Fulfillment found in social justice

FULFILLMENT, page 1 work for social justice by educating others. As an instructor of the pilot course ECG 200, Gebauer introduced the idea of social justice to his students by explaining the work of Paul Farmer, anthropologist, physician and co-founder of Partners In Health (PIH), which provides medical care to individuals living in the poorest countries in the world.

After laying the foundation for the concept of social justice, Gebauer demonstrated how people can work for social justice at the local level. For example, guest speaker Sarah Cortes explained to the class her personal efforts to improve the Hispanic communities in Philadelphia.

Finally, Gebauer held mock town-hall meetings that required students to examine and argue both sides of social justice issues.

“The experience we give students in ECG 200 and ECG 300 allows them to learn by doing. Being able to visualize what their learning makes the learning experience much more rich,” Gebauer said.

Gebauer practices what he teaches in his personal life. As a Philadelphia resident, he is deeply affected by the homeless people he passes on the city’s streets. He frequently calls shelters to alert them of men and women lying on the snow-covered sidewalks without something as simple as a coat or blanket to shield them from the cold.

Gebauer shared his sympathy for the homeless on Cabrini’s Founders Day in 2010 with his “This I Believe” speech titled “The Spicy Chicken Sandwich.”

“As I stood on the street tion for the homeless. To join in Gebauer’s efforts follow this link for a list of local homeless shelters http://www.critpath. org/thac/homeless.html.

Another faculty member works in conjunction with her students for social justice. This past fall, Amy Persichetti, English professor, and the students in her ECG 300 course, “Dating & Domestic Violence,” researched and developed a sur- corner waiting for the light to change, a man sat on the sidewalk to my left. Just as he was, a pair of crutches sat against a concrete wall. A blanket covered his legs and his right arm hugged a bag close to his body. His face exuded exhaustion and pain, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with compassion,” Gebauer stated in his speech.

“There are absolutely cases at Cabrini. We see it all the time in the counseling center and we see both sides. We work with kids that have been bullied their whole life and they may think it will end in college, but it doesn’t,” Sara Maggitti, licensed psychologist and Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said.

Maggitti and the other psychological counselors at the college collaborate together to develop methods to find out how bullying can be stopped at the school and what may cause students to bully.

In the future, Gebauer hopes to start a non-profit organiza- vey. The findings showed that local elementary school teachers are interested in learning about how to identify and aid children who witness domestic violence.

Her students were also given the opportunity to visit the Laurel House, a domestic violence shelter for women and their children, in Norristown, Pa.

“I jumped at the chance to be involved with the Laurel House. As a mother, I really believe that all children deserve to be safe,” Persichetti said.

Persichetti’s mother, Sally Lee, was an example of social justice. In fact, Lee was active in the fight against sexism.

“Your family is the foundation for the rest of your life. Strong families make for a stronger society,” Persichetti said.

Persichetti was inspired by her mother’s dedication to social justice and to decided to memorialize her work by opening the Sally Lee Child Care Center, at the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

The purpose of the center is to provide childcare to lowincome and working families. To make a donation or volunteer visit http://www.ywcapottstown.org/.

“Social justice is not something you do, it is something you live. It is the kindness you show towards your neighbor or being active in your child’s school,” Persichetti said.

To make a donation to the Laurel House visit http://www. laurel-house.org/. EPA722@cAbRINI

Recently, more colleges have updated their federal mandate laws considering what has happened with college students being bullied. One of the biggest tragedies was this past September. A student that attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide due to his roommate videotaping him having sexual relations with another man and streaming it on the internet.

“The victims have more psychological effects than the bully does. The victims can hurt themselves or commit suicide if it gets bad enough. If they hear mean comments about themselves so much, they actually start to believe it and they can go into depression or start to get mental disorders. It can go the other way as well. The bully could have so much guilt realizing what they’ve done, that they may start to become depressed from their actions,” Strassel said.

Another reason students bully is to be accepted by the popular kids.

“Some bullies want to make a name for themselves to be popular. They want to be out there and not hidden like the kids that they bully. Teens bully so that they can avoid being bullied,” Nick Kaminski, senior psychology major, said.

Putting a stop to bullying is a huge challenge because it’s not just in schools. It can be in the work place and in the home environment as well. There are websites and hotlines for those who are victims that serve as a safe haven.

“People need to realize and watch what they say around certain people. You never know who is listening and you don’t know who your going to hurt or what can happen in the future,” Strassel said.

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