Upon walking into psychology professor Betsy Gardner’s office, you instantly get a sense of peace, unity and serenity. Pictures of the New Hampshire mountainside where Gardner has hiked dot the interior of the immaculate office.
But the office hides a number of items that you wouldn’t expect, such as a drawer Gardner has labeled “justice.” This drawer holds the details of the many causes led by this activist professor. She went on a hunger strike in 1999 to protest the conditions under which the Fairfield janitorial staff was working at the time; in November she went with Fairfield students on a trip to Georgia to protest The School of Americas; and last month, she also protested Bishop Lori’s coming to campus at a time when the bishop was ordering parishes to read statements in opposition to gay marriage.
Linda Davidow, ’05, went on the Georgia trip and is just one of many students influenced by Gardner’s activism. “She makes everyone feel like they’re important,” Davidow said.
For all the passion that accompanied Gardner throughout her life, activism was not a major component of her life until she reached Fairfield. “I wouldn’t have become an activist…had I not been at Fairfield. It’s because I’m here that I am,” Gardner explained. “It was experiences that I had here, experiences like the Urban Plunge, Mission Volunteer, and others that opened me up to see more.”
One of the events that propelled her into activism was the event of Matthew Shepard’s beating and subsequent death solely because he was gay. She attended a vigil simply to support a friend who had organized it, but there she realized that, “You have to stand up and put your body behind something that you believe and just being there in solidarity with all those other people felt really right.”
Now Gardner says she is a firm believer in “putting your body where your mouth is.” She has been on more than one trip to Georgia in protest of the School of Americas, participated in many mission volunteer programs and generally takes action where she sees it as necessary.
However she finds it hard to rouse support within the seemingly apathetic student body of Fairfield. “I am kind of appalled when I walk around and see in the general student population what I perceive to be their focus on their selves only and making money and having things,” she said. “I think it’s all of our jobs to try to educate people to know why they should care.”
This is one of the reasons Gardner remains a professor at Fairfield.
“One of the things that holds me here is the opportunity I have to share these things with students,” said Gardner. Being a teacher allows her the opportunity to reach more people on an individual level. In her own words, “I can make more noise.”
A lot of the noise that you can hear from Gardner comes from her classroom. Not surprisingly, her classroom environment is as inviting as her office and personality.
In a recent General Psych for Majors class, she began with a moment of silence and then welcomed the guest and guest speakers, followed by a birthday song to a student in class.
The general feel of the class was very open and very friendly with a heightened participation level compared to other classes.
Student Jake Youmell, ’06, said “there is a high level of student teacher interaction…you can suggest anything.”
Teaching intern Chandana Ravindranath ’04, agreed when she described Gardner as “helpful,” and “always open.”
Classes aside, Gardner makes still more noise by the trips she participates in through Fairfield and outside sources. In mid-November, Gardner and a collection of Fairfield students, staff, and friends went down to the School of Americas 13th annual protest. Over 10,000 people went this year and Gardner called it “a very moving and powerful experience.”
Although Gardner feels very strongly about a number of issues, she considers the School of Americas to be the most unique in that it allows for people to protest in an organized and safe manner. She feels both concrete, in that it raises awareness that surrounds the event, as well as “unifying,” because a number of Jesuit universities go so, “it’s not just Fairfield.”
At Fairfield itself, it would seem as if awareness and activism is increasing. There are a number of groups that are either directly or indirectly asking the hard questions that Gardner asks every day. Informational e-mails can now be another way to raise student awareness, which Gardner is all for. Gardner insisted that “from seeing something you have a responsibility,” and making those issues visible is part of Gardner’s agenda.
Before her turn to activism, Gardner said of herself that, “I didn’t know there was a world out there; I was completely naïve and narrow.”
Nick Smaligo, ’04, who also went with Gardner on the School of Americas protest called Gardner his “activist role model.”
“She is as dedicated as I want to be.”
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