Social work program hosts annual fall conference

The social work 435 senior class will be hosting the eighth annual fall conference from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Center Ballroom. This year’s conference is called High in the West: The Tragic Trail Left by Drugs.
Seniors in the social work program host the event. The planning for the event starts in January before the event in the fall and the class works through the summer hosting fundraisers.
Jade Capezzuto, 22, senior of Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the funding for the event came from fundraisers like bake sales, raffle baskets, and a children’s carnival. The class also set up donation jars at various businesses and asked for sponsorships from local businesses.
“Each class always starts with a $0 budget and is responsible for raising all of the funds needed to put on the conference,” Capezzuto said.
The conferences in the past usually cost the class between $6,000 and $8,000, but this year’s will cost about $4,000.
Any leftover money will be donated to an organization or agency that has to do with the topic of the conference. This year, extra money will be donated to Panhandle Coalition.
Kiran Mand, 20, senior of Bellmawr, New Jersey, said the conference is open to all students and the general public. She said the class has also invited high school students.
Schools and individuals are encouraged to register online but it is not required. The website form asks for registrations at least three days in advance. The class is planning on 150-250 people to come in and out throughout the day, Mand said.
This year’s event will feature speakers that have had ties to the drug world in some aspect of their lives. Speakers include Jay Dobyns, retired Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agent; Shelly Thomas, current forensic interviewer for CAPstone Child Advocacy Center; Doug Peterson, Nebraska Attorney General; Amy Case, drug use survivor; and others included in a panel discussion.
The schedule for the day is as follows: 7:30-8:30 a.m. registration and breakfast; 8:30-9 a.m. opening remarks; 9-9:50 a.m. Dobyns; 9:50-10 a.m. break; 10-10:50 a.m. Thomas; 10:50-11 a.m. break; 11-11:30 a.m. lunch; 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. Peterson; 12:20-12:40 p.m. break; 12:40-1:30 p.m. law enforcement; 1:30-2:10 p.m. BIA representative; 2:10-2:20 p.m. break; 2:20-3 p.m. Case; 3-4 p.m. panel discussion; 4-4:30 p.m. closing remarks.