A friend recently sent me an article that brought back a flood of memories.
It centred, in part, on the concept of JUGS—the Jesuit term for detentions in Catholic high schools back in the last century.
At Brebeuf, there were three kinds of JUGS.
The first were classroom detentions, assigned by individual teachers for minor infractions such as missing homework or being disruptive in class. They were usually served in the teacher's classroom for 30 to 40 minutes after school. I vividly remember giving one to a student who managed to shorten his detention by fifteen minutes after he quietly moved the classroom clock ahead while I stepped out to chat with a colleague. Clever lad!
The second type were after-school JUGS held in the chemistry lab, Room 214, under the watchful eye of the legendary Father Beaudois. These were typically assigned for offences such as repeated lateness or recurring uniform violations. Unlike most teachers, Father Beaudois chose detention duty over extracurricular coaching and served as the school's one of a kind detention master.
The third type, and the one every student hoped to avoid, was the dreaded Saturday morning JUG. It was reserved for more serious offences such as smoking on school property, swearing, or outright insubordination. Since the school was private in those early years, the Jesuits were able to enforce this practice with the full support of parents.
Can you imagine a school imposing Saturday morning detentions today?
Many students and parents at Jesuit high schools are familiar with the term JUG. Commonly misunderstood to mean “Judgement Under God,” JUG is a disciplinary device used by faculty and administrators to address any number of school infractions great and small. In my time teaching at Brophy College Preparatory I gave out my share of JUGs. Some of my former students might say I gave out more than my share. (In full disclosure, I also had some alternatives to JUG that included singing, dancing, putting a golf ball and collecting for the annual Lenten Drive). JUGs, while punitive in nature, are never meant to be malicious. Instead, JUG is a form of restorative justice, even penance if you will. JUG is never as bad as it’s made out to be. At Brophy it’s usually accompanied by some good-natured ribbing by classmates or the rolling of eyes and rueful shaking of heads by teachers walking by. Many students and parents think they know what JUG means literally. However, the expression actually has its root in Latin and has little to do with judgement. It derives from the expression, sub iugum, or “under the yoke,” as in a yoke placed upon a beast of burden....... I sometimes felt that a simple JUG, an hour spent picking up trash or writing a letter of gratitude, was insufficient for the infraction committed. Over time I learned to trust our Dean of Student Formation. “Dr. J” knew his business and had a genuine love for our students. It is a love we all shared. So the yoke he placed on the errant student was gentle and light, yet it served its purpose. I had more than one meaningful conversation with a young man serving his JUG while I was on parking lot duty. They got it. They knew that what they did was wrong and they knew they weren’t being punished as much as reminded of Brophy’s expectations and hopes for them. I sensed they were grateful someone cared enough toall them out. Their way wasn’t working. Perhaps JUG is a stellar example of that whole Jesuit charism of cura personalis. Even when students misbehave they are still loved. |
Eric Gregory recently retired from the Religious Studies faculty at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a graduate of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University. |
