The Inaugural Academic Symposium through the Eyes of Students
On Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, Marquette University president Dr. Michael R. Lovell completed his inauguration schedule with the Presidential Inauguration Academic Symposium. The presentation was titled "Answering the Call: Marquette's Response to the Civil Rights Movement" and focused on the birth and expansion of the school's Educational Opportunity Program. Here's how the symposium unfolded according to Marquette's Journalism 2100 class.
Estafania Elizondo offered her perspective on courage and how it related to the birth of EOP:
“Courage is not defined by one’s ability to let go of all fear, but courage is defined by our ability as individuals to respond to that fear and act when the situation demands it of us. It took every ounce of courage in students, faculty and Jesuits to push Marquette University to respond to the civil rights movement and to take a formal action to address the situation.
In a gesture of utter admiration, President of Marquette University Michael Lovell had asked students and faculty members in the audience who belonged to the Educational Opportunity Program to stand up. Immediately, present and past members, rose from their seats with pride as the crowd applauded.”
Madeline Kennedy put out her perspective on the amount of time it takes to make a change at a university:
“Monday afternoon's Presidential Inauguration Symposium marked the official end to new Marquette President Michael Lovell's inauguration activities. Lovell selected Marquette's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) as the topic of his symposium. One month earlier, Lovell stood before hundreds of community members, petitioning them to ‘answer the call’ to be ignited in faith and service. Looking around the Weasler Auditorium on Monday, it was clear that this call had been received and answered by the participants and supporters of EOP, a revolutionary programs that have changed the lives of thousands of students over the last 45 years.
A lot can change in 45 years. There were three graduates in the first EOP class of 1970 and in 2014 there were well over 100. One thing that clearly did not change was the unwavering dedication of Michael Bolger, President Emeritus of the Medical College of Wisconsin and 1960s Civil Rights activist. Standing on the stage Monday, Bolger's passion for equality seemed just as fresh as when he first joined Father Groppi's protests at St. Boniface in 1968.”
Many were enamored by one panelist in particular, Michael Bolger, including Jenna Ebbers:
“There were six panelists speaking at the event and it was moderated by Mike Gousha, known from his astounding career at WTMJ… The panelists included: Dr. Arnold Mitchem, Maureen Hoyler, Michael Bolger, Dr. Theresa Perry and Dr. Hal Payne. They discussed what things were like on Marquette campus during the civil rights movements happening around the country. It was in 1969 that Mitchem was asked to teach for the EOP program at the university, which was another big topic of the night. This was not a room full of tension, though, which is sometimes the case in discussions involving race and segregation. Bolger said, ‘Race is a social construct. I began to realize there is only one race, the human race.’
I thought this was a great quote because Bolger said it with such assurance, a listener would have believed he was strictly saying the sky is blue. To him, it was a fact.”
Bolger's words made me realize that the riots in my home city of Detroit made a positive difference in the lives of many:
“He graduated from Marquette in 1961 and was living in the Jesuit Residence on campus at the time of the Detroit riots. He, like so many others, watched in horror as Detroit and cities across the country exploded with violence. ‘That day changed my life forever,’ Bolger said. ‘I decided to march for open housing in Milwaukee.’
Many in the Marquette community followed Bolger and the Reverend James Groppi to march for open housing in the city. Faculty and students alike refused to let the moment fade and demanded a response from the university. What came next was EOP and the rest is history. EOP has given so many students both at Marquette and throughout the nation the opportunity to earn a higher level of education than they would have otherwise and much of it has to do with Detroit.”
But Bolger wasn't the only panelist who made an imprint, Roque Redondo was inspired by the actions of Maureen Hoyler:
“Maureen Hoyler followed up Bolger explaining the process of how EOP came to be. ‘The Students United for Racial Equality started out in that dime to demand the University to take racial equality,’ she said.
Hoyler, who assumed the position of president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in 2013, stated that professors would resign if no change was made. It was obvious that Hoyler along with many others was looking for racial equality, and weren’t going to stop until that was reached.”
Natalie Ragusin commented on the goals of EOP:
“The symposium was accurate in explaining the past, present and future of Civil Rights in Milwaukee and Marquette. Maureen Hoyler, former assistant of then-president Dr. Arnold Mitchem spoke of little diversity when Marquette first started.
When Mitchem became the voice of low-income first-generation people, education became available and prevalent. The goal was to provide diversity in the university and help these students achieve dreams that they possibly never thought they could reach.”
Brittany Carloni reported on Dr. Hal Payne's journey to Marquette to learn about EOP:
“Payne, vice president for student affairs at Buffalo State and former chair of the board of the Council for Opportunity in Education shared his experience with similar student movements while he was at Oberlin College. He came to Marquette to hear about the program successes and met Mitchem and Hoyler. ‘We began to talk about how to organize at the state level, the regional level, to sustain this movement that started with students at Marquette,’ Payne said.
The Council for Opportunity in Education was created in 1981. Payne said part of the effort was to develop the concept to serve first-generation students. According to Mitchem, in 1980 there were 350,000 people who were in programs like EOP. Today there are 800,000.”
Robyn St. John found EOP to be a new opportunity for those who never had a chance at quality education:
“Attending a University is an accomplishment for any student. It opens doors. Many students would not be able to attend a college because of where they came from and the opportunities they were afforded are not applicable to a higher education.
In the 1960’s was a time of racism. There were not many African American students attending Marquette University. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. riots began to form in Detroit then Milwaukee. Students became part of the movement. They brought Marquette University administration a list of demands to push the EOP program into action and move the school in a better direction from all classes. The student driven movement is an inspiration to all because it is often thought that change can only be seen in politics.”
Caroline Roers shared her thoughts on the students fighting for equality:
“Bolger said at the symposium that, ‘Big institutions are hard to get moving, but once they get moving they are hard to stop.’ The students at Marquette University in the 1960’s had a goal in mind: to made racism known and to rally around ‘the human race,’ instead of society’s view of the ‘black race’ and ‘white race.’ The students held protests, they shared their views and they got thrown in jail. Hundreds of people were against the idea and yet they continued and pushed forward.
Finally, they succeeded. And since that success was found, the need for diversity at Marquette continues to roll fast and faster, growing with speed and volume. The strongest of these efforts is the EOP program. This is a program designed to assist first generation and low-income students to enter and succeed in higher education. EOP is celebrating it's 45th anniversary with a new and expanded facility and years of success.”
The full presentation can be viewed here.
Estafania Elizondo offered her perspective on courage and how it related to the birth of EOP:
“Courage is not defined by one’s ability to let go of all fear, but courage is defined by our ability as individuals to respond to that fear and act when the situation demands it of us. It took every ounce of courage in students, faculty and Jesuits to push Marquette University to respond to the civil rights movement and to take a formal action to address the situation.
In a gesture of utter admiration, President of Marquette University Michael Lovell had asked students and faculty members in the audience who belonged to the Educational Opportunity Program to stand up. Immediately, present and past members, rose from their seats with pride as the crowd applauded.”
Madeline Kennedy put out her perspective on the amount of time it takes to make a change at a university:
“Monday afternoon's Presidential Inauguration Symposium marked the official end to new Marquette President Michael Lovell's inauguration activities. Lovell selected Marquette's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) as the topic of his symposium. One month earlier, Lovell stood before hundreds of community members, petitioning them to ‘answer the call’ to be ignited in faith and service. Looking around the Weasler Auditorium on Monday, it was clear that this call had been received and answered by the participants and supporters of EOP, a revolutionary programs that have changed the lives of thousands of students over the last 45 years.
A lot can change in 45 years. There were three graduates in the first EOP class of 1970 and in 2014 there were well over 100. One thing that clearly did not change was the unwavering dedication of Michael Bolger, President Emeritus of the Medical College of Wisconsin and 1960s Civil Rights activist. Standing on the stage Monday, Bolger's passion for equality seemed just as fresh as when he first joined Father Groppi's protests at St. Boniface in 1968.”
Many were enamored by one panelist in particular, Michael Bolger, including Jenna Ebbers:
“There were six panelists speaking at the event and it was moderated by Mike Gousha, known from his astounding career at WTMJ… The panelists included: Dr. Arnold Mitchem, Maureen Hoyler, Michael Bolger, Dr. Theresa Perry and Dr. Hal Payne. They discussed what things were like on Marquette campus during the civil rights movements happening around the country. It was in 1969 that Mitchem was asked to teach for the EOP program at the university, which was another big topic of the night. This was not a room full of tension, though, which is sometimes the case in discussions involving race and segregation. Bolger said, ‘Race is a social construct. I began to realize there is only one race, the human race.’
I thought this was a great quote because Bolger said it with such assurance, a listener would have believed he was strictly saying the sky is blue. To him, it was a fact.”
Bolger's words made me realize that the riots in my home city of Detroit made a positive difference in the lives of many:
“He graduated from Marquette in 1961 and was living in the Jesuit Residence on campus at the time of the Detroit riots. He, like so many others, watched in horror as Detroit and cities across the country exploded with violence. ‘That day changed my life forever,’ Bolger said. ‘I decided to march for open housing in Milwaukee.’
Many in the Marquette community followed Bolger and the Reverend James Groppi to march for open housing in the city. Faculty and students alike refused to let the moment fade and demanded a response from the university. What came next was EOP and the rest is history. EOP has given so many students both at Marquette and throughout the nation the opportunity to earn a higher level of education than they would have otherwise and much of it has to do with Detroit.”
But Bolger wasn't the only panelist who made an imprint, Roque Redondo was inspired by the actions of Maureen Hoyler:
“Maureen Hoyler followed up Bolger explaining the process of how EOP came to be. ‘The Students United for Racial Equality started out in that dime to demand the University to take racial equality,’ she said.
Hoyler, who assumed the position of president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in 2013, stated that professors would resign if no change was made. It was obvious that Hoyler along with many others was looking for racial equality, and weren’t going to stop until that was reached.”
Natalie Ragusin commented on the goals of EOP:
“The symposium was accurate in explaining the past, present and future of Civil Rights in Milwaukee and Marquette. Maureen Hoyler, former assistant of then-president Dr. Arnold Mitchem spoke of little diversity when Marquette first started.
When Mitchem became the voice of low-income first-generation people, education became available and prevalent. The goal was to provide diversity in the university and help these students achieve dreams that they possibly never thought they could reach.”
Brittany Carloni reported on Dr. Hal Payne's journey to Marquette to learn about EOP:
“Payne, vice president for student affairs at Buffalo State and former chair of the board of the Council for Opportunity in Education shared his experience with similar student movements while he was at Oberlin College. He came to Marquette to hear about the program successes and met Mitchem and Hoyler. ‘We began to talk about how to organize at the state level, the regional level, to sustain this movement that started with students at Marquette,’ Payne said.
The Council for Opportunity in Education was created in 1981. Payne said part of the effort was to develop the concept to serve first-generation students. According to Mitchem, in 1980 there were 350,000 people who were in programs like EOP. Today there are 800,000.”
Robyn St. John found EOP to be a new opportunity for those who never had a chance at quality education:
“Attending a University is an accomplishment for any student. It opens doors. Many students would not be able to attend a college because of where they came from and the opportunities they were afforded are not applicable to a higher education.
In the 1960’s was a time of racism. There were not many African American students attending Marquette University. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. riots began to form in Detroit then Milwaukee. Students became part of the movement. They brought Marquette University administration a list of demands to push the EOP program into action and move the school in a better direction from all classes. The student driven movement is an inspiration to all because it is often thought that change can only be seen in politics.”
Caroline Roers shared her thoughts on the students fighting for equality:
“Bolger said at the symposium that, ‘Big institutions are hard to get moving, but once they get moving they are hard to stop.’ The students at Marquette University in the 1960’s had a goal in mind: to made racism known and to rally around ‘the human race,’ instead of society’s view of the ‘black race’ and ‘white race.’ The students held protests, they shared their views and they got thrown in jail. Hundreds of people were against the idea and yet they continued and pushed forward.
Finally, they succeeded. And since that success was found, the need for diversity at Marquette continues to roll fast and faster, growing with speed and volume. The strongest of these efforts is the EOP program. This is a program designed to assist first generation and low-income students to enter and succeed in higher education. EOP is celebrating it's 45th anniversary with a new and expanded facility and years of success.”
The full presentation can be viewed here.