Students, Alumni, and Community Partners Pack Hogan Ballroom to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of SPUD

Nearly one year ago, Marybeth Kearns-Barrett, associate chaplain and director of service and social justice programs at Holy Cross, and five leaders in Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) embarked on an immersion trip to El Salvador. Their goal was to reflect on their work in Worcester, and to get a deeper understanding of what it means to work in solidarity with the poor.

The trip kicked off a yearlong series of reflection activities surrounding SPUD’s 40 years of providing community service in Worcester and culminated with a brunch on April 6 in the Hogan Ballroom. More than 150 current members of SPUD, SPUD alumni, community partners, and various supporters filled the space to look at the past, present, and future of the organization.

In his remarks, Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross, traced the Jesuit tradition of service to the founding of the religious order in the 1500’s. He said that there are three elements that are essential to the educational experience students get by working as SPUD volunteers.

The first is primary contact with the marginalized, which allows the poor and powerless to know that somebody cares. The second element is the strong role students take in the growth of SPUD. And, finally, the importance of reflection and the constant need to think about the larger picture and to ask tough questions. “Why do we have working poor who work three or four jobs a day? Why are women left out in the street? Why are children abandoned? Why isn’t there widespread opportunity for these people?,” Fr. McFarland asked.

In her talk, Annette Rafferty (pictured), founder of Abby’s House, which Holy Cross students have served since the emergency shelter was founded in 1976, said that the work SPUD students have done is a major accomplishment, and that “the city has truly grown better because of our partnership.” She said that nearly 3,000 students have had their lives impacted because of the College’s relationship with Abby’s House.

Pat Clancy ’68, who founded SPUD, was honored for his vision of creating the organization which has transformed lives. “I think I can sum up my thoughts in two words: Who knew?,” he said upon accepting his award. He encouraged students and the College to continue to promote social justice.

“As we commemorate this occasion I want to look back at the last speech that Martin Luther King Jr. gave the day before he died in which he spoke about spiritual apathy. The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ ‘If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That’s the question.”

SPUD’s exponential growth since its founding in 1968 has had students questioning whether “celebration” was the right word to mark the occasion. Looking toward the future, Kearns-Barrett has been encouraging students to think about the organization’s role as delivering direct service (e.g., serving food at a pantry) and being a catalyst for social change (e.g., engaging in discussion with the mayor about steps everyone can take to eradicate hunger).

A committee organized early this academic year made the following recommendations for SPUD’s future:

• Develop SPUD’s focus on voting by promoting awareness of each candidate’s agenda • Work to make SPUD more “big-picture” oriented in addition to the direct service aspect • Advocate for a community service or social justice/Community-Based Learning component to the First-Year Experience or the College’s common requirements • Develop SPUD’s advocacy work in Worcester • Build stronger relationships with other Worcester colleges • Develop a greater level of reflection with volunteers • Organize more campus wide events, particularly talks and panels about issues in Worcester

Coverage of SPUD’s 40th anniversary:

• Holy Cross Magazine: Four Decades of Service • Students describe the influence that community service organization has had on their lives • Student Programs for Urban Development: By the Numbers