Southern 2020

giving to BSC
GENEROUS SUPPORT
IN A TIME OF NEED
While the course of COVID-19 has changed the
needs of the College, we are lucky to have a strong
and supportive community that has been there for
our students. BSC has provided additional financial
support and numerous resources to our current campus
community as they adjust to a new normal.
The COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund has focused
support specifically on student needs as they arise. Gifts
help students and families who have been hit hard by
the pandemic due to layoffs, furloughs, and the loss of
hourly jobs and off-campus internships.
Gifts have also supported the Panther Pantry,
a resource developed by the Office of Student
Development in fall 2019 that became especially
important during the pandemic. Located in Norton
Campus Center, the Panther Pantry provides fresh
groceries and dry goods at no cost to students facing
food insecurity.
When remote learning and work began, some
students remained in campus residence halls, including
international students. The Panther Pantry gave 57
students access to groceries without leaving campus
during the shutdown.
A small group of students, who were unable to
return home after the spring term, also stayed on
campus over the summer. BSC received a Rapid
Response Grant from the Community Foundation of
Greater Birmingham, underwriting the cost of this
emergency housing for students.
To those who have supported the College throughout
this time, thank you for investing in our current
students. To learn more about making a gift to BSC,
visit www.bsc.edu/advancement.
Dr. Brandon Brown, associate dean of students, and other
Student Development staff packed bags from the Panther
Pantry for students who were still on campus in March.
ROOM FOR REFLECTION
In the fall, Birmingham-Southern received a $5,000 grant
to establish a campus mindfulness program, made possible
by a partnership with the Trust for the Meditation Process, a
charitable foundation encouraging meditation, mindfulness,
and contemplative prayer.
The grant helped establish two programming components:
the creation of a dedicated meditation space on campus, and
mindfulness instruction and training held in the space. The
Trust helps provide these programs to schools, churches, and
other organizations and institutions.
“The program is designed to bring a dedicated mindfulness
space to campus and to provide formal instruction in
mindfulness techniques from a licensed teacher,” says Dr. Joe
Chandler ’03, associate professor of psychology and director
of grants and special projects at BSC. “After that, we intend the
space to be supported by a student-staff-faculty partnership,
adapting to the contemplative needs of the BSC community.”
Chandler and Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Keely
Sutton serve as the project’s principal investigators, and they
are working with certified mindfulness meditation instructor
Cathy Wright, mother of Elizabeth Hall ’19, who will lead the
training programs. While BSC has seen students, faculty, and
staff create short-term mindfulness studies and opportunities,
this grant will centralize these efforts for long-lasting impact.
“We hope that this grant marks the beginning of a
mindfulness program that will be developed through the
combined efforts of students, staff, alumni, and faculty,”
Sutton says. “The first eight-week session in the spring will
be virtual, and we are sure it will prove useful during this
stressful time.”
Mindfulness meditation comes with many benefits, but
students often do not have access to the quality of programs
that our partnership with the Trust will bring. Through
incorporating this kind of instruction on campus, BSC can
further exemplify our commitment to students’ well-being and
education on the Hilltop.
Director of Counseling Services Cara Blakes, Director of
Student Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Kristie Williams, and
SGA are also dedicated to the project and plan to contribute
helpful resources and guidance as it grows. The meditation
space will be open to the entire BSC community, not just
residential students.
“These last months have highlighted the need for resilience,
and we believe this grant will help our campus community
continue to adapt to the COVID crisis while building a longterm
habit of collective mindfulness,” Chandler says.
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