By Wendi Wheeler ’06

Jeanette Clark ’07 and Antonio Spargo ’07 don’t know a lot of the current Day students. That’s because most of them were in high school when Clark and Spargo last attended Augsburg. So now that they are back on campus as campus ministry interns, they believe their most important job responsibility is getting to know students.

Both Clark and Spargo have been studying at Luther Seminary, and each has completed at least one internship already. Dave Wold, who knew Clark and Spargo because of their involvement with campus ministry as undergraduates, contacted the seminarians this summer and asked if they would like to work at Augsburg this fall.

“It’s like an internship but not,” Clark said. Though it is early in the school year, Clark sees her role as supporting students and helping campus ministry groups “get off the ground for the year.”

As undergraduates, Clark and Spargo were campus ministry commissioners and, as such, had duties to fulfill. Now they said they are not tied to any specific responsibilities, making them free to discover opportunities to engage with students.

Spargo said he hopes to connect with students at lunch and campus events. “The role that has appeared for us now is being the face of campus ministry to students and helping them see that campus ministry is here for them,” he said. Spargo, a former Auggie football player, is especially excited to find ways to interact with student-athletes.

Clark is looking forward mostly to hear what students want to do through campus ministry. “I want to work with students to make their ideas happen, and I’m very excited about the opportunities where faith and service connect.”

As graduate students, both know this year will provide learning opportunities for them. Clark is open to listening and learning, and she hopes to find ways to put students’ ideas into action. Because she aspires to a career in campus ministry, learning how to support students is important for her.

Spargo is glad to be back, learning and practicing in a place where he has strong connections. “There are so many great people here to learn from and young adults going from what they grew up with to what they now believe for themselves,” he said. “I want to serve them in whatever ways they need.”

Welcome back Jeanette and Antonio!

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Faculty: Joan Kunz

Student Leaders: Sugri Auden

Organization: Korean Peace Garden

AugSem D

Faculty: Tracy Bibelnieks

Student Leaders: Nou Xiong, Karleen Stevens

Organization: Leonardo’s Basement

AugSem E

Faculty: Ben Stottrup

Student Leaders: Jazmine Darden

Organization: Seward Montessori School

AugSem F

Faculty: Darcey Engen

Student Leaders: Dustin Richea, Chelsey Waala

Organization: Mixed Blood Theatre

AugSem G-Faculty: Michael Buck

Student Leaders: Liz Behnke, Emily Rutten

Organization: Cedar Cultural Center

AugSem H

Faculty: Shana Watters

Student Leaders: Alfonzo Vazquez, Estafania Zapata

Organization: Brian Coyle Community Center

AugSem J

Faculty: Tara Sweeney

Student Leaders: Angela Bonfilio

Organization: In the Heart of the Beast Theatre

AugSem K

Faculty: Michael Schock, Bridget Robinson-Riegler

Student Leaders: Natalie Newberry, Elizabeth Patten

Organization: Cedar Riverside Community School

AugSem L

Faculty: Dallas Liddle

Student Leaders: Amal Ali,Quintin Joseph

Organization: Dowling Environmental School

AugSem M

Faculty: Diane Pike

Student Leaders:Zamaya Taylor

Organization: Our Saviour’s Housing

AugSem O

Faculty: Joseph Underhill

Student Leaders: Anika Clark,Mitchell Gerold

Organization: Campus Kitchen Project

AugSem P

Faculty: Matthew Maruggi

Student Leaders: Ibrahim Al-Hajby, Jennifer Ivers

Organization: Holy Rosary Church

AugSem R

Faculty: Kristen Chamberlain and Emanuelle Wessels

Student Leaders: Abeni Hill, Kendall Pruitt

Organization: IFP-MN Center for Media Arts

AugSem S

Faculty: Sarah Combelick-Bidney, Catherine Bishop

Student Leaders: Halimo Abdulkarim,Jordan Taylor

Organization: Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center

AugSem T

Faculty: Stacy Freiheit and Jeremy Myers

Student leaders: Alexandra Young,Imani Kabtha

Organization: Bethany Lutheran Church

AugSem U

Faculty: Marc Issacson

Student Leaders: Kaylana Casillas,Kelly Pryga

Organization: PC’s for People

AugSem V:

Faculty: David Schwain

Student Leaders:Yuanshu Cai,Courtney Hobson

Organization: Seward Neighborhood Group

AugSem X

Faculty: Melissa Lee

Student Leaders: Farrington Starnes

Organization: Matthew’s Center

AugSem Transfer Students

Faculty: Ann Garvey

Student Leaders:

Organization: Trinity Congregation

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On Monday, Brian Noy and Mary Laurel True of Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning sat down and started brainstorming about ways to help—because that is what Auggies do.

“Actually,” True said, “President Pribbenow called and asked what we were going to do for North Minneapolis.” The two decided to organize clean-up groups to go to the area Wednesday and Thursday afternoon (see details below).

The Sabo Center is coordinating two clean-up trips to North Minneapolis, sandwich making on campus, and a donation collection. Noy says they are hoping to find a location to serve meals in the evenings as well. .

Ann Garvey, vice president of student affairs, reported that there are 66 students whose permanent address is in the affected zip codes, and several faculty and staff also live in North Minneapolis. Garvey offered to let displaced residents stay in the on-campus housing if needed.

For more information, “Like” the Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College Facebook page and read the Augsburg Daily A-mail for updates.

Ways to pitch in – UPDATED

Donation drive

Week of May 23

Bring donations of canned food, bottled water, diapers, blankets, clothes, and other household items to the Christensen Center welcome desk

1,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making

Wednesday, May 25 10 a.m.-12 noon

Marshall Room, Christensen Center

Storm clean-up

Wednesday, May 25 12-4 p.m.

Meet in Christensen Center lobby

Storm clean-up

Thursday, May 26 12-4 p.m.

Meet in Christensen Center lobby

Neighborhood check-in

Door-to-door to check in on residents to gather information on service needs

Friday, May 27 12-4 p.m.

Meet in Christensen Center lobby

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While spring break may have brought a streak of “warm” weather to Minnesota, it certainly could not compare to the warmth experienced by Auggies in New Orleans. Thirty students and staff spent the week in the Crescent City doing service work and experiencing the destruction that remains and optimism that prevails in this remarkable city.

We arrived on March 13 to Camp Restore, a Lutheran volunteer camp that connects volunteers to a variety of service projects in the city. We settled into our bunks in the boxcars at Camp Restore to get ready for the week of work ahead. Throughout the week we painted, put in insulation and dry wall, helped at a horse ranch, and worked with kids.

The Rescue Ranch, run by a woman who was severely affected by Katrina, was especially meaningful for freshman Anika Clark. She explained, “On Saturdays her horses are involved in therapy for juvenile delinquents as they train the horses with specific commands. It really is this type of that work that shows how much one person can make a difference, and shows what faith in the Lord and oneself can lead to.”

Sophomore Hien Nguyen said, “Each day there were different projects to be completed, so everyone shifted around a bunch, which gave everyone the opportunity to explore their skills and to work with different people. I definitely got to know a ton of new people that I would never have had the chance to meet.”

Though five and a half years have passed since Katrina hit New Orleans and much has been restored, there is still considerable work to be done. One of the workers at Camp Restore took us on a “disaster tour” of the 9th Ward, where there are still many houses that don’t look much different than when the water finally subsided. Spray-painted “Xs” mark these houses with the name of the group that checked the house, the date the house was checked, and the number of dead bodies found in it at the time.

The memories of the hurricane also remain vivid to residents who returned to find houses and loved ones washed away. We were blessed by an eighty-year-old woman who shared some of her story with us, and it was penetratingly clear just how devastating Katrina was.

But as with all tragedy, good things and hope do arise. While they do not justify what happened, they do provide a spark for striving for brighter days. For instance, a man told us about two churches, a predominantly white one and a predominantly black one, that were less than kind to one another before Katrina. Afterward, they joined together as one.

Additionally, the culture of New Orleans—from jazz to beignets to jambalaya to art—has prevailed through the storm. One man told us why he thought so many people stayed in New Orleans: “It is a city with a living history that keeps re-generating itself.”

It is difficult not to be captured by the richness of this city, and we truly received just as much, if not more, as we gave. We learned from the people of New Orleans and bonded with one another. Freshman Annie Winter said, “I was blessed to meet some amazing people, from both New Orleans and Augsburg. I really do think I made some life long friends and the memories made from this trip will never be forgotten.”

Article by Katelyn Danelski

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Editor’s Note: On Tuesday afternoon, the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhood will be filled with first-year Auggies, faculty members, staff members, and members of President Pribbenow’s Cabinet. Why is service important?

In his latest blog post, President Pribbenow addresses that question. A copy of the blog post is below. Find “Paul’s Blog” on the Augsburg College President’s .

Education and service

On Tuesday, the Augsburg community will honor its historic commitment to “Education for Service” as we participate in our long-standing “City Service Day.” On that day, more than 500 Auggies—students, faculty and staff—will fan out across the Twin Cities to be of service to our neighbors. It is a wonderful spectacle as we don our colorful t-shirts and work with our hands—painting, tending gardens, packing school supplies, doing whatever is asked of us at one of 25 sites where our volunteer efforts will illustrate our deep belief that education and service are inextricably bound together.

But this is more than a show of voluntarism (as impressive as it is!), this is a powerful way in which we begin to model for our students what it means that learning and service go together, a relationship that is central to their Augsburg education and experience.

So what is it that we believe “City Service Day” teaches us?

First, it is the important value of mutuality. If service is simply our meeting the needs of others, then we have missed a critical point. When we engage in service, we are entering into a relationship that is premised on shared needs and aspirations. Tending the garden of the Korean elders who live in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is not simply about getting rid of weeds, it is about our shared commitments to adequate and nutritious food. It is about the herbs grown there to help heal. It is about the peace and calm that we find in a garden in the midst of a busy city.

Second, it is the importance of engaging those who are different than we are and learning from them. In the city, we encounter strangers from all walks of life and backgrounds. As we meet and work with them in these service projects, we are introduced to their cultures, experiences and values. We learn about what it means to live in a homeless shelter or what it is like to be an immigrant in a new land. We learn how important it is to be open to learning from the many and diverse experiences we share with our neighbors who are negotiating their lives with us in the city.

Finally, it is the value of self-reflection. Our service projects include time during and after the experience for all of us to consider how I felt, how my values were affirmed or challenged, what I learned about myself as I engaged in serving my neighbor. Here is the heart of a liberal arts education—the life well-examined. Here is where education and service are bound up together, offering us the tools we need to live as informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers and responsible leaders.

All of these important lessons—and a lot of fun as well!

The post A word from the President—Why is service important? appeared first on News and Media.