The club organizes activities aimed specifically at member networking and community outreach.

One of the major programs that the club currently hosts is its annual thanksgiving canned food drive throughout November. During this month, officers and members encourage all students to donate non-perishable and canned food products to designated drop-off areas. At the conclusion of the program, representatives from the club gather all the donations and bring them to the chosen non-profit organization.

For example, the club selected Guma San Jose as its beneficiary last year. Guma San Jose is a homeless shelter located in Dededo that operates under the supervision of Catholic Social Service on Guam in partnership with the Bureau of Social Service and the Department of Public Health and Social Services.

In addition, the club hosts multiple fellowship activities for all UOG students to participate in.

These activities vary across the year but are all geared towards the goal of allowing students to become more familiar with each other and the sociology program as well.

Most recently, the club held a barbeque and movie night sponsored by the office of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Dean. The event brought over fifty sociology and non-sociology students together to participate in a food and fun-filled night.

John Mugol, outgoing president of the Sociology Club, believes that these activities are key to meeting the club mission and being aware of what the members are able to do. With all this in mind, Mugol looks forward to seeing what the new leaders can accomplish. “I am hopeful that the new officers and members can continue to fulfill the club’s mission and serve UOG and the community as a whole,” he said.

Cobb will work to continue the tradition set out by his predecessors but has accepted the challenge to bring new ideas to the table. “The current leaders work hard and they’ve helped me to understand what the club is about and I plan to make it even better by focusing on academic mentorship and expanding the ways in which we serve our island community,” he said.

Some of Cobb’s initial plans include a formal mentorship program between upper and lowerclassmen in the sociology program, periodical fellowship activities and creating deeper connections with community partners.

Edward Leon Guerrero, a current member and officer hopeful for the next year, is excited to take part in the progression of the club. Leon Guerrero went on to discuss that as a senior member of the student organization he feels a greater responsibility to set a strong example and create opportunities that weren’t available.

“I feel like this is our chance to fully take advantage of what a UOG club can offer its members,” he said. “We have the ball and it’s our turn to run with it.”

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safeTALK, is a four hour, evidence-based program produced by LivingWorks that introduces suicide prevention and certifies participants, 15 years of age and older, as a suicide alert helpers. These suicide alert helpers are able to recognize the warning signs of suicide, address the person clearly and directly, listen properly and connect them to someone who can provide additional help.

Sara Dimla-Harrell is a local safeTALK trainer working as Keep-Safe during the UOG training. She explained that her role was to provide assistance to participants with any issues in the training.

Dimla-Harrell is a program coordinator with the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center’s Prevention and Training Branch. She is a trainer for both safeTALK and ASIST conducting trainings locally and regionally.

“Because suicide is very a sensitive topic, the stories or the curriculum itself can bring up emotions or past experiences so we want to make sure all the participants feel safe,” Dimla-Harrel said.

In explaining the importance of safeTALK, Dimla-Harrel said that the island faces a huge challenge in dealing with suicide. Many people on Guam tend to avoid the topic making it even more difficult to address. This training aims to ease that uncertainty and provide participants the tools to deal with this uncomfortable issue.

In addition to safeTALK, there are other suicide prevention related trainings. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Connect Postvention are being offered on Guam through the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (GBHWC). ASIST is an intensive two-day program that trains participants in the next tier of suicide prevention, intervention. Connect Postvention is a training designed for institutions and organizations to address the final tier of suicide prevention by having the proper procedures in responding to a suicide loss or behavior.

GBHWC host these trainings as a free community event once per month. Although the trainers are currently working to prepare the schedule for fiscal year 2016, organizations and individuals are encouraged to submit a request for one of these trainings at their venue.

Aside from these trainings, UOG also offers suicide prevention related information and services. The Isa Psychological Services Center received a grant to create and manage the campus suicide prevention program, I Pinangon. Through this program, they offer different services including classroom presentations, one-on-one counseling, outreach events, mental health screenings and information about suicide on Guam.

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Carlos believes that her double major will provide her with an advantage over other students. She explained that having the two majors, as opposed to one major and one minor, will make her an attractive candidate for graduate schools. “They see that you have a double major, they know that you’re dedicated to something,” she said.

After deciding to pursue a double major, Carlos said her grades improved. By participating in different classes, she was able to find professors, peers and ideas that inspired and challenged her ways of thinking. This helped her uncover a passion for education, and she began to take each course more seriously.

Carlos mentioned she could have improved her time management skills. Although she sees a double major as a worthwhile use of a student’s time, had she taken more classes per semester from the beginning, she may have graduated sooner. Carlos will now be graduating after five years at UOG.

Carlos concluded with a few words of advice. “Don’t worry about declaring,” she said. “Don’t limit yourself too much and eventually you’ll figure out what you want.” She also suggested that each student begin to build a working relationship with his/her professors.

Carlos will be graduating this semester with a major in sociology, with concentrations in social problems, development studies and gender/family studies, and a major in psychology.

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The 12 undergraduates are working in small groups to target possible topics areas. These may include campus security, online learning and student organizations. Each one will feature community speakers providing relevant information and responding to participants.

Course instructor Lilnabeth Somera Ph.D. is leading this team in their effort. Although these forums primarily serve as a platform to discuss issues, the coordinators also benefit by gaining essential experience through the practical application of their public relations, organizational and advertising skills.

The organizers highly encourage all UOG students and community members to remain vigilant for upcoming information. Any further questions can be sent to Lilnabeth Somera Ph.D. via email at lpsomera.uog@gmail.com.

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