FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 25, 2002
CONTACT: Ward Mullens
Ward.Mullens@emich.edu
734.487.4400

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THE  "SILENT MALE" PERPETUATES THE MOTHER-IN-LAW PROBLEM

EMU's Allen Ehrlich, professor of sociology, has researched the "mother-in-law  problem" in American culture and concludes that in addition to the wife and her mother-in-law, the husband is a crucial third player in perpetuating or resolving conflict.

"Many times the husband views the dispute between his wife and his mother as their problem.  Men write off the conflict as a female problem and don't want to get involved," Ehrlich said, "but  men must become involved."

In his study, Ehrlich surveyed 106 subjects -- 84 females and 22 males -- and found that men perceive themselves as victims in a no-win situation. "Whatever the husband does is going to alienate either his mother or wife, so he becomes the  silent male. This non-supportive response sends a message to the wife that there are strong maternal ties that supersede the husband's loyalties to her," said Ehrlich. Through his inaction, the "silent male" husband contributes to the problem.

Ehrlich's study  "Power, Control and the Mother-in-Law Problem: Face-Offs in the American Nuclear Family" is included in the recently published book,  "New Directions in Anthropological Kinship," Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.

Contact: Allen S. Ehrlich, professor, department of sociology
Phone: 734.668.6432 (home)
Hours Available: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F

YOUNG JOB SEEKERS SHOULD LOOK
AT RETIREMENT PLANS OFFERED BY EMPLOYERS

"Saving for retirement in your twenties can result in a very comfortable retirement," said EMU's Gwen Reichbach, director, National Institute for Consumer Education.  "Make time work for you."

She advises that even when looking for a first job, young people should consider an employer's retirement plan. "Check into whether the company has a retirement plan and if so, sign up right away and contribute at least the amount that is matched by the employer," said Reichbach.

If you save $2,000 every year from age 21 until 31 and never add to the fund again, at 65 years old, you will have more money than someone who saved $2,000 per year from age 31 until 65.  "That's the beauty of compounding," she said.

Reichbach will be working on a plan for the  Generation XÀ when she attends the 2002 National Summit on Retirement Savings, Feb. 27 to March 1, in Washington, D.C. In reaching their goal of helping all Americans retire with security and dignity, the Summit delegates will develop action plans for each generation: Greatest, Boomer, Generation X and Millennial. She is 200 delegates selected nationwide and one of only two from Michigan.

Contacts: Gwen Reichbach, director, National Institute for Consumer Education
Phone: 734.487.2292 (office)
Hours Available: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

 

EMU PROGRAM HELPS DETROIT AND FLINT
SCHOOLS MEET TEACHER SHORTAGES

Substitute teachers used to be in the classroom for a couple of days and then move on. But, according to EMU's Regina George, director of the Urban Education Program, more substitutes are teaching long-term in the Detroit and Flint school systems.

To help these urban school systems meet their critical teacher shortages, Eastern Michigan University is offering an Urban Teacher Certification Program. Non-certified teachers are offered an opportunity to become certified while continuing to teach in their current positions.

"These teachers have a passion, an energy and a commitment to children, but they don't possess certification credentials," said George. The program provides non-certified teachers with the opportunity to complete a set of required courses and field experiences leading to certification while remaining employed in Detroit and Flint area public schools. Upon successful completion of all program requirements and state tests, participants become eligible for Michigan certification.

Contact: Regina George, director, Urban Education Program
Phone: 734.487.7120, ext. 2566 (office), 734.662.3943 (home)
Hours Available: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F (office)
Evenings and Saturdays (home)

EMU SAFETY TRAINING HELPS WATER AND SEWER EMPLOYEES
GET THE PIPES FLOWING

Next time you pass a crew huddling around a sewer and think,  "what a crappy job," or "our tax dollars at work," think again. That team could very well be determining what respiratory protection will best protect them while they're fixing pipes or unclogging sewers filled with oils, roots or debris.

"Water and sewer work is more dangerous than offensive," said Mark Neal, retired fire chief of Westland, Mich. "Sixty-six percent of workers that die in confined spaces are in water and sewer work. They have to learn how to monitor the air quality of a sewer or equally tight space and protect themselves in order to continue the job."

Employees of the Detroit Water and Sewer Department spent a week with trainers from Eastern Michigan University's Center for Organizational Risk Reduction (CORR) doing just that. "Confined Space Entry" is just one of the more than 40 different health and safety programs offered to local and national businesses, industry and organized labor.

Contact: Pamela Hill, director, Center for Organizational Risk Reduction
Phone: 734.487.6988 (office)
Hours Available: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F