An Ethic of Service
By Suzanne
Arney
Students
come to Saint Mary's College to study chemistry, foreign language,
math, and literature, among many disciplines. They also mentor local
high school students, lead clothing drives, and build Habitat for
Humanity houses in a kind of education of the soul.
In
her inaugural address in January 2005, President Carol Ann Mooney
'72 said, "The
very first Saint Mary's women recognized the needs of those around
them and responded to those needs. They stretched themselves and
found the personal and communal resources to assume and fulfill ever-increasing
responsibilities. Saint Mary's women are prepared to do not only
what is required of them, but to move beyond and do that which will
enrich their communities."
This
sense of personal responsibility and community involvement is the
foundation of
service learning at Saint Mary's College. The school's core value
of justice issues a call to
"act as responsible stewards of resources," to "advocate
social action," and to "practice
principles of justice and compassion." In heeding this call,
students, alumnae, faculty, and
staff follow the examples set by Saint Mary's founders.
In
April, two Saint Mary's women were recognized with Spirit of Service
Awards for their volunteer efforts: student Ginger Francis '06 and
Kathleen Malone Beeler '69. (See summer
2005 issue of Courier.) Referring to her time at Saint Mary's, Beeler
said, "My community service involvements precipitated a life in
volunteerism. It gave me a desire to continue through life to respond
to the needs and challenges of the community where I live."
As
a student, Sharon Zint Marts '92 also absorbed the message of theology
of service and was involved on several levels. While interning at
the South Bend Office of Economic
Development, she created a needs assessment for a housing study and
realized the opportunities for volunteerism. At the time, such efforts
were coordinated through Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns. Marts's
epiphany came during a 1991 graduation lecture given by Joan Chittister,
OSB, whose call to action Marts can quote still: "Who will bring
hope to poor widows and women everywhere if not the graduates of a
Catholic women's college whose burdensome motto is spes unica, 'the
only hope.'" This
burden of responsibility is seen by Marts as a positive, win-win
situation. "The
volunteer gains an added richness in understanding the gray areas
of life," she said, "as well
as the necessity of right boundaries."
In
order to facilitate and encourage Saint Mary's students' involvement,
Marts founded
a clearinghouse to match needs and volunteers. She titled
it Spes Unica Resource & Volunteer
Center, or SURV. The office has continued to grow and thrive. Last
year, the name was changed
to reflect the expanded mission of the office. It is now the Office
for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE). Operating within the Division
for Mission, the office serves students, faculty, and staff through
an informative resource library, ways to get involved, speakers and
events, and faculty development programs. Director Carolyne Call captures
the OCSE mission in Gandhi's quote, "We must be the change we
want to see in the world."
Students
can find a variety of ways to get involved: individually or as a
group; in a
volunteer or a paid position; on an ongoing or one-time
basis; as a course requirement,
independent endeavor, or foreign program. Individual students
in Professor Jayne Kendle's
Child Health Nursing course, for example, are required to provide
16 hours of respite care to
families with a special-needs child. Students also have the option
of providing additional,
paid, respite care through the "Time Out" program.
(See story) Some students
spend holidays working overseas or on special projects
locally. Post-graduate service
opportunities are also listed on the College's Web site.
Service
learning could be described as experiential learning. It provides
an opportunity to take classroom skills and knowledge into the community.
Students provide a much-needed service and at the same time learn
hands-on and face-to-face lessons in reality, community needs, and
compassion. "They learn that there are social structures
involved with social problems," Call said. "They
see a complex view of society and where problems come
from."
Many times, it has sparked a lifelong passion and commitment
to social and/or political involvement. Like
the four missionary sisters of the Holy Cross who established Saint
Mary's,
this calling for a life of service is well rooted in the College
foundation of rigorous education,
leadership, and action. "This college is woman-centered in a very
positive way," said Call.
"The students have a strong sense of themselves as agents for
change in society. What could
be more important than that?"
Call
is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ tradition.
The OCSE
directorship, which she assumed in July 2004, "enables me to put
my faith into action and
comes out of my understanding of myself as a disciple." she
said. Call cites this year's
summer program as a great success. Students earned
tuition credit for working in a variety of
agencies, and met weekly for dinner and discussion. In doing so,
they learned about others as
well as themselves. "Reflection is a key component in service
learning," Call believes.
"Many of us hold unconscious stereotypes that are difficult to
confront and uncomfortable to
discuss. It was a very powerful and transformational
experience," she
said.
Call's
immediate goals for the office include creating a database to clarify
student
activities and community needs; creating core groups who work at
a particular agency and
meet regularly for discussion; and developing recognition
and awareness through an awards
ceremony to be held during National Volunteer Week in April. "I want to
increase the visibility of service on campus and recognize its importance," she
said. This value permeates the
school's environment.
"Saint
Mary's is incredibly supportive," said
Mona Bowe. The interim director of admissions has volunteered with
the American Cancer Society for 10 years, and serves on the board
of St. Margaret's House, a daytime drop-in center for women and children
in need. "The College is supportive and encouraging at every
level. Many of us volunteer in our communities and churches," said
Bowe. "It's good to be
able to bring that to work with you."
Beeler
is keenly aware of the national, even international, scope of the
College, and of the
impact graduates' ethic of service can make in the world. "We
have widespread influence,"
she said. Call agrees–"Saint Mary's College believes in
a moral imperative to be involved in
one's community. I really believe the adage
to 'Think globally, act locally.'"
The
late Joan Driscoll-Kelly '82 is one who did just that and lived her
life as a catalyst for
change. (See story.) Building on the lessons of compassion
she learned from her
parents, she became an indefatigable volunteer on campus. Her story is part
of a history of
service that has endowed the College since its founding. "Saint Mary's
women have heart in
a way I haven't seen at any other institution," says Call. "They're
heart-oriented; I've
never been able to put it any other way."
Suzanne Arney is a freelance writer.
