Catholic Colleges and Universities Raise Awareness During Hunger and Homelessness Week

January 12, 2017December 14, 2016 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus, Events advocacy, Assumption College, awareness, homelessness, Hunger, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Saint John's University, The Catholic University of America, Villanova University

Catholic colleges and universities across the nation observed National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, November 15-21, 2016. The week, began by Villanova University in 1975, has since spread to over 700 campuses and communities, becoming the most widely organized hunger and homelessness event of its type nationwide. Here are some examples from Catholic colleges:

Villanova University organized a food drive, a solidarity sleepout, and interfaith vigils on the issue of hunger and homelessness.

At Assumption College, Social Justice Ambassadors assembled “Helping Hands” bags to distribute to individuals on the street, encouraged students in the dining hall to eat what a typical meal would be at a soup kitchen, and also held a solidarity sleepout.

Saint John’s University campus ministry sponsored many events including a poverty simulation, a benefit concert, and a service opportunity as part of the week.

The Catholic University of America hosted a number of events such as a hunger banquet, a way of the cross prayer service focused on migration, and a speaker event with local advocate for those who are homeless.

These Catholic colleges and universities, and many others, are reflecting on the Catholic Social Teaching, the option for the poor and vulnerable, creatively tackling direct engagement and awareness in the issues of hunger and homelessness.

Did your campus observe Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week? Share it with us! Email Lexie Bradley.

Catholic Colleges Take the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities News Ancilla College, Beyond the Box, catholic higher education, College of Saint Benedict, criminal justice reform, Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge, prison reform, prisoner justice, Saint John's University, White House

In summer 2016, the White House took a stride forward in removing barriers to participation in society for individuals returning from prison or returning citizens by launching the Fair Chance Pledge. Meant for businesses and institutions of higher education, the pledge commits signatories to committing to reducing barriers to a second chance at societal participation, to acting on this commitment in their local communities, and being an example for peer institutions and businesses.

Among institutions of higher education, taking the Pledge means “adopting fair chance admissions practices like going ‘Beyond the Box‘” by reconsidering whether questions related to criminal history are necessary for admissions applications. Additionally, the Pledge symbolizes a commitment to continue “supporting professors or students who want to teach or are teaching in correctional facilities and ensuring internships and job training are available to individuals with criminal records.”

ACCU member institutions Ancilla College, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have taken the Pledge. We look forward to hearing about the advances these and other schools have made towards removing barriers for returning citizens.

Learn more about the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge here.

Food for Thought Friday: Healing in Worship

September 23, 2016September 19, 2016 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus, Resources Food for Thought Friday, grief, healing, liturgy, Mass, Saint John's University, US Catholic

Food for Thought Friday: The death of a college student, a friend, classmate, and community member, brings great grief to a campus. During these difficult times, campus ministry staff, faculty, and other campus staff provide care for students and help them process their grief. In an article published in the July 2016 issue of U.S. Catholic, writer Jessie Bazan, Director of Retreats and Social Outreach at Saint John’s University explores the impact of the liturgy, both memorial services and the Mass, on campus communities after the death of a student. In her own experience, she finds that although the liturgy does not reverse the situation, it often helps in the grieving process. She writes, “Our liturgy didn’t take away the hurt, but it gave us a safe space to hurt. It didn’t bring our dead classmate back to life, but it honored the life he had – and his life to come.” Read the full article here.

St. John’s University Partners with Catholic Campaign for Human Development

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus #powerofCCHD, advocacy, Catholic Social Teaching, CCHD, dignity of work, Don Bosco Workers, rights of workers, Saint John's University, Solidarity, worker justice, workers

As a Vincentian University, Saint John’s University (SJU) has long been committed to the pursuit of justice and charity, and has successfully combined the two in its three-year long partnership with the Don Bosco Workers (DBW), a Port Chester, NY based organization funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). DBW is a ground-up community organizing group that advocates for worker and economic justice.

Thanks to the leadership of Meghan Clark, Ph.D., assistant professor of Theology and Religious Studies at SJU, the campus-community partnership has blossomed into a fruitful relationship where DBW representatives visit Clark’s students in her course on Catholic Social Teaching. The representatives engage with students around issues of wage theft, local worker justice and the DBW-CCHD relationship.

This year the class presented their research on fair trade initiatives and forced labor in Brazil in SJU’s inaugural Solidarity Festival. The Festival entailed a full day of presentations, featuring DBW, the social justice artwork of Sol Aramendi, SJU Fair Trade, SJU CRS Ambassadors, and GLOBE, SJU’s academic program on microfinancing. DBW participated in a panel on wage theft, and the day ended with a Mass for worker justice celebrated by Fr. Patrick Griffin, the director of SJU’s Vincentian Center for Church and Society.

Dr. Clark comments that the partnership flows from the Vincentian concern for charity and justice, and helps students conceptualize the answer to the Vincentian question “‘What must be done’ with respect to wage theft and exploitation of day laborers.”

Read more about Saint John’s University and other CCHD-campus partnerships here!

How does your college or university work to alleviate poverty? Let us know!

Fordham University to Host Catholic Social Teaching Conference

April 20, 2016April 19, 2016 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus, Events Boston College, Business, catholic higher education, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Social Teaching, Conference, Ecology, economic justice, environmental justice, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, LaSalle University, Laudato Si, Marquette University, Pope Francis, Saint John's University

This week, Fordham University will host a conference titled, “Building Good Economies: An Interdisciplinary Conference Celebrating Catholic Social Teaching at 125.” In a convergence of higher education scholars, prominent experts in Catholic Social Teaching, and more, the conference will explore themes of economic justice, environmental justice, public health, and the 2016 presidential race.

Many speakers from Catholic higher education will present, including:

Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College, who will be giving a talk titled, “Toward a New Economy: Time, Creativity and Community”.
Professor Christiana Peppard of Fordham University will be joining a panel on “Laudato Si, Ecology, and Sustainable Business” along with Carolyn Woo, President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services.
Professors Maureen O’Connell of LaSalle University, John Carr of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, Rev. Bryan Massingale of Marquette University, and Gregory Acevedo of the Fordham Graduate School of Social Service will comprise a panel titled, “Economy, Ecology, & Exclusion in an Election Year”.

Additionally, the opening panel will feature Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy in Lima, Peru. Responses will be given by Daniel Finn of Saint John’s University (MN) and Carolyn Woo.

The conference will take place Wednesday, April 20 to Friday, April 22, 2016 at the Fordham University Lincoln Center campus. Plenary sessions are free and open to the public. Register now to reserve a seat!

How does your college or university engage in dialogue on Catholic Social Teaching? Let us know!

Catholic Colleges Make List of US Eco-friendly Schools

December 7, 2015January 7, 2016 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus Aquinas College, catholic higher education, Climate Change, Creighton University, Energy, Environment, environmental justice, Gonzaga University, Laudato Si, Loyola Marymount University, Pope Francis, Saint John's University, Saint Louis University, Santa Clara University, St. John's University, Sustainability, University of Dayton, University of San Diego, Villanova University

Wondering how your campus measures up in sustainability and energy conservation? Perhaps your school was one of the eleven Catholic colleges and universities featured in a recent Sierra Club ranking of the top ‘cool schools’!

To determine the rankings, the Sierra Club administered a survey to a wide range of higher education institutions in the U.S. The responding schools were then ranked according to a long list of criteria, including co-curricular activities, energy, investments, innovation, academics, and more:

Depending on their responses to the questionnaire, schools were then given a score in a 1000 point system and ranked accordingly. The eleven Catholic colleges ranked included:

Based on the criteria for the rankings, these eleven schools are officially ‘cool schools’! The Sierra Club reminds us that it is both important to celebrate success but remember that there is more work to be done:

“Our results suggest that while many universities are making admirable progress, no school has yet attained complete sustainability. In 2015, the top-rated university scored 859.75 out of a possible 1,000 points, indicating much work completed but also room for improvement.”

Want to learn more? A recent National Catholic Reporter article featured some such progress at the Catholic colleges and universities on the list.

What is your campus doing to promote sustainability and environmental justice? Let us know!

For St. John’s University, Affordable Tuition is a Catholic Cause

July 31, 2015July 30, 2015 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus, News affordability, Saint John's University, students, tuition

In an effort to reduce the financial burden of a college education that students and their families face, St. John’s University (NY) has enacted a tuition freeze for the 2015-2016 school year. Instead of implementing a planned three percent annual increase in tuition for the upcoming academic year, the university decided to freeze tuition, fees, and room and board costs. The freeze on tuition, along with other efforts to keep costs low for students, was possible because of the university’s work to reduce expenses and increase efficiency. As noted in the Catholic News Agency article, the goal of keeping tuition affordable is directly linked to the Catholic, Vincentian mission of St. John’s University.

Laudato Si Release: Act

June 18, 2015 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Campus, News AFCU, AJCU, Aquinas College, Benedictine University, Cabrini College, care for creation, Catholic Climate Covenant, CCMA, Chestnut Hill College, College of Saint Benedict, Creighton University, Ecology, encyclical, environmental justice, Gonzaga University, John Carroll University, Laudato Si, Lewis University, Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, Mercyhurst University, Mount St. Joseph University, Neumann University, Pope Francis, Rosemont College, Saint Anslem College, Saint Francis University, Saint John's University, Saint Joseph's College, Saint Mary's College of California, Saint Michael's College, Salve Regina University, Seattle University, St. Francis Pledge, St. Thomas More College, stewardship, Stonehill College, Sustainability, University of Notre Dame, University of Portland, Villanova University, Viterbo University, Xavier University

Earlier today, Pope Francis released his long-awaited encyclical letter, Laudato Si. We at ACCU are sharing resources and best practices to help our campuses pray for commitment to care for creation, learn about the encyclical and our call to stewardship, and act upon our beliefs to work for the common good.

˜ACT˜

ACCU member institutions have acted upon their call to care for creation through a number of sustainability and environmental justice initiatives.

The Catholic Climate Covenant, with support from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities, and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, have produced Sustainability and Catholic Higher Education: A Toolkit for Mission Integration (PDF; 3MB). Through mission-based initiatives, the Toolkit offers practical suggestions to inspire individuals, families, schools, parishes, and dioceses to follow the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change’s St. Francis Pledge.
29 Catholic colleges and universities have taken the St. Francis Pledge, sponsored by the Catholic Climate Covenant, committing to living out the value of care for creation through reflection, action, and advocacy. These campuses include: Aquinas College (MI), Cabrini College, Chestnut Hill College, College of Saint Benedict, Creighton University, Gonzaga University, John Carroll University, Lewis University, Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, Mercyhurst University, Mount St. Joseph University, Neumann University, Rosemont College, Saint Anselm College, Saint Francis University, Saint John’s University (MN), Saint Joseph’s College (IN), Saint Mary’s College of California, Saint Michael’s College, Salve Regina University, Seattle University, St. Thomas More College, Stonehill College, University of Notre Dame, University of Portland, Villanova University, Viterbo University, and Xavier University.
The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability at Seattle University lives out a core tenet of the university mission. The Center has undertaken a number of initiatives, including supporting faculty and student research through fellowships. Dr. Trileigh Tucker, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Seattle University, and one of CEJS’s first Faculty Fellows, developed a teaching resource on environmental justice, compiling syllabi, assessment methods, and foundational documents used frequently in courses on environmental justice.
Benedictine University in Illinois has received a $46,000 Food Scrap Composting Revitalization and Advancement Program (F-SCRAP) grant from the state to allow for the diversion of food scraps generated in the campus cafeteria and other buildings.
In spring 2015, Cabrini College held a conference, “Faith, Climate, and Health”, to examine how climate change affects the health of the most vulnerable citizens.
At the University of Portland, professors Dr. Russell Butkus and Dr. Steven Kolmes, teach a course entitled “Theology in Ecological Perspective”, exploring Catholic and Christian teaching and environmental science.

Read more ways ACCU member campuses have undertaken sustainability initiatives on the ACCU website. Check back frequently as we will post new updates and ways that ACCU campuses react to the Laudato Si to the blog!

A Vision of Justice – Launched in Africa

May 8, 2015April 21, 2015 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities News A Vision of Justice, Africa, book, College of Saint Benedict, Kenya, publishing, Saint John's University

On March 5th, Ron Pagnucco, ACCU Peace and Justice Committee member and Associate Professor of Peace Studies at College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University, attended the book launch of the African edition of A Vision of Justice at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa-Gaba in Eldoret, Kenya. This edition of A Vision of Justice was published by Catholic University of Eastern Africa-Gaba Press.

The book launch was a part of the Eldoret Diocesan Conference on the Consecrated Life. There were about 500 priests, sisters, brothers and others in the audience.

Dr. Pagnucco speaking about A Vision of Justice at the podium during the conference.

Dr. Pagnucco discussing the African edition of A Vision of Justice with Bishop Cornelius Korir, the bishop of Eldoret.