Sierra College focuses on social justice
Films 'sleep-out' designed to raise awareness
Professor Matt Archer will be sleeping on the ground this week, and encourages his students to do likewise. As a professor of anthropology at Sierra College, Archer said he feels it’s important to do his part in raising awareness about homelessness in the Sacramento area. Together with at least 30 Sierra students and a handful of other professors, Archer plans on raising awareness by giving up his warm bed and house for two nights. The sleep-out is one of many events the community college is hosting this week for Social Justice Days, an annual event at the college. “I would hope that the people involved will come to the realization that they really can have an impact on social justice issues, however big or small, and that something can be done and should be done,” Archer said. This week’s events run on Wednesday Oct. 7 and Thursday, Oct. 8. The sleep out is one of several new platforms students have planned to highlight this year’s focus on domestic issues. Health Re-Forum, a panel of several professors discussing Healthcare in the U.S., furthers this focus, along with Brave Sierra Voices, a collection of slam poetry, and a film event highlighting Michael Moore’s new film, “Capitalism: A Love Story.” The event at is it now began a couple years ago as part of a social problems class taught by Megan Seely, professor of sociology and women’s studies at Sierra College. Social Justice Days grew as other professors and on-campus clubs collaborated to create an annual large-scale event Seely said shows students how they, individually, can make a difference. “I believe that one person really can make a difference, and that our individual voices are valid and that collectively they are very powerful. I live that politic in my daily life,” Seely said. "(Social Justice Days) give students an opportunity to raise awareness in their community. It gets them beyond the walls of their classroom to be engaged with the material they are learning.” The event planning committee has estimated that about 200 students are directly involved in putting on the week’s events, with at least 300 being indirectly involved through classes and clubs. Archer sees the week as a way to promote the things he is passionate about while bringing real-life events to bear on classroom concepts. Seely, also, said her involvement in the week is both personal and professional, as it provides a venue for her own activism and enables her to show students the importance of raising their voices. “There has been some recent news and issues concerning homelessness in the Sacramento community,” Archer said. “We’re making an attempt to connect with more regional issues and find a way to raise awareness in our own community.”
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"Together with at least 30 Sierra students and a handful of other professors, Archer plans on raising awareness by giving up his warm bed and house for two nights."
Instead of sleeping out, volunteer at a homeless shelter to help the less fortunate, they could use the help....
How about teaching the students how to start up a business so they can offer jobs to the homeless? Or teach them to be drug counselors so they can help some of the homeless get off their addiction. Prof. Archer needs to rethink his lesson plan.
Wow! Poetry, sleeping out, Michael Moore, I'm getting all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. Any bets this "professor" doesn't sleep out on Monday or Tuesday during the storm? I'm sure he's providing a valuable and useful education to all those hoping to enter the corporate anthropology field.
She is doing her part...why don't you follow your own suggestions? Then you can do your part...
Look up the definition of "Social Justice" in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice , and here is what pops up: "Social justice is a term, generally applied by the left, to describe a society with a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution, policies aimed toward achieving that which developmental economists refer to as equality of opportunity and equality of outcome." National Association of Scholars, http://www.nas.org/polArticles.cfm?Doc_Id=26&Keyword_Desc=The%20Scandal%20of%20Social%20Work%20Education , defines it like this: " the term "social justice" is today understood to mean "the advocacy of more egalitarian access to income through state-sponsored redistribution.""
In other words these professors are socialist teaching gullible students with our hard earned tax dollars.
auburnite: At our church, when we were preparing for an extended stint of volunteer service, we slept in the parking lot for a night as a way to "raise our awareness". It was a way to walk in someone elses shoes - even if it was in a very small way. After experiencing the discomfort and the vulnerability of sleeping out, we were motivated and better prepared to show compassion to our homeless neighbors. Many of us have gone on to volunteer at homeless shelters on a regular basis. Raising awareness and volunteering go hand in hand.
Observer. Karen and I practice what we preach. And it works. Archer's plan does not and has not done a thing to help the homeless. Skill building, mental health and drug counseling do. How about inviting a homeless family to stay with you in your own house until they get on their feet? We have done that.
Jayber, Would not your basic religious values allow you to show compassion without having to "experience" the discomfort of others?
By the way, sleeping in cardboard boxes is not discomforting to almost all the homeless. It is a life style they choose. Because it is discomforting to you is one of the reasons you do things not to become homeless. I'm surprised the anthro professor didn't learn that in his studies or research.
If They want to show some compassion let them go out and work in a field, dig a ditch do some hard labor. That way maybe they can appreciate what a lot of HARD working people do to stay off the public dole. Working for your own well being should be one of the most celebrated efforts and feelling of freedom and independence there is. Isn't that the example the professors should be experiencing.
I think sleeping out to raise awareness about the homeless is great. I don’t, however, think using the homeless platform to promote her “activism” is healthy. The professor’s activism should be left out of the classroom. This is ostensibly a “help the homeless” promotion, but it is really an anti-capitalism event. Michael Moore has a proven track record of distorting the truth and is a rabid, socialist. I don’t think his propaganda films offer any education to these kids. Our colleges can do much better than this. Jon Green, most of these people don’t “choose” to live that way. They have varying degrees of depression that prohibits them from showing up for employment. They have a difficult time dealing with stresses that you and I would not even consider stress.
Jon - Of course my values allow me to show compassion without having to experience discomfort. However, your remark about sleeping in boxes not being umcomfortable for "almost all the homeless" doesn't ring true. How in the world would you know that to be true?
In addition, discomfort pales in comparison to the need to sleep in safety. In LA, I talked to a number of homeless people who choose to walk all night and try to sleep during the day because they dare not close their eyes lest they be attacked. Another man, right here in Auburn, told me he stays in a shelter, not to get out of the weather, but to be safe from basball bats.
Why the defensiveness? All the things you mention are good: providing jobs; inviting people into your home, drug counseling. Is there a need for one upsmanship in helping others? Keep in mind that raising awareness is often the first step of developing compassion - especially among the young people of Placer County, who tend to be privileged.
Watchit makes a good point about appreciating hard working people who are trying to stay independant. Locally, quite a number of the homeless I have met are working people. They are trying to get back into housing and are in the shelter to save up enough for the needed deposits. Try working hard all day & then going to a shelter every night instead of the privacy of your own place.
Let's support one another in both helping & raising awareness. Peace.
Jayber,A large percentage of the homeless have chosen that live style. They used to be called bums, hobos and Knights of the Road.
Patrick, Agree with the mental health problems. A lot of these folks used to be in large state mental hospitals until the mental health community decided to close them and open up community clinics. Unfortunately no one wanted these clinics in their communities. So instead of having the homeless in a place where they could get treatment, the same people that didn't want the neighborhood clinics are stuck with them roaming the streets. The legislation passed to close the hospitals and fund the clinics but the nimbys stopped the building of the clinics.
Awareness means understanding the root causes of the problem, not having to live the problem. What is sleeping outside in a sleeping bag on a piece of cardboard going to do to solve the problem? All the Prof's students have probably camped out anyway.
Okay, Jon. Both my sons were forced to observe peer court. The first time, we went to the Roseville site, were turned away after waiting an hour, and were treated rudely to boot. We then went to Auburn, which was much better. Nevertheless, we had no choice about going and experiencing peer court if they were to pass their government class. What we saw were kids that made poor choices given sentances handed down by other high school aged students. My sons thought that all involved were much too easy on the young criminals.
Did I like experiencing peer court? No. Did our attendance solve any problem of any kind? No. Did it raise our awareness? Yes. Was it worthwhile? Probably. Could we have just had someone describe peer court and how it works? Yes. Would it have been as instructive? No.
I honestly do not see what your big objection is. I do agree that there are a number of people who choose the transient lifestyle for a variety of reasons. Those people tend not to populate shelters or willingly participate in efforts to change their own circumstances. Does that mean we should not help those who do ask for help finding shelter, food or work?
Jon, the person responsible for closing mental facilities and casting them out on the streets....ready.... Ronald Reagan.
Post Reagan governors have been harsh. His plan showed a true lack of compassion and understanding. There wasn't one. He simply ignored what happened in the aftermath of his draconian beliefs shaping public policy..
I agree that work may scare off some of the homeless. However, they should not be sentenced to hard labor.
The INpolitically correct observations are exactly right. Sleeping out or feigning "homelessness" does nothing to solve the problem or help the ones in need. Teaching them and others to operate businesses, bring new products to our markets, improve existing channels of distribution, improve services or create new ways to get homless people back into productive society, etc. will do far more than laying around wishing things were different.
The problem has existed throughout history. Sadly it is often exacerbated by people who either give fish, get the government to give fish, or talk about giving fish...rather than teaching the ones in need how to fish for themselves.
In my observations, even taking my children to help with feeding the homeless and providing such necessities as socks and underwear never really helped them change the course of their lives. I don't know what will change some of them because I know some that, even though they have sigificant jiob skills, will NOT stay on jobs when they become employed....especially if there is a free meal and place to sleep for doing nothing. Perhaps history has shown us that there will always be some who just won't fend for themselves, and we just refuse to admit it. While mental health seems to be a component for some derelicts, it is not an answer for most. History shows that the more services given freely, the more homeless are created.
More $$ in private hands will create more commerce and jobs, though.
I disagree, Deja. I believe that MOST of these people suffer from VARYING degrees of mental health issues. Come on, how many people look forward to a life of homelessness? They simply can’t hold down a job as a result of their mental state of mind. Chuxx, you’re becoming as bas as CR. Give me a break. Having the class sleep out isn’t going to facilitate in helping the homeless find work or change their ways. The event is to attempt to bring the ISSUE to the minds of the students so that THEY may become interested and become involved with helping the homeless. What’s wrong with that?
I disagree, Deja. I believe that MOST of these people suffer from VARYING degrees of mental health issues. Come on, how many people look forward to a life of homelessness? They simply can’t hold down a job as a result of their mental state of mind. Chuxx, you’re becoming as bas as CR. Give me a break. Having the class sleep out isn’t going to facilitate in helping the homeless find work or change their ways. The event is to attempt to bring the ISSUE to the minds of the students so that THEY may become interested and become involved with helping the homeless. What’s wrong with that?
Sorry for the double post.
Chuxxr. Reagan was Govenrner, but closing the hospital was done based on the requests of the Mental Health Professional Community who believed that removing the mental ill from their home locations and whatever family they had was not medically effective. The Mental Health Community effectively lobbied for the creation of local clinics where the mentally ill could be treated close to their homes. The general public stopped the building of the clinics that were funded by the legislature. The general public still doesn't want to address the homeless issue.
Jayber, Your sons also received a classroom session on Juvenile law and the Juvenile Justice System. Today there are no consequences for first time juvenile offenders and juvenile crime is on the rise in Placer County. Besides the kids who were forced to view the Peer Court proceedings, hundreds of teen visited the court voluntarily. The court sessions, there were four a month alternating between Roseville and Auburn, were always packed. Your sons could have volunteered for jury duty and gained the experience of how sentences were developed.
Going to Peer Court was not an exercise in building awareness. Visiting Peer Court was an educational experience to learn about how the Justice System works. How many of us have ever been in a court room to watch a trial or be a juror?
Thanks, Patrick. You said it well: "The event is to attempt to bring the ISSUE to the minds of the students so that THEY may become interested and become involved with helping the homeless. What’s wrong with that?"
Jon - I agree with you - "The general public still doesn't want to address the homeless issue." The event at Sierra College was just one way to get people talking about the issue, as we have here on this forum. I am confident that the students in the classes taught by these two instructors are engaged in reading and discussing the causes of homelessness and approaches to addressing the problem in some depth. One of the things the students probably learned were ways to get people talking about the problem by gaining some publicity. The sleep out was effective at gaining some publicity. Maybe they did learn something after all. (So it was an educational experience, not an exercise in awareness building?)
Patrick, I think you have the wrong blogger. My comment was about Ronald Reagan and how he closed mental health facilities during his reign.
as Governor.
Firstly, this was a voluntary exersize, the students were not forced to do it.
There are different learning modalities...not everyone truely understands or has that "ah-ha" moment when sitting in lecture or reading a text. Some individuals need to physically experience something to gain greater understanding. This is college mind you, a place for introductions and new ideas. A person is not going to learn everything there is to know about social anthropology in a single 16 week class. That's why Antropology is an entire department :) There are multiple ways to raise awareness of an issue. Some of these young adults may have never thought of it before. THose who may not need the experience, but seeing fellow students doing this exercise also may gain awareness and start thinking about the issues and wonder how it impacts their lives and how they may choose to impact the issues themselves. It may open a dialog, and the effects could cascade down to a movemtent.
Or the students could all pat each other on the back and go home with warm fuzzies and a thankfulness that they have beds. The fact of the matter is, that this is a valid exersize to try to spark awareness....you never know when a spark will turn into a flame that can be nurtured and burn brilliantly in the future.
ChristinaO: For some on this board, "new ideas" are as foreign as an illegal immigrant.
You make a good point steelybob. I forget sometimes.
The first time I took my daughters downtown to feed, cloth and care for the homeless, I was worried that the experience would not resonate with them. We started our venture at Bayside Church in Granite Bay. We sorted and organized bags and bags of clothes. Then, we made sandwiches, lots and lots of them. As we drove to the street where this all takes place, I wondered what was going through my daughters’ minds. I didn’t ask. Once we were there and they became involved with many of the homeless, I could see their interests beginning to soar. Then, a lady that had just gotten off the streets and had become an advocate for the homeless stopped my daughters and thanked them for their efforts. The lady began to cry and told my daughters her life’s story. It was a red letter day for my girls. They wouldn’t miss an opportunity to help the homeless for anything. Don’t dare even say a derogatory word about them; you may get a right cross to your chin. I’m very happy that lady came by; it made a huge impact on my girls; I’m very proud of my girls. You never know what will impact a young person and bring them to action.
Patrick50: You taught your daughters a fine lesson that day.
I have to say I am greatly disappointed by not only the lack of research, or inquiry by the readers, but by the author as well. The event was entirely student driven. These "Professors" were asked by students to attend, but it had nothing to do with curriculum of courses. Courses, which, by the way, are being cut at tremendous rates due to lack of funding from the "hard earned tax dollars".. which, as everyone knows if not spent to maintain a minimum education level will be spent on maintaining prisons, go ahead, I encourage you to check that! http://people.ucsc.edu/~rstone/soc30/?url=issue .. or just google.
A special thanks to Jayber, "Raising awareness and volunteering go hand in hand." You are absolutely right and while I did not participate personally in the event, the donations gathered along with the event were bigger this year than I have seen in previous years. It has generated many fine and intellectual discussions throughout the community, which indeed was the point. I want to take a moment to say congratulations to the few students who worked on the project and educated themselves on the issues involved to better raise awareness on the college campus. As well as a big thank you to the professors who sacrificed to allow students to do such an event.
Wow! What a misleading article. It left out the "small" fact that the sleep-out was a student-generated idea, not something pushed on them by faculty members or as part of some "lesson plan." I applaud Archer and Seely for connecting up their academic expertise with here-and-now social issues facing a lot of families locally and globally - sounds like good education to me!