Check out part 2!
Continuing the Dialogue: Lifelong Service by Theo Majka
For students not doing a “year of service” after graduation, there are many ways of continuing UD’s traditions of service and social justice after graduation, or even during summers while at college, so that these commitments don’t become left behind as simply things they did at the university .
Volunteering, of course, is a deeply rooted American tradition. Many important local and national organizations depend on dedicated volunteers without which many of these could not function. Let me suggest several considerations on how to choose where to devote your time and energies. Perhaps the most important is whether the efforts engage significant issues of social justice or addresses one or more of the major dividing lines of social inequalities. Many volunteer efforts do not. It is a common pattern for people in relatively affluent communities to volunteer “in their own back yard” to assist people like themselves. While this kind of engagement is worthwhile and helps strengthen their own community, it usually does little to bridge the separation of communities of vastly different circumstances and history or address any of the components of inequalities, such as social class, race and ethnicity, and neighborhood. In contrast, many BreakOuts, plunges, and service projects at UD are oriented towards social justice outcomes and take students out of their usual “comfort zones.” For example, every fall students in several classes, including one of my own, conduct a door-to-door survey in a west Dayton neighborhood. The purpose of the survey has been for the benefit of neighborhood residents and to assist the neighborhood association in its community development efforts. Fortunately, the neighborhood has been successful in bringing needed businesses and working on other problems. One consequence of the survey is that students can confront many commonly-held stereotypes of inner-city neighborhoods and their residents and give them a more informed understanding of the reasons behind the concentration of disadvantage in some inner-city areas. The many personal benefits and rewarding experiences from getting out of one’s “comfort zone” don’t end at graduation.
Another consideration is whether the efforts are primarily aimed at assisting individuals in need (“helping behavior”) or changing the larger patterns and circumstances that sustain disadvantage. In many cases, there is not a clear distinction between the two. For example, tutoring disadvantaged children both helps them succeed in school and addresses one source of inequality. Nevertheless, some kinds of efforts and organizations are more oriented towards the kinds of social changes that confront the sources of inequality and disadvantage. And many of them need more committed volunteers.
In addition to volunteering, the “lifestyle” choices one makes after graduation are also important. For example, the spreading out of metropolitan areas is leading to greater residential separation of people based on race and income level and contributing to a dramatic resegregation of schools. UD’s Fitz Center for Leadership in Community has documented the serious impacts of this “urban sprawl” for the City of Dayton and increasingly its inner suburbs: job and business loss, declining population and tax base, greater concentrations of poverty, increases in vacant homes, buildings, and shopping strips, and a decline in opportunities for young people for quality education and employment. For people in metropolitan areas, where one decides to live can either contribute to these patterns or help ease their negative impacts. Similarly, consumption choices have environmental and economic consequences, for example what kinds of transportation one uses or whether one’s purchasing patterns help sustain local farmers or fair trade producers.
Finally, informed voting should be an important public expression of one’s values and priorities. While political scientists tell us that voting behavior is complex and while individuals do have legitimate differences in their priorities, still it does no good to elect officials who ignore environmental problems or serious social inequalities and may even support policies and changes that exacerbate them. Although it isn’t always direct or immediate, there is a connection between public policy choices and the abilities of individuals and families to flourish.
Alumni Update - Sara Wdowiak '07
What are you up to these days? Currently, I'm living in Karonga, Malawi in Africa and working at Chaminade Secondary School, a Marianist institution. I live in community with five other UD graduates: Matt Maroon, Emily Richardson, Nichole Davis, Ryan Dugan and Adam Schuster. I am a teacher at Chaminade, an all-boys boarding high school here in rural Malawi. I teach social studies to freshmen and business studies to juniors. I have also been involved in some development work here as well as acting as the school's bursar for the past four months. I experience a wide array of jobs but all are interesting and I've really been learning a lot.
How did UD's emphasis on social action change you? Because of certain programs like UDSAP and Metanoia, I really dove right into social justice issues. It changed me because before UD I did very little volunteer work. But because of UD, the people and the programs, I have decided to dedicate at least one year, maybe two, to service for the people living here in Northern Malawi.
What experience at UD made you think "we truly made a difference in the community?" UDSAP was by far the experience that has left the biggest impact on my life. Not only did I feel like I was able to help the people in Salyersville, but they helped me as well. It was a mutual relationship where we were able to learn from one another. I think by learning from each other we were able to leave a much bigger impact than going there with an attitude of "I'm here to help, I'm here to change things."
Who was your mentor(s) on campus? Whom should students make an effort to get to know? Ahh, this question is so simple! BT! Brother Tom Pieper. And Joan and AJ Wagner. All three of these people welcomed me into their homes and into their lives. I consider them a part of my family. They have helped to mold me into the person I am today. Even though I only knew them for a short while at UD, those three people left more of an impact on me than any professor. I'm proud to know such beautiful people.
What is next for you? I'm hopefully going to be here in Karonga until August 2009. I was originally only going to be here until August 2008 but I have fallen in love with this place and these people that I don't think I can leave just yet. I have plans to do some renovations of the boys’ sleep quarters and I want to continue teaching. The people of Malawi are the kindest and most welcoming people out there. They have accepted me into their lives and I want to be around for a while longer and do my small part in helping to develop this beautiful country.
The Street Children of Kinshasa by Lydia Caldwell
On Sunday February 3, I attended the kick-off to Human Rights Week with the showing of Gilbert Mulamba’s documentary “The Street Children of Kinshasa.” The event opened with an introduction from UD Professor Marilyn Fischer. She spoke a little bit about our rights as human beings and how they relate to what she referred to as “human rights characteristics:” health care, employment and education. She called those in attendance to keep in mind these rights as we examine the lives and injustice of the young Congolese children forced to live on the streets of Kinshasa.
Immediately following this short introduction Mulamba’s documentary was shown. It was truly an emotional and powerful piece of work. Mulamba is a Congolese native who came to the United States about seventeen years ago on an education visa. He currently remains in the United States working in the field of bioinformatics for a company that does research on AIDS and cloning. The footage shown in his documentary was captured by Mulamba himself during a trip back to the Congo. Having been away from the country for a short period of time he saw the extreme injustice in a new light and wanted to expose the plight of these young African children.
The documentary was divided into two parts. The first part of the film gave a short history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and focused largely on the country's abundant natural resources and troublesome economics. The film attributed a lot of the country's problems to King Leopold II of Belgium who acquired the Congo territory in 1885, and made it his own personal property, referring to it as the Congo Free State. Leopold treated the native African population horribly. The only thing he was concerned about was making money off the vast natural resources, particularly rubber. When the natives did not reach the daily rubber quota set by Leopold, he had their hands cut off; many people died from this exploitation especially when disease set in. The area was taken over by the Belgian government around 1910 and independence was received in 1960. The country has been plagued by extreme political corruption and years of civil war. There is very little if any government control, and the native population is stricken by tremendous poverty. There was great effort to show the natural environment of the Congo and its rich supply of natural minerals, yet the country is still so deeply stricken with poverty; it doesn’t seem as if the two should go hand in hand; somewhere there is an abuse of power.
The second part of the video, and the main focus of the presentation, was on the street children of Kinshasa, a result of the extreme poverty in the country. Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The streets of the city are filled with tens of thousands of homeless children from age 3-18 fighting to survive on their own. The video cited three main reasons for all of these abandoned children. The first reason given was that the children were orphaned, both parents having been killed in the civil wars or by disease, such as the increasing AIDS epidemic. Some of these children have lost entire families and have nowhere else to turn. The second reason a lot of these children have been abandoned by their families is because they have been accused of sorcery. These children are often abused and neglected before being thrown out of their homes. The last reason cited in the film for the increasing number of children on the streets of Kinshasa is extreme poverty. Some children remark that their families were so poor they were not able to provide enough food. Their dire home conditions have left them to seek a better life on their own.
The children have a negative reputation and are viewed as the thieves and scoundrels of society, engaged in begging, crime and prostitution; they are referred to by civilians as “shegues” and are victims of their environment. The children are subject to routine physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by law enforcement personnel and ordinary civilians. Their extreme vulnerability is taken advantage of and they are often forced into child labor or radical military work.
After the documentary, Gilbert Mulamba answered questions. He seemed very upset for his country and did not vocalize much hope for the cause. When asked about what non-profit groups and organizations were helping out with the situation, he said that there was not a lot of relief going into the area and that a lot of large non-profit organizations were not sending aid to the Congo. The movie did show one Jesuit institution outside the city of Kinshasa, that has formed a relief center particularly for the education and well-being of these children. It is a life-saving institution for those that can take up residence there and get off the streets, but the center can only help so many children.
What is happening to these children is an extreme injustice; they are not supplied with the means to fulfill their basic human rights. These are the people preached about in the gospel. These children are the face of God and we are being called to help the least of God’s people. We must not wait until Judgment Day to find out that by sitting back and ignoring the plight of our brothers and sisters, we were denying God food, shelter, and aid. Something needs to be done. Gilbert Mulamba should have a reason to hope for his country.
Activist Interview - Jason Bollman
How did you become active in social justice? I had been involved in service early in my high school career, but then moved in different directions as I focused on track and cross country. I saw the Orientation Day of Service before move-in as an opportunity to start making service an important priority in my life. I had a very strong experience working with older individuals with intellectual disabilities at The Castle in Centerville and felt a connection with this marginalized group. While pursuing this passion further as College Buddy Director of Best Buddies, my desire to serve others has matured and led me to Tijuana for a Spring BreakOut trip and to Kentucky for the UDSAP program this summer.
Why do you think service and student involvement clubs and organizations are important to the UD community? Service clubs are the lifeline for how UD lives out the mission aspect of the Marianist charism. The reaching out into the Dayton community and beyond that takes place sets the tone for other facets of campus life. This inclusive, open-minded, and welcoming spirit of community is in part formed by the experience of serving others in need.
What community service or activism experience has impacted you the most? If you asked me next semester, I might say UDSAP. But right now I would say my involvement in Best Buddies because it has been such a big part of my life. It has helped me to learn to suspend judgment during first impressions so that I can intentionally focus on getting to know people better to see the good in them.
What on-campus event are you looking forward to the most this year and why? People First Week. Through Best Buddies, I have formed a close bond with individuals with developmental disabilities and I enjoy sharing my experiences with others. One of Best Buddies mottos was “I See You” and so I try to open other people’s eyes and allow them to see the dignity that exists in every person regardless of whether they have a disability. They are people first, just like us, and with a lot to offer us.
What can we do to get more students involved in community service? We need more education about the Marianist charism. As they become more aware of the Marianist spirit working on campus and how service is an important component of that spirit, then students will naturally turn more to service clubs and activities. Another important piece is finding ways to get students involved in service for the first time, because it often only takes one experience to break any negative stereotypes or connotations a person might have that keeps them from engaging in service.
What is one way that you think the UD community can improve in its living out of the Marianist charism and "Learn, Lead, and Serve" motto? We need to make people more aware of how what they are already doing exemplifies the Marianist charism and the university motto. As they see this, they will then begin to stretch their limits and live out these values in new ways.
Gamma Epsilon Lambda Hosts Memorial Wiffle Ball Home Run Derby by Kaitlin Moredock
As many of you may know, Gamma Epsilon Lambda (GEL) lost one of our most beloved members on May 12, 2007 due to a rare heart condition. Garrett Loiselle had just graduated with a degree in finance and had spent much of his time at UD contributing to the GEL family we all know and love. He was one of our most respected members with his genuine, caring sprit. It is impossible to describe the things everyone cherished about Garrett from his heartwarming smile to his love of baseball, particularly the Cubs. The news of Garrett’s death was a shock to the whole UD community, however it really hit home with GEL.
Every tradition this organization carries on involves the core values of leadership and service. However, it is through these typical virtues that members learn more about how to live life and care for others. Garrett’s life and death only reinforced the close knit community GEL upholds with the amazing mixture of friendship, dedication and respect for all people. Past GEL president Tim South described Garrett in Flyer News:
“It’s hard to put into words what made Garrett so special. Those that knew him or interacted with him, even briefly, know what I’m talking about. I feel like most people are going to write about his smile, friendliness, his care for others and his easygoing demeanor, but all of these things just don’t do him justice. From living with Garrett for three years at UD, I saw all of these things on a daily basis, through good days and great days…I guess what really made Garrett so special, what makes him stand out to me as a friend and roommate, is that over a four-year span he taught me how to live for the rest of my life.”
After being reunited at UD in August, GEL was joined by Garrett’s sister Lauren, a junior at UD, along with his girlfriend Shannon Brown, now a senior. It was obvious everyone wanted to do something to make sure Garrett’s memory lived on. Ultimately, GEL decided to create a scholarship in Garrett’s name that reflected who he was. The criteria include financial need, leadership, service and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. While this was a great start, GEL wished to do even more. In the end GEL decided to hold the Garrett Loiselle Memorial Wiffle Ball Home Run Derby on September 22, 2007 on Stuart Field, which will become an annual event. The home run derby was open to all students on campus and all proceeds benefited the scholarship fund.
With hard work from all members, GEL created a campus-wide event that celebrated Garrett and kept his spirit alive on campus. It was a gorgeous day filled with wiffle ball, cornhole, food, music and good people. Most importantly, GEL felt it was an event Garrett would have loved. Between general donations and wiffle ball participant registrations, GEL raised nearly $2,800!
It is almost impossible to attempt to portray why everyone cared so much for Garrett. There is so much passion and dedication for the fund. GEL will keep Garrett’s memory alive by continuing the wiffle ball tournament and fundraising for the scholarship.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
February, part 2
February issue online
Part 1 is below!
Human Rights at Home by Erin Aldrich
Human Rights Week…in the past, it has been focused on abuses foreign and far away from the United States and the issues that some of the poorest of the poor face. This year, we changed the focus – instead of focusing solely on international issues, we looked at how poverty and human rights affect us at home, even right around the corner from our UD bubble. Thus, our quote for the week from Carl T. Rowan: “It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home.”
Why is it so much harder to look at injustice just around the corner from us? Because it makes us uncomfortable. How can we, as citizens, be complacent when our brothers and sisters in the United States are victims of injustice? They are victims of a system that many of us benefited from – a system that sets them up for failure while we, the typical UD students, coast to success. It is hard to accept this reality, so we are much more comfortable looking across the world, accusing other governments and peoples of unequal and unjust treatment of their citizens. We defend the other and forget our own.
My hope is that Human Rights Week this year opened everyone’s eyes to the problems our fellow citizens struggle with on a daily basis, especially the problems from which the typical UD student has been shielded. The many experts and professionals from the Dayton area passionately spoke about how they work to alleviate poverty and suffering in housing, education, and health. Keynote speaker Brandt Goldstein talked about student empowerment and the ability we have to make changes in our country. Look around the Dayton community – it is not hard to find poverty and injustice, it is just slightly more insidious than in other places around the world. As a citizen, what can you do to help carry the burden? It’s our duty as citizens of this country to be informed, know our rights, and defend the rights of our brothers and sisters.
35th March for Life by Kevin Berry
Nearly one month ago, 60 students from the University of Dayton left their cozy dorms, apartments, and houses at 6:00 in the morning to leave for Washington D.C. These students were not extremely eager tourists. They were social justice advocates. Their cause is life for the unborn. That’s right: I am using social justice and pro-life together. These two terms should never clash.
UD Students for Life, the Pro- Life club on campus, organized the eight hour bus ride, lodging at a church in Alexandria, VA, and the March Activities. After arriving, some students went to the National Cathedral for the Annual Pro-Life Mass. The whole group went to a youth mass and rally the next morning in the Verizon Center. There were around 22,000 excited pro-lifers celebrating the Mass. Bishops from all over the country came to represent their dioceses and to show the Catholic Church’s unwavering support for the unborn. "The Mass of the Basilica was really beautiful because so many Catholics assembled together to worship. The many priests and seminarians were a particular witness to answering God's call to discern their vocation." said junior Anna Littrell.
UD students then joined the masses and met on the National Mall to hear speakers of the movement, including several Congressmen and even presidential candidate Ron Paul. Pro- lifers can take some peace from the fact that each year between 100,000 to 300,000 activists come to protest the continual slaughter of the unborn, which was made legal by an oligarchic decision of the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade case. For me, the March reinforced the fact that the Pro- Life movement is vibrant and growing despite the pro-choice movement’s best attempts to silence it. The March for Life is clear evidence that, as long as abortion-on-demand is legal, it will always be protested.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
New Editor needed
Are you deeply concerned about social justice on campus and in the world? The Center for Social Concern is searching for an individual to take over the newsletter after I graduate in May. It is a great opportunity that allows you to see the broad array of engagement between students and issues of justice. Contact Nick Cardilino in Liberty Hall if you are interested, and if you want to know more about the job feel free to contact me by posting here or sending me an e-mail through UD's address book.
Take care and keep the Difference in mind as you think about campus jobs for next year!
Wednesday Bullets
Wednesday Bullets returns with a great deal of important news to share, so read up on your world!
-Juba peace talks in Uganda bring permanent ceasefire agreement.
-The oil-rich Abyei region could bring further violent conflict to embattled Sudanese people.
-Norway opens Doomsday vault to preserve seeds for future generations.
-Kosovo's independence means violent protest in Bosnia.
-Dangerous territory: The Christian Science Monitor explores the terror-filled lands of Northwestern Pakistan.
-Delays in farm worker wage reform raises advocates' resolve for change.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Slight Delay
I was a little overzealous announcing the arrival of the Feb. issue in the last post. It looks like UDP&D is very backed up so it may not be printed until Thursday, Feb. 28. My apologies.
Enjoy your snow/ice day!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Dan the Man
Just got back from a meeting with Dr. Curran and wanted to let you know that UD is in great hands.
In other news, a draft of the February issue is in, so keep your eyes open for the new issue soon.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
More Wed. Bullets
Busy Wednesday posting, check out the bullets!
> ONE-affiliated group talks about personal experiences in the recent Kenyan violence.
> Heifer International reports a $42 million windfall from the Bill Gates.
>200 Chinese citizens are harmed in major cancer drug scandal with potential global impact.
> New effort brings some hope to Cairo's street children.
