MTSO students, faculty and staff will participate in Dec. 13 Washington march

When the National March Against Police Violence begins in Washington, D.C., Saturday, Dec. 13, more than 50 members of the MTSO community will be part of it. Following a series of campus discussions in response to non-indictments in the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York, students, faculty and staff are traveling together to Washington.

"We're a community that takes seriously our commitment to engage in the wider world," said MTSO President Jay Rundell. "The events of the past two weeks inspired campus conversations about not only the tragedies in Ferguson and Staten Island but the status of our own campus anti-racism efforts."

"It was clear in those discussions that many of our students feel called to join the struggle against ongoing racial inequality in our country," Rundell said. "I am pleased with the ways they are confronting systemic and structural realities endemic to society and even our own institution."

Those who can't make the journey to D.C. but want to connect in some way with those who are marching are invited to gather at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Dunn Dining Hall to view a live video feed from the march and reflect.

Methodist Theological School in Ohio prepares leaders of many faith traditions for lives of lasting significance in service to the church and the world. In addition to the Master of Divinity degree, the school offers master's degrees in counseling ministries, theological studies and practical theology, along with a Doctor of Ministry degree.

CONTACT: Danny Russell, director of communications drussell@mtso.edu, 740-362-3322