Eye on the Storm: The Official Undergraduate Admissions Blog of the National Leader in Experiential, Hands-on Learning

This past January I completed my final Field Period at U.S. Probation.  Before  I could complete my Field Period at this placement, I had to write to a Federal Judge to get his letter of recommendation and then be interviewed by a U.S. Probation Officer.  Nonetheless, I got in!!  This one of the best experiences of my life. Let me tell you about it…. 

Throughout the month, I went to Federal Court with my supervisor almost everyday.  I got to see a person who would cut off their fingertips to change their identity, many drug dealers/users, sex offenders, and people who violated their probation.  I also got to meet a person who tried to assassinate a president…really cool!!!!  I went to many jails around the state to interview offenders who were recently arrested or were waiting for their sentence.  I wrote several Bail Reports to Federal Judges to tell them more about the offender; their ties to the community, drug history, job/school information, monetary information and my recommendation to either detain or release the offender.

When completing this Field Period, I wrote in my journal everyday about my experiences and what I was learning.  I had to also complete unique documentation which was so much fun.  I made up a pretend person, Mildred Baxter, who had robbed a bank to pay for her outstanding medical bills due to her knee surgeryfrom falling on the ice.  I had to really go in depth when I had to talk about her mental health, family history, how she worked at a local diner, and how she took many pain pills, of which she was addicted.  I also had her gave her two prior DWI charges and was court ordered to attended self-help groups.  I really had fun making up this person and her life story.  This really made me more familiar with the Federal Criminal Justice System and the paperwork U.S. Probation Officers have to complete daily.  

I also was a part of research for the office.  The Chief of the office wanted to see how much his probation officers made contact with their offenders in the field.  This includes seeing the offender at his/her home, work, school or community.  I had to go through each probation officers travel logs and document each visit onto a spreadsheet.  I found out that probation officers really do not make much contact with their offender in the field which really surprised me.  These offenders are criminals who have committed hard federal crimes and need as much supervision as they can get. 

Overall my experience was amazing.  If I decide that I would like to strive to be a U.S. Probation Officer, I would need my masters degree.

Hello all,

I have missed blogging for the past semester.  I have been completing a semester long internship at Hillbrook Detention Center.  Hillbrook is a juvenile detention center for males and females aged 10-16.  There are two types of residents Hillbrook serve:  a juvenile delinquent is someone who commits a less serous crime and a juvenile offender is an individual who commits a crime that would be considered a serious crime if committed by an adult.  These individuals have been charged with crime(s) and are placed at Hillbrook by a Family Court Judge.  They must be housed during the duration of their court proceedings.  If they are convicted, they will be placed in the facilities run by the Office of Child and Family Services around New York State.

During their stay at Hillbrook, they still do normal everyday activities.  Class subjects include: Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Skills.  They are also required to have an hour of gym either inside or outside when the weather permits.  After school is over, they participate in arts and crafts, board games, card games and other activities put into place by administration.  They are also assigned to a social worker who connects the resident to their family and helps them through this rough patch of their life.

I mostly hung out with the females.  They were a lot of fun to work with.  We played badminton, basketball and Frisbee golf.  I went to class with them and heard about their lives at home.  They also taught me how to play various card games such as Skip-Bo and Spades. 

I also worked with administration during my time at Hillbrook.  I worked directly with the training coordinator to help get the training department organized.  I completed the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training, Mandated Reporter Training, Fire Safety Training and Workplace Violence Training.  I also worked with my supervisor to complete a “Training Catalog” for 2010 which listed every training offered with an explaination of the training with dates and times when offered. 

I also did research for my supervisor.  He had me read all of the females served in 2009 to try and find similarities and differences between them.  I completed a spreadsheet to try and find areas of drug/ alcohol use, family history, mental disorders, etc.  The information I found was to be used in a conference where the director of Hillbrook was going to show off my research to legislators of Onondaga County.  The county budget was trying to cut the females from Hillbrook completely, thus sending them to Erie County three hours away from home.  Hillbrook’s administrators did everything they could but were unsuccessful.  Females were cut out of the budget and are not being housed in Erie County. 

This semester long internship provided me with a ton of experience.  I grew professionally, personally and culturally.  I worked successfully with many different individuals who have been through a lot.  I really would love to obtain a carrer in this field of study.  I feel as if juveniles have a chance to turn their lives around and become successful in life and I could help provide that boost of confidence.

Hey Guys and Gals,

I hope everyone’s summers are going smoothly.  Before we all know it, it will be the end of August; summers go by so fast.  This summer, I have secured a placement for my semester-long internship at Hillbrook Detention Center in Syracuse, NY.  All Criminology and Criminal Justice majors are required to fulfill this requirement before graduating.  However, many majors such as Social Work and ASL , to name a few, require this internship as well. 

Most Criminology and Criminal Justice majors complete this internship during the fall semester of their senior year so they can finish up classes in the spring before they graduate. 

Facts you will need to know:

-You must have 84 credit hours before completing this internship. 

-After gaining approval from your advisor, you should register for the Internship Course (CRM 401) during regular course registration

-Must complete 490 hours total   (35 hours/week for 14 weeks)

-You will be required to purchase a textbook, maintain a journal, and complete written work in order to reflect upon and get the most out of the internship experience

-You can take classes along with the internship.  However, keep in mind you will have a full-time internship requirement which will take up most of your time. 

-Your advisor can help you locate a site or there are several lists that can be found in the Center for Experiential Learning Office and on various websites provided by the college. 

-If you are lucky you can find a paid internship, but that is completely up to the site.

-The internship contract form needs to be completed and signed by the supervisor at the site, your advisor and yourself to fully complete the registration process.

-After completion,  you will have earned 12 credit hours towards your degree

I hope this gave you a little insight about how the internship works.  Please do not hesitate to ask questions. 

In the future, look forward to reading about how my internship is going

One of the biggest reasons why I picked Keuka College was because of the field periods.  In case you don’t know, field periods are 140 hour internships in which you can complete in January, when we have no school. However, you don’t have to complete them during January, you can decide to do one in the summer.  You must fulfill four field periods before graduating.  Some majors require your last two field periods in your junior and senior years to be in you field of study. 

I have bloged about my previous field periods but figured I would list a few other examples so you can get a feel for what other people have done.

-Radio Stations

-Schools (this is nice if you wanted to go back to your hometown)

-American Red Cross

-Medical Centers/ Hospitals

-Police Departments

-Jails/ Correctional Facilities

-Camps

-Nursing Homes

-Rehabilitation Centers

-Counseling Services

-Theaters

-Various Businesses

-Historical Societies

-Newspaper Agencies

-Institutes for the Deaf

-Libraries

-Mental Health Clinics

-Public Relations

The list is endless for opportunities!!!

Many questions regarding the major of criminology and criminal justice have recently surfaced.  Since I am a Criminal Justice Major and I thought I could try and answer a few…

Why do I have to major in both Criminology and Criminal Justice?? Why not just one?

In order to give students a complete education, Keuka College has put both Criminology and Criminal Justice together to better prepare you for your career.  Criminology is the scientific study of a crime where as Criminal Justice involves the study of law-enforcement agencies, courts, corrections, and criminal law and their relationship. 

What types of courses do have to take?

We take courses in political science, sociology and psychology. Criminology Theory and Methods, Predatory Crime and Violence, Juvenile Delinquency, White-Collar Crime, Corporate Crime, and Victimology, Intoduction to Criminal Justice, Relations of Law Enforcement, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Law, Punishment, Treatment, and Corrections, and Juvenile Justice are a few classes that we are required to take before we graduate. 

How are the professors?

I have come to notice that most faculty here at Keuka are very approachable and supportive.  They know so much in their field of study it amazes me.  They have such a passion for teaching and they truly care about our success.   They are always willing to help in any way possible and are very understanding.   

What got you interested in Keuka’s Criminology and Criminal Justice Program?

As an incoming freshman, I was originally a Political Science and History major.  I was really unsure what I wanted to do.  I did my first field period at the District Attorney’s office in my hometown and sat in on a rape trial.  This is when I figured out that I am in the wrong major.  I knew I couldn’t be a prosecutor or defense attorney which I had originally wanted to do when I graduated.  I was really more interested in the rehabilitation or alternatives to incarceration process. 

It was that next semester when I changed my major to Criminology and Criminal Justice.  My advisor helped me tremendously through this process.  I feel as if this major fits me so much better and I am still really happy with my decision.  I feel on top of the world because I finally found my niche and even made the dean’s list this semester!! 

I hope this helps in helping answer some of the questions you may have. 

Completing a Keuka Field Period is not only fun, but you learn so much in just one month.  There are also some responsibilities that come with a Field Period that must be completely fulfilled before you can earn your 3 credits.

Before completing a field period, you must fill out a learning contract which outlines what your goals, objectives, and activities you wish to experience during your time at the site.  You also must choose an unique documentation which could be but are not limited to, a scrapbook, videotaping yourself in action, a portfolio or PowerPoint presentation, just to name a few.  This contract must be approved and signed by your advisor.  Then you must have your site supervisor sign the contract as well. Once all of the paperwork is complete, you are ready to embark on a Field Period Adventure!!! 

During your field period, you are required to write a journal entry every day to explain what your observed, took part in, or just thought about throughout the day.  This journal will be handed in at the end of completion of your field period to your advisor. 

After your field period, you must finish your unique documentation which you chose when filling out your learning contract.  You also must complete a summary paper of about 3-4 pages in length which talks about what you did and observed, analyzing what you did, and what are you going to take from what you learned.  Your journal is a very helpful tool when writing your summary paper.

Overall, the Field Period process is not too difficult if you really put effort into it.  Look at it this way, you get a month off of school work and all of this experience will help you in the long run.  If you really think about it, if you were at a job interview with another recent college graduate who did not graduate from Keuka, and you had a lot more experience in the professional field from your Field Periods then the other graduate, who do you think will get the job? I’ll let you decide.

I wanted to share experiences about my current field period site. I am completing my third field period at the Onondaga County Department of Mental Health Cedar Street Day Treatment Program in Syracuse, NY. This program is for students ages 5-12 years old who have been labeled with varied mental health diagnoses. These kids cannot function in a local public school, they perform better in a well-structured classroom with one-to-one help. I have been placed into a classroom of five boys ages 5-7 years old. These boys have been labeled as emotionally disturbed and have diagnoses such as Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Attention- Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Anxiety Disorder, to name a few.

These kids are very damaged emotionally. They often have breakdowns and tantrums throughout the day. There has to be a 3 kid to one adult ratio. In the classroom I am observing, there is a teacher, child care worker 1 and child care worker 2. If you did the math, only 9 kids max would be allowed in the classroom.

It is amazing how much they really do with the kids each day. Upon arrival, the kids are to brush their teeth and get to breakfast. After breakfast, depending on the day, they will either go to art, gym or swim. After activities, they have a series of subjects to complete, like a regular classroom. The kids have scheduled times with a Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, and Psychologist. Lunch, group therapy, and social skills are scheduled during the day as well. The main goal for treatment is for the student to be able to control anger, work together with classmates, and follow directions. When a student is able to complete these tasks without any fuss, they are evaluated and placed back into a public school.

Overall my experience was a definate eye opener. I got to see first hand how drugs, alcohol and mental health have split homes and damaged kids. My heart goes out to these kids and all they have had to go through and they are only 5-7 years old.

Last week I met with my academic adviser to finish my course selection for this upcoming Spring 2009 semester.  As a third year criminal justice student, I had a very clear cut course load to schedule myself for.  I have to take two night classes, Criminal Law and Micro Social Theory.  Night classes aren’t too bad they just interfere with television shows.  I also have to take statistics which is a requirement of my major.  I am kind of scared for stats, I have heard it is pretty hard.  However, I am good at math so I am not going to let those rumors scare me too much.

Legislative Process is another requirement of my major.  All I know is it is a political science course. I am also taking Environmental Science with a lab because I have procrastinated for three years and now just deciding to get it over with.  I was hoping it would just go away but it still haunts me to this day (science is not my cup of tea).

As I sat down with my adviser, she advised me that there was a second part to my Introduction to Spanish class I am currently in.  She said I needed to take it.  So she added that class on top of my already hectic courseload.  I can’t blame her because I need to be able to speak Spanish fluently if I want to become a Probation Officer.  If my calculations are correct, for the Spring 2009 semester, I will be taking 19 credits…. OH BOY!!!!

Upon arrival Freshman year, your schedule is already made for you in advance.  However, your spring semester freshman year and each semester following, you are in charge of meeting with your adviser and setting up your schedule!!!! FREEDOM!!!!

You can finally create your own schedule and fill it in with all of those amazing classes that you are dying to take. (Just a hint of sarcasm).  Some advise, before meeting with your adviser, make sure you have a rough copy of what classes you are thinking of taking.  Once your adviser has approved your schedule, he or she will sign it and you are almost finished.

On your day of registering, depending on how many credits you have earned, you would go to the second floor of Hegeman and give it to the secretary.  She then will register you for each class you selected and you are finished. You can then push your Staples button that says, “That was easy.”

Hola Amigos,

Professor of Spanish Michaela Cosgrove

Professor Cosgrove, my Intro to Spanish teacher, is my hero.

All throughout high school, I haven’t been able to grasp vocabulary, verb forms, etc. You would think that after three years of high school Spanish I would be able to speak it fluently.  However, that is not the case.  It has slowly come back to me this semester with the help of Professor Cosgrove.

She drills the terms and verb forms with daily quizzes and everyday makes us use what we have learned thus far in class.  She is one of the best teachers I have ever had.  It is refreshing to say that she really has a passion for teaching and won’t leave anyone behind if they are struggling.

To really give you a sense of devotion, Professor Cosgrove met with me at 7:30 a.m. (the only time she had avaliable) because I was having a hard time with verb forms for the mid-term later that day.  My advisor had pushed me to take Spanish this year because the profession that I am looking to proceed with after college, probation, has many people “in the system” who do not speak English, but Spanish.

I am very lucky to have Professor Cosgrove as a teacher this semester.  I have learned so much already this semester and will continue to learn until the last day of this class.

A big thanks to Professor Cosgrove for pushing me to learn and apply what I have learned everyday.

Hello All,

Welcome to my page. As you probably know, my name is Brittany Bridenbaker and I am a junior here. I’m a criminology and criminal justice major with a minor in political science and history. I have completed Field Periods at the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office and the Onondaga County Probation Department. Both of which I have learned so much from. I am a member of the KC Step Team which really helps me get away from school work. I am also a member of BAKU (Barriers of Ancient Kultures United) the multicultural club on campus that helps the Keuka community “get kultured”.

Stay tuned for future blogs. Thanks for reading.