Civic Engagement

The College of Arts and Sciences teaches students to achieve excellence while developing a broader understanding of the local and global worlds in which they live. Students have the chance to share their talents as they participate in civic engagement opportunities and community projects. Learning occurs through service and students' critical and emotional reflection on their experiences.

• Ed Wiltse's Class in Monroe County Jail
• Katrina House Project
• History Club Community Project
• Richard Hartman "Adopt-A-School" program
• Otieno Kisiara's Involvement with Refugee Resettlement Program

 

Ed Wiltse's Class in Monroe County Jail

Dr. Ed Wiltse gives his students a unique opportunity in his class, English 234: Crime and Punishment in the USA. In lieu of writing a paper, students are given the opportunity to plan for and attend a series of five one-hour meetings at Monroe Correctional Facility. At those meetings the students sit down with small groups of inmates to discuss the literature they are reading for the class. The inmates are provided with a copy of the class syllabus and books, so that they can read along with the class if they choose.

The program allows students to learn about the realities behind the stories of crime, detection and punishment that Americans read and watch every day, and gives inmates the chance to learn about the realities of higher education and their ability to participate in college-level discussions about literature and about life.

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Katrina House Project

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina left tens of thousands of people homeless, and the rebuilding process is monumental. Traveling down to the gulf coast and helping first-hand was not possible for many, so a group at Nazareth did the next best thing.

Led by Professor Bill Hopkins and volunteer Leo Trickey, the people participating in the Katrina House Project donated their time and energy to building the framework for a new home. Once completed, the major frame pieces were shipped down to Lousiana where the final assembly took place. As a result of their hard work a family will be able to return home again.

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History Club Community Project

The Nazareth History Club volunteers as part of the City of Rochester's Clean Sweep program, working hard to pick up trash, clean public areas, and promote the beautification of the city.

Clean Sweep is a collaborative effort that brings together the resources of the city, volunteers, businesses, faith communities, neighborhood organizations and non-profits. The city provides bags and tools to those who would like to join their neighbors for a block clean-up, and Nazareth students participated in this manner several times this past year.

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Richard Hartman "Adopt-A-School" Program

Richard Hartman works with a team of students, local professors and retired as well as active chemists in the "Adopt-a-School" program to act as "scientists in the classroom" at various local schools. Dr. Hartman and his students teach fourth graders at Cobbles Elementary School once a month to enhance the teaching of science. He brings a set of kits into the classroom that allow him and his students to address particularly difficult concepts by the use of hands-on activities.

The lessons are fun, colorful and presented in a way that allows students to act as detectives as they discover solutions themselves. The program helps improve students' test scores, but more importantly, encourages them to enjoy science and perhaps view it as a possible career choice down the road.

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Otieno Kisiara's Involvement with Refugee Resettlement Program

Otieno Kisiara is a founding member of the Rochester Committee on Refugee Resettlement. This committee brings together refugee community leaders and area professionals including educators, health workers, social workers, religious leaders and local and state government administrators. These two groups work together to identify unfulfilled needs of the refugee community and to initiate projects that help fulfill these needs.

In addition to his involvement with the committee, Otieno also teaches an athropology course at Nazareth, Anthropology 422: Refugee Resettlement and Adaptation. The course requires students to work in the homes and help in the lives of recently resettled refugees in the local Rochester area.

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