Transitioning Times

When I read headlines like this it gives me a sense of dread that students in our institutions of higher learning lack the conscience, morality, and basic human goodness that would prevent them from  behaving in such a manner.   The blatant disregard these fraternity members showed for other people’s bodies, their rights, feelings, and very lives exposes a disturbing level of ignorance about what is right and what is wrong in regards to our relationship with other people.  Kappa Delta Rho’s website claims that it has been over a century that this fraternal order has been charged with developing “educated gentlemen who promote human dignity, positive relationships among men, and moral excellence of the highest ideals.”  Excellent - except for the fact that the frat members on Penn State campus evidently thought it was perfectly okay to use a private, invitation-only Facebook page to post photos of nude and partially nude women in sexual or otherwise embarr...

You would think in this day and age that sexual orientation and sexual harassment/bullying would cease to exist.   That one would be free and encouraged to be true to oneself and that others would be found to be supportive and loving to those perhaps different then themselves.   The biases continue to be prevalent in our communities.   One of the passages from childhood into adolescence is the development and understanding of sexuality. This includes understanding one’s body, gender identity, sexual orientation, and values about sexual activity. During this time many teens begin to explore their sexuality and can be a very challenging time of transitioning. When a teen is questioning their sexual orientation it can be a very lonely and difficult time in their lives. What Is Sexual Harassment? Sexual harassment occurs when a person is subject to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature to such ...

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  This year, we are hosting a mock trial at the Union County Courthouse on April 15 th at 6:30 p.m.  Whenever there is a scandal surrounding sexual assault, many people ask how this could have happened in our community.  Including many people from the criminal justice system, including President Judge Michael Hudock, Judge Michael Sholley, District Attorney Michael Piecuch, Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Crossland, North Penn Legal Services Managing Attorney Peter Macky and a representative from the Buffalo Valley Regional Police, showcases how Union and Snyder Counties are working together  to stop sexual assault.   Mock trials have been used throughout the country for this same purpose.  Colleges , military bases , and communities have all used mock trials to raise awareness about sexual assault.  For me, this mock trial serves two purposes.  The first is to show victim/survivors that o...

Childhood should be the safest time of our lives. While we are doing the hard work of growing, developing, and learning, we should be able to play, have fun, feel loved, and be safe with no worries about food, clothing, and shelter. Unfortunately, this is not the situation for many of our children of today. Millions of children in the United States alone, experience some kind of traumatic event each year. These traumatic events take many forms. The events could be related to abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, car accidents, death of a friend or family member, natural disasters, or a whole host of other possibilities. Just what does the impact of trauma look like for a child? This varies greatly based on each individual child. Factors that influence the symptoms include: the magnitude of trauma, how much of a threat does the child perceive the crisis event to be, previous trauma experienced, family stability, mental health of the child and immediate family members, and social sup...