The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University
Volume XCV | Est. 1929 | www.sjuhawknews.com
Oct. 26, 2016
Veterans Entrepreneurial Program to continue this fall ROB ROY ’19 Special to The Hawk
Pepa Serrano, ’20, scores the winning goal in overtime, giving St. Joe’s the No. 1 seed in Atlantic 10 conference tournament for the first time since 1995 (Photo by Luke Malanga, ’20).
Acknowledging the sins of the past St. Joe’s hosts panel on Jesuit slaveholding ANGELA CHRISTALDI ’17 Managing Editor A panel held on Oct. 18 titled, “Living with the Sins of the Past: Perspectives of Jesuit Slaveholding,” discussed Maryland Province Jesuits’ public acknowledgement that Jesuits owned and sold slaves in 1838. Moderated by Dan Joyce, S.J., ’88, executive director of Mission Programs, the panel featured two Saint Joseph’s professors–Tia Pratt, Ph.D., visiting professor of sociology, and Randall Miller, Ph.D., professor of history–and Cora Marie Billings, RSM, former deputy director of the Virginia Human Rights Council. Joyce opened the panel by discussing how he first learned of the Jesuits’ involvement with the slave trade. During the spring of his freshman year at Saint Joseph’s in 1985, one of Joyce’s history professors mentioned the fact that the Jesuits once owned slaves, something that he, Joyce, found appalling. “Not only is the reality of slaveholding shocking under any circumstances, but to think that you, or an organization with which you may be associated, has some-
thing to do with this history, is disconcerting to say the least,” Joyce said. Billings began her remarks by pointing out that her great-grandfather was one of the slaves owned by the Maryland Province Jesuits. Despite the fact that the Catholic Church used to own one of her family members, Billings said she is still strong in her faith, because she believes “you can’t change a system if [you] are on the outside.” She said that while slavery ended more than a hundred years ago, the repercussions of the institution are still very much present in our society. “You don’t have the shackles of iron you can see… [but] the shackles are still there,” Billings said. Sociology professor, Pratt, who researches and writes, among other topics, about American Catholicism and race and ethnicity, also brought up the issue of the Catholic Church’s relationship with African American people. She focused her remarks on what Saint Joseph’s University would be doing with the knowledge of their potential
connection to the sale of 272 slaves. “The [Jesuits of the] Maryland Province held men, women, and children in bondage and denied them dignity,” Pratt said, urging the audience to remember that one of the tenets of Jesuit belief is “cura personalis,” or care for the whole person. The Jesuits also urge people to live “with and for others” and show care and respect for all people. The Jesuits focus heavily on social justice teaching, Pratt said, but sometimes they fail to follow through on their words with actions. “Social justice teaching must be used to illuminate structural racism and the history that created it,” Pratt said. She called for the university administration to speak out about the institution’s potential connections to slavery, and said that courses about the history of the Jesuits and their slaveholding should, in the future, be included in the core courses St. Joe’s students are required to take.
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Launched in 2015, The Veterans Entrepreneurial Jumpstart (VEJ) will be held once agin from Oct. 29 through Nov. 6. The three-part residency program includes classroom instruction, panels, lectures, networking, and mentoring. This residency also happens to coincide with National Veteran’s Small Business Week, which runs from Oct. 31 through Nov. 4. The Saint Joseph’s University Office of Veteran’s Affairs, which holds the VEJ program, offers financial, academic, and career-planning support services for student veterans on Hawk Hill. The office also provides services for all veterans, including services for their families members who decide to attend Saint Joseph’s University, as well. These services ensure that students and veterans receive all possible benefits available, including academic and career advising, and any counseling when needed. The office is run by Ralph Galati, head of the office of Veteran’s Affairs, and Kevin E. Gelzhiser, assistant director of Veterans Services. “The single biggest thing is to get vets and families to contact us and let us help them get what they need,” says Galati. Galati and Gelzhiser are both veterans. Galati served eight years in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain and becoming a prisoner of war in the Vietnam War. Gelzhiser served with the First Troop Philadelphia City Calvary, the oldest military unit in the nation. Both men now work to ensure the next generation of veterans coming home from the Iraq War have everything they need to return and succeed in civilian life. The pair encourages veterans or families of veterans to contact the Saint Joseph’s University Office of Veteran’s Services. The office also assists veterans in finding jobs at a large number of regional companies who are looking to hire them. “We’re growing in the area of carrier development,” Galati claimed. In addition to helping veterans find jobs, Galati and Gelzhiser also host national entrepreneurship programs for veterans that aim to offer resources and advice to those wanting to start their own business. Gelzhiser also mentors a local chapter of the Student Veterans of America, a national organization that presents speaker series, programs, and other assets to help veterans. Despite the huge amount of assistance the office provides, Galati emphasizes that their biggest challenge is finding veterans. “It’s hard when veterans come back after ‘x’ amount of years in the military, including some combat and deployments, and they think the world has changed. We try to let them know it’s not the world that’s changed, its you,” Galati said. By reaching out and making the office aware of them, veterans can receive newsletters and social media notifications for opportunities that could help them transition into a successful civilian life.