April 9, 1998

Social justice students forge partnership with community

by Laurie Joyner, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology

The Social Justice Scholarship (SJS) Program is preparing for the graduation of its first cohort of student leaders in May. Graduates of the program include Summer Bosch, Nancy Buford, and Samuel Burgess. The SJS Program began in 1994 as an avenue through which Loyola could actualize its Jesuit tradition of academic excellence and the pursuit of social justice. Social Justice Scholarships are awarded to students who exhibit a high level of academic promise as well as a demonstrated commitment to community service and activism. Each student chosen to participate in the program performs 90 hours of community service each year.

Participants have contributed over 5,000 hours of their time to a number of service projects since the inception of the SJS initiative. Students have worked with various campus and community organizations including African American Scholars for Youth, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater New Orleans, Covenant House, Habitat for Humanity, Kingsley House, Loyola University Community Action Program (LUCAP), New Orleans AIDS Task Force, New Orleans Public Schools, and the Ozanam Inn. Scholar activities have included serving as mentors and tutors to “at-risk” youth in various organizations, assisting low-income families in securing needed social services, conducting public events to heighten awareness of hunger and homelessness, and building low-income housing.

In addition to working through existing organizations, the SJS students have initiated their own project to help the homeless known as “Operation Sleeptight.” This project involves distributing sleeping bags, personal items, and food coupons to those less fortunate in the local community. A variety of resource development activities are undertaken to support this project including the solicitation of corporate donations and in-kind support. Local media coverage also is utilized to heighten awareness of homelessness in the New Orleans area.

Seven SJS recipients recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., designed to better prepare them to lead social justice initiatives within the university as well as the local community. As part of the trip, students participated in the National March Against Hunger and Homelessness; met with legislative policy makers; attended several technical assistance workshops conducted by NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, the Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL), and the National Student Coalition Against Hunger and Homelessness; and toured several historical sites and museums. Upon their return, students presented their Washington experience, derived from the training sessions, meetings, and educational activities, to the university community.

As assistant professor of sociology and faculty advisor of the SJS Program, I view the scholarship initiative as an excellent way to facilitate the expansion of service learning and research projects within the university. Service learning and research refers to the processes through which students participate and reflect on service and research in the community so that it deepens their understanding of academic material. In short, these service opportunities help students develop linkages between the knowledge gained in the classroom and experiential learning gained in the community. Service learning and research activities provide students with excellent opportunities to develop competencies in a number of areas and allow faculty members to more easily integrate teaching, research, and community service while providing important human resources to organizations that need assistance.