Frostburg State University Students and Allegany Conflict Resolution Center To Host “Facing Facebook Feuds” Workshop on April 5th
Frostburg, MD—Frostburg
State University (FSU) and the
Allegany Conflict Resolution
Center (ACRC) will come together
for a presentation on “Facing
Facebook Feuds” on Tues., April.
5th from 12-1 p.m. in Lane
University Center, Room 244 (the
South Addition) on FSU’s campus.
The free event is open to the
public, and light refreshments
will be served. The program is
supported in part by FSU’s
chapter of Alpha Phi Omega (APO)
and is being funded by a Gira
Campus to Community Grant.
As part of a week-long “Enough
is Enough” anti-bullying
campaign at FSU, "Facing
Facebook Feuds" will bring the
campus and local community
together to learn what to do
when conflicts arise online as a
result of Facebook postings. The
presentation will feature
students from Dr. Elesha L.
Ruminski's CMST 345/Conflict
Management class, who are
organizing, promoting, and
presenting the event in
collaboration with ACRC and APO.
The students will provide an
interactive overview of what
conflict management is, why it
is valuable to face rather than
avoid, and basic strategies and
resources for managing
interpersonal conflicts that
begin on Facebook.
Ruminski, Chair and Assistant
Professor of Communication
Studies and Co-Coordinator of
Leadership Studies at FSU,
serves as the president of the
Board of Directors for the
Allegany Conflict Resolution
Center (ACRC). ACRC, along with
nearly twenty other community
mediation centers in Maryland,
provides free conflict
resolution services, including
mediation of family,
neighborhood, and business
conflicts, as well as training
and education about conflict
managment. The centers are all
supported with training through
Community Mediation Maryland.
For more information on the
event or about volunteering with
ACRC, contact Ruminski at
elruminski@frostburg.edu or
301-687-4480. For more
information about using
community mediation, contact
ACRC at
240-727-0408. More
information is also available at
www.alleganymediation.org .
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ACRC Offers Free Mediation Certification Training
Allegany Conflict Resolution
Center (ACRC) is planning a
45-hour mediation certification
training to become a trained
mediator. Training will run the
first three consecutive weekends
of February (Feb. 5-6, 12-13,
and 19-20) on Saturdays and
Sundays from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at
the Frostburg Community Center
at 27 S. Water Street in
Frostburg. The training is free
to participants and exceeds the
Title 17 requirements set for
circuit court mediators within
Maryland. Community Mediation
Maryland ( www.marylandmediation.org
) facilitates the training for
ACRC.
Trained mediators will then
serve as ACRC volunteers to
mediate campus, workplace, and
community conflicts as
available, which will enable
trained participants to build
valuable mediation experience.
Community mediation empowers
participants to resolve
conflicts through
third-party facilitated
communication and
decision-making. See www.alleganymediation.org
for more details.
ACRC has worked with Cumberland
neighborhoods like Rolling Mills
and is working on a prison
re-entry mediation program,
which indicates the variety of
population and program types we
support in Allegany County.
Additionally, the Department of
Communication Studies at
Frostburg State University (FSU)
is offering experiential
learning with ACRC. Several
other areas of FSU, including
Student and Educational
Services, Campus Police, and
Residence Life, are on board as
well to support mediation
initiatives, as are stakeholders
and groups concerning
campus-community community
relations in the Frostburg
area. ACRC has also collaborated
with faculty at Allegany College
of Maryland.
This initiative promotes
conflict management, civility,
and community building while
giving certification and
practical experience to list on
resumes for those trained. The
challenges of our times call for
this kind of training. In
addition to the training, watch
for a volunteer meeting
announcement for anyone
interested assisting with the
Center's work.
Contact Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski,
chair of FSU’s Department of
Communication Studies and
president of ACRC’s board of
directors, at 301-687-4480 or elruminski@frostburg.edu
if you have questions or want
to register for the February
training. Deadline for
registration is Fri., Jan.
28.
For immediate release
Frostburg State University Students and Allegany Conflict Resolution Center to Celebrate National Conflict Resolution Day on Oct. 21
Frostburg, MD—Frostburg State University and Allegany Conflict Resolution Center (ACRC) will come together on Thurs., Oct. 21 to celebrate National Conflict Resolution Day. A presentation will be held at 6 p.m. in the Leake Room at the Cordts PE Center on FSU’s campus. The free event is open to the public, and refreshments will be served. The program is part of a Leadership Workshop Series at FSU.
These presentations will celebrate National Conflict Resolution Day by bringing the campus and local community together to learn about "The Value of Conflict." The presentations will feature students from Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski's CMST 345/Conflict Management class, who are organizing, promoting, and presenting the event in collaboration with ACRC. The students will provide an interactive overview of what conflict is, why it is valuable to face rather than avoid, and basic strategies and resources for managing conflict. A proclamation designating “Conflict Resolution Day” in the City of Frostburg will be read, and Dr. Jonathan Gibralter, president of Frostburg State University, will offer a welcome.
Ruminski, Chair and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Co-Coordinator of Leadership Studies at FSU, serves as the president of the Board of Directors for the Allegany Conflict Resolution Center (ACRC). ACRC, along with nearly twenty other community mediation centers in Maryland, provides free and low cost conflict resolution services, including mediation of family, neighborhood, and business conflicts, as well as training and education about conflict resolution. The centers are all members of a statewide organization, Community Mediation Maryland.
Evaluation of community mediation has found it to be successful at resolving conflicts and improving relationships. All parties involved in the dispute must agree to mediation, but they do not give up any legal rights. If an agreement is not reached, they can still go to court. The mediation sessions last about two hours and can be scheduled during non-work hours and held in the neighborhood where the dispute occurs. Participants are empowered to solve problems, and as a consequence, they learn new communication and decision-making skills. Research has also found that community mediation saves public resources by decreasing repeat calls for service to the police department and decreasing the use of criminal and civil courts. A Basic Mediation Training is tentatively planned for Spring, with dates to be announced. The Center is recruiting participants for the unique 50-hour training program.
For more information on the event or about volunteering with ACRC, contact Ruminski at elruminski@frostburg.edu or 301-687-4480. For more information about using community mediation, contact ACRC at 240-727-0408 or ConflictResolutionCenter@allconet.org More information is also available at www.marylandmediation.org.
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Published:
July 18, 2009
Rolling Mill area target
of efforts by resolution center
Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — The Allegany
Conflict Resolution Center has
targeted the Rolling Mill
neighborhood for outreach
efforts in keeping with the goal
of integrating the community
into the center and non-violent
conflict resolution into the
community.
A new billboard in the
neighborhood features an example
of activities used to promote
free community mediation — Free
Movies, Food & Fun offered in
the Martins’ Food Market
Community Room. Upcoming free
movie nights will be Tuesday,
“Willy Wonka,” and Aug. 18.
The Rolling Mill Neighborhood
Association has gained attention
in the city for its grass-roots
efforts to rebuild the community
and make the neighborhood a
safer place for families and
children. Its members, city
police and the Allegany Conflict
Resolution Center Board agreed
that such focused outreach
activities could aid efforts to
reduce crime and violence in the
neighborhood.
The community mediation theme is
that everyone in the community
is a potential peace-maker. The
primary action people can take
is to resolve their own
conflicts using mediation and
peaceful conflict resolution.
Richard Noreikis, Community
Mediation Program coordinator,
explained. “It works by getting
people together who must
co-exist — for example, your
neighbor’s dog won’t stop
barking — how can you find a
solution that works? Mediation
helps them address the
underlying issues of the
conflict face-to-face. Mediation
is a process that brings people
together to clarify issues,
discuss options and, if
possible, reach an
agreement. Every mediator
receives extensive training in
conflict resolution to remain
neutral and avoid making
judgments. Mediators don’t take
sides; they will not make
decisions for you, provide any
legal advice or recommend the
terms of an agreement. Our
belief is that people and
communities know better than
outsiders what their needs are.”
All parties involved in the dispute must agree to mediation
but they do not give up any
legal rights. If an agreement is
not reached, they can still go
to court. The mediation sessions
last about two hours and may be
scheduled during nonwork hours
and held in the neighborhood
where the dispute occurs.
The organization’s board of
directors will elect officers at
its July annual meeting. Current
officers are Terri Bennett,
president; Richard Maslow,
secretary; and Jack Murray Jr.,
treasurer. “The hoped-for result
is more conflicts being resolved
peacefully through
community-based mediation rather
than through courts, police
intervention or violence,” said
Bennett. “Remember, the
agreement is decided upon by all
parties involved in the dispute,
so it will more likely be a
lasting solution.”
More information is also
available at
www.marylandmediation.org