As the semester is already nearly over, and my service at St. Pat’s is done, it’s time to take a look at how the service met my expectations, as well as what I could have done differently.
Overall, the service met my expectations that I put in my learning plan (listed below). The one thing that really caught me off guard was the number of people in Dubuque who attend the suppers each week. Every week, the hall was filled with the roughly 100-140 people that needed the supper. I guess I didn’t expect to have a full hall each week with people who truly needed the help, as I could tell that some of them were homeless. This surprised me, as I usually just hear about all the good things that Dubuque has to offer all the time, and never thought about how the bad economy could be affecting the lower-income people. After this semester, I realized that even though Dubuque has a lot of good things going for it right now, there are still some areas of the city that need our help if possible.
Other than that, my expectations were met. I was able to learn more about the neighborhood, although I thought I would learn more about the neighborhood by talking with people than I did. During my conversations throughout my service, the Washington neighborhood didn’t really come up, which was fine, as I was able to get their opinions on other topics, such as the election and economy. I was able to learn about the neighborhood by helping with the cleanup, since we walked through every street and alley in the neighborhood, so I got a good image of the neighborhood and the people in it. Additionally, I was able to help the residents as much as possible through the suppers, cleanup, and winterization, and it was a good feeling to be able to help them out because I could see how grateful they were for the help.
There’s not much that I would do differently with my service at St. Pat’s. The only thing I could think of was to talk more with the people who attended the supper. I talked with them when I could, but I was not ever really able to sit down and talk with them for more than a couple minutes at a time. If I had the opportunity, by talking with them more, I could have learned more about the neighborhood than I did. Otherwise, I am pleased with how the service went this semester, and I am contemplating continuing to help with the suppers occasionally as I genuinely enjoyed the people we worked with.
Learning Plan:
Goals
1. To learn more about the Washington neighborhood, both past and present
2. To help out the residents of the Washington neighborhood that are in need
3. To broaden my horizon on what exists in the real world by helping out in a neighborhood that is not like any I have lived in during my life
Means
1. By talking with various members of the Washington neighborhood during my suppers at St. Pat’s and in the winterization and neighborhood cleanup. Also, by walking through the neighborhood during the initial tour required and in the neighborhood cleanup
2. Serving food each week to those that are not able to afford weekly meals, and helping them winterize their homes if they need the help
3. By spending over 30 hours of service in the neighborhood, either talking with members of it or walking through it, I should get an idea of what else is out there since I come from a small town, and thus prepare myself for the real world after college
Assessments
1. I did learn more about the Washington neighborhood, but it was mostly through the walking through the neighborhood during the cleanup and winterization. I was not able to learn as much about the neighborhood through communication as I thought I would, but that was mostly because I would talk to them about things other than their neighborhood during the conversations.
2. I definitely feel I was able to help out the residents of the Washington neighborhood. By helping with the suppers each week, as well as the winterization and cleanup, I could really tell that they needed and appreciated the help I was able to give them. They don’t have the resources that we do, so by just spending a few hours with them, it made a difference.
3. I felt I was able to increase my awareness of what exists in the real world. As I said, I have never lived in a neighborhood like the Washington neighborhood, where whites are the minority and it is very low income, so it was an eye-opener to spend 30 hours of time there this semester. Nothing about the neighborhood really surprised me, and the residents were very nice, but it was just a different feeling being the minority there, unlike being at Loras.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Change
Change is tough for anybody, whether it is as an individual or as a community. Generally, people don’t like to change from what they are accustomed to, as it is much easier to just stay in the routine that you are used to. If something is working well, and you are used to doing it that way, usually you see no reason to change that. As a result, when something comes along and forces you to change, it is tough to accept the change. That is going to happen very soon in my life, as I will be moving into the real world after being in school for the last 17 years. Just like anyone else about to experience a big change, I don’t know how I feel about it. Instead of only having a few hours of class each day, I will be at work for at least 8 hours a day, and it will require a big adjustment in my daily routine. I’m tentative towards the change, but in the end, it could turn out that I really liked the change in my lifestyle. That is the way it is with communities as well. Very few people look forward to change in their communities, but when it occurs, it may turn out to be much better than their previous situation. The initial shock of having to adjust from the norm is what makes change in communities so difficult.
In order for a community to change, it takes everyone to buy into the idea. Some people can promote change, but until everyone takes part in it, nothing will be accomplished. It usually takes someone who can act as a rallying point that everyone can relate to who can promote and bring about change. This exact thing happened a few weeks ago when Barack Obama was elected President. He is a great public speaker, and he used his speaking skills as a way to get everyone to relate to his stories he told about various Americans he had talked to. That, combined with the struggling economy, brought about “change.” Not everyone is sure what Obama supporters mean when they say they want change, but because of his ability to relate to everyone and rally them together, he has his chance to change the direction of our country. Relating this to the Washington neighborhood, it takes a group effort to change the community. The neighborhood used to have a bad reputation as a ghetto where Chicagoans would come for cheap living. The City of Dubuque and the community realized they needed to change the image of the Washington neighborhood, and they have done that by rallying the neighborhood together and promoting change. By creating a name for their neighborhood, they were able to create an identity and unite their residents. Since then, they have substantially upgraded many of the homes in the neighborhood as another way to improve their image. Some residents haven’t bought into the change, though, and it is noticeable when walking through the neighborhood, as some houses are run-down and have garbage all over the yard, while others are nicely renovated and well-kept. This change of their image is a work in progress, and until everyone buys into the idea and does their part, the change won’t be completely effective.
The narrator of the Invisible Man was able to promote and bring about change, even though he considered himself to be “invisible.” He was successful in promoting change because he was a leader-type figure who could rally everyone together. By possessing exceptional speaking skills, he was able to relate to everyone in his crowds and fire them up. The change that he brought about turned out to be horrible, but he was effective in promoting change. The characteristics of the narrator sound a lot like Obama, and he, as well, was also effective in his promotion for change. Thus, I think that an invisible man like the narrator could be successful in bringing change. Maybe a person with those characteristics is needed in the Washington neighborhood in order to get everyone to buy into the idea and complete the change in the Washington neighborhood.
In order for a community to change, it takes everyone to buy into the idea. Some people can promote change, but until everyone takes part in it, nothing will be accomplished. It usually takes someone who can act as a rallying point that everyone can relate to who can promote and bring about change. This exact thing happened a few weeks ago when Barack Obama was elected President. He is a great public speaker, and he used his speaking skills as a way to get everyone to relate to his stories he told about various Americans he had talked to. That, combined with the struggling economy, brought about “change.” Not everyone is sure what Obama supporters mean when they say they want change, but because of his ability to relate to everyone and rally them together, he has his chance to change the direction of our country. Relating this to the Washington neighborhood, it takes a group effort to change the community. The neighborhood used to have a bad reputation as a ghetto where Chicagoans would come for cheap living. The City of Dubuque and the community realized they needed to change the image of the Washington neighborhood, and they have done that by rallying the neighborhood together and promoting change. By creating a name for their neighborhood, they were able to create an identity and unite their residents. Since then, they have substantially upgraded many of the homes in the neighborhood as another way to improve their image. Some residents haven’t bought into the change, though, and it is noticeable when walking through the neighborhood, as some houses are run-down and have garbage all over the yard, while others are nicely renovated and well-kept. This change of their image is a work in progress, and until everyone buys into the idea and does their part, the change won’t be completely effective.
The narrator of the Invisible Man was able to promote and bring about change, even though he considered himself to be “invisible.” He was successful in promoting change because he was a leader-type figure who could rally everyone together. By possessing exceptional speaking skills, he was able to relate to everyone in his crowds and fire them up. The change that he brought about turned out to be horrible, but he was effective in promoting change. The characteristics of the narrator sound a lot like Obama, and he, as well, was also effective in his promotion for change. Thus, I think that an invisible man like the narrator could be successful in bringing change. Maybe a person with those characteristics is needed in the Washington neighborhood in order to get everyone to buy into the idea and complete the change in the Washington neighborhood.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Importance of telling stories
At my individual service site, St. Patrick’s Parish, there is a story that needs to be told about the people who attend the weekly suppers. The story would refer to the fact that the economic crisis has affected many Dubuque citizens, more than people realize. The weekly suppers at St. Pat’s are full with the same attendees every week, and additionally, there are free suppers offered every night of the week in Dubuque; I am guessing that the majority of the people at St. Pat’s also attend the suppers on the other nights in Dubuque. Even though Dubuque has had a prosperous year, including new business growth and being named an “All-American City”, the increasing unemployment rates are definitely affecting Dubuque as well. Before starting the service at St. Pat’s, I did not realize how many people need financial help in Dubuque, but after two months helping with the suppers, I now know many people who are struggling financially in Dubuque. As a result, I think that the story about the people at St. Patrick’s should just be about the struggles that some people are experiencing in Dubuque, and that they need our help if we can help them out in any way.
The value of this story about the attendees of St. Pat’s would be to increase the awareness of fellow Dubuque citizens. I’m guessing there are a lot of Dubuque citizens who do not realize that there are many people living in Dubuque who need our help and generosity. If they were made more aware of the situation, they would be more likely to donate their time or money to help out with charities and functions like the suppers at St. Pat’s. This is probably the situation around the whole country. Many U.S. citizens are unaffected by the current economic crisis, and they do not realize how badly some people need our help. If we could increase their awareness by telling this story, it would result in our country being more likely to help out those in need.
Nussbaum agrees with me on the value of telling these stories about people we don’t understand. In her book, Cultivating Humanity, she relates the stories that need to be told to many social groups who are misunderstood, including the lower class and unemployed that I referred to. Her underlying message is to increase the awareness of people not in their situation. Nussbaum stresses the value of compassion in the stories because if the readers are compassionate and realize that they could very easily be in that same situation as that person, they would not be as ignorant towards them. Obviously, it is difficult to involve compassion when reading a story about a person of a different gender or race because we cannot imagine ourselves in that situation, and that is the problem involving ignorance of other classes of people. But, I still believe that if you can increase the awareness of the people not in the situation, they will still be more likely to help them out if they can. Even if we cannot imagine ourselves in the situation, we can still emotionally feel for them, and that compassion would result in better understanding of the people in need.
The value of this story about the attendees of St. Pat’s would be to increase the awareness of fellow Dubuque citizens. I’m guessing there are a lot of Dubuque citizens who do not realize that there are many people living in Dubuque who need our help and generosity. If they were made more aware of the situation, they would be more likely to donate their time or money to help out with charities and functions like the suppers at St. Pat’s. This is probably the situation around the whole country. Many U.S. citizens are unaffected by the current economic crisis, and they do not realize how badly some people need our help. If we could increase their awareness by telling this story, it would result in our country being more likely to help out those in need.
Nussbaum agrees with me on the value of telling these stories about people we don’t understand. In her book, Cultivating Humanity, she relates the stories that need to be told to many social groups who are misunderstood, including the lower class and unemployed that I referred to. Her underlying message is to increase the awareness of people not in their situation. Nussbaum stresses the value of compassion in the stories because if the readers are compassionate and realize that they could very easily be in that same situation as that person, they would not be as ignorant towards them. Obviously, it is difficult to involve compassion when reading a story about a person of a different gender or race because we cannot imagine ourselves in that situation, and that is the problem involving ignorance of other classes of people. But, I still believe that if you can increase the awareness of the people not in the situation, they will still be more likely to help them out if they can. Even if we cannot imagine ourselves in the situation, we can still emotionally feel for them, and that compassion would result in better understanding of the people in need.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Reflections on the Service
As I’ve previously mentioned, my primary service site has been the weekly suppers at Saint Patrick’s parish in the Washington neighborhood. My duties have varied each week, depending on which parish organizes the supper, but mainly it’s consisted of helping prepare the food, serving food, and cleaning up afterwards. Now that I’ve done it for the last five weeks, I have begun to recognize the regular attendees of the supper, as well as some of their tendencies.
One thing that I have noticed and surprised me the last couple weeks is the attitudes of some of the people there. I mentioned in my blog a few weeks ago how some of the people were kind of rude, but the greediness of a few of them surprises me as well. I understand that the majority probably do not get to eat a full meal very often (even with the meals offered in Dubuque every night), but the attitudes and methods some of the guys use in order to get more food still surprise me. Last week, I was serving milk, and sometimes we serve everyone two milks if we have plenty of milk, but it was very crowded last week, so we didn’t think we could serve everyone two. Some people just ask politely for a 2nd one, and I’d give another one to them, but then others demand another milk, and even come back afterwards saying they didn’t get any milk, even though I knew I had just given them two. We noticed later on that some of those people bring bags or containers and put all the extra milk and food in there and then sneak it out.
Additionally, those were the same people that try to get 2nd portions of the meal before everyone has been served. Tyler said two weeks ago that the same guys were coming back asking for more chicken nuggets “for the little guy,” even though we know they do not have children with them. Most of the people there have trouble affording meals regularly, but the lying that some of them do in order to get more food surprised me.
I don’t want to make it sound like the service hasn’t been enjoyable, though. Most of them are very polite and make it a good place to do service. I enjoy talking with the people there, and we were able to meet a very interesting man last week. He told us all about his collection, which happened to be fluorescent light bulbs. He has collected them since he was in college, and still takes them home with him every week after the supper. Being able to meet interesting people like that has made it a fun experience.
Outside of Saint Pat’s, I also have participated in the cleanups the last two Saturday mornings. The one thing that really stuck out to me was how lucky and privileged we are. One of the sites that I helped winterize was a trailer in the middle of Dubuque. When we first walked in and saw that a man and his two kids all lived in the trailer, it put things in perspective for me. I could not imagine growing up in a trailer where all of my family lives and sleeps within 10 feet of me. Seeing things like that make me want to help them out.
I only have a few weeks left at Saint Pat’s, which is really hard to believe. The time has definitely flown, but it has been worth it, and I think we might continue to help out with the suppers occasionally next semester.
One thing that I have noticed and surprised me the last couple weeks is the attitudes of some of the people there. I mentioned in my blog a few weeks ago how some of the people were kind of rude, but the greediness of a few of them surprises me as well. I understand that the majority probably do not get to eat a full meal very often (even with the meals offered in Dubuque every night), but the attitudes and methods some of the guys use in order to get more food still surprise me. Last week, I was serving milk, and sometimes we serve everyone two milks if we have plenty of milk, but it was very crowded last week, so we didn’t think we could serve everyone two. Some people just ask politely for a 2nd one, and I’d give another one to them, but then others demand another milk, and even come back afterwards saying they didn’t get any milk, even though I knew I had just given them two. We noticed later on that some of those people bring bags or containers and put all the extra milk and food in there and then sneak it out.
Additionally, those were the same people that try to get 2nd portions of the meal before everyone has been served. Tyler said two weeks ago that the same guys were coming back asking for more chicken nuggets “for the little guy,” even though we know they do not have children with them. Most of the people there have trouble affording meals regularly, but the lying that some of them do in order to get more food surprised me.
I don’t want to make it sound like the service hasn’t been enjoyable, though. Most of them are very polite and make it a good place to do service. I enjoy talking with the people there, and we were able to meet a very interesting man last week. He told us all about his collection, which happened to be fluorescent light bulbs. He has collected them since he was in college, and still takes them home with him every week after the supper. Being able to meet interesting people like that has made it a fun experience.
Outside of Saint Pat’s, I also have participated in the cleanups the last two Saturday mornings. The one thing that really stuck out to me was how lucky and privileged we are. One of the sites that I helped winterize was a trailer in the middle of Dubuque. When we first walked in and saw that a man and his two kids all lived in the trailer, it put things in perspective for me. I could not imagine growing up in a trailer where all of my family lives and sleeps within 10 feet of me. Seeing things like that make me want to help them out.
I only have a few weeks left at Saint Pat’s, which is really hard to believe. The time has definitely flown, but it has been worth it, and I think we might continue to help out with the suppers occasionally next semester.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Catholicism at Loras and the Catholic Worker
I’ve already mentioned previously that I have attended Catholic schools since 1st grade, so the “Catholic” environment at Loras has just been a continuation of what started in grade school for me. As such, I feel like I haven’t learned much more about Catholicism since coming here. If anything, I’ve actually learned more about other religions and how Catholicism differs from them. For example, sophomore year I was required to take a Priest, Minister, Rabbi course to fill the “Catholic Identity” general education course required at Loras. I already had a pretty good understanding of Catholicism entering that class, but I did broaden my horizons by learning a lot more about Judaism and Protestantism than I previously knew. In addition, now I am able to compare the three religions to each other and see the strengths and weaknesses of each religion. This perspective allowed me to have a better understanding what makes Catholicism a good, sustaining religion, as well as why it is criticized. Before attending Loras, I did not have that same understanding of other religions, so that will be the biggest thing I learned about Catholicism in the past four years.
Previously, I’ve blogged about what makes a Catholic college distinct, but I will explore that idea a little further here. Catholic colleges really emphasize being active in the community because the Catholic Church stresses it, and this is a viewpoint that a public university could not spread campus-wide. The Catholic organizations at the public universities could encourage involvement in the community, but Loras is able to take it a step further and spread the message to the whole campus. We regularly receive emails about various Catholic services occurring throughout the campus, ranging from the weekly masses to Catholic speakers that are on campus. Regarding the Catholic speakers, we are rather limited in what we are taught, though. The speakers can usually only speak on issues that the Church agrees with, and this stretches to the classrooms too. Issues such as abortion and birth control are only supposed to be taught from the stance that the Catholic Church takes on it. The students are obviously allowed their own opinions, but a professor cannot teach his/her class that abortion should be legal or encourage birth control, or even give the other side of the argument and its strengths. That issue came up a few years ago when the market was not allowed to sell condoms, and that is the limited stance that we have here. While the public universities can teach whatever side of the issue they prefer, the Catholic colleges are limited to teaching the Church’s stance. This should help to strengthen our Catholic values and practices, but at the same time, we are not always getting both sides of every issue, thus separating Catholic colleges and public universities.
I have to admit that I was not aware of the Catholic Worker movement at all before this semester. I had heard of the Catholic Worker and Dorothy Day, but I had no idea what it was or what she did. Growing up in Dyersville, Iowa, a town of over 90% Catholics, and then attending a Catholic college, I haven’t had as much exposure to non-Catholics as others; as a result, I have not had many arguments about the faith. While I have not really engaged in many religious arguments in my life that I can recall, knowledge of the Catholic Worker would be beneficial if an argument like that was to occur. The knowledge that there are services like the Catholic Worker available to anyone in need would be a good example to a non-Catholic of what members of the Catholic Church do in order to help each other out. The Church praises helping one another and being active in the community, and the Catholic Worker would be a great example of that. Knowing about the Catholic Worker will be beneficial to me in the near future, as I am graduating from Loras soon and will be entering the workplace where it certainly will not be as predominantly Catholic as I am used to. I hope Loras has prepared me well for those confrontations, but only time will tell.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Politics at St. Patrick's
With the upcoming election, politics is definitely a word that is being thrown around a lot. When I hear it, the most obvious definition that comes to mind is anything concerned with the governmental elections. Besides that, there is a more broad definition that can be meant when politics is used, and that is when someone tries to gain a higher position in some organization. When I use the word, I could be using it to describe the presidential election, or maybe the actions that someone is taking to become the president of a club at Loras. It can be used in a variety of ways, and that has been apparent so far at the suppers that I help out with at St. Patrick’s.
After hearing about the Catholic Worker houses that Dave McDermott has worked at in class on Monday, we got the impression that there is almost no politics at the Catholic Worker house, as pretty much everyone works together to make all decisions. It seems to be the same way at St. Patrick’s, especially the first two weeks when local parishes were in charge of the suppers. Whenever a decision needed to be made, like when the mashed potatoes were edible, for example, a group of people would discuss it and make a decision. There is one worker who’s there every week and I seem to get the impression that he would be in charge if ever needed, but so far, he hasn’t ever had to stop in and make any big decisions. This past week, though, a local union from Dubuque organized the supper instead of a parish. While once again no one person was in charge of everything, there was definitely a marked difference in how the supper was organized. It was set up just like a factory, with each person doing their own job. The atmosphere was a lot quieter and less enjoyable. When it came to politics, each person more or less made their own decisions, and things went faster because there was no debating.
Concerning the definition of politics dealing with the governmental elections, I did notice that the presidential election is a very hot topic among the people that attend the suppers. Throughout the tables the last couple weeks, I have heard a lot about why each person supports a particular candidate. I didn’t really pick up on any trend for either Obama or McCain or any common issues at hand, but I did talk to one woman who had a very biased perspective of the candidates because of her background. She was raised on a small farm in Iowa, and has been around whites her whole life, so when it came to this election, she was clearly against Obama solely because of his race. She even went as far as to say that this country would become the “United States of Africa” if he was elected. While I didn’t hear any other reasons as extreme as that one for a particular candidate, it was clear that they were very interested in the election. I would guess that their interest is in the hope of the next President being able to help out the lower class more, and enable these individuals to get their life back on track. As a result, I’m anxious to hear their thoughts on the election as it continues to approach, since some of them are very informed on why they would vote for someone, while others (the woman mentioned) clearly are not voting on the issues at hand. The supper on the day after the election could be a very interesting night as I will be able to get their reaction to the election results.
The impression that I’m getting from Ellison about politics is that in nearly all of the organizations mentioned, it seems like there was one person clearly in charge, and the others were all below him. Whether it was Bledsoe at the college, any of the contacts in New York the narrator was sent to, or Kimbro at the paint factory, there was always one person who made all the decisions, and the politics involved was everyone below him trying to strategize and work their way up to that position at some point. Bledsoe even talked about that to the narrator when talking about how powerful he was in the position he had worked his way up to, and that he didn’t ever want to give up that power. In addition, a white person always was in power unless it was an all-black organization, like the union or the college.
It seemed like Ellison was trying to emphasize how one person held all the power, and everyone else just wanted to get to that position, unlike today, where there isn’t any power figure at St. Patrick’s, as the decisions are all made as a group. I’m curious to see if the role of politics is any different when I work with another different organization at St. Patrick’s each of the next two weeks, since different organizations organize the supper each week of the month, and the union supper was definitely different from the other suppers.
After hearing about the Catholic Worker houses that Dave McDermott has worked at in class on Monday, we got the impression that there is almost no politics at the Catholic Worker house, as pretty much everyone works together to make all decisions. It seems to be the same way at St. Patrick’s, especially the first two weeks when local parishes were in charge of the suppers. Whenever a decision needed to be made, like when the mashed potatoes were edible, for example, a group of people would discuss it and make a decision. There is one worker who’s there every week and I seem to get the impression that he would be in charge if ever needed, but so far, he hasn’t ever had to stop in and make any big decisions. This past week, though, a local union from Dubuque organized the supper instead of a parish. While once again no one person was in charge of everything, there was definitely a marked difference in how the supper was organized. It was set up just like a factory, with each person doing their own job. The atmosphere was a lot quieter and less enjoyable. When it came to politics, each person more or less made their own decisions, and things went faster because there was no debating.
Concerning the definition of politics dealing with the governmental elections, I did notice that the presidential election is a very hot topic among the people that attend the suppers. Throughout the tables the last couple weeks, I have heard a lot about why each person supports a particular candidate. I didn’t really pick up on any trend for either Obama or McCain or any common issues at hand, but I did talk to one woman who had a very biased perspective of the candidates because of her background. She was raised on a small farm in Iowa, and has been around whites her whole life, so when it came to this election, she was clearly against Obama solely because of his race. She even went as far as to say that this country would become the “United States of Africa” if he was elected. While I didn’t hear any other reasons as extreme as that one for a particular candidate, it was clear that they were very interested in the election. I would guess that their interest is in the hope of the next President being able to help out the lower class more, and enable these individuals to get their life back on track. As a result, I’m anxious to hear their thoughts on the election as it continues to approach, since some of them are very informed on why they would vote for someone, while others (the woman mentioned) clearly are not voting on the issues at hand. The supper on the day after the election could be a very interesting night as I will be able to get their reaction to the election results.
The impression that I’m getting from Ellison about politics is that in nearly all of the organizations mentioned, it seems like there was one person clearly in charge, and the others were all below him. Whether it was Bledsoe at the college, any of the contacts in New York the narrator was sent to, or Kimbro at the paint factory, there was always one person who made all the decisions, and the politics involved was everyone below him trying to strategize and work their way up to that position at some point. Bledsoe even talked about that to the narrator when talking about how powerful he was in the position he had worked his way up to, and that he didn’t ever want to give up that power. In addition, a white person always was in power unless it was an all-black organization, like the union or the college.
It seemed like Ellison was trying to emphasize how one person held all the power, and everyone else just wanted to get to that position, unlike today, where there isn’t any power figure at St. Patrick’s, as the decisions are all made as a group. I’m curious to see if the role of politics is any different when I work with another different organization at St. Patrick’s each of the next two weeks, since different organizations organize the supper each week of the month, and the union supper was definitely different from the other suppers.
Friday, October 10, 2008
First couple weeks of service
Last week, I started my service work at St. Patrick’s parish. Every Wednesday I go down to Foley Hall in the basement of the church with Tyler and Regan and help out with the suppers that they serve. We do a variety of tasks, ranging from making mashed potatoes to serving food to cleaning up afterwards. Anyone is allowed to come to these suppers on any given week, so a wide variety of people from different backgrounds come for various reasons.
Something that stood out to me was how ungracious some of the people were. The majority of them were polite and very thankful that suppers like this are available every night in Dubuque, but others were just rude. Most of the time, it would just be a comment complaining about how the food tasted or why other tables got to eat before they did. One other time, though, a woman came back into the kitchen and actually semi-raised her voice when complaining that the fans should not be on anymore since it’s no longer summer, and she was cold. We had the fans on because it was hot in the kitchen, but I just thought that it was rude that she would come back there and complain while the other people were grateful for the service we were providing. It was interesting how some of the people seemed like they were just there to get their food and leave, while others enjoyed themselves and socialized.
One other observation that Regan pointed out to Tyler and me was the number of veterans that have showed up both weeks. It just seemed unfortunate to us that these men served for our country (most likely in Vietnam), but now our country is not taking care of them after they returned. Maybe these veterans just received some bad breaks in life after the war that other veterans did not receive, or maybe the country isn’t providing enough for the veterans. Interestingly, while I was talking to one of the workers that helps out with the supper every week, he told me he attended Loras College back in the 60s only to avoid the draft. He missed out on the draft only because his parents could afford to send him to college, while others were drafted because they were not as fortunate as him. That whole situation reminded me of the situation that the narrator from the Invisible Man was put in. His situation involved race issues instead of wealth, but they are similar. The narrator had to work twice as hard to achieve something in life compared to the whites because he started out lower as a result of his race. It was kind of the same with the veterans. Only because their parents couldn’t afford to send them to college to avoid the draft, they are now eating at these suppers every week. Meanwhile, the worker was sent to college to avoid the draft and is a successful businessman because his parents could afford it. The veterans could have been just as successful as him had they been sent to college instead of the war, but because they never had that opportunity, their lives took a completely different route.
I’m eager to continue with this service each week to not only help people that are less fortunate than us, but also to see what I can learn and take from the time spent there.
Something that stood out to me was how ungracious some of the people were. The majority of them were polite and very thankful that suppers like this are available every night in Dubuque, but others were just rude. Most of the time, it would just be a comment complaining about how the food tasted or why other tables got to eat before they did. One other time, though, a woman came back into the kitchen and actually semi-raised her voice when complaining that the fans should not be on anymore since it’s no longer summer, and she was cold. We had the fans on because it was hot in the kitchen, but I just thought that it was rude that she would come back there and complain while the other people were grateful for the service we were providing. It was interesting how some of the people seemed like they were just there to get their food and leave, while others enjoyed themselves and socialized.
One other observation that Regan pointed out to Tyler and me was the number of veterans that have showed up both weeks. It just seemed unfortunate to us that these men served for our country (most likely in Vietnam), but now our country is not taking care of them after they returned. Maybe these veterans just received some bad breaks in life after the war that other veterans did not receive, or maybe the country isn’t providing enough for the veterans. Interestingly, while I was talking to one of the workers that helps out with the supper every week, he told me he attended Loras College back in the 60s only to avoid the draft. He missed out on the draft only because his parents could afford to send him to college, while others were drafted because they were not as fortunate as him. That whole situation reminded me of the situation that the narrator from the Invisible Man was put in. His situation involved race issues instead of wealth, but they are similar. The narrator had to work twice as hard to achieve something in life compared to the whites because he started out lower as a result of his race. It was kind of the same with the veterans. Only because their parents couldn’t afford to send them to college to avoid the draft, they are now eating at these suppers every week. Meanwhile, the worker was sent to college to avoid the draft and is a successful businessman because his parents could afford it. The veterans could have been just as successful as him had they been sent to college instead of the war, but because they never had that opportunity, their lives took a completely different route.
I’m eager to continue with this service each week to not only help people that are less fortunate than us, but also to see what I can learn and take from the time spent there.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Loras College's Catholic identity and its drawbacks
As I have written earlier, I have been in Catholic schools for the past 16 years, so Loras’ Catholic identity was nothing new to me. Throughout my Catholic educational experience, both at Loras and in high school, I have noticed that living an active socially responsible life is strongly emphasized at school. In high school, this was reinforced by the requirement of service work every year for us in order to pass the grade. At Loras, though, they take the idea of living an active, socially responsible life much further. Throughout my four years here, I have been aware of the many service opportunities that Loras offers. Whether it is spending spring break in New Orleans or helping out at the area grade schools, the opportunities are there for every student to become more active in the community. Personally, I have taken advantage of the Loras Reach-Out program that spends time at the Dubuque retirement centers entertaining the senior citizens by playing cards with them and talking with them. This experience has been fulfilling for me, and because of that, I will continue to do service work like that upon graduation and entering the real world. That is the goal of Loras when they offer the vast array of service opportunities. By doing it at college, they hope that the students will continue to do service work in their local communities after graduating. The Catholic Church always preaches that its members should be actively involved in the community and parish, and Loras relays that message through the service opportunities. Most colleges offer service opportunities, but Loras’ Catholic identity allows it to openly urge its students to do service work because the Catholic Church wants its members to become active and socially responsible.
Contrarily, though, the Catholic identity of Loras also hinders its students’ development. Since Loras is a Catholic institution, it strives to hire Catholic professors in order to maintain that image. Likewise, it directs its recruiting towards Catholic students by offering grants to students who attended Catholic high schools, hoping that they will feel more involved here at a Catholic college where the majority of the students are also Catholic. This is also what happens at Notre Dame, as Nussbaum wrote. They claim to recruit any students and professors, but when non-Catholics attend Notre Dame, they do not feel as welcome because almost everyone else is Catholic. That is where the problem is for its students’ development. Because the students are mostly around Catholic professors and students, they are not being exposed to many different cultures. Personally, I noticed that problem within probably the first week here at Loras. The campus is not very diverse at all, and as a result, we are mostly communicating with others who grew up in the same backgrounds as we did. That is nice because it’s easy for us to become friends with others who are very similar, but it also hinders us. When we graduate from Loras and enter the workplace, we will be coming across co-workers and clients from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, including religious affiliations. Without being exposed to that at Loras, or at most Catholic identity colleges, for that matter, we might not be able to adapt to it as well as other new workers from diverse universities. I think that the service opportunities Loras offers might be a way to help with this problem, though. Most of them are at places that are much different from Loras, such as the Washington neighborhood, or Haiti, for example. By participating in a few of these opportunities, students will become exposed to different backgrounds than those at Loras, and hopefully be better prepared for the real world. The Catholic identity of Loras was a big drawing point for me, as I’m sure it is for many prospective students, but it does have its drawbacks. Hopefully, by helping out in the community outside of Loras, we will all be able to overcome them.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Social Issues in the future and The Invisible Man
Now that my time here at Loras is coming to a close, I will be taking my skills into the real world in only a matter of months. Loras has prepared me relatively well for what lies ahead, but what will I be offering to others as I leave Loras? With an accounting degree, I will be ready to offer my expertise of managing clients’ finances and giving them advice about their financial decisions. Clearly, this is a very important service to offer to others with the economy in the current state of panic. Companies are being bailed out by the Federal Reserve Bank almost every day, and people are really worried about how to manage their money so they do not lose it all. As a result, there will be a large demand for my services as an accountant in the foreseeable future.
Obviously, I will face some opposition, as not everyone will agree with the advice that I am offering them. Money is a very sensitive issue to all people, and when a freshly-graduated 22 year old is telling wealthy and powerful 50 year old managers that they are doing something illegal in their accounting records, they are going to argue and try to use their power to intimidate me into allowing them to continue with the same accounting methods. Likewise, if I have to audit a company and I tell them that they are not recording their inventory correctly and the ensuing change will result in a decrease in profit, they are going to argue vehemently. People in power do not like being told what to do, especially when it results in fewer profits, and that is definitely going the largest social issue I will face. Also, all business majors will encounter the problem of a young college graduate starting out in a company in charge older employees who have worked there longer and feel as if they do not need to listen to what we say. It could become a struggle to initially fit in with those older employees who are actually below us in the hierarchy because they will not give us much respect. These two social issues are related, as both involve people who do not want to listen to what a younger person tells them because they believe themselves to be above the younger person. I feel I am prepared to handle these issues. Throughout my business courses, I have been taught the best way to deal with difficult situations like these, and I think I should be able to do it, as long as I treat the person with respect and give them my reasoning. Likewise, as I blogged about last week, liberal arts courses focus on the humanities. I can use this knowledge to understand the person’s thoughts better, and if I can do that, I will be able to get my point across to them more easily.
The main social issue I am anticipating of older more powerful people not respecting my thoughts actually is very similar to an important scene that the narrator faced in The Invisible Man. In a meeting with Dr. Bledsoe after the incident with Mr. Norton, the narrator tries to argue with the decision of Dr. Bledsoe to expel him from the university. He argues that Mr. Norton clearly explained that what happened was not the narrator’s fault, yet Dr. Bledsoe felt the need to expel him. The narrator tried many ways to persuade Dr. Bledsoe, but when he threatens Bledsoe with the idea of telling Norton about the expulsion, Bledsoe goes on a rant. He told the narrator about how he was the person in charge at the university, and it did not matter what anyone else thought because he called the shots. If he wanted to expel the narrator, he could, and no one could argue because of his power. This is very much like the issue I previously mentioned. In the narrator’s case, he has had to accept (so far) what Bledsoe did to him when sending him to New York City because there was not an alternative. Unlike the narrator, I will have the ability to tell the person in power that he has to change his methods of accounting; if not, he could get in bigger trouble with the government.
Unlike the narrator, though, I will not have to deal with the racial issues in society that holds him back. We have already read many instances of the influence that the white people have over him and his fellow students at home and the university. His race has held him back from being able to attain the power that whites can because he has to start lower down than the whites do. Even with all the hard work he put in, it would still be nearly impossible for him to be as successful as the white donors are. In New York City he does not face as much discrimination, but I’m sure the racial issue will come back at some point. Luckily, this issue of race is not nearly as large as it used to be in society and the workplace. It does not prevent qualified individuals from reaching their potential anymore, and it should not really affect me. While it would seem that I would not have much in common with the narrator when it came to social issues, I do share the one issue, and hopefully I will be able to deal with it better than he could.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Liberal arts and the Socratic way of thinking
When I hear the term “liberal arts,” I usually think of the subjects that make us better all-around thinkers. Non-liberal arts colleges primarily teach their students in their major subjects, whereas liberal arts colleges not only teach the major classes, but also the courses that make it a liberal arts college. These courses focus on the humanities and social studies, which are basically studies how the human thinks, using philosophy, music, history, etcetera as sources to study. In addition to the humanities courses, a liberal arts experience needs to have small class sizes and encourage participation in class by all the members. If the students are able to participate regularly to the questions proposed to them in the humanities classes, they are able to analyze and think for themselves on these subjects. By creating their own questions and answers, the students become well-rounded, and seemingly would be better prepared for life after college.
The courses are designed to encourage the students to speak up in class and question and analyze material on their own, better preparing them for the real world. Instead of accepting what they are told, the students should analyze the question and decide if it is logical or not. To be successful in the workplace, individuals have to question what they are told. If they just accept whatever their superior tells them, they will not advance up the hierarchy very fast. But if they question some of the decisions, they will be noticed for their ability to critically analyze situations and make the best decisions. This kind of thinking and questioning will not only be beneficial in the workplace, but also in their relationships and activities outside of work because they understand people better. If a person has a general background in humanities and is able to make logical decisions, they will be successful outside of college.
Nussbaum is an advocate of the liberal arts education, basing her opinion on the teachings of Socrates. He taught his students to question everything that they were told in order to have it make sense logically. If the person could not satisfactorily answer all of his questions on the subject, he would not trust their judgment and thus disregard what they say. Nussbaum thinks this is the way students should be taught in the present day. Currently in college, students are not taught to ask questions until things make sense logically. There are a few exceptions of colleges that require courses to get their students to participate and question ideas, and Nussbaum thinks these courses should at least be offered at all colleges. Even though traditionalists do not agree with her, she believes that if a student questions ideas and values that are not factually based or do not make logical sense, they will become better thinkers.
The traditionalists differ from Nussbaum because they argue that students should be taught to just accept some ideas that have been taught for centuries. For example, if a student is taught the Socratic way in religious courses, they will probably begin to question their beliefs because so much of religion is based on beliefs, not facts. In addition, students who are taught to ask questions will begin to question all their values, and traditionalists think students should not be exposed to this type of thinking. If the students are taught traditionally, they will not question everything they believed in before attending college. Traditionalists believe in this method, unlike Nussbaum.
Liberal arts prepare students for service because they give them a well-rounded background in humanities, as well as teaching them how to think things through logically on their own, and by putting the students out into service, they will be able to help the people by using what they learned in the classes. Learning something in class can only teach so much, so by getting experience outside of the classroom and combining the classroom experience with the real life experience, the students will be able to learn much more about the humanities. Outside experience will give a much better insight into the human mind, and by already having a background in the humanities, the students will be better able to serve people by understanding their needs and how to serve them.
The courses are designed to encourage the students to speak up in class and question and analyze material on their own, better preparing them for the real world. Instead of accepting what they are told, the students should analyze the question and decide if it is logical or not. To be successful in the workplace, individuals have to question what they are told. If they just accept whatever their superior tells them, they will not advance up the hierarchy very fast. But if they question some of the decisions, they will be noticed for their ability to critically analyze situations and make the best decisions. This kind of thinking and questioning will not only be beneficial in the workplace, but also in their relationships and activities outside of work because they understand people better. If a person has a general background in humanities and is able to make logical decisions, they will be successful outside of college.
Nussbaum is an advocate of the liberal arts education, basing her opinion on the teachings of Socrates. He taught his students to question everything that they were told in order to have it make sense logically. If the person could not satisfactorily answer all of his questions on the subject, he would not trust their judgment and thus disregard what they say. Nussbaum thinks this is the way students should be taught in the present day. Currently in college, students are not taught to ask questions until things make sense logically. There are a few exceptions of colleges that require courses to get their students to participate and question ideas, and Nussbaum thinks these courses should at least be offered at all colleges. Even though traditionalists do not agree with her, she believes that if a student questions ideas and values that are not factually based or do not make logical sense, they will become better thinkers.
The traditionalists differ from Nussbaum because they argue that students should be taught to just accept some ideas that have been taught for centuries. For example, if a student is taught the Socratic way in religious courses, they will probably begin to question their beliefs because so much of religion is based on beliefs, not facts. In addition, students who are taught to ask questions will begin to question all their values, and traditionalists think students should not be exposed to this type of thinking. If the students are taught traditionally, they will not question everything they believed in before attending college. Traditionalists believe in this method, unlike Nussbaum.
Liberal arts prepare students for service because they give them a well-rounded background in humanities, as well as teaching them how to think things through logically on their own, and by putting the students out into service, they will be able to help the people by using what they learned in the classes. Learning something in class can only teach so much, so by getting experience outside of the classroom and combining the classroom experience with the real life experience, the students will be able to learn much more about the humanities. Outside experience will give a much better insight into the human mind, and by already having a background in the humanities, the students will be better able to serve people by understanding their needs and how to serve them.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wisdom and Socrates
Defining wisdom is a tough assignment, as it is such an abstract characteristic, and there really isn’t one set definition for the word. When I hear the word, I usually think of a wise person, someone who has been through life experiences and has gained a unique perspective and view of life because of it. When a person blessed with wisdom is asked to make a decision, they can look back at all the past experiences in their life and make a “wise” decision, a decision that is best for all involved. Wise people are able to make such decisions and statements because they have seen and heard the consequences and benefits of almost any situation in life, and as a result, they can learn from those past lessons when making the next wise move. Because of this, I usually think of a wise person as an older person who has seen everything, some for the better and some for the worse, who is also great at interacting with others and hearing their stories and experiences. By seeing what life has to offer, they gradually get to that point of being “wise.”
This leads me to where service learning comes into the wisdom discussion. By working with people of a wide array of cultures in the Washington neighborhood, both we the volunteers and the citizens we are helping have a chance to become wiser. Many of the residents have been through a lot of experiences living in a cultural melting pot in downtown Dubuque that we haven’t experienced in our lives yet and might not ever. By communicating with them and getting to know them better, we can gain wisdom and have a better outlook on the real world. Since this is the last honors class before graduating, it is a fitting way for us to gain wisdom before entering the real world. Likewise, the residents of the neighborhood will also gain wisdom by associating with college students. The majority of them never went to college and do not have the same perspective on life as college students do. After sharing stories with them about ourselves, they also will come out of this service experience wiser.
Switching my focus to Socrates in the Apology, I think that the meaning from it was a little different than when I read it freshman year. If I remember right, I voted to have Socrates executed after reading it the first time, mostly because I was going along with the majority and not thinking about his actual motive and actions. Socrates truly was a wise man, as he interacted with many humans and had a different outlook on life than everyone else. He was persecuted for it, but he realized that death wasn’t the worse thing in life; rather, death was better than being forced to live with something you didn’t agree with. In addition, he was a humble man and admitted he did not consider himself to be the wisest man on the Earth; although the Oracle did said it, and he even proved it by showing that every other “wise” person was actually ignorant and just believed them to be the wisest. By admitting that he wasn’t the wisest, he actually was wise. This type of thinking and outlook makes me think Socrates was an innocent man who probably deserved to live. The different reaction to the Apology shows that my experience at Loras has made me an individual thinker. Loras has taught me to look past the common group think, in addition to becoming better at analyzing the tons of reading that I’ve done in the past four years. My Loras experience has made me wiser, and I think that the service learning will contribute to this experience as well.
This leads me to where service learning comes into the wisdom discussion. By working with people of a wide array of cultures in the Washington neighborhood, both we the volunteers and the citizens we are helping have a chance to become wiser. Many of the residents have been through a lot of experiences living in a cultural melting pot in downtown Dubuque that we haven’t experienced in our lives yet and might not ever. By communicating with them and getting to know them better, we can gain wisdom and have a better outlook on the real world. Since this is the last honors class before graduating, it is a fitting way for us to gain wisdom before entering the real world. Likewise, the residents of the neighborhood will also gain wisdom by associating with college students. The majority of them never went to college and do not have the same perspective on life as college students do. After sharing stories with them about ourselves, they also will come out of this service experience wiser.
Switching my focus to Socrates in the Apology, I think that the meaning from it was a little different than when I read it freshman year. If I remember right, I voted to have Socrates executed after reading it the first time, mostly because I was going along with the majority and not thinking about his actual motive and actions. Socrates truly was a wise man, as he interacted with many humans and had a different outlook on life than everyone else. He was persecuted for it, but he realized that death wasn’t the worse thing in life; rather, death was better than being forced to live with something you didn’t agree with. In addition, he was a humble man and admitted he did not consider himself to be the wisest man on the Earth; although the Oracle did said it, and he even proved it by showing that every other “wise” person was actually ignorant and just believed them to be the wisest. By admitting that he wasn’t the wisest, he actually was wise. This type of thinking and outlook makes me think Socrates was an innocent man who probably deserved to live. The different reaction to the Apology shows that my experience at Loras has made me an individual thinker. Loras has taught me to look past the common group think, in addition to becoming better at analyzing the tons of reading that I’ve done in the past four years. My Loras experience has made me wiser, and I think that the service learning will contribute to this experience as well.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Introduction and initial thoughts...
Hey everyone! As a senior in the honors program at Loras College, we are required to complete a service project in the Washington neighborhood of downtown Dubuque, IA. It serves as a capstone to our college education at Loras. Service work has been an active part of my life for many years now. I have attended Catholic schools my whole life, and they always encourage us, sometimes even require us, to get involved in the community and help out others who aren’t as fortunate as us. As a result, I have participated in various acts of community service over the past 8 or so years (from high school till now). The majority of the things I have done are only one-time events, such as helping out with the set-up of parish fundraisers or participating in a fall or spring clean up days around town. The one main exception is my weekly trip to the Oak Park Place retirement center in Dubuque as part of the Loras Reach Out program. Once a week we spend a few hours playing card games with the elderly as a way to keep them in touch with both the outside world and the younger generation. For me, it is a nice break every week from schoolwork to get to know some elderly people who have lived through a lot in their lives. By doing this once a week, we really develop a relationship with some of them that we get to talk to every week. This semester long course will be another step up from the Reach Out program. We will be spending many hours working with the same families, and I hope by the end of the semester we will not only have helped improve the Washington neighborhood, but we will have also come out of the experience with some new friendships.
Loras has done a good job of preparing me for this course. They not only strongly encourage us to get active in the community as much as possible, but they also present us with an array of service opportunities and trips every year. The only real challenge and difference in this service experience is the amount of time that will be devoted to it. Spending 15 weeks working in the same neighborhood will take a lot of commitment and patience on my part, but I am sure the end result in December will be very satisfying.
I recently took a tour of the whole neighborhood area with Tyler and came away with some initial reactions. The condition of the neighborhood was a pleasant surprise, actually, as I was expecting a much more run-down area, based on things I have heard previously about this area of Dubuque. It seemed like many of the houses were either in the process of being renovated or had just been renovated. As a result, with the streets lined with all the very old brick houses that are located in the neighborhood, I thought it was a pretty nice area. In addition, the number of churches in such a small area surprised me. That really emphasizes how diverse the Washington neighborhood is. The only observation I had that made me somewhat uncomfortable was the number of people sitting on the porches just watching us drive by. It almost seemed intimidating and unwelcoming, but I hope that after working in the neighborhood for a semester, I will better understand the residents of the Washington neighborhood and their lifestyles. This semester will be challenging and interesting, I am sure, but I am looking forward to it as a great way to cap off my college career.
Loras has done a good job of preparing me for this course. They not only strongly encourage us to get active in the community as much as possible, but they also present us with an array of service opportunities and trips every year. The only real challenge and difference in this service experience is the amount of time that will be devoted to it. Spending 15 weeks working in the same neighborhood will take a lot of commitment and patience on my part, but I am sure the end result in December will be very satisfying.
I recently took a tour of the whole neighborhood area with Tyler and came away with some initial reactions. The condition of the neighborhood was a pleasant surprise, actually, as I was expecting a much more run-down area, based on things I have heard previously about this area of Dubuque. It seemed like many of the houses were either in the process of being renovated or had just been renovated. As a result, with the streets lined with all the very old brick houses that are located in the neighborhood, I thought it was a pretty nice area. In addition, the number of churches in such a small area surprised me. That really emphasizes how diverse the Washington neighborhood is. The only observation I had that made me somewhat uncomfortable was the number of people sitting on the porches just watching us drive by. It almost seemed intimidating and unwelcoming, but I hope that after working in the neighborhood for a semester, I will better understand the residents of the Washington neighborhood and their lifestyles. This semester will be challenging and interesting, I am sure, but I am looking forward to it as a great way to cap off my college career.
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