Campus

Lecture series educates students and presents research

As October is Hispanic Heritage Month, Creighton will host a lecture series focused on the Catholic Social Teaching of solidarity with the first discussion centering on the issue of immigration reform.

According to Luz Minerva Colon-Rodriguez, the assistant director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the solidarity lecture series is an outlet for Creighton faculty to their share research and work in areas of diversity and multiculturalism with the greater Creighton community throughout the year.

β€œWe envision this lecture series as a forum for professors to share their research beyond their respective departments,” Luz said.

The goals of the solidarity lectures are two fold: to better educate the Creighton community about issues of diversity and to have presenters share their research in a way that blends multiculturalism and social justice.

Dr. Heather Fryer, the director of the American Studies Program and associate professor in the history department, will give the first talk of the lecture series. Her lecture will focus on the national debate surrounding immigration reform and how the issue has existed since the arrival of the first non-English immigrants during the colonial era of the United States.

The tension between Americans’ pride in the diversity of their nation and the fear they feel about foreign invasion has lead to a disconnect in progress toward a more just immigration reform for over 200 years, Fryer said.

Fryer advocates for an examining of our cultural patterns and current issues before attempting to find a solution to the multiple problems of immigration reform.

Many students are becoming increasingly more educated about the immigration debate and some experienced a border immersion on a fall break service trip through the Creighton Center for Service and Justice. Solidarity is also one of the seven pillars of the service trips hosted by the CCSJ.

β€œDuring our service trips, we try to live in a way that is similar to our hosts,” said a statement from the CCSJ. β€œWe want to learn about their assets and their struggles. In some way, we hope to continue to work with this community once we are home. This may include advocacy, prayer, donations and other forms of support.”

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May 2, 2025

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