archive

‘Acts of Faith’ is the 2015-16 First-Year Text

Although the new school year is just starting, incoming Loyola students received their first official assignment months ago: Read the book Acts of Faith.

Written by Eboo Patel, who grew up in suburban Chicago and later founded the Interfaith Youth Core, Acts of Faith is an autobiographical account of growing up Muslim in America. In the book, Patel writes about his childhood and college years—and his eventual realization that all people, regardless of their religion, can work together to serve others.

It’s those themes of service, diversity, and religious inclusion that make Acts of Faith the perfect book for incoming students to read, said Bridget Wesley, director of Loyola’s Office of First-Year Experience.

“Even though the book focuses on faith, its themes extend far beyond religion,” Wesley said. “And that’s a message we hope to share with our new students. It’s not just different religions that need to find common ground; it’s also different races, different backgrounds, different countries, and different points of view.”

For the past several years, first-year students—plus those transferring to Loyola from other schools—have been asked to read a book over the summer. Previous titles in the First-Year Text program include No Impact Man, Mountains Beyond Mountains, and Tattoos on the Heart.

And why does Loyola send books to students before they even set foot on campus?

“They help students learn more about Loyola’s values and mission,” Wesley said, “while also giving them something that they’ll have in common with other incoming students.”

Junior Kelsey Cheng, who read Mountains Beyond Mountains before coming to Loyola in 2013, said the book served as a great conversation starter for her and her classmates.

“The best part about reading the First-Year Text was having a common talking point with other students when we first moved in,” said Cheng, an advertising/public relations major. “It also was a good source of inspiration because the main character goes through so many trials and tribulations.”

But Wesley is quick to point out that the books serve as more than a mere icebreaker between students.

At the New Student Convocation, incoming students will hear an address about Acts of Faith—and then break off into smaller faculty-led groups to discuss the book even further.

Throughout the year, Wesley said, professors and staff at Loyola will incorporate themes from the First-Year Text into their classrooms and departments. That could mean a theology professor, for instance, would work Acts of Faith into a lecture or writing assignment.

For others, however, weaving a book about community service and religion into the curriculum or department mission could be challenging.

That’s why Loyola created a series of events called Communities in Conversation. These events—which include lectures, films, and volunteer activities—are based on the themes of the book and give all Ramblers a chance to come together and talk about what Acts of Faith means to them.

“Over the last few years, we’ve made an intentional effort to work with academic departments and other offices to offer events related to the books,” Wesley said. “It’s an easy way to bring people together and start a discussion that they might not have otherwise.

“This year we’re particularly excited about the series, because we’re working directly with Eboo Patel and his colleagues from the Interfaith Youth Corps to bring a comprehensive set of programs to campus.”