Social Responsibility Initiative

Photo by Laura Knierim

Why is social responsibility important in West Central Minnesota?

While all service-learning projects relate in some way to social responsibility, this initiative focuses more intently on encouraging students, community members, and faculty to work together to create a safer, more affirming community for everyone. This initiative focuses on three broad goals: violence prevention, creating a community that is truly welcoming for all people, and working toward an end to poverty.

Our small community is growing more diverse. In addition to UMM students, 16% of whom are Latino, Native American, African-American, or Asian, a small but growing number of new immigrants are entering the community. Our community has also grown more diverse in ways not as apparent through official statistics; for instance, our community represents a variety of family structures and spiritual/religious views. Everyone in the Morris area is responsible for ensuring that the community is a safe and welcoming place for all people.
Part of this mission involves preventing violence. In the last year, 66 people were served by Someplace Safe, the agency that provides advocacy services for survivors of intimate violence. Considering that national research reveals that only a small percentage of incidents of domestic violence and rape/incest are reported, we can assume that this number does not tell the whole story.

Finally, while poverty is less visible in rural areas, people regularly utilize the services available; 8.4% of the families in Morris are living below the poverty line, and the local food shelf provides food to 225 people each month. We do not know how many people in poverty are forced to leave the area in order to seek needed services elsewhere, such as shelter or regular meals. All of these needs require creative thinking from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

The social responsibility initiative seeks to work toward a truly safe and welcoming community in which all people can be successful. We aim to do so by:

• planning and implementing projects and events that raise awareness of the violence, prejudice, and poverty and empower people to work toward ending these roadblocks to community;
• Serving the immediate needs of people in poverty, violence survivors, and people from diverse backgrounds in our community;
• Creating opportunities for research, dialogue and action related to poverty, diversity, and violence prevention.

Current Community Partners:

Someplace Safe
10 E 6th St.
Morris, MN 56267
(320) 589-3208
stevcris@hometownsolutions.net
http://www.someplacesafe.info

In addition to providing services to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, Someplace Safe provides violence prevention programming in schools, creates partnerships with criminal justice agencies to promote system change and educates the professional and general public about the effects of violence on our communities.

Mission Statement: To create a safer world for everyone, we work to eliminate violence and oppression through advocacy, education and services.

UMM Violence Prevention Program
Bridget Joos
Gay Hall, Room 16A
The Wellness Center
Phone number: 320-589-6061
ummvpp@morris.umn.edu

A comprehensive program addressing sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking, the Violence Prevention Program combats violent crimes against women and men on campus. An award from the US Department of Justice supports this work.

We work to strengthen victim/survivor advocacy and services, and to build a coordinated comprehensive education and prevention effort, and create a campus culture that addresses the roots of gender and relationship violence while fostering healthy relationships.

Dorothy Day House of Hospitality
714 8th St. S.
Moorhead, MN 56560
(218) 233-5763

The Dorothy Day House of Hospitality is a homeless shelter based on the Catholic Worker movement. The Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is grounded in a firm belief in the
God-given dignity of every human person.
 
The Fargo-Moorhead Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Inc. has two separate programs, which are overseen by the same Director and Board of Directors.  The first program is a short-term shelter that provides emergency housing for adult men who suffer temporary or chronic life problems and find themselves in need of a place to stay while they work toward rebuilding their lives.  They must have a desire and willingness to make positive changes within their lives and our goal is to empower them to do so.  Also at the shelter facility, services such as showers, laundry, blankets and other personal needs are offered to those persons still living on the streets.  We serve 100 to 300 people each month at this facility.

The second program, which is operated in a separate facility, is the Dorothy Day Food Pantry. Each month persons who are in need may come to the Pantry to receive food items to prepare in their own homes. This facility is open Monday through Thursday evenings from 7pm to 8pm and is staffed by a coordinator and volunteers. Over 1,500 people utilize this service each month. 

Morris Area Independent School District
153 S Columbia Ave
Morris, MN 56267
(320) 589-1250
www.morris.k12.mn.us

The mission of the Morris Area School District is to help individuals acquire knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes toward themselves and others that will enable them to solve problems, think creatively, continue learning, and develop maximum potential for leading productive fulfilling lives in a complex and changing society. The district serves the cities of Cyrus, Donnelly and Morris.

Salvation Army
623 E 7th St.
Morris, MN 56267
(320) 589-0483

The Salvation Army was founded by William Booth in 1865 in London England, and since then has been an international organization that prides itself in aiding a wide spectrum of needs, from offering correctional services to aiding victims after weather related tragedies. Booth started an organization that has become international and is credited with being one of the best social service programs offered in the United States.

The Salvation Army offers many services in the Morris area, including providing school supplies to students in need and operating the Thrift Store at 623 East 7th Street.

Examples of Classes in the Social Responsibility Initiative:

Education 1020: English in the American University - Ongoing Course
Nancy Pederson
Students read about a variety of American social issues and assist with several short-term service projects, including the Local Foods Expo and Meal on campus and making and and serving a meal at the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Spanish 1002 and 3002: Beginning Spanish and Spanish Composition and Conversation - Ongoing Courses
Stacey Aronson, Jacqueline Alvarez
Students work on a variety of projects including ESL tutoring, document translation for area businesses and non-profits, and teaching Spanish in area elementary schools.

Sociology 3141: Sociology of Deviance - Ongoing Course
Jennifer Rothchild
Students assist with event planning and outreach materials for the Violence Prevention Program on campus, Someplace Safe, an agency that educates about and advocates for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, or to assist a local non-profit working on important social issues.

Sociology 1101: Introduction to Sociology - Ongoing Course
Jennifer Rothchild
Students may choose from one of the following projects: writing and implementing intergenerational lesson plans for children and elders through MACCC and West Wind Village; tutoring K-6 students through the TREC program; assisting with domestic violence/sexual assault prevention and education efforts through Someplace Safe; creating educational and/or outreach materials for Habitat for Humanity and Stevens Community Humane Society.