Support Social Justice? Support Social Workers!
The Columbia Independent • By Layla Saliba • March 1, 2023
“Columbia University’s School of Social Work is the nation’s oldest school of its kind. CSSW’s contributions extend beyond the classroom and are responsible for many societal advancements, such as helping write the Social Security Act and pioneering psychiatric social work. Social worker students are able to engage in direct practice and interact with members of various communities at their field placements. Field placements provide the opportunity for students to implement a variety of skills in different settings; students work with communities, organizations, and individuals as they learn how to be clinicians, advocates, and researchers. Whether we are assisting someone with a subsidized nutrition assistance program application, helping with casework for a local representative, or providing sliding scale therapy at a community mental health center, our impact is felt beyond Columbia’s campus.
I am incredibly grateful to be in this program studying what I love with peers who want to actively make the world a better place. However, I did not expect my Ivy League experience to include seeing my friends, once bright-eyed and full of life, exhausted and overwhelmed by the financial expenses of fieldwork, which is unpaid. The lack of compensation presents a financial difficulty for students, especially those who are low income or working class. I have heard many stories of how balancing this labor with challenging classes has resulted in significant stress and anxiety. Payment For Placement, a student-led organization advocating for paid field placements, has extensively documented feedback that attests to the burnout and overwhelm students are experiencing. While it is important that students have experiences beyond the classroom, it is not reasonable for the university to expect students to commit significant amounts of time to unpaid work at the expense of their mental health and financial well-being.”
