As we approach the final stretch of the semester, schedules are busier than ever. With this in mind, we would like to call attention to the students and faculty who, in a world of distractions, have chosen to dedicate their time and efforts to a worthy cause – AIDS awareness.
While most students are aware of the sweeping casualties that have resulted from the AIDS epidemic, it is still not necessarily an issue that hits close to home for most members of the university community. Yet, some students and faculty members still recognized this international problem as one deserving of attention at Fairfield – a place where students are far too often accused of paying little attention to what is going on outside of campus.
Many of the students who are actively engaged with this cause were originally motivated by their participation in Sociology Professor Renee White’s AIDS in the United States class.
Providing classes with such a real world focus is a prime example of how the curriculum can extend outside the classroom. This is exactly what Univeristy President Fr. von Arx’s strategic plan calls for. We applaud the College of Arts and Sciences and White for aligning their efforts with this vision.
Increased student engagement is encouraging in that it shows that the goal of implementing a more integrated learning structure may receive a positive response from the student population.
However, we hope that this example of engagement will motivate other faculty members to take similar strides with their curriculum and allow an increased number of students to become engaged in and dedicated to noteworthy causes.
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