ADA – On Thursday, January 14, nearly 300 students gathered on East Central University’s campus to recreate the Civil Rights march of 1963.
Carrying homemade signs and chanting, “We want civil rights!” the students were supporting a civil issue that was a large concern over 40 years ago – human diversity. Leading this group of strong-willed people is Dr. Christine Pappas, department head and professor of political science and legal studies at ECU.
Following the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Christine Pappas also has a dream. Her dream is that one day, people will see past a person’s race, ethnicity, religious convictions, and sexual orientation. She is bringing that dream to the ECU campus.
“East Central is really committed to increasing diversity in our faculty, staff, and students,” Dr. Pappas said. “If we aren’t diverse as faculty and staff, we won’t attract the students.” She has been chairman of ECU’s Human Diversity Committee for two years. Dr. Pappas is making a difference both on campus and off. Her message reaches out to the community. In 2005, she organized a service learning project for students. The students worked in the predominantly black Ada neighborhood of Hammond Heights. “Probably one in five houses needed to be condemned and there wasn’t good sewage,” Dr. Pappas said. “There weren’t street signs and there weren’t lights for safety. There were only two fire hydrants in the whole neighborhood. It was clear to me that the city hasn’t been paying attention. We’ve got East Central political students involved and we worked up there for about three years. We went to the city council and they held meetings in the neighborhood.” The service-learning project completed over 20 projects in the Hammond Heights district. The project became known as the “Week of Work.” Dr. Pappas authored a paper detailing her experiences working with her students in Hammond Heights – “Lessons from Hammond Heights: Service Learning and Race in an Oklahoma Town.”
The project caught the attention the project’s participants were hoping for. However, Dr. Pappas said, there is still more work to be done. “The biggest success was the improvement of several properties,” she said. “We’ve probably improved thirty houses in the past five years. There’s been an increase in the police patrol, and helping the Parks Department by keeping the trees and grass low around the park so it’s safer for kids. The city has been working on improving the infrastructure.”
Dr. Pappas received her degree from University of Nebraska, and holds a doctorate in law. When one meets Christine Pappas for the first time, one can see a highly approachable individual who seems comfortable in her own skin. She is an inspiration to the faculty, students, and citizens of Ada.
By Jaclyn Duvall
