Peace and Justice promotes social justice on campus

By Julianne Bartosz

Editor-in-chief

Peace and Justice (P&J) is a club at Saint Mary’s University that aims to educate the SMU community on issues of social justice through constantly recognizing and promoting direct service as a tool for social change, said P&J Co-Advisor Marc Hartmann.

P&J hosts Fair Trade Fridays every week in Mary’s Hall, where they offer fresh fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa and pieces of chocolate.

“We offer products for free to promote awareness of fair trade practices,” said Meghan Campbell, co-president of P&J.

Even though the products are free, donations may be given to help P&J buy more products and fund additional events that the group promotes on campus.

This semester, P&J will be holding an event called Common Threads during which they will collect donated clothes and then sell them.

“Common Threads is our way of promoting sustainability,” said Campbell. “We wanted to give people an opportunity to reuse things and hopefully encourage them to donate their clothes more often.”

They will be accepting clothes donations from April 2-11. Then, the clothes will be sold to the community and campus in the Hall of Fame room April 12-14. Remaining clothes after the sale will be donated to Winona Volunteer Services.

Recently, P&J wrote a proposal to receive a grant for Reverend Green’s Fresh Start of Winona Organization. They were one of 16 groups to receive a grant from the Brother James Miller Social Justice Fund of the Christian Brothers of the Midwest District.

Fresh Start is an organization that helps people who were recently released from jail find a job and a place to live. “We chose to help Fresh Start because they promote fairness and equality for individuals in society regardless of their circumstances,” said Campbell.

Hartmann said that the money from the grant will be used to provide for the everyday living expenses needed to house up to 20 residents at a time.

Last semester, the club held a human trafficking awareness week, planned a Fair Trade Sale and attended a peace vigil at the School of the America’s (SOA) in Fort Benning, Ga.

To get involved with P&J, contact Meghan Campbell at mecamp09@smumn.edu.

SOS begins “green” initiative

By Emma Stenzel

Managing & Advertising Editor

Students Organizing Sustainability (SOS) is the new student-led organization committed to promoting sustainable practices at Saint Mary’s University and increasing awareness of current environmental issues.

SOS was founded in January by a group of environmentally minded students at SMU who hoped to improve the school’s sustainable efforts and advocate alternative solutions. They work to create new opportunities at SMU that will help preserve resources, reduce waste and encourage productive dialogue about environmentalism.

Tina Swanberg, founder and president of SOS, initiated the club after observing a number of areas where SMU could develop its sustainability.

“I noticed there was a lot of waste at our school, so I wanted to start with small projects and see if people were interested,” said Swanberg. “I just think that higher educated students should have a better understanding of sustainability and make the effort to actually practice it.”

Swanberg said she has several goals she would like SOS to accomplish before she graduates in May. She said among the club’s main priorities are to educate the campus about SMU’s recycling programs and to draw attention to the everyday actions that students can change in their own lives, such as avoiding disposables and plastic bottles, consuming less, saving electricity and not driving to campus from residence halls.

“We’ve all heard so many times, ‘Every effort counts!’” said Swanberg. “But really, every small thing does matter. So turn off the lights and recycle because it will go a long way.”

Club members are also interested in seeing SOS sustain itself as a campus organization, which will require the active and consistent participation from SMU students who are dedicated to improving the school’s carbon footprint.

SOS encourages all students to attend its weekly meetings held on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in Toner Room B. Students can also connect with the club by “Liking” its Facebook page or reading its blog at sosustain.blogspot.com.

TRBD committee approaches its big event

By Julianne Bartosz

Editor-in-chief

The Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance (TRBD) committee, a group of about twenty Saint Mary’s University students, continues to work hard as the benefit dance draws closer.

The TRBD committee began its planning for the 12th annual TRBD early first semester with monthly meetings. As the March 24 dance approaches, the committee has been meeting every week to ensure that all details are covered.

“We have a group that is dedicated and willing to help out,” said Committee Co-Chair Kelsi Addabbo.

The committee is responsible for planning a silent auction to fundraise for the dance, advertising the event, choosing the beneficiary, sending invitations, decorating the dance site and planning a dinner for the beneficiary’s family and friends prior to the event.

This year, the committee chose to honor Josh Misiewicz after applications and nominations were reviewed. Misiewicz is a former SMU student and military veteran who was wounded while serving his country this past summer.

“It is hard to choose a beneficiary because everyone is really deserving,” said Addabbo.

Addabbo said that the dance is changing this year in two ways. It will be held in SMU’s gymnasium so that more students can attend, and it will also have a hockey or “miracle on ice” theme because Misiewicz played hockey.

“[The biggest reward] is seeing everything come together, how much money we can raise and how much it can impact someone’s life,” said Addabbo.

BSA seeks success in first year as club

By Julianne Bartosz

Editor-in-chief

Black Students and Allies is a club dedicated to raising cultural awareness for African American students and diversity issues at Saint Mary’s University. Within their first semester as a club, BSA has developed into a successful and well-known group on campus.

“We were around last year, but sort of as an unofficial club,” said BSA Treasurer Miles Dunna.

This year, as an official club on campus, BSA has hosted multiple events for the SMU community. During the first semester, the club organized Beauty Week to emphasize the significance of inner beauty. It also held Africa Night, one of their more successful events, to celebrate African culture. SMU students were joined by Winona State students to dance, watch African performances and enjoy ethnic food that members of the club prepared.

More recently, BSA hosted three successful members of the African American community who spoke on Feb. 15 as a celebration of Black History Month. The speakers were Minnesota State Rep. Booby Joe Champion, Star Tribune Managing Editor for Operations Duchesne Drew, and SMU alumnus and Winona State University’s Interim Assistant Director of Housing Xavier Wilson.

The speakers discussed the struggles and achievements of their professional career as a member of the minority. Dunna said the event emphasized that everyone “can make a path for themselves regardless of skin color.”

“This was a ground-breaking event for me,” said Dunna. “It was a professional panel with diversity, yet I could relate. It reminded me to make an opportunity to make dreams come true.”

BSA started planning this event early during first semester. The event was recognized in the Winona community, earning a front-page story in The Winona Daily newspaper.

The group is currently compiled of about 15 SMU students from diverse backgrounds. Their meetings and events are open to the SMU community.

“Our events are open to the Winona-Goodview area,” Dunna said. “Getting people from the area is another way to network.”

Information about BSA events is distributed through email and posters displayed around campus.

Second Page, Simply Fun

By Amalia Santos

Cardinal Staff

Second Page is widely known as the improvisation show that occurs once every semester. Few people know that it was originally created as an improv comedy club that welcomes any students at Saint Mary’s University who are interested in improv.

The club is planning this semester’s Second Page show, which will be held in Figiulo Hall on Friday, March 23, at 7 and 10 p.m., performed by members Maggie Allexsaht, Annie Ivansek, Jake Rivet, Meg Beerling, Mary Doctor, Alex Green, Molly Nocera and Annie Garrigan.

Seniors Maggie Allexsaht and Annie Ivansek (known to fellow club members as “the Queen” and “the Prime Minister”) are this year’s Second Page co-presidents and have been members of the club since the beginning of their freshman year at SMU.

As the club’s leaders, Allexsaht and Ivansek are responsible for holding auditions and casting the Second Page show that is put on once a semester. The casted members proceed to meet every week and discuss skits and themes for the upcoming show.

During the show, audience members are invited to choose what games will be played and give skit ideas to the Second Page performers. Allexsaht said that they encourage students to arrive early to get a seat because the show has become very popular campus event.

Allexsaht said that they use most of the topics that are suggested during the show, but sometimes she and Ivansek need to interject. She said, “Comedy is usually offensive, so people kind of expect that.”

Any student interested in Second Page or improv comedy is welcome to join the club during their weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

Z-Club comes to Saint Mary’s

By Mary Nordick

Cardinal Staff

Z-Club is a new club at Saint Mary's University that helps students in shape through Zumba® dances on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 8:30-9:30 p.m. in the Gostomski Fieldhouse’s dance studio.

The hour-long sessions include an assortment of cardio-enhanced dances, which incorporate fast-paced music paired with various Latin dance moves that help tone the body.

Freshman Tessa Neibauer is an active participant in Z-Club and enjoys the sessions.

“I always look forward to Zumba®,” said Neibauer. “It’s a lot of fun and you get a great workout at the same time.”

Zumba® enthusiast Mara Keyes agreed, saying, “It’s a fun way to meet people, work out, and learn some amazing dance moves!”

Multicultural showcase is a success

By Marc Hartmann

Guest writer

Saint Mary’s University held its third annual Multicultural Showcase on Feb. 18, where a variety of acts performed different dances and songs that represented the diverse cultures of SMU students.

Over 140 students attended the show to watch performances and eat an assortment of food from different cultures around the globe. Several campus clubs came together to help organize the event, including the International Club, Black Students and Allies (BSA), Peace and Justice (P&J), and the Intercultural Awareness Association of America (ICAA).

Lance Thompson, who led the planning of the event, said that the goal of the event is important to campus and remains the same every year.

“The event is at SMU to truly showcase different cultures around campus,” said Thompson. “It gives people an opportunity to perform at a comfortable venue that maybe normally wouldn’t be presented.”

Thompson believes that this showcase distinguishes itself from other shows on campus.

“While shows like Gaslight and Blue Angel are great, they mostly focus on American Pop Music,” said Thompson. “What this showcase does is bring a whole new dimension to what many of us envision as common music or dance.”

The Multicultural Showcase, previously called the International Showcase, featured 13 acts, seven of which were dances.

One of the performers, Yupeng Li, impressed the audience with a rarely seen martial arts routine. Li performed his skills with glow-in-the-dark, custom made nunchucks.

Thompson said that performers like Li will continue to show off their talents for the SMU for years to come. “As long as this kind of interest keeps up, the event will be around for a long time.”

Sigma Alpha Iota presents Fireside 2012

By Trisha Stachowski

Arts & Entertainment Editor

The annual Fireside music variety show hosted by the sisters of Saint Mary’s University’s music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) put on three crowd-pleasing performances on Feb. 10 and 11 for the SMU community.

Emcees John Fitzpatrick and Niki Ciulla began the night by welcoming the audience and promising to keep the corny jokes to a minimum. Balloon animals, jokes from the audience and dressing as shrubbery were still fair game throughout the night, however.

Ciulla said, “Fireside was started several years ago by the sisters of SAI, and originally the only performers in the show were sisters.” This eventually changed, when all students were invited to audition for the show.

The first act of the night, performed by Courtney Lee and Bill Van Wagner, instantly electrified the crowd with their cover of The Civil Wars’ “Barton Hollow.”

The coffee-house atmosphere continued with Sam Schepers and Joe Richards performing an acoustic version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya.”

Ciulla said, “Blue Angel and Gaslight both bolster a more ‘rock show’ or ‘concert’ type of vibe, and so the decision to make a ‘coffee-house’ style show seems appropriate to reach different types of performers and audience members.”

Katie Keck, Jessica Ingvalson and Matt Polum won over the crowd with smooth vocals and perfect harmony while performing Kina Grannis’s “Heart and Mind.” The first of two sets closed with Keotta House and Josh Rumppe’s heartfelt performance of Carrie Underwood’s “I Know You Won’t.” Then it was time for the traditional intermission pie break.

The second set began with an interesting “bromance” between Tyler Kircher and Mike Ostman, along with pianist Megan Hellmann, performing “Man or Muppet” from the film The Muppets. Ciulla joined her SAI sisters and roommates Jamie Jones and Katie Keck, along with Augustine Esterhammer-Fic, to harmonize to Mountain Man’s “Animal Tracks.” Cuilla also joined Andy Bauer, Paul Schmitt, Alex Bush, Mitch Lawler, Kalinn Bangasser, Ethan Thompson and Tyler Ringeisen, to get the crowd up and dancing for the last act of the night, performing Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros’ “Home” to finish the show.

Although Fireside included wonderful performances and seamless transitions from one act to another, the show is only possible each year because of all the hard work leading up to the event.

SAI sister and Fireside performer Katie Keck said, “We start the planning process in the fall and begin to work out the basic details such as dates and times, and then we move on to fundraising through advertisements, decorations and more.”

Club sports may see big change this spring

By Nick Bravos

Sports Editor

Nearly a month ago I heard through the grapevine about some surprising rumors that left club sports as a whole sizzling with frustration—rumors which ended up being true.

Sometime this spring a decision will be made as to whether or not club sports, including Hellfish, Blue Jays, MUTs, Polo Bears, and so on, will take on the Cardinal name instead.

After asking around , the answers I got from members of Student Senate and faculty were almost insultingly obvious. Because the athletic clubs are becoming a larger presence on campus and in the region, when they travel and compete against other schools and clubs they are representing Saint Mary’s University and, therefore, reflect it, so the next logical step is these players should be seen as Cardinals.

It’s simple, straight forward and makes perfect sense, right? If teams that represent SMU travel and compete, they should use the traditional aesthetics to make sure people know who they are, and there should be unification on all fronts so we all look alike.

Except there’s a problem, and a big one: if these clubs make some kind of change to their identities—some of which have been student-run, competitive clubs for nearly 15 years—what will happen to the way they are conducted? Will these clubs now have varsity benefits? Will these clubs have an equal opportunity for the Gostomski Fieldhouse or field time with varsity sports? Will these clubs finally have access to the athletic trainer? My point is, this is a complex process that requires many—not one—complex solutions—one that requires input from the student body, and not just the ideologies from Strategic Planning or the Student Life office.

After talking with Chris Kendall, who initially brought up the idea, he made it a point that the safety of all the students involved will be the first priority. One solution he came up with is to add a supervisory person of some kind that will travel and accompany the team for safety and liability reasons. This idea flared up when he heard of three separate incidents where students received severe concussions this fall semester—one of which I was a witness to.

The concussion that I saw left my friend in total cognitive shutdown for one week, which meant no class, no TV, no reading, no computer usage, and even daily conversations should be kept to a limit. For most of that week, he was in a dark bedroom either staring up at the ceiling of his Old Village suite or sleeping. While this example, as well as the other two, is tragic, the one I witnessed could not have been prevented in any way by having an advisory person present. These are rough sports that, let me assure you, people will get hurt in, but I agree with Kendall that some sort of safety measure should be implemented.

What’s also legitimately important in the future discussions is that, there must be a level of transparency involved in order for both faculty and the student bodies representing club sports to be completely aware of what acceptable changes will be made. Ultimately, the decision is left to the administration as to what will happen, which may end in a hammer-swing, but I believe things won’t end that way. I think there will be a concluding decision that is fully representative of our student body’s beliefs.

I think people identify the word “club” to have—in my mind—a negative connotation that reflects that these sports aren’t taken as seriously as a varsity sport, which a) is an impressively common fallacy and b) is a shame because the club sports I mentioned earlier have some of the best athletes on campus. In fact, I know a handful of students that were recruited for a varsity sport but were persuaded otherwise to play club.

I write this not as a threat or as an insult to the efficacy of this university’s administration, but more so as a deterrent to avoid some sort of Pyrrhic Victory that will break the orderly link between a sub-culture (club sports) and its larger, unifying culture (SMU). Instead, this is to show that the students here are listening very intently to the changes that may take place, changes that I hope will leave the relationship of both cultures in good light with the other; one that I hope doesn’t leave a loathsome taste in mouths of the other.

Speak up at the Day at the Capitol

By Kevin Halpin

Guest Writer

What’s helping 19 percent of students at Saint Mary’s make it through the year? No, it’s not Mugby Junction or any other coffee shop in Winona. Something else is making a difference for many students: a grant from the state of Minnesota.

In Minnesota, it is called the State Grant program, which is a powerful tool that helps keep college affordable. This year the average annual grant is $3,076 for 388 SMU students, and it aids students based on their financial needs.

The impact of the program stretches far beyond SMU. Among the state’s private nonprofit colleges, more than 12,000 students receive the grant. Students at public institutions such as Southeast Technical and Winona State University actually receive the bulk of the program’s grants. Altogether, more than 88,000 college students in Minnesota receive these grants, which is about one in four students.

Since this investment impacts us right here at SMU, now is the time for us to reach out to policymakers. We need to make sure they understand just how important these grants are if we want to protect them from possible cuts.

This year students receiving State Grants are benefiting from good decisions that were made during the last legislative session—decisions that we students encouraged. Despite budget shortfalls, legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton agreed to give the program $21 million in additional funding. That means the awards could be larger this year than they were last year.

But we can’t be complacent. Looking ahead, forecasts show that state budget deficits will return larger than ever. Because of this, it is likely that the State Grant program will see cuts in its funding. The program is too important for students at SMU and other Minnesota schools for us to let that happen.

Also, Minnesota’s investment in the program has not been keeping pace with financial need. The value of the average award has been decreasing, even though the need among college students for this kind of support has been increasing.

Consider helping us reach out to legislators to educate them about the impact of this program. Working with students from Minnesota’s Private Colleges, we’ll be going up to the Capitol in St. Paul to make our case in small group meetings with legislators on March 22. If you want to hear more about this, stop by the Student Activities Office or contact us at senate@smumn.edu. Sign up at www.mnprivatecolleges.org/policy/get-involved.

SMU is a unique place, and for many of us, the State Grant awards allow us to be here and to minimize borrowing and future debt. So let’s speak up and ensure that all students have the opportunity for higher education.

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.”

Archdiocese of Winona heading to March for Life

By Matt Wagner

Cardinal Staff

The Archdiocese of Winona will be taking nearly 50 students from Winona schools on a trip to Washington D.C. for the 2012 March for Life on Jan. 19.

This will be the first time that the Archdiocese of Winona has participated in the March for Life, though some current SMU students have attended in past years. Freshman Keara Hannan attended the trip in January 2011.

“I was completely amazed and inspired by all the pro-life heroes I met and everyone around me,” Hannan said. “500,000 people had stopped their lives to take long car, bus and plane trips to D.C., to sleep in cramped high schools or wherever they could, all because they wanted to fight for life.

“It definitely renewed my hope that we will be the generation that finally ends abortion.

The pro-life trip lasts five days, beginning with an 8 p.m. Mass in Winona on Thursday, Jan. 19. From there, participants will travel nearly 18 hours to Washington D.C. where they will participate in activities such as Mass at the Basilica, a tour of the Holocaust Museum, a youth rally and the March for Life event, which is held in downtown Washington D.C.

“I went on the March for Life last year and had a ball,” freshman Janie Maki said. “It was a fantastic experience, and I cannot wait to go again this year. It is a great excuse to get out of school, and it is for a fantastic cause, too. I am looking forward to all that this year’s trip has to offer.”

This will be the 39th annual March for Life, and it’s expected to have a great outcome. The 2011 March was attended by nearly 400,000 people, and this year it is expecting even more.

The March for Life trip takes place Jan. 19-24. More information can be found on the Diocese of Winona’s website: http://www.dow.org/.

Open Mic Night provides unique, relaxing experience

By Marc Hartmann

Guest Writer

For one night a month, the usually-quiet Toner Student Lounge is transformed into a packed room overflowing with talent and energy.

As Open Mic Night enters its fourth year at Saint Mary’s University, the event is seeing more success than ever and seems to be growing in popularity.

OMN is a monthly event held in the Toner Student Lounge in which any member of the SMU community, including students, faculty and staff, can perform any act they wish. The event provides a laid-back atmosphere in which attendees can enjoy hot beverages and snacks while watching members of the community perform. Though the event has a start time of 9 p.m., performers are usually still taking the stage at 11:30 p.m. and need to be stopped due to time constraints.

Ben Scott and Niki Ciulla, co-presidents of OMN, have both performed and helped out with the club from the very beginning.

“I can remember a time a few years ago when we would put on an event and be happy to have a couple dozen or so people there,” said Ciulla. “Now, averaging over 150 people per event, I can’t even imagine that.”

Unlike most performance venues, OMN provides an opportunity to simply show up and give a performance. Scott and Ciulla both emphasized that OMN is not necessarily about the performing but, instead, about the sharing.

“People now realize that there is little uncomfortability at the event with no pressure to perform,” Ciulla said. “But people who do come to sing, read, juggle, or do whatever feel supported.”

Scott pointed to the “informal and spontaneous interactions” between the performers and audience members and the “relaxed and fun environment” of the event, which makes the performers feel at ease.

Scott and Ciulla said that, ultimately, the diversity it encompasses makes the event special and unique rather than its success in numbers.

“OMN strives to bring the entire SMU community together for an all-inclusive celebration of expression,” said Scott.

Ciulla said that the goal for the OMN group is to be “appealing to all and not intimidating to anyone.”

The next OMN is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 9 p.m. in the Toner Student Lounge. Those interested in performing can simply come and sign up. All supporters of OMN are encouraged to join the OMN Facebook page to keep up with all the latest news and view recent OMN performances.

New emergency notification system test a success

By Julianne Bartosz

Copy Editor

Saint Mary’s University’s new emergency notification system through Blackboard Connect was successfully tested on Nov. 17, according to Vice President for Student Development Chris Kendall.

The new emergency notification system uses Blackboard Connect to send out an emergency alert via email, phone call and text message. This technology supplements SMU’s emergency notification speakers in campus buildings and residence halls and cameras in key locations around campus, according to Kendall.

“The system works well, but we have also learned its flaws,” said Kendall. He said that 93 percent of the 2,680 total messages were delivered successfully during the test. Kendall said the test found that not everyone received messages, while some people received multiple messages.

Kendall said students, faculty and staff will be able to edit their contact information for the system through WebTools. He said he will send out an email when the primary contact form is ready to be edited on WebTools.

Senior Bob Rousseau, Student Senate president, said that the new system is a step in the right direction.

“I have always felt safe on campus, but it is essential to be ready if something does happen,” said Rousseau, adding that it is important to be able to reach people right where they are.

SMU’s Director of Campus Safety Phil Gaddis said the new system is “the link to the culture society is taking us to.” He said that the system will be used strictly for emergencies with the exception of a test each semester. “It will be used sparingly, but enough to keep us familiar with it and to make sure it works,” said Gaddis.

“We do not want people to dismiss it,” said Kendall. “I hope we never have to use it, but I do not want to have a situation where I wish we had the technology.”

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

Professors offer study tips

Samantha Kleese

Cardinal Staff

Finals week is fast approaching for the students of Saint Mary’s University, but two SMU professors have offered study tips to help students prepare.

Jeffrey Hefel, professor of business at SMU, suggests that studying in groups is best for complex studying, since it allows students to get other opinions. However, he said that less work might get done this way, as students might talk and become distracted.

Dr. Daniel Bucknam, professor of psychology at SMU agreed: “Working alone, students are able to understand the material better, but in a group, students have the ability to discus concepts and enhance the depth of the subject.”

Hefel said it is better to study for short periods of time, because this makes it easier to remember the material. For example, he said that it is better to study for an hour each night than to study for 10 hours the night before the exam. He also advised taking 10-minute breaks every hour.

Bucknam also said to start studying early and review often rather than cramming the night before an exam. He advised studying one topic for 30-40 minutes and then switching to the next. This method, he said, makes the material more distinctive and less confusing.

Hefel said students should have all of the class materials available, such as handouts, notes and worksheets, and should focus more on the material that they find more challenging.

Hefel also recommended that students create hypothetical exam questions and practice answering them instead of simply reading the material.

Similarly, Bucknam said students should develop examples of questions and practice writing as well as using charts and tables.

Bucknam said the library is, for most students, the best place to study. There are minimal distractions, which gives students maximum focus.

International student schooled in magical trade

Meg Beerling

Feature Editor

With an English degree from Geely University in China and two on the way from Saint Mary’s University in public relations and electronic publishing, senior Yuepeng (Lee) Li has a different trick up his sleeve.

During his time in China, Li was a professional magician. “I started when I was 19,” he said. A friend of his was a professional and asked him if he wanted to see a few tricks, he said. He took interest and started to learn the trade for himself.

Li said there are two types of magic: close-up, and stage. Close-up magic includes slight-of-hand tricks. These are tricks with cards, coins and other everyday objects in an intimate setting. Stage magic, on the other hand, uses big props and involves tricks like sawing a person in half. Li specializes in close-up magic.

At the time he started to learn the trade, Li was studying English in China. He said that college is a lot different there in that “there is a lot of free time.” This gave him more time to practice and learn the secrets of magic, he said.

“Practice doesn’t make your magic perfect, it makes it permanent,” said Li. “What I mean by that is the more you practice a trick, the more confident you will become in it; the more confident you are, the more deceptive you are,” he said.

“One week without magic makes your magic weak,” said Li. “Magic is something you have to practice daily, and you have to do it in front of a mirror. Presentation is just as important as the magic itself.”

Audience management is hard, but he said it’s something magicians need to learn. They must know their audiences and adapt their shows to them.

“Magic is an art to entertain people,” said Li.

People’s facial expressions tell a lot about what kind of audience members they’ll be, Li said.

“People like it when [magicians] mess up,” but that’s something that Li is okay with. “I like the idea,” he said, adding that magicians can entertain their audiences by messing up or pretending to mess up.

Participation is a big part of Li’s performance. He said he wants the audience to be a part of it. He also doesn’t believe in leaving his audience curious. While it is a very controversial issue in the world of magic, Li doesn’t think that all tricks have to be kept secrets — just the big ones. He said that telling people a few tricks is good for magic; it’s what makes people want to do and see more of it.

“By letting people in on some of your magic, you give yourself some of the best promotion, and that’s word of mouth,” said Li.

But just because other people know your tricks doesn’t mean they know your magic, said Li. People can know a trick and still be entertained by it if the magician adds his or her own twist or creativity. With every person who knows the trick, there will be more people to adjust it and make it new, he said.

Li said that he enjoys doing magic in the United States more than in China since he thinks that people are more friendly and willing to stop and watch.

‘Double-decker’ bike designed by SMU junior

By Jenna Capelle

Cardinal Staff

One Saint Mary’s University student sees campus from a higher perspective than most, as he sits atop his own double-decker bike.

Over the summer, junior Jamie Cooper created the double-decker bike with a friend in his hometown of La Crosse, Wisc.

Rock climbing one afternoon, Cooper and his friend got the idea for building a double-decker bike. Neither of them had ever taken on a project like this before, but they didn’t fear the challenge.

“We were bored and thought [making the bike] would be something new to try. So we did,” said Cooper.

Out in the garage with welding masks and thick gloves, the guys stripped the steel-frame bikes completely, then welded them together with a wire-feeding welder. The welder melted the steel, connecting the two bikes.

A chain is stretched between the top and bottom bike frames. As Cooper pedals on the top frame’s pedals, the chain propels the bottom frame’s wheels, moving it forward.

“The hardest part was getting the chain to work,” said Cooper.

So far, Cooper and his friend have made two bikes, and Cooper plans to make more. The two bikes used for Cooper’s double-decker were donated by a local bike shop and the other double-decker was made from old bikes from his friend’s house.

Cooper wants to make a double-decker with Outdoor Leadership Coordinator Gary Borash and submit it to the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance Auction next semester.

Besides wheeling around campus this fall, Cooper rode his double-decker bike to work and friends’ houses during the summer months. At SMU, he’s made a name for himself as “the guy with the big bike” and gotten a handful of questions about how to ride it as well as how he made it.

“To get on the bike I just kick start like a skate board and then climb up,” said Cooper.

Cooper is a graphic design major with an emphasis in photography. With encouragement from his advisor, he decided to enter his bike in the SMU all-student art show and received honorable mention. The exhibit can be seen in the Lillian Davis Hogan Art Galleries.

Lincoln documents discovered by SMU senior

By Meg Beerling

Feature Editor

Senior David Spriegel took one last look at the documents he filed under “miscellaneous” during his internship at the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Ill. and now, he’s glad he did.

Over the summer, Spriegel discovered two original documents written in 1844 by Abraham Lincoln during his legal career.

Spriegel said at first glance he hadn’t noticed Lincoln had been the lawyer to write these documents, and he filed them in a miscellaneous folder with similar documents. Most of them were land transfers, said Spriegel. For whatever reason, he went back to double-check that file, he said. He then read, “The above memorandum is in the handwriting of Abraham Lincoln. – M. Hay.”

“I thought, ‘No way is this true,’” said Spriegel. However, it was part of his job to pass it up to get the handwriting verified, he said. Sure enough, the handwriting was Lincoln’s.

Spriegel said the documents are now with 1,580 other manuscripts at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He said he’s happy to have the documents safe and where they belong.

Spriegel said he was surprised at the amount of publicity he got after finding the documents. Stories about Spriegel’s discovery were run by the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Huffington Post, to name a few.

David is due to graduate from Saint Mary’s University in May 2012 with a degree in history.

Bauer fosters unique taste in musical instruments

By Brian Thomas

Cardinal Staff

Senior Andy Bauer learned how to play the bass guitar at age 12, but his passion for musical instruments didn’t stop there.

His knowledge of the bass guitar led to a “solid foundation in music,” Bauer said. This has allowed him to play more complex and exotic instruments such as the electric guitar, mandolin, bodhran and djembe, just to name a few.

“I own a didgeridoo, an aboriginal instrument mostly [used in] Australia, [and] a charango, an instrument I got from Argentina,” Bauer said. In an attempt to fine-tune his skills, he brought several of the instruments to school with him to practice regularly.

“The charango is an instrument unlike anything else I have played,” said Bauer. “The tunings are challenging to work with.

“The mandolin is always challenging. It requires a lot of nimbleness in the fingers which is very different from bass [guitar],” he said.

Bauer said that his favorite instrument will always be the bass guitar, since it’s what he started with. He is usually a crowd favorite, playing bass guitar in several acts in SMU’s Blue Angel and Gaslight music shows.

Bauer has considered taking on a new instrument as well: “I have always been fascinated by the tabla,” he said. A tabla is a pitched drum, which is something different, and the rhythms are truly different. I think that the challenge would be fun.”

Choirs to present “Lessons and Carols”

By Trisha Stachowski

Arts and Entertainment Editor

The Saint Mary’s University Concert Choir, Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra will be performing their annual Christmas concert, “Lessons and Carols,” directed by Dr. Patrick O’Shea on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels.

As in previous years, the concert will infuse the traditional story with “a celebration of and meditation on the Christmas story that features readings and various styles of music performed by members of the Saint Mary’s community,” said senior and Chamber Singer Nick Anderson.

The concert will involve the SMU choirs, as well as various other SMU students, staff and even audience members, said Anderson. “The music and readings alternate back and forth throughout the service. So it’s quite literally lessons and carols” said Anderson.

The Concert Choir, Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra have been busy preparing for the concert since the beginning of the semester. “We spend a good chunk of the semester learning the pieces first, before polishing all of the remaining rough edges before we present the music to an audience,” said Anderson.

The concert will feature a wide variety of music, including choral and orchestral music covering many musical periods and styles. There will also be a few a capella pieces along with more traditional Christmas songs.

“When a song really goes well, it’s a reward for both the audience and the performers,” said Anderson. “Those who enjoy the Christmas story and beautiful music will love this concert.”

The Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels is located at the corner of Wabasha and Vila streets in Winona. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for both students and seniors. They can be purchased through the Page Theatre by phone, in person or at www.pagetheatre.org.

The Good Lovelies bring holiday tunes to campus

By Raquel Romo

Cardinal Staff

The Good Lovelies, an award-winning trio from Toronto, rang in the holidays at Saint Mary’s University with their performance in the Page Theatre on Dec. 1.

During the show, the upbeat trio played their own renditions of holiday classics like “Santa Baby” and “Silent Night.”

“As presenters, the Good Lovelies delivered on the promise of beautiful harmonies, great fun and a twist to the holiday tunes we all know,” said Page Theatre General Manager Patrick Grace. “Personally, I had a great time. It is refreshing to have a group of singer/songwriters that are able to create new work that resonates.”

Grace said that there was a great turnout for the Good Lovelies performance. “We had a very diverse crowd present, young and old; many told me they loved the concert and the whole evening,” said Grace.

Along with the show, audience members had the opportunity to dress up in their most creative vintage attire to replicate the style of dress that the trio wears during their performances.

The Canadian natives started in 2006 and played their first show at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel that same year. Since then, they have not only performed in the U.S., but also the U.K. and Australia. Their self-titled full-length album won the New Emerging Artist Award at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Jazz Combo, Ensemble to perform holiday concert

By Trisha Stachowski

Arts and Entertainment Editor

The Jazz and World Drum Ensemble will be bringing a little holiday spirit to Saint Mary’s University with their holiday concert on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Page Theatre.

The concert, which has been an annual event for over 30 years, will feature swing, funk and latin music, said Dr. John Paulson, director of both the Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble. The concert will also feature “some jazzy Christmas arrangements featuring vocalist Jessica Ingvalson, and both Jazz Combo I and the Jazz Ensemble will combine with the World Drum Ensemble on several pieces,” said Paulson.

“We have some great songs that include some amazing solos,” said Jill Congdon, a senior member of the Jazz Ensemble trumpet section.

The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo have been hard at work practicing since they concluded their concert over family weekend, the first weekend in October. “We have worked hard to get ready for this concert,” said Congdon.

The concert will feature more than 10 songs from the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo I and the World Drum Ensemble.

“We elected to play some really challenging music for this concert,” Paulson said. Paulson will make an appearance as a performer in the concert as and Ensemble member but not as a soloist in the Jazz Combo. “This concert is going to be amazing; we’ve got a great group of musicians and a great director,” said Congdon.

Tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for both students and seniors. They can be purchased through the Page Theatre by phone, in person or at www.pagetheatre.org.

Art department holds all-student, senior exhibits

By Andrea Allis

Editor in Chief

The Saint Mary’s University art and design department opened its student art show “Ideas that Spark” at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries on Nov. 19.

About half of the gallery is devoted to the all-student portion of the show, which accepted entries from students of all years and majors. Prizes were awarded for first, second and third places, as well as three honorable mentions. The first place prize of $100 went to Jeff Truax, the second place prize of $75 went to Chelsea Pumper and the third place prize of $50 went to Chris Speltz. Jamie Cooper, Lisa Nihart and Jim Tandberg were awarded honorable mentions.

The other half of the gallery showcases the work of four senior art majors: Charlie Williams, Brianna Nelson, Danielle Cossetta and Sarah Kraft.

“This is the first time we have included a senior exhibit in the main gallery in November,” said Preston Lawing, art and design department chair, “but we have four December graduating seniors, and they are required to have an exhibition.”

Lawing said the student art shows “are vital to SMU to spotlight the artistic talent of all majors, not just the art and design majors.” He said this year’s exhibit showcases the talents of students majoring in biology, psychology, theatre, English, philosophy, mass communications, art, history and business, among others.

Said Lawing, “The student art show [celebrates] the creative spirit that all of our students have.”

The exhibit will be on display until Dec. 15.

Women’s hockey gets down to business

By Morgan Stock

Cardinal Staff

The Saint Mary’s University women’s hockey team entered into the full swing of conference play when they faced off against Hamline University on Nov. 11, opening conference play with a 1-0 win at home against the Pipers.

On the road the next day for game two in St. Paul, the Cardinals couldn’t pull off another win, and the Pipers evened up the match with 1-1 tie.

After losing only 4 seniors from last year’s team, the Cardinals have many returning players, and the incoming freshmen have talent to add to the team.

“Our team is doing pretty well so far; we have a lot of potential and so much talent,” said junior captain Erin Stenseth. “We just have to score more goals and be able to close out games with our defense.”

As of now the Cardinals are 2-5-3 overall and 1-3-2 in the MIAC. The leading scorer for the Cardinals is senior captain Nicole Olson with 3 goals and 3 assists. Right behind her is freshman Breanna Peterson.

“This year, our top team goal is to make playoffs because of how much talent we have on this team,” said senior defenseman Dana Kreuser.

“Other goals that we have are being more aggressive with shooting the puck, having successful power-plays that we score on and working as a team with the system that Coach Terry Mannor has set for us,” Kreuser said.

Senior manager Madeline Lenz said, “The girls need to play every single shift and every minute of every period. By making mistakes in a game, they are learning from them, which is helping them become better players.”

The Cardinals will play three non-conference games over Christmas break. They are back in action for conference play on Saturday, Jan. 21, at home against the University of St. Thomas at 2 p.m.

Men’s basketball kicks off season

By John Kaiser

Cardinal Staff

Despite the shortened NBA season, basketball has been very much alive at the collegiate level. For six weeks, Saint Mary’s University players have been going through rigorous daily practices.

Captain Pat Freeman said the biggest challenges this season are going to be “adjusting to new players and finding a new chemistry.” He also added that last year’s top three scorers left, leaving new roles to fill for returning players.

However, there are plenty of positives surrounding the new team, said Freeman, such as starting point guard Evan Pederson. Freeman described Pederson as a player who plays several minutes at a fast level. He said Pederson has exceptional vision and passing, which makes the whole team better.

Freeman also described post Mike Burfeind as one of the more established players in the conference.

Overall the team is young, but they’ve put in a lot of work, especially over the summer, said Freeman.

The team’s goals are to make the playoffs and to have a better conference record than last year, said Freeman.

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a conference known for competitive play, but Freeman believes the Cardinals will do well.

Softball team prepares in off-season

By Nick Bravos

Sports Editor

The Saint Mary’s University softball team is busy with its off-season preparations for the Feb. 1 season opener.

The team lost four starting senior infielders last year to graduation. However, with the help of a large freshman class, they’re looking to improve on last year’s third-place finish in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and overall 23-16 record.

NCAA regulations state that a coach is allotted 12 scheduled practices in September. After that “we can’t tell them what to do in the off-season,” said Head Coach Jen Miller. “We put heavy influence on fundamental work [in September] so that continues throughout the off-season.”

“The only game plan is getting our team chemistry up and getting some sort of routine,” said junior captain Hailey Ohl. “It looks like another great season coming up if we can keep up on working hard as we are now.”

The body of their season takes place during a compact schedule of 28 games in April. “Softball is a game where improvement comes in the off-season because our season is so short,” said junior captain Paige Carter.

“Our goal is to make another MIAC tournament appearance,” said Carter. “We did it last year, and we could very well do it again.”

The first test for the SMU softball team will come during its spring trip to Florida in March “to see where we are as a team and what we need to sharpen up on before conference games start,” said Carter.

Last March, they travelled to Tuscon, Ariz. where they achieved a 7-3 overall record, clinching victories against nationally-ranked Iowa teams, Coe College and Central College.

How much do we really know through our media?

By Jenny Daniels, Caroline Stringer and Katie Adelman

Guest Writers

As Americans today, we believe we have a finger on the pulse of international news through our interconnected world of newspapers, radios, televisions, Internet and smartphones. But just how unbiased are the sources from which media outlets gain exclusive cover stories? The United States media relies greatly on The Associated Press (AP) as a means of obtaining international news. However, if media sources look only to the AP for news, does it limit their ability to report the truth? Practically every media article about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict passes through the AP Israeli bureau.

But to what extent is the U.S. media biased?

There have been instances in which the Israel AP bureau has not pursued leads regarding Palestinian children being killed. In November 2004, an occupying Israeli military soldier killed a stone-throwing 12-year-old Palestinian from 985 feet away. There was an AP photo of the incident on the Internet, but no American news source printed it, perhaps due to the lack of an accompanying story.

That same AP bureau was again involved when an Israeli soldier shot and wounded a 14-year-old Palestinian. With no signs of hostility on the Palestinian side, the Israeli solider simply drew his weapon, took aim at the boy and pulled the trigger. An AP cameraman caught this on tape, but the footage never aired and was later erased.

Occasionally, news stories from the Israeli AP bureau contain the byline of a Palestinian. This is a misrepresentation: a Palestinian journalist phones in information to the bureau, but an Israeli journalist writes the story. Additionally, the Israeli point of view is more often portrayed. In one year’s time, 165 Israelis and 549 Palestinians were killed. In 2004, it was 107 Israelis and 821 Palestinians; the media portrayed this as a period of decreased violence.

Finally, on May 11, 2004, an AP news story reported repeated Israeli violence against Palestinians, some under the age of 14, in detention centers and prisons. This story of the Israeli human rights violations was read everywhere in the world except the U.S.

American citizens expect their media outlets, whether newspaper, television or radio, to provide them with the most accurate information possible. The U.S. is one of Israel’s biggest supporters, and much of America’s hard-earned money — over $10 million dollars a day — goes toward Israeli aid. Wouldn’t you like to get the two-sided, unadulterated version of this conflict’s story?

Written for LCT 375 Section E

Sources:

If Americans Knew. Why Don’t We Know What’s Going on in Israel

& Palestine? Retrieved from

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/clues.html

Weir, A. (2005, July- August). Americans for Middle East

Understanding: The Coverage—and Non-Coverage—of Israel-

Palestine. The Link, Volume 38, Issue 3.