“Massage therapy techniques help to improve muscle tone and circulation and promote overall wellness, stress management and rehabilitation,” said Susan Sullivan, LMT, Ģ����ý’s massage therapy program director. “Our clinic is an opportunity for students to continue to practice the learned techniques in a real-world clinical setting as they work toward completing their program and preparing for their licensure exam.”

The Ģ����ý student massage therapy clinic runs through May 14 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 – 5 p.m. A 60-minute massage is $40 for the public. A paraffin hand dip can also be added for $5. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling 716-827-2518.

Ģ����ý’s massage therapy programs include a 10-month certificate offering and a two-year associate in applied science degree. Each program combines lectures, laboratory experiences and clinical rotations at facilities throughout the region for a comprehensive understanding of both Eastern and Western massage therapy techniques. Graduates of both programs are eligible to sit for the New York State board licensure exam. For information on Ģ����ý’s massage therapy programs, visit .

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Wellness Center

Genevieve Kruly
Title: Director of Wellness
Contact Info: Room 118, (716) 827-2412, krulyg@trocaire.edu
Last Position Held: Coordinator of Accessibility Services (Medaille College)
Years in Higher Ed: 3
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: The people—everyone has been kind and helpful!
Fun Fact about Yourself: I love to run–I’ve completed four half marathons in the last year, three of which have (sadly) been solo!

Jennifer Elliott
Title: Program Coordinator, OVW grant
Contact Info: Room 129, 716-827-2543, ElliottJe@Ģ����ý.edu
Last Position Held: Domestic Violence Advocate, Family Justice Center
Years in Higher Ed: First Year in Higher Ed
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: Everyone has been so kind and supportive, love the positive work culture.
Fun Fact Ģ����ý Yourself: Huge MARVEL Fan

Avery Seyler-Wetzela
Title: Graduate Assistant
Contact Info: Seyler-wetzela@trocaire.edu
Last position held: Customer Associate
Years in Higher Ed: 5 years
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: Everyone is so welcoming and nice! Ģ����ý has a wonderful atmosphere.
Fun fact about yourself: Playing the cello is one of my favorite hobbies.

TRiO Grant/Student Support Services

Adriane Z. Williams
Title:  Director, TRiO, and SSS Program
Contact Info: Room 137, 716-827-2523, WilliamsAd@trocaire.edu
Last Position Held:  Associate Director, Academic Advisement
Years in Higher Ed: 27
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: Everyone I encounter has been super nice and helpful
Fun Fact about Yourself: I enjoy playing Scrabble

Timothy Mark Jackson Jr.
Title: TRiO Grant Student Service Advisor
Contact Info: Room 140, 716-827-4339, jacksont@trocaire.edu
Last Position Held: TOP (Ģ����ý Opportunity Program) Counselor
Years in Higher Ed: 3 years
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: If you have a question, there is always someone here willing to help you or point you in the right direction to get your question answered!
Fun Fact about yourself: I am in an alternative rock band called Mom Said No. We play all around Buffalo and have an album out on all streaming platforms called “Welcome to the Loser’s Club.”

Holly Ryan
Title: TRiO Grant Administrative Assistant
Contact Info: Room 140G, 716-827-2469, RyanH@trocaire.edu
Last Position Held: Program Service Coordinator
Years in Higher Ed: 8
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: The friendliness of the staff so far in getting me acclimated to Ģ����ý life
Fun Fact Ģ����ý Yourself: I absolutely love vegetables, especially broccoli, and I am an avid adventurer for the outdoors who loves to bike, hike, zip line and just explore the new and exciting things around Buffalo!

Student Engagement

Lauren Ashley Reczek
Title: Director of Student Engagement
Contact Info: Room 143, 716-827-2487, ReczekL@trocaire.edu
Last Position Held: Interim Director of Student Engagement
Years in Higher Ed: 4.5
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: working with students from Orientation to Graduation and seeing them develop on their journey!
Fun Fact Ģ����ý Yourself: I enjoy thrifting with my friends and family.

Michael Stilson
Title: Graduate Assistant for Student Engagement
Contact Info: Room 141, stilsonm@trocaire.edu
Last Position Held: Graduate Assistant at Medaille College (Career Planning)
Years in Higher Ed: 1
Best thing about Ģ����ý so far: I love how supportive our students are in helping each other out. I also admire the resiliency of our students, especially in these challenging times.
Fun Fact Ģ����ý Yourself: I have never met a dog I did not like. They are all just so sweet!

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By Jillian Hanesworth, iVIP Coordinator

Ģ����ý was awarded a grant from the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence against Women in October 2018. The purpose of this grant is to enhance victim services, implement prevention and education programs and develop and strengthen the campus response to sexual assault, domestic violence (DV), dating violence and stalking on campus.

This grant also allowed for the formation of iVIP, as well as the Ģ����ý Coordinated Crisis Response Team that is comprised of Ģ����ý faculty and staff and representatives from community organizations including Crisis Services, Haven House, Pride Center of Western New York, and the Buffalo and Lancaster police departments. iVIP programming is expected to begin in October 2019.

The grant is housed under the Wellness Center within Student Affairs and managed by Jillian Hanesworth, who came to Ģ����ý in December 2018 after working as a social worker and advocate for intimate partner violence survivors for five years. Rebecca Maess is the current graduate assistant for the grant—she is in her second year of the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration master’s program at SUNY Buffalo State College.

DV can be defined as “a pattern of behaviors in which one partner in an intimate relationship uses fear and intimidation to gain and maintain power and control over the other.” During DV Awareness Month 2019, Haven House, Crisis Services and the Pride Center of WNY will each host an activity for students, faculty and staff. Some of the activities include: Purple Letters, an opportunity for participants to write a short letter or words of encouragement to a DV survivor receiving services from Haven House; a mini self-defense lesson; and the “Purple Pinky Project,”-n activity where participants paint their pinky nails purple in solidarity with DV survivors.

iVIP is hoping that these activities will generate interest in the program, as well as educate the campus community on interpersonal violence, red flags and prevention. Program dates are currently being finalized and will be announced soon.

In addition to educating the campus community, iVIP is hoping that the DV Awareness Month activities will help familiarize the campus with both on and off-campus resources. Although Ģ����ý is a very safe campus, the iVIP team does understand that many incidences of violence go unreported. In the event that a student, faculty, or staff member is experiencing DV, or knows of someone who is experiencing DV, iVIP wants to insure that they know all of their reporting and advocacy options.

Off-campus resources include:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233)
• (716-884-6000)
• (716-834-3131)
• (716-852-7743)

On-campus resources include:

• Resource table located in the library
• Tracy Rozewicz, Title IX Coordinator
• Jennifer Ehlinger-Saj, Director of the Wellness Center and (confidential resource on campus)
• Jillian Hanesworth, iVIP coordinator (located in room 129).

If you are interested in learning more about iVIP or joining the iVIP team, which is open to all faculty, staff, students and community organizations, please email Jillian Hanesworth.

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September is Hunger Action Month, and last week to highlight the growing problem of hunger and food insecurity on college campuses.

WBFO’s Kyle Mackie interviewed several members of Ģ����ý’s Office of Mission, Ministry and Service, which oversees Catherine’s Cupboard, the on-campus student food pantry. She also interviewed a student and single mom of three who has taken advantage of the food pantry in the past.

Funded entirely by donations, Catherine’s Cupboard is discrete, completely free and open to all students. It is located in Room 340 and features non-perishable foods, toiletries and baby items, and Coordinator Sister Marie Andre Main RSM, ’62 also works to connect students in need with other community resources. It was started several years ago when a student survey reflected national and regional figures–one third of those surveyed said they had experienced food insecurity during their time at Ģ����ý.

Check out the WBFO story,

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Ģ����ý was awarded nearly $300,000 from the federal Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women last September. With the first year consisting entirely of trainings, planning and preparation, Grant Coordinator Jillian Hanesworth is looking forward to kicking off on-campus programming for students, faculty and staff in October.

The grants—distributed to 57 schools across the United States—are intended to reduce sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on campus. Although Ģ����ý is a non-residential campus, the majority of its student population is female and at risk for experiencing these types of crimes at home.

“We’re focusing on support in general—everyone has been impacted in domestic violence or other interpersonal violence in some way,” Hanesworth said. “We want everyone to be able to identify the warning signs. And then once you notice those signs, what can you do about it?”

So far, in addition to attending multiple conferences focused on how to implement the grant funds, Hanesworth has focused on learning the culture of Ģ����ý, trying to figure what types of programming will appeal to the community, and meeting with staff and faculty.

Ģ����ý’s grant program has been christened the Interpersonal Violence Intervention Prevention (iVIP) program, which will operate with a trauma-informed care mindset. One of Hanesworth’s first moves was forming a coordinated community response team comprised of Ģ����ý faculty and staff, the Buffalo and Lancaster police departments, and representatives from the Pride Center of WNY, Haven House and Crisis Services.

“We’re working together to make sure that everything we do—from programming to trainings—is inclusive and representative of all students,” she said. “We want a voice at the table to voice each demographic here.”

As for programming, in addition to educating the Ģ����ý community on how to identify signs of interpersonal violence and how to intervene appropriately, Hanesworth said she hopes to offer self-defense classes and other hands-on trainings.

“We have a really unique opportunity, because most of our students are going into the medical field,” she said. “So they’ll enter their individual career paths and know how to identify these issues and intervene. That’s probably one of the most exciting things; our reach will be so much larger than just Ģ����ý.”

The grant covers three years, at which point participating colleges may or may not reapply and be awarded the funds again. No matter what happens though, sustainability is a major goal.

“It’s all about asking, how do we keep our resources, our partnerships, our programming?” Hanesworth said. “Regardless of how we move forward, we want to make sure the community never feels like something is taken away.”

Stay tuned for programming announcements in coming months!

Meet Jillian Hanesworth:

Hometown:
East Side of Buffalo

Education:
Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts
SUNY Fredonia (BA in Criminal Justice, concentration in law)

Most Recent Job:
(positions included community educator and advocate in domestic violence court and the emergency homeless unit)

Fun Fact:
Jillian is a who regularly performs and leads workshops around Buffalo!

The post iVIP, Ģ����ý’s DOJ Grant Program, Preps for Second Year appeared first on Ģ����ý.

Ģ����ý alumna Trista Kucewicz ’14, AAS, LMT, graduated from the Massage Therapy program in 2014 and is currently employed at  in West Seneca. Program Director Rachel Ersing, DC, MBA, LMT recently caught up with Trista and learned about her massage career and how Ģ����ý helped her achieve it. Read more below!

Why did you choose massage therapy?

I wanted to help people feel better and had an interest in healthcare and anatomy and physiology.

What made you choose Ģ����ý initially?

I wanted to earn a degree, and Ģ����ý was highly recommended to me and had a good reputation. I did my research and learned that it also had a high board exam pass rate. Ģ����ý also had more to offer in terms of financial aid options than a clock hours program, meaning my education had less out-of-pocket cost.

Why was Ģ����ý the right fit for you?

I liked learning about massage in medical settings and seeing the role of massage in healthcare through the college’s externship experiences at locations such as , and .  My career began in a medical massage setting, which can be intimidating for a new therapist. I felt confident and prepared largely due to the clinical experiences I had as a student at Ģ����ý.

Any advice to students or new massage therapists?

Everyone works differently. Every type of massage is different. Try new things until you find what is right for you.

Favorite aspect of massage therapy?

Massage therapy is very fulfilling. Even if patients are in pain when they come in, they are smiling when they leave.

Favorite aspect of working in a spa?

Most of my time has been spent focusing on medical massage, so I’m new to the spa environment, but I’m enjoying the calming, peaceful atmosphere and working with her new colleagues.

The post Massage Therapy Alumna Spotlight: Trista Kucewicz ’14, AAS, LMT appeared first on Ģ����ý.

The fastest path to Massage Therapy certification in Western New York can now be found at Ģ����ý.  The newly retooled Massage Therapy Certificate program is accepting students for the Fall 2019 semester.

“We’ve been in the process of revamping our curriculum and seeking approval from the state for more than a year, so we are thrilled this new format is finally off the ground,” said Program Director Rachel Minniefield Ersing, DC, MBA, LMT, CLT, CCT. “Our certificate program is now extremely competitive in the local marketplace, taking just 10 months to complete from beginning to end.”

Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the NYS board licensure exam. A two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Massage Therapy is also available at Ģ����ý.

The shorter calendar still prioritizes hands-on experience—under supervision, students staff the program’s on-site clinic (which is open to the public), and complete clinical rotations at facilities throughout Buffalo.

In addition to the condensed completion time, the program offers dependable scheduling, such as guaranteed no nights or weekends, even for clinical requirements.

“This new format provides students the same great education while also allowing them to get out into the world and start their careers even earlier,” Ersing said. “We want to do everything possible to help our students succeed, and this change was just one more way to support their journeys to becoming healthcare and wellness professionals.”

Ģ����ý will be holding a Massage Therapy information night at its Seneca Street location (2262 Seneca St., Buffalo NY 14210) on Tuesday, March 19—Sign up here. For more information about the Massage Therapy program, visit .

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