A Passion for Nutrition - Working as an EFNEP Educator

Corinne Ortega knows what pyramid power is she teaches it nearly every day in Pima County. As an EFNEP (Extension Food and Nutrition Education Program) educator, she uses the USDA Food Pyramid and other educational tools to introduce practical meal planning, food budgeting, grocery shopping and recipe preparation to various audiences around Tucson.

"We teach nutrition to teenaged pregnant mothers, to low-income adults, and in the school districts we go into the classroom and teach grades one through five," Ortega says. "We also have a sports nutrition curriculum that works with teens."

Her interest in nutrition really started when she was at home with her own children and providing home day care for other children as well.

"I wanted to know, how do you get them to eat fruits and vegetables?" she laughs. Ortega currently has three children, aged ten years, eight years and ten months, and loves to pass on what she's learned.

"The most feedback I get is from the teenaged moms," she says. This particular EFNEP program works through TAPP, the Tucson Alternative Parent Program for pregnant high school students.

"That's a group I enjoy immensely. I was married young and had a child at twenty. I feel like I understand what they're struggling through."

Ortega also goes to the Southern Arizona Correctional Rehabilitation Center (SACRC), a minimum security facility, to teach women who are leaving prison how to survive on a budget and how to feed their families healthfully. And she is implementing a storytelling curriculum for fourth and fifth graders, based on their family culture, celebrations, traditions and food heritage. She uses an Eating Right is Basic curriculum to teach nutritional guidelines to clients at St. Joseph's Hospital's behavioral health department.

In spite of her successes, Ortega finds it frustrating that many people are unaware the EFNEP program exists, even though it's been around for more than 25 years. "This is a free program offered through the Pima County Extension Office," (626-5161) she adds.

Her greatest reward is knowing that people are incorporating her nutritional advice into their daily routines. She often encounters children in the grocery store who have taken her classes.

"They say to their parents, 'that's the lady who teaches us nutrition!'" Ortega says. "And the moms will tell me, 'we put the food pyramid on the fridge because the kids say we've got to eat these foods!'"

Sources: Corinne Ortega and Janet Paz
Susan McGinley, News/Editing Specialist, Educational Communications & Technologies

Bilingual Training Tips

Bilingual trainers emphasize the visual aspects of material with simple words and phrases:

• Use line drawings, sketches, and photographs to emphasize key points.
• Use examples with videos or photographs taken on the job.
• Use real-life examples in the workplace.
• Translate relevant materials into the second language, keeping technical jargon to a minimum.
• Develop materials with English on the left-hand side and the second language on the right, so that trainees can quickly cross-reference words in both languages.
• Use the "buddy system" for training new hires, with a supervisor or co-worker who speaks the employee's language and can communicate instructions clearly.
• Train in the native language if at all possible.

Source: Managing Diversity, 6/97

Diversity on Campus

"The results of the first-ever poll in Washington State reveal that two-thirds of 600 voters polled think "diversity programs on college campuses help bring society together." About 55% said, "every college graduate should have to study different cultures," while two-thirds felt that "diversity programs in higher education raise rather than lower academic standards."

Source: Diversity Networker, 7/97

Unprofessional Behaviors/Sexual Harassment

How do you respond to sexual harassment? How do you react if someone calls you a name, tells an embarrassing joke, or makes you feel uncomfortable because of sexual innuendo? Here are some suggestions:

1. Humor. Unfortunately, most of us tend to think of great answers not immediately, but hours later. Try: "Uh-Oh! That's sexual harassment you had better watch out before you get into big trouble," or, "Is this a test to see how I react to sexual harassment?" Humor is a great way of saying that the comment didn't get to you and didn't accomplish what the speaker wanted it to do.
2. Name or describe the behavior and indicating your disapproval. "That comment is offensive to me, it is unprofessional and probably is sexual harassment. That behavior has to stop."
3. The shock approach: "I beg your pardon!!!" coupled with a look of strong shock and dismay. (When you can't think of anything to say, this is a good one.)
4. Pretend not to understand. Keep a deadpan expression and state "I don't understand what this means." Follow up by asking them to repeat it. There is nothing worse for a joke teller than to be told that someone didn't get the point.
5. Use the sexual harassment notebook. Here the person gets a notebook and writes in big letters on it "Sexual Harassment." When the behavior occurs, he/she takes out the notebook and says, casually, "Could you say that again, I want to write it down." The idea here is to do something unexpected. The person writes down the behavior and asks for today's date. If asked why, he/she again blandly says, "I'm just writing these statements down."
6. Research. Upon hearing the remark, the person says, "I'm so glad you said that. I'm doing some research on sexual harassment. Would you mind if I ask you some questions?", then ask "How often do you do this?" "How do you choose people?"
7. Writing a letter to the perpetrator.

   Part I. The writer writes in a very factual manner a description of what happened, without any evaluative words, such as "Last week you called me a ________." Usually people agree with the facts but disagree on the interpretation of those facts. What the letter does is separate the facts from the feelings.

   Part II. The letter-writer describes how he/she feels about the incident(s), again, in non-evaluative words such as "I am very upset with this behavior." I find it very offensive"

   Part III is very short: "I want this behavior to stop immediately." "I want to be treated in a professional manner."

   The letter is typically sent certified, return receipt requested. Should the harassment continue the letter can be used as evidence that sexual harassment existed and that the person was informed.

   The letter is successful in about 90-95 percent of the cases or even more. Most of the time the harasser says nothing but stops the behavior. If the harasser wants to apologize or explain, say, "I don't want to discuss it, I just want the behavior to stop."

References:

• Back Off! How to Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers by Martha J. Langelan, published by Simon and Shuster.
• Women Faculty at Work in the Classroom. Contact: NAWE, 1325 18th St., NW #210, Washington, DC 20036-6511 (202/659-9330).

Upcoming Event

Affirmative Action Office Premieres Awareness Campaign

As the kick off to a series of upcoming Awareness Campaigns for the Affirmative Action Office (AAO), the debut of the Fall 1997 Awareness Campaign will launch on Monday, August 18th. This particular campaign will portray colorful boxes of crayons describing an innovative message about Affirmative Action throughout the Fall 1997 semester and will be displayed across the University on shopping bags, bookmarkers, table tents, posters, flyers, pizza box tops and payroll stuffers. A computer screen saver will be made available for free by downloading over the Internet on the AAO homepage, which will animate the graphic of the campaign for everyone's enjoyment on their individual computers!