HDFS Communicator, Winter 2009/10 - Human Development and ...

HDFSDepartment of Human Development & Family Studies
Communicator
Winter 2009-10
www.familystudies.uconn.edu
Photo by Preston Britner, Ph.D

Human Development & Family Studies Administration -
Department Head, Professor Ronald M. Sabatelli
Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies, Associate Professor Preston A. Britner
Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Studies, Associate Professor Shannon E. Weaver
HDFS Communicator
Winter 2009-10
Photo by Lainie Hiller
Photo by Preston Britner, Ph.D.
Table of Contents
Faculty Updates
Selected Presentations & Publications
Center News
Editor
Lainie Hiller
Graphic Design
Janice Berriault
Announcements
Spotlight on Students
Alumni News
Save the Date!
University of Connecticut
Department of Human Development & Family Studies
348 Mansfield Road, Unit 2058
Storrs, CT 06269-2058
Phone: 860.486.4720
FAX: 860.486.3452
www.familystudies.uconn.edu

FACULTY UPDATES
Assistant Professor Keith Bellizzi has been invited to serve as Associate Editor for the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s
journal, Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, and Research. His term will run from January 1, 2010
continuing through 2015.
Keith will also serve as the Quality of Life Track Chair for the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Annual Scientific
Meeting, April 2010.
Associate Professor Preston Britner was appointed to serve as one of the six members of the American Psychological
Association’s (APA) Committee on Children, Youth, and Families (CYF). He will serve for 2010-2012, starting with
meetings in Washington, DC in March 2010. CYF performs a variety of functions related to the child and family research,
advocacy, and policy agendas for APA. For more information, see http://www.apa.org/pi/families/committee
Associate Professor Maureen T. Mulroy and Lecturer Meg Galante-DeAngelis have agreed to serve as the Connecticut
trainers for the American Psychological Association’s violence prevention training program, Adults and Children Together
(ACT) Against Violence. ACT is a violence prevention project that focuses on adults who raise, care for, and teach
children ages birth to 8 years. It is designed to prevent violence by helping these adults to be positive role models and
learn the skills to teach young children non-violent ways to resolve conflicts, deal with frustration, and handle anger. Meg
and Maureen will be traveling to Washington, D.C. in February for the national ACT leadership seminar.
Also, Maureen has been asked to join the national Children, Youth, and Family Evaluation and Research
Network’s (CYFERnet) Common Measures Adoption project. The Common Measures project is focused on developing a
compendium of research and evaluation measures that will be utilized by program evaluators involved in designing and
evaluating children, youth, and family programs throughout the national Cooperative Extension System.
Professor Sandra Rigazio-DiGilio and Clinical Instructor Doris LaPlante were invited to present a full-day Preconference
training course at this year’s Annual American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
Conference, which took place in October 2009. The training course, or “institute” was a comprehensive refresher course
designed specifically for AAMFT Approved Supervisors to meet continuing education requirements and to remain on the
cutting edge of clinical supervision practice. The Institute represented the first interdisciplinary and culturally and
contextually – centered Supervisor Refresher Course approved by AAMFT.
Also, Sandra was invited to present her work on Community Genograms at this year’s AAMFT Winter Cultural
Competence-Substance Abuse Training Conference, which was held in February. The conference is sponsored by the
AAMFT Minority Fellowship Program (funded by a national SAMHSA grant) which was established to support the training
of practitioners and practitioner/researchers in culturally competent mental health and substance abuse services,
treatment and prevention. The program provides scholarships to highly qualified MFT doctoral students who are
committed to research about and service to ethnic minority and underserved populations. The AAMFT/MFT mission -
consistent with the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health and other federal initiatives to reduce health disparities -
is to increase the pool of talented, culturally competent doctoral-level researchers, teachers, and practitioners dedicated
to assisting underserved minority populations. Dr. Rigazio-DiGilio has also served as a member of the AAMFT/MFP
Advisory Committee since the Program’s inception in 2007.
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SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Bellizzi, K.M. & Reeve B. (2010, February) Impact of cancer on age-related health conditions of cancer survivors. Is it my
cancer or am I just getting older? Poster presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Psychosocial Oncology
Society, New Orleans, LA.
Chapman, B. & Donorfio, L.K.M. (2009, October). Olli Embraces Learning for All Ages: Intergenerational Programming at
UConn. Workshop session presented at the annual meeting of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutue, Park City, UT.
Donorfio, L.K.M. (2009, November). The Creative Use of Qualitative Research. Discussant at the annual meeting of the
Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta, GA.
Donorfio, L.K.M. (2009, November). Various Ways of Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Conducting
Mixed Methods Aging Research, Chair at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta GA.
Vracevic, M. & Donorfio, L.K.M. (2009, November). Creative Movement Improvisation as an Intervention for Adult
Daughters Providing Care to Frail Mothers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of
America, Atlanta, GA.
Flatow, I., Engel, G., Farrell, A., Jalbert, P., & Siedner Tillman, L. (2009, October). Communicating science in a science
challenged world. Panel discussion, UConn Year of Science.
Farrell, A. (2009, October). Family-centered care: Ideals and realities in human services and education. Presented as part
of UConn Stamford Faculty Colloquium series.
Farrell, A. F., Humphrey, C., Britner, P. A., Cronin, E. O., Hansen, L., Goodrich, S., & Somaroo-Rodriguez, S. K. (2010,
January). Intertwined problems require integrated solutions: Supportive housing for families in child welfare. Workshop
presented at the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) National Conference, Washington, DC.
Mutchler, M.S., St. Germain, M.B., & Anderson, S.A (2009, November). Family therapy with high conflict separated
parents: Challenges and strategies. Poster presented at the 71 st National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference,
San Francisco, CA.
Baker, L.K., Anderson, S.R., St. Germain, M.B., Anderson, S.A., Bordoloi, S. D., & Mutchler, M.S. (2009, October).
What makes high conflict relationships high conflict. Poster presented at the American Association for Marriage and Family
Therapy Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA.
Palmer, K.L., Kosutic, I., Sanderson, J., Garcia, M., Regis, M., & Anderson, S.A. (2009, October). Publishers and
consumers of MFT outcome research. Poster presented at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA.
Maharaj, A., Ranade, N., Sutherland, M., Saxena, M., & Mahfoud, J. (2009, November). Graduate student families: A
content analysis of work-life programs. Paper presented at the 71 st National Council on Family Relations Annual
Conference, San Francisco, CA.
2

and PUBLICATIONS
Asencio, M., (Ed.). (2010). Latina/o sexualities: Probing powers, passions, practices and policies. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers
University Press.
Asencio, M. (2009). Migrant Puerto Rican lesbians negotiating gender, sexuality and ethno-nationality. National Women’s Studies
Association Journal, 21(3),1-23.
Asencio, M., Blank, T., Descartes, L., & Crawford, L. 2009. The Prospect of Prostate Cancer: A Challenge for Gay Men and their
Sexualities as they Age. Sexuality Research and Social Policy (Special Issue of Aging and Sexuality). 6(4), 38-51.
Asencio, M, and Acosta, K. 2009. Migration, Gender Conformity, and Social Mobility among Puerto Rican Sexual Minorities.
Sexuality Research and Social Policy (Special Issue: Global Perspectives on Same-Sex Sexualities: Desires, Practices, and
Identities) 6(3), 34-43.
Britner, P. A., Bloom, M., & Klein, A. (2009). In celebration of the life and work of Donald C. Klein. The Journal of Primary
Prevention, 30, 732-735.
Britner, P. A., & the Working Group on Child Maltreatment Prevention in Community Health Centers. (2009). Special feature:
Preventing child maltreatment through promotive parenting and integrative efforts in primary care. Section on Child Maltreatment
Newsletter, Division 37, American Psychological Association, 14(2), 9-11.
Brown, E. (2010). Work, retirement, race, and health disparities. In Toni C. Antonucci and James S. Jackson (Eds.), Annual
Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics: Life-Course Perspectives on Late-Life Health Inequalities, 29, (233- 249). New York:
Springer Publishing.
Donorfio, L.K.M., Vhetter, R., & Vracevic, M. (2010). Effects of three caregiver interventions: Support, educational literature, and
creative movement. Journal of Women & Aging, 22, 61-75.
Farrell, A.F., Britner, P.A., Guzzardo, M., & Goodrich, S. (2010). Supportive housing for families in child welfare: Client
characteristics and their outcomes at discharge. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 145-154.
Goodrich, S. A., Pempek, T. A., Calvert, S. L. (2009). Formal Production Features of Infant and Toddler DVDs. Archives of
Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 163(12), 1151-1156.
Harkness, S., Keefer, C. H., & Super, C. M. (2009). Culture and ethnicity. In M. D. Levine, W. B. Carey, & A. C. Crocker (Eds.),
Developmental-behavioral pediatrics (Fourth edition, pp. 182-191). New York: W. B. Saunders.
Harkness, S., & Super, C. M. (2009). Parenting across cultures. SCI Quarterly, 55, 2-3.
Harkness, S., Super, C. M., Barry, O., Zeitlin, M., Long, J. (2009). Assessing the environment of children’s learning: The
developmental niche in Africa. In E. Grigorenko (Ed.), Multicultural psychoeducational assessment (pp.133-155). New York:
Springer.
Harkness, S., Super, C. M., Rios Bermudez, M., Moscardino, U., Blom, M. J. M., Rha, J.-H., Mavridis, C. J., Bonichini, S.,
Huitrón, B., Welles-Nyström, B., Palacios, J., Hyun, O.-K., Soriano, G., & Zylicz, P. O. (2010). Parental ethnotheories of children’s
learning. In D. F. Lancy, J. Bock, & S. Gaskins (Eds.), The anthropology of learning in childhood (pp. 65-81). Lanham, MD: Alta-
Mira Press.
Palmer, K.L., Anderson, S.A., & Sabatelli, R.M. (Fall, 2009). How is the after school field defining program quality?: A review of
effective program practices and definitions of program quality. Afterschool Matters, 1-12.
Sabatelli, R. M., Anderson, S. A., Britner, P. A., & Liefeld, J. A. (2009). Neighborhood youth centers and families as supportive
environments for youth in high risk urban settings. Journal of Youth Development, [On-line], 4(3), Article 090403FA005, available
at http://tinyurl.com/y8ws2nk
Super, C. M., & Harkness, S. (2009). The developmental niche of the newborn in rural Kenya. In J. K. Nugent, B. Petrauskas, &
T. B. Brazelton (Eds.), The newborn as a person: Enabling healthy infant development worldwide (pp. 85-97). New York: Wiley.
3

CENTER NEWS
Center for Applied Research in Human Development (CARHD)
The Center completed work on several evaluations this fall. These projects are summarized in the following reports: A
process evaluation of Connecticut 21 st Century Community Learning Centers: 2008-2009 (prepared for the Connecticut State
Department of Education), Evaluation of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR
UP) in New Haven, Connecticut: 2009 Report; Connecticut Consortium on School Attendance Program and Evaluation
Grants: Final Evaluation Report (prepared for the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management), and Process Evaluation
Report of the Governor’s Urban Youth Violence Prevention Grants: 2008-2009 (prepared for the State of Connecticut Office
of Policy and Management).
We also have begun work on some new projects. One involves consulting with the Court Operations Unit of the
Connecticut Judicial Branch to improve methods of data collection and analysis of disproportionate minority contact (DMC)
among juveniles referred to Connecticut courts. Another is a continuation of an evaluation sponsored by the State of
Connecticut Office of Policy and Management that will assess innovative strategies for improving school attendance in
recently funded school districts. A third new project is a statewide outcome evaluation of afterschool programs in
Connecticut, sponsored by the Connecticut State Department of Education.
Finally, two articles were recently published based upon the results of previous Center projects. These are listed in
another section of the newsletter.
Child Development Laboratories (CDL)
Congratulations to Assistant Teacher Rachel Boltseridge who received a B.A. in General Studies
with a concentration in Child Studies in December from Charter Oak State College. We are also
happy to welcome Ellen Meisterling, a graduate of the HDFS program, as an Assistant Teacher
in the Toddler Room. Tracy Clark, Infant Teacher, is completing her certification in Infant
Massage. This semester Dr. Deborah Bubela and graduate student Shanya Gaylord are
conducting research at the Child Labs that focuses on the connections between yoga programs
and the motor abilities and attention spans of preschoolers. Amanda Hanzlik, from UConn’s
Community School of the Arts, is providing an Early Childhood Music program in our classrooms
this year. The children (and UConn students) are enjoying experimenting with scarves, shaker
eggs, rhythm sticks and, in the near future, drums.
The CDL have several center-wide projects this year involving families, children, staff and
students. Preschool Teacher Heather Leeman has organized an on-going fundraiser through Artsonia as well as a family
coupon exchange. Infant Teacher Tracy Clark organized a “clothing swap” in the fall that was such a success we are
planning for a spring swap as well. Tracy has also begun an environmentally-friendly fundraiser through Terracycle.
As part of the world-wide “Art Miles Mural Project” families, staff and students completed
an original and beautiful 12’x5’ mural. We are planning an event to showcase the mural before it
is sent off to be part of the 5000 Art Miles Murals currently being collected for the 2010
International Day of Peace. Many thanks to parents Lena Dillman, Evelyn Lang and Lucy Greene
for all of their help with this project.
The CDL focus on the environment continues. The Carpentry Shop built us beautiful
cedar planters and several parents put together raised beds for the Toddler and Preschool
playgrounds. We are anxiously waiting for spring so that we can begin using our CDL compost
and get some flowers and herbs growing! It will be a great hands-on experience for both children
and HDFS Early Childhood students.
4

Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development (CHHD)
Members of the Center are continuing their collaboration with the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) to evaluate the extensive
training it gives to staff for Nurturing Family Networks (NFN), CTF’s premier program for preventing child abuse and neglect.
Also currently under evaluation is the effect on the culture and climate of community agencies themselves when their staff
participate in the 80-hour Family Development Training course (a certificate program developed in collaboration between CTF
and what was then the School of Family Studies). These evaluation projects are proving valuable in the development of
“evidence-based” programs to protect vulnerable children, a growing mandate on the national scene. Center members have
been meeting with other researchers from Yale University and the University of Hartford (including HDFS doctoral graduate
Marcia Hughes) to pool their findings on CTF programs. Some of the results were recently presented to the State Legislature
during hearings on Governor Rell’s budget proposals, which included virtually eliminating the CTF. Post-doctoral Fellow
Caroline Mavridis gave live testimony in Hartford, and Professors Sara Harkness and Charles M. Super each wrote letters
informing legislators about the programs’ value. Included in their written testimony is the fact that each case of child abuse
prevented by the NFN program cost the State about $4,000, whereas unprevented, that case would be picked up by the
Department of Children and Families at the cost of about $30,000 per year, and would likely have additional costs in later
years through the police, judicial, and penal systems.
(Frederick G.) Humphrey Clinic for Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy (MFT)
The Humphrey Clinic for Individual, Couple and Family Therapy (THC) has had a busy
semester. We have expanded our promotional endeavours, creating a poster for the Eastbrook
Mall, ads in the local Willimantic Chronicle and UConn’s Daily Campus, and targeted
correspondence to local school principals, guidance counsellors and school psychologists. This
has been part of the impetus behind an increased level of referrals of new clients for the year; a
fact about which we’re very proud and excited.
We also designed our own holiday cards to send as a Thank You to our referral sources for
their continued support during 2009 and into 2010- it’s always crucial to thank those who
continue to support and help us grow.
It has also been a busy time for in-service training for our staff, faculty and students. Two of
UConn’s finest police officers came on-site and trained us in two programs offered by their
Department: Workplace Violence; and Active Threat Training. We hope we never have to use
any of the skills, but if we do- we hope we’re prepared!
Also on the training agenda, we had in-service training from staff from UConn’s Counselling
and Mental Health Services (Rob Goodwin, MD, Susan Grace, APRN, Perry Mandanis, MD,
Donna Webber, APRN). Our marriage and family therapy (MFT) students received some excellent training on Psychiatric
Medications.
THC also participated in the annual UConn Student Services student health fair, where we were blown away by the
response. Literally. The wind blew over the tent and we have to wait until next year to participate.
The MFT Program was also well-represented at the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
conference. MFT doctoral student Louisa Baker, MA and Assistant Professor Shayne R. Anderson both presented posters.
Professor Sandra Rigazio-DiGilio and Clinic Director Doris LaPlante presented the Approved supervisor Refresher course
(see page 1).
The MFT faculty are also meeting regularly to develop the portfolio for our Master’s Program and expansion of doctoral
portfolio, also to develop an evaluation of our students that takes in to account the core competencies developed by AAMFT.
Ronald and Nancy Rohner Center for the Study of Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection (CSIAR)
Ronald P. Rohner, Director of the Center, has been asked by the Executive Council of the International Society for
Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection to serve a second two-year term as Past President of the Society. He agreed to do
this while at the same time continuing to serve as the Society’s Executive Director.
Also, Ron Rohner has accepted an invitation to serve as Consulting Editor for the Pakistan Journal of Social and
Clinical Psychology published by the Department of Psychology, GC University in Lahore, Pakistan.
5

ANNOUNCEMENTS
HDFS MFT
graduate student
Alison Gong was
engaged on
October 29 th ,
2009. Alison and
her fiancé
Brandon Wong
were partaking in
the traditional
New England fall activity of apple picking when
Brandon surprised her by going down on bended
knee between rows of Spencer and Red Delicious
apples and proposing. Brandon presented Ali with an
exquisite ring that he had designed himself. The
happy couple plan to be married in February 2011 in
their home state of Arizona.
Recent MFT doctoral
graduate Ching-Ching
Ruan and her husband are
pleased to announce the
birth of their baby girl
named Chathena Tsai-
Hsuan Ruan Pang. She
was born on January 16 th ,
at 5:19pm, weighed 7lbs.,
4oz. and measured 19.5" in
length.
SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENTS
Family Studies Undergraduate Committee (FSUC)
The FSUC will host their annual “Career Night” which offers students an informal opportunity to sit down with professionals
from different HDFS fields to learn about their jobs and how they reached this stage in their life. This event will be held at
the UConn Alumni Center on March 29 th and 30 th , from 6-8:00pm.
The next FSUC Student-Faculty Pizza Socials will be held at the Family Studies building, Deans’ Lounge, at 5:00
pm, April 14 th . All HDFS students and those who are transferring into HDFS are invited to attend!
On March 16 th the FSUC held an event called “Confused About Courses” which allows students to discuss different
HDFS courses they have taken and to learn what courses might best suit their own interests.
All events are free, and open to students of any major with the exception of the Student-Faculty Pizza Socials
which are open to just HDFS students or students transferring into HDFS. For more information about the Family Studies
Undergraduate Committee or about these events, email uconnFSUC@gmail.com.
2009 UCCFR Giving Tree Wrap-Up
The UCCFR Giving Tree was successful once again this year. We collected over 30 gifts for a local
family of six. This included individual gifts for each member of the family, such as toys for the children,
and gift certificates that benefited the family as a whole. Whether it was a gift purchased or money
donated, everyone’s generosity is greatly appreciated.
Without the help of the members of the HDFS department, including staff, faculty, and students,
bringing happiness and joy to this family during the holidays would not have been possible. A big thank
you to all of those that contributed this year, and we look forward to another successful year in 2010.
6

UCCFR Pizza Night Socials
The UCCFR invites all HDFS faculty, staff, and graduate students to their Pizza Night Socials! Come to the
Willington Pizza House and enjoy some delicious pizza (compliments of UCCFR) and great conversation with
good friends. The next Social will be held on Tuesday, April 6 th , 6:00-8:00pm. For more information contact
nicholas.koberstein@uconn.edu, or samantha.goodrich@uconn.edu.
HDFS College Career Pathways (CCP) Spring Conference
The 5th annual HDFS College Career Pathways Conference will take place at the Rome Ballroom on the Storrs campus,
Tuesday April 6 th . Over thirty high schools across Connecticut who participate in the Early College Experience program
attend the conference to showcase what their students have been learning in their HDFS 1070 course. Students will
present posters on various topics related to HDFS across the lifespan. Well over 500 people are expected to be in
attendance for this special event.
Along with presenting their own work, students will have the opportunity to attend workshops pertaining to issues on
the selection of majors in college, career choices, and other HDFS related topics. This year for the first time the conference
will have a panel discussion by past HDFS College Career Pathways students and UConn HDFS graduates.
We are looking forward to another successful conference and to seeing many of you there. For more information on
the conference or becoming involved, please contact HDFS doctoral student Nicholas Koberstein or CCP intern Hannah
Bingman at collegecareerpathways@uconn.edu.
HDFS Honors Poster Presentations and Reception
The HDFS Honors Program will hold its annual Honors Poster Presentation of Honors Thesis Projects, on Tuesday, April
20 th . Students, staff, faculty and friends are invited to view the posters and join us at a reception celebrating the HDFS
Honors students at the Family Studies building, Deans’ Lounge, from 4:00-5:30pm.
HDFS Doctoral Student Teaching at Yale
HDFS doctoral student Kimberly Petrovic will teach in the Yale School of Nursing this semester. Kim will teach a course
in family systems as related to clinical nursing. Her students are accelerated nursing students who plan to become nurse
practitioners in all areas of nursing care across the life course, including: pediatric nursing, women’s health, family nursing,
and geriatrics. Kim is honored to be presented with this opportunity and hopes to make HDFS proud throughout the
process!
Defenses
HDFS Master’s candidate Janna Mafoud presented her oral defense entitled, Biracial Young Adults’ Meaning Making
around “Race”: A qualitative study, on December 7 th , 2009. Members of her advising team were: Major Advisor, Marysol
Asencio, Ph.D.; Associate Advisor, Anita Garey, Ph.D.; Associate Advisor, Edna Brown, Ph.D.; and Associate Advisor,
Annamaria Csizmadia, Ph.D.
HDFS MFT doctoral candidate Ching Ching Ruan presented her oral defense entitled, Factor Analysis, Reliability and
Validity of the Marital Therapy Evaluation Questionnaire (MTEQ), on December 16 th , 2009. Members of her advising team
were: Major Advisor, Stephen Anderson, Ph.D.; Associate Advisor, Anne Farrell, Ph.D.; and Associate Advisor, Preston
Britner, Ph.D.
7

Congratulations HDFS December 2009 Graduates!
A Graduation Celebration was held for the HDFS graduates on December 9th in the Family Studies building, Deans’
Lounge. Faculty, staff, and students gathered to offer congratulations and well wishes to the graduates as they set
about on their next endeavor.
Emily Barton
Megan Calverley
Allison Campbell
Desmond Cullen
Micaela Devaney
Kerry Devlin
Jessica Diakun
Stacey Fierro
Kendall Hinman
Erica Hirth
Lauren Kremer
Nina Le
Lauren Lorusso
Laura Mancini
Erin McClellan
Lauren Millerd
Erica Moreau
Katherine Neilson
Heather Rinaldi
Monika Rodowicz
Marilyn Rodriguez
Stepahnie Russo
Kelly Tubridy
Xavier Valentino
Kristin Vanness
Sabarina Vidal
Katherine Vollono
Briann Wheatley
(Pictured from left to right are Erin McClellan and Associate Professor Marysol Asencio.)
Early Childhood Development and Education Program (ECDE)
Four students (pictured here from left to right) Stacey Fiero, Kerry Devlin, Heather
Rinaldi, and Nina Le completed the Early Childhood Development and Education
(ECDE) Program this December and graduated from HDFS. The ECDE held a
graduation celebration and the students were presented with certificates for their
accomplishments. We will miss them all!
The ECDE concentration is designed for students who are interested in
working with children from birth to five years of age in early education and care
settings. The students are prepared with a well articulated plan of study that
includes; child development theory, curriculum development, observation, fieldwork
practicum and a student teaching practicum. The students are placed on campus
in HDFS’ Child Development Labs for both capstone practicum courses. Our students become well acquainted with an
intentional teaching model, which ultimately makes them strong, reflective, educators of young children!
ALUMNI NEWS
Josie (Matarazzo) O’Neill, ’01, and husband Tim O’Neill announce the birth of their son, Paul Timothy, on March
15 th , 2009. The family lives in Vernon, CT.
Emily (Trombley) Baffaro, ’02, and husband David announce the birth of a daughter, Lia Marguerite, on Dec. 16 th ,
2008. The family lives in West Hartford, CT.
HDFS Alumnus Nishat Jana, B.S., ’03 has given birth to a baby boy named
Ariyan I. Alamon on December 14, 2009. Nishat and her husband are pleased to
share a family picture of the new born with the UConn Human Development and
Family Studies Community. Nishat is the daughter of Abdul Khaleque,
Professor-In-Residence at HDFS, and Senior Research Scientist in the Ronald
and Nancy Rohner Center for the Study of Interpersonal Acceptance and
Rejection.
8

Audrey L. Jarrelle, 1943-2009
By Irene Q. Brown
Audrey L. Jarrelle came to the School of Home Economics of the University of Connecticut
in 1967. She retired in May 1999 and returned to her home state of Virginia with her aging
mother, Helen, who survives her. For the first few years after leaving her house and garden
in Willimantic, she was in good health and could exercise her talents and interests in an
active retirement as a gardener, traveler, church member, skilled craftsperson,
correspondent, and good host to her circle of old friends who came from far away to visit
her. A few months ago, in October 2009, she died of ovarian cancer contracted more than
two years earlier.
She came to Storrs in 1967 from the University of North Carolina, in Greensboro as a
Master’s candidate in Clothing and Textiles, and attained her Ph.D. in 1973. The 1970s and
80s were challenging for American society, for higher education, and in a special way for
Audrey Jarrelle and her colleagues. By the time she retired from the academic program
she had joined, the School of Home Economics at UConn had been transformed. Just as
the textile mills left New England, so the majority of New England’s clothing, textile and related programs at the college
and university level were largely eliminated. At UConn, the School of Family Studies emerged as a program focused
on family life and the life cycle of individuals. Such institutional decisions involved difficult personal dynamics in a
collegial setting where Prof. Jarrelle, or Audrey, as I came to know her, not only witnessed, but in some ways
participated personally in the dismantling of sections that included her own unit.
Our School first changed its direction significantly during Audrey’s service, as Professor and Associate Dean,
and then after her retirement, became a Department in the University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For those
who shared some of these years with her, we appreciate her presence as a force of stability and flexibility in the midst
of all these pressures. Audrey Jarrelle was willing and able to change with the times and to help others to do so as
well. One reason she could be such a creative survivor was that she believed powerfully in the value of higher
education for the students we all taught. When it was time for her to relinquish teaching them the specific courses that
first brought her to us, she turned to on-going needs she recognized in our students. She developed an innovative,
efficient and supportive student advising center that continues to serve our undergraduates to this day.
For the record, we’ll want to remember some of the professional responsibilities she exercised at UConn. She
taught a wide range of courses in Textile and Apparel System, including Basic and Advanced Textiles, Testing and
Evaluation, Textile and Costume History, and Apparel Construction and Tailoring. In addition, she published three textile
laboratory manuals at the University. During her last ten years she was Associate Dean of the School of Family Studies
working especially closely with, and on behalf of, undergraduate students. In recognition of this work, her colleagues
and friends established a scholarship for undergraduate students in her honor at the time of her retirement.
Dr. Jarrelle was a member of the International Textile and Apparel Association, an organization of higher
educators in the field whose origins go back to the 1930s, but its newest name change took place in 1991 to reflect the
global dimension of the textile industry. She also belonged to the American Association of Textile Chemists and
Colorists and to several honorary societies including Kappa Omicron Nu and Phi Kappa Phi, serving as President of
the local UConn chapter shortly before her retirement. After her move to Virginia she also joined the Rose Park United
Methodist Church, Wolftown, Virginia, where she served as a member of several committees and Chair of the
Administrative Council.
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Women, Rose Park United Methodist Church,
P.O. Box 124, Wolftown, VA 22748 or to the University of Connecticut Foundation, Audrey L. Jarrelle Fund (30630),
Unit 3206, 2390 Alumni Drive, Storrs, CT 06269-3206. If students or colleagues want to share particular memories of
Audrey Jarrelle with the writer of this notice who is the historian of the Family Studies & Home Economics at UConn,
please send me an e-mail. Thank you. irene.q.brown@uconn.edu
Remembering Esther Masterson McCabe
Esther Masterson McCabe (1918-2009) born in Worcester, MA, died in Mansfield, Connecticut at the Mansfield Center
for Nursing and Rehabilitation, on July 5 th , 2009, surrounded by her family. She had retired from the UConn School of
Family Studies decades ago but remained an active citizen in the community, serving for example six times as the
president of the Mansfield Senior Center and singing in its choir.
In 1969 she joined the faculty of the School of Home Economics after considerable teaching and business
experience in Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Her college education in Home Economics began at the
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University of Rhode Island, and she attained her M.A. at Columbia University in Textile Chemistry in 1942 and her Ph.D. in
the same field twelve years later. After teaching at the high school level and moving to New York City, she worked as a
Textile Chemist for the JC Penney Company for a year, and then for twelve years as a Chemist for the Colgate Palmolive
Company in Jersey City, while also completing her studies for the Ph.D. She then taught for three years at Teachers
College, Columbia University before becoming the Director of the Consumer Service Bureau, at Parents Magazine from
1958-1964 in New York City. Turning back to academia, she taught for three years at Hunter College before moving to the
University of Connecticut.
A UConn administrator at the time commented favorably that she had “experience working with low-income
families, and has a particular interest in consumer organizations.” Perhaps this is not surprising for a child of New England
whose industrial base in the textile industry had seen years of economic depression, even before the actual Depression.
Both subjects—low income family and consumer studies—were also especially pertinent again in the late 1960s when
Ralph Nader was leading a consumer movement and Washington as well as academia participated in the “war on poverty.”
During her years on the faculty Esther taught courses and conducted research in Family Economics and
Management. Between 1977 and 1981 she led the Connecticut segment of an eleven-state study of Family Time Use.
She also collaborated with her colleague, the late Eugene L. Thomas, and another scholar on a 1980 article, “Family
Stress, Coping and Adaptation.” This work was cited in a 2003 review article on “Unemployment and Family Stress,” as still
making a valuable contribution to the subject.
One of her undergraduate advisees remembers her inspiring teaching that led him to become one of the few male
Home Economics Majors. After her death David Doiron, ’74, wanted her relatives to realize how important she had been in
his education and wrote a note in her memorial book on-line: “I met Dr. McCabe - Esther - when as an older student at
UConn I took an introductory consumer studies course with her. A friend had recommended the course as being very
practical and interesting. Because of her, I switched my major to home economics and had her as my faculty adviser.
Esther was a wonderful person who I quickly admired and liked as a friend.” In a conversation he also mentioned that two
other men also became Home Economics majors in that period, one of them made a career as a consumer advocate in
Washington, D.C.
The Family Studies Alumni Society in 1999 recognized Dr. McCabe for her contributions as a teacher and scholar,
and two of her students commented especially on her role as an adviser and what we now tend to call a life coach. One of
them only recently became a Family and Consumer Science teacher after raising her family, the other is a basketball coach
at a major university.
Esther McCabe also raised a family, during her tenure at UConn almost entirely as a widow, moreover. Her husband
died unexpectedly and suddenly shortly after they arrived in Storrs. One of her sons also predeceased her. She is survived
by her daughter, Teri McCabe Retana, and a son, Thomas McCabe and other relatives. To contact the family, please write
to her daughter by sending your message to the editor of this newsletter. If you have any special memories or comments
about Esther McCabe that might be useful for the historical record of her tenure with us, please send them to Irene Q.
Brown, HDFS historian (irene.q.brown@uconn.edu).
SAVE THE DATE
March 2010
29 & 30 FSUC Career Night, see page 6 for details.
April 2010
6 UCCFR Pizza Night Social, see page 7 for details.
6 College Career Pathways Conference, see page 7 for details.
20 HDFS Honors Poster Presentations and Reception, see page 7 for details.
May 2010
9 Commencement
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Fabienne Doucet, Ph.D., and her husband Brent Gibson, Ph.D., were members of the HDFS
faculty until they moved to New York city. Fabienne is Haitian-American and shares with us
some ways that the HDFS community can help Haiti. Additionally, Fabienne and Brent have
worked since the earthquake to create HaitiCorps. The mission of HaitiCorps is to harness the
transformational power of national service in order to strengthen the Haitian workforce and
facilitate recovery and development for a more vibrant, prosperous Haiti. HaitiCorps fulfills this
mission through partnerships and coordination with Haitian government ministries, non-profit
organizations, and private industry to 1) offer a pool of qualified Haitian workers to fill positions
in organizations committed to fair wages and human rights, 2) provide service opportunities for
Haitians living abroad and Friends of Haiti who can bring specific expertise to Haitian-led
projects, and 3) provide long-term training and service opportunities for Haitian nationals to
serve their country and enhance their competitiveness in the marketplace.
Fabienne Doucet also spoke at the Dodd Konover Auditorium as part of the Institute for
African American Studies’ presentation of “Beauty for Ashes: Ambiguous Losses and Gains in the Aftermath of Haiti’s
Earthquake”. To view the presentation in a podcast, please click on the link:
http://mediasite.dl.uconn.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=93783b04071f452faefc75ec7712ccd7
Where Should I Donate?
by Fabienne Doucet
For generations, Haiti has been the recipient of significant international aid. In the past several decades, as Haiti’s
governmental structure shifted from dictatorship to budding democracy, aid has come in the form of loans, grants, and
assistance to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Despite this significant assistance, the outcomes for the vast
majority of Haitians still living in extreme poverty have not shifted in any significant ways. One reason for this is a lack of
infrastructure to support and harness this aid in a way that is systematic, centralized, and consistent. Please consider
making your donations to an organization with a history of partnership and collaboration with Haitians in Haiti. These
organizations have been and will remain on the ground long after news of Haiti’s earthquake has faded from the nightly
news and daily papers, and they will do right by the Haitian people, as they have done in the past, by including them in the
rebuilding process. I recommend the following organizations (listed below in alphabetical order). Each has a unique area of
focus which means you can donate to the project about which you feel most passionate.
Haiti Soleil (www.haitisoleil.org)—An educational non-profit organization whose mission is to “build and develop
community-centered public libraries, museums, and other institutions of educational and cultural exchange focused on
advancing the intellectual growth of young Haitian citizens. Haiti Soleil spearheads projects on behalf of, and in partnership
with, individuals and organizations in Haiti that share similar principles and dedication to the dissemination of knowledge.”
Though the organization’s home base is in Berkeley, California, its projects all are located in Haiti, including a fantastic
library that was completely destroyed in the earthquake.
Lambi Fund (www.lambifund.org)—A non-profit centralized fund that channels financial and other resources to communitybased
organizations that promote the social and economic empowerment of the Haitian people. Their target program areas
include: sustainable agriculture, community micro-credit, animal husbandry, environment, and organizational and
leadership training.
Partners in Health (www.pih.org)—A medical non-profit agency committed to partnership whose first program, Zanmi
Lasante, was founded in Haiti by Dr. Paul Farmer of Harvard University.
Partners in Progress (www.piphaiti.org/index.html)—A sustainable development non-profit agency focused on rural
development in Haiti. This focus on rural development is absolutely crucial for Haiti’s future. As you have probably heard in
the news, Port-au-Prince was a city built for one- or two-hundred thousand inhabitants, not the more than two-million who
called it home. This centralization is largely economic—unable to support their families in the countryside where there are
few jobs and little agricultural development, Haitians have descended upon Port-au-Prince in droves over the years. I am
fully convinced, as are experts much smarter than I, that Haiti’s future is absolutely depended on decentralization, which will
require heavy investment in its rural areas.
Partners with Haiti (www.partnerswithhaiti.org)—A faith-based, Christian non-profit organization with programs in
education, housing, medicine, feeding programs and jobs. One arm of the organization, the Bethany Project, matches
sponsors with children who receive an academic and spiritual education, food, and emotional support. The organization is
run by two governing boards, one in the U.S. and one in Haiti. My uncle is the treasurer of this organization, and he travels
to Haiti regularly to lead workshops in basic financial literacy and in fiscal responsibility and accountability for church
administrators.
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University of Connecticut
Department of Human Development & Family Studies
348 Mansfield Road, Unit 2058
Storrs, CT 06269-2058
Phone: 860.486.4720
Photo by Carla Gomez