Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Club Corner: Knights of Columbus

BY RYAN BRISCOE
Copy Editor

The Knights of Columbus Brother Elzear Council 5202 is a Catholic men’s fraternal group that works to build a sense of community in its members, as well as to serve those most in need around Winona, especially the poor and the mentally handicapped.

The Knights of Columbus were founded in 1882 in New Haven, Conn., by Father Michael J. McGiveny to provide food and other necessities to widows and orphans.

Today, the organization continues to serve internationally by providing aid to those in need and consistently being the single largest benefactor for the Special Olympics.

At Saint Mary’s University, the Knights of Columbus provide water to athletes after the 5k Fall Frolic, fundraise for various charities and the Brother Elzear Scholarship, pray regularly for our Church and clergy, donate gifts for Gifts for Winona and promote the ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’ campaign. Senior Nate Kuhn, Grand Knight (head of the council) says, “For me, the Knights of Columbus has been a great opportunity to grow in my faith and serve my community.”

The annual pancake breakfast sponsored by the Knights will be held this year on Sunday, April 18. The proceeds from the event support the Brother Elzear Scholarship which is awarded through Winona Home and Community Options, as a camp scholarship to a mentally handicapped person. By going to camp, the individual in need can learn simple, valuable skills such as tying his or her shoes or feeding him or herself.

Club Corner: Lasallian Collegians

BY RYAN BRISCOE
Copy Editor

Lasallian Collegians is a group of students which meets to grow in faith, service and community! The group, led by four students, is dedicated to developing a personal connection to the mission of the Christian Brothers.

While many students may wonder what it means to be Lasallian, the members of this group are striving to live De LaSalle’s 17th century vision, today.

Every student should leave Saint Mary’s University with an experience of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, said Lynn Streefland, assistanat director of Campus Ministry and the group’s moderator, and Lasallian Collegians is one way that students are able to come into contact with the Lasallian charism.

Cullen Gibbons, a leader of the group, said that Lasallian Collegians is “a place where a kid can be a kid.” Gibbons said that one of the best activities the group has been involved in this year was hosting the students from the San Miguel schools. Gibbons said, “Hanging out with the San Miguel students was one way we were able to really be a part of the work the Brothers are doing.”

Any SMU student is welcome to come to any Lasallian Collegians meeting. Past events have included game and trivia nights at the Brothers’ residence, Lasallian Jeopardy and Roundtable discussions about hot button issues. Look forward to a few more great Lasallian Collegians’ events before the end of the year.

Staff Spotlight: John Schollmeier

BY KARINA RAJTAR
Editor in Chief

John Schollmeier, director of physical plant, is in charge of maintenance concerns for “everything on campus that you see.”

This includes grounds, plumbing, buildings, heating, cooling and landscaping, which go through the maintenance office at some point. Plumbing, heating and cooling in particular go directly through Schollmeier.

Schollmeier is in his 30th year working in higher education and will begin his 11th year at Saint Mary’s University next month. Schollmeier said one difference he notices at SMU that he does not see at every institution is that the Maintenance Department is student-driven.

“We take what (students) say very, very seriously,” Schollmeier said. He said the maintenance staff “really likes students and faculty” and wants things to work, and he encourages students to contact his office with immediate maintenance concerns. He said that students tend to not want to bother anybody and often wait too long to seek assistance.

“If you have an issue, please notify somebody right away,” Schollmeier said. He added that students should not hesitate to contact maintenance again if a problem has not been resolved. “Please, please call again,” Schollmeier said. “That’s our job.”

The Maintenance Department works closely with Residence Life, Schollmeier said, so students should contact their Resident Assistants or Hall Director if a problem occurs in a dorm and does not require immediate attention. “It’s very important to us that the hall staff knows what’s going on in their dorm,” Schollmeier said. However, “If your toilet’s overflowing, we just want you to call,” he said.

Maintenance calls can be taken in the Maintenance Department from 6 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Ext. 1436. After that, students should call Switchboard, and the second shift will be notified of the concern.

Staff Spotlight: Curt Coshenet

BY KARINA RAJTAR
Editor in Chief

Curt Coshenet, director of food service, oversees all catering and all operations of food service. He has been at Saint Mary’s University for a little over five years and has worked for Chartwells for over 10 years.

Coshenet wants students to be able to contact him about problems or concerns in the cafeteria.

“I would hope (students) would bring anything to my attention,” Coshenet said. He said he answers his e-mail as soon as he can, and he will at least know who can help with an issue with food service. “Unfortunately, I’m not up front,” Coshenet said, but he encourages students to e-mail or call him or to look to the Dine on Campus Website(www.dineoncampus.com\saintmarys). “The doors are open,” he said.

Coshenet said Chartwells is in the process of preparing for some significant changes to the food service program for the 2010-11 academic year. “We have a lot of cool and exciting things,” he said. An outline of these plans can be found in both the Michael H. Toner Student Center Cafeteria and the Cardinal Club.

“We know we need to fix things,” Coshenet said, and he added that some recent changes in the cafeteria have been the result of an early attempt to get the bugs out.

Coshenet said one thing students do not seem to know is that the cafeteria is open for lunch until 3 p.m. with soup, salad and the sandwich bar open after the hot lunch is closed. He also said that students do not seem to realize they can bring their books and laptops – though not bags – to the cafeteria and that the cafeteria has wireless Internet.

Students should contact Coshenet if there is a health or safety concern. “I need to know safety (and) security” issues,” he said.

Overall, Coshenet said he and his staff welcome student input – including personal recipes – when it comes to food service.

“We’re here for the students,” he said.