By Bryan Hay
Lafayette College will host this year’s “Every Campus a Refuge” (ECAR) conference Sept. 12 and 13, which will provide resources and inspiration to help campuses, congregations, and organizations welcome immigrants and refugees into their communities.
So far, more than 150 people from across the U.S. have registered to attend the fourth annual conference, bringing a shared commitment to transforming higher education and other communities into places of welcome and belonging. Since Lafayette established its ECAR chapter in 2017, it has provided housing to nine families, helping smooth the transition into their new lives. The College was selected to host the conference in fall of 2024.
Hosting the ECAR conference is an appropriate tie-in with the start of the College’s Bicentennial, says the Rev. Dr. Alex Hendrickson, college chaplain and director of religious and spiritual life, who advises Lafayette Refugee Action, a student organization that founded the ECAR chapter at Lafayette.
“When we think about the Marquis de Lafayette, who left his country to aid the American cause for independence, it gives us an opportunity to consider what it means to live in a place where you are welcomed and where your gifts are valued,” she says. “ECAR really embodies a lot of the values that Lafayette espoused —being part of the community and welcoming and supporting diverse populations.”
In addition to hosting the conference, Lafayette will have several of its faculty lead workshops and discussions — Adam Biener, associate professor of economics, and Matthew DeMaio, visiting assistant professor of anthropology. Lafayette student groups and clubs will also be involved, and the conference will feature talks by Diya Abdo, founder of ECAR and professor of English and creative writing at Guilford College, and Easton City Council member Taiba Sultana.
“It’s our goal for everyone attending the ECAR conference to strengthen their community, strengthen their networks, either through higher education institutions or refugee support organizations,” says Pannagayukta Kosaraju ’28, co-president of Refugee Action.
One of the most important outcomes of the conference will be around building solidarity across community institutions, not just in Easton but in partnership with other colleges and organizations across the country, Kosaraju says.
“Our whole conference theme this year is refugee advocacy and solidarity, especially in the current challenging political climate,” she adds. “We’ve made this a goal and a theme. And we hope that everyone who comes is engaged in that spirit of community.”
Kosaraju encourages attendance at the conference, regardless of background or beliefs.
“It’s all about building community and helping people,” she says. “I encourage everyone to come to this conference. It doesn’t matter who you are. We just want your input and an engaging spirit. It’s a great place to network and learn more about what we can do to help refugees and harness those resources that we have.”
Hendrickson is proud of how the Refugee Action students have been working diligently in planning the conference and their unwavering dedication to helping families in need of resettlement.
“Our students have learned a lot about delivering social services,” she says, noting how she often muses that students in Refugee Action should earn master of social work degrees along with their Lafayette degrees. “They’ve learned so much about what’s needed when a family shows up. We need to enroll their kids in school, we need to help the family members find employment, and we need to make sure that they have access to medical care and culturally appropriate foods.
“I go back to our Bicentennial,” Hendrickson adds. “This is part of a well-rounded liberal arts education and reflects how we live out our citizenship in a way that is reflective of our values.”
Learn more information about the ECAR conference. If anyone has a friend or colleague who would like to attend an event, contact Hendrickson, and she will provide a code for free admission.
