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The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) recently honored two faculty members in �պ�����'s Human Development and Family Science Program. Dr. Christine Proulx received the Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring recognizing excellence in mentoring students and colleagues. Dr. Jaz Routon received the Feldman Award from the NCFR's Family Policy Section for the Best Conference Proposal for 2022. Proulx and Routon joined �պ����� as full-time faculty members in the College of Education and Social Services last fall. 

“The award is incredibly meaningful to me because my nominators were all former students with whom I’ve had the honor of working, either in the classroom or on research – frequently in both capacities,” said Proulx. “Mentoring is one of the most meaningful parts of my job, and to see former students go on to do important and impactful work is such a joy for me. Mentoring can be invisible work in the academy, and I’m grateful the National Council on Family Relations provides a mechanism to honor those of us for whom mentoring is a passion.”

Those who nominated Proulx for the award described her strong sense of obligation to provide students with the best training as future leaders in the field of family science, setting her apart as an exemplar among her peers. Former colleague Jeremy Kanter at The University of Tennessee noted Proulx's record of continuously going above and beyond expectations to ensure the success of her mentees. “She wants her advisees and mentees to become successful scholars,” he explained. “Her student-led projects are not merely an extension of her own work. Rather, she encourages independent thought by having her students consider their own professional trajectories.”

Dr. Routon’s award-winning proposal for the NCFR conference was based on their 2022 study, “.” The study examines how rural community characteristics – including legal, political, and religious – impact stakeholder capacity efforts to address the needs of unstably housed sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals and families. It also introduces the Minority Capacity Framework (MCF) as a multi-theoretical approach that combines elements of minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) and theory of community action and change (Mancini & Bowen, 2013). MCF strives to achieve queer feminist intersectionality by accounting for differences in accessibility, outreach, and priority linked to intersecting social identities (Collins & Bilge, 2016).

"I appreciate NCFR’s Family Policy Section for centering rural LGBTQ-focused housing research and policy initiatives," they said, "particularly in the current national political climate in which queer and trans folks and their families are under attack and heightened scrutiny."

Routon’s study highlights stakeholder perceptions on the needs and barriers faced by unstably housed SGM individuals and families, social organizational processes of support, and ways to build capacity and advocacy for changes needed to improve the lives of unstably housed populations.

An implication of Routon's work can connect with recent federal-level policies, such as fair housing including SGM identities as a protected class under sex to create more protections across the U.S. But state and municipal level policies may have a more direct day-to-day impact on unstably housed SGM populations. “Even with more affirming federal guidelines, we see an uptick in trans-exclusive policies at the state-level,” they said. 

Preliminary findings of Routon’s work demonstrate a need for policy advocates to assist with developing implementation strategies after the passing of a nondiscrimination ordinance or other SGM-specific policies. “Although policies provide a recourse path, they do little to protect the most disenfranchised,” they noted. “An implementation strategy could assist organizations in providing SGM-affirming care. Minimally, a strategy could demonstrate the importance of direct outreach. In communities without municipal or state SGM-affirming policies, unstably housed SGM populations may be the most vulnerable. Capacity efforts should include affirming religious groups to educate and provide safe spaces for SGM people to gather.”

About �պ�����'s Human Development and Family Science Program

Students interested in developing a deep interdisciplinary understanding of human development and how it informs skilled, critically conscious and ethical professional practice in human services can find their calling in the Human Development and Family Science Program (HDFS).

With opportunities to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) or an 18-credit minor, HDFS emphasizes information literacy, critical reflection, and community-engaged learning experiences rooted in social justice and equitable, strengths-based practices. Graduates are ready to pursue a variety of advanced degrees or professions promoting positive development and healthy relationships empowering individuals, families, and communities to thrive while interrupting systems of privilege and oppression.