Thursday, September 18, 2008

'Bus Stop' comes to SMU

By Karen Karmgard
Cardinal Staff

The Saint Mary’s University department of theatre arts presents the play “Bus Stop” starting Family Weekend.
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“Bus Stop” is an American play that tells the story of eight misfit people who get stuck in a Kansas City diner during a snowstorm in March 1955. Written by the award-winning playwright William Inge, “Bus Stop” is a romantic comedy fit to entertain students and parents alike for Family Weekend.

The play opens Thursday, Sept. 25, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 28.

Director Judy Myers, associate professor of theater arts, said that she chose this play for the young characters.

“Bus Stop” is the story of mixed messages between a youthful cowboy and a less-than-innocent nightclub singer named Cherie. The cowboy, known as Bo, supposedly abducts the singer in order to marry her, but because of the storm they get stuck at the diner and have to work out their issues. Since Bo is a rich ranch owner, he thinks he can stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Myers said, “All his life he’s gotten everything he wants, and he can’t imagine that a girl wouldn’t want him. He’s good-looking and he’s rich … and he can’t imagine she wouldn’t love him.” He may just learn that he cannot win over this club singer.

Freshman Cory Madison plays Bo and senior Whitney Rappana plays Cherie. Other actors include sophomore Samantha Vaselaar, senior Rachel Crawford-Miller, freshman Thomas Conry, freshman Nicholas Montecalvo, freshman Matthew Gorgone, and freshman Bryan Moore.

Working behind the scenes is senior Erica Prond as stage manager, and assistant stage managers are freshman Stephen Ronchak and freshman Heather Brevig. All of these students have worked hard to make “Bus Stop” entertaining for everyone.

Enjoy the night sky at Starry Nights

By Jessica Paulsen
Managing Editor

Dr. Henry Leckenby, assistant professor of physics, began the Saint Mary’s Starry Nights program a few years ago to give the SMU community access to resources such as telescopes with which to enjoy the night sky.
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“What I wanted to do is take those things we had and make them available to the campus community,” said Leckenby.

Since then, Starry Nights has grown to include SMU students, faculty and their families, as well as members of the entire Winona community. Leckenby said, “It’s gotten to the point where 10 to 12 people is kind of the minimum now.” When there are big, interesting events such as an eclipse, “we cycle people through the upstairs observing deck,” Leckenby said.

There are usually five telescopes set up for observing certain objects, and participants are encouraged to ask Leckenby questions about what they are seeing. “Mostly, people are seeing new things to them. I try to give them just enough information so they have a context of what they’re looking at, and then let them ask questions if they want to know more,” said Leckenby.

Saint Mary’s Starry Nights is held the first Thursday of each month. There are posters around Hoffman and Saint Mary’s Halls, and an email is also sent out to the campus community before each program. People are welcome to stay as long as they would like, but generally each program runs one and a half hours. If the weather or visibility is bad, Leckenby always has a back-up educational program.

Complex nears completion

By Ashley Acosta
Cardinal Staff

With the completion of the new $2.8 million track and soccer complex set for mid-October, school officials hope to enhance not only the beauty of the campus but also the atmosphere.
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Plans for the facility were set in motion when recent efforts to start a football program on campus failed. Administration officials turned to their next option to help the school be competitive with other educational institutions. “The university realized that we needed to (better support) the teams that we already have,” said Vice President for Student Development Chris Kendall.

The multi-million dollar venue is in the latter stages of phase one, which includes laying the foundational elements of the track and soccer fields. Phase two will consist of building bleachers, concession stands, restrooms, and storage space.

Kendall laid to rest speculations that the university increased tuition to help pay for the state-of-the-art training complex. He said long-range planning helped secure funding. “The increase in tuition has nothing to do with the construction of this complex. All the money is raised internally through several different budget committees, plant funds, fundraisers as well as donors,” he said. Officials are hoping an active, visually appealing campus will aid in increasing enrollment and revenue.

“Students want the whole package,” said Athletic Director Nikki Fennern. “This complex will help attract people to the SMU campus, and I am thankful the university recognized our needs and decided to help put SMU on the map.”

In addition to economic benefits, there has been an increase in morale among students and alumni.

“The response (to the complex) has been great; people tell me that Saint Mary’s is finally starting to look like an actual college campus. School pride is being boosted and Saint Mary’s is on the move,” Kendall said.

Home soccer games have already been played on the field, and many other athletic events are in the works, including talk of hosting the 2010 Track and Field Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) meet. Athletes are not the only ones expected to put the facility to use. It will be available for recreational activities such as intramurals, physical education classes and public use.

SMU campus at capacity

By Danielle Larson
Editor in Chief

Record-breaking enrollment numbers put Saint Mary’s University Winona campus at full capacity this fall.
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A total of 404 freshmen enrolled for the 2008-09 school year, making it the second-largest freshman class; the highest enrollment occurred in 1988. Enrollment numbers have been high for three consecutive years, with 399 students enrolling in 2007 and 376 students enrolling in 2006. These numbers put SMU at a maximum this year with a total of 1,413 undergraduates, 1,334 of them being full-time students and 79 being part-time.

“I am thrilled,” exclaimed Vice President for Student Development, Chris Kendall about the admission numbers for the past couple years. “I think we are doing some good things,” he said. This year the goal was to get SMU to capacity, explained Kendall, and he was pleased to exceed it.

All of these record-breaking numbers have left SMU feeling full in the classrooms, hallways and especially dorms. As the number of available dorm rooms ran low, lounges were transtransformed into rooms to accommodate students. “It is not a thing we typically would do,” said Vice President for Admission, Tony Piscitiello. “If I had a chance to put them in regular rooms, I would,” he said. Piscitiello explained that one reason SMU is so full this year is because roughly 80 percent of upperclassmen stayed on campus this year, whereas typically, only around 75 percent stay on campus.

Piscitiello feels the attitude of everyone around campus is what has impacted enrollment the most. The attitude on campus is all about “moving forward,” which he translates into happy co-workers and students. Students who attend SMU are the school’s ambassadors, according to Piscitiello; if they enjoy it here, they are going to tell their friends and relatives, who then in turn might take interest in the school.

As for what SMU plans on doing about high enrollment numbers, ideas are still up in the air. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” said Kendall. The university first needs to look toward the future at the number of high school graduating seniors. If high school classes continue to be large, SMU may consider making expansions on campus to accommodate larger classes in the future; however, if high school graduating class sizes show decline, the school would have no need for such expansions.

Kendall stated that as for now, “we are right at capacity, which is where we want to be."

Students invited to Sept. 26 inauguration

By Betsy Baertlein
News Editor

The inauguration of Brother William Mann, FSC, as the 13th president of Saint Mary’s University is set to occur on Friday, Sept. 26. Classes are cancelled for the day in the hope that students will attend this occasion for SMU.
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Dr. Jeffrey Highland, university provost and vice president of the college, cites three reasons for the inauguration being important to the SMU community. First, it is an opportunity for the university to publicize the good things that are happening within the institution. Secondly, it marks an important historical transition. Last, but not least, it gives us a chance to “formally welcome the new president in a way that befits his office,” stated Highland.

Brother William has chosen the theme “Lasallian Education—A World of Difference” for his inauguration. This theme celebrates the presence of Lasallian schools around the world. There are currently 930 Lasallian schools spread throughout 82 countries; together the schools serve 900,000 students. This year is the the 75th anniversary of SMU being under the stewardship of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. All of the Brothers on the Winona campus, along with many Lasallian Brothers from around the nation and world, will be present to welcome Brother William.

The inauguration convocation will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Saint Mary’s University Cardinal Gymnasium, with a reception to follow in Gostomski Fieldhouse. The investiture formally welcomes Brother William as president of the university. The ceremony will also include remarks by Brother William and music by the SMU choir and band. Highland said the overarching objective of the inauguration is to “capture the spirit of what Saint Mary’s is about.”

Highland highly encourages students to attend the inauguration events. “Saint Mary’s is all about the students,” said Highland. All students will be asked to help prepare for the day by moving their cars out of the main campus parking lots.

Bluff damage prompts new route to 'the rock'

By Katie Manion
Cardinal Staff

The usual route to “the rock” is now being discouraged due to damage caused by overuse and weather, but students should not be alarmed; there is an alternative route.
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Instead of climbing the steep embankment that leads straight up the bluff, hikers are being advised to travel a route that ascends the bluff at a much more gradual incline and is a well-managed footpath. The path can be found by going down into Yon’s Valley and up into the ski trails. Outdoor Leadership coordinator Davey Warner said that the alternative route is “a lot easier to walk up, […] it doesn’t take as much work, and isn’t as hard on your joints as the other trail.” Also, he said that the old path is “eroding horribly,” losing all of its soil and trees.

Most trips to the rock are for personal recreation purposes, but the trail is also used for trips led by Outdoor Leadership or even for biology or philosophy class outings. For whatever the purposes, Warner said “it makes for a good hike.” The full trip takes roughly two hours and is something that Warner said “everyone should (do) at least once, if not multiple times just as long as (they) take the back way.”

This path has been used for many years, Warner said, but recently people have either forgotten it was there or are unaware of its existence. In an effort to educate students about the preferred route, the Office of Activities, Leadership, and Service decided to take some first year students on the trail during orientation. Warner said that they took over 80 students “to show them the better way to do it.”

It is hoped that these efforts will keep people off the old path. However, if it continues to suffer damage, it may need to be closed. For now, the path will remain as it is, with no plans to repair due to lack of time and resources.

Prof publishes book on Fowles

By Laura Andrews
Cardinal Staff

In May, Saint Mary’s University English professor Dr. Brooke Lenz published her first book, John Fowles: Visionary and Voyeur.
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The book began as a dissertation that Lenz finished in 2005 after two years of working on it. The book itself took another year and a half to revise and rewrite. “I have spent several years working on (the project) now, so it’s an accomplishment to get the book out there,” said Lenz.

Lenz chose John Fowles, one of the most significant post-WWII British authors, as her dissertation topic because she became greatly interested in his work during her graduate studies. “I was interested in reading his work from a feminist perspective that hadn’t been adopted before,” said Lenz.

After Fowles died in the fall of 2005, Lenz sought publication. “Usually when an author dies you get sort of a renewed interest in his work so it seemed like a good time to get the book out,” said Lenz.

Lenz is currently working on a conference paper with SMU English Department Chair Dr. Carolyn Ayers. They plan to submit the piece for publication later this year.

“Scholars are always working on scholarship, even while teaching. It’s not extra work. It is part of what we do,” said Lenz, who has also been working on a new book project that picks up on her interest in standpoint theory and narrative.

Lenz encourages students to check out her book, which is available in the Fitzgerald Library. “I think it would be interesting for students to take a look at it just to see the kind of work that their professors publish,” said Lenz.

There will be a party celebrating the book’s release on Oct. 29, at 3:30 p.m. in the Common Room of Saint Mary’s Hall.

Charron experiences RNC as delegate

By Chad Divine
Cardinal Staff

Michael Charron, dean of the School of the Arts, recently represented Minnesota as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
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Charron, who served four years on the Woodbury City Council and two years in the Minnesota House of Representatives for district 56A, was thrilled to be “a part of history,” he said.

Charron had to climb a substantial ladder to end up with the role. He began the night of the Minnesota caucuses by submitting his name to be a delegate to the county convention. He won and repeated the process at the county convention to secure a spot at the congressional district convention.

At the congressional district convention for Minnesota’s first district, which covers the lower part of the state, including Winona, Charron worked to support a friend of his trying to gain the Republican endorsement for the United States House of Representatives seat and gave the nominations speech.

Although his friend was beaten in his bid, both he and Charron drew attention and were elected to be two of the three delegates to the national convention from the district.

Minnesota had a total of 41 delegates at this month’s convention. Each of the eight districts in the state elected three delegates, with another 14 being elected at the state convention. The final three delegates are officers of the state party.

Most people are familiar with the prime time features of each convention’s crowd-pleasing speeches that are interrupted by a standing ovation every three minutes, but there is actually work to be done when the cameras are turned off. The delegates work to appoint various national committees to work on the platform of the party and do various other tasks.

During this time, the delegates and politicians alike take advantage of the gathering to set up various “unofficial” policy meetings. Charron himself was part of one such meeting about the arts in America. The meeting consisted of “art-supporting Republicans, including Governor Mike huckaby and several other congressional Republicans,” said Charron.

In addition to discussing policy, Charron attracted all sorts of attention. Various news outlets asked him for comment, including the New York Times, National Public Radio and CBS.

About the experience, Charron said, “Dictatorships are easy. Democracy is an arduous, sometimes messy, but fascinating experience.”

SOUL tip to Philippines

By Sarah McDonough
Cardinal Staff

Students at Saint Mary’s University could not wait to head home after their very last final last semester, but while most students were preoccupied with that, a group of six other students was more concerned with what to pack before departing the United States.
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On May 15, 2008, Jessica Thompson, Emily Duffey, Kim Riley, Jillian Connolly, Molly Jewison, Laura Holupchinski and faculty/staff advisor Holly Richard left for a Serving Others United in Love (S.O.U.L.) mission trip. They arrived at the University of Saint La Salle on the island of Negros in the Philippines and stayed there until the beginning of June. During their time there, students experienced another culture and learned what it was like to live in a destitute community.

They spent three days in a squatter community called Calantas. The people who lived there did not own the land and lived in small houses that consisted of cement floors and walls made of thin pieces of wood, plastic tarps or tin, said Jewison.

The students played with the children and learned about the families’ daily lives. One question that Holupchinski said many in the group struggled with was, “How can we justify our material wealth when we see the lack of such material wealth?”

The last week of their trip was dedicated to a camp for street children. These are children who stand in the streets, begging for food and money to help with their family situations. During the week-long camp, the focus was on self, God, and community. “On the last day of camp, we took the children to Burro Burro (a cold springs), where we went swimming- we all had so much fun!” Jewison recalled.

It was tough for the students to say goodbye to their new families; everyone on the trip learned something new about a culture they may have never had the chance to experience.

Big concert set for Oct. 9

By Karina Rajtar
Copy Editor

This year’s Student Activities Committee-sponsored big concert will be sooner than in years past, when it often came toward the end of the second semester.

Reel Big Fish, a ska-punk band, will be in the Saint Mary’s University gymnasium Thursday, Oct. 9. The concert is free for SMU students with student IDs, with each additional ticket costing $10. Tickets are $15 for the public.

Reel Big Fish formed in the 1990s, during the third wave of ska music. The band’s best-known song was the 1997 hit “Sell Out.” They recently performed in the 2008 Warped tour.

Why are there classes on Labor Day?

By Karina Rajtar
Copy Editor

As many students in the United States spent the first Monday of September, Labor Day, going to a State Fair or spending time with friends and family, Saint Mary’s University students were already in class. Many could be heard grumbling about the unfairness of it, while some others simply wondered “why?”
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There are three reasons for the university’s decision to hold classes on the federal holiday, according to Dr. Thomas Mans, vice president for academic affairs. The first involves the registration adjust, which is the Monday before Labor Day. If Monday classes and labs wait until after Labor Day to meet, they would be starting after the drop/add deadline. This could potentially cause problems for students who would want to change their schedules.

The second reason, said Mans, is that federal financial aid regulations require that there be a fixed number of classroom minutes in every class. Because we tend to take out a lot of Mondays throughout the semester with other breaks, said Mans, it is not entirely possible to take off another one. Mans said that one potential solution could be to have classes the Monday after Thanksgiving, thus allowing the university to cancel classes on Labor Day and meet regulations, but that would depend on whether the university wanted SMU students to be driving back to campus during the busy Thanksgiving weekend.

The final reason SMU holds classes on Labor Day is to allow students, especially freshmen, to get into a routine at school in order to be more focused on academics. Because students move in just a week before the holiday, Mans said, it does not make a lot of sense to send them home right away. “If you go home and you sit out a little bit, you do lose some steam,” Mans said. He believes that the week of classes before Labor Day is only part of the adjustment process for new students.

“I’d be willing to take a risk on the third (reason) if I could figure out the other two,” said Mans, adding that he would welcome a better solution if there were one.

The university begins classes before Labor Day in order to give students a reasonable break between semesters, Mans said. If classes had begun after Labor Day last year, for example, students “would’ve been really literally finishing exams about two days before Christmas,” Mans said. For this reason, classes start earlier in order to finish a little earlier in December.

As a private university, SMU is not required by law to close on Labor Day. Many other private universities have classes on Labor Day as well, including the University of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University and Concordia College in Minnesota.

New memorial honors war veterans

By Tamika Robinson
Feature Editor

This past summer a memorial dedicated to veterans was built on the Winona campus of Saint Mary’s University.
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The memorial was deisgned by Art Department Chair Preston Lawing. “The building of it actually lasted for about three months. We started in April and dedicated it in early June,” said Meg Richtman, director of alumni relations and university liaison to the Alumni Association.

When passing the memorial, one will notice five pillars, each with a different message and meaning.

The first pillar explains why SMU built the memorial. The second pillar commemorates the V-12 program. The V-12 program was used on the campus in the 1940s to train Navy officers, Richtman explained. This program sustained the university’s existence because so many men were absent from college because of the war.

The third pillar lists SMU alumni who died serving the United States. A picture of the Rooney and Ditter Barracks is on the fourth pillar. “They (the barracks) were built and brought to campus when our men and women came back from serving, and they were veteran housing,” said Richtman.

The final pillar “talks about how we as Catholics honor our veterans,” Richtman said. On it is a statement of the catechism.

Richtman said the Alumni Association and its board of directors hopes students will not forget about those who have served our country during times of war.

“It’s a big part of our history. It’s reality today that, whatever your belief is on war, we have people who are giving their lives and giving their time away from their families, and we feel very strongly that people need to know that that is a part of our community, our Lasallian community as well. We don’t want them to forget about those people, specifically our community members and alumni who’ve died while serving our country,” Richtman stated.

Richtman also said that they hope the memorial will be a place where students can do some reflecting, and that it has offered some beauty to the campus.

SMU receives 'Best in Midwest' honor

By Jessica Paulsen
Managing Editor

This summer, a national college guide designated Saint Mary’s University as one of 159 schools receiving their “Best in Midwest” honor for 2009.
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Vice President for Admission, Tony Piscitiello, said that “a lot of people put credence in that (school rankings). So by having your name, your university listed as ‘Best in Midwest’ ... it lets people know Saint Mary’s is a good place to be”.

For people looking into SMU, there is a link on the home page of the school website to the list of rankings. Past, present and future students of SMU can look at the list and decide if it is important to them.

Piscitiello said that honors like this are important because “we all like to quantify things, and this helps people do that.” Students and families can look at The Princeton Review rankings and know that SMU compares well to its peer schools.

“As an alumnus of Saint Mary’s, someone who’s chosen to go to Saint Mary’s this means a lot to me. I hope as a student you can say to your friends, ‘Well, Saint Mary’s is one of the best schools in the Midwest,’ so that reinforces the decision you made to come here,” said Piscitiello.

There are 632 colleges and universities, which represent about 25 percent of the four-year colleges in the United States, named regional best by The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review ranks colleges and universities according to region each year based on two criteria. The schools have to meet the standard of academic excellence upheld in their region and students are anonymously surveyed about their school, according to The Princeton Review website.

Cutbacks in the Cardinal Club

By Lauren Rothering
Cardinal Staff

No more Western burgers. No more quesadillas. No more cheese curds. No mushroom and swiss. No grilled ham and cheese.

At least there are still cheeseburgers, or “The All-Star Cheeseburger.”
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It is no secret that there have been some noticeable changes in the Cardinal Club here at Saint Mary’s University. Students returned to campus this August expecting to order the same tacos, nachos, and pizzas that were offered for transfer meals last year. What they encountered instead was a scaled down, renamed, “streamlined” menu that limits meal transfers to 10 options with a choice of chips or fries and no soda refills. What happened?

Curt Coshenet, director of dining services, offers some explanation. “Students (in the Cardinal Club) need to come in, eat, and go,” he said. With the Cardinal Club set up the way it was last year, “we weren’t doing that.”

Coshenet explains that the demand for lunch transfers was preventing the food offered in the Cardinal Club from being completely fresh; employees were forced to make dozens of burgers, chicken patties and fries ahead of time to fill the demand.

“We want to serve you a better product downstairs,” said Coshenet. “I want to serve five items and do it fantastic.”

Although quality is a concern, economics played perhaps an even bigger role in the changes.

Coshenet defended that his “answer is ‘yes’ to the students if it’s within economic means.”

However, in order to keep SMU the “most economically valued private school in the conference,” cutbacks sometimes have to be made.

Are these explanations enough to appease the many disgruntled Cardinal Club patrons? “I think it’s ridiculous,” said junior Jody Bangerter. “You’re paying more but getting less.”

This seems to be the common theme among students, including senior Mike Miller.

“We’re paying more to come here (with the tuition increase), so I feel like they should be offering more services,” said Miller. “I don’t want to feel I’m going to get in trouble for getting more pop. We can get refills in the caf, why not in the pub?”

Coshenet believes that Chartwells is a food service “for the masses, not the one.” But what happens when the Western-burger-deprived “one” becomes “the masses”?

A new look at a familiar issue

By Peter Waldorf
Guest Columnist

It seems pretty reasonable: “Don’t be a one-issue voter.” I certainly care about many issues involved in the upcoming presidential election; however, one outweighs the others so much that I feel obligated to vote based on it before considering others.
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If the terrors of war, sickness, or poverty matter, they do because human beings matter. God created humans in His Image and Likeness—which means all people are sacred and should be treated as such.

We must respect all persons, but should we equally respect all beliefs? Some people believed Jews should be exterminated. Some people still think women are inferior to men. Some people even believe that the Packers are better than the Vikings! But seriously—even though we respect the people that believe them, all beliefs cannot be equally respected.

Some politicians believe that ending war, poverty and sickness is more important than the basic right to life. But without the right to life, working to solve problems that depend on that right such as war or poverty is inconsistent and inauthentic. Abortion and embryonic stem cell research basically say, “Certain human beings are insignificant and can be killed or used for experiments.” But these unborn children are no less human than you or I. So abortion and embryonic stem cell research really say, “Human beings are insignificant,” and no matter the consequences, we can’t support that belief.

In this country, politicians are trying to get religion and human love out of their way so some people can be comfortable—even if it means killing others to do it. What makes an unjust war any different? All human life—born or unborn—must be publicly respected before we can authentically address other human problems. As the American Catholic Bishops say, “It is because faith and reason lead us to respect human life at all its stages that we seek to address in morally sound and effective ways other serious threats to human life and dignity” (Conscience and the Catholic Voter).

I invite you to take the necessary first step in combating human suffering by voting for a president and vice president who will work to overturn Roe v. Wade, illegalize abortion and embryonic stem cell research, and so demonstrate that all human life is sacred. I also invite you to watch the inspiring video at CatholicVote.com.

Like to write? Write for us!

By Danielle Larson, Karina Rajtar and Jessica Paulsen
Cardinal Editors

The Cardinal serves many purposes on campus. It is a news outlet to many students, teachers, parents and staff. It is also a source of entertainment.
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Another purpose it serves, that some people may not think of, is first-hand writing and publishing experience for students. Students studying communications on campus tend to write for the Cardinal to build up their portfolios, or even to just get a feel for reporting. We at the Cardinal feel that not just communications majors should write for it, but everyone on campus should.

Here are four reasons why:
1. It strengthens communication and writing experience that many employers look for.
2. You learn more about the campus events and issues going on around you.
3. You meet people you may have never noticed before on campus, and it builds up your network of friends and faculty.
4. Last, but not least, it’s fun!

If writing, photography, news or entertainment is of interest to you, you should consider participating in the Cardinal.
Email cardinal@smumn.edu for more information.

Cardinal 'M' Club weekend honors athletes

By Sara Eisenhauer
Cardinal Staff

Every year the Cardinal ‘M’ Club brings together Saint Mary’s University alumni and current student athletes to honor their athletic and academic achievements through a weekend of events that reflect the strong traditions of Cardinal athletics. This year was no exception.
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This year’s Cardinal ‘M’ Club weekend, an event sponsored by the alumni athletes of the ‘M’ Club, was held Sept. 13-14 at SMU. The weekend played host to an alumni golf outing, the ‘M’ Club awards and Hall of Fame ceremony, alumni games and a picnic. Bob Biebel, ‘M’ Club Director, feels the weekend is a way for alumni to reconnect with other athletes.

“It’s an opportunity to create a bond with past athletes and current athletes,” Biebel said.

These connections are most apparent at the ‘M’ Club awards program and Hall of Fame induction ceremony that took place Saturday evening. Each year SMU athletes who excelled in their sports are inducted into the SMU Hall of Fame.
This year’s inductees included Jen Garin, an All-American fastpitch softball star from the class of 1999; Katie Kortsch, a record-holding female soccer player who graduated in 1995; Dick Kuehl, a two-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) champion baseball player from the 1957 class; Dick Kuehl’s brother Duane, a baseball player who was honored posthumously as a 1958 graduate; and Brad Wiley, a two-time All-MIAC conference hockey star from the class of 1990. Biebel believes being inducted is the highest honor a SMU athlete can receive.

“To be inducted speaks volumes about the type of athlete and person you were,” Biebel said.

A glimpse of past excellence gave way to the honoring of today’s athletes. Athletes demonstrating excellence in their respective sports and in academics are named the SMU scholar athletes. Kasey Schultz of swimming and diving and Kevin Black of baseball earned these honors for their performances as seniors in 2007-08. The outstanding male and female athlete of the year awards are given to the students who excel in their given sports. Brady Knudsen, a 2008 graduate and baseball player, and senior softball player Cassie Otte were named the 2007-08 athletes of the year. Nikki Fennern, SMU Athletic director, sees the ceremony as a way to honor athletes that exemplify SMU athletic traditions. Fennern said the ceremony “lets student athletes know that their athletic accomplishments are valued by the university.”

President Brother William Mann opened the ceremony to show university support of athletics. This year’s event displayed heartfelt support and appreciation for Coach Tom Farren, who passed away last year. Farren was honored as MIAC Coach of the Year for men’s golf.

The night also paid tribute to former men’s hockey head coach Don Olson, who stepped down this summer to become the athletic director at the College of St. Scholastica. Biebel and Donny Nadeau, sports information director, honored Coach Olson’s 32 years of service and dedication to hockey and athletics at SMU.

“Don Olson was truly a man who loved what he did,” Biebel said.

The blending of past and present through Cardinal ‘M’ Club weekend began six years ago and continues to stand as a way to show continued success of Cardinal athletics, according to Fennern.

“I think it’s always important to recognize the past and history,” Fennern said. “It’s a way to recognize where we are now and where we are going.”

Biebel agrees and stresses the importance of ‘M’ Club weekend in building athletic traditions.

“We need to start developing stronger traditions,” Biebel said. “This is a way of doing that.”

This year’s event demonstrates the growing tradition of athletics at SMU, with over 400 people in attendance at the awards ceremony. Fennern believes the event is an opportunity to learn about the past through interaction with alumni as well as a chance to honor where athletics is going.

“This is the most visible thing athletics does all year,” Fennern said. “It makes people realize all the good things we are doing.”

Summer blues

By Alex Conover
Sports Editor

It was a long summer.
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I worked in the Saint Mary’s University admission office and gave way too many tours. Every day driving to work, tired and in a bad mood, I would go past the construction in the soccer field. One of the sole highlights of my day was tracking the progress of the big project; it went from a dirt field to a black square, then from a green sheet of turf to a lined pitch. Once I began to see a finished product, I got really excited for a new year of Cardinal athletics.

Let’s face it, last year was not exactly stellar for our sports teams. Sure, there were obstacles: Coach Dembiec had to coach both soccer teams, baseball and softball played a whole schedule of away games and the golf squads lost a great mentor. I think we can all say, however, that we are ready to put last year behind us and begin a new era. There are five teams with new head coaches at SMU, and baseball, softball, and soccer are all ready to break in their new surfaces. Along with a slew of freshmen athletes already making an impact, there are plenty of reasons why it is good to be a Cardinal.

I can honestly say that I am looking forward very much to the next three years of college. Along with pursuing various interests, I am going to dedicate a lot of energy toward improving this newspaper. My goal is that as Saint Mary’s athletics continue to improve, so will the Cardinal sports section.

NCAA makes changes to volleyball rules

By Karina Rajtar
Copy Editor

Fans who watched the Saint Mary’s University volleyball team play in their Sugarloaf Classic tournament or against Winona State earlier this month may have noticed some changes from how the game has been played in the past.
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has implemented three key rule changes, effective this season. Games are now played to 25 points instead of 30, ball handling calls are more lenient, and teams have 12 substitutions, as opposed to the previous 15. The changes are intended to increase match intensity and reduce stoppages due to imperfect ball contacts, according to the NCAA website.

SMU head volleyball coach Mike Lester, along with most Division II and Division III coaches, disagrees with the changes, thinking they limit playing opportunities for the student athletes.

“People want to play,” said Lester, who maintains that one of the basic premises of Division III athletics is to provide students with chances to play and improve. He said that removing five points from each game cuts the season by 16.7 percent. Lester does not believe that removing points significantly changes the intensity during a game. “There is just as much excitement at point 15 as point 30,” he said. He does believe that every point seems more important and that the matches go much quicker this year.

The new, more lenient ball handling calls prevent officials from stopping play for an imperfect set or contact. Only the most obvious lifts and double-contacts are called. The hope is that this rule will increase actual playing time during a game.

The decrease in substitutions affects how many players have a chance to play in any given game. Although the proportion of substitutions to game length has not changed much, Lester said that it could have a psychological impact on the players on the team.

Despite his concerns, Lester remained optimistic coming into this season. “Hopefully it makes the game better,” Lester said. “Whatever the rules are, we’re going to step on the floor and play.”

Myers directs fun summer play

By Maria Sullivan
Arts and Entertainment Editor

This summer, Gilmore Creek Summer Theatre (GCST) presented three plays at Saint Mary’s University, one of which was the musical Little Shop of Horrors.
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Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Associate Professor of Theater Arts Judy Myers, is about a young man named Seymour who becomes an immediate celebrity once he discovers an unusual plant. The plant, named Audrey II, has a strange desire for fresh blood. Audrey II promises Seymour fame and fortune only if he grants its wishes by feeding it fresh blood, but if Seymour resists, the lives of the people he loves the most are at risk of dying by Audrey II.

Myers said that she enjoyed working on this play. “It was a lot of fun. It’s one of my favorite shows. It was first popular when I was in undergraduate school, so when I was doing theatre we would always sing the songs from ‘Little Shop,’ but I’ve always wanted to direct it. It’s got such fun music and the story line is fun and it’s crazy with that plant,” said Myers.

Senior Tony Freeman is no stranger to GCST. In the first summer of GCST, Freeman directed the music and acted in Showtune and did sound for Lend Me a Tenor. This summer Freeman was the music director for Little Shop of Horrors.

Freeman said, “To work on a musical is an amazing experience. It’s an awesome feeling to be able to capture a story line and tell it through musical emotion.” Freeman said that the actors and directors worked 12 hour days preparing for the show. The main struggle for him as music director was to make sure the actors knew their singing parts before they began acting.

Freeman said, “GCST is an experience that any actor should try for a summer. It’s great to work with professional actors, musicians and technicians. It is also a treat for the community as well, to see comedies and musicals presented at SMU during the summer. It allows many opportunities for people to come see since there are many shows throughout July and August.”

Senior Jillian Reinboldt said, “I would definitely recommend GCST to everyone. I think they do a wonderful job with their productions, and offer a nice treat for those who are more interested in the technical side of productions.”

The two other plays that were included in GCST were The Foreigner, a comedy directed by SMU alum Steven Snyder, and the children’s play The Mouse Expedition, directed by Senior Sarah St. Laurent.

This was the second summer of GCST, and Myers has been the artistic director from the beginning. One of her responsibilities as artistic director is to choose the plays and the actors. Myers said that since GCST is a professional theater company she travels to St. Louis,

Mo., every February to the Midwest Theatre Auditions. It is there that Myers listens to each actor give about a two and a half minute preview of their singing and acting abilities. Myers said that about 70 different theatres attend this event to seek out the best actors for their plays.

GCST began because a number of staff members at SMU thought that

Winona should have a theatre company during the summer to bring a variety of theatre options to the community. Myers said that it is good because not everyone wants to go and see Shakespearean plays.

Myers said that as of now there are no plans as to what plays will be presented this coming summer, but three to four plays are being considered.

Summer movie blockbuster review

By Rick Baustian
Cardinal Staff

After seeing the enormous pools of cash being raked in for movies this summer, it seems easy to believe that Americans could spend more money on movies than they do on food. In fact, over 2.3 billion dollars has been spent on the top ten films this year, according to the Box Office Mojo website.
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So, after 2007s list of AAA threequels, how could 2008 possibly stack up? For starters, the studios took the idea of a trilogy and decided that four movies could be worth more money. Then, they looked at what had yet to become a movie and adapted away. Finally, they gave us sequels to movies that people have been wanting for some time.

The unofficial start of this year’s movie season was May 2, the day Iron Man was released. It managed to bring the so-called “B level” superhero to the big screen, earning rave reviews for Robert Downy Jr.’s performance and generating over $100 million its opening week.

Then came one of the most anticipated movies of the past decade. If it was possible to turn hype and anticipation into energy, Lucas, Spielberg and Ford could have powered a small country for a year. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the movie for which fans have been waiting nearly two decades, was released. It received a critical lashing but managed to rake in around $100 million. Perhaps it wasn’t the age, it was the mileage.

Every previous movie that dared to call itself a blockbuster was then crushed under the high-octane, dark and media-blitzed wing of The Dark Knight. If you have yet to see this movie, you are missing out on an awe-inspiring look into what being a hero means and why we need them, along with what may be the best villain to ever appear on screen. If you like good movies, you owe it to yourself to see this film.

With that, the blockbuster season was, more or less, over. Sure, Mamma Mia!, Hancock, Wall-E and others were released this summer, but they often were not as good as the source material. They did not live up to their predecessors or simply had the audacity to release within a month of The Dark Knight. Overall, this was one of the most fun summers since the asteroid craze of 1997.

Backstreet Boys at it again

By Andrea Hoglin
Cardinal Staff

The 1990s boy band, Backstreet Boys (BSB), was recently in Minnesota on Aug. 23 for its Inconsolable tour.
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The four remaining BSB, A.J. Mclean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrel, and Nick Carter, were introduced by Brian’s five year-old son at the concert.

Kristin Betlej, a long-time BSB fan who attended the tour concert, said about the experience, “It was a great concert. Everyone sang along and were standing the whole time.”

Even now, in their late 20s and early 30s, the BSB were doing their boy band dances and dressing up in costumes. At one point, the Boys dressed in boxing outfits and sang in the middle of a boxing ring.

The Boys combined favorites like, “I Want It That Way,” “As Long As You Love Me” and “Backstreet’s Back (Alright),” with current songs such as Kanye West’s “Stronger,” Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” and songs from their own solo albums. Now they all sing different genres; Littrel sings Christian, Dorough sings Latin, Carter still sings pop, and Mclean sings rock.

The opening band for the Boys was Girlicious. Girlicious made a short appearance on stage, only singing about three songs.

The band has released two albums since its 2000 hit album “Black and Blue” — “Never Gone” in 2005 and “Unbreakable” in 2007.

In the past few years, there has been a return of 1980s and 1990s bands. The 1980s boy band New Kids on the Block has recently come out with a new CD, “Summer Time,” and is currently on tour in the United States. Hanson had a comeback a few years ago, releasing the CD “Underneath.” The Spice Girls released a CD of their greatest hits and will have a world tour starting in December.

Review: Underoath's "Lost in the Sound of Separation"

By Pat Howard
Cardinal Staff

The hard sounding Christian rock band Underoath released its sixth studio album titled, “Lost in the Sound of Separation.”

The highly anticipated album was praised by Alternative Press magazine to surpass the hype; much like Michael Phelps did this summer.
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As the blistering guitar riffs continue to combine with rhythmic drum beats and powerful vocals, the new album continues to possess the same harder sound that put them on the map.

However, the most unique aspect of the band, the Christian values and messages in the music, continues to stay intact. In a sense, it has matured to an even deeper level. For example, the lyrics, “Good God, if your song leaves our lips, If your work leaves our hands, Then we will be wonders and vagabonds,” and “Good God, can You still get us home?” are featured on the song titled, “Too Bright to See Too Loud to Hear.”

Underoath continues to spread its message in a way that can inspire morality in fans of hard rock and has the potential to draw people of faith into its music. The album is easily accessible in stores and on iTunes.

Staff Spotlight

By Jessica LaCanne
Cardinal Staff

Melissa Dybas is a new staff member at Saint Mary’s University this year. She works in the Writing and Academic Skills Centers. In the Writing Center, Dybas helps with any questions students may have about writing a paper, ranging from where to start to adding the final touches.
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While working in the Academic Skills Center, Dybas helps students who have documented disabilities or need tutoring assistance. Drop-in tutoring is also available for individuals or groups. The Academic Skills Center provides a fun atmosphere to learn outside of a classroom.

Dybas works in the Writing and Academic Skills Centers because she prefers to have a more equal relationship with students, rather than that of a teacher to student. According to Dybas, “It’s a lot more fun than being a teacher.” She is a great addition to this University and will certainly benefit the students.

Kathy Pederson, who works at the front desk of the Business Office, is the first person to see when dealing with money. She can help with just about anything and always has a smile on her face.

Pederson primarily works with taking tuition payments, cashing checks and taking cash vouchers. She also enters invoices and balances accounts. Pederson has worked at Saint Mary’s University for a little over three years and is here to help. Students can ask Pederson about their tuition bills or how to remove money from their accounts.

If there are no questions, Pederson likes to see students anyway. She has a real Chatty Kathy doll in her window, which no longer talks, but always has a sign with a saying or joke for the day. If for no other reason, students can stop down just to see what Chatty Kathy has to say.

“I really hope the students have good experiences here, and there are a lot of people here to help them in any way, so don’t be afraid to ask staff if you have concerns,” Pederson said. Her smiling face and eagerness to help make Pederson an outstanding accomplice in solving any monetary dilemmas students may find themselves involved in while at school.

Club Corner

By Becca Sandager
Cardinal Staff

Pumpkins, potlucks and plants, oh my! The Saint Mary’s University biology club is an opportunity for people with similar interests in science and biology to get together and meet new people while having a great time.
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Members of the club have a flurry of events that they participate in, such as canoeing and camping trips, a potluck in December, a pumpkin and plant sale and demonstrations like last year’s trip to Whitewater State Park to watch the tapping of maple trees.

Community service is also a common activity for the club. Members have volunteered in past years at the Humane Society, the Houston Nature Center as well as to help clean up Lake Winona.

The biology club also sells pop and candy at the Student Activities Committee movie nights, where they have already raised $1,000. The club plans to use the money to contribute to landscaping supplies and buying trees for when the new science building is completed.

This club isn’t just for biology or science majors; anyone can join. The current 30 to 40 active members meet the first and third Thursdays of every month at 3:30 p.m. in room 113 of Hoffman Hall. Anyone interested in joining should stop by or contact faculty advisor, Dr. Jeanne Minnerath, presidents Melissa Wolf and John Tarras, or secretary Melissa Markert.

The Psychology Club at Saint Mary’s University was started to help promote interest in the area of psychology.

Anyone is welcome to join the Psychology Club, and members participate in activities like movie nights, field trips, listening to speakers, watching presentations, and volunteering.

Currently the club has around 30 to 35 members and meets about once a month. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 3:30 p.m. in the World Room of Saint Mary’s Hall. Those who are interested in joining can attend the meeting or contact presidents Amanda Patricoski or Angelica Wegman.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Fall athletic previews

By Alex Conover
Sports Editor


[These Fall previews are exclusive online content, since our first issue of The Cardinal is released on the 19th. Look for a revamped Sports section, with a monthly column written by myself and a few other additions.]

The sport I'm looking to for a lot of success this Fall is volleyball; plenty of returning talent from the sophomore class and key upperclassmen will make this unit very effective. I also really like the chances of the women's soccer team, with leading scorer Amy Sibik returning. Seniors Bethany Kaufmann and Melissa Paulson also are back, and will continue to move the ball efficiently. The most improved squad should be men's soccer; I am a big believer in Coach Dembiec, and his excellent recruiting these last two years will begin to produce wins very soon.
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One last note - I did the web broadcast for the women's soccer game against UW-Superior the other afternoon. This was the first home game for the newly renovated soccer field, and I was very impressed with how nice it looks. I've heard from several players that the turf is great to play on as well. There isn't another home game until late September, but make sure to catch a match sometime this Fall. Once completed, this field could ultimately be the best playing surface in the MIAC conference.

Men's CC

2007 Place in MIAC: 10th
Key Returners: John Vallez, Jared Brandenburg, Quentin Moore, Marty Howard,
Key Newcomers: David Feather, Michael Mockler, Robbie McGuire
Coach's Statement: "The men's team has been on a steady upward progression over the past three years and this year is no exception. The main goal for this team is to make the move to the next tier of competition at the MIAC championships." - Coach Berndt

Women's CC

2007 Place in MIAC: 11th
Key Returners: Anne Shutte, Emily Dee, Brittany Kuehn
Key Newcomers: Rachel Folan, Jill Spitzmueller, Regina Quandt
Coach's Statement: "The biggest thing for this group is going to be consistency, patience, and progression. They have already shown that they are much further ahead this year than they were last year; we will be much faster and have more depth as a team." - Coach Berndt

Men's Golf

2007 Place in MIAC: 5th
Key Returners: Tony Hynes, Josh Wendell, Erik LaRock, Andy Roberts, Rob Klein
Key Newcomers: D.J. Borgen
Coach's Statement: "Hynes and Wendell were strong, consistent performers last year, and we look forward to more. We have some other upperclassmen we'll look to for steady contributions" - Coach Stangl

Women's Golf

2007 Place in MIAC: 9th
Key Returners: Katelyn Rizzi, Gia Puch, Brittney Nielsen
Key Newcomers: Abby Leach, Amy Hagen, Lauren Ulbarich, Colleen Norwell, Kristine Froseth
Coach's Statement: "We’re going to be a pretty young squad, but, hopefully, we can put together a combination of players who can play consistent golf. If we can do that, we’ll do all right.” - Coach Stangl

Men's Soccer

2007 Record: 4-13-1 (0-10)
2007 Place in MIAC: 11th
Key Returners: Steve Boussie, Jon Szafranski, Lucas Volini, Jaden Chance, Adam Lindsay, Jermaine Walker, Jovenel D'Haiti, Ryan Rademacher, Andy Adair, Cristian Reyes
Key Newcomers: Bryan Neu, Bobby Gas, Zach Palokangas, Andrew List
Coach's Statement: “Our approach to the season is simple: Give ourselves an opportunity to win. And to do that, we have to do a better job on the offensive end. We’ve got the tools to make a little noise (in the conference) — I think we’re going to surprise some people.” - Coach Dembiec

Women's Soccer

2007 Record: 10-7-1 (4-6-1)
2007 Place in MIAC: 7th
Key Returners: Amy Sibik, Mariana Sanchez, Keirra Metcalfe, Dana Winkler, Lauren Mazzuca, Melissa Paulson, Bethany Kaufmann, Steph Marnocha, Emily Berg
Key Newcomers: Amanda Rahman, Caitlyn Cole, Emily Mateling, Ashley Gernes, Rachel Gates-Vickery
Coach's Statement: "Due to a combination of talented newcomers, skillful returners, and strong leadership, we should look to improve upon our overall record and conference record from last year." - Coach Zimmerman

Volleyball

2007 Record: 17-12
2007 Place in MIAC: 10th
Key Returners: Rachel Monterastelli, Theresa Perrini, Sarah Gardner, Jessica Mate, Racquel Reker
Key Newcomers: Erika Hurley, Amy Kujak
Coach's Statement: "“On paper, we look like a young team, and, in a way, we are a young team. But our youth is in name only — we’ve got nine sophomores who saw a ton of playing time last year. We’re young, but we’re experienced. This may be the most balanced team I’ve had since the 2000 season, when we made it to the (NCAA) tournament.” - Coach Lester