Spring 2004

A letter from the Executive Director
Executive Director (Rev.) William F. Lies reflects on the ways the Center engages faculty, students and the community.

Community Partnership Gets the Lead Out with $400,000 Grant
Can a partnership of University of Notre Dame students, faculty, community organizations and businesses succeed in getting the lead out?

The SSP ‘Ripple’ and the Legacy of Jim Andrews
As students prepare for their eight-week Summer Service Project Internships, Jim Andrews’ (’60) legacy and the work of his wife Kathleen Andrews (’63), will be one of the primary reasons they will have the opportunity to touch so many lives and explore the social issues of our times.

Pfeil Reflects Catholic Social Teaching in Her Life and Work
If you need a lesson on the practical side of Catholic social teaching, you should start at the Peter Claver Catholic Worker House in South Bend.

Finding Hope in Unlikely Places
Just a few miles from the glitz of downtown Chicago, Liz Fallon arrived in a neighborhood that would probably inspire the average traveler to lock their car doors from the inside and begin making plans to get back on the highway. Fallon’s trip, as part of the “Organizing, Power, and Hope,” is the beginning of her journey to explore strategies to effect change among the homeless and those on the margins in America’s cities.

‘Careers as Vocations’ Panels Reflect on Life Beyond ND
From architecture to science, media to ministry, the Careers as Vocations sessions have helped students reflect on their own discernment process and illustrate how faith and social concerns can be integrated into life beyond Notre Dame.

Report Explores Student Attitudes on Poverty
What causes poverty? What are ways to help end poverty? Are you concerned that you might be poor at some point in your life? These questions were asked of Notre Dame students before and after the Urban Plunge, a two-day immersion experience held during winter break in over 30 cities around the country.

Roberts Appointed Director of Communications
Kelly S. Roberts has been appointed director of communications for the Center for Social Concerns.

New Course Helps Students Develop Strategies for Global Change
It’s been a few months since Kate Belden returned from working in refugee camp in Bangkok, but she’s only now unpacking her emotional and spiritual bags from the trip.In her position with the National Catholic Commission on Migrants, she worked with people that suffered from political oppression, natural disasters, wars, and even their squalid warehousing in the slums of Bangkok. Coming to terms with her experience proved to be one of the most difficult challenges of all.

‘Courage Brother’: A Reflection on Bangkok
The following reflection was written by Kate Belden as part of Prof. Greg Downey’s course, “Cultural Difference and Social Change.” Belden is currently president of the “Free Burma Coalition,” a student group working to focus attention on the humanitarian abuses of the repressive regime ruling Burma.