Seattle University Law Students Fight for Human Rights while Learning

Seattle University Law School is helping to shape the next generation of legal advocates through the school’s International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC), directed by law professor Thomas Antkowiak. Antkowiak’s past work includes overseeing a “socket of IHRC cases involving torture, wrongful conviction, arbitrary detention and protection of industrial lands.” Most recently IHRC helped to free Nestora Salgado-Gracia in the highly publicized case. Salgado is a grandmother with ties to Renton, Washington “who had been arbitrarily imprisoned in Mexico for three years while being denied due process. Salgado was arrested in 2013 after leading a legally permitted indigenous police force to defend local residents against drug cartels in her hometown of Olinala, Mexico.” Salgado praised Antkowiak during her visit to thank IHRC for helping her to win her freedom, as well as being her support and back-up for her case.

Antkowiak’s students also expressed similar praise as expressed by Salgado. Law students reported that working and learning in IHRC allowed for a clinical experience that offered opportunities for critical work that has incredible social value. Antkowiak said that serving as IHRC director is “his dream job, one that combines three of his professional passions-working on cases he cares about, engaging with students and conducting research. Seattle U’s Jesuit Catholic mission offers fertile ground for each of these efforts.”

To read more about IHRC and Antkowiak, visit Seattle news.

Seattle University to Host Conference on Justice in Jesuit Education

From August 10-13, 2017, Seattle University will host the Commitment to Justice in Jesuit Higher Education Conference.

Keynote speakers include

• Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)
• Rev. Bryan Massingale, professor at Fordham University and author specializing in social ethics, with teaching/research interests in the areas of racial justice, liberation theology, and Catholic Social Thought.
• Sr. Simone Campbell, S.S.S., executive director of NETWORK, a Catholic organization promoting social justice in public policy.
• Rev. Michael Garanzini, S.J., former president of Loyola University Chicago, and the Secretary of Higher Education for the Society of Jesus

Click here to learn more and register online.

Seattle University ‘Low Bono’ Program Makes Legal Assistance Affordable

Now in its fourth year, Seattle University‘s ‘Low Bono’ program provides assistance to people who do not qualify for a pro bono lawyer but cannot afford a full priced lawyer. Launched in 2013, the program prepares lawyers to fill this need for reduced priced legal assistance to low- and moderate-income clients.

The Low Bono Incubator offers financial assistance, continuing legal education, and mentorship to a group of graduates who commit to serving less affluent clients, assisting them with launching their own businesses. Fifteen alumni have completed the program and have begun small business handling cases in areas such as immigration or bankruptcy.

Seattle University is the only law school with a low bono program in Washington. Dean Annette Clark connects this work to their mission saying “As a Jesuit institution, we are committed to meeting the legal needs of under-served communities. As a Jesuit institution, we are committed to meeting the legal needs of under-served communities”.

To learn more, read the article on the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities website.

Seattle University Featured for Challenge Grant Program

Seattle University was recently featured in the Washington Post for their Challenge Grant Program.  Challenge Grants are financial aid awarded to students with a high financial need for strong academic performance. Students that earn at least a 3.0 GPA in the fall semester have $1,000 added to their aid package for the winter and spring semesters. If a student maintains a GPA above a 3.0 for the remainder of the year, they keep the grant as a permanent addition to their aid. In connection with this program, Seattle University provides students with resources to support academic success and to create plans to avoid the loss of aid.

Loss of financial aid, even a small amount, can be a reason for students to discontinue their education. Seattle University considers it a worthy endeavor to support students in finishing their education, stemming from a rich history of Catholic higher education caring for the needs of a diverse student population. Read more on the program here.

Seattle University Opens Center for Religious Wisdom and World Affairs

Seattle University has opened a new Center for Religious Wisdom and World Affairs, devoted to exploring the ways in which religious wisdom and the resources of faith communities can lend assistance in the analysis, diagnosis and community responses needed to address pressing social problems. The Center plans to accomplish this goal in three ways: a commitment to interfaith dialogue, linking scholarship and faith-based action, and re-imagining the role of religion in public life.

Every two years, the Center will focus on a specific social issue, such as, rising inequalities, gender-based violence, human trafficking and unsustainable use of environmental resources. The Center is focusing on homelessness.

In launching this project, Seattle University is issuing a call for scholars on inter-religious exploration of homelessness. Scholars will meet at Seattle University on April 25 and 26, 2017.  During the course of the two days, they will learn about the issue of homelessness from legal experts, policy analysts, and economists; participate in a discussion with local stakeholders, including religious leaders; and prepare paper proposal abstracts through a collaborative effort.  Scholars will return to Seattle University in April of 2018 to present their papers at a second symposium.  This scholarly initiative aims to produce an anthology that captures the best interfaith thinking about the religious, spiritual, and ethical dimensions of homelessness. Travel expenses, lodging, and meals will be covered by the Center.  Scholars will also receive an honorarium.

To be considered, please submit 1) a one-page letter of interest and 2) curriculum vitae to Manuel Mejido, Ph.D., Director, Center for Religious Wisdom and World Affairs, by email, care of: crwwa@seattleu.edu.  The selection committee will meet in December of 2016.  Scholars will be notified in January of 2017. The deadline for submissions is December 12, 2016.

Catholic Colleges Featured on Sierra Club’s Cool School’s List

Ten Catholic colleges and universities were featured as 2016 Cool Schools in Sierra Magazine. This list measures colleges in their sustainability efforts in energy, investments, co-curricular, food, innovation, academics, planning, purchasing, transport, waste, and water. Colleges reported their programs and initiatives through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a program of The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

Schools included are Loyola University of Chicago (featured in the Top 20 Cool Schools), Aquinas College, Creighton University, Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University, Saint Louis University, Santa Clara University, Seattle University, St. John’s University, and Villanova University.

Congratulations to the colleges on their sustainability initiatives!

Seattle University to Host Conference on ‘Just Sustainability’

This summer, Seattle University, one of two Jesuit universities in the state of Washington, will host a conference on “Just Sustainability:  Hope for the Commons.” The conference, hosted by the Seattle University Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) on August 7-9, 2016, will focus on environmental justice and sustainability research, interdisciplinary dialogue and education, nonprofit and governmental work, networks among Jesuit institutions, and environmental justice in the arts.

Keynote addressees at the conference include:

• Brian Cladoosby, President of the National Congress of American Indians
• Dr. Shariff Abdullah, Director of Commonway Institute
• Cynthia Figge, Co-founder and COO of CSRHub
• Dr. Andy Hoffman, Holcim Professor of Sustainable Enterprise in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan
• McKenzie Funk, writer whose work has appeared in Harper’s, National Geographic, Outside, Rolling Stone, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the New York Times
• Interfaith Amigos, an organization comprised of Protestant Pastor Don Mackenzie, Ph.D., Rabbi Ted Falcon, Ph.D., and Imam Jamal Rahman

The conference will also feature over forty presentations from experts on “the social, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainability.”  The gathering seeks to promote collaboration around caring for our common home. Register now to ensure your seat!

How does your college or university promote collaboration around caring for our common home? Let us know! 

Seattle University Raises Awareness of Homelessness

Earlier this month, Seattle University and the University of Washington came together to bring awareness of homelessness in Seattle to their campuses.

The two campuses jointly sponsored an event, titled “Ending Homelessness in Seattle,” featuring Edward Murray, Mayor of Seattle, along with experts on homelessness, according to a National Catholic Reporter article.

For Seattle University president Fr. Stephen Sundborg, SJ, the issue of homelessness is of paramount importance for both the University and Seattle as a whole. He noted that while three of five Seattle homeless men and women are in shelters or transitional housing in the winter, two of five are still on the street.  He says, “It is not like this is something ignored or underplayed in our region, […] but it remains a state of emergency – a shock and scandal that the problem is getting worse rather than better.”

 

Academic Year in Review: Fair Trade Firsts

Recently, the Fair Trade Campaigns has released a summary reflecting on the achievements, challenges, and milestones of the past academic year. Listed below are three of the four new Fair Trade Colleges and Universities, which are also ACCU members:

• Seattle University became the first Fair Trade University in the Pacific Northwest
• St. Mary’s University became the first Fair Trade University in Texas
• John Carroll University became the fifth Jesuit Fair Trade University

The Fair Trade Campaigns also sent out an end-of-year survey to find out what Fair Trade champions accomplished on campuses across the country this past year. Listed below are some of the interesting statistics:

• 83% of Campaigns hosted at least 2 Fair Trade events (1/3 of campaigns hosted at least 4!)
• 435 Fair Trade advocates joined the movement this last year; that’s an average of 10 new advocates per campaign!
• 85% of Campaigns participated in National Programs including Back-to-School, Fair Trade Month, Valentines Day and World Fair Trade Day.

For Catholic colleges and universities, fair trade presents an opportunity to respond to the urgent call to promote social justice, the dignity of work, and the wider sharing of resources and development. The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities has created Fair Trade and Catholic Higher Education, highlighting how ACCU member institutions engage with the fair trade movement.

See more Fair Trade Firsts in the Campaigns Academic Year in Review!

Laudato Si Release: Act

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!