The BSW program administrators and faculty are committed to the creation of an implicit learning environment with strong student participation and multiple opportunities for students’ involvement in the life of the program. We are very pleased to have active undergraduate student organizations affiliated with either exclusive social work membership or extensive BSW student involvement.
The social work students, with strong faculty encouragement and support, have developed and maintained a viable student Social Work Club. The Social Work Club is directed and employed by the students as a vehicle for professional socialization and growth as well as a means for formal input into the program. It is recognized as a viable student organization on campus and is financed by student government operating funds. A social work faculty member serves as an advisor to the organization and the Social Work Program subsidizes the Social Work Club's operating budget on an as-needed basis.
The National Alliance of Black Social Workers was formed in May 1968 in San Francisco, California. It was created by a coalition of African American social work groups and practitioners, united to combat individual and institutional racism in the American social welfare system. The NABSW Student Chapter of the Center for Social Work Education was chartered in March 1998 with the help of the Philadelphia Chapter Alliance of Black Social workers and seventeen graduate and undergraduate students. The organization follows the by-laws and dues structure of the national office in Detroit, Michigan and provides students of African descent a supportive environment, an opportunity for service, as well as professional and cultural development.
University-Wide Clubs & Organizations
Having fun, becoming a leader, and making a difference are what Widener's clubs and organizations are all about. Students can choose from over 85 clubs and organizations--everything from sports to student government to dance to foreign languages, anime, and other interests. See the following link here for more information:
http://www.widener.edu/campus_life/clubs/default.aspx
BSW Representation in Governance
At the University level, students participate in administrative decisions through representation on the Student Life and Affairs Committee of Widener University Council, the Student Government Association, the Interfraternity Council, the Social Affairs committee and certain faculty committees. The Student Government president attends the December meeting of the Board of Trustees. The Student Government Association of the Pennsylvania Campus exercises legislative, executive and judicial supervision over the day student population on its campus. The lnterfraternity Council of the Pennsylvania Campus supervises and coordinates the activities of the six national fraternities (plus one colony) and the three national sororities. The Social Affairs Committee provides the day students of the Pennsylvania Campus with various forms of entertainment, including rock concerts, cultural and educational events and off-campus outings.
The Center for Social Work Education committees that have BSW representatives include the Center for Social Work Education Advisory Board, the Diversity Committee, the Academic Affairs Committee, and occasionally ad hoc Search Committees.