More than 20 Canisius students participated in the university’s Winter Service Immersion experience, held annually during the institution’s winter break. Organized by the Canisius Office of Campus Ministry, the week-long winter immersion experience provides students with opportunities to serve, work and learn in some of the poorest communities across the country. All trips are centered around service, reflection and prayer, community and simple living. This year’s winter immersion sent students to two locations: Wheeling, WV and Los Angeles, CA.
“The most important parts of our trips are forming relationships and beginning a transformative process,” explains Spencer J. Liechty, director of campus ministry. “We want Canisius students to engage in the gritty reality of the world during their formation, analyze reasons of why the communities they are serving in remain marginalized and reflect on how they can transform their experiences into positive change.”
A group of 10 Canisius students traveled to Wheeling, WV for a week to serve and advocate for and with the people of Appalachia. Coordinated in partnership with the House of Hagar Catholic Worker Community and Grow Ohio Valley, the immersion steeped students in the history and culture of Appalachia, its people and its economic parameters. Conversations focused on current issues facing Appalachia, specifically the effects of the coal mining industry on the community water supply, food insecurity and homelessness. Students also partnered with various organizations in the Wheeling area to serve meals at a soup kitchen, assist at an afterschool program, help with home repair projects, and work on a local, organic farm cooperative.
A group of 11 Canisius students traveled to East Los Angeles for a week to explore issues of restorative justice, urban education and homelessness. The contingent was hosted by Dolores Mission, a Jesuit parish and thriving faith community located in East LA. Established in 1925 to serve the poor, Spanish-speaking immigrants of the community, the Dolores Mission today works to counteract the neighborhood’s negative circumstances, which have been hampered by poverty, social inequity and gang violence, by providing a welcoming environment for those experiencing homelessness, trauma, grief or any other issues.
During their immersion, students interacted with parishioners and school children affiliated with Dolores Mission, as well as community leaders who spoke about efforts to create change in the immediate area. They visited Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world, and volunteered with the Guadalupe Homeless Project, which houses refugee families and provides sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. During their stay, students also prepared and served food to the homeless on the streets of Skid Row, while volunteering with Midnight Mission. The organization is a comprehensive homeless shelter and homeless service provider that provides structure and resources to those who want to improve their lives.
Just a reminder to any academic department or extra curricular area that supports a social media page affiliated with the institution and includes “Canisius College” in the profile name, page name or username:
Please change this to reflect the institution’s official transition to Canisius University.
Only administrators on the social media accounts can make these changes, so be sure to have the Email, username and password associated with the account(s) handy before you start.
The Office of University Communications would also like to encourage all employees who maintain personal social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, to also change your place of employment (if listed) to reflect Canisius University.
Submitted by: Audrey R. Browka, University Communications
I wanted to take a moment to highlight and invite all Canisius employees to our faculty and staff appreciation day at our women’s basketball game on Saturday, January 20 against Manhattan at 1:00 p.m. Please feel free to bring your families and enjoy an afternoon at the Koessler where we will highlight all of our amazing Canisius faculty and staff.
We are also inviting all Canisius employees and fans to our Coaches Corner initiative sponsored by the Canisius MSA program with Coach Sahar Nusseibeh in the KAC Conference Room during the pre-game for this event. This promotion is an opportunity to connect and hear directly from Coach Sahar on the status of the team, in depth strategy and gameplan for that day’s game, and answer any questions you may have on the program!
Food will provided courtesy of Zio’s Deli and the Coaches Corner pre-game event will be from 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Submitted by: Ethan Clarke, Director of Sponsorship Sales and Marketing Fulfillment, Athletics
The Canisius Adult Lifelong Learners Institute announces its new course for the 2024 spring semester: Boundaries of Wisdom: Reading Ancient Texts.
Every Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., from January 30 – March 5, Johanna Fisher, of the English Department, will lead discussions about what several ancient texts teach us about negotiating the challenges of life. This six-week course shall discover that in our common and shared humanity, the boundaries in which our ancestors and us met/meet life’s challenges become blurred. We are after all not so different. Instead, we can find wisdom in their approaches to war, hatred, injustice and even climate change!
Enrollment is open to everyone! No papers or exams, but much good discussion! Courses are not part of any Canisius University degree program. Visit our website for more information or click here to register. and registration link: tinyurl.com/ycycr89y
Submitted by: Kristina Laun, social media & website administrator, CALLI
As we get well into the winter weather that WNY is famous for, and the uncertainties this weather brings, it may be useful to review some of these alternatives to traditional pedagogy:
If needed, faculty can meet with students outside of the classroom with Zoom and is likely a tool we are all familiar with. Here are some of the tutorials we recommend watching for review:
For a more asynchronous resource, try recording a video with Panopto, a Canisius-branded video content management system similar to YouTube. However, unlike YouTube, videos on Panopto are only shared with your class and contain no ads. Additionally, to improve engagement with the video, faculty can add in-video quizzes to any Panopto video. Here are some tutorials:
Try Hypothes.is for a more interactive discussion. Hypothes.is is a social annotation tool that allows yourself and students to comment in the margins of the reading.
Other tutorials and resources can be found on the Hypothes.is Wiki Page or check out Hypothes.is’s own resources, which shows the various ways other instructors have used Hypothes.is in their classrooms.
