Dissatisfied with the status quo and seeking more agency in uncertain times, Holy Cross students decided to put their Jesuit education to use in 1968 by establishing a student-run service organization, one that has since exploded in scope throughout the city of Worcester and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Student Programs for Urban Development, better known as SPUD, was founded out of a desire to connect with Worcester residents in light of the major events disrupting the American landscape in 1968: mounting resistance against the Vietnam War, increased participation among youth during the Civil Rights Movement and the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.
SPUD founder Patrick E. Clancy ’68 and other Holy Cross students recognized the need to serve their neighbors and set out to establish a student-led volunteer organization. To attract participants, Clancy created a brochure that listed six volunteer sites throughout the city and a quote by French poet Paul Claudel: “Youth was not made for pleasure, but for heroism.”
“I probably read that quote in a theology or philosophy class,” recalls Clancy, who used it as a call to action for students. “We were aspiring to heroic acts; that was sort of the spirit of the times.”
The SPUD spirit of dedication to others is reflected in the oft-repeated Jesuit ideal, “Men and women for and with others.” And, surprisingly, SPUD predates the adoption of this motto on campus.
“It’s noteworthy that students at Holy Cross were already living this out concretely before the Jesuits had fully articulated education for justice as the primary aim of Jesuit higher education,” says Martin Kelly, associate chaplain and current SPUD faculty adviser. “Students paved the way for building the volunteer capacity to significantly impact local neighborhoods and address the immediate needs of the underprivileged in Worcester.”
The first year SPUD was launched, there were six service locations staffed by 40 Holy Cross students and 60 students from other Worcester colleges and universities. Today, SPUD sends 530 student volunteers to more than 40 sites across Worcester and is run exclusively through Holy Cross.
Students have been visiting some of the sites — which have become program staples — for decades, such as the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, the Mustard Seed Catholic Worker and Abby’s House.