Episode 2 (Stop Hazing)

Brunswick Buzz

On today’s episode Phil talks with Dr. Elizabeth J. Allan (University of Maine, STOP HAZING) and Dr. Dacve Kerschner (STOP HAZING) from Stop Hazing.

STOP HAZING is an organization dedicated to violence prevention and to disrupt ways in which abuses of power are normalized. They will be working with the Brunswick School Department to assist in helping address these issues and promote strategies to promote a positive school climate.

StopHazing’s mission is to promote safe and inclusive school, campus, and organizational environments through research, resource sharing, and the development of data-driven strategies for hazing prevention and the promotion of positive group climates.

https://stophazing.org/

Elizabeth J. Allan, Ph.D., Principal

Elizabeth J. Allan, Ph.D., is Professor and Program Coordinator of the Higher Education graduate program at the University of Maine. She was the Principal Investigator for the National Study of Student Hazing (2008) and currently leads StopHazing and the Hazing Prevention Consortium – a research-to-practice initiative designed to build an evidence base for campus hazing prevention. An experienced researcher, Allan’s scholarship focuses on campus cultures and climates including studies about campus diversity, equity, student engagement, and hazing in the context of higher education. She has authored two books and more than 50 scholarly articles and book chapters. Her research has been featured in the Harvard Educational Review, the Journal of Higher Education, the Review of Higher Education, and the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Allan has presented her research about hazing for the Department of Defense, the U.S. Senate HELP Committee, and at numerous national and international conferences and institutes.

Dave Kerschner, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow

Dave Kerschner, Ph.D., is the Post-Doctoral Fellow for Research and Evaluation for StopHazing. A 2021 graduate of the University of Maine, Dave has been involved in the work of StopHazing and the Hazing Prevention Consortium since 2013. His dissertation examined factors predictive of varsity athlete hazing experiences across five NCAA Division III institutions and, building off of his prior experience as a Division III athlete and athletic administrator, he aspires to conduct research that will inform practice and change in college athletics. He has published on hazing and hazing prevention in the Journal of Amateur Sport, the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, and the Journal of School Counseling. A 2009 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington, Dave received his M.S. in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts in 2010 and an MBA from the University of Southern Maine in 2012.

Phillip J. Potenziano, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Potenziano began his career in education over 25 years ago in Albuquerque, NM, as an educational technician. Phil Potenziano was raised by his mother, who worked in the local textile mill and school cafeteria as well as by a father who worked as a high school custodian, both of whom never completed high school. During his last two years of high school, he lived with a sister and a local family. As a result, he has always been grateful for the support of others to help him reach college, including a guidance counselor who helped him complete the college application.

Dr. Potenziano previously served as the Interim Superintendent of RSU 21, one of Maine’s highest-performing school systems. As Interim, he oversaw the implementation of district-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative that is anchored on implementing Universal Design For Learning as well as implementing Restorative Practices. As Interim Superintendent, Dr. Potenziano worked to build a collaborative and caring approach with a student-centered focus by expanding student voice and choice. Dr. Potenziano believes in deliberately increasing stakeholder engagement and did so by implementing school board and community engagement forums (Community Cafes), a monthly three-town manager forum, that included select persons, and school board members. Before being appointed Interim, Dr. Potenziano was the Assistant Superintendent in RSU 21 and initiated several curriculum reviews focusing on student engagement and achievement. He also worked to implement strategies and programs to improve teaching and learning, heighten expectations for staff and students, and increase the level of performance for socio-economically disadvantaged and at-risk vulnerable youth. As a result, RSU 21 achieved improvements with more students participating in Advanced Placement Courses, International Baccalaureate, and College Credit in High School. Dr. Potenziano supported an ambitious implementation of a district-wide four-year-old Pre-K program, widely viewed as a cornerstone of the district providing for successful foundational programming for all students.

Before joining RSU 21, Dr. Potenziano’s career achievements include being a founding member of the Sebago Educational Alliance Day Treatment Program, a coalition of five public school districts. In 2018, he was selected as one of twenty-five educators nationally to participate in the American Association of School Superintendents Aspiring Superintendent Academy.