CROSS COUNTRY
BANNED BOOK WEEK Raising awareness on the issues of censorship and literacy Page 5
Maggie Saenz-Ruiz wins IACC’s Athletic Performer of the Week Page 7 September 25, 2014 — Vol. 93, Issue 3
UNICEF Loras wins President’s Award aids South for Interfaith Community Service Sudan
College earns the top honor in nationwide competition
by CASSANDRA BUSCH| news editor
President Jim Collins and Service Learning Coordinator Maggie Baker accept the award on behalf of Loras.
by HANNAH WAY| executive copy editor
It isn’t every day that President Collins gets retweeted 53 times in three hours. But on Tuesday afternoon, he shared news with Duhawks across the nation that got students and alumni excited. Collins and Maggie Baker, the service learning coordinator, traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the Presidential Interfaith Community Service Award. When news broke that Loras was the first college to be recognized with this new award, social media blew up. “Each year, schools apply to be a part of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll,” said Stacia McDermott, coordinator of peace and justice. “The last three years, Loras has received Honor Roll with distinction, a recognition given to applicants that display strong institutional commitment to community service. It is a huge honor.” There are four categories that schools can apply toward in order to make the
photo CONTRIBUTED
Presidential Honor Roll: general community service; economic opportunity; education; and, new this year, interfaith community service. Of the institutions that are admitted to the Honor Roll, some receive “With Distinction” honors. However, four schools are selected to receive the Presidential award, one in each category. “This year, we specifically applied to the new category, interfaith community service,” said McDermott. “We received the first ever Presidential award in this category.” The Interfaith Community Service Award recognizes an institution that is addressing community issues with a focus on interfaith cooperation. “When we were applying, one of the
important items we wanted to highlight was our institution-level commitment to reading ‘Acts of Faith’ for four years,” said McDermott. “But we also talked about Loras’ participation in Make a Difference Day, Children of Abraham, and the formation of the student organization Better Together.” Each of these opportunities for dialogue and service have given students and staff the opportunity to grow and learn. “Better Together is important, especially on a college campus like Loras, because it encourages us to think outside of our closely held perspectives, attitudes and experiences and embrace new ones,” said senior Emily Nelson, continued on page 2
March raises awareness of growing refugee crisis by KALLI MINER | staff writer
On Sunday afternoon, students and community members joined the Iowa United Nations Association in a hike to support refugees. The hike was designed as both a fund raiser and peaceful demonstration as participants paid to register for the march from Loras College’s Christ the King Chapel to Clarke University’s Atrium building. The audience was moved to silence and tears as Sarah, a junior transfer student at Loras originally from Syria, gave an opening speech at the event. Giving witness to her personal story of displacement, Sarah spoke on behalf of her family’s experience with violence stemming from conflicts in her country. Additionally, several faculty and staff members as well as local community members from Dubuque, and even some visitors from Des Moines, participated. Marchers waived UNA flags as well as other messages to raise awareness of the growing refugee crisis, provoking several ‘honks’ of support from passing vehicles. All funds raised will be donated to the United Nations fund as support for relief efforts aiding refugees from Syria, Ukraine and beyond.
photos by KALLI MINER
Recent conflict in South Sudan has caused a dramatic increase in children that are in risk of starvation. Currently six million people are in need of some kind of humanitarian help, and half of these are children. The fighting that is taking place has forced over a million people out of their homes, and out in the open. They are suffering from severe heat and rains, in addition to a lack of food and clean water. Over half a million kids make up this number as well. Outbreaks of diseases such as cholera have appeared, and spread quickly in cramped conditions. Starvation has become such an issue because South Sudan has an economy based on agriculture. Because of the fighting and violence within the country, the South Sudanese have not been able to grow their crops, and as a result have no source of food. The U.N. warns that this situation is worse than any since the 1980s, and that by the end of 2014 more than four million people may be suffering from starvation, and 50,000 children would be at risk for dying from lack of nutrition. The U.N. and UNICEF have been doing all that they can to assist these people. Along with other humanitarian group partners, they have vaccinated more than 260,000 kids to protect against measles, and in addition have screened upwards of 60,000 children against malnutrition. UNICEF also has a goal of providing close to half a million South Sudanese with clean water and hygiene kits. “UNICEF is reaching children with micronutrients and ready-to-use therapeutic food. We’re supplying the measuring tapes used to screen children for malnutrition, the long measuring boards to get the height of children, the scales that weigh the children to find out their nutritional status and their state of health,” commented Kent Page, UNICEF’s senior communications advisor for emergencies who was recently assigned to South Sudan. “We also provide a lot of tents, very important at sites for displaced people. During the time I was there the weather was, on a daily basis, about 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). These sites have virtually no trees, no shelter from the sun. We provide tents to our partners to use as nutritional treatment centers. It’s clean. Desks can be set up. Medicine can be stored. Doctors and nurses can treat children. Children are on beds, on mats on the floor, out of the sun.” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake recently traveled to South Sudan as well, along with the World Food Program’s executive director, Ertharin Cousin. “I talked to two doctors in the camp’s clinic, and they said they were making a terrible calculation. They can start to cut back now on the medicine they are giving to their patients because they don’t know whether they will have supplies in a month or two; or they can give the patients everything they need now and pray that they get more supplies,” Lake said. “As I looked around the tent and looked at the patients, I realized they only have one choice—the one that they are making—which is to continue to do everything they can now and just hope for the best.” UNICEF is calling for a worldwide response to this crisis. Their emergency budget is currently 77% underfunded, and they rely on donations to help provide these vital services to the South Sudanese. Even a relatively small amount of funds, $67, can provide ten malnourished children with lifesaving therapeutic food for five days. No matter how much one has to give, any bit can make a difference and help ease the suffering in South Sudan.