Webster in the News: Afghan student, Goedereis on vaccine talk, Smith book
October 11, 2021
Recent news media coverage featuring Webster University community members includes:
Goedereis on Psychology, Vaccine Discussion
Eric Goedereis was interviewed live on KTVI (FOX 2) news Monday morning about how parents can discuss
with their children the COVID-19 vaccine, which is expected to be available for 5-
to 11-year-olds soon.
Goedereis is associate professor and chair of psychology, and director of the gerontology program. As a developmental psychologist and health psychologist, he said the topic has come up often in classroom discussion for his courses at Webster.
Referencing the amount of uncertainty and change children and parents have faced throughout the pandemic, Goedereis said it is appropriate to engage children in discussion about the vaccine and its purpose.
"You can do it in developmentally appropriate ways, just as we’ve done with mask wearing and social distancing with our kids and their activities — you have to educate them on why we’re doing this and what the benefits are," he said.
Watch the full interview with at Fox2 here.
Band Ali in Post-Dispatch, W-K Times
Webster University student Fahima Band Ali was interviewed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and in the Webster-Kirkwood Times for
articles about Afghan refugees who live in the St. Louis region. Band Ali, a sophomore
from Afghanistan, is also heading a fundraiser to help newly-arrived Afghan immigrants settle in the region.
"Band Ali, always excited to explore new things, is involved in student government and the debate team, which will likely travel more out of state once pandemic restrictions loosen. Meanwhile, she’s helping raise money for the new Afghan refugees, an effort that led to a visit with the university president and a few interviews with reporters," the Post-Dispatch article says.
Read the Post-Dispatch article here.
“I know how hard it can be for immigrants coming to a new country,” she said in the Times story. “I am sharing my personal journey and struggles coming to the United States to help create awareness about the struggles refugees might face.”
Read the Webster-Kirkwood Times article here.
Smith and Nationals 1st Basemen on 'Master the Media'
Julie Smith's text on media literacy was featured in a write-up about how Washington Nationals
first baseman Josh Bell used it in a community book club he set up through the baseball
team. In the article, he talked about reaching out to Smith for her book “Master the
Media."
Smith is an instructor in the School of Communications who speaks often on media literacy.
Smith’s connection was re-established, and Bell asked her how to assess what we watch on TV, be it programs or ads. Her response, which is repeated in each media segment she writes about in the book, is to ask questions. Who is creating the program or ad? Who is profiting from it? She also noted another point emphasized in the book: Being media-literate does not mean you are anti-media; it means you are educated about it. School libraries and teachers have been promoting media literacy for quite a while, and Smith says it is now starting to catch on with the general public.