The Speed of Thanksgiving by Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, S.J. Fairfield University The edge of the observable universe in every direction is 46 billion light years away. Galaxies, one after the other, slip over the edge, ever now moving beyond any possible communication. My giving thanks, though, my love is more expansive than 46 billion light years. My thanksgiving, not limited by the speed of light, penetrates beyond all boundaries, just by my saying: ‘Thank you!’ God’s Dream In, over, under, through, out of the very forever, forevermore and far, far beyond, I have a dream. Several butterflies flutter past us; they don’t fly on smooth, straight lines. That’s the dream. By the sea, large, very powerful waves begin to break, curving over with a smooth face, back lit by the sun, a light translucent green. That’s the dream. On an early winter afternoon by a copse of trees, snow is falling. It is not a storm; there is no wind. With a very gentle ping the flakes touch the ground. That’s the dream. We stand on a hill amidst picnic tables spread with sandwiches, holding cold drinks. We chatter, as we look off towards other distant hills, silhouetted against a clear, blue sky. That’s the dream. Traffic stops; two elderly folk slowly cross the street, holding on to one another. That’s the dream. From the kitchen window we gaze out at small children gleefully pumping high on the swings. That’s the dream. I have a dream for you…but I can wait. Permalink 24 Nov, 2021 Three Things Homily by Assistant to the President and Alumni Chaplain Rev. Gerry Blaszczak, S.J., at the Mass to honor Rev. Charlie Allen, S.J. on September 19 at Fairfield University. Bishop Caggiano, my fellow Jesuits, Dr. and Mrs. Nemec, members of the Allen Family, friends of Fr. Allen, dear Charlie, In early September a number of you received an e-mail from me. It was an appeal for help. I wrote: I am humbled by Charlie’s request that I preach at the Eucharist on September 19. But I am also daunted. I am probably not going to be able to distill everything into three points. I certainly won’t warm people’s hearts and lift their spirits the way Charlie always did. Please help by sending me your own reflections and suggestions. Here is a sample of the responses I got, gentle listeners: -“You’re right; you’re no Charlie Allen. Good luck.” -“Charlie had the practice of always saying ONLY THREE THINGS. You would do well to follow his example.” -“Keep it brief. People will be hungry. Remember that they came to hear Charlie, not you.” So… let me offer three points. Three reflections, really, on how we can find our way into the meaning of today’s Gospel as we celebrate Charlie. Read more » Permalink 22 Sep, 2021 What’s in a name? Celebrating Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J. Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J., ‘04 Director of Campus Ministry The statue stands at the end of the drive to the stately building that bears his name, on the campus of which he is patron. Dressed in the cardinatial robes of his day, episcopal cross hung around his neck, left arm resting on a pile of books, his Italian name is etched into the bronze: Santo Roberto Bellarmino. In English: Saint Robert Bellarmine, of the Society of Jesus. A gifted writer and professor of theology, Bellarmine was made a cardinal in life and declared a Doctor of the Church in death. A leading character of the Counter-Reformation period, he figured prominently in the reforms of the Council of Trent and the first trial of Galileo, where he defended Scripture, asking scientists to prove their theories on heliocentrism. Canonized in 1930, only a few years before Fairfield’s charter was approved by the State of Connecticut, the new institution was placed under his patronage and heavenly care: Fairfield University of Saint Robert Bellarmine. Still, for such a prominent figure in the life of the Church and in the Fairfield story, it’s remarkable to me how many people pronounce his name incorrectly here on campus, saying bellarMINE, rather than BELLarminh. I hear the mispronunciation every day from both newly-arrived students and long-tenured staff, from locals and from transplants alike. And perhaps we could change that. Perhaps I take it more personally than most since I share that last signifier, of the Society of Jesus. As a Jesuit, my heritage in our storied religious order is very important to me, and the mispronunciation feels to me like a slight, although I know it is just a mispronunciation that has gained traction over time. But I am also an alumnus, Class of 2004, recently returned to North Benson Road as the new Director of Campus Ministry and University Chaplain, and so it feels doubly personal, like people cannot be bothered to care enough. As if Robert Bellarmine is the name of the person who checks your coat at a restaurant, whose name badge you saw perhaps only in passing, and have no intention of remembering. But I would argue that getting the pronunciation back on track might be important. If we lose sight of where we have come from, aren’t we also likely to lose some of the richness of our tradition, and hence, find it more difficult to find out where to look for direction, when we want to know where God is leading us? I think my exasperation is only compounded by the fact that I am living in a residence hall these days which is named after twentieth century Fairfield Dean Father Larry Langguth (LANGgeth) that campus constituents insist on calling langGOOTH or, even worse, the GOOTH. To anyone who will listen, I say there are Jesuits who regularly pass through our community who lived with this man! We actually know this guy! This man is responsible for much of the building that went on here on campus! Surely we know how to pronounce his name! Alas, one name at a time is probably enough and it is good to start with whom it started. Today, as the Church celebrates his memorial, let us make the effort to remember that he was an actual person, with an actual name, and get it right. It’s BELLarminh, not bellarMINE. So, in this small matter, we say: Saint Robert Bellarmine, pray for us. Top photo: Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598-1680) Bust of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino, 1621-24 Marble Church of the Gesù, Rome Photo Credit: Andrea Jemolo/Scala / Art Resource, NY Permalink 17 Sep, 2021 CALLING ALL TEACHER LEADERS: BE THE CHANGE! Stephanie Burrell Storms, EdD Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Multicultural Education Fairfield University Many of us are familiar with the quote attributed to Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” What Gandhi actually said was: “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.” In other words, we must transform ourselves to transform the world. This is a particularly powerful message for us in education. In a recent National Education Policy Center brief (2021) it was reported that racial disparities in our educational system such as unequal academic outcomes and educational resources is an economic burden for some of our children. The author argues Black and Latinx students have far less “human capital” that on average reduces their lifetime earnings when they leave school. Education is supposed to be the great equalizer. Many of us are aware of racial injustice in education, but struggle to enact policies, practices, or programs to eradicate this social ill in the US. Fairfield’s new EdD in Educational Leadership for Teacher Leaders was designed to confront racial injustice and other forms of oppression in education with a focus on the following: (1) Lead from the classroom. This program is for teachers who want to lead from the classroom. Echoing the tenets of the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium (2008), the program reflects the core belief that teacher leadership is a powerful strategy to promote effective, collaborative teaching practices in schools that lead to increased student achievement, improved decision-making at the school and district level, and a dynamic teaching profession for the 21st century. (2) Equity and racial justice focus. This doctoral program is created for teachers who collectively want to catalyze systemic change within their classrooms and schools. As such, the program applies an equity lens, allowing practicing educators to examine structures, policies and behaviors that sustain oppression and result in inequities in student learning. The potential for disrupting oppressive practices at the classroom level is far greater than more macro changes to policies that minimally impact classroom learning. Effective teacher leaders can play a critical role in modeling and developing equity-minded competencies with a focus on eliminating systemic racism and advocating for social justice. (3) Collaborative inquiry. Collaborative learning and inquiry rooted in current problems of practice are at the heart of this program. As communities of inquiry, students work together to apply their learning in their home schools and districts. Students will work collaboratively to test, refine, and monitor innovative solutions to real educational problems, driving student, teacher, and leader growth in their school communities. The cohort approach gives students an opportunity to learn from each other and build external relationships and networks. (4) Low residency. Students will enroll as a cohort in the fall semester and will complete 6 (online) credits each semester for a total of 57 credits. Students will also complete two short, compact summer residencies, in person, during the program with an in-depth focus on relationship and team-building, leadership and communication, specific teacher-leader challenges, and dissemination of ideas and research findings. In the third year, students will write and defend a dissertation based on a relevant problem of practice. Consider joining our program this fall to transform yourself, your classroom, school, and community, for equity and justice in education. Permalink 16 Aug, 2021 Ignatian Spiritual Exercises at Fairfield University Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, S.J. Fairfield University On January 1st, 2014, I joined the Jesuit Community at Fairfield University. I was 77 years old. I had been Superior/Director of the Jesuit Center in Amman, Jordan, for 14 years, and the Superior/Director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem, Israel, for 10 years. These long years in the Middle East in the center of the Arab/Israeli conflict proved in an ironic way to be personally and professionally a significant preparation for what I was to do at Fairfield University. In the extended exposure to the extreme, tragic, human pain of the Middle East, I lived with a constant sense of inadequacy and helplessness; I failed in Arabic and Hebrew; I lost my theology. Upon my return from the Middle East to the United States my Provincial Superior asked what I wanted to do. I responded I was too exhausted - depleted – to answer specifically, but I had the inspiration to say I know what I do not want to do: I do not want to be in charge of anything anymore, and then the particular grace - I just want to talk about God. I joined the Fairfield Jesuit Community with the intention that maybe I could help out in spiritual direction or other pastoral endeavors for the community. I came with no official connection with the university, no paying job. I had the freedom to discover what I possibly could do, what I would like to do, where I could be a help. I was free of institutional and bureaucratic strictures. Guiding people in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises captured my attention. I began to look the place over, identify people who might possibly be interested in the doing the spiritual exercises. I wandered around the university and began literally to knock on people’s doors. I had no plan – just search out and relate to members of the university community. One of the first persons I spoke with was the Vice President of Student Affairs. After several conversations he decided to accept my invitation to walk with him through the full Ignatian Exercises. That the exercises went so well for this vice president and that he talked with others about it, the door was opened to other administrators: top university administration, vice presidents, deans; eventually it bled over to members of the board of trustees. I highlight in the success I experienced several factors: my health, my spiritual journey, my method in attracting individuals. I end with several developing programs. Read more » Permalink 1 31 Jul, 2021 Congress gave away its war powers 20 years ago. Here’s why that system is broken. The authorizations of 2001 and 2002 allow presidents to conduct ‘private wars’ without scrutiny By Phil Klay Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, a visiting professor at Fairfield University and the author of the novel “Missionaries.” June 24, 2021|Updated June 24, 2021 at 9:10 a.m. EDT Originally published in the The Washington Post, June 24, 2021. The war, supposedly, would be a low-key affair. A few Special Operations troops. Assistance with air power and logistics. Not the sort of thing the American people needed to worry about. It was, as one journalist covering the conflict put it, a “private war.” In a private war, the professionals make the decisions. Our country’s ignorance meant less meddling from politicians and civilians. But those professionals trudging through the jungles of Vietnam in the winter of 1962 would learn over the next decade that decisions made in a private war can have huge consequences. It was the consequences of military decisions that happen out of public view that came to mind as I watched last week’s debates in the House of Representatives over the possible repeal of the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which passed in the House and is now heading to the Senate. This might seem to be an obscure bit of congressional wrangling over a redundant piece of legislation. The 2002 AUMF was the legal authorization for the United States to wage war against Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. Proponents of the repeal claimed it would help reclaim Congress’s constitutional obligation to weigh in on matters of war and peace, while opponents countered that it should be repealed only if there was a replacement ready. Both sides agreed that the 2002 AUMF was “outdated” and that a repeal wouldn’t restrict any current military missions. A repeal, nevertheless, is a necessary first step in clawing back a congressional role in decisions about how we use our military. Because the 2002 AUMF lacked a clear focus or expiration date, it became one of the main tools presidents have used over the past two decades to justify the expansion of U.S. wars. It gave the executive branch a wider range of authority than was intended at the time. And when Congress gives presidents wide-ranging war powers, presidents tend to use them to pursue their own private wars. This has been especially true since the second term of the Obama administration, which began our heavy reliance on drones, Special Operations, contractors and airstrikes, none of which seem to be preventing disaster but all of which are very difficult for journalists to cover. Journalists can’t embed with a drone, they’re usually not allowed with special operators, and the regions where we’re killing people tend to be dangerous places to do reporting, as the death toll of journalists over the past decade attests. Back when I was a press officer in the United States Marine Corps, my mission statement was to provide “timely, accurate information to Marines and the general public.” Because we worked for the American people, we owed them information about what we were doing. But in today’s close-lipped Department of Defense, touchy about criticism, scarred by an Obama administration that liked to pretend it had ended the wars, and from a Trump administration where a “tweet from God” could radically reshuffle their mission, that sense of obligation is increasingly hard to find. Read more » Permalink 12 Jul, 2021 Seeing and Being Seen: Celebrating Pride Month in 2021 Jocelyn M. Boryczka, PhD (she/her/hers) Professor of Politics and Associate Vice Provost for Scholarly, Creative, and Community Engagement The Stonewall Riots began the night of June 28, 1969.[1] Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village frequented mostly by gay men, self-identified drag queens, and transgender peoples. Such raids commonly occurred at that time in cities across the United States. That night, led by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, the Stonewall customers refused to disperse. They stood against the police, kicking off six days of intermittent protests. One year later, to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, the Christopher Street Liberation March took place and Pride Month eventually was born.[2] Stonewall, as a point of origin, emerged from and mobilized political activism that today forms the LGBTQ+ movement. Skirmishes between police and gay males and drag queens happened in Los Angeles and San Francisco before Stonewall. The Mattachine Society, the first national gay rights organization, and Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian rights organization, both formed in the early to mid-1950s. Gay Liberation Fronts organized after Stonewall spreading from New York City to Chicago and Los Angeles. Along with identity-based movements from civil rights to second wave feminism, they sent political shockwaves throughout the nation from the early 1970s onward. College campuses became hotbeds of political activism. The Student Homophile League grew from a handful to hundreds of chapters following Stonewall. Fast-forward to March 30, 1989. Two seniors, Thomas Fay and Peter Bolger began the first Gay-Lesbian-Straight Coalition at Fairfield University. As the first LGBT group on campus, they made the front page of the Mirror. Following their first meeting, other students who labeled themselves “Students Together Against Gays” protested the twenty attendees. The Coalition, now called Fairfield University’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance, has persisted, contributing significantly to the vibrancy of our diverse campus community. Cura personalis, a hallmark of Jesuit education at colleges and universities such as Fairfield, means “care for the whole person,” and more specifically individualized attention to the needs of another person. This attention extends beyond the mind to the body and spirit. Care itself is a complex concept. Many scholars now recognize care as essential to private and public life. Joan Tronto outlines an ethic of care. She specifies attentiveness as the first moral aspect of care that aligns with the first phase of caring, caring about.[3] Together, the first step in caring is to recognize the existence of another person’s need and how it can be met. Ignoring others or ignorance, by this standard, would constitute a form of moral evil. Read more » Permalink 28 Jun, 2021 Celebrating Juneteenth 2021 Jocelyn M. Boryczka, PhD Associate Vice Provost for Scholarly, Creative & Community Engagement Co-Chair, Presidential Working Group on Inclusive Excellence Professor of Politics This Friday, June 18, 2021, marks the first day when Fairfield University formally recognizes Juneteenth as an official university holiday. We honor Juneteenth this Friday instead of June 19th which falls on a Saturday this year. President Mark R. Nemec, PhD sent a Juneteenth Message last year announcing this holiday. He shared that, “it is my hope that this day will offer an opportunity for us to see that our faith and our commitment to racial justice and reconciliation are inseparable.” Juneteenth, a holiday recognized by most states, including Connecticut, marks the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the end of the Civil War and slavery, two and a half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Remembering, the first step in radical hospitality, a pillar of our Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Mission Statement, calls us to learn about and reflect on such historical moments that weave together the complex and rich tapestry of our diverse human experience. We do so to identify clearly inequalities and injustices in the spirit of rectifying them and building a community where all equally belong. To reflect further on Juneteenth, consider these resources: An Antiracist Resource Guide: Juneteenth hosted by the DiMenna-Nyselius Library The Fairfield Slavery Project hosted by the DiMenna-Nyselius Library and Fairfield Museum and History Center Eyes to See: An Anti-Racism Examen offered by the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities (AJCU) Permalink 17 Jun, 2021 Thinking Differently This April Gina Petersen, MSN, RN, CHPN, CHSE Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies Like books, people have endings. Yet, unlike book authors, most people do not spend time carefully and thoughtfully planning their own endings. Advance care planning (ACP) is a series of conversations about our healthcare wishes over time with our loved ones and providers that includes documentation in the form of an advance directive (AD). Yet, only one-third of American adults have completed some type of advance directive, such as a living will or healthcare power of attorney (Yadav et al., 2017). As a result, there are about two thirds of American adults (18 years or older) who have not documented their wishes with their healthcare provider. In addition to the barriers to advance care planning – lack of knowledge, self-efficacy, and resources; cultural differences; and misconceptions (no, a lawyer is not needed to start or complete a living will), what if how we are thinking about and approaching ACP is the culprit? Beginning ACP and writing an AD cannot simply be another item on our checklist of things “to do.” Contemplating our mortality is a process that should be honored while we are well and able to do so. This April, in celebration of both National Healthcare Decisions Month and National Poetry Month, I ask you to consider: What if, as the author of our own life, we gave ourselves time to process our ending through words? What if we allowed ourselves time to pre-reflect (preflect) on our values through free writing? Free writing allows us to enter the emotional space to begin this work with each word we write, which may also help us identify our barriers to ACP and perhaps fears or reservations around dying. What if we allowed ourselves to read books and poetry that stimulate our thinking about our death? What if took these books and created book-spine poems with them? What if we were empowered by ACP, instead of resistant to it? What if the more we talked about it with others, we felt less alone in the process? By processing through expression, we can begin to explore Atul Gawande’s question of what a good day looks like for us today and aim to reflect that notion in our advance care plan. This plan will be our voice should we become voiceless. This National Healthcare Decisions Day, on April 16th, think differently about ACP. Make space through writing before writing your plan. Start by choosing one person who knows you best and gather for an hour exploring one or more of the following items: · Take 10 minutes or so to free write poetry or prose about dying. · Play Go Wish™ or Hi! to stimulate a conversation with your person about your wishes. · Explore FAQs about advance care planning at the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care website. · Complete an advance directive that aligns with your values; consider Five Wishes or find your state’s document here. · Visit the Linda Lane Library in Bethel, Conn. (LFL Charter # 103310 for free resources and books on living and dying.) · Donate ACP resources and books about living, dying, grieving, and spirituality to local Little Free Libraries. As my words reach their end, I remind you that our authorship is unique, because after our directives are in print, we have the power and the right to rewrite them any time. I hope you join me by beginning with just one word. Permalink 16 Apr, 2021 2021 Tax Facts John S. Kiernan, WalletHub Managing Editor Excerpt reposted with permission from WalletHub. No one likes Tax Day, except for accountants and Uncle Sam. Tax Day 2021 figures to be especially messy, too, as governments across the country struggle to cover shortfalls stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people look for income to actually pay taxes on, and protesters urge us to rethink how our tax dollars are being used. But even with the continued difficulties of the pandemic, there will be a Tax Day this year as always, proving that taxes truly are among the few things in life that are unavoidable. Tax Day will be delayed until May 17 for most people due to COVID-19, and until June 15 for people impacted by winter storms. For context and perspective, WalletHub consulted with a panel of experts including Professor Kathi M. Mettler, CPA, Director, Graduate Accounting Programs, and Instructor of the Practice, Accounting, at Fairfield DOLAN School of Business. How is Tax Day 2021 different from past years? What is most unusual about Tax Day 2021 is that we have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year now, which has affected many taxpayers negatively from an economic perspective. There have been Coronavirus relief measures passed since the beginning including the CARES Act in March 2020, Consolidated Appropriations Act in December 2020, and the latest American Rescue Plan Act 2021 effective March 2021. These have provided some welcome relief for taxpayers, while also adding complexity to the tax return filing process. This was evident from the delayed filing season and now extended filing season for individual taxpayers. Has the amount of time and money spent on preparing tax returns changed in recent years? What are some tips for reducing time and money spent? I believe that our tax system is so complex that more taxpayers should be willing to pay a tax advisor to complete their tax return to take advantage of all exclusions, deductions, and credits available. The IRS offers free tax preparation services through their Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and we run one on campus at Fairfield University. Taxpayers can save themselves time and fees by keeping adequate records and providing documentation to support their tax return since they have the burden of proof. Due to the severe winter storms and power outages earlier this year, the IRS has postponed the Tax Day from April 15 to June 15, for affected residents. What other measures can be taken to ease the burden on taxpayers with difficulties in meeting tax reporting or payment obligations? The relief provided to affected residents of those natural disasters is welcome, as is the extension of the filing season for individual taxpayers until May 17, 2021. Unfortunately, this does not extend the time to pay taxes owed. The IRS does provide the opportunity of a payment plan. Permalink 15 Apr, 2021 Page 1 of 23 Next » This is the official Tumblr account of Fairfield University HOME FOR MEDIA VIEWSPACE: ACADEMIC VIDEOS ARCHIVE SUBMISSION FORM Scaffold theme by Mike Harding. RSS feed Random Mobile Powered by Tumblr