Community Engagement News

Collaborative Service Projects on November 5 Will Mark Start of Barry Founders’ Week

Founders’ Week, November 5–12, will begin with a day of service focused on the issue of homelessness in the South Florida community.

Collaborative service projects on November 5 will mark the start of Founders’ Week at Barry. The projects will address the issue of homelessness in the South Florida community.

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni will honor the university’s collaborative service tradition by taking part in the service projects. Participants will serve in shelters and at other community sites that support unhoused individuals and families.

This will be the university’s fourth annual Founders’ Day of Service. The inaugural event took place at Virginia Key in 2019.

Before heading to the service sites, participants will gather (by 8:30) in the Events Room of the Landon Student Union.

Founders’ Week is November 5–12, and several events will take place. They include the “50,000 Meals Food-Packing Event” on November 7. Campus Ministry, the Institute for Immigration Studies, and Intercollegiate Athletics are spearheading the on-campus event in association with Cross Catholic Outreach.

Founders’ Week honors the spirit of Barry’s founders, the Adrian Dominican Sisters, and celebrates Barry University traditions. According to a statement from the planners, “Through service, scholarly, and joyful events, we highlight the University’s faithfulness to our motto – Learn, Reflect, Serve – and build connections that unite students, faculty, staff, and alumni for generations to come.”

Before heading to the service sites, participants will gather (by 8:30) in the Events Room of the Landon Student Union, as they did last year.

Academic Year’s Days of Service

The November 5 event will be the third day of service for this academic year. The first was International Coastal Cleanup Day, September 17, and the second was Food Security Day, October 8.

On International Coastal Cleanup Day, nearly 80 Barry volunteers cleaned up the Virginia Key Beach Park and shoreline.

On Food Security Day, a small group of students took part in service activities at the Urban GreenWorks (UGW) Cerasee Farm in Liberty City. Supervised by Roger Horne, executive director of UGW Global, the students did landscaping and mulching.

University Encouraging Employees and Students to Support Ongoing Hurricane Relief and Recovery Efforts

The university is encouraging employees and students to support ongoing relief and recovery efforts in response to two hurricanes – Fiona and Ian.

“Barry University has begun planning our Hurricane Ian and Fiona relief effort for members of the Barry University community and our neighbors who have been directly impacted,” a university statement said. “Anyone who is interested in helping those in Florida or Puerto Rico who have experienced significant loss because of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona can log on to Catholic Charities of Miami and make a donation.”  

A series of volunteer opportunities would be offered soon, the university statement also said. Students, faculty, and staff members who have ideas for a service project were asked to let the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) know by emailing service@barry.edu.

In the meantime, groups of prospective volunteers for the Hurricane Ian relief and recovery efforts in the Fort Myers area may contact Next Level Church, which has been serving as a volunteer center. Director Yolie Brito may be reached by email at yolie.brito@nextlevelchurch.com or by telephone at 210-316-5573.

Fiona made landfall as a Category 1 storm along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico on September 18, taking lives and causing extensive damage.

Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Florida’s southwest coast on September 28, destroying homes and businesses. Fort Myers recorded storm surges of up to 12 feet, submerging cars, knocking over houses, and trapping residents. According to reports, dozens of people lost their lives as a result of the hurricane.

Campus Democracy Project Continues to Promote Voter Education and Engagement

Promoting voter education and engagement in the run-up to the elections, the CDP is also drawing attention to election issue and candidate guides. One such guide is provided by the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County via Vote 411.

The Campus Democracy Project (CDP) organizers are reminding registered voters that October 28 is Vote Early Day and October 29 is the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the upcoming elections.

As part of the CDP, a Vote Early Day Rally will take place from noon to 3 p.m. in the Sports Complex on the Miami Shores campus. It will be a block party-style event.

“We plan to have a deejay, food trucks, games, and giveaways in exchange for pledges to vote and reviews of the ballot options,” the organizers say.

The deadline to return the vote-by-mail ballot is Election Day, November 8, at 7 p.m. Voters will be able to track their ballots online.

Continuing to promote voter education and engagement in the run-up to the elections, the CDP is also drawing attention to election issue and candidate guides. For example, the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County has published a voter guide at its website. The Vote 411 Voter’s Guide “provides voters with personalized, updated information about local elections as well as countywide, state, and national elections.”

Also, Guides.vote has produced “nonpartisan candidate guides that show where candidates stand so you can go to the polls with confidence.” The Florida Voters Guide is among the available guides, which, according to Guides.vote, are produced by “veteran journalists with links to credible sources.”

Books, Journal Articles, and Fact Sheets Available to Support Community Engagement

Community engagement books available in the CCSI include a set on service-learning. The service-learning books cover programs, courses, partnerships, and research.

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) has a collection of books, journal articles, and fact sheets to support the work of community-engaged faculty, staff, and students.

In the collection are books on service-learning, which cover programs, courses, partnerships, and research. Authors of the available books include Robert G. Bringle; Susan Cipolle; Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles, Jr.; Barbara Jacoby; and Edward Zlotkowski.

In addition, a series of 15 monographs on service-learning in the disciplines is available in the CCSI. Each monograph is focused on why and how service-learning can be implemented within a particular discipline.

The fact sheets – a dozen or so – cover various community engagement topics. The topics include community-based research, community-engaged scholarship, experiential learning, and service-learning internship.

All community engagement (including service-learning) books may be checked out for brief periods. Journal articles and fact sheets are distributed via email upon request.

For further information, contact Heather Johnson Desiral in the CCSI at qep@barry.edu.

“The COVID Slide and Digital Divide:
How Do We Help Students Recover Learning Losses?”
October 27 | 4:00–5:30 p.m. | Andreas Building

CAMPUS DEMOCRACY CHALLENGE: Barry continues to participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge – a national nonpartisan initiative aimed at increasing democratic engagement and full student voter participation.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES: NCAA Division II delegates recently adopted a proposal crafted by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that prohibits countable athletic activities, such as practices and games, on Election Day.