NAU News

The Family Violence Institute at Northern Arizona University is one of three sites selected for a grant intended to increase the availaibity of legal services to rural crime victims.

The grant came from the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI), which received a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to increase access to legal services for rural crime victims leveraging innovative, technological approaches combined with training, outreach and community partnerships.

A core aspect of that project includes NCVLI granting three direct service locations in rural communities. Following a competitive selection process, during which NCVLI received applications from 21 states, NCVLI selected the Family Violence Institute, which will operate in Santa Cruz County, along with Montana Legal Services Association and the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network.

“This project is truly exciting both because each site will uniquely leverage technology to help victims in their communities, and because together we can advance the intersection of law and technology to improve victim services,” said Meg Garvin, executive director of NCVLI.

The Family Violence Institute, led by Kathleen Ferraro, Neil Websdale and Ray Chaira, received the $750,000, two-year Sustainable Technology Resources & Interventions for Victim Empowerment (STRIVE) grant to help support the development and implementation of technological innovations to overcome barriers to safety and justice for crime victims.

“Victims of crime, especially domestic violence, face barriers to seeking safety and justice due to a limited number of service providers, lack of transportation, victim intimidation and immigration concerns,” Ferraro said.

Santa Cruz criminal justice and social service providers agree that crime is underreported and victims often drop out of the criminal justice process. For example, sexual assault is a frequent occurrence for women migrating to the United States from Central and South America, yet only 38 reports of sexual assault were received by the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office and Nogales Police Department between October 2016 and November 2017—12 of which the County Attorney’s Office prosecuted.

Underreporting may reflect worries about immigration status, shame, lack of information about the law (e.g. marital rape is not a crime in some home countries), victim intimidation or reliance on informal sources of support. Providers also agree that domestic violence is underreported due to the fear the victim, their family or their abuser may be deported in addition to the restraints all domestic violence victims confront in reaching out for help.

“The project will be implemented through a local, Spanish speaking coordinator who can support victims and allay their fears of the system and their abusers,” Ferraro said. “We hope that it will empower victims through increased access to culturally relevant services to enhance their safety and enforce their rights as victims.”

STRIVE will provide bilingual tele-legal services for temporary orders of protection, rights enforcement and pro-bono legal intakes and develop a mobile victim app providing easy access to relevant documents and information.

It is anticipated that the sites will begin serving victims under the projects in fall 2019. Up-to-date information on the progress of the project can be found online.

This week, the Arizona Board of Regents met at Northern Arizona University. In addition to a full schedule of various agenda items, President Rita Cheng had the opportunity to present—sharing some of the great things being done at NAU. Her full presentation can be found online.

Also this week, Cheng was presented an award at the Leaders of the Year event. The Arizona Capitol Times accepts nominations from readers to recognize the outstanding individuals and organizations advancing public policy and impacting the state of Arizona. Of the 21 categories, Cheng was named the winner in the category of education. Since she was hosting the Regents meeting in Flagstaff, former Regent Luann Leonard accepted the award on Cheng’s behalf.

On Sept. 4, the Beasley Gallery was nothing but blank walls. On Sept. 28, the freshly-painted walls will be revealed, featuring the artwork of more than 500 students, faculty, staff and community members of all ages.

“If you showed up to an art gallery and started painting on all the walls, you’d probably get arrested,” Chris Taylor, the Beasley Gallery coordinator and lecturer in the School of Art, said with a laugh. “We wanted to give everyone the chance to be an artist. Here, you are the creator.”

The tradition of the wall draw began in 2010, and the concept is simple: start with blank walls, and for three and a half weeks, open up the gallery to anyone and everyone interested in making their mark. Visiting artists are provided Japanese-style ink and let loose to paint whatever they would like.

“Some of my first painters on this year’s wall was a group of seniors who read about the opportunity in the newspaper. They were just really excited about art and super jazzed to have the chance to be creative.”

According to Taylor, this show not only draws the largest crowd, but the most interaction, with community members and students of all skill levels coming back year after year to share creative expression.

Today, the walls are covered in more than 1,000 drawings ranging from self-portraits, words, abstract finger-painting and animal renditions. Tomorrow, the walls will be re-painted white, which they will remain until next year’s wall draw.

The wall reveal reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held 5-7 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Beasley Gallery at the Performing and Fine Arts Building.

Parking information can be found online.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

It’s a thought-provoking question, likely to garner plenty of deliberation and an array of responses. But ask anyone under the age of 10 and chances are, without hesitation, they will all respond the same: “Disneyland. Duh.”

Gary Maggetti was no different, and at the age of four, the hypothetical question became reality—his parents decided he and his twin brother were old enough to make the 6-hour trip from San Jose to Anaheim to experience the happiest place on earth.

It was everything he hoped it would be (despite the fireworks being incredibly loud for his fragile 4-year-old ears). From meeting his favorite cartoon characters in real life to dodging cannons in the Pirates of the Caribbean water ride, it was a dream come true.

In the years to follow, his family would return every two years, alternating between staying at the Disneyland Hotel or the Disney campground.

“My brother and I would ride Autopia over and over near the end of the evening, while our exhausted parents sipped coffee sitting across from the attraction at the Tomorrowland Terrace,” Maggetti said. “When we exited the ride, we would run back to them saying, ‘Can we go again?’ The answer was, of course, ‘yes.’”

Though the Maggetti boys grew older, Gary’s memories of Disneyland would forever hold a special place in his heart.

Come time for college, Maggetti was ready for a change from his California lifestyle. He knew he wanted to work in the hospitality industry and had narrowed down his choices to the top-notch hotel and restaurant management (HRM) programs. But, to get the “Dead Poet’s Society” college experience he so desperately longed for, he wanted an out-of-state experience with all four seasons. The school that fit the bill? Northern Arizona University.

“Imagine my friends’ reaction when I told them that I had decided on Arizona!” Maggetti said. “I had to actually show them the college brochure—there was no website back then—filled with pictures of snow and happy college students on an incredibly beautiful campus to help them understand why.”

Maggetti began his studies in fall of 1991. The next semester, while walking through the lobby of the HRM building, he noticed a poster on the information board advertising a Walt Disney World College Program. He was flooded with happy memories from his childhood and thrilled at the possibility of being that much closer to completing the 800 hours of hospitality work experience required for his degree. (Students are now required to complete 1,200 hours, so Maggetti has stopped begging for a pity party for what he thought was such a huge obstacle.)

“After attending one of the info sessions, I was hooked. It sounded like a great opportunity to learn from Disney—a company revered for its approach to service—and possibly even get a foot in the door for a future management career.”

At the time, Maggetti was working at the McDonald’s restaurant across the street from campus. His general manager, HRM alumnus Dave Lerma, had participated in the Disney internship a couple years prior, working in food and beverage. He had nothing but great things to share with Maggetti about his experience, and encouraged him to apply.

So, he did.

“When I received the letter from Disney congratulating me for being accepted for the internship, I was over the moon!”

Maggetti was cast as a jungle cruise skipper—something that struck him as odd seeing as his major was HRM. The job, however, allowed him to interact with the guests, gaining valuable people skills. The internship also came with a robust education component.

“These were a series of classes where the focus was on the Disney approach to leadership and included critical thinking, leading teams, influencing skills and marketing yourself for success. At the end of my program, I earned my very own Ducktorate degree… and it’s just as awesome as it sounds.”

After completing the semester-long program, Maggetti returned to NAU to continue his studies, immediately moving into a management role at the McDonald’s restaurant where he worked. He used the skills he learned at Disney and in his HRM classes to continue working his way up throughout the duration of his college career.

During the summer of his junior year, another opportunity at Disney presented itself. He was selected to participate in the Disneyland College Program, which allowed him to return to his home state. He was cast as a food and beverage host on Main Street, which helped him make connections with Disney leaders on the West Coast. By the time senior year rolled around, in addition to having job offers from several hotel and restaurant chains, Maggetti was offered a full-time position at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. He began working in entry level management in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland restaurants in January 1996—exactly one month after graduating from NAU.

Maggetti has been with Disneyland for 23 years and has worked in 13 different roles, including assistant manager in food and beverage; a project manager tasked with planning the opening of Disney California Adventure Park; running the operations of the outdoor vending business; and manager of training and development in human resources. At one point, he spent a couple years living in Japan, leading the food and beverage team at the Tokyo Disney Resort for Walt Disney Attractions Japan. He returned to the United States to work on the expansion of the park that added Buena Vista Street and Cars Land in 2012. And in 2016, Maggetti became the general manager of Disney California Adventure Park West, overseeing the attractions, guest show operations, retail and food and beverage for lands that include Disney’s newest area, Pixar Pier.

Now, his office sits outside of Radiator Springs—a beautiful vista that allows him to step into the role of photographer for visitors posing in front of the park’s Cadillac Mountain Range. He said that getting to interact with the guests and help them make memories at the park is a “magical experience.”

No two work days are ever the same, but one thing remains constant: his love of this magical place.

“It’s incredibly enjoyable to be there when the first guests go through the turnstiles,” Maggetti said. “There’s this sense of adventure and hope and excitement.”

When he gets the chance, Maggetti visits Flagstaff and gives guest lectures in business and HRM classes, sharing as much as he can about his experience at NAU, his journey through Disney and words of advice that got him where he is today.

“I owe NAU a debt that I will continue to attempt to repay,” he said, noting that he did, in fact, repay all his student loans.

The best part about Maggetti getting to live his childhood dream every day? He gets to do it with his twin brother by his side—Chris Maggetti is the executive chef at Disneyland.

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Carly Banks | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu