Faculty members of Arizona State University’s College of Public Service and Community Solutions gave a lecture on Tuesday sharing expertise and detailing projects covering topics of social entrepreneurship for refugees, Tax ID theft and programs to benefit at-risk adolescents.
This was the semester’s first installment of the college’s Public Service Impact Talks, which feature faculty members and students of the college explaining their work toward solutions for a variety of community issues.
David Androff, associate professor in the School of Social Work, talked about local efforts to help refugees have an easier transition into their new communities.
Androff said some of the major challenges refugees face in Arizona include getting around town, learning how to navigate grocery stores to get food, and understanding the country’s healthcare system.
He said he is involved with several community organizations and grassroots refugee communities that help provide resources and teach business skills to these “New Americans” — a term Androff said many have adopted in reference to refugees in an attempt to signify a fresh start for them.
“Everywhere the refugees are resettled, they’ve self-organized into their own groups,” he said before the speech. “The mission of our projects is to build those groups up to be stronger.”
Androff said the community can help these refugees by supporting small businesses started by the refugees, volunteering with refugee organizations and avoiding what he qualified as the hate and fear that often shapes the rhetoric surrounding refugee issues.
Shawn Novak, associate clinical professor in the School of Public Affairs, spoke next about tax ID theft prevention.
Novak, who worked on the United States Senate Committee on Finance before coming to teach at ASU, described a system in which a criminal can file fraudulent tax returns and obtain someone else’s return.
Novak said legislative measures such as the omnibus tax and spending bill passed last month can lead to a solution to this problem by giving the Internal Revenue Service the ability to verify employment data with employers before a refund is issued.
In addition, Novak said taxpayers can take steps to prevent fraud from happening to them.
He recommended keeping personal information secure, thoroughly investigating preparers who file returns, and filing tax returns early.
“I hope the people become more aware of the problem,” Novak said before the speech. “I hope they learn a little bit about protecting themselves and those that end up being victims learn a little bit about the help that’s available.”
The final speaker of the night was Flavio F. Marsiglia, who discussed the “keepin’ it REAL” program.
The program aims to prevent risky adolescent behavior by identifying effective prevention strategies, then helping adolescents implement them in a relatable and culturally-specific way.
The program uses the acronym REAL to identify successful strategies adolescents use to avoid drugs and alcohol — refuse, explain, avoid, and leave.
Marsiglia said the program was originally tested in schools in central and south Phoenix.
Schools that implemented the program saw a smaller increase in drinking as the students got older than schools that used their own prevention programs.
Now the “teen-oriented” program is being studied in Mexico, where teachers provide feedback after the program’s implementation to make changes.
“To scare kids doesn’t work,” Marsiglia said. “What works is to provide them with tools to do what they want to do.”
Marsiglia said he thinks these talks are important because they show the local community what the school does.
“We are a state university,” he said. “I think it’s good for the residents of Arizona to know what we do.”
CPSCS Dean Jonathan Koppell said the speeches, inspired by the TED Talks speaker series, are largely intended to show the community what the college is about.
Koppell said he saw the event as a way “to make our community stronger, safer, more dynamic (and) resilient.”
Contact the reporter at libby.allnatt@asu.edu.
