Six students representing Shenandoah University’s Office of Spiritual Life and Center for Civic Engagement joined over 100 students from colleges and universities across Virginia for the 2024 Student Day of Action organized by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) in Richmond, Virginia.
Accompanied by SU Director of Civic Engagement Rebecca Gibson and Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Development and Outreach Ian Urriola, students Jonathan Brewster ’26, Jolonnie Reed ’25, Erin Spaulding ’25, Emily Swartzbaugh ’27, Liberty Tennyson ’25, and Robert Thomas ’27 met directly with members of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia, as well as their legislative staffs, to share their concerns on issues of social, racial, and economic justice as it pertained to bills working through both chambers of the General Assembly. This is the second year that the Office of Spiritual Life and the Center for Civic Engagement attended Student Day of Action events hosted by VICPP, and it’s the first year both offices combined their efforts.
In addition to meeting with their elected representatives, SU students participated in a number of plenary and breakout sessions throughout the day that Gibson said were “extremely relevant and educational.” These sessions were led and facilitated by people who have been incarcerated as well as other activists who are working in the space of environmental justice, criminal justice reform, and maternal mortality in Black communities.
“This experience helped me realize that there are at least two sides to every story, bill, and individual, and, because of this, we can all work together to change our world for the better, no matter the skills you bring to the table,” said Swartzbaugh, who attended the trip as a member of the CCE.
“This was an amazing opportunity for students who are committed to serving their community to experience a person-to-person interaction with a state legislator,” Gibson said, “and to voice their concerns about an issue that they care about.”
According to its website, VICPP is a “non-partisan coalition of 25,000 members, which includes 750 houses of worship; 1,000 clergy of all faiths, and people of goodwill; 10 chapters; many partner and affiliate organizations; most of the judicatory leaders in the state; and activists in every House and Senate district in Virginia, all working for a more just society.” Urriola believes VICPP is an invaluable organization with which SU can partner as it seeks to educate and inspire.
“This network of our neighbors across Virginia is dedicated to putting their values into action and working in coalition across differences to build a more just social order,” Urriola said. “Opportunities to partner with VICPP enhance Shenandoah’s efforts to live into its mission, and I am eager for this partnership to flourish in the years to come.”
Gibson said that the students from the Center for Civic Engagement echo that excitement, noting that “the students met in the CCE office the Monday after to debrief, and they encouraged the students who were not able to join us to plan to attend next year.”
Swartzbaugh added that this experience taught her the importance of staying rooted to shared values when engaging in advocacy work. “You need to bring passion and an unwillingness to give up for your cause,” she said.
The Office of Spiritual Life is dedicated to unleashing students’ spirit and potential by giving them a variety of settings in which to explore their faiths, questions, gifts, hopes and dreams as they prepare to be leaders in their faith communities and around the world.
The Center for Civic Engagement offers many opportunities for students to fulfill Shenandoah University’s mission by becoming “ethical, compassionate citizens who are committed to making responsible contributions within a community, nation, and world.” It provides opportunities to do this through volunteer service, holding dialogues across differences, and voter engagement. The CCE provides leadership opportunities for students to grow personally and professionally in immersive experiences.
