the following objectives:

. Identify common ground with local service providers and assist in building sustainable partnerships on areas of mutual concern. . Encourage basic and applied research that will directly benefit low-income families and individuals in the region as well as those who work to improve their quality of life. . Help initiate, or mediate, candid and courageous conversations about poverty and inequality with leaders and decision makers. . Provide ongoing training to local service providers and primary and secondary educators using evidence-based principles, practices, and research. . Act as an incubator for innovative, paradigm-shifting approaches to addressing poverty and inequality. . Work with service providers to identify new funding sources; help make better use of current funding sources by joining community partners in advising funders on how best to allocate grant dollars based on actual community need; and help pre- serve and protect existing funding streams from exhaustion or termination.

Public Scholarship

The university as an institution strives to be objective. This institutional neutrality, however, should not constrain the academic free- dom, social activism, and/or public scholarship of individual professors. Forum participants repeatedly expressed this expectation in a variety of ways. They want USF professors to:

. translate research findings and scholarship into plain language so that it is more accessible to wider audiences (a process known as “knowledge translation”); . write op-ed pieces in local newspapers; . be more available to news reporters to provide expert com- mentary on the issues of the day; . develop collaborative research projects with service providers, and with more of an emphasis on application of research results in the local community; and . sit on the boards of directors of local organizations.

Technical Assistance, Trainings, and Professional Development

Integrating Undergraduate Students in Innovative Ways

Forum participants recommended that students be linked to organizations based on students’ particular interests. Once these connections are made, forum participants envisioned undergraduates filling advocacy and direct service roles from letter writing and mobilization efforts to teaching parents about resources, assisting with outreach, and tutoring, among other activities.

Policy Centered Research

Action Groups

Forum participants also recommended forming action groups that will “actually make something happen!” Service providers are looking to USF to help create sustainable partnerships to address poverty and inequality, as well as join the community in engaging decision makers and leaders on these and related issues. They want groups that represent broad ranges of perspectives and involve fellow action members (from both the community and university) who will be committed to doing something about the issue in the long term.

Overcoming Logistical Constraints Posed by Service-Learning Courses

Concerns Regarding Partnering

Concerns regarding collaborating with USF, while minimum, centered on the preparedness of students and the ability of organizations to locate resources at the university.

Culturally Sensitive and Socially Aware Students

Participants asked that USF be sure to “familiarize students with cultures of organizations.” They also recommended that trainings or orientations be provided to agencies receiving groups of students so that they could manage or supervise the students more effectively.

Accessing Resources at USF through the OCEP

Participants voiced concerns regarding the difficulties of identifying resources at such an immense university; they also offered suggestions to the OCEP for streamlining access to the university’s resources. The OCEP is a relatively new office at USF, having been founded in August 2009, and there are still many in the community who are unaware of the office, uncertain about what it does and does not do, or not sure how to find the office’s website (www.usf.edu/engagement). The OCEP was created to serve as a main portal for the community to engage with the university. Allow us to be your first call to USF! We are here to help you navigate the university to find the resources that you are seeking.

Feedback from Event Evaluations

Forum participants felt strengthened by the large number of people who participated in the event, and they valued the demonstration of support from USF. Service providers, community members, and university folks felt energized by the shared passion, the richness of the ideas that were generated, and the diverse professional backgrounds and expertise of those present at the event. Forum participants articulated specific ideas they would like to happen at follow-up events on poverty and community–university engagement:

The Formation of Action Groups

Additional Participants

. Hold a similar poverty forum with CEOs and organization leaders in order to choose 1-3 agreed upon impact areas related to poverty intervention. . Convene an action-oriented poverty forum with government leaders present. . Include parents and community members in future meetings.

Changes in Event Format

. Allow more time for small group discussion and networking. . Hold some meetings in the evenings so that people who cannot attend during the day can still participate.

More Information about University Resources

. Provide more information about specific opportunities for collaborating with USF faculty, students, departments, centers, and institutes.

. Provide more information about the availability of student interns. . Encourage more students to volunteer with community organizations and agencies. . Facilitate “matchmaking” between community partners and faculty. . Hold resource fairs for community partners in different neigh- borhoods.

OCEP Responds: Action Items

In response to concerns and questions raised by forum participants, we have developed action items that we hope are as creative and broad in their vision as forum participants intended, but specific and relevant enough to the OCEP’s mission to ensure the continued success of our Poverty, Inequality, and Community Engagement Initi- ative. These action items take into consideration the expressed needs and desires of as many of our collaborators as possible, within the parameters of the role that the OCEP plays in the university and community. The following action items developed by our office were derived from the discussions that we had during the Poverty of Poverty Interven- tion workshop, from the feedback we received through evaluations completed by participants after the event ended, and during meetings and through emails with USF faculty. We are presently in the process of implementing the following:

. Streamlining communications and matchmaking. . Improving student preparedness for community engagement. . Forming a community advisory committee.

. Offering matchmaking events in the community. . Convening action group workshops and forums.

From Our Community Partners: Next Steps for Reducing Poverty and Inequality

Pulling in Elected Officials: Action Groups and Town Hall Meet- ings

Poverty forum participants recommended that we invite government and local officials to our conversation on alleviating poverty and inequality. Additionally, given the right issue and timing, action groups may find it advantageous to invite key decision makers and local leaders to join their groups.

Resource Inventories and Needs Assessments

Many forum participants asked the OCEP to compile an inventory or directory of resources the university can offer the community. Par- ticipants also recommended that USF conduct a needs assessment of community organizations in Hillsborough County and beyond.

Executive Summary ...... 3 Preface ...... 15 Program Agenda and Structure of The Poverty of Poverty Intervention 17 Opening Remarks from Our Director ...... 22 Poverty and Inequality Overview ...... 24 Diverse Perspectives on Poverty and Inequality ...... 29 Defining the Problem and Identifying Constraints on Provision of Services ...... 31 Bridging the Apparent Divide between USF and the Community . 34 Public Scholarship ...... 35 Technical Assistance, Trainings, and Professional Development ...... 37 Integrating Undergraduate Students in Innovative Ways: Passion, Purpose, and Direct Service...... 37 Policy Centered Research ...... 38 Action Groups ...... 39 Overcoming Logistical Constraints Posed by Service-Learning Courses ... 40 Concerns Regarding Partnering ...... 41 Culturally Sensitive and Socially Aware Students ...... 41 Accessing Resources at USF through the OCEP ...... 42 Feedback from Event Evaluations ...... 44 The Formation of Action Groups ...... 46 Additional Participants ...... 46 Changes in Event Format ...... 46 More Information about University Resources ...... 47 OCEP Responds: Action Items ...... 48 Streamlining Communications and Matchmaking ...... 48

Improving Student Preparedness for Community Engagement ...... 51 Forming a Community–Faculty Advisory Committee ...... 52 Facilitating Matchmaking Events in the Community ...... 53 Convening Action Group Workshops and Forums ...... 54 From Our Community Partners: Next Steps for Reducing Poverty and Inequality ...... 57 Pulling in Elected Officials: Action Groups and Town Hall Meetings ...... 57 Resource Inventories and Needs Assessments...... 57 Appendix A: Selected Graphs and Facts about Poverty and Inequality ...... 59 Income Inequality in the US and Florida ...... 60 Select Facts about Wealth and Poverty ...... 61 Appendix B: OCEP Responds to Issues and Concerns Regarding Partnering with USF ...... 63 Appendix C: Where Do We Go From Here?: Suggestions from Forum Participants, with Responses from the OCEP ...... 74 Appendix D: Feedback from Evaluations ...... 81 Appendix E: Logistical and Practical Questions to Consider for Forming a Service-Learning Course Partnership ...... 84 Questions for community organizations to consider: ...... 84 Questions for university faculty/instructors to consider: ...... 85 Appendix F: Elected Officials ...... 87

Preface

. What are the challenges involved in poverty research and activism? . How do we counter misinformation and misleading stereotypes about poverty? . How can the university engage with the community in constructive dialogue about the causes, consequences, and best ways to alleviate poverty?

In October 2013, two panels of USF researchers and educators pondered these questions in the context of their own work studying poverty, inequality, and related problems in the areas of health, housing, employment, criminal justice, and education—the last with a focus on disparities in educational access by low-income children in poorly resourced schools. Poverty and Inequality: A Forum on Research, Action, and Community Engagement succeeded in bringing together close to 50 USF faculty, staff, and students, in addition to 12 panelists and moderators. They discussed ways to begin a multidisciplinary research-to-action program at USF that engages non-profits, elected officials, public agencies, and community residents, as well as to estab- lish resources for teaching, research, and community partnerships that are evidence-based and reflective of local history and circum- stances.2 After a lively discussion involving panelists and audience, participants spoke of potential future collaborations, including new course construction or the development of action research projects. Many who attended expressed an eagerness to hold an off-campus poverty

2 http://engagementarchive.usf.edu/?p=5693.

forum, co-hosted with community partners. This event would become The Poverty of Poverty Intervention: Doing More with Less, a half-day workshop held on January 29, 2014 at the Children’s Board of Hills- borough County in Tampa, Florida. In planning The Poverty of Poverty Intervention, we carefully considered the feedback we received from the October 2013 on-campus poverty forum. We made sure to include speakers with a broad range of academic perspectives who would continue to present a systemic view of poverty and inequality. We were successful in again bringing together a variety of departments, offices, and colleges. In consideration for where we could improve, we provided microphones to am- plify speakers’ voices, allotted more time for small group discussion, and provided each participant with a packet of informational materi- als. We held the event off campus to ensure more community participation and, with this report, we followed your suggestion to collaborate with our community partners and university colleagues in the creation of more clearly defined “next steps.” This report presents some of the results of the Poverty of Poverty Intervention workshop. Emphasis is given to responding to participant feedback and recommendations as to how the university can create constructive dialogue with the community about ways to build mutually beneficial relationships, as well as strengthen already existing partnerships, that address the causes, consequences, and best ways to reduce poverty and alleviate its symptoms.

Program Agenda and Structure of The Pov- erty of Poverty Intervention

The Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships’ (OCEP) first off-campus forum on poverty and inequality was designed to foster more dialogue and collaboration between the university and the community. Aware that many in the community might not be aware of the OCEP’s existence—founded in 2009, it is a relatively new office— our Director, Elizabeth Strom, provided a brief introduction about the office at the beginning of the forum. Then, in order to provide an overview of the worsening poverty and inequality in our society, Su- san Greenbaum (Professor Emerita, USF Anthropology) summarized some of the latest socioeconomic trends and their underlying causes. Next, to give forum participants concrete examples of existing university–community partnerships, we invited three partnership teams to co-present on how they built collaborative relationships, what their partnerships accomplished, and how they dealt with any difficulties experienced along the way. The teams then answered questions from the audience. Forum participants were then grouped into small group breakout sessions according to the following “impact areas,” from which they were able to choose while registering for the event online:

. Arts, culture, and humanities . Business and economics . Career and professional development . Children, youth, and family (non-school related) . Community development . Disasters

. Education and schools . Environment and sustainability . Gerontology and aging . Health, wellness, and healthcare . Housing and homelessness . Information technology and computer literacy . Labor and workplace issues . Law enforcement and criminal justice . Literacy and language . Local history and heritage . Mental health . Public policy . Public service and volunteerism . STEM . Transportation

The goal of having small group discussions was to develop critical, shared understandings of structural constraints and limitations on community organizations’ current capacities to deliver services and programming related to poverty alleviation, and then conceptualize how collaborating with USF might enable community organizations to build capacity for overcoming some of these constraints and limitations. Each small group was offered facilitation support from a USF faculty or staff member who has already successfully partnered with a community group and therefore likely to have a broad working knowledge of the university system. Additionally, a list of suggested discussion questions was provided in order to prevent discussions from going off topic:

1. How have budget cuts (federal, state, local, philanthropic) affected your provision of services? a. Money being no option, if you could do one thing differently in your provision of services, it would be …? 2. How have other constraints (policies, policy changes, or other structures) affected your provision of services? a. Free of such constraints, if you could do one thing differently in your provision of services, it would be …? 3. How do you think USF might be able to help realize your vision for your agency or your agency’s current mission? a. What specific kinds of help/resources would you seek at USF? 4. Do you have prior experience partnering with USF? When thinking of this experience, what did you like most and what would you like USF to change? 5. Have you experienced barriers that prevent you from accessing resources at USF? Or: Are there any barriers that you perceive when thinking of partnering with USF? 6. What can USF do to make it easier for you to access its resources? 7. Broadly speaking, what would you like your relationship with USF to be?

After close to an hour of discussion, each small group was asked to share the insights it achieved so that all forum participants could benefit from the wealth of ideas generated by each group. Finally, in order to determine how we all (the community and university) could work better together to do something about poverty and inequality in our region, all forum participants were asked to share “takeaway” points and decide what our next steps would be.

The Poverty of Poverty Intervention: Doing More With Less Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Agenda

8:30 am Registration

8:45 am Introduction to Community Engagement Re- sources at USF Elizabeth Strom (Director, USF Office of Community En- gagement & Partnerships)

9:00 am Poverty and Inequality Overview Susan Greenbaum (Professor Emerita, USF Anthropology)

9:10 am Three Exemplary University–Community Part- nerships . Evangeline Best (Facilitator, 24/7 Dads Program, REACHUP, Inc.; and Community Advisory Member with the “Toward Eliminating Disparities in Maternal and Child Health Populations”) . Beverly Ward (BGW Associates) and Robin Ersing (USF School of Public Affairs) . Danielle Dennis (USF/Patel Partnership Elementary School)

9:40 am Questions for Presenters

9:55 am Small Group Breakout Discussions (organized by impact area)

Goal: To build from a critical understanding of structural constraints and limitations; to conceptualize possible partnerships with USF.

10:45 am Small Group Breakout Discussions Report Back Goal: To share insights achieved through small group discussion.

11:30 am What Do We Do Next?: Takeaways and Next Steps Goal: To determine how we (the community and university) can work better together to do something about poverty and inequality in our region.

12:00 pm Adjourn

Opening Remarks from Our Director Elizabeth Strom, Ph.D. (Director, Office of Community Engagement & Partnerships, University of South Florida)

The University of South Florida created the Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships (OCEP) in 2009. The mission of our office is to expand local and global initiatives that strengthen and sustain healthy communities, promote social justice, and help improve the quality of life for all. The OCEP carries out its mission by building mutually beneficial and reciprocal university–community partnerships founded on community engaged research, scholarship, and service-learning. This event was put together by our Working Group on Poverty and Inequality, which is staffed by the OCEP. Our Associate Director, Dr. Lance Arney, has been a key initiator of this group, along with Dr. Susan Greenbaum, who was the first director of this office. We are by no means the only USF office devoted to community engagement. My colleague Dr. Adewale Troutman is the Associate Dean for Health Eq- uity and Community Engagement at our College of Public Health, which focuses on partnerships relevant to that college.3 And Mallory Trochesset is here representing the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, which places student volunteers, who number in the many thousands, throughout the community.4 Our job is in part to play matchmaker. We help community stake- holders figure out how to navigate USF, with a focus on links to academic programs: community-based research; service-learning; student internships; etc. We also work with faculty who could use our

3 http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/clphp/index.htm. 4 http://www.leadandserve.usf.edu/.

22 help identifying appropriate community partners. In addition to working with folks one on one, we sponsor events around common themes; we distribute a newsletter with key information;5 and we maintain a listserv, which we urge you to join.6 Our website has many resources of use to those interested in university–community partnership building. We see one of our key purposes as bringing together activists, thinkers, and researchers from across sectors and disciplines, as well as from campus and the community, to discuss and act on issues at the heart of our mission. The Poverty and Inequality working group is a wonderful example of that, and we look forward to seeing how this group evolves.

5 For current and past issues of our office’s newsletter, go to http://www.usf.edu/engagement/engagement/community-quarterly-newsletter.aspx. 6 To subscribe to our listserv, send an email to [email protected] stating you would like to be subscribed to the OCEP listserv.

Poverty and Inequality Overview Keynote address delivered by Susan Greenbaum, Ph.D. (Professor Emerita, Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, and Found- ing Director of the Office of Community Engagement)

We are very pleased with the large number of community and university folks who are here. Our purpose is to instigate a process of closer collaboration and knowledge sharing that can break through the invisible distance between university researchers and activists in the trenches. We are all intent on reaching the same goals of understanding poverty and finding pathways for individuals and families who are struggling to get out of it. We have much to offer each other, and abundant reasons to find new ways to do that. I should say that a lot has been done already, and there are many examples of successful USF–community partnerships that have created lasting relationships and multiple activities. We will hear about some of these shortly. However, I should also say that there has been a string of failures and disappointments that most community agencies can point to when they think about working with USF. Those are the issues where we need to do better. You can help us find ways to do that. Today we are going to talk about both sides of the record so far, and see if we can build on success and learn how to avoid the kinds of mistakes and problems we have encountered. There are many different kinds of projects where USF works with community partners. The meeting this morning focuses on an area that is particularly important and very difficult, namely working to reduce poverty and alleviate the problems it causes for those who ex-

24 perience it. In the past several years, this subject has assumed increased importance, both here in Hillsborough County and throughout the nation—indeed, throughout the world. The recent 50th anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s declaration of war on poverty, and the conclave of the world’s richest financiers in Davos, Switzerland this past week, have brought forth a blizzard of editorials, reports, and statistics about the growing inequality of wealth and the parallel growth of poverty. Your packets contain a two-page handout (see Appendix A). This document is designed to explain briefly the scope of the challenge and to put the problems facing individual Floridians into a larger context. The first page has three graphs that show changes in the levels and rates of poverty over the past several decades. These figures show that poverty has fluctuated over time.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/09/17/223373452/poverty-rate- unchanged-in-2012

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/news/economy/poverty_rate_income/index.htm

In the 1960s, it dropped precipitously from the extraordinary levels of the late 50s to rates well below our current situation. This was a time of general prosperity, but it was also a time of large-scale government intervention. Many people claim that the War on Poverty was a failure, but the sharpest decline in poverty occurred during the decade when it was actually waged. If it had not been for the war in Viet Nam, who knows how much could have been accomplished. What is also clear from the top two charts is that recessions cause poverty to increase. This is very logical: those are times when people lose their jobs—a quick way to become poor. When the stock market and the housing market tanked in 2008, more than 3 million people lost their jobs. More than 4 million people have now lost their homes to foreclosure. A lot of misery is contained in those two statements. The housing recovery has been only partial, and Florida continues to lead the nation in foreclosures. Although the unemployment rate has come down, wages have also declined and the jobs that replaced the ones that were lost do not pay nearly as well. Florida family income has declined by nearly 12% since 2007.

Too many students and younger faculty at USF and other universities are struggling with an enormous amount of debt, which risks poverty for even the most educated. One in four Florida children lives in households below the poverty line. Nationally it is 1 in 5. What is becoming very clear is that we have entered a new era for this problem—one of greatly increased demand for poverty related services as well as a growing scarcity of resources to meet those needs. We are in a period of new fiscal austerity that has greatly hindered efforts to alleviate these problems. If you look at the graphs on the first page of the handout, you will see that the current US poverty rate is just over 15%, much higher than in 2000 when it was slightly more than 11%. The rise in poverty to above 15% has been sustained for more than 3 years; this is unlike previous recessions and is cause for alarm. If you look at the graphs at the top of the page, you can see what I mean. In Florida, the poverty rate has grown from 12.5% in 2000 to the current level of 17%. In 2010, it was just under 15%. That is a 2% rise in only 3 years. The recession may be over, but poverty is continuing to grow at an alarming rate. Florida is also a place of great wealth and income inequality. We are 5th in the US in Gini coefficient of inequality, the standard meas- ure of the gap between rich and poor.7 We have a disproportionate number of rich people and an equally lopsided number of poor people, and fewer in the middle than is good for the economy. Florida is also a state with very low taxes and a history of stingy funding for the needs of low-income families.

7 The Gini index “measures the extent to which the distribution of income … among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality” (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI).

These gloomy statistics are designed to put our challenge into context. There are very large structural reasons for the current condition in which we find ourselves. If it seems like your work is getting harder, that is because it actually is. We are increasingly faced with the need to do more with less, and honestly, that is a slogan that simply does not work. Therefore, as concerned citizens and people associated with agencies and non-profits that are dedicated to helping fight poverty, we have two avenues we can follow:

1. We can find resources that are underutilized. Here I am refer- ring to expertise and energy from USF students, faculty, and staff. For example, we can help with writing grant applications, developing evaluation strategies, and providing volunteers. We can design various kinds of technical assistance to meet your needs.

2. We also can work together to help change the structural problems that stand in the way of progress in this effort. By this, I mean we can try to change policies that make poverty worse, by marshalling our shared knowledge and helping decision- makers at all levels and in all sectors make better decisions when it comes to preventing and alleviating poverty. (See Ap- pendix F for lists of elected officials, with contact information).

I believe that stronger partnerships between community activists and USF can help with both endeavors. That is our basic purpose today, and I hope it leads to sustained and ever more creative projects that will benefit the community and help our students and faculty to understand better the social environment and policy issues that we teach about and study.

Diverse Perspectives on Poverty and Ine- quality

The purpose of the following sections is to report on the questions and concerns raised by participants at The Poverty of Poverty Intervention forum. The following is a synthesis of notes taken during the small group discussion summaries and the closing discussion. The goal of having small group breakout discussions was to criti- cally understand the structural constraints and limitations faced by community organizations, and then to conceptualize possible partnerships with USF that could address some of these challenges. To this end, we (the community and the university) collectively discussed our aspirations for improving our provision of services; the broader constraints on the provision of services currently provided; ideas for partnering with USF; and any concerns we have regarding partnering with the university. After nearly an hour of discussion in small groups, each group summarized some of the highlights and insights from its discussion and shared it with the whole group. This fed into the closing discussion, in which we sought to determine how we all could work better together to do something about poverty and inequality in our region. This section synthesizes the small group discussions. All the com- ments that were voiced are important, and we have attempted to integrate them into this synthesis. As such, the final picture presented here most likely will include some contradictions, and the reader may see some of the brush strokes. This should be expected: collaborations consist of individuals with different experiences, perceptions, and concerns. We were a group of almost 90 individuals representing a rainbow of interests. The likelihood that there are differences among

29 us is certain. The important thing is to allow such differences to man- ifest, to record them, and to commit to discussing such differences should they becomes important at any given point down the road. Please note, when multiple groups shared similar ideas, only one or two examples are presented below. Therefore, your specific policy issue might not be represented, but the ideas associated with it are.8

8 However, if something were either lost in translation (i.e., “Hey, that’s not what I meant!”) or omitted from this report (“My group really honed in on such-and-such, and it didn’t get included in this report!”), please assume the error or omission were unintentional. For these and other concerns, contact Jennifer Webb via email ([email protected]) or phone (813-974-4829). Together we will compose a revised, final document that is inclusive of all perspectives presented at The Poverty of Poverty Intervention forum.

Defining the Problem and Identifying Constraints on Provision of Services

Susan Greenbaum provided a broad overview for understanding the problem of poverty and inequality in her keynote address. After- ward, the small group breakout sessions brought this macro political and economic picture into a regional and service specific view. All groups noted the negative impact that specific policies and budget cuts have had on the populations and clients they serve. Likewise, all groups understood that austerity measures are straining each organization’s operational and program budgets. In addition to budgetary and policy impacts, the majority of our small discussion groups reported that, in general, the provision of services is being harmed by a political culture and legislative language that poison the public discussion of social welfare. For example, rather than foster healthy communities through the right to universal care, healthcare has been turned into an expensive commodity available only to individuals who can afford its costs. This problem affects us all, for the societal cost of treating medical issues after they have developed is much greater than investing in preventative healthcare and public health campaigns. Similarly, the food insecurity and nutrition group noted that the legislative and political conversation regarding summer lunch programs has led to a situation in which 87% of the children in Hills- borough County who are eligible for free summer lunches do not receive them. Various federal policies limit the distribution of lunches to only those children who are enrolled in a summer program or who are able to make it to a pick-up location where they must consume their meal on the spot.

After establishing shared understandings of the common problems we encounter within each of our service areas, we sought to articulate how we could develop practical partnerships with the university in order to address these and other more programmatic concerns. We learned that how we define (or redefine) these problems has an effect on how we conceive of collaborating with USF and each other. Furthermore, our knowledge of who is and who is not living on the edges of poverty is incomplete. During this forum, when the topic of tax assistance services for low-income families came up during discussion, a large number of forum participants, most of whom work for organizations and agencies that provide services to low-income individuals and families, realized that they themselves—those working at service provider organizations—qualified for the tax assistance service, based on their yearly income. Joan Pynes (USF School of Pub- lic Affairs) has published a study on this vulnerable segment of the workforce—most of whom are women—that does not earn enough to save for retirement, concluding that if the retirement security of these workers is not properly addressed, then they will be at risk of falling into poverty during their retirement years.9

9 Article abstract: “This article recognizes how the recession is affecting the U. S. workforce. Despite the high unemployment rate across most of the country, one area that is anticipated to have higher employment growth is the provision of human services. Unfortunately, human service workers tend to receive low compensation. This paper examines the effect of low incomes on the retirement security of many low wage workers, most of who are women. Studies show that many low wage employees are unable to save toward retirement. Based on an analysis of retirement income projections performed by the U. S. Government Account- ability Office (GAO) and other researchers, and of a field experiment conducted by the Re- tirement Security Project of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and H&R Block, we argue that women are exposed to the risk of poverty in their retirement years unless practical measures are taken to address the problem. We call for a combination of the re-examination of the compensation and public policy changes to help improve the wages and retirement savings of low wage human service workers.” Stephen K. Aikins and Joan E.

Similarly, as some members of the university community asked last fall at our on-campus poverty forum, “Why aren’t we talking about student loan debt and the adjunct faculty underclass?” So many of us—in the community and at the university—are precariously teetering on the brink of financial distress, or have already begun falling into long-term financial despair. It is therefore crucial that we come together in solidarity, identify the root causes of such pervasive economic hardship, and take action to improve our quality of life by reducing poverty and inequality in our region.

Pynes (2011), “The Vulnerability of Low Wage Human Service Workers in Retirement: Pol- icy Implications.” Journal of Public Management & Social Policy 17(1): 49-65.

Bridging the Apparent Divide between USF and the Community

Each small group discussion mentioned hosting student interns or volunteers as a way in which the organizations in their group could envision collaborating with USF. All groups also described collaborating with USF in ways that could help bring about more systemic change.10 Systemic change, cultural change, and changes in “the conversation” were all seen as requiring institutional commitment from those with power and political influence at the university. Understanding that the primary mission of a university is to pro- duce and share new knowledge through research and education, USF was perceived to maintain an objective position. As such, USF’s emphasis on research and scientific discovery were hailed as significant assets in the overall endeavor to improve service provision in Tampa and work toward reducing poverty and inequality in the region. Fo- rum participants therefore expressed a desire for USF to work with local service providers on the following objectives:

. Identify common ground with local service providers and assist in building sustainable partnerships on areas of mutual concern.

10 The small groups also discussed more specific ideas for, and concerns about, partnerships. Our office responds in more detail to these ideas and concerns in Appendices B, C, and D. The ideas introduced into the large group discussion at the conclusion of The Poverty of Poverty Intervention overlapped greatly with the ideas from the small groups. We have therefore integrated them into this section. Additionally, Appendices B and C include notes from the large group discussion along with a response to each item from the Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships.

. Encourage basic and applied research that will directly benefit low-income families and individuals in the region as well as those who work to improve their quality of life. . Help initiate, or mediate, candid and courageous conversations about poverty and inequality with leaders and decision makers. . Provide ongoing training to local service providers and primary and secondary educators using evidence-based principles, practices, and research. . Act as an incubator for innovative, paradigm-shifting approaches to addressing poverty and inequality. . Work with service providers to identify new funding sources; help make better use of current funding sources by joining community partners in advising funders on how best to allocate grant dollars based on actual community need; and help pre- serve and protect existing funding streams from exhaustion or termination. o For example, help draw the attention of county voters to the importance of re-authorizing the property tax that funds most of the budgets for the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board. Both agencies, which allocate tens of millions of taxpayer dollars each year to fund programs offered by service providers, are up for voter referendum in 2016.

Public Scholarship

Tampa’s “thought leadership” in a variety of ways. They want USF professors to:

Indeed, multiple groups expressed a strong desire for USF professors to take on the leadership role of public scholar on important social issues related to their research interests and areas of expertise, especially regarding issues of significance to the local region.11 For example, agency members of Feeding America Tampa Bay recounted how they happened to find one of their newest board members, David Himmelgreen (Department of Anthropology). Debbi

11 The Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships already provides an occasional workshop to help faculty introduce their expertise to a broader audience beyond the university. The OCEP invites veteran journalists with reporting and editorial experience to facilitate Go Public!: Disseminating Your Research Beyond Academia, a workshop that demonstrates to faculty how they can be more proactive with the news media by interacting and building relationships with reporters, as well as framing and defining issues under public discussion. The workshop also provides a wealth of writing tips useful for translating academic discourse into plain language and composing short, newsworthy narratives that correct misinformation and misunderstandings in the public discussion. This workshop will next be offered at the beginning of the fall 2014 semester.

McCarthy, the organization’s Director of Marketing & Communica- tions, was reading a local newspaper when she came across a Letter to the Editor on food insecurity and hunger, written by Him- melgreen.12 Delighted to discover that someone at USF was as pas- sionate about these issues as the staff of Feeding America Tampa Bay, the organization reached out to Himmelgreen, and the rest is history.

Technical Assistance, Trainings, and Professional Devel- opment

Forum participants spoke with nearly one voice in their request for technical assistance, trainings, and professional development. In particular, many organizations said they would like to seek assistance with doing needs assessments, program evaluations, and measuring impacts of their programs on the community. Professional development and staff training also came up as a way USF could assist service providers: “Can USF help broaden the perspective for people ‘in the trenches’ who don’t understand how much the landscape has changed?”—by offering empathy training or cultural sensitivity training, to name two examples.

Integrating Undergraduate Students in Innovative Ways: Passion, Purpose, and Direct Service

Forum participants recommended that students be linked to organizations based on students’ particular interests. As one participant noted, there are “30,000 plus students on campus, many with time and enthusiasm…. Can’t OCEP partner with community members

12 http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/mondays-letters-food-insecurity-is-real- threat-in-us/2113471.

37 and the Center for Leadership and Student Engagement [CLCE] to mobilize student passion in a more effective way?!” To facilitate these connections, community organizations also suggested that the CLCE hold two volunteer fairs each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Community members strongly prefer that these fairs be held off-campus. The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement does in fact hold an Annual Volunteer Fair, at which community organizations can directly recruit students for service projects, events, internships, etc. throughout the year.13 Once these connections are made, forum participants envisioned undergraduates filling advocacy and direct service roles from letter writing and mobilization efforts to teaching parents about resources, assisting with outreach, and tutoring, among other activities. One group reminded participants that because different needs require different solutions, some issues could easily be taken on by student organizations. Doing book drives, for example, perhaps seems like “a small issue but [it] might have a large impact in the [particular] community” that needs books.

Policy Centered Research

Many forum participants called for systematic evaluation of the impact that certain policies are having locally, noting that by systematically studying the disparate impacts of public policy, we can more effectively address the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. For example, the small group focusing on housing and homelessness wants to examine the criminalization of homelessness. “What impact does this have on the rest of community?” they asked during our final discussion.

13 For more information, go to http://www.leadandserve.usf.edu/commpartners.php.

Action Groups

Forum participants recommended forming action groups that will “actually make something happen!” Service providers are looking to USF to help create sustainable partnerships to address poverty and inequality, as well as join the community in engaging decision makers and leaders on these and related issues. Some want to get involved in action groups that “already have plans.” Others reminded everyone that “nobody needs another meeting!” Forum participants want to map out strategies for moving forward so that they can see progress. They want groups that represent broad ranges of perspectives and involve fellow action members (from both the community and university) who will be committed to doing something about the issue in the long term. Some possible objectives for action groups were articulated during the forum. These include:

. supporting the 2016 voter referendum to reauthorize the tax revenue for the Children’s Board, which funds many local programs; . performing a regional needs assessment to determine if service providers are prepared for the increase in migrant populations; . identifying gaps in services; . resolving service access issues created by the new REAL ID rules and regulations; . helping create affordable housing and addressing other housing issues; . and helping to improve regional transportation for low-income individuals and families.

Overcoming Logistical Constraints Posed by Service- Learning Courses

The topic of service-learning courses arose during conversation at the forum, allowing for different perspectives and expectations of community partners to be heard. While the needs and pace of service provision of some community organizations necessitate a shorter timeline for developing a service-learning course, other service providers at the forum noted that they are more flexible with timelines. “We know course creation could take a long time,” one participant said, “we have so many long-, short-, and mid-ranged projects and various needs, that if we work together with a professor, many of us can work within just about any logistical constraint.” Participants stressed collaboration as the means through which these logistical constraints could be more readily overcome. The room was abuzz with possibilities for integrating service-learning courses, applied research, and even student volunteers into their organizations in ways that are more aligned with particular organizations’ strategic plans and programs. Moreover, by developing strategic partnerships with USF that include multiple and diverse service- learning courses, organizations anticipate the possibility of integrating policy advocacy into their time-strapped schedules.

Concerns Regarding Partnering

Concerns regarding collaborating with USF, while minimum, centered on the preparedness of students and the ability of organizations to locate resources at the university.

Culturally Sensitive and Socially Aware Students

Forum participants expressed concerns with how prepared students were for community engagement. Nevertheless, they also ap- plauded student enthusiasm and passion as a resource to be utilized in university–community partnerships intended to address poverty and inequality. Among some forum participants, students had a reputation for lacking the cultural awareness and mindfulness of diversity that is essential in engaging with an organization’s staff as well as in interacting with the clients of an organization’s services. Forum participants thought that students were not “always as prepared as they should be to go in the community and do things the community needs.” Stories were shared about students who have gone into communities with preconceived ideas, refusing to listen to members of community organizations about the harm that can result from such an approach. Conversely, others told of the amazing work that can happen when students are properly prepared and are ready to work side-by-side with community members and agency staff to better understand a problem. For example, Ms. Evangeline Best recounted an experience conducting a needs assessment in the neighborhood of East Tampa with community members, agency staff, and university members. She attributed the success of this project to the fact that community members took the lead because they were most familiar with the folks who

41 were being interviewed for the needs assessment. Participants asked that USF be sure to “familiarize students with cultures of organizations.” They also recommended that trainings or orientations be provided to agencies receiving groups of students so that they could manage or supervise the students more effectively.

Accessing Resources at USF through the OCEP

Participants voiced concerns regarding the difficulties of identifying resources at such an immense university; they also offered suggestions to the OCEP for streamlining access to the university’s resources. The OCEP is a relatively new office at USF, having been founded in August 2009, and there are still many in the community who are unaware of the office, uncertain about what it does and does not do, or not sure how to find the office’s website.14 Forum participants asked us to “teach the community more about the Office of Community Engagement. Can this be a point of entry into the university for the community?” The OCEP was indeed created to serve as a main portal for the community to engage with the university. Other concerns and suggestions made to our office indi- cated unfamiliarity with the role the OCEP plays in connecting the community to the university and vice versa. For example, feedback from forum participants included requests for the OCEP to do things it already does, such as:

. Provide information on how to contact the right people; develop profiles of faculty experts. . Help facilitate relationships within university.

14 http://www.usf.edu/engagement. Entering the words “usf community engagement” into Google will result in the OCEP website being the very first item returned from the search.

. Explain what USF has or does that could be useful to the community, for example: meeting space? Students? Research? Needs assessments? Social justice? Advocacy?

To reiterate, allow us to be your first call to USF! We are here to help you navigate the university to find the resources that you are seeking.15

15 Call (813) 974-4829 or email [email protected] to reach us.

Feedback from Event Evaluations

In this section, we summarize and synthesize responses left by forum participants on their evaluations of The Poverty of Poverty Interven- tion event. In particular, we outline responses that are pertinent to developing next steps and action items that require facilitation by the OCEP. The responses to three questions from the evaluation helped us determine some next steps for the OCEP:

1. What did you like most about this event?; 2. What would you have liked to be done differently at this event?; and 3. What would you like to happen at a follow-up event on poverty and community–university engagement?

In planning upcoming events, we carefully considered responses to the question, What did you like most about this event? Forum participants responded that they felt strengthened by the large number of people who participated in the event. Service providers, community members, and university folks felt energized by the shared passion, the richness of the ideas that were generated, and the diverse professional backgrounds and expertise of those present at the event. One service provider noted, “It’s rare for nonprofits to have the luxury of [engaging with intellectual] leadership.” Other participants enjoyed learning “how interrelated service providers are,” “how much they have in common,” and “how similar their interests and needs are.” All appreciated having the opportunity to network with other community organizations and to hear from each other about the issues at

44 hand while discussing possibilities for collaborating. Indeed, the vol- ume of collective intelligence gathered in one room impressed most participants. Participants attributed the collaborative, creative atmosphere of the event to the diversity of participants and the format of the event, which included small group discussions and an open forum discussion. Finally, community participants valued the demonstration of support from USF—learning about university resources and ways to access them, as well as getting to interact directly with USF representatives who have a comprehensive knowledge of university resources and how the university can collaborate with community organizations. Therefore, we will be sure to structure upcoming events so that they will be interactive, have a diversity of participants, and feature USF resources. When asked, What would you have liked to be done differently at this event? we received similar responses to those voiced by faculty at our on-campus poverty forum in October 2013. Namely, participants would have wanted to develop more specific action plans, action steps, and action events, as well as identify specific programs and policies to change. In addition to these suggestions, participants also would have wanted to see more student participation, “perhaps linking students with [community] organizations.” Finally, forum participants would have wanted us to compile a list of organizations with information about each one’s needs, and then have the OCEP follow up by connecting organizations to specific professors or students. We consider all of these points in detail below. The third evaluation question that helped us decide how we should proceed from here was, What would you like to happen at a follow-up event on poverty and community–university engagement? Forum participants’ responses fell into four categories:

1. the formation of action groups, 2. identifying additional participants who should be involved and ways of involving them, 3. changes in event format, and 4. requests for more information about USF resources.

The Formation of Action Groups

Additional Participants

Changes in Event Format

. Allow more time for small group discussion and networking. . Hold some meetings in the evenings so that people who cannot attend during the day can still participate.

More Information about University Resources

. Provide more information about specific opportunities for collaborating with USF faculty, students, departments, centers, and institutes. . Provide more information about the availability of student interns. . Encourage more students to volunteer with community organizations and agencies. . Facilitate “matchmaking” between community partners and faculty. . Hold resource fairs for community partners in different neigh- borhoods.

OCEP Responds: Action Items

In response to concerns and questions raised by forum participants, we have developed action items that we hope are as creative and broad in their vision as forum participants intended, but specific and relevant enough to the OCEP’s mission to ensure the continued success of the Poverty, Inequality, and Community Engagement Initi- ative. These action items take into consideration the expressed needs and desires of as many of our collaborators as possible, within the parameters of the role that the OCEP plays in the university and community. The following action items developed by our office were derived from the discussions that we had during the Poverty of Poverty Interven- tion workshop, from the feedback we received through evaluations completed by participants after the event ended, and during meetings and through emails with USF faculty. We are presently in the process of implementing the following:

. Streamlining communications and matchmaking. . Improving student preparedness for community engagement. . Forming a community advisory committee. . Offering matchmaking events in the community. . Convening action group workshops and forums.

Streamlining Communications and Matchmaking

The OCEP already serves as a conduit for communication between the community and university. This includes forwarding inquiries received by our office to the appropriate recipient(s) at the university.

We do this directly (by forwarding inquiries to specific recipients) and indirectly (by forwarding inquiries to mass audiences via email, listservs, our office’s campus e-newsletter, and organizational distribution outlets). If you are looking for a particular professor, department, or center, the OCEP can provide you with the correct contact information and will even make an introduction for you. Additionally, the OCEP can help you identify which kinds of community engagement—e.g., service-learning, community engaged research, needs assessments, program evaluation, asset mapping, etc.— might best meet your needs. Some forum participants expressed a concern about the navigability of the OCEP’s website. Others are interested in having academic research translated into jargon-free writing that is accessible to wider audiences. Many requested that the OCEP create an online partnership request form that is user-friendly for community groups and organizations. We have addressed these issues in the following ways:

. In March, we hired Bonnie Silvestri, JD, as a fulltime communications and marketing specialist who will:  Foster more dialogue between the university and community on all aspects of university–community engagement.  Provide community organizations more visibility to university faculty by featuring organizations in a community engagement blog and other media.16  Improve the navigability and usability of the OCEP’s website for the community.

16 The Catalyst for Community Engagement, Silvestri’s new blog, went live on April 2, 2014. To read and follow The Catalyst, go to http://bsilvestriblog.wordpress.com/.

 Reformat our office’s campus e-newsletter so that partnering opportunities are more prominent.  Design a monthly newsletter that disseminates important information to the community and features diverse voices from the community.  Occasionally translate highly significant academic research into accessible, jargon-free writing for consump- tion by broader audiences. . We will soon be conducting a search to hire a fulltime community outreach program planner whose duties and responsibilities will include serving as a liaison between campus and community-based organizations by identifying, building, and main- taining transformative campus-community partnerships, as well as organizing events to facilitate faculty–community inter- action. We anticipate this position will begin during late spring or early summer 2014. . We are creating an easy-to-use online partnership request form to facilitate collaboration between community partners and university faculty.17 . We created an online questionnaire to gather information from faculty who are interested in pursuing service-learning partnerships, contract-based technical assistance or training opportunities, grant proposals with community partners, or service and outreach opportunities in the community.18

17 We will send out an announcement when this resource is made live. 18 Attention USF faculty: The OCEP often gets requests from government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses for faculty with expertise in a wide range of applied research topics. They might be looking for a university-based researcher to help pull together a multi-partner grant; they might be looking for a consultant to provide training or technical assistance; or they might be looking for a guest speaker. We would like to do a better job connecting our community partners to the appropriate faculty experts, and ensuring that our faculty can

. We are compiling the aforementioned information into a Fac- ulty Experts Directory, which will feature community-engaged faculty along with short descriptions of their applied research skills and teaching interests.19 . At all our upcoming community events and workshops, we will include brief tutorials on navigating and locating resources on the OCEP website.

Improving Student Preparedness for Community En- gagement

Some forum participants expressed dissatisfaction with the level of preparedness of students coming into their communities or to their organizations. Community engagement requires building and main- taining respectful and reciprocal relationships between the university and the community so that a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources can take place. As such, university faculty and students must acquire certain knowledge, skills, and dispositions in order to do community engagement well, and there is a variety of courses, workshops, and trainings available at USF to help faculty and students build competency in these areas. Nonetheless, forum participants shared observations of students who seemed arrogant or dis- missive toward the knowledge, perspectives, and skills of community members.

take advantage of these opportunities. Please take a few minutes to fill out the following online form so that we can include you in our upcoming Faculty Experts Directory: http://www.cte.usf.edu/survey//TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=l8LH6962. 19 We will send out an announcement when this resource is made live.

In response to this feedback, our office will be forming a committee to create a new multidisciplinary community engagement professional development program that will include not only cultural sensitivity and diversity training, but also educational components on the principles of community engagement and partnership building, community engaged learning and research, and other topics. After this professional development program is in place, we will consider requiring students enrolled in service-learning courses that receive funding from our office to participate in community engagement training before entering the community or becoming involved with a community organization.

Forming a Community–Faculty Advisory Committee

Many forum participants suggested that a needs assessment be done with community organizations to provide a larger picture of the needs of community organizations in the region. This will give our office a clearer sense of which needs are most common and which are unique, and it will help us better link organizations to resources at USF. To this end, the OCEP will be mapping resources at the university and convening a community and faculty advisory committee to help us determine what questions need to be included in the needs assessment of community organizations. Furthermore, we will consult with this committee on prioritizing and implementing many of the great ideas and action items that have emerged from our poverty and inequality forums and meetings. We will also periodically ask the advisory committee to provide us with guidance on other community engagement issues. We intend to form the community advisory committee over the summer, convene its

52 first meeting in June 2014, and then invite faculty to join the committee before its next meeting (tentatively in August or September 2014).

Facilitating Matchmaking Events in the Community

Forum participants asked the OCEP to help facilitate “matchmaking” events where community organizations can present their needs and requests, and university faculty can explain in what ways they might be able to collaborate. In response, we have already created a partnering workshop our office will offer off-campus at least once each semester. This workshop will bring together community organizations and USF faculty who are interested in forming undergraduate and/or graduate level service-learning courses and partnerships for upcoming academic semesters. Service-learning is a form of experiential learning that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Community service projects must relate in some way to the content of a service-learning course, and students get academic credit for their service work in the community. Service projects should be beneficial to the community and meaningful to students, and they are usually limited in scope (e.g., each student in the course provides 2-3 hours of service per week or 15-20 hours over the course of a semester). At the service-learning workshop for community organizations and USF faculty, community organizations can share with faculty their needs and ideas for partnering with a service-learning course; and faculty can share with community organizations their research interests, expertise, and ideas for service-learning courses. Workshop participants will thus learn how to design service-learning courses built

on mutually beneficial partnerships and intended to create collaborative approaches to developing solutions to community-identified concerns. OCEP staff will assist participants in thinking through conceptual questions as well as pragmatic and logistical questions (for a list of such questions, see Appendix E). Already having a community or faculty partner will not be required to attend this workshop. OCEP staff will also show workshop participants where they can find service-learning resources on our office’s website.20 On April 7, the OCEP held the inaugural Service-Learning Workshop for Community Organizations and USF Faculty. Two more sections of this matchmaking workshop have already been scheduled for August 14, 2014 and October 29, 2014; both will take place at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.21

Convening Action Group Workshops and Forums

Action groups are formed in order to bring people together around specific issues or concerns, strategize about what might be done collectively to address such issues or concerns, and then take appropriate actions to attempt to bring about the changes they would like to see happen. For example, in the context of addressing poverty and inequality, people might come together around a shared interest in addressing a specific issue such as affordable housing or inadequate public transportation. They would then strategize about what they could do collectively to help increase the availability of affordable housing or more

20 http://www.usf.edu/engagement/resources/index.aspx. 21 For more information, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on August 14, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on October 29, click here.

adequate public transportation services. Finally, they would take appropriate actions to try to make those changes happen. This could include forming larger coalitions, making changes to public policy, contacting elected officials or governmental agencies, convening town hall meetings, or other actions that require group effort and coordi- nation. The OCEP is committed to facilitating the formation of action groups to address poverty and inequality, as well as other issues of concern to the community. The OCEP will convene our first action group event on May 8, 2014. Feel free to contact our office if you are interested in forming an action group to address poverty and inequality, or related issues, in our community or local region.22 Thus far, we have had three suggestions for action groups: one originating from the university, one from a community member, and another coming simultaneously from the community and university. Danielle Dennis (USF Department of Childhood Education & Liter- acy Studies) is interested in creating a consortium of organizations offering literacy programs. The consortium would bring together service providers to collaborate on improving child literacy through research-based best practices and other activities. Marilyn Williams (community educator and activist) is interested in forming an action group to develop a process for local community organizations to more efficiently and effectively integrate student volunteers and interns into their organizational cultures. Another idea for an action group emerged from two different small group discussions at our poverty forum and from a separate conversation the OCEP had with Martin Catala from the Center for Ur- ban Transportation Research at USF. This action group would address

22 Contact us directly: Jennifer Webb ([email protected]; 813-974-4829) or Lance Arney ([email protected]; 813-974-0697).

55 transportation issues affecting commuters who are living on low incomes. Other ideas for action groups were developed at the poverty forum during the small group discussions and the large group discussion about next steps. These ideas include action groups focused on:

. housing issues; . the local implementation of the federal REAL ID Act, which is making it difficult for the most vulnerable in our community to exercise their civil rights and to access important services; and . the capacity of service providers and educators to meet the needs of the increasing number of people who are migrating or immigrating to the area.

The OCEP can provide logistical support to action groups by re- serving meeting spaces, distributing announcements, sending out invitations to meetings, and facilitating workshops and forums.

From Our Community Partners: Next Steps for Reducing Poverty and Inequality

Pulling in Elected Officials: Action Groups and Town Hall Meetings

Poverty forum participants recommended that we invite government and local officials to our conversation on alleviating poverty and inequality. Our office’s poverty and inequality working group got together to brainstorm ways to do that. One option we came up with would be a town hall style meeting where we invite government officials who are tied most directly to the issues of greatest concern to our communities. What do you think about this? Who would you be most interested in inviting to a town hall meeting? We will be listening to your suggestions during our upcoming action group meeting on May 8, 2014. We will also be sending out an email to gather ideas from those who cannot attend the May 8 meeting. Additionally, given the right issue and timing, action groups may find it advantageous to invite key decision makers and local leaders to join their groups. Working directly and collaboratively with people who are in positions of power can oftentimes help move things forward.

Resource Inventories and Needs Assessments

OCEP has already started mapping community engagement resources at the university and hopes to have this completed before the end of 2014. We have also decided to take on the challenge of performing a needs assessment of community organizations that are interested in forming community-engaged partnerships with USF. We hope to complete this needs assessment by the summer of 2015, if not sooner.

Appendix A: Selected Graphs and Facts about Poverty and Inequality

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/09/17/223373452/poverty-rate- unchanged-in-2012

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/news/economy/poverty_rate_income/index.htm

Income Inequality in the US and Florida

Florida has the 5th widest gap between rich and poor (5/2012).

. Gini Coefficient: 0.474 (5th highest) . Median Income: $44,409 (15th lowest) . Households Earning $200,000+: 4.1% (20th highest) . Population Living Below Poverty Line: 14.9% (16th highest)* * ACS Census for 2012 raised Florida’s poverty rate to 17%.

Among the largest 25 metro areas in the United States, the Tampa– St. Petersburg metropolitan area has the lowest median income ($44,408) (9/2013).

Source: http://www.stokemyfire.com/2012/01/08/why-the-occupy-movement-mat- ters/

As the above chart suggests, the U.S. enjoyed a Golden Age from 1945 to roughly 1975 when the economy was growing strongly (as measured in Gross Domestic Product and stock). Note: Recent analysis by Emmanuel Saez at UC Berkeley indicates that income of the top 1% soared in 2012, exceeding the share they held in 1928.

Source: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america- chart-graph

Select Facts about Wealth and Poverty

. The US financial collapse of 2008 resulted in the sudden loss of 3.6 million jobs, 1.5 million home foreclosures (up to 4 million by 2011), and a 31% drop in the value of 401k accounts. Poverty increased from 11% in 2000 to 15% in 2010. . Between 2009 and 2012 wealth among the top 1% grew by 31.4% compared with 0.4% for bottom 99% (E. Saez 9/3/2013). . Florida ranks #5 among states in income inequality; median income has dropped by more than 11 percent from when it was $50,700 in 2000. Only seven other states had higher decreases in the past dozen years (ACS Census 2012). . Hourly wages in the US across all categories declined an average of 2.8% between 2009 and 2012; those earning less than $19 per hour have declined by 3.4% (NELP fact sheet 7/2013).

. 20% of children in the US live below the poverty line (a 35% increase since 2000); the US ranks 26 out of 29 developed countries in child well-being (Velasquez-Manoff NYT 7/27/13). . In 2000, 10% of unemployed workers had 26+ weeks duration; in 2012, 40% had durations of 26+ weeks (Urban Institute 9/12/12). . Wealth inequality in the US is greater now than it has been since 1928. The top 1% controls 42% of the financial wealth in the US; the bottom 60% controls 2.3%. (Note: Recent analysis by E. Saez at UC Berkeley indicates that income of the top 1% soared in 2012, exceeding the share they held in 1928.) . Although a leading explanation of poverty blames alleged charac- ter defects of poor people, seven recent peer reviewed experi- mental and naturalistic studies found that upper-class individuals are significantly more unethical than lower-class individuals (Piffa et al. 2012). . Over the past ten years, crime in the U.S. has declined by 18% and teen pregnancy has declined by 17%. These trends in dysfunctional behavior and/or poor choices are inversely related to the poverty trend over the same period.

Appendix B: OCEP Responds to Issues and Concerns Regarding Partnering with USF

. The USF School of Social Work often collaborates with the De- partment of Children and Families.  If you are a social worker who is interested in learning more about becoming a community-based field instructor responsible for administering the field practicum experience for BSW and MSW students, please contact the School of Social Work directly.23 . There is a need for more bilingual interns in social work.  We’ve communicated this concern to the School of Social Work. . OCEP should link to the School of Social Work’s website and provide information about research being done by Social Work.  OCEP does link to the website for the School of Social Work, and its website does include information about research being done by Social Work.  We’ve let the School of Social Work know that you are interested in learning about research they are presently doing in the community.24  We’ve already hired a fulltime communications and marketing officer who will, among other responsibilities, occasionally translate academic research findings into jargon-free writing, making it more accessible to our community partners and other audiences.

23 http://socialwork.cbcs.usf.edu/fieldProgram/instructors.cfm. 24 To learn more about current research being done by the School of Social Work, go to http://socialwork.cbcs.usf.edu/community/research.cfm.

. Help draw the attention of county voters to the importance of re-authorizing the property tax that funds most of the budgets for the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and the Pinel- las County Juvenile Welfare Board. (Both agencies, which allocate tens of millions of taxpayer dollars each year to funding programs offered by service providers, are up for voter referendum in 2016.)  This issue could be addressed through an action group. . Better prepare students for community engagement; familiarize students with the organizational structure and culture of nonprofits, service providers, and government agencies.  The OCEP will be forming a committee to create a new multidisciplinary community engagement professional development program that will include not only cultural sensitivity and diversity training, but also educational components on the principles of community engagement and partnership building, community engaged learning and research, and other related topics.  After the aforementioned professional development program is in place, we will consider requiring students enrolled in service-learning courses that receive funding from our office to participate in community engagement training before entering the community or becoming involved with a community organization. . Provide trainings for agencies receiving groups of interns.  Marilyn Williams, a community educator and activist who is part of our office’s poverty and inequality working group, has expressed interest in developing a training for organizations that they can then give to incoming student interns or volunteers.

. Inform the community more about the OCEP, its purpose, and mission.  The OCEP was created to serve as a main portal for the community to engage with the university and vice versa. At the university, the OCEP primarily interacts with faculty to promote and develop community engaged research and service-learning courses.  At all our upcoming community events and workshops, we will include brief tutorials on navigating and locating resources on the OCEP website.  There are of course other points of entry into the university. For example, the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (CLCE), our sister office, interacts primarily with students who are interested in volunteering for direct service to the community. The CLCE coordinates the Bull’s Stampede of Service and other direct service events. Each fall, they host a yearly volunteer fair to connect student volunteers to community organizations.25  The USF Health Service Corps is an interdisciplinary program that enables USF Health students in Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Physical Therapy, and Pharmacy to participate in meaningful, rewarding, and fun health- related community service activities together. The USF Health Service Corps is sponsored by the USF Area Health Education Center and has its own Coordinator, Mrs. Ellen Kent, MPH, CPH.26

25 To learn more about the CLCE, go to www.leadandserve.usf.edu. 26 For more information, go to http://health.usf.edu/ahec/usfhealthservicescorps/index.htm.

 Many academic departments require graduate and undergraduate students to perform internships as part of their degree program. Other departments have optional internship programs. The OCEP maintains an internship program directory and, if you are looking for a student intern from a particular field or discipline, contact us and we will connect you to the appropriate internship program director.27 . Conduct a needs assessment of community organizations to help connect them to resources at USF.  The OCEP is in the planning stages of designing a needs assessment of community organizations in our region. Gathering this information will enable our office to better connect community organizations to resources at USF.  Additionally, the OCEP plans to form a community advisory committee over the summer and convene its first meeting in June 2014. Among other advisory capacities, this committee will help inform us about the needs of community organizations. . Do more “matchmaking” events during which community organizations can describe their needs, and faculty experts can share their expertise and/or develop collaborative projects.  We have already created a partnering workshop our office will offer off-campus at least once each semester to bring together community organizations and USF faculty who are interested in forming undergraduate or graduate

27 To browse the directory, go to http://www.usf.edu/engagement/resources/experiential- learning-programs/index.aspx.

level service-learning courses and partnerships for upcoming academic semesters.28 . Help connect student organizations to specific issues or projects that might seem minor (organizing a book drive, for example) but that could have a large impact in a particular community.  The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (CLCE), our sister office, interacts primarily with students who are interested in volunteering for direct service to the community. The CLCE coordinates the Bull’s Stampede of Service and other direct service events. Each fall, they host a yearly volunteer fair to connect student volunteers to community organizations.29 . Encourage more faculty and graduate students to serve on boards and committees of community organizations so they can learn more about the work the organizations do and the communities they serve—all of which could generate ideas for collaborative research projects and grant proposals.  The OCEP will encourage faculty and graduate students to serve in these capacities through announcements in our newsletter and to graduate student organizations. . Help create sustainable partnerships with the community and join it in initiating frank conversations with local decision makers and leaders.  The OCEP will communicate this to our campus community so that more people at the university are aware

28 For more information, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on August 14, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on October 29, click here. 29 To learn more about the CLCE, go to www.leadandserve.usf.edu.

that some organizations are interested in talking to key decision makers and leaders.  The OCEP could help plan a town hall style meeting where we invite government officials to respond to your questions and concerns.  Additionally, given the right issue and timing, action groups may find it advantageous to invite key decision makers and local leaders to join their groups. Working directly and collaboratively with people who are in positions of power can oftentimes help move things forward. . Explain what USF has or does that could be useful to the community, for example: meeting space? Students? Research? Needs assessments? Social justice? Advocacy?  USF has all of these resources. Contact our office to be connected to faculty experts and service-learning courses.30 Contact the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, our sister office, to be connected to student volunteers.31 Visit our office’s website to learn more about the variety of community engaged research projects and partnerships that are in progress or have already happened.32  The OCEP is creating a Google Map to display university–community partnerships throughout the region.33 If you have an existing or recent partnership that does not

30 Call (813) 974-4829 or email [email protected] to reach us. Faculty Ex- perts Database is forthcoming. 31 http://www.leadandserve.usf.edu/contact.php. 32 http://www.usf.edu/. 33 http://engagementarchive.usf.edu/?p=5899.

appear on this map, contact our office so we can include it on the community engagement map.  The OCEP is in the planning stages of designing a needs assessment of community organizations in our region. Gathering this information will enable our office to better connect community organizations to resources at USF. . Help prepare service providers and educators for demographic changes in the Tampa Bay region. For example, conduct needs assessments to determine if organizations have adequate capacity to meet the needs of the increasing number of people who are migrating or immigrating to the area.  An action group could address this issue.  Service-learning courses could be designed to conduct needs assessments. Participate in one of our upcoming service-learning workshops for community organizations and USF faculty. Workshop participants will learn how to design service-learning courses built on mutually beneficial partnerships and intended to create collaborative approaches to developing solutions to community- identified concerns. OCEP staff will assist participants in thinking through conceptual questions as well as pragmatic and logistical questions.34 OCEP staff will also show workshop participants where they can find service- learning resources on our office’s website.35 The next sections of this matchmaking workshop will take place on

34 For a list of such questions, see Appendix x. 35 http://www.usf.edu/engagement/resources/index.aspx.

August 14, 2014 and October 29, 2014 at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.36 . Can USF help organizations with program evaluation, or measuring outcomes and impacts on the community (thus providing data that could be cited in grant proposals)? Can USF help community organizations study the impact of existing or proposed policies?  Many centers and institutes at USF offer evaluation and social impact study services to nonprofits or government agencies on a contractual or fee-for-service basis, as an in-kind donation, through grant or government funding, or through other arrangements. Visit our office’s website to learn more about centers and institutes at USF and the services they offer.37 . The College of Public Health requires all of its students to complete a field experience as part of their degree program.38  If you think your organization could benefit from the services of a College of Public Health student, contact Michelle Hodge, Field Experience Administrator at the College of Public Health.39 . Does USF provide mediation services? Sensitivity/empathy training? Broader perspectives for people working “in the trenches” who don’t understand how much the service provider landscape has changed?

36 For more information, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on August 14, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on October 29, click here. 37 http://www.usf.edu/engagement/engagement/ongoing-community-partnerships.aspx. 38 http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/academicaffairs/fe/dfe/index.htm. 39 http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/academicaffairs/fe/dfe/index.htm.

 Many departments, centers, and institutes offer various kinds of professional development workshops or courses, which can sometimes count for continuing education credits. Visit our office’s website to learn more about centers and institutes at USF and the services they offer.40 . Directly help people alleviate problems and issues caused by poverty, or offer them referrals to appropriate resources.  The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is the go-to resource and referral service for our region.41 From the Crisis Cen- ter’s website: “Dial 2-1-1 where you will receive free, confidential crisis counseling, along with information and referrals to a Crisis Center service or to over 4,600 other community resources. Click here to view Commu- nity Resources Online. We are here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”42 . Address transportation issues for people living on low-incomes. There are many gaps in transportation services. Could research be done to address these issues more systematically and effectively?  USF has a center devoted entirely to research on transportation: the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). From CUTR’s website: “The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida, established in 1988, is an internationally recognized resource for policymakers, transportation professionals, and the public. CUTR provides high quality, objective expertise in the form of insightful research,

40 http://www.usf.edu/engagement/engagement/ongoing-community-partnerships.aspx. 41 http://www.crisiscenter.com. 42 http://www.crisiscenter.com/contact-us.aspx.

in-depth policy analysis, comprehensive training and education, and effective technical assistance that translates directly into benefits for CUTR’s project sponsors. CUTR’s faculty of 37 full-time researchers, and 57 students, combines academic knowledge and extensive ‘real world’ experience in developing innovative, imple- mentable solutions for all modes of transportation. The multidisciplinary research faculty includes experts in economics, planning, engineering, public policy, and ge- ography.”43  Martin Catala, Director of CUTR’s Advanced Geo-Spa- tial & Informatics Lab, attended our poverty forum on January 29 and is aware of the community’s interest in transportation issues. Our office is following up with him on some next steps. . Provide tutoring to students in local schools.  The USF College of Education has a tutoring program, called “Tutor-a-Bull.” From the College of Education’s webpage: “The Tutor-a-Bull Project is a unique public/private partnership. Mr. Olin Mott began the reading and literacy program out of a strong passion for children in high need at the Joshua House. He connected three significant partners—Hillsborough County Public Schools, USF’s College of Education, and interested individuals (Michelin Golf Classic, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, etc.)—to address the needs of children in academic risk. Tutor-a-Bull is a model program that increases motivation for learning,

43 http://www.cutr.usf.edu/about-us/.

provides experiences for education majors to practice teaching in real-life settings, and provides academic support to middle and high school students in Hillsborough County Public Schools by USF College of Education students.”44 Visit their website for more information.  The College of Education also directs students to tutoring opportunities in the community through its Honors Program, SCATTER (SunCoast Area Teacher Training and Education Research). Visit their website for more information.45

44 http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/SCATTER/tutorabull.html. 45 http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/SCATTER/ServiceOpportunities.html.

Appendix C: Where Do We Go From Here?: Suggestions from Forum Participants, with Responses from the OCEP

 IDEAS: Create action groups or working groups that will actually make something happen! We’ve done too much planning already, and don’t need unnecessary meetings. We need strategies for moving forward so we see the progress that we’re making. Include groups that represent a broad range of perspectives. Participants should be committed to sticking with the issue to the end.  OCEP RESPONSE: The OCEP is committed to facilitating the formation of action groups to address poverty and inequality, as well as other issues of concern to the community. Our office will help match together community and university partners with similar goals, and we can provide logistical support to action groups by re-serving meeting spaces, distributing announcements, sending out invitations to meetings, and providing facilitation at workshops and forums. The OCEP will convene our first action group event on May 8, 2014. Feel free to contact our office if you are interested in forming an action group to address poverty and inequality, or related issues, in our community or local region.46  IDEAS: Find out from community what are the most common issues are faced by people living in poverty. Find ways to advocate for common solutions to common problems.

46 Contact us directly: Jennifer Webb ([email protected]; 813-974-4829) or Lance Arney ([email protected]; 813-974-0697).

 OCEP RESPONSE: We can add this item to our needs assessment of community organizations in our region.  IDEA: Invite government officials and local leaders to participate in our action-oriented conversation on poverty and inequality.  OCEP RESPONSE: Our office’s poverty and inequality working group got together to brainstorm ways to do that. One option we came up with would be a town hall style meeting where we invite government officials who are tied most directly to the issues of greatest concern to you. What do you think about this? Who would you be most interested in inviting to a town hall meeting? We will be listening to your suggestions during our upcoming action group meeting on May 8, 2014. We will also be sending out an email to gather ideas from those who cannot attend the May 8 meeting.  IDEA: Meaningful and productive partnerships take time—sometimes years—to build, but often begin over one issue or project at a time.  OCEP RESPONSE: The OCEP can help facilitate connections for specific issues whether that be in the form of action groups, engaged research projects, or community service- learning courses.  IDEAS: Student volunteers should be matched with issues to start working on them right away. Can the OCEP partner with community members and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engage- ment to mobilize student passion more effectively to address poverty and inequality in our region? There is a variety of opportunities in the community to meet many of the preferences of students.

 OCEP RESPONSE: The USF Tampa campus has over 40,000 students (including undergraduate and graduate students), many with a passion for community service. The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement prepares students for volunteer direct service opportunities. The OCEP will discuss this idea with the CLCE and together we’ll attempt to come up with a solution.  Additionally, the Center for Leadership and Civic Engage- ment holds an Annual Volunteer Fair, at which community organizations can directly recruit students for service projects, events, internships, etc. throughout the year.47 The OCEP will be sure to attend this event so that we can meet more community organizations and provide them with information about our office’s service-learning resources, as well as how to sign up for our listserv to receive our bi- weekly e-newsletter, which includes Requests for Partner- ships and other important announcements.  IDEA: Organizations need more individuals to help with doing outreach. Can USF help with this so that more people in our community can get the services they need?  OCEP RESPONSE: This could be an interesting action group or service-learning course.  IDEA: Already limited funding is becoming scarcer. This creates an unnecessary competition for funds, dividing and pitting organizations against each other when they should be working together to solve common problems in our community.  OCEP RESPONSE: This could make an interesting action group—one that focuses on identifying collaborative grants

47 http://www.leadandserve.usf.edu/commpartners.php.

and works to shift the service provider culture in our community from one of competition to that of collaboration. Competing will not increase funding, but coming together as a grant writing collaborative to identify and apply for available funding would increase the capacity of community organizations to serve the most vulnerable in our community.  IDEAS: Service-learning classes: students learn to apply what they are doing! Showcase service-learning courses at events with community groups so that they can learn more about what service- learning courses are capable of accomplishing, as well as what steps need to be taken to develop a service-learning course with a faculty member.  OCEP RESPONSE: The OCEP has begun hosting a service- learning workshop for community organizations and USF faculty. At this workshop, community organizations can share with faculty their needs and ideas for partnering with a service-learning course; and faculty can share with community organizations their research interests, expertise, and ideas for service-learning courses. Workshop participants will thus learn how to design service-learning courses built on mutually beneficial partnerships and intended to create collaborative approaches to developing solutions to community-identified concerns. OCEP staff will assist participants in thinking through conceptual questions as well as pragmatic and logistical questions.48 Already having a community or faculty partner will not be required to attend these workshop. OCEP staff will also show workshop participants

48 For a list of such questions, see Appendix x.

where they can find service-learning resources on our office’s website.49  On April 7, the OCEP held the inaugural Service-Learning Workshop for Community Organizations and USF Faculty. Two more sections of this matchmaking workshop have already been scheduled for August 14, 2014 and October 29, 2014; both will take place at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.50  The OCEP also publishes feature stories on outstanding examples of service-learning courses in our newsletters and on our website.51  Please note: The community should keep in mind that service-learning courses adhere to the university’s three-semester academic course calendar, and that advanced planning is required to develop a service-learning course well before the beginning of a given semester. For example, if a community organization would like to host service-learning students during, say, the fall semester, they should start planning with their faculty partner during the summer or spring semester.  IDEA: Individual colleges and departments at USF have programs that require students to complete a service project, field experience, internship, internship, practicum, etc. How can community organizations benefit from this?

49 http://www.usf.edu/engagement/resources/index.aspx. 50 For more information, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on August 14, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on October 29, click here. 51 http://www.usf.edu/engagement/engagement/featured_service-learn- ing_courses.aspx.

 OCEP RESPONSE: Part of the OCEP’s mission is to facilitate community–university partnerships. When you contact us with a partnership request, we pass your request on to the appropriate recipient, be it an academic department, center, or institute. If you’d like to have OCEP facilitate building a partnership between your organization and a faculty member at USF, contact our office or fill out our new online partnership request form.52  The College of Public Health is finding that more of its grad- uating students are working in non-traditional public health settings and is therefore willing to place student interns in non-traditional public health settings.53  IDEA: Have more networking events in the community rather than on campus, where parking is difficult and figuring out how to get to where you want to go can be frustrating.  OCEP RESPONSE: We are committed to holding as many of our community events as possible in the community rather than on campus. For example, our community poverty forum and our service-learning workshops for community organizations and USF faculty are being held off campus.  IDEA: Can community organizations provide the OCEP with summaries of their needs and have the OCEP help them find appropriate partners?  OCEP RESPONSE: Part of OCEP’s mission is to facilitate community–university partnerships. To do this we are prepared to pass on your requests to those who are most able to assist you. Often this requires that we act as “translators”

52 We will send out an announcement when this resource is made live. 53 http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/academicaffairs/fe/dfe/index.htm.

between the community and the university so that each can understand what the other is asking for. We have staff dedicated to doing just this! We also now hold off-campus service-learning workshops for community organizations and USF faculty, where we also provide assistance with university–community partnership building.54 Finally, we are creating an easy-to-use online partnership request form, which will allow you to describe what your organization’s particular needs are.55 Our hope is that this tool will increase the number of requests for collaboration.  IDEA: Include more community members in meetings, forums, and action groups.  OCEP RESPONSE: Including community members in our community engagement meetings, forums, and action groups would add very important perspectives. After all, the goal, most broadly stated, is to form community-engaged collaborations to address the local impacts of systemic and institutional poverty and inequality in our community.

54 For more information, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on August 14, click here. To RSVP for the workshop on October 29, click here. 55 We will send out an announcement when this resource is made live.

Appendix D: Feedback from Evaluations

How did you hear about this event?

. Approximately one-half of forum participants heard about the event from their supervisor, director, or co-worker. . Approximately one-fourth heard about it through the Chil- dren’s Board and/or the United Way. . Approximately one-fourth heard about it through OCEP/USF.

What did you like most?

. Passion expressed by participants. . Richness of ideas, exchange of knowledge, and the amount of collective intelligence gathered in one room. . Broad range of interests and disciplines represented. . Variety of participants; being able to dialogue with professionals from diverse fields and backgrounds. . “It’s rare for nonprofits to have the luxury of that thought leadership.” . Learning how interrelated service providers are, how much they have in common, and how similar their interests and needs are. . Having the opportunity to network with other community organizations, hear from each other about the issues at hand, and discuss possibilities for collaborating. . The collaborative and interactive nature of the event. . Small group discussions as well as open forum discussions.

. Demonstration of support from USF. Learning about its resources and how to access them, and getting to interact directly with USF representatives who have a comprehensive knowledge of university resources and how the university can collaborate with community organizations.

What would you have liked to be done differently at this event?

. More specific action plans, action steps, and action events. . Identify specific programs and policies to change. . More student participation; perhaps linking students with organizations. . Compile a list of specific needs organizations have that OCEP can follow-up on to connect organizations with specific professors or students.

What would you like to happen at a follow-up event on poverty and community-university engagement?

. Build collaborations around community impact areas. . Form partnerships and working groups with more structure for action planning. . Develop research projects, evaluations, and needs assessments. . Identify funding sources and grants. . Create action plans; identify action items. . Hold a similar meeting with CEOs and agency leaders to pick 1-3 agreed upon focus areas that connect to poverty intervention. . Have government agencies convene a similar meeting with government leaders present.

. Include parents and community members. . More time for focus area groups to talk. . Provide more information on specific available partnerships with USF staff and students. . More information about interns’ availability; sign up students to volunteer with agencies. . Matchmaking and hold resource fairs (for partners of USF) in different communities.

Appendix E: Logistical and Practical Questions to Consider for Forming a Ser- vice-Learning Course Partnership

Questions for community organizations to consider:

Begin by thinking about the work of your organization and breaking it down into concrete tasks.

. How much time does each task take? What are the required skills to do the work? What additional assistance, skills, and knowledge does your organization currently need? How could service-learning students help to fill this gap? . How many students can the organization adequately manage, and in what roles? . What will the students do, specifically, for the organization (e.g., type of direct service, desired deliverable)? . What kind of pre-service training or orientation will be provided for the students? Who will provide it? What special skills are required of the students, if any? What information about the organization and/or project needs to be included in that training? . How much on-site training and supervision are the students likely to require? How many hours per week will the staff have to mentor service-learning students? . What other kinds of assistance could the organization use to more effectively manage service-learning students? . What will students learn from their service experiences at the organization?

. What are the intended short- and long-term goals of the service-learning project for the organization? . How can the service-learning project further the organization’s mission? . How will the organization implement the recommendations, use the research findings, or sustain the service after the service-learning project ends? . How can the organization build on the service-learning project with another service-learning course in the future? . How else could the organization contribute to the class (e.g., guest lecture, attend or host student class presentations, assist with student/project evaluations), and vice versa?

Questions for university faculty/instructors to consider:

Begin by thinking about the goals for your course.

. What do you want your students to learn? What might students learn in a community context that they are unlikely to learn in a classroom? What kind(s) of service-learning assignments are most likely to accomplish these learning outcomes? Do these projects lend themselves to individual or group work? . What type(s) of service-learning assignments would best serve the learning objectives of the course? . How will the students’ service at the site benefit the organization? . What is the anticipated course enrollment?

. What kind of pre-service training or orientation will be provided for the students—and who will provide it? What information about the course and/or project needs to be included in that training? . What special parameters are required of the service-learning assignment (e.g., direct contact with a specific demographic, ability to practice certain skills)? . Are there any prerequisites for the course? . How will the instructor incorporate the students’ community experiences into classroom activities (e.g., reflection, course assignments)? . What are the intended short- and long-term goals of the service-learning project for the students? . How will the instructor facilitate the delivery of final reports or research findings to the community partner after the service-learning project ends? . What mechanisms are needed for keeping track of student work (e.g., time sheets, attendance slips, sign-in logs, etc.)?

Appendix F: Elected Officials

See the following pages for lists of elected officials.

Combine your professional service to our community with your political voice to Be Unstop-a-Bull! Turn concern or criticism into political action in just 7 minutes. Call or email your elected officials.

President Congressional Representatives: The Senate Name Barack Obama (D) Bill Nelson (D) Marco Rubio (R) Address The White House United States Senate Sam Gibbons Federal United States Senate 3802 Spectrum Blvd, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 716 Senate Hart Office Court House 284 Russell Senate Office Suite 106 Washington, D.C. 20500 Building 801 N. Florida Avenue, Building Tampa, FL 33612 Washington, D.C. 20510 4th Floor Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone 202-456-1111 202-224-5274 813-225-7040 202-224-3041 813-977-6450 Website www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president- www.billnelson.senate.gov www.rubio.senate.gov obama/

Congressional Representatives: The House of Representatives

Florida House Guide to Committees, Subcommittees and Joint Committees: www.myfloridahouse.gov/FileStores/Web/HouseContent/Approved/ClerksOffice/HouseDirectory.pdf Name Michael ‘Gus’ Bilirakis (R) Kathy Castor (D) Dennis Ross (R) Vern Buchanan (R) Tom Rooney (R) Distict& 12: Hillsborough, Pasco, 14: Hillsborough 15: Hillsborough, Polk 16: Manatee, Sarasota 17: Portions of Polk, Manatee, Counties Pinellas Hillsborough and Lee DC Phone 202-225-5755 202-225-3376 202-225-1252 202-225-5015 202-255-5792 Website www.bilirakis.house.gov www.castor.house.gov www.dennisross.house.gov www.buchanan.house.gov www.rooney.house.gov

Local 5901 Argerian Dr., Suite 4144 N. Armenia Ave., Suite 170 Fitzgerald Rd, Suite 1 1051 Manatee Avenue 11345 Big Bend Road Contact: 102 300 Lakeland, FL 33813 West, Suite 305 Riverview, FL 33579 Address Wesley Chapel, FL 33545 Tampa, FL 33607 Bradenton, FL 34205 Phone 813-501-4942 813-871-2817 863-644-8215, 941-747-9081 813-677-8646 813-752-4790 Local 600 Klosterman Road, University of South Florida - 111 South Orange Avenue, Contact: Room BB-038 St. Pete Williams House Floor 2R, Suite 202W Address Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 511 Second Street S. Sarasota, FL 34236 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone 727-940-5860 727-873-2817 941-951-6643

The Florida State Cabinet

Position Governor Attorney General Chief Financial Officer Commissioner of Agriculture Name Rick Scott (R) Pam Bondi (R) Jeff Atwater (R) Adam Putnam (R) Address Office of Governor Rick Office of Attorney General Florida Department of Florida Department of Scott State of Florida Financial Services Agriculture and Consumer State of Florida The Capitol PL-01 200 East Gaines Street Services The Capitol Tallahassee, FL 32399 Tallahassee, FL 32399 Plaza Level 10, The Capitol 400 South Monroe Street 400 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399 Tallahassee, FL 32399 Phone 850-717-9337 850-414-3300 850-413-3089 850-488-3800 Email www.flgov.com/contact- www.myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf www.myfloridacfo.com/a adam.putnam@freshfromflori gov-scott/email-the- /contact?Open&Section=Attorney_G skFLDFS/ da.com governor/ eneral Website www.flgov.com www.myfloridalegal.com www.myfloridacfo.com www.freshfromflorida.com

State Supreme Court

500 South Duval Street Clerk’s Office: 850-488-1025 Tallahassee, Florida Email: [email protected] 32399 Website: www.floridasupremecourt.org Position Chief Justice Justice Justice Justice Justice Justice Justice Name Ricky Polston Barbara Pariente R. Fred Lewis Peggy Quince Charles Canady Jorge Labarga James E.C. Perry Phone 850-488-2361 850-488-8421 850-488-0007 850-922-5642 850-410-8092 850-413-8371 850-921-1096 Email www.floridas www.floridasupr www.floridas www.floridasu www.floridasupr www.floridasupr www.floridasupre upremecourt.o emecourt.org/jus upremecourt.o premecourt.org emecourt.org/jus emecourt.org/jus mecourt.org/justic rg/justices/pol tices/pariente.sht rg/justices/lew /justices/quince tices/canady.sht tices/labarga.sht es/perry.shtml ston.shtml ml is.shtml .shtml ml ml

State Senators Name Jeff Brandes (R) Bill Galvano (R) Arthenia Joyner (D) John Legg (R) Tom Lee (R) District 22 26 10 17 24 Local 3637 Fourth Street North, 1023 Manatee Avenue 508 West Dr. Martin Luther 262 Crystal Grove 915 Oakfield Drive, Address Suite 101 West, Suite 201 King, Jr. Blvd., Suite C Blvd. Suite D St. Petersburg, FL 33704 Bradenton, FL 34205 Tampa, FL 33603 Lutz, FL 33528 Brandon, FL 33511 Phone 1 727-552-2745 941-741-3401 813-233-4277 813-909-9919 813-653-7061 Phone 2 850-487-5026 850-487-5026 850-487-5019 850-487-5017 Email brandes.jeff.web@flsenat galvano.bill.web@flsen joyner.arthenia.web@flsena legg.john.web@flsen lee.tom.web@flsenate. e.gov ate.gov te.gov ate.gov gov Website www.flsenate.gov/Senato www.flsenate.gov/Sena www.flsenate.gov/Senators/ www.flsenate.gov/Se www.flsenate.gov/Sen rs/s22 tors/s26 s19 nators/s17 ators/s24

State Representatives for Hillsborough County Name Jake Raburn (R) Dan Raulerson (R) Ross Spano (R) Dana Young (R) Darryl Rouson (D)* District 57 58 59 60 70 Phone 1 813-653-7097 813-757-9110 813-655-3742 813-835-2270 727-552-3200 Phone 2 850-717-5057 850-717-5058 850-717-5059 850-717-5060 850-717-5070 Email jake.raburn@myfloridah dan.raulerson@myflori ross.spano@myfloridahouse Dana.Young@my Darryl.Rouson@myfl ouse.gov dahouse.gov .gov floridahouse.gov oridahouse.gov Local 3618 Erindale Drive 110 West Reynolds 11256 Winthrop Main 2909 West Bay to 535 Central Avenue, Address Valrico, FL 33596 Street, Suite 204 Street, Unit A Bay Blvd, Ste 202 Suite 312 Plant City, FL 33563 Riverview, FL 33678 Tampa, FL 33629 St. Pete., FL 33701 Secretary Mary LaFollette Robyn Bryant Gloria Perez Melonie Hoyt Tennille Moore

State Senators (Continued) Name Betty Reed (D) Janet Cruz (D) Mark Danish (D) J. W. Grant (R) Darryl Rouson (D)* District 61 62 63 64 70 Phone 1 813-241-8024 813-673-4673 813-910-3269 813-265-6280 941-708-8570 Phone 2 850-717-5061 850-717-5062, 850-717-5063 850-717-5064 850-488-0925 850-488-9460 Email Betty.Reed@myfloridaho Janet.Cruz@myflorida mark.danish@myfloridahou James.Grant@my Darryl.Rouson@myfl use.gov house.gov se.gov floridahouse.gov oridahouse.gov Local 2109 East Palm Avenue, 2221 North Himes 3246 Cove Bend Drive 12956 North Dale 302 Manatee Avenue, Address Suite 201 Avenue, Suite B Tampa, FL 33613 Mabry Highway Suite 304 Tampa, FL 33605 Tampa, FL 33607 Tampa, FL 33618 Bradenton, FL 34208 Secretary Patricia Givens Carlos Ramos Brian Mason Joshua Bent Leila Wilson Hillsborough County Commissioners 601 East Kennedy Boulevard, 2nd Floor Website: www.hillsboroughcounty.org Tampa, Florida 33602 Email: https://webapps.hillsboroughcounty.org/bocc/ Name Sandra L. Victor D. Les Miller, Al Higgenbotham Ken Hagan Kevin Mark Sharpe Murman (R) Crist (R) Jr. (D) (R) (R) Beckner (D) (R) District/ 1 (Board Vice 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Board Position Chair) Chairman) Phone 813-272-5470 813-272-5720 813-272-5720 813-272-5740 813-272-5725 813-272-5730 813-272-5735 Fax 813-272-7046 813-272-7047 813-272-7048 813-272-7049 813-272-7052 813-272-7053 813-272-7054

Hillsborough County Constitutional Officers 2013-2014 Directory of County Services: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/documentcenter/view/8204

Position Sherrif Supervisor of Elections Clerk of Circuit Court Property Appraiser Tax Collector Name David Gee (R) Craig Latimer (D) Pat Frank (D) Bob Henriquez (D) Doug Belden (R) Address 2008 East 8th Ave 601 East Kennedy Blvd., 601 East Kennedy 601 East Kennedy 601 East Kennedy Tampa, FL 33605 16th Floor Blvd., 13th Floor Blvd., 16th Floor Blvd., 14th Floor Tampa, FL 33602 Tampa, FL 33602 Tampa, FL 33602 Tampa, FL 33602 Phone 813-247-8000 813-272-4932 813-272-5830 813-272-6100 813-635-5200 Website www.hcso.tampa.fl.us www.votehillsborough.org www.hillsclerk.org www.hcpafl.org www.hillstax.org

Other Hillsborough County Elected

Position Chief Judge - Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Public Defender Hillsborough County, Florida Name Manuel Menendez, Jr. Mark Ober (R) Julianne M. Holt (D) Address George E. Edgecomb Courthouse 419 Pierce Street 700 East Twiggs Street, 5th 800 East Twiggs Street, 6th Floor Tampa, FL 33602 Floor Tampa, FL 33602 Tampa, FL 33602 Phone 813-272-5022 813-272-5400 813-272-5980 Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Website www.fljud13.org (Complete listing of all judges www.sao13th.com www.pd13.state.fl.us can be found here.)

City of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn www.tampagov.net/appl_customer_service_center/form.asp?strServiceID=708 www.tampagov.net 306 East Jackson Street Phone: 813-274-8251 Tampa, FL 33602 Email: [email protected]

Tampa City Council 315 East Kennedy Blvd., 3rd Floor Tampa, FL 33602 http://www.tampagov.net/dept_city_council/ Name Mike Suarez Mary Yvonne Yolie Harry Cohen Frank Charlie Miranda Lisa Mulhern Capin (Chair Pro-Tem) Reddick (Chair) Montelione District 1 (At-Large) 2 (At-Large) 3 (At-Large) 4 5 6 7 Phone 813-274-7072 813-274-7071 813-274-8133 813-274-8134 813-274-8189 813-274-7074 813-274-7073 Email Mike.Suarez@ Mary.Mulher Yvonne.Capin Harry.Cohen@ta Frank.Reddic Charlie.Miranda Lisa.Montelio tampagov.net n@tampagov. @tampagov.n mpagov.net k@tampagov. @tampagov.net ne@tampagov net et net .net

Hillsborough County School Board

School Board Office Superintendent 901 East Kennedy Blvd. MaryEllen Elia Tampa, FL 33602 PO Box 3408 www.sdhc.k12.fl.us Tampa, FL 33601 Phone: 813-272-4045 Phone: 813-272-4000 Fax: 813-272-4022 Email: [email protected] Name Susan Valdes Candy Olsen Cindy Stuart Stacy White Doretha April Griffin Carol W. Kurdell (Vice Chair) Edgecomb (Board Chair) District 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eamil Susan.Valdes@s Candy.Olsen@ Cindy.Stuart@ Stacy.White@ Doretha.Edge April.Griffin Carol.Kurdell@sd dhc.k12.fl.us sdhc.k12.fl.us sdhc.k12.fl.us sdhc.k12.fl.us [email protected] @sdhc.k12.fl. hc.k12.fl.us 12.fl.us us Website www.sdhc.k12.fl www.sdhc.k12 www.sdhc.k12 www.sdhc.k1 www.sdhc.k1 www.sdhc.k1 www.sdhc.k12.fl. .us/board/Form_ .fl.us/board/For .fl.us/board/For 2.fl.us/board/ 2.fl.us/board/ 2.fl.us/board/ us/board/Form_B Board.asp m_Board.asp m_Board.asp Form_Board.a Form_Board.a Form_Board.a oard.asp sp sp sp City of Temple Terrace

City Hall City Manager 11250 North 56th Street Gerald Seeber Temple Terrace, Florida 11250 North 56th Street 33617 Temple Terrace, FL 33617 Staff Office Phone: 813-506-6570 Phone: 813-506-6400 www.templeterrace.com Email: [email protected] Name Mayor Frank Chillura Councilmember Grant Rimbey Councilmember Eddie Vance Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Name Councilmember Alison M. Fernandez Councilmember Robert ‘Bob’ Boss Councilmember David Pogorilich Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Pasco County Commission

8731 Citizens Drive 37918 Meridian Avenue Land O’ Lakes New Port Richey, FL 34654 Dade City, FL 33525 Phone: 813-996-2411, Phone: 727-847-2411 ext. 8100 Phone: 352-521-2411 extension 8100 Name Ted Schrader, District 1 Pat Mulieri, Ed.D., District 2 Kathryn Starkey, District 3 Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Name Henry Wilson (Vice Chairman), District 4 Jack Mariano (Chairman), District 5 Email [email protected] [email protected]

City of Plant City

302 West Reynolds Street PO Box C Plant City, FL 33564 Phone: 813-659-4200 www.plantcitygov.com City Manager City Clerk Gregory S. Horwedel City Attorney Kerri J. Miller Phone: 813-659-4274 Kenneth W. Buchman, ESQ Phone: 813-659-4237 Email: [email protected] Phone: 813-659-4242 Email: [email protected] Commision Group 1 Vice-Mayor/Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Mayor/Group 5 Name William J. Keel Rick A. Lott William D. Dodson Michael S. Sparkman Mary Y. Thomas Mathis