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STAND Strong with VaIues and Justice
News
PubIished on April 8th, 2013 | by Lauren Barnes
Lauren Barnes, Asst. News Editor
Around 2004 a group of students and the Lewis University Minister wanted to organize a chapter of Amnesty
nternational and over time those who were involved ended their membership with Amnesty because then
became STAND.
STAND is, "a Catholic Relief Services Campus Ambassadors Program, advocates f or human rights, and is
committed to assisting the poor and vulnerable by promoting social justice and peace, according to the
STAND Facebook page.
This student organization provides opportunities f or those to be part of an advocate f or justice on campus
and around the world. STAND aims to improve the conditions that our world goes through on a daily basis and
considers itself a f un, high energy and creative environment.
"STAND is about empowering students to have a voice in this world, to use their natural gif ts to make a
dif f erence, and to provide an opportunity to use what has been learned in the classroom in a powerf ul way,
said Adam Setmeyer, University Minister and Coordinator of Retreats and Social Justice Education.
STAND values the message of Jesus, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Urgent Action and Creative
Education. Focusing on social issues, this year STAND is tackling the issue of human traf f icking programming
events to educate the campus about it and advocate on behalf of individuals being traf f icked. Every event that
is hosted through this student organization has shown interactive ways to learn about the issues and support
change.
"We still longed f or a connection to something greater outside of Lewis University, and this year we began to
work with Catholic Relief Services (the international relief organization run by the United States Catholic
Church), said Setmeyer.
The most recent event that STAND has hosted was 'The Abduction Experience' on Monday, March 18. This
event consisted of f ive rooms where attendees were exposed to a series of events that told a story of
abduction and sex traf f icking. For more insight on this event read Shelby Ray's article entitled "STAND brings
The Abduction Experience to Lewis in the online f lyer at thelewisf lyer.com.
"The goal of this event was to get knowledge about human traf f icking out to Lewis students and staf f , writes
Ray, f irst semester senior and broadcast journalism major. "Many people don't really understand what happens
and how this ef f ects the abducted.
STAND hopes to partner with other student organizations on campus to help promote justice in the areas that
the student members are passionate about. As a University Ministry team, STAND organizes events on campus
based with hope that justice is possible while trying to promote it all through God's justice and reign here on
earth.
"While STAND itself is f aith based, think one of the great gif ts of STAND is that every single student is
welcomed, and has f elt welcomed to the group, said Setmeyer.