A new student association to potential aid Notre Dame’s entire universtiy populace.
By Robert Hiini
A group of undergraduate and post-graduate students at the University of Notre Dame (UNDA) have announced that they are in the nascent stages of establishing a student society that aims to offer peer mentoring to potentially every student at the university.
The School of Philosophy & Theology Student Society will provide support, fraternity and social events for member-students studying units in philosophy and theology, including UNDA’s core curriculum units which are compulsory for all students.
President Tammy Nguyen and vice-president and secretary Vincent Restifo, both theology majors, told The Record that membership of the new society is open to every UNDA student and staff member.
They have their work cut out for them. Research into the experience of Catholic secondary education in WA has shown that the vast majority of students emerging from Catholic secondary schools – from which UNDA receives many of its enrolments – see the Church as irrelevant to their lives.
However SPaTS, as its organisers refer to it, will work closely with Campus Ministry and unit lecturers to provide two sessions of peer support for students per semester as well as relevant film and documentary viewings with question and answer sessions and discussion to follow.
The Society’s logo features two garlanded heads in the style of Greek thinkers beneath the names ‘Phil’ and ‘Theo’, symbolising the two disciplines of philosophical thought and theological reflection.
Both Ms Nguyen and Mr Restifo have previous experience in community organisation having worked for the Perth World Youth Day Office and the Young Christian Workers, respectively.
They say that the society will support current Campus Ministry initiative such as daily Mass, retreats and the Theology on Tap series featuring prominent speakers on issues of theological interest and importance.
The society is planning to fundraise four times a year for its own costs and for causes such as Project Compassion, Make Poverty History and World Mission Week as well as encouraging students to donate blood while the Red Cross’s mobile unit is stationed on campus.
An executive committee has been inaugurated including an events coordinator (Anthony Widjaja), staff liaison (Kathyrn Imray), and one representative each from St Charles Seminary (Anibal Leite Da Cunha) and the Neo-Catechumenate Seminary of Redemptoris Mater (Wilson Donizzetti Martins Jr).
A schedule of their annual events has been added to their recently-established website (sites.google.com/site/ndfreospatss) and facebook page.
More information about SPaTSS can be obtained from their website or by emailing ndfreospatss@gmail.com.