The FSU Chapter of the Macro Social Work Student Network (MSWSN) was awarded the 2023 Outstanding Student Group Award by the Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA). Dr. Shalay Jackson, a teaching professor and faculty advisor for FSU MSWSN at the College of Social Work, accepted the award on the chapter’s behalf at the ACOSA membership Meeting and Awards Reception at the 2023 Council on Social Work Education’s Annual Program Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

The award honors student work at the undergraduate and graduate level doing outstanding community practice. FSU’s MSWSN chapter was nominated by their Advisory Board of macro social work practitioners and professionals, including Alberto Cifuentes, Jr., Kapria Lee (FSU alumna, MSW/MPA 2019), Becki Sander, and Tamarie Willis. 

“We feel particularly motivated to lift up these students whose actions inspire hope in us and sustenance for the struggle,” they wrote in their nomination letter. “The FSU students took the MSWSN mission and potential and ran with it!”

The Macro Social Work Student Network originated at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College with a mission, “to develop a geographically diverse network of and for macro-practice social work undergraduates and graduate students to:

• Share and augment macro practice knowledge.
• Maintain self-awareness of macro practice as a minority method in the social work field.
• Share our work with the rest of the social work field.”

True to this mission, chapters have been established across the country, including one at Florida State. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, a group of FSU social work students transformed an earlier student group in 2018, the Social Leader Student Organization, into the FSU Chapter of the Macro Social Work Student Network.

The original student leaders included Caitlyn Bergman (Inaugural President), Sierra Jackson (Inaugural Vice President), Lauren Henderson (Inaugural Secretary), and Katherine Alexander (Inaugural Treasurer).

“The network is eager to connect students with professionals in macro practice roles to showcase how social workers make a broad impact oat the agency, community, and societal levels through leadership, advocacy, and community practice,” Dr. Jackson shared when the chapter was established.

She added that since its inception, “the FSU chapter has brought more attention to macro practice and established a macro social work community among FSU students.”

FSU MSWSN receiving the ACOSA Outstanding Student Group Award acknowledges the significant impact that the chapter has had on incorporating broader macro social issues to the FSU College of Social Work and university communities.

The FSU MSWSN chapter also played a leadership role in the MSWSN on a national level, their nomination letter also explained. “They have created and implemented two webinars for MSWSN National, posted on ACOSA’s website which offers a continuing resource for increased awareness of macro practice and organizations bringing about systematic change.”

Since the organization was established at FSU, they have maintained active sharing regular newsletter updates, a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram and hosting regular events to engage social work students and students across campus on macro-level topics and issues.

In November 2023, FSU MSWSN collaborated with Park Core, Payment 4 Placement and Students for Safety to host a Macro Mingle at the FSU College of Social Work to encourage students to learn about more ways to become involved on campus and beyond related to social justice and advocacy.

“Part of the value of advocacy is trying to uplift voices of people that aren’t usually uplifted,” said Makenna Bernstein, an BSW student and FSU MSWSN member, in an interview with WFSU. “And that really ties into policy because a lot of policy is targeted toward those minorities and underprivileged communities.”

The event represented social action that also tied into a class project coordinated by Dr. Jackson to help the students organize around social causes they find meaningful. Students identified a problem, proposed solutions, built power, collected data, and presented this information to the targets of their campaign.  Targets included Dean Springer at the College of Social Work, Richard Rind at FSU Transportation and Parking, and Chief Rhonda Harris of the FSU Police Department. Two groups were the catalyst for newly formed task forces designed to address issues identified by student groups.

Rebecca (Becca) Horn, a member of the network since spring 2022 and served as MSWSN’s 2022-2023 president attributes much of the student group’s success to,” the hard work and dedication of our amazing faculty advisor, Dr. Shalay Jackson, whose commitment to macro social work never ceases to amaze.”

“Our code of ethics calls for a commitment to promote social justice, and MSWSN’s dedication to this core value reinforces their key role on FSU’s campus,” Becca emphasized.