As I opened my Maroon two weeks ago to the Editorial page, one letter immediately drew my attention: Mark Lamb’s “Social Justice Lacking at Loyola.” At first, I thought, ‘Good -it’s important for someone to remind Loyola periodically about its mission to help out.’
Unfortunately, Lamb’s letter has one major flaw.
It is wrong about nearly everything he discussed.
Let’s look more closely at Lamb’s letter to show how he misrepresents the work of Loyola students.
First, he cannot have been more inaccurate about the number of Loyola students volunteering. He writes, “Volunteers from around the country take off work and pay to come help us. Yet only one Loyola student volunteers.”
Perhaps only a handful of Loyola students have gone out with Lamb. But students at Loyola work every single week. The Center for Service Learning reports the percentage of students volunteering each semester to be between 50 and 60. In saying that only one student volunteers, Lamb discourages every student at this university that dedicates any of his or her time to this city.
But I don’t think Lamb made a counting error. In order to arrive at his grand total of one, he completely discounted the incredible amount of meaningful work in the city that does not involve only crumbling walls.
Loyola students have decided to dive into rebuilding New Orleans not only through house gutting, but also through fighting for day laborers’ rights, building walls in St. Bernard Parish, helping local businesses through the Donnelly Center or Loyola Corps, tutoring at schools and restoring homes with Habitat. Tomorrow, SGA, LUCAP and countless other student organizations, as well as our alumni will lead a city-wide and nation-wide volunteer effort, Wolves on the Prowl, which includes many of those options, including house gutting. More than 300 students, and at least as many alumni nationwide, will turn out to help out others.
Tomorrow is just one example of Loyola community members mobilizing to do their parts in a variety of ways. But Lamb does more than just ignore the amount of students who already volunteer in New Orleans – he self-righteously claims that there is excuse for not dedicating a lot of time to his cause. And I’m sorry, Mark, but there are a number of sufficient reasons for people not to gut.
Lamb dismisses the health concern of gutting, writing, “Gutting houses might not be good for your health? I’m glad firemen don’t think that way.” But some students at this campus have had complications because of their gutting. I can perfectly understand those, particularly with health problems, who do not want to put themselves at any risk. Moreover, the myriad of other concerns facing college students – rent, tuition, their organizations, relax time, family or schoolwork, could all be valid reasons for not volunteering time.
See that last phrase right there, “valid reasons for not volunteering time”? I didn’t want to write that. I don’t like making excuses for not volunteering. But unlike Lamb, I recognize that students have other legitimate priorities.
Finally, Lamb calls on Loyola to do more for the New Orleans and its neighborhoods. On this, of course, he’s right. As a Jesuit university, we always have to strive to do better.
So don’t let Mark Lamb’s sensationalistic, incorrect letter prevent you from helping out those in need right now.
Come out one afternoon to tutor kids or teach them how to play music. Take one Saturday to go to St. Bernard Parish, or Slidell or New Orleans to rebuild or gut houses.
If you want to help and don’t know where to get started, go talk to someone at the LUCAP office, in the depths of the Wolf Den across from the Underground. Or e-mail LUCAP or e-mail me.
Or, hey, I’ll even take a page out of Mark Lamb’s book. Call me, at (718) 440-4832. I’ll pick up and find something for you.
And then, not only will you be proving Mark Lamb wrong.
You’ll also be one more student – not the only one student – involved in Loyola’s rebuilding effort.
Bob Payne is of SGA vice president and a political science junior from Jackson Heights, N.Y.
