NIU Counseling Association (NIUCA)
Chapter Report
February 16th, 2014
I. Membership/Board (elected April 2013; *elected December 2013)
President, Erin Sherrill
Vice President, Amanda Balsamo*
Secretary, Danielle Keys
Treasurer, Sarah Potter
Public Relations Chair, Elisa Woodruff
Faculty Advisor, Dr. Charles E. Myers
Membership as of October 2013: 100
II. Meeting and Summaries
a. 11/20/2013 – Discussed Spring 2014 programming and fundraising options.
Colloquium application had been submitted to the NIU Graduate School and the College
of Education. At the ICA Conference, NIU won the Traveling Trophy for the 3rd year in
a row, and NIUCA won most outstanding ICA Chapter!
b. 12/4/2013 – Marilyn Ramirez stepped down as Vice President and Amanda Balsamo
was voted in as the new Vice President. Colloquium was approved and funding was
granted. David Berceli, Ph.D. was scheduled as guest speaker. Began working on
logistics for the event and an invitation list.
c. 1/13/2014 – First meeting of the Spring 2014 semester. Application submitted to
provide continuing education units (CEUs) for attendance at the colloquium event.
Voted to purchase yoga mats with NIUCA logo to help promote and fundraise for the
cost of the colloquium.
d. 1/27/2014 – Meeting cancelled due to university closure.
e. 2/3/2014 – Make-up meeting. Colloquium invitations sent to various NIU departments
and will be forwarded to various community organizations over the next week. CEUs for
colloquium were approved were approved. Sale of yoga mats is going well, so another
batch was ordered.
f. 2/10/2014 – Need to make final push for attendance at colloquium. Last minute
logistics were discussed and various tasks for colloquium weekend were assigned.
Discussed additional spring programming and fundraising.
III. Marketing Initiatives
a. Facebook – The NIUCA Facebook page currently has 247 members and serves as a
communication tool for events and information.
b. Twitter – The Twitter feed currently has 24 followers.
c. Listserv – NIUCA regularly sends emails through the Counseling Department graduate
and doctoral student Listserv. This allows us to share information about NIUCA events
with anyone subscribing to the Listserv.
d. Bulletin Board – NIUCA has a bulletin board located near counseling classes, faculty,
and offices. The bulletin board provides basic information about NIUCA, testimonials
from members, photos from past events, and is used to display fliers for upcoming events.
Bulletin board space is now shared with Chi Sigma Iota.
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e. Rebranding – NIUCA is growing and evolving with each year. Rebranding is a
way to demonstrate this growth and attract new members. The logo has been completed
and is in use.
IV. Technology Initiative
a. Skype has proved to be a valuable tool in allowing commuter students to attend
NIUCA meetings without being on campus. Skype has been utilized at several meetings.
b. Wiggio – NIUCA created a Wiggio account in October 2012. Wiggio is a web-based
program where groups can share documents, schedule meetings and events, and share
information. The NIUCA Wiggio currently has 23 members.
c. Survey Monkey has also been utilized in the search for a colloquium speaker.
d. NIUCA acquired a Payanywhere device, which allows the organization to accept credit
card for fundraising sales. The Treasurer maintains control of this device.
V. ICA Conference Initiative
a. NIUCA has promoted the ICA conference in all of its literature, on the NIU
Counseling Listserv communications, and on the Facebook page. In addition, NIUCA
hosted an “ICA Conference Buddies” Facebook page for the third year in a row. On
this site, students can communicate about sharing hotel rooms and rides.
b. This year, NIUCA was able to provide travel scholarships to students whom applied
for the funding. Applicants were asked to answer a series of essay questions, and a blind
committee judged their applications. There were four winners of the scholarship.
Winners were reimbursed for the cost of mileage to and from the ICA conference.
Winners were also asked to serve on the Decorations Committee for the ICA conference.
c. The NIUCA Decorations Committee successfully completed the task of decorating the
ballroom for the Friday night reception at the ICA Conference. The committee consisted
of winners of the travel scholarship and several NIUCA executive board members. The
committee is co-chaired by Marilyn Ramirez and Sarah Potter. The committee was given
a budget of $300 to bring a Route 66 theme to life at the ICA conference.
VI. Continuing Education Units (CEU) – As a result of the efforts by Elisa Woodruff and
with Dr. Justin Lauka as the NIU CEU Coordinator, NIUCA is approved to offer CEUs
for eligible workshops and presentations as of March 2013. CEUs were offered for one
event this Fall 2013, and two – three events this spring.
VII. Committees
a. Mental Health First Aid and Race to Nowhere: This committee will be focused on
setting up screenings and discussions on the film, Race to Nowhere, as well as,
coordinating Mental Health First Aid workshops on campus.
Members: Kimberly Hart (Chair), Dan Michaels, Jules Hartsfield, and Jakendra Williams
b. Colloquium Committee: This committee will work on speaker identification, the
application process, and if approved for funding, bringing the speaker/s to campus.
Members: Amanda Balsamo (Chair), Erin Sherrill, Jakendra Williams, Sarah Potter, Dan
Michaels, and Elise Roug; Elisa Woodruff will do publicity.
c. Planting the Seed of Counseling Outreach: This committee will focus on outreach
efforts n the community.
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Members: Jakendra Williams (Chair), Sarah Potter, and Marilýn Ramírez.
d. ICA Decorations Committee: This committee will coordinate the decorations for the
Friday night event at the 2013 ICA conference.
Members: Marilyn Ramirez (Co-Chair), Sarah Potter (Co-Chair), Erin Sherrill, Jakendra
Williams, Kelly Phelan, Margaret Binhackova, Antoinette Schrader
VIII. Presentations and Events
a. Upcoming
i. 2/21/2014 – Pre-Admission Workshop (PAW) is the interview day for master’s
program applicants. Several NIUCA members will volunteer to serve on an
informational panel to answer questions.
ii. 3/3/2014 – Race to Nowhere screening in the Holmes Student Center Duke
Ellington Ballroom.
b. In Planning
i. Gerontology presentation in March or early April
ii. 4/18/2014 OR 5/2/2014 – Celebration of Academic Achievement (CAA).
Date needs to be finalized and a committee must be created to manage event
planning. This event will be a celebration of the incredible faculty and students in
the NIU Counseling program. Awards will be given.
c. Past Presentations and Events
i. 10/21/2013 – Race to Nowhere Screening – A discussion facilitated by
Jakendra Williams will follow.
ii. 10/23/2013 – Providing Safe Passages: Counseling Survivors of Domestic
Violence. Presentation by Marj Askings and Lanay Riley of Safe Passage.
Safe Passage is DeKalb’s domestic violence and sexual assault shelter and
resource center.
iii. 11/6/2013 – Counseling Veterans With Disabilities. Presentation by Bryan
Dallas and Amanda McCarthy. Counseling techniques and assistive technology
were discussed. CEUs were offered.
IX. Workshops
a. Past Workshops
i. 9/28/2013 – 9/29/2013 – Adventure Based Counseling Workshop facilitated by
NIU alumnus Pat McMillion, Dr. Steve Moody, and Dr. Charles Myers. Back by
popular demand, NIUCA, hosted the two-day workshop in McQueen Forest
Preserve in Kirkland, IL.
ii. 11/22/2013 – 11/23/2013 – Mental Health First Aid Workshop
iii. 2/14/2014 – 2/15/2015 – Spring 2014 Colloquium titled Addressing Trauma
Through Physical Release: Trauma Topics and Trauma Releasing Exercises.
Presented by David Berceli, Ph.D. A total of 7 CEUs could be earned during the
two-day workshop.
b. In Planning
i. 5/2/2014 – Counselor specific LGBT Ally Training presentation by Dr. Jane
Rheineck and several guest speakers. Plan to apply to offer CEUs.
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X. Alumni Relations
a. NIUCA hopes to draw alumni to workshops and programs by offering CEUs.
b. The former Alumni Relations Chair, Phet Keobouavanh, started the process of
creating a scholarship for current counseling students. A large part of this scholarship will
come from fundraising done by NIUCA and alumni contributions. To NIUCA’s
knowledge, they are the first student association at the university to attempt this.
XI. Advocacy/Volunteerism
a. 4/12/2014 – NIUCA will be hosting an NIU Cares Day Team. The team will be lead
by Julia Dombrow.
XII. Parties and Outings
a. Every Wednesday – NIUCA lunch in the Blackhawk Lounge of the NIU campus.
b. Various potlucks will be held this spring and summer to welcome new students to the
counseling program.
XIII. Fundraising/Treasury
a. Current account balance: $743.15
b. Fundraiser products outstanding: $ 256
c. NIUCA’s primary source of funds for FY 2014 have come from ticket sales and silent
auction items from the 2013 Celebration of Academic Achievement, candy fundraiser, as
well as funds awarded by the Student Association.
d. NIUCA is in the process of selling yoga mats printed with the NIUCA name and logo.
We will also host another end of the year Celebration of Academic Achievement
receiving revenue from ticket sales and a silent auction.
e. The NIU Student Association provided $1,848 in FY 14. So far, $895.20 has been
spent on travel expenses to the Illinois Counseling Association Conference and
registration for our counseling retreat (ABC Workshop). The remaining $625 will
continue to help fund the end of the year banquet, and cover lunch for various
presentations throughout the year.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Sherrill
President, NIU Counseling Association (NIUCA)