Beyond November's elections, Ann Redmond, CSJ advocates hands-on democracy

"We have a responsibility to society as educated women to give back,” says Redmond. “It involves our faith, our values and how we will work for the common good.”

The mission of the College of St. Catherine’s Center for Economic Justice and Public Policy is to engage all of the women at the college in developing a greater understanding of national public policy issues, particularly as they relate to economics and social justice. Much of the leadership for this effort resides with some eight to 15 students in the St. Kate’s Votes Committee, chaired by Student Assistant Program Coordinator Rachel Toenjes ’10, a biology major.

“It’s all about civic engagement and taking students beyond just voting on election day to talking to and working with legislators in their communities,” says Redmond.

A long-time social justice advocate, Redmond says it was her passion for social justice issues that led her to the religious life and the Sisters of St. Joseph. As a religious sister, she felt freer to pursue her calling and became a teacher because she saw education as a justice issue.

She initially taught the middle grades in elementary school and made it a practice to conduct civics lessons and discuss current events on a regular basis because “I always wanted them to know what was going on,” she says.

From there, she went on to become an English professor at St. Kate’s, a position she retired from in 2005 after 30 years. Now, she provides guidance and counsel to the students at the Centers for Excellence.

In addition to the program’s academic curriculum, Redmond encourages hands-on involvement in the democratic process.

In 2000, she instituted the St. Kate’s Votes Program, which gets students involved in voter registration and provides transportation to local polling places on election day. The core group of students will typically recruit other students on campus to engage them in these pre-election activities.

Another facet of the program are Candidates and Issues Forums. The first candidate forum was held on campus in 2002 during the gubernatorial elections and sponsored by both the College and Minnesota Public Radio.

This year, the College and Highland Public Library are co-sponsoring a forum at the library featuring candidates in districts 64A and 64B (where the College resides) running for the state legislature.

The Issues Forums have been an ongoing part of the College’s traditions, and Redmond has made them a critical part of students’ education, especially during non-election years. Forums have dealt with a range of issues, including immigration, the Iraq war and healthcare.

Students have also been involved in debates and giving speeches on opposing sides of the same issue. Redmond hopes the current St. Kate’s Votes Committee can engage in debating the points of view of the two presidential candidates as well as any independent candidates who may choose to run.

“The issues and debates have been an important and successful part of the program,” says Redmond. “That is measured by the interest of the students and the leadership roles and risks they’ve taken in order to better understand what it means to live in a democracy.”

St. Kate's at the RNC

Physics professor Terry Flower, Ph.D. (pictured right) is a delegate to the Republican National Convention and Campus Republican Committee Co-Chair Renee Zeman '10 has been working with a consulting firm to the Republican Host Committee.

Arline Datu is a St. Paul freelance writer, social justice activist and corporate communications consultant.