by The Cowl Editor on November 15, 2018
Congress Updates
by Aine Redington
Student Congress Publicity
Chaplain Fr. Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P., and Fr. James Cuddy, O.P., vice president of mission and ministry, visited Student Congress for their weekly meeting on Tuesday, November 13. They discussed their various roles and the roles of Campus Ministry at Providence College.
Fr. Cuddy is a graduate of the College and served as the Chaplain of PC before becoming the vice president of mission and ministry. This department is concerned with the Catholic identity and the Dominican presence at the College. Its primary purpose is to “promote a greater understanding of what it means to be Catholic and Dominican in academic affairs and outside the classroom.”
Fr. Peter Martyr discussed his role as the overseer of Campus Ministry. He talked about a new initiative which gives each residence hall its own chaplain. This year, each athletic team was appointed a chaplain to oversee the players. Each chaplain is only assigned one team to ensure that the Friars can develop organic and real connections with the athletes.
A Student Congress member asked if there was any way Campus Ministry could connect with the international student population.
Fr. Peter Martyr agreed that it would be a great idea to reach a smaller student population who may be susceptible to struggles as they are so far away from home. He thought it might be a great idea to hold smaller intimate dinners.
Another congress member asked about how Campus Ministry is working to connect with Residence Life.
Besides each chaplain being assigned to his own residence hall, Dominicans are encouraged to go to the hall office of each building and play cards, watch sports, and have conversations with RAs and residents. One student agreed that after playing Uno with his Chaplain he felt much more comfortable talking to him as a friend. The more we come to know each other the easier it will be to spread the love of the Catholic and Dominican tradition.
During General Announcements, President Christopher Campanelli ’19 encouraged everyone to go to the SpeakUP PC event in ’64 Hall from 5-7 p.m. This event will be a forum to discuss sexual assault and sexual violence on campus.
The first piece of legislation was regarding the establishment of a new deadline for club applications.
According to this piece, all prospective clubs must submit an application before Nov. 15 or Feb. 28 depending on the semester. The piece passed unanimously.
The following pieces of legislation will be voted on by the members of Student Congress in two weeks on Nov. 27. The second piece of legislation was a proposal for a new club called BELIEVE. This club is designed to be a community and a resource for students with disabilities and challenges.
Although they acknowledged that there is a lot of support for this topic from faculty and staff, there is no club that offers peer support for students with disabilities. It will also serve as a safe place for dialogue and questions.
The third piece of legislation was an amendment to our constitution. The amendment calls for the removal of Article 4 Section 6, which states that each congress member must bring one guest from the College community each semester to attend a regularly scheduled meeting.
The speaker believes that “if someone is interested they should come on their own, member[s] should want to bring guests and advocate for the club not be forced to bring people who don’t want to be there.”
The fourth piece of legislation was another club proposal for a club called Friars for ____. The club is dedicated to planning events to raise funds and create awareness for different organizations.
Last semester, the club raised money for Puerto Rico relief after Hurricane Maria. This semester they have held a grilled cheese run to raise funds for Operation Christmas Child. Members vouched for the club and commended its commitment to service.
The fifth piece of legislation was another club proposal for a new club called Wishmakers-on-Campus. This club is a chapter of the non-profit, Make a Wish. The purpose is to raise money and awareness for the Make A Wish chapters in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They plan to have a 5K walk for wishes in the spring where “Wish Families” can come to talk to students. Additionally, there would be a reception outside Slavin at the end with sponsors and lawn games.
Again, congress members were very receptive and commended the speakers for their dedication to service.