SMU to practice lockdown drill

By Regina Barbosa

Cardinal Staff

Saint Mary’s University is looking to schedule a practice campus-wide lockdown drill on an upcoming school day this spring.

A lockdown drill is a procedure implemented to ensure the safety of the entire SMU community during an emergency. The drill may be initiated through the use of the speakers within campus buildings and through emails and text messages from Blackboard Connect.

“A lockdown means something has happened on campus where everyone needs to stop what they are doing, close or barricade the door, stay quiet, stay away from windows and wait for further instructions or an ‘all clear,’” said Vice President for Student Life Chris Kendall.

SMU already has emergency response and crisis communications plans in place.

“The drill is meant to better prepare SMU in the event of emergency situations,” said Kendall. He added that the date of the drill has not yet been determined.

Kendall and Director of Campus Safety Phil Gaddis both said that national events, like the Virginia Tech and Columbine shootings, quickened the process for the drill but did not initiate it. Gaddis added that SMU will be receiving outside help from the Winona County Emergency Response Director for the procedure.

In anticipation of the drill, it is important for SMU community members to update their personal emergency contact information on WebTools.

Questions or concerns can be addressed to Chris Kendall via email at ckendall@smumn.edu or his office phone 507-457-1781.

SMU to offer 2012 online summer courses

By Samantha Borawski

Cardinal Staff

Saint Mary’s University will be offering a selection of undergraduate courses online for its students this summer.

Based on a survey given to students by the Office of Academic Affairs, 128 respondents (88 percent) said they were interested in taking a course online through SMU during the summer. Nothing has been finalized as of now and meetings are taking place to determine specific details.

At this point, approximately 12 courses may be offered mainly focusing in the business core and general education. The courses will be fit into an eight-week time period, starting soon after spring semester classes finish in May. The cost and registration days are yet to be determined.

In the first two weeks back at school from Christmas Recess, students were asked to provide feedback by filling out an online survey about classes they would be interested in taking if they were offered. The purpose of the survey was to have an informal, non-mandatory questionnaire to see which classes students have an interest in taking.

“We knew which courses the faculty were interested in, but it was important to have the point of view from the students as well,” said Jason Spartz, director of instructional technology.

Spartz and Dr. Donna Aronson, vice president for academic affairs, have been working closely to choose the online classes as well as try to offer some blended classes, which consist of both online and face-to-face learning.

This will not be the first time online summer courses will be offered at SMU. Last summer, three business core courses were offered to students as a preliminary test. The idea for online classes began after a two-day workshop presented by the UW-Milwaukee Learning Technologies Center, which over 40 teachers of the SMU community attended, according to

Spartz.

Though the online courses are in their first stages of development, teachers are excited about the opportunity for students to take courses online over the summer. This is especially true of the business department, which has many courses ready to be turned into online summer courses.

“The courses will help students who want to graduate in four years accomplish it,” said Spartz. “[Online] is a new medium to provide learning that I do not see going away in the future.”

Student Senate hosts MAPCS

By Amalia Santos

Cardinal Staff

For the first time ever, Saint Mary’s University is hosting the main overnight event for all Student Senate members of the Minnesota Association of Private College Students (MAPCS) on Feb. 24 and 25.

MAPCS is an organization that attempts to get students in campus governments at private colleges involved in real government issues. MAPCS tries to create connections between Student Senate members and elected government officials. It also organizes the “Day at the Capitol” event every year. All 16 private colleges in Minnesota are a part of MAPCS. Four main events, including two overnights, are held every year at various colleges.

SMU Student President Bob Rousseau believes that an event like this will have a great impact on SMU’s Student Senate.

“It means a lot to us because we’ve never hosted any retreat here before,” Rousseau said. “MAPCS is really important at other colleges, but not many students know what it is at Saint Mary’s. This retreat is an opportunity to show SMU that we can bring important advocates to our school. It allows us to bring more awareness of the student Senate and MAPCS to other students. And it lets other schools take us more seriously in the MAPCS community.”

The event will be a big step for Saint Mary’s, as past SMU senates have boycotted MAPCS because the organization was overcharging association fees as a result of the numerous graduate students on campus. Since MAPCS is only an undergraduate organization, they saw this as an unfair charge. Only in the past two years has SMU’s Student Senate begun to get more involved in MAPCS.

“Being able to host this event has allowed us to rebuild our relationship with MAPCS,” Rousseau said.

Roussaeu will be working with MAPCS President Amanda Skorich to plan the event at SMU. Skorich is from St. Catherine’s University and was elected by her peers.

The retreat schedule has not been completely set, but Rousseau has a general idea of how the event will be planned. On Friday, other colleges’ Senate members will arrive on campus and will attend a dinner, ice breakers and an event that night. On Saturday, student government members will discuss their plans for the “Day at the Capitol” event and a pre-chosen topic of interest. The topic will either be sustainability, diversity on campus, or their schools’ relationships with the communities that surround them. Most events will be held in Salvi Lecture Hall with food supplied by Chartwells.

The MAPCS retreat is intended for Student Senate members and their advisors, but SMU faculty are welcomed to attend. Non-government students may also attend general information sessions and lower level sessions that will be held on Saturday.

“I think it will be really fun and a great experience for our Senate members,” Rousseau said. “It will allow them to build ideas for the future. I’m really excited because this will allow other colleges to form and strengthen their bonds with each other and give them a chance to visit Saint Mary’s. I just hope everyone enjoys it.”

WinterFest 2012: a freezing good time

By Marc Hartmann

Guest Writer

This year Saint Mary’s University hopes to host its first WinterFest, a weeklong event held by the Intramural Department.

The week will consist of daily events that students have the opportunity to participate in, including human bowling, tug-of-war, tray sled racing, snowshoe races and broomball.

Andrea Moore, newly appointed assistant intramural director, said that the goal of WinterFest is simply to have fun.

“It provides an opportunity to introduce more students to intramurals and will naturally increase the amount of participation here at SMU,” said Moore

The events were supposed to start on Sunday, Feb. 5 with a kick-off, followed by the anticipated debut of outdoor broomball. Howver, the events have been postponed due to unseasonably warm weather.

While many students may have played broomball in the ice arena, this will be the first time SMU will be creating an outdoor ice rink to host the activity. It will be formed in the area located between the baseball and softball fields.

The concept of WinterFest has been in planning for quite some time and looks to bring back an atmosphere once seen at the annual Winter Carnival days of many years past. Teams will get both t-shirts and participation points at the events throughout the week.

Moore said that “being in Minnesota, you should never be afraid to be outside. If you are, you’re missing a lot. Plus you have the opportunity to be part of the start of what will hopefully be a yearly tradition here at SMU.”

Besides these team events, the week will also focus on school pride. Cardinal Pride events will be held to support SMU teams during the week, such as the week’s scheduledathletic events. At such games, both individuals and teams will have opportunities to win prizes for showing their Cardinal Pride.

To participate in WinterFest, students can either sign up with a team online by using their intramural pin number or by showing up prior to an event. Look for updates on WinterFest to stay informed of the week’s events and how to get involved at www.saintmaryssports.com.

C.L. Lindsay speaks about online safety

By Julianne Bartosz

Editor in chief

The Executive Director of the Coalition for Student and Academic Rights (CO-STAR) emphasized online safety in a presentation Jan. 19 at Saint Mary’s University’s Page Theatre.

Speaking to more than 200 students, Attorney C.L. Lindsay used a slideshow featuring action figures to depict the importance of online safety, specifically regarding plagiarism, sexting and social media.

“If you wouldn’t do it offline, don’t do it online,” said Lindsay, explaining that the same laws and social standards apply to life both on and off the Internet.

Smart choices online go beyond life on campus, said Lindsay. He said, 44 percent of employers check social networks before hiring.

“You have to assume that anything you put up there is forever,” said Lindsay.

To be safe, Lindsay recommended keeping privacy settings at the highest possible levels. Also, he advised students to double-check settings when a website updates its privacy policy because it may reset them to default settings.

Lindsay said that his biggest challenge is getting this helpful information out to students. He added, “Teaching students to stay out of trouble is a lot more fun than helping them out of trouble.”

Lindsay established CO-STAR in 1998 to help college students and professors with “day-to-day legal challenges” at no charge. It is currently a network of over 500 attorneys throughout the nation who donate their time to help. More information about CO-STAR is available online at www.studentrights.org.

Lindsay has also authored the book The College Student’s Guide to the Law: Get a Grade Changed, Keep Your Stuff Private, Throw a Police-Free Party, and More!, available for purchase online through SMU’s bookstore partner, Barnes & Noble.

Student Advertising Summit March 2

By Emma Stenzel

Managing & Advertising Editor

The 2012 Student Advertising Summit (SAS) is fast approaching and will give college students from across the Midwest the opportunity to gain valuable insight about the professional world of advertising.

This all-day event will be held at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis on March 2, the Friday before Spring Recess begins at Saint Mary’s University.

SAS is an annual event that is designed to help prepare students for their careers in advertising, marketing and public relations, according to the Summit’s website. Throughout the day, attendants will be able to network with professionals and other students, learn from keynote speakers, show their portfolios and tour advertising agencies in the Twin Cities area.

After attending last year’s Summit, Bob Rousseau, senior and SAS Brand Ambassador at SMU, agrees that the event presents a unique and exciting learning experience for college students of any age.

“For underclassmen, they can use the Summit to get their feet wet and get a better understanding of the world of advertising,” said Rousseau. “If you don’t know what you want to do after college, this is a great chance to get to know all of the different facets of the field.

“Upperclassmen get to know people, make connections and get their foot in the door for new career opportunities.”

Rousseau added that it is important that students who plan to attend the Summit take the necessary steps to prepare themselves. He recommends researching the companies that will be there, creating a resume and portfolio for professionals to review, developing questions beforehand and dressing professionally.

“Even though this is a professional event, it isn’t intimidating,” said Rousseau. “It’s meant for young people, so it’s very engaging and energetic, and the people there want to meet you and help you succeed.”

SAS is presented by the Advertising Federation of Minnesota and AD2, an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation created for young advertising professionals.

For more information or to register, visit the SAS website at www.ad2sas.org.

5 tips from C.L. Lindsay

• Do not post your physical address online.

• Be careful posting pictures from smart phones because your geographic coordinates are encoded in the data.

• Limit your personal information online.

• Avoid standing out as a target in profile pictures by using distanced photos so only friends can identify you.

• Act quickly if you think you have gotten into trouble.

Students to go on T.E.C. retreat

By Laura Nolte

Cardinal Staff

Saint Mary’s University will be holding a three-day Together Encountering Christ (T.E.C.) retreat open to college-age students Feb. 3-5 at Alverna Church in downtown Winona.

Many of SMU’s students and staff will be going on the retreat or helping out. Lynn Streefland, a member of SMU’s Office of Campus Ministry, is one of the retreat leaders..

On the retreat, students will “have opportunities to hear talks given by peers,” Streefland said. “They spend time in small groups. They play games, listen to music. They have an opportunity to spend time in prayer. In addition, there are many fun surprises that happen throughout the weekend.”

Sometimes the surprises can make people wary of going on the retreat. For others, they make the retreat more enjoyable.

“The secrets sometimes make me sad because [T.E.C.] is not meant to be exclusive,” Streefland said. “Rather, I prefer to think of [the secrets] as surprises where if you found out about the surprises, it wouldn’t ruin it. But the surprises bring delight and excitement on the weekend.”

Streefland said that T.E.C. is a great opportunity for students to connect with their faith.

It’s another way to “notice the many ways that God speaks to us,” Streefland said. “I like the fact that it’s open to anywhere you are on your faith journey. Some people are just starting to engage in their faith; some have been practicing for years. On T.E.C., both have a common faith experience that grows in faith together.”

New Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor offered at SMU

By Marissa Johnson

Cardinal Staff

Saint Mary’s University has recently added the Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor to its undergraduate curriculum.

The new minor marks SMU’s first multidisciplinary minor. This means that it combines courses in philosophy, literature and history, culminating in a well-rounded understanding of the time period which stretches from the late Antiquity period to the middle of the 17th century.

The minor was introduced to SMU by John Kerr, Ph.D., and Richard Tristano, Ph.D., who wanted to cultivate their interests in this unique time period and later decided to share their findings with students. According to Kerr, the Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor is a “rigorous intellectual experience” which offers students the chance to develop a concentration in a historical period not normally covered in much detail.

Students enrolled in the Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor also have opportunities for professional experience outside of the classroom. The minor requires students to attend at least three faculty-led seminars and write a seminar essay, which will illustrate their understanding of the history, philosophy and literature from this era. All students are able to attend these seminars as well.

More information about the Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor and its course requirements can be found on the SMU webpage www.smumn.edu.

Kids go crazy for Koo Koo Kanga Roo

By Meg Beerling

Feature Editor

SMU alumni Bryan Atchison ’08 and Neil Olstad ’08 have come a long way with their two-man band Koo Koo Kanga Roo since their graduation four years ago.

Atchison, who graduated with a Secondary Social Science Education degree, and Olstad, who graduated with a Music Business degree, started their band for the 2007 SMU Battle of the Bands.

Originally, the band was known as Birthdae Parrtii, but SMU Professor Wes Miller informed them that there was already a band with that name, said Atchison. The duo then changed their name to Koo Koo Kanga Roo.

The idea for the band came from wanting something different, said Atchison. “The Koo Koo that preformed at the Battle of the Bands is a totally different band now,” said Atchison. It was born out of the idea that they wanted to break the fourth wall between performers and audience, he said. “We now focus on 100 percent interaction,” said Atchison.

Atchison said the pair walks a thin line between bar act and kids group. Their “goofy, fun and weird” songs make the band different than others that are out there, Atchison said. “We write the chorus in our brains and then pair it with some hot beats,” he said. They always test their songs live to see if they work or not, according to Atchison.

The duo has been growing in fame since its inception. They have played some pretty big shows and gone on several tours. “Because we are always looking to the future, we think we can accomplish so much more,” said Atchison. He said that they also take pride in the fact that they have gotten this far all on their own, he said.

As far as the future goes, Atchison said the duo often has long meetings about the direction the band wants to take. They each have strong opinions about what to do next, and it takes a while for them both to agree, he said. The ultimate goal would be to make it to a top 40 headlining arenas act, Atchison said. And, according to Atchison, that’s just where the group is headed.

So to the rest of the Saint Mary’s University population, Atchison gives some advice: “Be in a band, but have a back-up plan. It always comes in handy.”

SMU alum publishes Twins trivia book

By Kelsey Hulbert

Cardinal Staff

SMU alumnus Jim Hoey ’74 has recently published two books, including Minnesota Twins Trivia, which highlights all of the memorable moments in the history of Twins baseball.

Hoey said as a kid he always wanted to write, was a big history and sports fan and had a good memory for detail. Plus, Hoey said, he was just about to retire from a 34-year teaching career in secondary social studies. He added that writing a trivia book seemed like a great opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary and the opening of the Target Field. “It was a great way to hopefully start a new career,” he said.

Hoey said he always had a knack for trivia and pulled the book together in about eight months of just “horsing around.”

Hoey has also published Puck Heaven: Puck Heaven: Minnesota State Boys' Hockey Tournament Trivia, which focuses on trivia of the Minnesota state hockey tournament in a personal perspective. Hoey said he was lucky enough to play in three state tournaments in high school, and his love of hockey continued through college and coaching for 15 years at Farmington and Shakopee. “I [always] wanted to write about my own experiences in the tournament,” Hokey said. “I like storytelling.”

He focuses on connecting facts with personal experiences in addition to adding variety and detail, said Hoey. For example, during his honeymoon in Boston, the Twin’s pulled off two triple plays in one game for the first time ever, he said.

The most challenging thing was making sure all of the facts and answers were correct, he said. However, Hoey said the most rewarding thing was writing for the fans. “I like talking to people, and I thought they would enjoy [the book],” he said.

His book has received a lot of positive feedback. The president of the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club Dave St. Peter said, “[The] book is a must-have for fans across Twins Territory. The depth of the questions, creative concepts and attention to detail span the team’s 50 seasons in Minnesota. This book will challenge even the most passionate Twins fan.”

For the future, Hoey said he hopes to write one book every year. He is currently working on a book on anecdotes for teaching.

'11 grad teaches English in Namibia, Africa

By Jenna Capelle

Cardinal Staff

Recent English Education graduate Joanna Pace has been volunteering as an English teacher in Namibia, Africa.

Last spring, Pace said she discovered a few things about herself. She knew she wanted to learn about a different culture, to experience something new and to step out of her comfort zone. She decided she wanted to volunteer after graduation, and a Google search lead her to the WorldTeach program.

“WorldTeach is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based at Harvard University that provides opportunities for volunteers to make meaningful contributions to education in developing countries,” said Pace.

Pace started making a list of everything that she’s learned from her time in Namibia, and it’s already pages long. She said that this experience, without a doubt, has made an impact on her life. For one, she’s learned how to relate and connect with the children in the schools.

“I’ve learned that, no matter where you go, people are people and kids are kids,” said Pace. “The same things that make kids laugh in the states make kids laugh here. And the same things that make people cry at home bring tears in Africa.”

Pace has figured out how to conduct herself in a classroom that’s not structured like those in the United States. The classrooms are less formal and her patience is continuously tested by “African Time,” which can be a good or bad thing, said Pace. She’s learned that electricity is not a necessity, whereas water is. Nonetheless, she’s gained a new perspective on the relationship between happiness and money, and they’re loosely tied.

Once Pace returns home in April, she aspires to land an English teching position in a Minnesota or Wisconsin high school. However, she doesn’t regret her decision to volunteer in Namibia.

“If you’re considering it, I would definitely say just do it,” said Pace. “Volunteering in a developing country can change your life.”

For more information about the WorldTeach program, which offers volunteer opportunities in other countries such as Bangladesh, Chile, China, Panama, Tanzania and Thailand, visit www.worldteach.org.

Of 'Guys and Dolls'

By Ashley Von Arx

Cardinal Staff

What do Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, rough New York underground gambling rings and Winona, Minn., all have in common? Saint Mary’s 2012 production of the musical “Guys and Dolls,” of course!

Students at SMU are preparing their performance of “Guys and Dolls” directed by Gary Diomandes, Ph.D., scheduled to perform Feb. 23-26 in the Page Theatre.

“Guys and Dolls,” first staged in 1950, has been acclaimed as the perfect musical comedy, spanning an impressive 1,200 productions at its debut. The play traces the stories of a couple of shady, two-bit gamblers “trying to reconcile their desire for money with a desire for human companionship,” said Alex Green, sophomore theatre major playing Nathan Detroit. Though extremely devoted to his fiancée of 14 years, Adelaide, played by sophomore Allie Kriz, Detroit is torn between his commitment to this burlesque beauty and his love for the game. Caught similarly in the tide of love for a woman and his passion for taking risks is Sky Masterson, played by senior Bryan Moore.

“A heavy influx of new theatre majors encouraged the department to go for an old-fashioned, classic, big show like ‘Guys and Dolls,’” explains Diomandes. “It just fit the department.”

Though there is a lot of material to learn barley a month and a half, Diomandes is confident that the production is right on schedule. He said he is delighted to report that the music for the production was learned in only four rehearsals.

Adult tickets are $10 and student and senior tickets are $5. Tickets are available at the Page Theatre Box office.

Faculty art show in the Lillian Davis Hogan Gallery

By Morgan Stock

Cardinal Staff

The Lillian Davis Hogan Gallery on the Saint Mary’s University campus is currently displaying the SMU faculty art show.

Various faculty members from the SMU Art Department are participating in the show. The artists include Tony Calabrese, Charlie Campbell, Preston Lawing, Rob McColl, Brother Roderick Robertson, Lisa Truax and John Whelan.

Chair of the Art Department Preston Lawing said, “The faculty art show has been in existence for 30-40 years and is a biennial show, which is a show ever other year.”

Any piece of art can be put in the show, such as ceramics, paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. This year the show mostly consists of pieces that each faculty member considers to be his or her best work.

“Getting to see what other members of the faculty have been working [on] is something really special. Since we are such a small group we are very close, but we don’t always get to see what each other are working on because of what we are doing for class,” said Lawing.

He said seeing different kinds of work inspires them and allows them to learn from each other.

Lawing said, “By trade I call myself a printmaker even though I like other art mediums. I love being able to go to work and have a creative outlet doing the things that I love to do.”

Lisa Truax, who has recently joined the Art Department as a new professor, said, “My favorite medium to work with is ceramics because I love being able to create anything with it.”

May to show mosaic art in Las Vegas

Trisha Stachowski

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Monta May, part of Saint Mary’s University’s Marketing and Communication staff, will be showing her mosaic artwork in a Las Vegas art gallery from May 31 through June 29.

“My inspiration is basically the world around me, anything and everything that catches my eye,” said May. She said the emotions experienced each day can be a fantastic source of inspiration. “Imagery often triggers an emotional response. I try to find a way to communicate that emotion and the general idea,” said May.

In order to create her mosaic masterpieces, May uses the hammer and hardie technique to cut each piece of glass or stone. The hammer and hardie technique has been used for mosaic art for many years, according to May.

May said she has been a visual artist all of her life. When she was visiting Loyola University in Chicago, May viewed a mosaic piece about the physical sciences on a campus building. According to May, that was when she decided that she was going to try creating mosaic pieces of her own. In the beginning, May said she taught her self, but she eventually studied at the Chicago Mosaic School. May returned to study three more times at the school, and she will participate in another master-level class in April. In these classes, students are instructed by world-renowned artists that the school brings in.

Recently, May has been working on pieces revolving around water and the absence of water. Her pieces are influenced by the general idea of water and how all life depends on it in one way or another. Two of her pieces focus on a desert landscape and the results of the lack of water.

May will show 10 to 12 never-before-seen pieces on the SMU campus before they are displayed in Las Vegas. From there, May’s artwork will be shown in the LaChica Art & Music gallery in Las Vegas. May’s Las Vegas showing will likely include water-inspired pieces, in addition to a more broad influence of the natural world and sustainability. According to May, she tries to create the “interaction of our human activity and the world around us.”

May’s recent artwork will be on display in the Ben Miller Lobby in the Page Theatre from April 11 to May 11 with a reception on April 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Yuval Ron a dizzying experience

By Paul Schmitt

Cardinal Staff

The Yuval Ron Ensemble presented a short lecture along with a few musical selections at the Winona County Historical Society on Monday, Jan. 25, as a prelude to their main performance at the Page Theatre at Saint Mary’s University on Jan. 31.

The Yuval Ron Ensemble is a Middle-Eastern music and dance group with a message of religious tolerance and cooperation. Their performance at SMU was mainly music-centered, and also featured one thing that Monday’s lecture lacked: Aziz, The Whirling Dervish.

Clad in white garb, Aziz danced to two selections in a traditional Sufi style, which involves rapid spinning in a small area. While this type of motion is typically dizzying to the average person, Aziz appeared to be unfazed by his movements and maintained his balance after the dances were finished.

The lecture at the Historical Society concentrated more on the history of the Middle Eastern instrument called the oud, which is a cousin to the lute. The oud moved from Baghdad to Cordoba, Spain, where it was involved in the “creation of the best arts and music [made] by Christians, Muslims and Jews in the ninth to 15th centuries,” according to Yuval Ron. Ron stressed the importance of such cooperation between religions and pointed out the relevance of the matter even in modern society.

Also prominent in Yuval Ron’s message is the idea of human expression and spirit. Ron said, “There is no way to suppress human expression.” Reflecting that concept, audience participation in the form of dancing, clapping and singing was greatly encouraged by the ensemble during many of the songs throughout the night.

CAC Student-Athlete Olympics

By Nick Bravos

Sports Editor

For the second time, Saint Mary’s University held the Cardinal Student-Athlete Olympics on Sunday, Jan. 22, to create a better sense of community between SMU athletes.

Run by the Cardinal Athletic Council (CAC), a group comprised of student-athlete representatives from each varsity sport, the Olympics was an event where all Cardinal student-athletes went head-to-head against each other in a three-hour, nine-station competition.

Junior CAC members Paige Carter and Hayley Ohl selected student-athletes from each varsity sport and divided them up into 16 co-ed teams. “Most teams did not have doubles of the same sport,” said senior and CAC Vice President Bobby Gas. “So, technically, a men's soccer player could be with a women's basketball player, men's hockey player, and a women's tennis player.”

The nine stations making up the Olympics were communicative-based games that focus on utilizing teamwork, such as, speed bag-toss for eight minutes (most points wins), hockey puck find in the pool (teammates would help direct from the balcony above), handball, blind dodge ball and human battleship.

“No athlete there wanted to lose, especially to one another, so people definitely got into it,” said Gas. “But, I’d say team handball was probably one of the most intense games that people got into. After people left that station they were dripping sweat.”

The two teams that achieved the highest sum of points from victories would go to war, literally, in a culminating tug-of-war event.

“We won’t do [the Olympics] every year,” said Head Hockey Coach and CAC Co-Advisor Bill Moore. “We try to come up with other ways to establish the same sense of community and communication; we want things to stay fresh.” The last Olympics occurred four years ago.

In years to come, though, events may change based on a four year cycle, according to Moore. “Year one would have games that would be different from the others, and after the fourth year we’d start over.”

Cardinal women's basketball hits mid-season point

By Mary Nordick

Cardinal Staff

The Saint Mary’s women’s basketball team came to the mid-season point with a conference record of 9-5 and an overall record of 9-8. The lady Cardinals have been working hard this first half of the season and plan to continue doing so throughout the rest of the year.

“The team has been doing great. We’re really young, but we have a lot of really solid leaders in our older players who help lead our younger players,” said Head Coach Mandy Pearson. “These girls are good people, and they get along well on and off the court.”

There is strong chemistry between teammates, according sophomore Courtney Euerle. “We all get along really well,” said Euerle. “We do a lot of stuff off the court which I think helps a lot to keep the team chemistry building.”

“We’ve always had good chemistry on our basketball team,” said Pearson. “There’s just something a little different about the leadership and how the team has been getting along this year.”

According to Euerle, one game that stood out was the comeback game against Bethel University on Jan. 11. “That was a great win for us,” she said.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Pearson said, “I don’t even think about playoffs. We are just taking it one game at a time. It’s pretty intense, pretty crazy and pretty competitive. It doesn’t matter whether you’re number one or number 12. Every game is a battle, and you have to take it one game at a time so you can have as much success as possible.”

Tennis season preview

By Joey Petrich

Cardinal Staff

The 2012 Saint Mary’s University tennis teams have begun preparing for their first matches of the season.

The women serve up their dual-meet season opener competing in “Think Pink Day” on Feb. 3 against Winona State at 3 p.m. and Northwestern College at 6 p.m. The men will also start their season with a dual-meet on Feb. 4 against the Milwaukee School of Engineering at noon and Luther College at 6 p.m. Both events will be held in Winona at the indoor tennis center.

Cardinal tennis will not have an easy time in conference play this year, according to Head Coach Jeff Halberg. He said it is the deepest team he has ever seen in his tenure as a coach at Saint Mary’s.

“The MIAC is one of, if not the toughest, tennis conference in the nation,” said Halberg. “Most top players in the MIAC are players who could have played division one but chose to play division three.”

After last season, the women’s team lost a couple of players, but added five new freshmen to their squad, including the addition of McKennah Edwards from Fond Du Lac, Wis. Edwards was the runner-up at the United States Tennis Association’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional Championships this fall.

She has joined her two older sisters, junior Killian and senior Bailey Edwards on the women’s team. Halberg said the Edwards sisters will play a pivotal role for the women’s team this year. SMU has never had three siblings playing on the same team.

The men’s team didn’t lose many players from last season. They don’t have any new freshmen recruits, but their players now are experienced and seasoned. Juniors Sam Puff and Mike Lunka are coming into their third season with the team. However, the team lost sophomore Tim Wolford because of a knee injury, but they are hopeful that he will return mid-season.

One of the things the tennis teams would love to change is student attendance at their matches. “We’re a little bit of a secret on campus,” Halberg said. The tennis team plays in downtown Winona at the Indoor tennis center located at 360 Vila Street and all matches are free for students to attend.

Bright spots for men's hockey

By Keotta House

Cardinal Staff

Despite being eight games under .500, the Saint Mary’s University men’s hockey team has still had a rewarding season.

The team is already doing statistically better this season, and they have a couple of big wins to prove it.

The team opened up the season with a six-game losing streak. However, in four of the six games SMU found themselves losing by only one goal—a trend which happened two more times.

“The biggest thing is whether we get big goals at the right time, and we are looking for someone to step up and make the big goals,” said Head Coach Bill Moore.

The Cardinals have stepped up big time on occasion this season when playing big opponents. SMU thrilled fans when they defeated the defending national champions, Saint Norbert College, in a 3-2 victory. Another notable game includes the 2-1 overtime victory against the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

“Let’s keep doing what we are doing,” said Moore. “We have beaten four nationally ranked teams, and we’ve been competitive keeping up with these good teams.”

The SMU men’s hockey team may not be achieving all of their season’s goals, but they have kept up with some objectives that Moore also finds most important.

“So far our academic goals have been good; we didn’t have quite as many people on the academic Dean’s list but overall we were a 3.0 [GPA],” said Moore. “The team is going out and performing a lot of community service too.”