Avenue News
Celebrating Black History
In celebration of Black History Month, the Division for Inclusion and Equity hosted events throughout the month of February. Student workers for the division created posters of influential Black women in history that have been displayed in the student center. The division hosted a screening of Sunflower: The Fannie Lou Hamer Story and a conversation with the film’s director, Christine Swanson. The Black Student Association partnered with the division for a discussion led by Ashley Gilmore, MS Ed, MFT, LCMHC, NCC to talk about the importance of breaking stigmas and how to merge faith and mental health care in the Black community. To round out the month, students took part in a canvas painting night by painting influential Black people.
Spirituality ‘Pop-Up’ Conversations
Campus Ministry serves a vital role by accompanying students as they grow spiritually and academically. Every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. students can find Carrie Badertscher in the Student Center offering a space for dialogue, community, or a place to have lunch. Badertscher, a Protestant chaplain who serves part time at a local South Bend church, joined the Campus Ministry team in 2021.
When Badertscher first started in fall 2021, she would sit in the Campus Ministry office during her Thursday pop-up sessions, with an average of seven students stopping by to talk. Now, she’s likely to have conversations with 50 students throughout each day and has extended her time on campus to accompany students’ needs for one-on-one meetings.
Students Pin Campus Improvements
Three students working with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI) created a hands-on project to help maximize campus safety and the overall Saint Mary’s College experience. With a large detailed campus map, they displayed it to students, faculty, staff, and alumnae for their feedback on how the College can improve campus. They presented their findings and suggestions to campus security, maintenance, and student affairs. In a quick turnaround, a campus parking project has already been completed based on the students’ efforts, and they’re planning other improvements as early as this semester.
College Launches MS in Nursing Program
The Department of Nursing Science will begin a new in-person graduate program this fall, the Master of Science in Nursing. A first for the state of Indiana, the Master of Science in Nursing is a direct-entry program, which allows students with an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than nursing to transition into this full-time course of study. The program requires 66 credit hours and is designed to be completed in two full years, totaling six semesters. Kelly Burns, director of Graduate Studies at Saint Marys, said there is growing evidence that advanced degrees are where the industry is heading. “The nursing profession is in crisis post pandemic,” she said. “Technology and evidence-based practice continue to evolve at increasing speeds. Hospitals not only need nurses, they need advanced nurses who can lead.” The Master of Science in Nursing program, as are all graduate programs at Saint Mary’s, is open to all.
Synod Sessions
Pope Francis has invited every person in the world to let him know what they think of and hope for the Catholic Church, and Saint Mary’s is answering with a loud, resounding voice. This spring, Rev. Steve Newton, CSC, campus minister, invited all members of the Saint Mary’s community, of any faith, practicing or not, to join the conversation. The Synodal Listening Sessions began in February and will continue through March. Participants can share their experiences and hopes for the Church without judgment or argument. Campus Ministry will send a summary to the local diocese, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and to Pope Francis himself. The Pope will send everything he receives to bishops around the world, then in 2023, they will work together to discern this information.
Spring Gilman Scholars Announced
Three Saint Mary’s students have received the prestigious Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in the spring of 2022: Anahy Torres-Vega ’23, psychology and global studies, South Korea program; Kellie Krohn ’23, biology, Rome program; and Kylie Henry ’24, Africana studies, South Africa program (deferred to fall 2022). The scholarship allows students to make the most of their studies abroad, said Laura Elder, chair of the Department of Global Studies. “Year after year, our students say that studying abroad is the best experience of their lives regarding self-discovery and independence,“ she said. “Global Studies and the Gilman award gives them the additional resources they need to venture into the unknown with the confidence to succeed.” Read more here.
