Fall Newsletter 2007

The Common Good Volume II, Issue 3

Fall 2007

News from the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

USF Receives St. Anthony Foundation’s Fr. Alfred Boedekker Award

by Stephen A. Privett, S.J., USF President

Over the last few years, USF has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Carnegie Foundation and Washington Monthly for its exemplary efforts to educate students for citizenship. This honor from the St. Anthony Foundation comes not from an educational organization but from a faith-based agency that directly serves the most vulnerable members of society.

On September 12, USF along with USF alumni Suzanne and Lou Giraudo received the St. Anthony Foundation’s Fr. Alfred Boedekker Award. USF was honored for its service-learning partnership with the foundation. From left to right: Franciscan Fr. John Hardin, St. Anthony Foundation executive director; Stephen A. Privett, S.J., USF president; Suzanne Giraudo, and Lou Giraudo.

St. Anthony’s recognized USF for offering students an education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition which understands that responsible citizenship is about more than voting, paying taxes, and supporting local cultural institutions like museums and the opera. It is also about caring for the weakest and most vulnerable among us. St. Anthony’s and USF together, educate USF faculty and students to the needs, challenges, and hopes of the poor in San Francisco. We are grateful to St. Anthony’s for a partnership that has benefited both of our institutions, and most importantly, the least of our brothers and sisters without resources. Direct service agencies and universities each have different but complementary roles to play in fashioning a more humane and just world, and society is best served when universities and agencies exercise their roles in a collaborative and complementary manner, as do USF and St. Anthony’s.

Save the Date! USF’s California Prize for Service and the Common Good Dinner March 6, 2008 6:30 pm Julia Morgan Ballroom Merchants Exchange Building San Francisco See page 3 for details

Davies Forum Seminar students with Assemblyman Mark Leno (back row, third from left) and Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña (back row, third from right). The Davies Forum Lecture Series brings mayors and experts from cities across the United States to speak at USF on sustainable development and social justice in urban America. The McCarthy Center is proud to be a sponsor of the Forum. 1

USF in D.C Offers a Global Perspective By Hannah Minkevitch, Public Service Honors Minor Student

I believe public service is the means through which we can create a better space for all of those sharing this world. The USF in D.C. program educates students on the logistics of the public sector. Last spring I participated in the International Law and Organizations program at American University. I had no idea what I was in for. My expectations were surpassed beyond belief. D.C. was an incredible experience. I was immersed in a demanding academic environment with the city as my resource. Being able to plunge into the inner work-

Hannah Minkevitch and American University student Andrew Martin in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

ings of our country matured my perception on political affairs. D.C., a far different environment than my San Francisco bubble, forced me to think more critically and defend each of my beliefs. I was overwhelmed with the attentiveness of the community and its genuine passion for what is going on in the world. D.C. was refreshing. Whether sitting in a small French café in Dupont circle, or riding the Metro with the rest of the city at 6 a.m, people were engaged in productive dialogue about our global dilemmas and our economic activity. Not only did people care about what was going on in the world, but they were so committed to it that they made careers of their passions. I was inspired by their fervor and dedication to public service. The International Law and Organizations program sent 20 students to the major international hubs in Europe. We visited the International Court of Justice to watch as Nicaragua and Honduras fought over border placements. We were granted admission to the viewing room of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia where the current

USF in D.C student Erin-Kate Escobar with Anna Greene at the Capitol building.

commanders are being charged with controversial war crimes. Sitting in a gorgeous auditorium in Strasbourg, France, my class learned the inner workings of the European Court of Human Rights. And all of this was only week one of our travels. The semester in D.C. was intense and rewarding. It changed me as a person as well as a political scientist. I am lucky to have participated in such an incredible program. As I sit on the S.F. Muni today, I listen to the quiet chatter and wonder what my comrades on the other side of the country are discussing on their morning Metro ride.

A Summer of Food Justice By Caitlin Christensen, International Studies Major

Caitlin Christensen is a senior International Studies major. She spent last summer interning in the East Bay with support from the McCarthy Center.

degradation, and health disparities, and proposes innovative, grassroots solutions.

Produce harvested from the garden supplies a small stand that gives teen participants an On a hot afternoon late last June, elbow- opportunity to learn small-business skills, while also making healthy foods accessible in deep in a steamy pile of dirt, hay, and rotting vegetables, full of wriggling earth- a neighborhood otherwise dominated by fast worms and crawling roly-poly bugs, I real- food joints and convenience stores. ized there was no place else I’d rather be. For me, yet another layer in the pattern was I was in the midst of a lively discussion with three 6-year-olds on the usefulness of the opportunity to add the study of nonviolence to the mix. With 10 other interns worms and other decomposers to the placed at other social justice organizations in health of a farm system, one of many topics covered in my role as intern garden the Bay Area under the guidance of the Metta Center, I was studying the theory and teacher at Berkeley Youth Alternatives’ applicability of nonviolence to social justice Urban Farm and Community Garden. work. While images of dramatic confrontaThis half-city block urban farm is part of tions, like Gandhi’s Salt March or the a growing movement—“food justice” that Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, more readexamines the interconnected problems of ily spring to mind in association with industrialized agriculture, environmental “nonviolence,” equally important is what 2

Caitlin Christensen and students get a hands-on look at the role of earthworms in an urban farm.

Gandhi called his “true politics”: the constructive work of building up the new alternatives. This summer, then, was an opportunity not only to participate in what arguably may be one of the most vibrant manifestations of nonviolent social change today, but also to get a brief taste of what may be my own place in it. The task to bring justice to food in the world and the U.S. is enormous—but social justice work doesn’t get any more fun than when that task starts with playing in the dirt. http://mccarthycenter.usfca.edu

Service-Learning Preview Leaves a Lasting Impression on New Students By Barbara A. Fatum, M.Ed., Ed.S., USF Parent and Regional Council Representative

USF students prepare to serve clients at Haight Ashbury Food Program.

USF students beautify Golden Gate Park by doing some garden work.

One group of USF students sorts food for Project Open Hand’s grocery center.

About 700 incoming freshmen and transfer students participated in this year’s Service-Learning Preview. USF is unique in its concept of service learning in that its approach is more than academic; it’s also hands on learning in the community. Students engage in classes that use servicelearning as part of the framework of their comprehensive approach to learning and social justice. Students at USF have the unique opportunity of applying theoretical ideas learned in the classroom in the real world and encountering the challenges and benefits of implementing those ideas.

workshop presentations focused on specific service-learning projects, or they could go into the community and experience a service-learning opportunity first hand!

I visited Project Open Hand with Professor Steve Morris and 13 students. We were given a tour of the facility, along with a talk about its mission of nutritionally supporting individuals with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco. Following the tour, the students participated in a hands-on project, breaking down bulk foods into individual portions that would then be available to clients to “shop” at Project Open Hand for their weekly groceries. The volunteer coordinator remarked that the students had saved the center about 600 hours of labor. This showed the students the impact of their work! Following lunch (the organization actually serves about 1,500 lunches each day and delivers another 1,500 to people unable to come to the organization), the students returned to campus. All of the students were impressed with the organization of Project Open Hand and with the impact it has had in the commuOn August 22, upper-class USF nity. Everyone understood the value of their participation to students shared their experiences the people involved in the program. It is a wonderful experiwith incoming freshmen, detail- ence for young people to realize that they can impact the ing both the joy and challenges world in a way that makes a difference. This year’s Servicethey have encountered in a vari- Learning Preview successfully educated the hearts and minds ety of service-learning opportuni- of the incoming class of 2011. ties. The incoming freshmen were impressed with the presentations; many commented on the Thank you! excitement of the prospect of The McCarthy Center would like to thank the following becoming involved in the commembers of the USF Regional Councils for their help munity-generated service-learning with the Service-Learning Preview Mary Gallo, Barbara Fatum, Rita Harowitz, Evan Kletter, Peter Lee, Eva Monprojects. roe, and Vicki Vozza.

After their morning meeting, students could either attend

California Prize for Service and the Common Good In late September, USF announced the creation of The University of San Francisco's California Prize for Service and the Common Good. The purpose of the award is to recognize an individual or organization that models selfless service in pursuit of the common good- efforts that primarily benefit Californians, especially the poor and marginalized. The prize celebrates the exceptional work being done in the state, and reinforces USF’s mission to educate minds and hearts to change the world. This first-of-its-kind statewide medal and prize ($10,000) will be awarded at a dinner celebration on March 6, 2008 at the Merchant Exchange Building, San Francisco. For more information, please contact Maureen Beckman at [email protected].

Service–Learning at Haight Ashbury Food Program (HAFP) By Michael Scribner, Executive Director, HAFP

Service-learners from USF have been coming to Haight Ashbury Food Program for years. Over the past year, our partnership has deepened: last summer I attended USF’s Community Partner Service-Learning seminar, and next spring we will host an Advocate for Community Engagement (ACE). Our organizations share the same philosophies about inclusion and support for our community. While HAFP acts as a co-educator in providing real-world experiences for students, USF students come with enthusiasm and passion to help HAFP continue its important work. One service-learning group is currently assisting HAFP through a challenging financial period. As all of our past federal financial support has curtailed, this student group is researching potential funding sources that support organizations that address hunger. These USF students may literally find a way to keep HAFP’s doors open! This is just one way USF students support HAFP through their service-learning. (For more information about HAFP, email [email protected].) 3

http://mccarthycenter.usfca.edu

News and Notes

This fall, through the USF in D.C program, the McCarthy Center will send six students to American University in Washington, D.C to study American Politics, International Law and Organizations, International Environment and Development, Public Law, and Foreign Policy. UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

The McCarthy Center is pleased to have received a generous grant from the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund that will send five Latin American Studies students to Nicaragua for nine weeks of service-learning with local nonprofit organizations.

Editor: Angela Mucci Phone: 415-422-5662

The Davies Forum Lecture Series will conclude with former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. He will speak at USF on Wednesday, November 28th at 7:30 pm in Fromm Hall. All are welcome to attend!

Fax: 415-422-5641 We’re on the Web! Visit us at: mccarthycenter.usfca.edu Send comments to: [email protected]

Congratulations to USF in Sacramento program student Elizabeth Moyer! While in Sacramento, Elizabeth worked for Congresswoman Mimi Walters (73rd assembly district) and was offered a position as a deputy campaign manager. Upon graduation, she will begin work in January.

McCarthy Center Graduate Updates “Educating minds and hearts to change the world”

Natalie Frank '06 was accepted to the American University - Paris' Master’s Program in Strategic Policy Studies. Jessica Gunderson '04 has entered the Masters in Public Policy Program at the Robert Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. She will be joining Carlos Menchaca '04 at the Wagner School.

Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good 2130 Fulton Street San Francisco, CA 94117-1080