Students pay to give up cell phones for a good cause and raise $5,000

The Brother James Miller No Cell Phone Day, held Nov. 25, was a success with close to 300 students, faculty, and staff giving up their cell phones for the day — and raising exactly $1,000 for students in Guatemala. This was matched by another $1,000 gift from a Saint Mary’s trustee, a $1,000 match by the Office of the President, $1,000 match by Saint Mary’s Press, and another match of $1,000 by the Christian Brothers’ community, for a grand total of $5,000. The event was held in honor of Brother James Miller, who earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Saint Mary’s in 1966 and 1974, who was only 37 when he was shot and killed as he was mending a wall outside a school where he worked in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, in 1982. Funds raised were donated to Casa Hermano Santiago Miller, the school where Brother James worked that now bears his name, to provide registration fees, tuition, and books for several students who otherwise would have limited opportunities to attend school. The idea for the project started with Brother Pat Conway, FSC ’75, M’80, Ed.D., assistant professor in Interdisciplinary Studies and Education, and was supported by the Student Senate and several athletics teams.