McCarthy Magazine | Fall 2022

McCARTHY

Fall

Inside:

CSB+SJU

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement

Issue #8

2022 Serving the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University

General Paul Nakasone presents the 16th Annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture

Votes Coalition executes 2022 action plan for midterm elections Dr. Ted Gordon begins term as Farry Professor

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement

Dr. Matt Lindstrom welcomes audience to 16th Annual McCarthy Lecture

McCarthy Magazine 4

Director’s Note

As we approach the December 21 winter solstice, I am reminded not only of the year’s shortest day, but also the day after when the sunlight continues to lengthen until June. The seasonal changes reflect a sense of recharging and renewal, both equally comforting and crucial.

As we reflect on this past semester at the McCarthy Center and look forward to the second half of the year, we thank you for your support of the McCarthy Center.

Our team of mostly senior student coordinators has led the McCarthy Center through a busy and engaging semester. From climate change to cyber security and the mid-term elections, this semester’s programs addressed a variety of pressing subjects.

When speaking to students during his McCarthy Lecture visit, General Paul Nakasone told them, “You manifest the hope that we can take on the challenges ahead.” I share Nakasone’s optimism and I am honored to work with so many excellent students and colleagues.

I hope you and your family have a restful and enjoyable holiday season!

Thank you!

Dr. Matthew Lindstrom

J. McCarthy Center Director

Eugene

16th Annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture with General Paul Nakasone

Written by: Emmett Adam ‘23

International conflict resolution, 2022 midterm election security and interrelated values with Senator Eugene McCarthy ‘35 headlined the Fall 2022 McCarthy Lecture with Gen. Paul Nakasone ‘86 at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater.

However, Nakasone’s knowledge sharing began long before the evening lecture, as he and his team met with community members for a lunch conversation, classroom visits, a reception and more in the lead up to the event.

Through these smaller group conversations, it was clear that Nakasone remains both deeply invested in the CSB+SJU community and the mission of the McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. If moments in conversations or Q&A sessions came to a halt, Nakasone did not shy away from prompting first-year students and ROTC cadets to engage with him and ask challenging questions.

Gen. Nakasone brings decades of high-level experience and wisdom back to the CSB+SJU community. A four-star general from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Nakasone currently serves at the pleasure of the President as Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service.

CSB+SJU President Brian Breuss interviews General Paul Nakasone during 16th Annual McCarthy Lecture

However, prior to his appointment to service in these crucial positions, Nakasone has held command and staff positions across all levels of the Army, served the United States abroad, and served twice as a staff officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As a student at SJU, Nakasone studied economics and received his commission in the Army through the university’s ROTC program. Further, in his lecture, Nakasone directly engaged with the common and contrasting values of his peer alumnus, Senator McCarthy.

“Indeed, I see a parallel here between Senator McCarthy’s career and the work that we are doing at the two organizations that I head” said Gen. Nakasone. “We know of course that our democratic polity depends on the free and informed choices cast by millions of voters in regularly scheduled and fairly run elections.”

This interest and commitment to public service has translated to great generosity as an alumnus, as Nakasone commissioned two ROTC graduating classes, delivered the 2021 Saint John’s commencement address, received an honorary doctorate degree and was the recipient of an Alumni Achievement Award from SJU in 2016.

Gen. Nakasone’s remarks and visit to CSB+SJU are well-linked with the mission of the McCarthy Center and the McCarthy Lecture, promoting integrity and courage in public life. The McCarthy Center thanks both on and off campus partners for their support of the Lecture, to allow for the promotion of these essential ideals to our community.

General Paul Nakasone speaks to CSB+SJU community

St. Joseph Community Outreach Gathering

Written by: Emmett Adam ‘23

This fall, the St. Joseph Parks and Recreation team, CSB+SJU McCarthy Center and Cultural Bridges all teamed up for a St. Joseph Community Outreach Gathering at Centennial Park.

Through these organizations, literature drops, door knocking and community partnerships, St. Joseph residents were encouraged to get to know their neighbors, an especially important event following the pandemic and leading up to the midterm elections.

The aim of the evening was to build bridges within the community, utilizing experiences – both common and unique – to promote a heightened sense of belonging for St. Joseph community members.

Throughout the night, both new and old St. Joseph residents engaged with students and campus stakeholders in “get to know you games,” bocce ball,

soccer, basketball and henna art. Attendees also enjoyed food and beverages such as sambusas, chicken, rice, burgers and chips provided by Somali Café and local families.

Public officials and business leaders such as Mayor Schultz, City Council Members, Police Officers and folks from the Lions Club also attended the event, sharing a meal and participating in activities with residents and students alike.

The importance of events like these cannot be understated in their power to promote community development and a genuine sense of belonging. As St. Joseph continues to expand with new residents and immigrant populations, it is essential for both new and long-term residents of the city to interact with each other and look to form one united community.

Moreover, this event’s mission is deeply integrated with the values of the McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. Through both common and unique experiences, it is clear that our diversity strengthens us and dialogue is essential to fully flourishing communities.

St. Joseph community gathers at Centennial Park

Central MN Take Back the Night

Written by: Kate Fenske ‘23

Snow and nearly freezing temperatures in mid-October didn’t stop students and community members from showing up in support for survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

In partnership with CERTS, Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center, Anna Marie’s Alliance, St. Cloud State University Women’s Center and other on-campus and community organizations, the McCarthy Center co-sponsored the Central MN Take Back the Night march and rally on the evening of October 13th. Take Back the Night rallies in central Minnesota started in the 1980’s, but the event itself dates back internationally to the late 1800’s in London, England.

Prior to the speakers, local central Minnesota organizations set up booths and displays that distributed information about resources for survivors in the area. Along the perimeter of the CSB Mall were t-shirts strung up on clothes lines with messages written by survivors. As you moved from shirt to shirt, messages ranged from powerful and strong to desperate and isolated. Along another edge were purple lights–the color used in support of domestic violence survivors–illuminating signs with the faces and bios of every woman in Minnesota who had been killed as a result of domestic violence in 2022. Despite it being October, the number exceeded that of 2021, signaling to every attendee the need for further awareness and more events like this.

The official program began with student leaders from

the CERTS giving welcoming remarks and the reading of the femicide report, followed by a moment of silence. Other speakers at the rally featured Carol Bruess, accompanied by her husband, CSB+SJU President Brian Bruess, and Peggy LaDue, executive director of the Central MN Sexual Assault Center. Both speakers emphasized that a community approach is needed to make change in their environments and that survivors deserve to be heard and understood. Another theme of the night was the need for allyship to show to survivors that they are loved, cared for and have support all around them in their communities. To do allyship effectively, LaDue called on everyone in the crowd to stand up to oppression and inappropriate comments in addition to simply showing up and being there for people in your own life that are affected by sexual or domestic violence.

After the rally, all participants made their way off campus, walking along College Avenue and Minnesota Street. Leading the way was a large banner with the name of the event, accompanied by the words “Shatter the silence. Stop the violence.” As the march continued, temperatures had dropped and snow started falling since the sun had gone down, but the community was not deterred.

Chants from the march were heard throughout campus as the group made its way back to the mall, leaving all students, not just those that participated, with a sense of encouragement against the ongoing battle against domestic and sexual violence in all communities.

Photo provided by Capri Potter

CSB+SJU VOTES

Voter Registration Day

Written by: Claire Boettcher ‘23

Encouraging people to vote and participate in elections is one of the cornerstones of the McCarthy Center and the CSBSJU Votes Coalition. That is why on September 20th, the McCarthy Center celebrated Voter Registration Day by tabling at Sexton and registering students to vote. We informed students about the different ways to vote and how easy it is to register in the state of Minnesota. Out-of-state students were directed to their relevant Secretary of State’s webpage to learn how to register there. Students were also instructed about how to request mail-in ballots if necessary. There was a lot at stake in this Midterm election, and making sure everyone is registered to vote ensures that their voice is heard.

CSB+SJU Votes Coalition

Written by: Emmett Adam ‘23

Ahead of the Fall 2022 midterm elections, the McCarthy Center formed the semi-annual CSB+SJU Votes Coalition in a non-partisan, student-centered effort to promote student voting turnout and literacy ahead of upcoming local and national races.

The CSB+SJU Votes Coalition began preparation for midterm voting outreach in the summer of 2022, drafting a Voter Engagement Campus Plan containing the following sections: Executive Summary, Mission Statement, Leadership, Coalition Members, National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE) Data, Goals, Strategy and more. In crafting this plan, Student Coordinators looked to leverage data and campus knowledge to facilitate high, accurately

informed turnout at the polls from our community. Shifting closer to the school year, data from CSB+SJU NSLVE 2020 national election led the Votes Coalition to conclude the three largest opportunities for growth were out of state students, student athletes and first-time voters.

One clear indication of this was the voting rate of Saint John’s University Hispanic students in the 2020 national election. In 2020, 70% of Hispanic students, or 81 of 115 students at SJU, voted. 11.5 percent of the campus average of 81.5%.

To assist in meeting the needs of students, the CSB+SJU Votes Coalition partnered with Multicultural Student Services to host an Out of State Voting Workshop on Oct. 4th from 4:30 to 7:30 in CSB Gorecki Fireside. At this event, Multicultural Student Services Staff and McCarthy Center Student Coordinators shared voting resources with students.

Through this outreach, students from over 15 states –including ones with high numbers of Hispanic voters such as Immokalee, FL and Houston, TX – received resources. This event, in tandem with outreach via social media aimed to intervene with some of the tactics leveraged by different stakeholders to decrease voting rates for young students, out of state students and students of color.

In addition to these datapoints, data indicating over 70% of first-year Johnnies and a large majority of firstyear Bennies identify as athletes led to the partnership with Johnnie and Bennie Athletics. Voting literacy guides were provided to sports teams, as well as wnumerous other campus stakeholders.

Lastly, to meet the needs of first-time voters, tabling

on each campus looked to boost literacy and turnout. Though firsttime voting is intimidating and complex, the CSB+SJU Votes team distilled this information and provided the necessary resources to facilitate informed decision making in the midterm elections.

As a result of this outreach, the CSB+SJU Votes Coalition and McCarthy Center received recognition for the 2022 Voter Engagement Campus Plan and was named a 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting. The Coalition is grateful for the support of community partners like the McCarthy Center for facilitating a successful Fall outreach period and greatly anticipates receiving NSLVE’s data breakdown of the 2020 midterm election.

Local Elections

Mayor Rick Schultz and Councilmember Kelly Beniek discuss local issues with St. Joseph community

City of St. Joseph Mayoral Debate

Written by: Emmett Adam ‘23

That was a headlining remark from Councilmember Kelly Beniek to students, faculty, community members and College of Saint Benedict monastics at the St. Joseph mayoral debate. Beniek sat on a two member panel alongside incumbent Mayor Rick Schultz ahead of the Nov. 8, 2022 election.

The event, sponsored by the CSB and SJU Student Senates, both Student Senate Community Representatives and the McCarthy Center opened with an introduction from Gunnar Laughlin ‘23 and continued with 30 minutes of planned questions from moderators Grace Potter ‘24 and Emmett Adam ‘23. Beniek and Schultz outlined necessary qualifications for the role, relevant experience areas and priorities if elected to Mayor.

Following the set question period, audience members asked candidates to speak on relevant issues in the City of St. Joseph. During the audience discussion period, many topics were covered, with key ones centered around: public safety on weekends, CSB+SJU student inclusion in the City Council, business development and the addition of a Community Center to the City of St. Joseph.

The key race in the City of St. Joseph features two candidates bringing distinct approaches and experiences to the race.

Kelly Beniek is a current Councilmember in the City of St. Joseph, serving on a 4-year term. Beniek spent two years at a technical college and is retired. Beniek previously worked for Paramount Theatre as a production manager and as an ATS training specialist.

Rick Schultz has served as Mayor of St. Joseph, Minnesota for 12 years. A graduate of St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical and Community College, he has worked for 42 years in information technology sector for a variety of industries.

The St. Joseph City Council consists of one Mayor and four Council members. The Mayor is elected for a two-year term and the councilmembers are elected for two and four-year terms. The positions are nonpartisan.

In a September interview with the Sartell–St. Stephen–St. Joseph Newsleader, Schultz said “The buck stops with me . . . I accept responsibility for those decisions within the city that get singled out as issues.” Both in interviews, and at the mayoral debate, Schultz called on his experience and leadership approach as qualifications for re-election.

“I listen. I am honest. I believe CSB+SJU students enliven our city. My party is the people” said Beniek. Beniek cites the merits of change in leadership as essential for the future of the City of St. Joseph. The Councilmember experience leans on service, stewardship and safety and will prioritize student inclusion, transportation and sustainability if elected.

What stood out from the event was the opportunity for community engagement promoted by the event. In addition to each candidate having the opportunity to discuss priorities for the upcoming election, audience members could learn from one another to better understand the issues which their neighbors were most focused.

The McCarthy Center’s vision of civic engagement was clearly articulated by this event, as face-to-face engagement cut through partisan lines for the community.

In the end, Mayor Schultz was elected to a seventh term, defeating Councilmember Beniek with 1,307 votes to 1,166.

“It’s good to have change.”

Joseph P. Farry Professorship

Farry Innitiatives and INNR

Written by: Dr. Ted Gordon

This Fall was a busy time for the Farry Professor and the team working at the Initiative for Native Nation Relations (INNR). At it’s core INNR is devoted to research and service on projects initiated by Indigenous communities and as Farry Professor and Director of INNR, Ted Gordon works to build the relationships and infrastructure needed to pursue these projects. At any give moment, we have a half-dozen different projects. But we prioritize the work needed to facilitate Native American boarding school truth and healing. Here are a few of our current projects:

Recording oral histories from the St. Benedict’s Mission School at White Earth. This project is a collaboration between INNR, St. Benedict’s Monastery, The Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the White Earth Nation, and the Niibi Center for the Rights of Nature. It is funded by the McKnight Foundation.

Developing a plan to digitally repatriation records from the St. Benedict’s Mission School to the White Earth Community by centering their community’s desires for making some materials public establishing layered access for more sensitive items. This project involves community meetings at White Earth and INNR research assistants developing a complete inventory of all White Earth records (at least 5,000 pages!) held at St. Benedict’s Monastery and St. John’s Abbey. This project is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and is part of their More Perfect Union Initiative, which commemorates the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s independence.

Locating and inventorying the entirety of the St. John’s

Abbey’s Indian Artifact Collection to assist the Abbey in repatriation consultation. In July, 2022, CSB and SJU’s Presidential Native Nation Task Force, formed with the support and advisement of our Monastic communities, called for our institutions to repatriate all items that Indigenous communities identify as sacred. INNR’s research team is central to the first step in this process— finding and developing a spreadsheet of all items that once belonged to Indigenous communities.

In addition to our project, INNR’s Fall was busy with programming.

We collaborated with Fine Arts Programming to support the art exhibit “Indigenous Survivance”, curated by Travis Zimmerman (SJU ‘94, Grand Portage Descendent), featuring the work of Minnesota-born Indigenous artists.

In September, INNR students presented at Healing Stories, a boarding school dialogue and healing session hosted by the Niibi Center at White Earth’s Shooting Star Casino. After the day-long session, INNR and the Indigenous Students Association, were invited to attend White Earth’s Fall Drum Ceremony.

INNR and the McCarthy Center joined other campus departments and programs in co-sponsoring, Winona LaDuke’s talk, “Envisioning Spiritual, Political, and Ecological Transformation”.

November marked the grand return of St. Cloud’s powwow, with CSB and SJU joining St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud Technical and Community College and ISD 742 as co-sponsors. SCSU founded the powwow 25 years ago but the pandemic forced a 2-year hiatus. This year, the powwow returned with a new name, Ptanyetu (meaning Autumn, in Dakota). The Farry Professor served on the powwow planning committee. At the powwow, he was honored with a star

blanket for his work on boarding school truth and healing. The INNR Team provided key logistical support suport creating flyers and organizing volunteers. With over 75 dancers and 7 drum groups in attendance, the powwow came back strong and INNR looks forward to supporting it again next Fall.

On November 19, the Farry Professor spoke at the University of Minnesota, Morris’s Boarding School Teach-In. Both UM Morris and CSB and SJU have unique campus histories as former sites of Native American boarding schools. Finally, Macy Ellis is growing INNR’s web-presence.

Please check us out at www.csbsju.edu/McCarthy-Center/INNR.

Envisioning Spiritual, Political, and Ecological Transformation

Written by: Landon Peterson ‘24

“How do you make change? You just start.”

During her second visit to campus in four years, it was those words that Winona LaDuke repeatedly went back to, encouraging students to create change during the “Envisioning Political, Spiritual, and Ecological Transformation” event.

Speaking to the nearly full Pellegrene Auditorium, LaDuke drew on her experiences living and working at White Earth Reservation as a water protector, author, and farmer, particularly of wild rice and hemp. A graduate of Harvard University and Antioch College, LaDuke ran for Vice President of the United States as the nominee of the Green Party on a ticket headed by Ralph Nader in 1996 and 2000.

She spoke about the mutual relationship between humans and the natural world, arguing that each side

has a responsibility to take care of the other. LaDuke also emphasized the importance working with nature, pointing out that “where there are Indigenous people, there is biodiversity.”

She also incorporated aspects of her Indigenous heritage, taking the time to name all of the moons in her language and explain that according to her ancestors, now is the time of the 7th fire, citing war, hurricanes, power outages, and fire. LaDuke explained that according to prophecy, there are two paths forward: one well-worn and scorched, and the other green.

“We are in a moment to give birth to a new world,” she said.

LaDuke outlined “The Sitting Bull Plan,” which includes many of the initiatives she is working on, including 8th Fire Solar, a company that produces and installs solar thermal panels on the south wall of buildings, and a variety of hemp products, like hempcrete, a concrete-alternative product.

“This is an opportunity to be transformational, and we should take that opportunity,” she said.

Personally, I was struck by LaDuke’s willingness to get into the murky details of specific topics and policy changes that are required to make headway against climate change. At one point, she was talking about the infrastructure necessary to transition nearby farmers from growing potatoes with pesticides to hemp products, explaining that it wasn’t until the hemp industry developed in Minnesota that the farmers would be willing to make a change.

Oftentimes, climate activism can be viewed as a lot of protesting and negativity, but what LaDuke displayed is a passion for problem solving and a knowledge of how to get things done. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and her eagerness to get students involved will benefit the planet for generations.

Student Conference on United States

Affairs

Written by: Gunnar Laughlin ‘23

Attending the Student Conference on United States Affairs at the United States Military Academy was one of the most unique and most valuable experiences of my college career thus far. I spent several days speaking with other college students from around the country about public health – a field that I am very passionate about –find new approaches to tackling issues in the field and creating a policy memo on our proposed solutions. In addition to other students, my discussion group consisted of a combat medic, a microbiologist, a population scientist, and a former EMT. All of us brought vastly different perspectives to the table, and each member of the group brought important insights to our policy memo that added to the quality of the memo. Getting to work on a team of people from various backgrounds was incredibly valuable to and I am immensely grateful to the McCarthy Center for giving me this opportunity.

Christian Nationalism

Written by: Landon Peterson ‘24

In early November, the McCarthy Center co-sponsored “Christian Nationalism in America: Its History and Resurgence,” a Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning event featuring Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., Ph.D.

Dr. Gallagher is a Jesuit monk and an associate professor of history at Boston College, where he has been teaching since 2010. His research interests include the history of right-wing movements, the intersection of intelligence and religion, American Catholicism, papal diplomacy, international relations and the history of the Holocaust.

Dr. Gallagher talked about his recent book, Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten History of the Christian Front, which tells the story of a group of American terrorists who, in the name of God, conspired to overthrow the United States government and form an alliance with Hitler. Members of this self-proclaimed anti-Semitic and anti-Communist group known as the Christian Front were charged with seditious conspiracy, the same charge levelled by the U.S. Department of Justice against leaders of both the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers for their alleged roles in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Dr. Gallagher also presented on the history of the Christian Front and other explicitly Christian nationalist groups. Taking the audience through time, he featured primary evidence, old news clippings and magazines, while drawing parallels to present-day movements.

Dr. Gallagher’s lecture was incredibly interesting and did a great job of discussing how past movements influence today’s far-right movements. His use of old primary sources engaged the audience and captured just how similar some movements were and are today, especially considering the evident rise of right-wing extremism.

McCarthy Mentor Program

Fall Programming

Written by: Kate Fenske ‘23

The mentor program this semester began as it usually does– by gathering friends and alumni new and old, willing to dedicate their time and energy into accepting the role of mentor to a current undergraduate student for a semester. Although the mentor program naturally attracts political science students, the McCarthy Center prides itself on being a resource for all students, regardless of major. This year, we have students from a variety of academic backgrounds participating in the mentor program–from biology, computer science and nursing, to political science, economics and global business leadership. Although we’ve all learned that

glorious resource that Zoom has the capacity to be, some students were lucky enough to meet in-person with their mentors over Thanksgiving break for coffee or a meal to get to know each other’s backgrounds and aspirations.

Each year, students gather a few times a semester to discuss networking tips and tricks, career and internship preparation, and to meet up with alumni for panels and Q&As. Since the program has so many students who participate year after year, it provides an important opportunity for students to learn from each other as well. Although Polidazzle is pushed to the spring semester, mentees have jumped in headfirst by reaching out and making new connections in the famed Bennie Johnnies network that we are so lucky to have.

CSB+SJU students interviewed by a New York Times reporter in Egypt at United Nations Climate Conference. Hear what Kate Fenske ‘23 had to say here:

McCarthy Center Staff

Apply for Student Funding through the McCarthy Center!

The McCarthy Center has funds devoted to supporting student opportunities relating to professional development, academic, or civic engagement opportunities. Student funding is available to CSB/SJU students in any major. If you are interested in applying for funding, scan this code for more information.

Edited and Designed by: Victoria M. Evens

Matt Lindstrom Edward L. Henry Professor, Director

Ted Gordon Joseph P. Farry Professor

Victoria M. Evens Assistant Director

Emmett Adam ‘23 Programming Coordinator

Claire Boettcher ‘23 Programming Coordinator

Kate Fenske ‘23 Mentor Program Coordinator

Landon Peterson ‘24 Media Coordinator

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