When I stepped foot on DePaul’s campus I didn’t know what the word Vincentian meant—at best. I figured it was a marketing tagline. Three years immersed in student life would prove to me that the word “Vincentian” describes the heart that drives the decisions of this institution.

I currently serve as the senator of mission and values on DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA). Through this role I help infuse the Vincentian mission into student life. This means planning events focused on educating students on the history and traditions of the Vincentian social movement and developing workshops for student groups struggling with mission statement cultivation or intra-organziational relationships.

This position has given me a lot of context to understand what the mission actually stands for. For the longest time, Vincent de Paul was an enigma to me — too large, too saint-like, too perfect to possibly relate to — but I’ve found that Vincent was as mortal as we are.

Vincent was a man from humble beginnings born in a small town on the French countryside. When the time came to find employment he figured that the clergy was his ticket to upward mobility. The events that later transpired would lead him to serve as a tutor for a prominent noble family in France, the de Gondi. Vincent worked directly under Madame de Gondi, a pious woman who was deeply committed to fulfilling the needs of her people.

Vincent was living a comfortable life until someone asked him to “do better.”

While on a trip to the countryside, Madame de Gondi and Vincent noticed the extreme poverty that tormented the marginalized in France. Horrified by the injustices and the lack of support that these communities faced, Madame de Gondi turned to Vincent and asked, “What must be done?”

This question, first identified by our own Rev. Ed Udovic, C.M. was the question that framed the rest of Vincent’s life and now frames the culture at DePaul. Closely related to “What must be done,” is the phrase “we must do better.“ These words have been plastered around campus, featured on signs at protests and exchanged in conversations amongst campus organizations.

I couldn’t agree more that we need to do better. The events that have taken place since the infamous Milo incident last May have taught us that we as a university have a great deal of progress to make. Students feel let down on all fronts and it’s clear that there needs to be more tangible action plans set in place to better meet the needs of marginalized communities on this campus.

I’ve felt this disappointment and spent time frustrated over losses felt throughout the campus community. In spite of that, I’ve begun to ask, “What must I do — what must we do together?” I’ve realized that we as students possess the power to “do better” through a Vincentian lens that encourages us to speak out more, to question more, to organize, to dialogue, to mentor and to advocate for our peers.

Having had the opportunity to study Vincentian history has taught me that change is a community effort. Vincent was someone who felt a responsibility to listen to his peers and connect them to one another. He enjoyed mentoring groups of people in need of guidance and organizing those on the margins to realize their power.

It’s become increasingly clear to me that if we want change here, whether it is the treatment of students in the classroom, access to resources or the university’s commitment to safety, we need all hands on deck.

My call to action to students is to learn more about what Vincent had to offer as leader of one of the most revolutionary movements of his time.  Study his leadership, embody it and make it your own.

Vincent was a star consultant for the dedicated advocates around him. He worked diligently to mentor anyone who would listen to him. He engaged in dialogue everyday with those whose opinions often opposed his own. He identified key players in positions of power and leveraged his connections to bring change to those in need of it. And above all, he made sure that the human dignity of everyone was acknowledged.

A stronger DePaul community is within reach.

Start today, attend a ‘meet me at the mission’ workshop to learn more about Vincentian values, or reach out to me and we can develop a workshop specific to your organization.

Apply for a service immersion trip and spend a week in a city becoming aware of the injustices that plague communities beyond the Brownstones of Lincoln Park.

Join a DePaul community service association site and start volunteering for a community in need right here, right now.

Attend an SGA meeting and hold your leaders accountable for what they promised you — leverage their influence.

Take note of elected officials within student organizations and ask questions. Ask your organization’s leaders what they plan to do to uphold the Vincentian values of this institution.

Exercise your voice and identify who is committed to living out the mission. Ask them how they advocate or how they practice the recognition of human dignity — if they don’t, push them towards the resources that will teach them to do more, to do better.

My call to you is to ask yourself what can you do to “do better” right now — how can you answer the Vincentian question, “What must be done?” and engage others who don’t already do so to do the same.

Being a student at DePaul is a responsibility — a responsibility to the poor, the marginalized, and the underrepresented in our campus community and beyond. It’s a responsibility to be a leader who collaborates with influencers to advocate for change.

If we want to begin making change we must move past our silos and organize —this is an all hands on deck affair.

Ask yourself right now, what will you do to usher in change?