The Saint

Story by Anastasia Benstead 

First Year Seminar was created for the 4-credit model to replace the former First Year Experiences course which had roughly the same objective. FYS is designed to be more focused on a central concept and go deeper into one subject matter than FYE ever did. Dr. Amy Dunham Strand teaches FYS in the Block Program. Her FYS100 class received a visit from Nate Rauh-Bieri, a representative from the Grand Rapids Climate Coalition, which ignited a spark.

Rauh-Bieri came in to talk to the class about the work he does with climate justice, and to discuss some of the more recent actions of the Sunrise Movement, a group who campaigns, rallies and protests for an equitable, diverse and just future. Rauh-Bieri stated that it does not require as many lobbyists as one would think to bring up an issue to a local politician– in reality, only 5-10 individuals in a group can catch the attention of a representative. Block student Chloe Fisk asked “Why can’t we do that?”

Students in the FYS Block class began planning; together, they wrote a Statement of Concern which was shared at the city commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 pm. Parts of this statement were also shared with any students who signed their petition. Signing happened via a Google Form which could be found with a QR code at the student’s table outside of Wege last Monday. “We want to make a change, and we can make a change,” said student Sabrina Mills as she manned the table. The idea was to capture the attention of Aquinas community members. There were posters, hand drawn by other FYS Block students, flyers with the QR code, handmade coasters, and bracelets “which profit female artisans in Africa. They are made out of recycled flip-flops,” Kara Cummings explained. 

“We have everything to thank for the Block Program. Without it, we wouldn’t have had any of these opportunities,” FYS student Ruth Rabaut noted. Eric White said almost the same thing and followed it up by saying “It is important to note that the Block is intended to go deep into a subject and not stretch what is being learned.” 

When asked if it was stressful or difficult to incorporate this new project into the already packed curriculum, Dunham Strand said that it has truly run “parallel” to the course, and that it is “an example of potential for self-directed learning within the relationship-rich environment of the block model”. It is true that it can be hard to fit a semester’s worth of content into 3 ½ weeks, and when taking on a huge project such as this one, it can seem insurmountable, but these students have really pushed the boundaries of what the block model can look like, as they take their learnings outside of the classroom and apply them to local politics.

Photos courtesy of the editor