Justice Center

Mission

Promoting campuswide respect and understanding, St. Benedict the Moor Justice Center looks to welcome and provide support, services, and events for every member at the University of Saint Francis. Through our programming and engagement, we seek to create partners, promote a sense of belonging and affirm the God-given dignity of all who make the campus community exceptional. We strive to engage and educate all our students to become people who are passionately involved in their community while upholding the mission and values central to the University of Saint Francis.

Areas of Focus

Service Learning is crucial to our student formation at the University of Saint Francis. The university’s mission is to engage in a diverse community through learning, leadership and service. Our Franciscan values guide this mission as we:

  • Revere the unique dignity of each person
  • Encourage a trustful, prayerful community of learners
  • Serve one another, society, and the Church
  • Foster peace and justice
  • Respect creation

With our mission and values in mind, service learning focuses on finding opportunities for students, staff and faculty to learn, grow and give back to the university and the local community. In doing so, the Justice Center interacts with various groups in the community, our students, faculty and staff to encourage a harmonious relationship of service.

Community Engagement provides the opportunity for the St. Benedict the Moor Justice Center to launch activities/events that help students on campus to be fully integrated into the University of Saint Francis. These events allow students to have quality time to learn from each other as one family through:

  • Sports/Games
  • Activities
  • Community-building
  • Direct Service
  • Deliberative Dialogue

Programming is an area of work for our Justice Center Advocates (SJA); it provides opportunities to get involved on campus while learning more about different cultural identities. The Justice Center is dedicated to initiatives designed to promote student learning about diversity and social justice issues. In addition to educational events and in-class presentations, the St. Benedict the Moor Justice Center offers campuswide events such as workshops, seminars and conferences that serve as social support networks for students. Opportunities include In Your House, a group-facilitated dialogue program designed to strengthen intercultural bonds in the residence halls, and Allied Voices Spoken. Other opportunities include:

  • MLK Week Activities
  • Diversity Speaker Series/Community Education
  • Culture and Languages Series
  • Justice and Service Opportunities
  • Interreligious Dialogues
  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Black History Month
  • Economic Development

The Justice Center also collaborates with different clubs by providing help, accompaniment or sponsorships for various activities. Examples of these groups include:

    • Los Primos (Latino/Hispanic student club)
    • “Find Your Why”
    • Cougar Kings (men of color engagement group)