The Director of the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) knows he can never get too comfortable in his line of work.

The great thing, though, about disability services and working in this field [is that] you can never think that you know it all, director Gregory Moorehead said. Because as soon as you do, there is a diagnosis or a symptom that you have not seen before.

For the past 15 years, Moorehead has been providing support and assistance to individuals who need it most. From ensuring students are accommodated based on their specific needs,to discussing with colleagues the trends that are happening at DePauls campuses, Mooreheads work covers a wide range of issues. .

That dedication Moorehead has shown for over a decade has not gone unnoticed. In September, he was appointed to the Disability Services Advisory Committee for the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). This committee is comprised of all the public universities and some select private universities in Illinois.

As a committee member, Moorehead will collaborate with fellow experts and discuss various issues such as how to create a more inclusive culture for students with disabilities at each respective university.

When DePaul Learning Specialist for CSD Jim Even heard that Moorehead was appointed to the committee, there was nothing but excitement for him.

Well, we [the center] were very proud of Dr. Moorehead, Even said. He is an accomplished director, and we think it is great that he was recognized for his service and his credentials.

Moorehead first became involved with disability services 15 years ago at Rutgers University. At the time, he worked with the TRiO program, which helps to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in education. After the director of the Office of Disability Services resigned, Moorehead was asked to take over the position.

Initially, it was a learning process to get acquainted with the field because Mooreheads background consisted of education administration. However, Moorehead credits his mentors at Rutgers as the reason why he transitioned well into his new role.

If youve got good mentors, they will make sure you take all the class courses that you need, Moorehead said. They [sent me] to all the seminars, all the workshops, all the conferences and all the associations that you need to network with to make sure that you have the background and training that you need.

Now, with Moorehead being a part of the IBHE, he is providing a similar service to his colleagues at DePaul. Assistant Director of the Center for Students with Disabilities Lavonne Kopca said there is plenty of information that can be obtained, especially since Moorehead will be gaining insight from knowledgeable people with different perspectives on diverse topics.

He collaborates with [the committee] and gets information and passes that on to us, Kopca said. This helps us to incorporate the mission and strategic plan of the university and to make sure that it is embedded in the work that we do here in the office.

The work that is being done at DePaul has stood out to junior student Jess Cano. Even though she just started using CSD this quarter, she feels comforted because of how inviting it is at the center.

I was just really surprised with how welcoming they were, Cano said. They were willing to listen to what I wanted and what I thought I needed. There is no judgement whatsoever.

At DePaul, and many other universities around the world, more and more students require assistance with mental health concerns. According to the World Health Organization, over one third (35 percent) of first-year college students are affected by some kind of mental illness.

DePaul does offer a wide variety of accommodations, such as exam readers, sign language interpreters and course selection consultations, but those resources dont necessarily reflect what the students with mental health issues need. For students and faculty, the resources better suited to assist these particular students are currently available at both the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses at CSD.

Moorehead knows that its a process to find solutions to the various problems that students are facing, but these challenges will help to implement the best practices at each respective university. For Moorehead, his commitment to his work is especially important because students with disabilities help to create and contribute to the vast community that is represented at DePaul.

Those students are wonderful, and they add a lot of diversity to our campus, Moorehead said. They provide a lot of energy to our campus. They make the fabric of our campus a whole lot more rich, [and make] the tapestry a whole lot more interesting.

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DePaul Center for Students with Disabilities director appointed to committee in Illinois Board of Higher Education - The DePaulia

Online education has experienced tremendous growth over the last ten years. Thanks to the increased accessibility of the internet and cheaper computers, the opportunities for non-traditional education have seen an explosion in new adoptions.

According to areportfrom the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of enrollments in online courses in the United States has been steadily on the rise. In 2015, there were 5.9 million students enrolled, a number that has grown to 6.3 million at the end of 2016, the latest years for which data is available.

There are plenty of benefits of online education over traditional methods of teaching, including more accessible hours and easier access to course materials. Here are five of the most popular reasons for taking online classes.

Image 1: https://unsplash.com/photos/EmI3nDgas1I

When enrolling in a course, its important to consider not only what youre interested in studying, but where youre going to study it, too. For lots of people, this severely limits the number of options they have.

Studying online gets rid of this barrier. Theres no need to worry about relocating to a new area to follow a new career prospect.

Accredited online universities need to meet minimum criteria and curriculum standards set by a governing body, just like traditional schools. Since the standards are the same, you can be sure that the quality of education you are being offered in either case is similar.

A lot of the benefits offered by being physically present are also transferred to online courses. Students are free to interact with the instructors, collaborate with students and are granted access to the necessary study materials.

Image 2: https://unsplash.com/photos/WHWYBmtn3_0

For most professionals, making time to attend classes while still being employed presents a major challenge. It requires having to readjust your schedule or in extreme cases, quitting your job to make up time. For someone thats not been saving money or has inflexible timetables, something has to give.

One of the biggestadvantages of online educationis the ability to simultaneously study and work at the same time. According to astudycarried out by The Learning House, 72% of undergraduate students and 81% of graduates enrolled in online courses were working either part-time or full time.

Taking an online course is a great way to improve career prospects for someone looking to switch careers or taking a new course to improve their standing at a current job.

A lot of people will also benefit from the ready access toassignment writing helponline, as compared to getting help from unavailable lecturers. The online writing services provide students with high-quality writing of thesis, dissertation and essays.

The best online courses in the world are much cheaper than attending a physical traditional campus. Costs vary from program to program, but the absence of the need to access amenities and physical access to school buildings drives the costs down.

Some universities even offer financial aid for the less fortunate. Best of all, many online courses by some of the worlds top universities are free.

Free courses dont normally offer certificates after completion, but its an excellent opportunity to expose yourself to some of the worlds top educators.

Studying online allows you to choose any learning environment that works best for your needs, in your room, in the library, or even on the move while going for a run or a brisk evening walk around the neighborhood.

Part of the allure of enrolling in an online learning course is the ability to take courses as fast or as slow as you need to. On most online programs, youll notice a self-paced label somewhere on them.

This indicates that youre free to begin working towards the targets outlined by the program at any time and finish them whenever youre comfortable. And since you dont have to commute to class, you are going to save a lot of time anyway.

Taking online classes is also a recommended method of dealing with social anxiety for students whose physical attendance causes a significant amount of discomfort.

There are hundreds of online colleges offering high-quality education to choose from. Depending on your needs, there is a course out there that covers your area of expertise or interest. These include internationally-recognized universities like MIT, from whom you can acquire free educational material on some courses. Online courses offer enough flexibility and resources to fit anyones schedule and fit most peoples requirements.

Author Bio:

Emma Rundle is a tech expert working with student entrepreneurs and startups to help them scale new heights in the business world. She also works as an academic writer with online writing services in areas of engineering, science and technology. In her free time, she likes to work on her weekly podcasts, do painting and cooking seafood for her family.

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5 Benefits of Online Education in 2020 - Dekh News

By Margaret Merga

Posted November 13, 2019 05:00:15

Technology has delivered innovative tools which can offer significant opportunities for learning.

However screen time comes with potential risks for young people.

Australian students spend more time online than the OECD average, and our students' screen use is growing over time.

Internet and computer technology is a key part of the Australian curriculum, and we want our students to be tech-savvy.

One might expect that heavy investment in internet and computer technology in schools would yield notable educational benefits, however the most sizeable international research in this area suggests that the countries who have invested the most have seen no appreciable improvements in reading, mathematics or science achievement.

Many parents assume that Australian schools regulate their students' screen time.

But the reality is that Australian schools have some of the lowest levels of restrictions on screen time in the world.

As students increase their screen use at school, this has also led to increases in screen time at home for educational purposes.

Therefore, burgeoning screen time at school can have a flow on affect that must be understood.

In addition, device use in schools may not always be educative, with devices used to go off-task.

While the World Health Organisation proposes screen time limits for children under five, limits on older children are less clear cut.

While Australian limits suggest that children aged five-to-17 should restrict sedentary recreational screen time to under two hours per day, this doesn't include screen time for educational purposes.

However, without limits, it is entirely possible for students to be on their devices at school almost all day, including break time.

We need new screen limits for children that will allow them to make the most of educative opportunities reliant on devices, while also providing protection from health risks, and promoting literacy learning.

Therefore, firstly we need to be on the same page, with a workable and all-encompassing research-supported screen limit.

Secondly, once we have a limit, we need to agree on who will enforce it, and how this can be achieved.

I believe that parents, schools and students all play a key role in this regard.

Where parents show confidence in applying limits for their children, limits are more likely to be successful.

They should also model the self-regulating screen practices that they expect their children to have.

Schools who have heavily invested in internet and computer technology resources at the expense of the staffing and resourcing of their libraries may wish to re-consider this position, particularly in light of the literacy benefits associated with libraries.

They could consider applying limits to students' screen time at school, and be more strategic about getting optimal educative benefit out of screen time at schools.

For example, where schools have moved away from online textbooks, this has been responsive to desires to enhance reading comprehension and reduce student distraction.

Finally, students need to be taught the benefits of screen-free time, and be encouraged to invest in their own well-being and learning from an early age.

We need to teach them that self-regulation is key, but we potentially undermine this message when schools require children to spend long hours on devices for educative purposes.

Recent research suggests that screen time may already be having a detrimental impact on student learning, and literacy learning in particular.

This is not surprising, as the time we spend reading on screens does not offer the same literacy benefits as paper-based reading, which is better for reading comprehension.

We also know that access to devices can have a negative impact on students' engagement in literacy-supportive activities, such as book reading.

The more devices a children has access to, the less likely they may be to read for pleasure.

Screen time can supplant quality reading time, and some schools are already attempting to address sliding rates of reading engagement by adopting innovative programs.

For example, some schools have implemented a whole-school, research-supported silent reading program.

However, more needs to be done to ensure the benefits of reading for enjoyment are not lost to screen time.

While the contribution of screen time to falling literacy rates is part of an issue with complex causation, limiting screen time could play an important role in addressing stagnating literacy scores.

While impacts on literacy warrant attention, there also needs to be greater awareness of the potential risks to students' health and wellbeing that can arise from excessive screen use.

Risks are numerous and include, but are not limited to cardiometabolic syndrome, obesity, spinal and postural health issues, Computer Vision Syndrome, sleep disorders, internet addiction, cyberbullying, and diminished perceived self-efficacy for physical activity.

Some of these reasons were mentioned in the recent decision by the government to ban mobile phone use in Western Australian public schools.

Recent research has also explored the link between screen time and diminished mental health and well-being in young people.

US research found that teens with higher screen time may be less happy than peers who spend less time on screens.

Margaret Merga is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University.

Topics:parenting,family-and-children,internet-technology,computers-and-technology,internet-culture,education,books-literature,schools,australia

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Australian school students learn online more than average but their marks have flatlined - ABC News

With innovation and digitalization in overdrive, edtech startups have flourished because they offer accessibility and personalized experience to their users through online education.

A collaborativestudy conducted by Google and KPMG suggests that India will record a staggering growth of almost 500% in the number of users on online education platforms since the year 2016. The market is set to grow up to 2 billion USD, with an estimated 9.6M users by the end of 2021. Weve come a long way from computer labs in schools and universities, which at the time were considered an ingenious way to revolutionize learning.

Readily accessible technology has driven a league of brilliant learners and mentors to transform the way knowledge is being delivered and consumed in the country. Traditional classrooms and pen and paper assessments are being replaced by a far more superior alternative- EdTech or education technology.

Proctortrack spearheads the online proctoring industry in affordable, accessible online remote proctoring and automated identity verification .

It is a robust software that detects up to 26 unique test violations. Proctortrack also offers stand-alone solutions like Veripass , mobile lockdown , and proctor checkpoint to meet a clients specific needs. Proctortrack can be easily integrated with popular LMSs likeMoodle, EdX, Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, and Sakai, making onboarding simpler for institutions.

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How Is Edtech Impacting The Online Education Landscape In India? - WhaTech - WhaTech

Express News Service

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, once asked Warren Buffett, the legendary American investor, about people not copying his style of investing. Buffett responded by saying that nobody likes to get rich slow.

Getting rich quick is a dream. In our country, there is no shortage of people who would want to do that. There is nothing wrong with making money and realising your dreams. But just like a tree takes years to give you fruits after you plant a seed, your money takes time to provide you with benefits you wish to see. Your dreams, goals and aspirations create a drive for your path towards wealth.

As long as you do not break any law and do not evade taxes, there is no reason why you should not dream about being wealthy. One cannot predict when you would get there. Your future wealth is a factor of your future income. If you have a stream of income, you can always build enough wealth over 15-20 years.

You may now realise that there are no shortcuts in wealth creation. Napolean Hill, an American author of self-help books like Think and Grow Rich, said that if you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. Regular investing is doing small things in a great way.

If you speak to a financial advisor, they will all tell you that it all begins with investing regularly.Every month, if you can set aside money to invest, then you could set yourself on the right path. As the years go by, a slow and steady process of regular monthly investment gets the benefit of compounding. The power of compounding was called the eighth wonder of the world by Albert Einstein. The most crucial aspect of regular investing is discipline. If you break it, it is a setback and would create delays in your path towards prosperity.

Your investment returns have to be at least twice that of the average consumer price inflation rate. The investment game is about ensuring that the time does not eat into the value of your money.Think and act equity

Equity assets are best suited if you are keeping a time horizon of 15-20 years. Time and again, it has been proved through analysis that stock market returns outperform all other asset classes over the long-term.

You can buy them through mutual funds. A few systematic investment plans from mutual fund houses with a good track record would set you up. A financial advisor can play a crucial role in helping you choose the right mutual funds. It is a good idea to stick to three or four different type of schemes. That would give you adequate diversification.

If that does not suit you, you may just get started with a simple investment in an index fund (Sensex or Nifty). Benchmark indices have outperformed all other fixed-income investments like public provident fund, fixed or bank deposits, gold and other asset classes. It is the most straightforward approach to getting rich. Most of the people in the United States have used index investing to boost their overall household wealth. They allocated their pension fund savings to index funds. The affluence in American households happened gradually.

Buying shares directly requires you to know more about investing. That is perhaps the reason why Warren Buffett calls it getting rich slow. When you buy equity shares of a business, you are purchasing a slice of the company. You have to then think about ways the business makes money. It may be a good idea to pick up shares of market leaders in key sectors like consumer goods, financial services, IT services and automobile. They can be a subset of companies that form the S&P BSE Sensex or NSE Nifty. Like you can do systematic investment plans in mutual funds, you can do a systematic equity plan in shares. Buy a small number of shares of a leading business over 15-20 years. A key to this strategy is to buy and hold.There are no shortcuts. Getting rich is a gradual process that requires effort. But it may just be worth your time.

SYSTEMATIC EQUITY PLANLike you can do systematic investment plans in mutual funds, you can do a systematic equity plan in shares. Buy a small number of shares of a leading business over 15-20 years. A key to this strategy is tobuy and hold.

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Investment tips: Slow and steady wins the money race - The New Indian Express

Ryan M. Soderberg.(Photo: Submitted)

A 33-year-old Wauwatosa director of Young Life, anondenominational Christian group, is accused of pretending to be female on Instagramto lure a young teento take and send him sexually explicit videos and photos.

Ryan M. Soderberg, of Wauwatosa, was charged Nov. 7 in Waukesha County Circuit Courtwith sexual exploitation of a childand soliciting intimate representation from a minor, both felonies. On Nov. 11, a cash bondwas set at$25,000.

Soderberg is also a former JV soccer coach at Wauwatosa West High School and a former substitute teacher in the school district.

A couple spoke with a Waukesha County Sheriff's detective about their 14-year-old foster son who had been sending naked and semi-naked photographs of himself to someone who appeared to be a female in her early 20s, later identified as Soderberg, according to the criminal complaint.

The couple told police they wereespecially concerned over the fact that the person behind the Instagram accountcoercedand directedthe 14-year-old on what type of sexually explicit content to send, how to pose and how to produce and transmit thevideos and images, the complaint said.

All electronic communications the teen received were accessed using one of his foster parent's phones.

The teen had been communicating with someone using the Instagram name "sammyisabaddy," whoseprofile said shewas always bored [and]always looking to chat, the complaint said.The account was deactivated as of April 2.

A detective discovered the username was associated with an account holder in Wauwatosa.

The detective also found a conversation showingSoderberg stating he was 16 and asking for sexually explicit videos and pictures of the teen.

In August, the Waukesha County Sheriffs Detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment in Wauwatosa associated with the IP addresses using that Instagram profile.

Detectives spoke with Soderberg and his roommate. The roommate was cleared of any crimes.

The roommate, who works during the day, told detectives Soderberg workedfor Young Life, a nondenominational Christian group that encourages adults to build friendships with youth. He said Soderberg was one of the leaders of the Wauwatosa chapter and would occasionally bring Young Life kids to the apartment, the complaint said. Soderberg acknowledged having children from Young Life at the apartment.

Soderberg told police he is often home alone at the apartment during the day" and has struggled with a "pornography addiction," the complaint said. He denied viewing any child pornography, although police turned up evidence he had searched for "young boys" on a pornographic website, the complaint said.

Police also found that Soderberg had visited websites with sexually explicit fictional stories involving minor children.

He had also uploaded a picture of a blonde woman for the Instagram account, the complaint said.

A statement fromTerry Swenson, vice president of communications with Young Life, confirmed that Soderberg had been an area director for Young Life in Wauwatosa until August.

"As soon as Young Life leadership became aware of suspicions regarding Mr. Soderbergs personal conduct, he was removed from his Young Life role and from any contact with young people through our organization," Swenson said in his statement."We are deeply troubled to learn of the charges that have been made; Mr. Soderbergs alleged actions are contrary to all we stand for as an organization committed to the safety and well-being of young people.

"As part of that commitment, all our staff and volunteers undergo rigorous background checks before they are permitted to have contact with students. We have and will continue to cooperate with authorities as they investigate this matter, and we are grateful for their diligence and expertise in pursuing this case. We pray for healing for everyone affected by this situation."

The Wauwatosa School District sent an email to parents this week notifying them of the charges against Soderberg.

Soderberg was a JV boys soccer coach at Wauwatosa West High school from 2009-18, according to the school district.He informed the West High School coaching staff late this summer that he would not be coaching for the 2019 season.

He was hired as a substitute teacher in the district in 2008. The last time he filled a sub position was in 2017.

"The charges have no relation to Mr. Soderbergs previous time as a coach for Wauwatosa West High School," the letter stated.

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office is asking for help identifying additional victims. Soderberg is thought to have victimized additional juveniles, primarily in the Waukesha County and Wauwatosa area, who have not reported the incidents to law enforcement, according to a press release.

Other account names may have been used, but it is not known at this time.

Anyone who has information that may be beneficial for the investigation should call Detective Mark Conrad at 262-691-6038.

Soderberg is scheduled to be in court Dec. 6 for a preliminary hearing.

ContactKaren Pilarski at karen.pilarski@jrn.com. Followheron Twitter at @KarenPilarski.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/news/wauwatosa/2019/11/12/ex-director-young-life-wauwatosa-charged-sexual-exploitation/2575505001/

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A former director of a Wauwatosa Christian group has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bowling Is Life. The Rest Is Just Details.

Thats what it says on a T-shirt available online. Pat Kwiatkowski might as well have had it tattooed on his chest. Bowling really was his life.

He played on the first bowling team Canisius High School ever had. He met his future wife on the lanes at SUNY Fredonia and they would have three boys Scott, Michael and Matthew. And Pat would coach all of them on bowling teams at Canisius.

How he got the gig is typical of Pat, who exemplified the Jesuit motto of men and women for others. Scott was about to start his senior season on the bowling team and Michael his sophomore season in 1996 when the coach suddenly stepped down. With their season on the brink, Pat said he would coach for one year.

One year turned into two. Two turned into three. And three turned into 23. Only death has kept him from a 24thseason and from being at Canisius on Saturday when he will be honored posthumously at the high schools gathering for its distinguished alumni hall of honor and its athletics hall of fame.

Mary Jean, Pats wife, says shell never forget the look on Pats face when he got the call to tell him he had won the John F. Barnes Award, a sort of lifetime achievement award for contributions to Canisius athletics.

He was so happy, he cried, she says. He said, We did it. And by we he meant our family as a whole we all did it.

For Pat, who died at 65 in September, it was always about family. He was even coaching up his grandkids ages 10, 7 and 5 when they bowled Saturday mornings on Grand Island.

Full disclosure: Pat was my Canisius classmate. We graduated a lifetime ago, in 1972. He is the second member of our class to receive the Barnes award, named for the high schools legendary football coach. We could have predicted the other one.

John Buszka was a baseball star who led the Crusaders to Georgetown Cup championships in 1971 and 1972. Pat, meanwhile, was a middling bowler on that inaugural team that didnt win a title. (Bishop Turner won the first league championship.)

Pat Kwiatkowski, left, and John Buszka in the 1971 Canisius High School yearbook.

Bowlers are usually thought of as the nerds of school, not your true athletes, Mary Jean says. Thats not right. It takes stamina and skill. They really are great athletes.

Shell get no argument from Buszka, who was also a member of that first Canisius bowling team in 1970-71. Buszka would go on to baseball stardom at the University at Buffalo, where he led the nation in batting average in 1976.

I asked Pat once how he learned to coach, Buszka says. He said you talk to people, you do the research and you support your kids. He was completely dedicated to Canisius.

Pat won more than 700 games a win clip of better than 70% in his coaching career, including 10 championships. He leaves the program in good hands: Michael, who has been coaching JV for his father for 12 years, is the new varsity coach.

Michael teaches fourth-grade math at Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy in Buffalo. His brothers work at Jesuit schools Scott in sports information at Fordham University and Matthew in admissions at Canisius College.

Michaels melancholy first act as varsity coach was gathering his players to tell them his father the man they called Coach K had died. Michael didnt want them to hear it from social media or anywhere else.

The team finished third last regular season, behind St. Joes and St. Francis. Then, in the All-Catholic meet, the Crusaders played out of their minds and won the postseason title by almost 100 pins over St. Joes and more than 200 over St. Francis.

They did it for him, Michael says. Theres no other explanation for it.

Coach Ks bowlers didnt know for sure then that it was his last hurrah, but they understood it well could be as he had struggled with heart issues for years.

Pat spent the last week of his life in the ICU at Kenmore Mercy Hospital. Thats when his sons heard for the first time the full story of how their parents met.

Pat bowled on the mens team at SUNY Fredonia and Mary Jean bowled on the womens team love on the lanes, if not at first sight. Pat was originally dating someone else on the womens team. When they broke up, Mary Jean thought it was admirable Pat was still coming to see his former girlfriend play.

And she said, Are you an idiot or what? Mary Jean says, laughing. Hes coming to watch you.

They began dating soon after. They were married for 42 years. They had three sons at home and hundreds more on all those bowling teams.

He had a heart of gold when it came to those kids, Mary Jean says. They were all his boys.

Make that a heart of blue and gold. Pats great heart gave out on Sept. 10, but his legacy lives on: The Crusaders open defense of their All-Catholic title later this month with Michael at the helm.

At his fathers funeral, at St. Thomas Aquinas in South Buffalo, Michael offered a eulogy with this parting salute: Enjoy bowling with the angels.

The imagery speaks of strikes and spares on celestial lanes. Time to update the T-shirt:

Bowling Is Afterlife. The Rest Is Just Details.

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Column: Bowling gave 'Coach K' his life. He returned the favor - Buffalo News

Jake Mesar rolls up the leg of his pants to show jurors the scar from an injury he suffered sliding into third base years earlier. (Sketch by Mona Edwards)

Excerpt #1 from March 9, 2016 deposition. John A. Suk is questioned by Rubin M. Sinins, attorney for the plaintiff:

Q. You did signal for him to slide to third base, correct?

A. Correct.

Q. OK. What was the reason for that?

A. The proximity of the ball to the runner approaching third base.

Q. OK. Based upon your telling us that there was a play at third base.

A. Correct.

Q. OK. How close was he to third base when you signaled for him to slide?

A. Approximately six feet.

Q. He was running at full speed, correct?

A. Correct.

Q. Giving no indication that he was going to slide, correct?

A. He was running full speed around the bases. He his eyes were not affixed on the ball. He did not see the ball coming. I did. Therefore, he was running full speed, but upon my decision and telling him at a safe distance to slide, he was able to do so.

Edward M. Coleman, gray-haired and bespectacled, settles into his seat behind the bench in Courtroom 301. He is a retired Superior Court justice who has been called back to ease the heavy caseload, a longtime criminal judge who once presided over one of the biggest cases the state has seen.

That was the manslaughter trial of NBA star Jayson Williams, a two-month legal odyssey that attracted nonstop coverage from Court TV.

This one is a bit different.

When the jurors are seated for the first time, on June 17, there is exactly one person in the gallery: me.

Coleman instructs the jury to keep an open mind during the proceedings, so I resolve to do so as well. That slide, of course, did not end well for the kid, and the story of what happens to him over the days, months and years after he hit the infield clay is awful in every way.

Jake Mesar steps down from the witness stand and, at the instruction of his attorney, rolls up the right pants leg of his tan Dockers. The jurors position themselves for a better look at the two nasty scars on his ankle.

Seven years ago, Mesar was a 15-year-old freshman at Bound Brook High School and the best player on his junior varsity team. He already had made the varsity basketball team that winter, and given his talent and passion for sports, this seemed like the beginning of an athletic career that might go down in school history.

Then came April 4, 2012.

We will hear in excruciating detail what the plaintiffs believe Suk did and did not do on that day when Bound Brook played its first game of the season, at Gill St. Bernards in Gladstone. Before traveling down that rabbit hole, lets review the facts not in dispute.

Did the coach sitting with his head down at the defense table really ruin this kids life?

The visiting team was leading, 6-0, in the top of the second inning when Mesar, batting for the second time, laced a line drive over the left fielders head.

Two runs scored. Mesar rounded second and headed for third. And next, a sickening sound echoed across the diamond as he hit the ground.

POP!

As Mesar wailed in agony, Suk (pronounced SOOK) rushed to his side. So did the players father, Rob Mesar, who was keeping the scorebook in the dugout. An ambulance arrived. No one knew it then, but that promising freshman two innings into his high school career would never play another baseball game.

I felt bad for my parents, Jake Mesar, now 22 and attending Rutgers, testifies on the second day of the trial. They would never be able to see me play.

Baseball was the least of his worries. Even after three surgeries, the ankle was not improving one doctor even presented amputation as a possible outcome. A specialist from the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, Robert Rozbruch, found post-traumatic arthritis and signs of necrosis evidence the bone was dying.

Mesar needed two more surgeries, including one to inject stem cells into the ankle tissue, and he was fit with an external fixator, a stabilizing frame to keep the bones properly positioned. The injury improved, but Rozbruch told the once-active teenager to avoid high-impact activities. Even jogging.

When it comes time for Rozbruch to testify, he abandons the clinical language of his profession and makes it clear that Mesars baseball dreams died on third base that day.

He will never recover fully, the doctor says.

It is more than a physical injury. Mesar has endured frequent bouts of depression and a pair of panic attacks, including one that sent him from a family party on Christmas Eve to the emergency room. The injury is, as his lawyer tells the jury, something he has to live with every minute, every hour, every day of his life.

All of this, to use a decidedly non-legal word, sucks. How can anyone sit here, listen to his story and not have your heart break?

Still, injuries happen. That is at the cold reality of sports. Did the coach sitting with his head down at the defense table really ruin this kids life?

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He told a kid to slide. Then he got sued. - NJ.com

Apparently, there is no problem too complex that an application cannot be created to solve it.

We have finally come to that place where the last bastion for neurotic, depressed, confused, hopelessly miserable human beings, seeking to find relief, nirvana, happiness, the meaning of life, money, marital bliss and emotional stability has been reduced to a phone application.

Along the way, a cadre of techno-psychiatric-analyst-coaching charlatans has created venture-funded startups that effectively take Sigmund Freud and his couch from the warm, safe confines of a small, windowless office and replaced it with a panoply of pop psychology in the Apple Store, suitable for download at the slightest overcast from the dark clouds of life which might temporarily block out the sun.

In other words, welcome to Shrink On The Phone, with a dollop of artificial intelligence sprinkled over it, sort of like psychiatric pasta in a light garlic and oil sauce. Silicon Valley has finally done it on-demand therapy, complete with metrics and return-on-equity analysis. The age of matching therapists with clients, using the tools of online dating has arrived. Swipe left you get a Freudian; swipe right and you get a new age guru.

Kip is a startup that says, We took world-class providers, supercharged them with smart software tools and designed a seamless experience for both clients and providers. The Kip system breaks your therapy into data and quizzes in order to determine exactly how your happiness and anxiety levels are progressing. The app encourages clients to record their moods in real time, with pop-up questions throughout the day designed by your therapist. The founder, Ti Zhao claims that this technique decreases recency bias.

Another Valley startup, Reflect, calls its therapy offering the gym for your soul. Still another, Two Chairs, is a startup that has raised $21 million dollars. Alex Katz, the founder, claims, Were out to build a new mental health system.

But wait, just like late-night television, theres more. Stoic, a mental health tracker app that provides charts and insights. Y Combinator has funded Stoic, as well as another app company, Quirk, which uses behavioral therapy to treat people with anxiety (let me tell you, just writing about this insanity is giving me anxiety and depression). I dont want any adverse psychiatric indication to be left out in the cold, unloved, with no app to meet with me on a snowy night on a park bench. (I know there is no snow in Silicon Valley, but I like the image.)

Y Combinator also funded Mindset Health which was founded by two brothers, Alex and Chris Naoumidis whose previous skills in the area of the human mind resided in their ability to create a peer-to-peer dress-sharing app. When that app failed, we were overcome with anxiety. Sure, that seems rational, you lost a ton of other peoples money and now you are nervous that you will never work again, so you build an app to relieve your anxiety. The Valley is like The Twilight Zone.

But wait, theres still more. If a phone is too impersonal, there are life coaches. Allie Stark is a coach in the region and her mantra is, Theres a beauty in existentialism. Its also very paralyzing. I wonder if Ms. Stark would say that to a double amputee above the knee.

There actually is an Existential Humanistic Institute in San Francisco, and its leader, Dr. Kirk Schneider has been quoted as saying, The goal is to move from a sense of abject terror and paralysis to a gradual sense of intrigue and eventual wonder. Better maybe to just delete the stock market app.

Now a final confession. I have been seeing the same psychoanalyst for 26 years. I wanted to become sane, and he was looking for some entrepreneurial business advice, so now, from time to time, we just switch chairs. I think hes made a lot of progress. And trust me, he wont know about this column he doesnt read the paper. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. Albert Einstein

Rule No. 635: Get a life, Dr. Ben Sobel, from the movie, Analyze This.

Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego. Please email ideas to Neil at neil@blackbirdv.com.

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Alternatives to therapy? There's an app for that - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Leanne Williamson has garnered a 122-57 career record in five years as USD's head volleyball coach. Peyton Beyers | The Volante

Mothering three young children and managing a team of 17 young adults requires the same elements: work, time and dedication. USD head volleyball coach Leanne Williamson wears both hats, and if a 25-1 record and regular-season title mean anything, shes finding great success.

Williamson found herself on the road almost every weekend for the first month of the 2019 season, away for non-conference volleyball tournaments. Her husband was overseas serving the country during that time.

Now, just over a week away from the Summit League tournament, Williamson has led a 25-1 Coyote volleyball team to its first regular-season Summit League title.

Id love to say it was easy, but it wasnt, its probably the hardest thing Ive ever done, Williamson said.

Williamson became the head coach of the Coyote volleyball team in 2014. Since taking the reigns, she has seen her fair share of success with a 122-57 overall record and a 70-22 record in Summit League play. Williamson won the 2016 Summit League Coach of the Year award and led the Coyotes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018, but she doesnt take the credit for it all.

This is their team, its not my program, Williamson said. Im a small part of it in the grand scheme of things. Im going to help them, Im going to be their biggest advocates.

Williamson, like most coaches, recruit players they believe can lead, but Williamson coaches to help her players lead themselves.

In the middle of that first season, Williamson was pregnant with her first two children, twins Jaxson and Logan. Williamson presented the team at the time with a question, and they responded the way she hoped.

I was going to go into labor at some point in time, and I just asked them, what are you going to do if Im all of a sudden not there one day?' Williamson said. Theyre like, well, no offense but you dont play the game, and were like, perfect. Thats what we (the coaching staff) wants, and I dont feel like Im bigger than I need to be. I am a small part of their program.

Kinsley, Williamsons youngest at less than a year old, has traveled with the Coyotes throughout the season, making her first appearance in Indianapolis on August 30.

While Williamsons husband, Tyler, was overseas, she carried the parenting workload alone until late October, when he returned from duty.

Leanne said while it is the hardest thing she has ever done, it is also one of the most rewarding things. She would have loved for her husband to be in Vermillion for the majority of the season, she said, but she understood.

I really tried to leave work at work, Williamson said. If I was watching film it was when the kids were sleeping and just things like that. The other thing is, I had a great support system.

Williamsons parents and in-laws, along with friends and coaches, helped her through the first part of this season. The team was there for her, too, just like in 2014.

They recognized Williamsons life outside of the arena and were helpful and understanding when she had to leave right after practice, she said.

I wouldnt say I was perfect in that situation, but I tried not to let stress affect the different parts of my life, Williamson said.

Each coach presents a different style, method or mentality to the sport they coach. For Williamson, it is simple: 1-0.

Shes always said that about just winning the day, winning this practice, winning this drill, senior libero Anne Rasmussen said. I think that does get implemented into our practices. We talked about, how can we be the best we can be that day, and how can we improve that day?

Rasmussen said the mentality helped throughout the season, easing pressure surrounding the win streak or how far they have left to go in the season.

The 1-0 Mentality has taken the Coyotes further and further nearly every season. Williamson acknowledges it can be easy to dissect the big picture or the past, but the focus should be on the 1-0.

I think in sports its very easy to dwell on past accomplishments, past struggles, past losses, past wins, Williamson said. If youre winning a lot, you can feel like youre just going to win because you have won a lot. But if you have a loss, if you have a bad game maybe as an individual, you start dwelling on that.

The mental ability to clean the slate is one of the best parts about Williamson as a coach, Rasmussen said.

Shes remained pretty steady, whether were losing a ton or winning a ton, through my four years here, Rasmussen said. Shes always been that steady presence. Shes always held us to a high standard. And that doesnt change with our win-loss record. She knows what were trying to reach, we know what she expects us to reach, and every day in the gym we show that.

A few years ago, Williamson began referring to goals as expectations. The team is aware of the expectations, and that they are attainable through 1-0 mentality, she said.

Not that were going to hit absolutely everything, but we dont want these to feel lofty, Williamson said. We want these to feel like something that is attainable every single year.

Four seniors have guided this years Coyote team on its historic run. They have won 22 consecutive games won with two regular-season and at least one postseason game yet to play; no team before this year had won more than 20 games in a row.

I do think that it takes a special person to not let the lights and the excitement around those situations get to you, Williamson said. What I really like what this team is we played in really big moments in our home tournament when we played Wyoming we played Iowa and beat both of them on our home floor.

The relationship between the players and coaches is another unique thing about this years squad, Rasmussen said.

I think its really something special between our coaches and us, Rasmussen said. Well be joking on the bus with them. We actually dont mind having to sit next to them at team meals like we actually enjoy getting to talk to them and seeing their views on things. So its actually a really cool relationship that I think a lot of programs dont have.

MORE: USD volleyball claims full share of Summit League title after Senior Day sweep

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On both sides of the net: Williamson on coaching, caretaking - The Volante