Fairfield’s chapter of the Jesuit international honor society was recognized for its creative use of Instagram to encourage members to participate in the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge.
Members of Fairfield’s Alpha Sigma Nu chapter collaborated with their peers to engage in discussions grounded in leveraging our Jesuit value of social justice to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
— Jocelyn M. Boryczka, PhD, Associate Vice Provost for Scholarly, Creative, and Community Engagement
This month, the international honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities recognized Fairfield’s chapter with the 2020-21 Alpha Sigma Nu Chapter Innovation Award. Alpha Sigma Nu's annual awards honor student chapters whose programming reflects the principles of scholarship, loyalty, and service. Winning chapters receive financial contributions to their chapter programming fund for the next academic year.
Fairfield was recognized for its innovative use of Instagram to encourage members to take part in the University’s 21-Day Ignation Solidarity Network's Racial Equity Challenge, a series of online drop-in sessions to provide social justice education grounded in Catholic social teaching. During Black History Month, Fairfield’s ASN chapter took part in the Challenge by inviting members to join discussions titled “A Culture of White Supremacy: Jesuit Institutions, Slavery, and Equity” and “Racism and the Environment.” Fairfield’s ASN executive board members Danielle Witty ’21, Dominique Trucchio ’21, Alaina Moger ’21, Peyton Olechna ’21, and Julie McGovern ’22 facilitated the conversations.
“The 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge was an opportunity for the Fairfield University community to come together virtually to have conversations about racial justice as a way to spark transformation, growth, and understanding,” said Alpha Sigma Nu Faculty Advisor Jocelyn M. Boryczka, PhD, associate vice provost for scholarly, creative, and community engagement. “Members of Fairfield’s Alpha Sigma Nu chapter collaborated with their peers to engage in discussions grounded in leveraging our Jesuit value of social justice to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
In addition to being recognized with the Innovation Award, Fairfield’s ASN chapter also recently announced its 2021 Fairfield University Alpha Sigma Nu Teachers of the Year. These recognitions are a tradition at Fairfield for which students nominate an undergraduate and a graduate faculty member for their dedication to the teaching profession and their support of students. This year’s awardees are Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Carol Ann Davis, MFA, professor of English, and Graduate Teacher of the Year Kathryn Phillips, PhD, APRN, associate professor of nursing.
To learn more about Fairfield’s Alpha Sigma Nu chapter visit Fairfield’s Honor Society webpage. To learn more about Fairfield’s Diversity in Action visit fairfield.edu/diversity and Fairfield University’s Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Mission Statement.
