Thank you for taking a moment to look over the the service-learning happenings of Spring 2022. We hope you enjoy a restful and renewing summer, and we look forward to connecting again in the Fall!
Art Junior Seminar (ART-3900)
Taught by Professor Bryan Park
As part of their Junior Seminar, Art majors aid in planning the annual Social Justice Art Show. The tradition began in 2015 when Christa Kagin - then-chair of the Department of Art and Architecture (now the Department of Art and Design) - had students in her Painting course create and display pieces related to social justice. The initiative expanded the following year by inviting any Benedictine student to submit a social justice-themed artwork in any medium. The students in Junior Seminar help promote and hang the show. Through this participation, they grow in "seeing art as voice for change and education," as Kagin puts it. "It is an awesome project and the community benefits as well as the students!"
An effort is made each year to hold the Social Justice Art Show during or in close proximity to the College's annual Social Justice Week.
Center for Service-Learning helps plan 36th annual Social Justice Week
This February marked the 36th annual Social Justice Week at Benedictine College. Since the Center for Service Learning's founding in 2016, it has helped plan the week, which is constantly changing and growing, each year incorporating new ideas and events from various clubs on campus. This year's Social Justice Week included events from the Department of Art and Design, Knights of Columbus, Hunger Coalition, English Club, Sociology Club, College Ministry Service Team, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
Each event is ordered towards creating awareness of social justice issues in many aspects of life and also towards highlighting how Christians are called to work towards solving these issues. Dr. Jamie Blosser, Chair of Theology and Faculty Coordinator of Social Justice Week, remarked that, "It’s always interesting to see how the students tend to plan events focused on the ‘hot topics’ of the day... But we always leave it to them rather than dictate in advance what the theme will be."
"I’m always excited to have new clubs involved for the first time... new media for addressing social justice issues... and to get informed perspectives on vital current events like the Value Them Both Amendment. But then again, we are really happy to see all of the events on the schedule."-Dr. Jamie Blosser
Maternal/Child Nursing Lab (NURS-3510)
Taught by Professor Becky Myers
In Professor Becky Myers' Maternal and Child Nursing lab, students worked with two non-profit partners to provide educational presentations for the community. This was the first year service-learning was incorporated into the pediatric/OB course. "Each project is designed to educate the community regarding a specific topic as it pertains to children," Myers explained. "I want the Benedictine nursing students to become familiar with creating opportunities of learning and education for those in their community that may be unfamiliar with certain aspects of disease, trauma, developmental milestones, etc." Myers pointed out that this project also helped students learn more about the field and helped them with organizational and public speaking skills.
One set of students offered informational sessions at the Atchison Family YMCA/Cray Community Center about early childhood developmental milestones. The other set of students provided a virtual training on the effects of childhood trauma to returning, active volunteers at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Jere Levingston, Volunteer Coordinator at CASA, noted that, while CASA has had service-learning partnerships with other academic departments at Benedictine previously, this was their first time working with the Nursing program, and that it was a great experience. "Every year I do continue to be amazed by the professionalism of the students... We definitely appreciate it," Levingston said. She added that approximately 20% of their volunteers signed up for this training, which she considered to be a strong turnout.
Student Spotlight
Marissa Manning
- Year: Junior
- Major: Nursing
- Hometown: Shoreview, Minn.
Marissa worked on a team that offered an educational presentation at the Atchison Family YMCA/Cray Community Center about developmental milestones in children age birth to one.
"It really helps you grow in your knowledge and the way that you're able to explain it, just like you will have to in the real world." -Marissa
Field Day 2022
The first annual "Field Day" was held on April 23 after more than two years of COVID-related delays. The event, which was co-sponsored by Benedictine College, the Special Needs Ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, Achievement Services for Northeast Kansas, and Special Olympics Kansas, offered a fun morning of physical activity for families and individuals of all ability levels. Service-learning students from various Education and Exercise Science courses welcomed participants at the registration tables and ran activity stations with games ranging from soccer to corn hole.
Professor Mary Flynn, Chair of the Health, Wellness, and Exercise Science Department, served on the planning committee for Field Day and required her students to help at the event as a form of service-learning. She observed that service is a two-way street, and that through this requirement her students are able to help the participants and also learn from them. Students from several Education courses attended as well, including many from Dr. Matthew Ramsey's Psychology of Individuals with Exceptionalities and Prof. Sarah Wise's Schools as Community course.
The feedback from attendees, their loved ones, and other community members was quite positive. Michelle Urban, Special Needs Advocate of St. Benedict Parish, Board President of Achievement Services, and also a member of the event's planning committee, characterized the day as "great" and "wonderful," adding that "all of the college volunteers were exceptional!"
Student Spotlight
Sydney Hagey
- Year: Freshman
- Major: Elementary Education
- Hometown: St. Joseph, Mo.
Sydney earned "experience points" for Dr. Matthew Ramsey's Psychology of Individuals with Exceptionalities course (EDUC 2222) by running the bowling station at Field Day.
"I always think you're never truly going to learn how to do something unless you're 'in the trenches' and doing it for real." -Sydney
Looking Back and Beyond 2020: Race and Catholic Social Teaching
Presentation by Danielle M. Brown, Associate Director of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism
On March 28, Benedictine College welcomed Danielle M. Brown, Associate Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, for a presentation entitled, "Looking Back and Beyond 2020: Race and Catholic Social Teaching." The address was the first in a new lecture series at Benedictine focused on Catholic Social Teaching. The series, co-sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica and by Ray '67 and Mary (Milleret) '70 Ring, is organized in coordination with the Benedictine College Center for Service-Learning and aims to increase the community’s knowledge of and appreciation for Catholic doctrine pertaining to social issues. Regarding their intention in establishing the series, the Rings wrote, “We want to create a more visible presence and foster campus conversations about the societal obligation to help the poor and reach for the common good.”
Brown began her presentation by alerting the audience, "I'm going to be talking about Jesus a lot," explaining further that the USCCB's approach to combatting racism is rooted in Christ, having a relationship with him, and allowing him to convert one's heart. Brown also emphasized the need for unity in the Body of Christ as believers work for peace and justice. For example, she observed that the events of 2020, particularly the killing of George Floyd, "sparked terrible fights within the church itself," especially between "pro-life communities" and "social justice communities," each accusing the other of being selective and inconsistent in their efforts to promote human dignity. She spoke of a meeting during which she challenged "pro-lifers" in attendance to consider the possibility that "the person recently killed was a baby [they had] worked so hard to save" decades earlier while sidewalk counseling outside of an abortion clinic. In like manner, she challenged "social justice workers" at the same meeting to consider whether the next Martin Luther King, Jr., that they were fervently praying would be raised up "was actually killed across town in abortion."
"We seek an end to racism and racial prejudice not because it is the 'woke' thing to do, or it's somehow 'sexy.' Not because of politics, identity politics... or for any other reason but for the breakdown of barriers that block human freedom, flourishing, access to truth, goodness, [and] beauty, all of which have their origin in and are super abundant in Christ." -Danielle Brown
Brown went on to describe what she calls "a spiritual apartheid" in the Catholic Church in the United States, which stems in part from Catholicism being represented as "particularly European" and the fact that "many if not most [apostolates, churches, and dioceses] don't touch or don't know how to touch, how to encounter, encourage, entertain or integrate communities of color." The result is that entire people groups are denied access to the truth, goodness, and beauty found in the Catholic Church. Brown recounted other indications of implicit and explicit racism such as people of color being turned away from a priestly or religious vocation due to their race or the widespread closing of inner-city Catholic schools and parishes.
As the lecture came to a close, Brown reminded her listeners of the saying that God "does not reveal what he does not intend to heal," indicating that, although it is painful, recognizing the presence of racism in faith communities can be the first step towards reconciliation and justice. She left her listeners with many recommendations for intellectual and spiritual growth in this area, as well as practical advice for helping all people feel welcome in the Church. The full presentation can be viewed here. We are grateful to Ms. Brown for her engaging, edifying, and inspiring presentation.