Service Social/ Justice Programming

Civil Rights Tour

The Baylor Civil Rights Tour prompts students to explore key historical sites of the American Civil Rights Movement, examine the history of the Movement from various perspectives and disciplines, and discusses current issues surrounding the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. This experiential learning opportunity empowers students to confront complex issues, promote social awareness, and work to create a more just society.

• Students journey to significant sites of the Civil Rights Movement, including Little Rock, AR; Oxford, MS; Memphis, TN; Birmingham, AL; Selma, AL; Montgomery, AL; and New Orleans, LA.
• Students visit museums and institutes devoted to the scholarship and preservation of the Civil Rights Movement, including the University of Mississippi and Institute for Racial Reconciliation, National Civil Rights Museum, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, National Voting Rights Museum, Rosa Parks Museum, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
• Students meet with veterans of the Civil Rights Movement for first-hand accounts of their struggle for equality and human rights.
• Students read, reflect, question, and think about important issues related to the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. Students meet with representatives of community organizations, churches, and social action organizations.
• Students serve in New Orleans, engaging with those still in need as a result of the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Katrina. Students discuss the connections between those most detrimentally affected by the storm and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. Ongoing civil rights struggles are addressed within the context of contemporary issues of inequity.

The Eve Project: Breaking the Cycle of Silence

When fear of sexual violence ends, what will YOU do?  Respond to this question and be part of a revolutionary movement that will begin to break the cycle of silence regarding sexual violence... This project intends to empower women to break the cycle of silence through creative avenues of expression and create a more inclusive environment for people who have encountered fear of sexual violence in all different capacities, whether as a victim, brother, best friend, or boyfriend. Therefore, it is not limited by gender and all are invited to participate in naming the fear.

The Eve Project:  Breaking the Cycle of Silence is a photo/media campaign. Portraits of students, faculty, and administration will be displayed along with their response to the phrase, “When fear of sexual violence ends, I will…” The project is based on the belief that people, especially women, would live their lives differently if they were free of the fear of sexual violence. This project aims not only to show how individuals’ lives would be different but also to recognize this universal fear that transcends gender, age, status, race, and religion. The portraits of each individual will be mounted on mural to be displayed in the student center, along with video footage documenting the responses of the participants. 

Actively Caring for People

The movement has started at Virginia Tech and it has been spreading to institutions across the country. Alumni Distinguished Psychology Professor Dr. E. Scott Geller, three Student Government Leaders, and two Resident Advisors have been using green wristbands to reward “Actively Caring” behavior. The Actively Caring concept originated decades ago from Dr. Geller’s psychology research and the movement has taken form most recently. This year, students and faculty are set on combining our school motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) and our slogan “Invent the Future” to create an actively caring culture at Virginia Tech.  If Brandon sees Scott perform an actively caring behavior, any behavior that goes beyond the call of duty to help others, Brandon would take the wristband off of his wrist, thank Scott for caring, and tell him to pass it on to someone else when he sees that person actively caring for another person. This pay-it-forward philosophy has helped the green wristbands spread to schools across the country and encourage kind acts to continue.

The concept is simple: pass the wristband to someone who cares. Our hope is the positive recognition will increase the likelihood of people to perform acts of caring in the future. Student Government Associations from various universities are spreading the actively caring concept and the wristbands to students. Departments of Residence Life are using them to reward the Actively Caring “Citizen of the Week,” Elementary Schools are using this concept to combat bullying, and the Center for Applied Behavior Systems is studying ways to increase actively caring on a large scale.

M3 Leadership Conference

As many higher education institutions compete in sports, it is time for regional schools to collaborate in services and ministries. The value is, “what can we do together that we cannot do alone” as well as, let us share resources, best practices and be a support to one another. Currently, Azusa Pacific, Cal Baptist, and Vanguard University has joined in mutual planning, designing, implementing and evaluating an annual M3 Leadership Conference that provides short term mission team leaders “More Experience, More Momentum, More Impact!” We have gathered in the fall semester to brainstorm and form visions and ideas. Our first year required a great deal of discovering of who we are and what we want our association to be about as an organizational development and the qualitative program in the early spring semester. First it was the branding that lead to M3 Leadership Conference, then the goals followed with the relevant workshops to follow. 2010 M3 Leadership Conference will be our 3rd annual of which we are very excited to share how the mindset and attitude of the collaboration has been beneficial for each of our schools. Now we have invited other schools like Biola, Westmont, San Diego Christian College along with other mobilizing institutions to partake in our program. More details can be provided.