My name is Shelby Sherril, I am here to introduce you to more opportunities outside of campus through two service-learning programs. Professor Camp is a devoted professor here on campus and provides two different ways to reach outside our familiar communities and step into a new part of the world.
To start this interview tell me about yourself and what you do here at Thomas More University.
My name is James Camp. I have a Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas Woman’s University and I joined the faculty at Thomas More in 1998. I teach sociology courses here from the introductory level through the senior thesis level. One of the hallmarks of my work and service here is the service-learning programs I direct. I offer courses in service-learning both on the Mexican-U.S. Border (Border Studies) in El Paso, Texas, and in Jamaica (Jamaica Service-learning Program-JLSP). I focus on the connectedness of Sociological insight and the critical nature of Sociology in advancing the mission of Thomas More.
Can you explain how the Mexico-U.S. border studies trip and the Jamaica service-learning program work?
Both of these programs are three credit hours in Sociology that can count toward the major/minor or can count as experiential learning credit and/or general elective credit for other majors. The on-ground courses focus on the application of Catholic Social teaching and its emphasis on social justice and the primacy of human dignity to globalization, migration, economic, political, and historical processes that have created challenging realities on the border or in Jamaican life. Once the courses are complete the “real fun beings” as I journey with students into the field where what we have learned in class is applied in the service-learning setting.
What motivates you to do these trips?
We live in a troubled world-a world where there are immeasurable affronts to basic human dignity. I believe we are all called by our common humanity to develop a greater consciousness of the world around us and then to act on this consciousness. In Catholic terms, this is the “see-judge-act” response to the world around us. Thomas More’s mission specifically states that we foster reflection on the “ultimate meaning of life, one’s place in the world and one’s social responsibilities.” If living in solidarity with those who are the outcasts in society (those in migration who are labeled as rapists and murders) or feeding a child who is severely disabled and faces the challenges of living in a nation with limited resources (those who are also labeled as the outcast), if this does not foster reflection on Thomas More’s mission in deeply affective and memorable ways then I do not know what will.
What can this trip provide for future students?
If a person wants to “forfeit their right to have a bad day” come join me. The gifts of the migrant, the gifts of the people of Jamaica are many. One thing for me is certain. They have and continue to give me a fundamental and most important gift of perspective in my own life. They too, I believe, have gotten me just a little closer to God . . . but that is a discussion for another article! I suggest that, if a person is so called, take the leap of faith and see where it takes you.
Are there any funding opportunities that provide low-income students with the ability to take these trips?
Yes, these are University sanctioned trips so financial aid can be applied to costs. The university also supports students from fifteen to twenty-five percent of the costs through the James Graham Brown grant that supports international study and my groups often raise monies working Bengals and Reds games. There are times a person does not pay out-of-pocket to participate at all. It is also noteworthy that these programs are relatively inexpensive at $850.00 for Mexican-U.S. Border Studies and $2,100.00 for Jamaica Service-Learning Program. These programs are less expensive because I do the planning and logistics in-house which saves on the overall costs.
Do you have anything else to add that you would like students to know?
Sure, normally JSLP is offered each spring with the eight-week course in the latter half of the spring semester and then the field component in the third and fourth week of May. This year as a result of COVID that program will not run (I hope we will return in May of 2022). The Border studies course (an eight week course in the first half of the spring) will be offered this spring. I am hopeful that the COVID situation will change between now and the latter half of May making it reasonably safe for students to learn and serve in El Paso, Texas. There is a significant possibility that the migration landscape will change profoundly between now and then warranting our service and accompaniment of the migrant.
I personally have been a part of these two trips myself. I highly recommend taking the steps to make one, if not both happen at some point during your college career. Don't be afraid to take big steps, I did and I changed my major because of one of these experiences. I can't thank professor Camp enough for that and for proving me with many opportunities to afford the cost of the trip. His office door is always open or he is an email away, campj@thomasmore.edu please feel free to email me as well if you have any questions about these two trips, snsher64@thomasmore.edu
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