Roy Bourgeois – a soldier of solidarity Thursday Oct. 24, 2013 VOL. LV, ISSUE VIII
Inside
Human rights activist Roy Bourgeois during his presentation on Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. THE QUEST FOR AN NCAA TITLE PAGE 15
RA COUPLES: LOVE, WORK & SCHOOL PAGE 8
Online
www.theloquitur.com
BY JOSEPH RETTINO Staff Writer
Cabrini Students and faculty were treated to an insightful afternoon dedicated to education regarding injustices some say the United States funds. With justice being an integral part of the fabric of Cabrini, all can learn from someone like Roy Bourgeois, a human rights activist and founder of the School of Americas Watch. As an opening during the Monday, Oct. 14, 2013, talk in Widener Lecture Hall, Roy Bourgeois reflected on the injustice that he was involved in as a child in his own church and believes even the Church can continue to perpetrate injustices. “We were making God our partner in racism,” Bourgeois said. A Vietnam veteran, Bourgeois learned many things from his stint over seas. “Simply we are not made for war,” Bourgeois, the defrocked-priest, said. “Our loving creator gave us a conscience. “We have a heart that often has compassion in it and we cannot go about the business of killing and go on with life as before.” Bourgeois believes we need others to awaken us, during our lives. It was the poor and injured Vietnam orphans, or teachers as he called them, which helped Bourgeois to confront ignorance, prejudice and a lack of wisdom. It was not until his final leg of his tour in Vietnam that he felt God calling him to the priesthood. After researching the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Bourgeois was filled with hope. “My four years in the military were going to be up and I was going to be joining the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. I was filled with hope. The hope continues today,” Bourgeois said.
Following several years of reflection and preparation, Bourgeois was ordained and sent to service the poor in the western part of South America, Bolivia. As the children in Vietnam once taught him, now so did the Bolivian people. “They taught this gringo so much, especially about their struggle — their lives. Most of the people in Bolivia are struggling for survival — living on the edge,” Bourgeois said. Protecting the United States’ economic interests and exploiting the poor through funding the brutal dictatorship that controlled Bolivia, it upset Bourgeois to know that the struggling they endured was at the hands of his own country. “There is a lot of money to be made by exploiting cheap labor in these countries,” Bourgeois said. Bolivia is where Bourgeois learned liberation theology. It is a theology that empowers the poor and teaches a God of love, which was contrary to what he learned in his church in Louisiana. This interpretation of Christianity begins with the idea that no one is to live in poverty, be subject to injustice or a victim of violence. “It is through all this liberation theology that came the all important word solidarity,” Bourgeois said. “It’s the idea of making someone else’s struggle, your struggle.” After being arrested and deported from Bolivia, his attempts of returning were thwarted. Bourgeois then set his sights on El Salvadore. Like Bolivia, the center of El Salvatore’s strength came from the United States. The El Salvadorian soldiers were being trained in the School of the Americas, an institution located within the walls of the United States Army post, Fort Benning, Georgia. “Giving guns and training to those doing the killing. This is all being done in our name, with our taxes,” Bourgeois said.
RA Relationships PINK IS THE NEW BLACK PAGE 7
JT ALBUM REVIEW PAGE 10
BY JESSICA PARADYSZ Staff Writer
BRENDAN LOGUE / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
BY SAHRA ALI Staff Writer
Terri Allen, a junior English and social work major and Jon Miller, a junior English and philosophy major, are seen as a unit on campus. The duo balance classes, activities, sports and a long term-relationship. This year, the couple has added resident assistants to their list of responsibilities. Although the role can be stressful, both agree that they are doing “heart work,” not hard work and the RA duties have given them a separate identity as well as an increased appreciation for each other. While many Cabrini students were enjoying the last days off summer soaking up the sun at the beach and spending time with friends, Allen and Miller went through intense RA training. Training included a retreat in the woods where they could not use technology. Students were cut off from using their cell phones, and fairly “miserable” from the detox. “It was a lot of fun bonding with each other spending late nights making s’mores and building trust,” Allen said. Allen and Miller make their residents feel comfortable with coming to them for anything. Miller shared that one of his residents opened up to him about his life. Miller was happy to talk and be there for his resident going beyond his traditional RA duties. SEE RA RELATIONSHIPS ON PAGE 8
SEE BOURGEOIS ON PAGE 5
Coming Soon...
CABRINI DAY! Tuesday, November 12, 2013
- Lead for Change, 10:30 a.m., Dixon Center Is there an injustice in society that you think needs attention? Educate fellow Cabrini community members about the injustice and how we can work together to fix it. - Cabrini Day Speaker: Eboo Patel, 2 p.m., Grace Hall Atrium Author of “Acts of Faith,” Eboo Patel and a member of his staff will lead a workshop as part of the keynote address. The goal of this workshop is to get the students talking about how they can work together to bring about positive change in the world. For more information on all the Cabrini Day events visit cabrini.edu