Justice Education

Education for justice is both a commitment and theme embeddied in courses, programming, and work with faculty of the Center for Social Concerns. The Center sponsors and co-sponsors events for the campus and local community that serve to educate and to encourage action on behalf of justice and peace. Where possible, we wish to provide various forums for members of our campus and local community to consider and analyze pressing social problems and to draw "principles of reflection, norms of judgment and directives for action from the social teaching of the Church (Octogesima Adveniens, 4)."

The Center was founded upon the themes of Vatican Council II appealing to the faithful to be "artisans of a new humanity" and is a symbolic and living commitment to the Paul VI directives that action for justice is a personal and institutional responsibility involving both the effort to bear witness to the principles of justice...and acting to give those principles life in society. (Octogesima Adveniens, 1971) The Center takes seriously our role in educating for justice as that which distinguishes Catholic colleges and universities.

In the year 2000, the Center joined with the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt relief to raise awareness on the human costs incurred by the burden of international debt in developing countries. The Center hosted international guests from Ghana, Honduras, and Uganda to provide lectures and a human face to those burdened by debt.

In the wake of September 11th the Center and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies gave leadership in organizing an impressive and unprecedented "Week of Peace and War Education" that featured lectures, films, and faculty presentations and students discussions held each evening of the week in campus dormitories. The Center staff was ever present on a variety of levels to students desiring to understand and to reach out. The ad hoc student group Peace Coalition was formed with many on staff providing mentorship. The Center provided a space for students passionate across a broad range of perspectives and as well embraced various dormitory and student group service initiatives.

More recently, the war on Iraq and the war on terror provided opportunities to examine critically the justification for war and the cost and impact on domestic policy. The Center co-sponsored events organized by students, faculty, and other departments around such topics. In spring 2004, the Center kicked off its pre-election education campaign with the objectives to increase political engagement on campus and to provide forum for dialogue on issues pertaining to the elections. The Center sponsored Rabbi Michael Lerner (Tikkun) and Rev. Jim Wallis (Sojourners) in back to back lectures to set the framework for values and politics in the 2004 elections. The student initiated Rock the Vote Campaign organized voter registration drives, faculty and student panels, and a first time debate between the College Republicans and the College Democrats. The national elections will set the Center's fall 2004 agenda by giving leadership to coordinating and collaborating election events across campus entities and by providing an emphasis on Faithful Citizenship and education framed within a consistent ethic of life framework. Additionally, Rock the Vote will give leadership to promoting first year students to vote and absentee voting.

The Center's justice education range of events, initiatives, and issues have included farmworkers and workers rights, fair trade coffee, anti-death penalty, globalization, children's rights, international conflicts, racism, domestic and international poverty, AIDS/HIV, advocacy, human rights, and hunger. The Center looks forward to deepening our education for justice by expanding events and opportunities for inter-religious dialogue and peacebuilding.