University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 42, Ed. 1 Friday, March 29, 1996 Page: 4 of 6
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ISPFeatures
University Press • Friday, March 29,1996 • Page 4
Competence, determination rubs off on students
^7 n our society, there are a great num-
f / ber of people who need help — rang-
J ing from housing to health care. The
training for people to enter such
fields happens right here on the Lamar
University-Beaumont campus. Vemice Monroe,
director of the social work program, is one of
many professionals on the Lamar campus bring-
ing personal experiences and knowledge to the
classroom to help produce competent social ser-
vice agents.
The Kansas City, Mo. native strongly believes
in her students learning the material and retain-
ing it for professional stability.
• “To be competent professionals, students
must have a strong knowledge base,” Monroe
said. “Being a competent social worker leads to
confidence in work.”
Students of Monroe feel she is tough in many
ways, but Monroe just wants students to never
Forget what they have learned.
“I am tough in that I firmly believe in students
earning and retaining material. Social work
classes are sequential. What is learned in one
class is used and built upon in the next course,”
Monroe said.
Katy Dupree, senior social work major, said
Monroe is an excellent instructor and not as
harsh as some students think.
“She’s very understanding to students’ needs
educationally and personally,” Dupree said.
; Another student, Mary Motley, said a first
impression of Monroe may seem tough, but once
$ person gets to know her, she isn’t so bad.
\ “She has a certain style unlike any other.
Sometimes she’s hard to understand, but once
you master her style or her way of doing things,
you can definitely understand where she’s com-
ing from,” Motley, a senior social work major,
said.
; With such a small group, Monroe is able to
tyatch her students’ development from freshman
lbvel social work courses to senior level courses.
As her students grow, Monroe says she notices
the changes they make. They grow in the
proofs.
‘‘They become more focused and more
mature. It is expected,” Monroe said.
After her students graduate, she still keeps in
contact with them. She sometimes receives invi-
tations to weddings, birth announcements and
students receiving promotions. Sometimes she is
consulted about career choices.
“I am always interested in what my former
students have done with their degrees,” she said.
The licensed social worker didn’t always have
an interest in social work. She knew, however,
&
Celebrating
Sisterhood
w
Tonya Andris
she was a “people person.” She attended the
University of Missouri on a science fair scholar-
ship.
For her freshman and sophomore years, she
was a chemistry major. When she took her first
psychology and sociology courses, she knew
she’d found her real calling. She graduated from
the university with a bachelor’s degree in social
work. She continued her education and earned
her master’s degree from the same institution.
Monroe’s interest in psychology as an under-
graduate led her to choose mental health as her
area of specialization. She attended graduate
school on a fellowship awarded by the National
Institute of Mental Health.
She moved to Texas and taught social work at
Southern University for one year. In August
1970, Monroe was hired in what was then the
sociology department at Lamar. Before his
death, her husband Claude Monroe taught eco-
nomics in Lamar’s business department. She and
her husband, were among the first black profes-
sors at Lamar. Monroe was the first black female
professor in the sociology department and on the
Lamar campus.
She said she felt acceptance in the all-white
male department, but the classroom was a differ-
ent story.
Monroe recalls one instance of overt racism
she experienced. She said a student told her that
he had never been taught by a black teacher and
he didn’t plan on starting now.
“I am a very realistic person. I know there is
racism. I attended a school where there was
racism and discrimination. I knew everything
wasn’t going to be peaches and cream,” she said.
When Monroe entered the department in
1970, only a minor in social work was available.
Six years later, a major in social work became
possible. In 1980, the program was accredited by
the Council on Social Work Education.
Over the years, Monroe has noticed several
changes in the discipline. In 1983, social workers
began being licensed at the graduate and under-
graduate level. A greater diversity in student
population began to mirror the diverse popula-
tion social workers serve. There is also a greater
number of males in the discipline, compared to
the numbers in the past. Finally, there is a greater
number of undergraduates entering graduate
school.
To help keep abreast with changes in the field,
Monroe serves on many community boards.
“Social work is ever-changing,” she said. “It
allows you to be analytical, creative and a prob-
lem solver. You are able to come up with the
solutions to problems people bring to you.”
Monroe has received awards for her work and
dedication in the social work field, including the
Regent’s Merit Award for the 1974-75 school
year and Outstanding Social Worker of the Year
for 1989 by the National Association of Social
Workers.
Monroe stresses that her main reason for
being at Lamar is her love of teaching.
“I love teaching. One of the most important
things I like to do as an instructor is imparting the
knowledge of the discipline,” she said.
Vernice Monroe teaches her students the discipline of social work.
Organization holding raffle for
various prizes through April 12
The Social Work Student
Association is sponsoring a raf-
fle for a wide number of prizes
through April 12.
The money made from the
raffle will be used to make
donations to the community,
Karen Albright, SWSA presi-
dent, said. The tickets are $1
each. Four drawings will be
held April 12 in 106 Maes.
Prizes to be given away
include movie passes or lunch
and dinner gift certificates from
20 area restaurants. Albright
said the best way to purchase
raffle tickets is to attend the
organization’s meetings, which
are held every other Friday at
12:30 p.m. in 106 Maes. The
tickets may also be purchased
from any social work major.
The next meeting is today
and is open to everyone.
Albright said the organiza-
tion is the primary way stu-
dents network with profession-
als in the social work field.
“The group is a good way
for social work students to
make contact with colleagues,
and practice and engage in
teamwork to come to a com-
mon goal,” she said.
Lori Swan, senior social
work major and member of
SWSA, was honored March 20
as Student Social Worker of
the Year by the Beaumont
Chapter of the National
Association of Social Workers.
The announcement was made
at the group’s annual social
work meeting. Swan will gradu-
ate in August from Lamar and
expects to attend graduate
school at the University of
Houston.
The group has been active in
many community services in
the 1995-96 academic year.
They helped with a garage sale
for Catholic Charities, spon-
sored a program titled “Say
Cheese” for the Beaumont
State Center and held a food
drive for Adult Protective
Services in Orange.
A food and paper drive was
held for Garth House in con-
junction with Social Work
Month, which is this month.
The Chemistry of New Ideas
Congratulations to Demetrice Abrams, a freshman
I. chemical engineering major from Baytown who has
j been selected as Eastman’s most recent Minority
j Engineering Scholar here at Lamar! Demetrice’s
j extracurricular activities at Lamar includes involve-
I ment in the National Society of Black Engineers
t (NSBE) and the American Institute of Chemical
I Engineers (AICHE). She looks forward to becoming a
j consultant to the chemical industry after attaining a
j graduate degree in chemical engineering. In her spare
! time she enjoys playing volleyball and doing aerobics
Congratulations again to Demetrice!
mm
JMvAwai
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National
.Quality
Award
1993
Whiner
Eastman Chemical Company
TEX
QUALITY
AWARD
1-994 Recipient
Texas Eastman Division
Eastman Chemical Company
Eastman offers challenging cooperative education, summer
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Harbin, Tracy. University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 42, Ed. 1 Friday, March 29, 1996, newspaper, March 29, 1996; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth500908/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lamar University.