DominiNET

The Dominican Difference

2009-04-23T09:36:00.003-05:00

Dominican University is the third college I have attended in my post-high school adult life. I’m the kind of person who does things in the most non-conventional method possible—it’s always been my nature. I take wayward, meandering paths as someone who likes adventure, variety, and new experiences, as opposed to the linear path of “high school, college, internship, job, marriage, kids.” My philosophy has always been, “Live in the present, create rich life experiences, do what makes you happy.”

After brief stints at Northern Illinois University and Harper College in Palatine, I came to the conclusion that going to school to get away from your parents after high school is not a valid reason, and going to another school to spend time with your best friend is not a valid reason.

I took classes in the business administration and marketing field for a while, and while [sarcasm]I LOVE economics and accounting, [/sarcasm] I began to realize that the business world held absolutely no appeal to me. My friend and I wanted to start our own modeling agency, but deep within myself I wanted to use my brain power in a way that utilizes my strengths.

But what was it?

I had inclinations toward writing. That was really the only thing that I genuinely enjoyed doing—that and having a positive influence on people.

My roommate, Mariya Kozlova was a student at Dominican University, and she highly recommended I check out the journalism program.

We pulled up to the Visitor’s Circle on a sunny June day. I observed the ivy covering the buildings, the beautiful architecture, the quiet neighborhood nook down Division St. where the main campus was located.

It sounds shallow, but at that moment I was sold. Dominican isn’t a sprawling, indifferent campus. It isn’t full of impersonal lecture halls. There’s a different feeling to this institution.

I talked to Christa Raska in recruitment, and was even further sold. I was going back to school to major in journalism. In retrospect, I obviously didn’t know what journalism was—all I knew was I wanted to write and pursue truth.

My first class at Dominican was “Communicate: A personal, social, and career focus.” Dr. Germaine Goetz-Sota, a former nun, was the professor, and from the first day I KNEW I was WHERE I BELONGED at Dominican.

Dr. Germaine Goetz-Sota is one of the main people who so radically changed my life.
In this class, Germaine had us read a book called Please Understand Me: Temperament and Personality Types by David Keirsey. We had to take the survey in the book and learn about our temperaments, which resulted in a four-letter classification using a combiniation of Introversion/Extroversion, INtuitive/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling, and Perceptive/Judging.

My result was ENFP.

It was in Germaine’s class that I learned WHO I was. I finally understood WHY I am the way I am. I got HOW I relate to other people; how I perceive myself and how I approach the world. The test results said ENFPs are well suited for careers in journalism, like to express themselves and communicate, and are wordsmiths by nature.

It all made sense.

“ENFPs may suffer test phobias, because even those who do very well in class and know the material feel boxed in by fact-oriented exams that have only one "right" answer. On the other hand, they do well on essay tests, which give them the opportunity to integrate their knowledge into a bigger picture.”

Indeed. And as I grew to know more about myself at Dominican, I realized that I can’t make excuses for how, and who I am. There’s no fault in being different from the status quo. Human beings are complex and different for a reason—we all should embrace the way we function; the people we inherently are.

Germaine taught us life lessons that are absolutely invaluable. Through our class projects we learned the concept of empathy and non-judgment. We talked about paradigms and how individuals’ life experiences shape the way they see the world, and how they act and react to certain situations. Germaine had us write a mission statement for our lives. She taught us to look into ourselves, to truly dig deep, find out, WHO we are, and to run with it.

And from that semester, I ran with it. Germaine’s genuine caring for her students is stronger than any other professor or instructor I’d ever had at that point.

There was one day after class when she pulled me aside. “Are you okay?” she asked me. “You don’t seem yourself.” I spilled my heart out to her, just relieved that I could confide in someone who understood and would encourage me, regardless. The fact that she had picked up on my change in demeanor touched my heart.

Long after I had taken two of her classes, my random encounters with Germaine would instantly change the tone of my day. Her mere presence—her positive energy and love—has never ceased to make me want to do well in life, and impact others in the manner that she does just by being herself.

Through studying journalism, I’ve learned so much more than I feel I would have at any of my previous schools. I know what kind of writing I enjoy; where to focus. I embrace my strengths and don’t worry about my “shortcomings.” I focus on what I know I am meant to, and able to do.

Dominican University has been home to me for three years. After attending other colleges, I realized just how real the Dominican Difference is. Even though I may seem aloof to others—as a commuter I go to campus, take care of business, and leave without spending much time hanging around—the Dominican community is my extended family.

Whenever I see academic advisor Angela Frazier—who helped launch my career here and was one of the leaders on my first Study Abroad program to Ghana—we have a lovely short conversation and she ends with a word of encouragement for me and a, “Tell your mother I said hello.”

Before Mariya graduated, she and I would spend hours hanging out with Professor Nkuzi Nnam, whom we lovingly referred to as “Father Nnam.” He is crazy, and we had the best bonding times in Ghana, but he taught us life lessons in his wonderful, African way.

Dr. Jeffrey Carlson, Dominican’s Dean, taught a Mystery of God course which radically revolutionized the way I view spirituality and changed my paradigms of Christianity. I LOVED the fact that a Catholic institution challenged traditional approaches to God, encouraging us to investigate and understand the concept of faith so that it was relevant to the individual.

A couple semesters later, Dean Carlson would encourage me and my classmates in our DominiNET endeavors, and tell me that he forwarded one of my blogs to everybody he cared about. The passion and realness of our quirky Dean never ceases to amaze me.

Professor Kathleen Prunty, instructor of “Communication as an Instrument of Personal Power” (I LOVE COMMUNICATIONS CLASSES) empowers her senior students, preparing us for the professional world with her practical knowledge and experience. Her incessant encouragement and genuine love for her students is astounding. She’s one of those people you instantly connect with—and a laugh riot. She keeps it real.

Tracy Samantha Schmidt, an adjunct professor of journalism who is all of a couple years older than me and SO accomplished, is a daily inspiration to me. She led me and a small group of students in an online journalism class which was quite revolutionary, compared to the other classes in traditional journalism which I had taken the years prior. Her instruction showed us how to ride the wave of the changing face of the industry, preparing us for the new generation of journalists. She is a nonstop hustler and is making a fantastic name for herself.

In Tracy’s class, I became good friends with Natalie Tolomeo, a sassy Republican whom I couldn’t stand in the beginning of that semester. She, Tom Blackwell (another journalism major) and I bonded over being some of the founding parents of DominiNET, declaring that we were going to take over the industry in the most fierce, flawless fabulous way. We are working on launching the TNC Dynasty soon—watch out!

"For the ENFP, work, too, must be play or it is probably not worth doing. Worthwhile tasks are those that affirm and enlarge the self and involve more fun than drudgery. They have a great deal of difficulty settling on just one career, for three reasons: They truly believe they can do most anything they want; the search for ever new fields to master is always more fun than remaining in a career already conquered; and they usually can do almost anything they set their minds to."

My experience at Dominican affirms that—showing me that I can do WHATEVER I WANT. Dominican unites. This community of exquisite people—professors, students, faculty—has forever impacted my life and drastically changed its course.

People, circumstances, and experiences such as all of the above (plus more) have made lasting impressions and been key in my personal and professional development. For all this, I am eternally grateful that my life’s path led me to this university. Undoubtedly, I would not be the person I am today if not for the Dominican Difference.

Controlling the Chaos: The Upside of ADD

2009-04-13T14:24:00.003-05:00

Imagine a life that is constantly in fast-forward. Sights, sounds, smells and thoughts are constantly coming at you, one right after the other, making it nearly impossible for you to focus on just one idea. You concentrate on one idea, but unexpectedly another thought fills your mind, then a third, fourth and so on. All of a sudden, it feels like there are ten different TV stations in your brain. However, these different stations make up one single channel: The Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) channel.

ADD is simply just a different type of cerebral wiring through which an individual perceives the world. An ADD brain is like a turbocharged race car in the sense that it works rapidly, utilizing its high energy performance to cross the finish line in first place. Acceleration and dedication fuel the ADD engine. The ability to see the bigger picture, see that finish line, is one asset of ADD. Creativity, spontaneity and constantly “thinking outside the box” are also among the many advantages of the ADD-wired brain. Many ADD individuals take control of it, make ADD work to their advantage and, as a result, are very successful. However, if undiagnosed or untreated, ADD can drastically prevent an individual from achieving success. The root of the negativity surrounding ADD comes from the name itself: Attention Deficit Disorder.

For my senior thesis, I created a 12 minute documentary, "Controlling the Chaos: The Upside of ADD." This original video production includes interviews with top Chiicagoland area medical experts and ADDers. This film was presented at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Investigation's EXPO on April 1, 2009.

(Because YouTube only allows 10 minute clips to be uploaded, this film was split into two clips (Parts 1 & 2) to allow the full 12 minutes and 27 seconds to be available.)

ENJOY!

Alternative Spring Break

2009-03-13T20:40:00.003-05:00

A big part of Dominican's mission is service. This spring break, students had the opportunity to go beyond beaches and bikinis and take part in some service. University Ministry's Alternative Spring Break gave students that opportunity.

Myself and five other students took advantage of Urban Plunge, one of four trips offered. This trip was over March 6-8 and consisted of working with several Chicago agencies to learn more about their causes and different volunteer opportunities. We visited an organization called Eco-Justice Collaborative that focuses on people taking care of our environment. We also worked with a mens homeless shelter and helped served food and prepare beds.

Overall the trip was very rewarding. At about $50 a person, the short-term alternative spring break offered us an opportunity to do service and learn more about the organizations in our very own back yard. Every student who went on Urban Plunge said that they felt their weekend was worthwhile.

Next year's spring break is less than a year away. How will you spend it?

Cash Flow Cyber...

2009-03-04T02:03:00.001-06:00

It's been an ongoing issue, but at the last RSA meeting as well as Monday's SGA meeting; the changes in the Cyber were brought up.

What some may not know, the Cyber was designed with a focus on being a cash flow service - meaning not for heavy use of meal exchange. But students have been using the Cyber for meal exchange when they should be going to the dining hall.

Amy Preston and other executive board members of Resident Student Association met with Chartwells a few weeks ago to discuss these issues. As RSA representative at the SGA meeting, Preston informed attendees that Chartwells wants to reduce traffic to the Cyber and encourage people to go to the dining hall for meal exchanges. To this effect, that is why there is now a limit of 2 meal exchange transactions at one time at the Cyber.

Preston also mentioned that Chartwells employees at the Cyber were having to stay until midnight cleaning up - and that wasn't a part of their job description. As a result, hot food service has been changed to end at 9:30 PM (while closing is at 10 PM) to allow more time to close up.

At the RSA meeting, an executive board member said that the clean-up crew was behind on their duties because security was kicking them out - due to staying two hours more past closing time.

With all the changes, it's hard to keep up with what can be ordered on meal exchange and what can't be. The chicken caesar salad and outtake sandwiches were on meal exchange, but then they weren't. They may be back on meal exchange, I don't know, but I feel it could just as easily get shifted around the next day with the way things have been working. I'm glad that the pizzas and subs allowed on meal exchange are clearly labelled. I understand the supreme pizza not being allowed on meal exchange (with all the ingredients on it), but I usually order that and have found myself ordering something different or just going to the dining hall.

I understand the need to encourage meal exchange use in the dining hall - that's what it's primarily there for, but you never know what to expect there. Even with the buffet selection, some days the food choices are not worth a meal exchange. For example, today I only grabbed dessert from the dining hall before heading to the Cyber for dinner. Nothing else was worth getting.

What you might not know:
A little over half of the money made in the Cyber goes back to Dominican (out of $10, only $4.50 goes to Chartwells).

Peace vs. Hate..."The Laramie Project" Demonstrations.

2009-03-02T20:54:00.001-06:00

Students, faculty and staff members of Dominican University gathered hand in hand, forming a human peace sign on Sunday, March 1. The demonstration was successful in overcoming the powerful hate messages from members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. The extremist picketers stood on Division Street as they protested DU's production of "The Laramie Project," a play based on the real-life aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a homosexual college student from Wyoming.

Watch this video to see video coverage from the protest and counter-protest.

New Music: Battle of the Bands 2009

2009-02-26T20:50:00.002-06:00

Watch this video to see DU students performing at Battle of the Bands 2009. Tom Blackwell, Tomasz Jurczak and Austin Hall talk about their musical styles. Learn about new musical genres such as space crowd rock and noise music.

Did you know you can manipulate sounds by using a gameboy??

This video will show you how....

Coughlin 2 Wonder Water Fountain

2009-02-25T20:40:00.004-06:00

The 8th Wonder of Coughlin 2 was on display late last week. It was the never ending water fountain! The water would go and go without any human assistance.

While the attraction undoubtedly created by some mischievous resident was amusing at first, the aftermath left nothing to smile about. After about an hour of running, the water began to fill up and overflow. Maintenance was called by two RA's and a resident in order to fix the problem. At around 12am, Jeff Powell, a member of Physical Plant, came to shut the water off.

The prank lead to a giant puddle in the hallway and a water damage on the floor below. For now, the water fountain has been shut off indefinitely.

If you did not get a chance to see the attraction before it closed, please check out the video below.

Dominican Court: Housing Plan Unveiled

2009-02-22T23:59:00.001-06:00

Students at Wednesday's RSA meeting look at the apartment unit floor plans displayed on easels.

This past Wednesday at Resident Student Association's General Meeting, Rob Babcock and Evy Koutzas from Residence Life gave the details of the housing plan which will go into effect next fall. A new construction apartment complex, Dominican Court, has been reserved for Dominican students. It's on 7700 W. North Ave. in Elmwood Park. The walk to and from Main Campus (if you choose to walk) is shorter than the walk from the Priory to the Main Campus.

With the housing shortage continuing to be an issue for the university, the chance to house up to sixty DU students at these apartments is a way to help alleviate the problem. The number of freshmen coming in next year is continuing the growth trend. While the housing is shifted around on the Main Campus (for example, 40 beds on the 3rd and 4th floors of Centennial being reserved for freshmen), the housing lottery this spring will have the additional option to live at Dominican Court.

Each apartment unit has a full kitchen (includes dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave). There is also a washer and dryer in each apartment, though you have to pay per use. The heat, water, gas and electric is included in the lease payment, but students will have to pay extra for internet and cable. With the full kitchen, students are not required to sign up for a meal plan at Dominican. Instead, students can go on the commuter meal plan (50 flex dollars).

The apartment lease starts from August 22 to May 15. The three options are 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms; and 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Below are photos of the display boards showing the floor plans so students at the meeting could get a better idea of what to expect.

The pricing of the apartment lease is yet to be determined, but it will most likely be higher than rooms on campus.

For more information, students should contact Evy Koutzas at (708) 714-9185.

Valentine's at The Nite Light Cafe...

2009-02-19T20:13:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday night (February 14), I went with a friend who lives in Berwyn to see her brother perform with a band member at The Nite Light Cafe located in Berwyn. The Nite Light Cafe is a Christian non-profit venue that are open to any bands (Christian, Hardcore, Alternative) to perform at the place.

One indie rock band, The Green Tangerines, impressed me and I think they were one of the top bands that performed that evening.

Below is 2 minutes of the band performing the cover "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab For Cutie.

Is it the right thing to do?

2009-02-13T18:38:00.005-06:00

With the tragic plane crash in Buffalo, New York Thursday evening, I've been thinking about the growth of participatory journalism. No matter how many trained journalists there are, nothing can beat a local who is already at the scene as it happens before their eyes. Time is of the essence and journalists can only get to the scene so fast. The question is, "Where do you draw the line?"

On CNN.com, they have iReport submissions where people took photos or recorded video right when the Buffalo plane crash happened. One particular video includes a woman screaming, frantic and wanting to know if her family was all right in a house near the crash site. I first saw this on CNN and I felt uncomfortable, almost guilty for viewing a very emotional and tragic scene.

True, it is interesting to see live, eyewitness video versus reporters telling the story after the fact. But there is a point where the interest for watching the video makes way to "why am I watching this in the first place?" Sometimes, too much information is too much information.

Now I'm all for online journalism because of the opportunity to do more rather than writing a story and maybe a color photo (if the newspaper has the money for it) along with it. The chance to do an in-depth photo essay - in full color - or adding video to attach the names in the written story to faces allows for news to be presented in more colorful, interesting ways. Black and white print isn't what it used to be.

And traditional print media can't compete with the interactivity of online journalism through the ability for viewers to comment on a story, video or photo. Reading one comment on the previously mentioned plane crash video, I had hope that some people are able to step back and say what we all should be thinking...

[viewer comment to video posting below]

Why is this out for public viewing? I understand the freedom's of press, but this is a very personal glimpse of a tragic moment for people who haven't even had a moment to think about or reflect on what just happened to them. Is their no common decency left in America, or are we all just gore addicts?

Source: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-212790

Even so, there's just something about having a camera or camcorder to document an event as it occurs. Unexpected things happen all the time and while it may not be a plane crash right in your backyard, the need to know is relentless. As iReport shows, it's not just journalists who have that need to know - it's any one of us, however much we deny it. Celebrity gossip is popular for a reason after all.

Valentine's Day Oak Park Style

2009-02-12T16:14:00.006-06:00

Some consider Oak Park to be a mini-downtown Chicago. The rich history and community of this suburb attracts many new and returning visitors. The diverse and trendy restaurant scene of Oak Park offers great opportunities to try a wide assortment of different cuisines.

With Valentine's Day only two days away, take advantage of one of many Oak Park restaurants. If you and your special someone (or close group of friends) have a preference for American, Italian, Mexican, Greek, Asian, Indian and even South American flavors, make a reservation at an Oak Park restaurant. Click here to get a complete list of restaurants, phone numbers and even customer reviews.

In this video, I visited Oak Park's Sushi House, Papaspiros Greek Tavern and Cucina Paradiso (some of my favorite OP restaurants) to hear about their plans for Valentine's Day.

Check out my video and let me know how dinner at one of these fine restaurants was.

Super Bowl 2009: A lesson in Sociology

2009-02-04T13:15:00.002-06:00

Original posting from Review Chicago

We marvel at how many millions of dollars are spent on 30- or 60-second commercial time slots during the Super Bowl every year. It can be quite easy to dismiss the ever-so-hyped Super Bowl Sunday commercials as over the top, silly, or a waste of money, but the fact that companies are willing to shell out upwards of $3 million for individual commercials holds much significance. Analyzing the whole spectacle from a sociological standpoint can speak volumes about American culture in a particular era...and what we allow major corporations to convince us.

My personal hypothesis in analyzing the most-viewed sporting event of the year (95.4 million people!) was based on previous observations: Super Bowl commercials will use the allure of hot babes, status, and machismo to sell products, as well as the promise of happiness and well-being—and most importantly, the ads will capitalize on stereotypes.

I mean, obviously. But while it’s not a groundbreaking theory, And people are more open to the messages when they’re expecting the ads to be sensational—is there ever a time when commercials are more anticipated? (Other times of the year, we use TiVo or fast-forward through ads!)

The most pressing issue for Americans in 2009 is the crumbled economy. By the millions, people are hesitant to spend, worried about jobs, and uncertain about the future. Advertising companies don’t ignore the trends—they strive to give the people what they’re starving for.

For example, Career Builder capitalized on that with their witty commercial displaying people who hate their jobs—and ending by saying it’s okay to be on the job hunt—you’ll revamp your life and obtain more personal happiness and fulfillment.

AP

Priceline, an online travel agent that allows you to name your price for travel packages (and NEGOTIATES for you!), also reinforced that feeling. Their message was that it’s okay to travel still—just use their service and you won’t be overspending in these tough financial times.

Racial stereotypes are also integral in Super Bowl advertisements. Save for a new talkin', singin' baby in the E-Trade commercials, the blacks in the ads were mostly athletes inspiring young black kids to dream big! Read: become professional athletes. The executive hot shots were white men in business suits. The Asian executives at Hyundai (Oh, it sounds like "Sunday?" We can pronounce it now!) were yelling like it was a kung fu movie; almost mockable.

Sex and gender roles are also key. A new Pepsi product is the diet cola for a MAN, not women. Mr. Potato Head is driving in the mountains with his nagging wife when her mouth pops off and falls down a cliff; thank goodness! GoDaddy.com uses busty babes and suggestive same-sex shower scenes to sell domain names. Teleflora allows men to send flowers to women and simultaneously avoid the typical female over-analysis and mixed signals.

And isn't it interesting how the only female athlete prominently featured in the ads was completely objectified?

The many advertisements during the most-watched broadcast of the year reinforce and perpetuate the stereotypes. And there’s clearly a reason why these tactics work—they’ve been deeply embedded in our subconscious; we’re used to perceiving people or situations certain ways. Blacks are athletes, women are either confused or sex objects, white men are either executives or idiots ("I'm good, I'm good."), Asians sound funny when they yell and it’s always okay to spend money! In fact, you must!

I wasn’t surprised in the findings of my Super Bowl "sociological experiment," if you will, but viewing the commercials with a critical eye—specifically looking for the time-tested selling tactics—brought new perspective to our culture and norms.

And I don’t get offended that the marketing execs exploit women and typecast non-whites. Obviously the advertising strategies work, and stereotypes are in place for many reasons including the fact that we allow them to be. I enjoyed almost all of the commercials and laughed a lot (after being rendered speechless over Jennifer Hudson's tremendous National Anthem performance!).

Other than that, we know that bugs are Coke addicts and MC Hammer loves gold. Good times.

Inauguration Viewings Result in Large DU Crowds

2009-01-22T09:25:00.002-06:00

This display can be found in the Science Building.

On Jan. 20, 2009, the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama was on the minds of the American people. According to CNN, 1.5 million people gathered to watch the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, at the National Mall on Tuesday.

While at least one of Dominican's students, Evisa Kalemaj, attended the inauguration and the Inaugural Ball (as an Inaugural Scholar), the majority of the Dominican community watched the President take the oath of office from various locations on campus. Check out the Feb. 4 Dominican Star for more on Evisa's inauguration experiences.

Dean of Rosary College of Arts and Sciences Jeffrey Carlson said,"The University decided to have as many viewing venues as possible to accommodate what we thought would be a strong interest among many in the community." This was a great strategy as many classes were canceled to relocated to an inaugural viewing area to allow students to soak in the moment.

Students and faculty alike viewed the historical event in the Library Link. Dean Carlson sat in front of me during the viewing and Angela Frazier-Asiedu, assistant dean of advising services, sat to my left.
Frazier-Asiedu said she "cried through the whole thing."

"As I watched the first family come through the tunnel, I was gleaming. These people looked like me. The daughters reminded me of me and my sisters when we were that age. I was so proud. And then, Aretha Franklin began to sing and the tears began to well up," Frazier-Asiedu said.

Emotions of "joy, disbelief (wow, this was really happening), peace, thankfulness and pure pride" took over Frazier-Asiedu as President Obama took the oath of office.

"I could not contain my expressions," she said. "His words were strong and showed his leadership right out of the gate. He not only gave Americans hope, but I think he gave the world hope."

Students and faculty stood at the back of the Library Link as CNN broadcast live coverage from Washington. By the time President Obama gave his speech, the standing area overflowed into Lewis Hall and into the library. (Unfortunately, I was not able to get a photo of the intense crowd as there was no way to get out of my seat. Also, I did not want to disrupt those around me as the moment in Washington captivated everyone in the area.)

The Social Hall also displayed the inauguration. A large screen showed CNN's live coverage and rows after rows of seating allowed students to take part in the moment. Freshman Marco Colapietro viewed the inauguration in the Social hall.

"Watching the event in the Social Hall (with all my peers) was a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said.

As inaugural events progressed and President Obama's speech came closer and closer, more people gathered in the Social Hall. The standing area that was unoccupied, became more and more full as the clocked ticked. In the photo above, you can even see President of Dominican University Donna Carroll gathered to take part in this event. Junior Kacey Hahn was also in among the Social Hall's viewers.

"There were a ton of people there. Students were there, teachers there, all of Dominican was there," she said. "It's great DU showed the inauguration especially because it's such a big milestone. DU made it so that students wanted to go."

The Springer Suite was also a host of the inaugural viewing. Students and faculty gathered, mesmerized by the events taking place in our nation's capital.

As you see above, most people watching the inauguration appeared to be so glued in to the TV screen. Seriousness was present. Focus was present. Emotion was present.

The Cyber Cafe also became a viewing spot for students and faculty. These students watched the inauguration in between classes.

Inauguration viewings were also held in Parmer Hall and the Priory Campus. This election was the first election many students were able to participate in, and Dominican University embraced students' interests by hosting many viewing areas throughout campus. Frazier-Asiedu said watching the inauguration with her "work family was amazing."

"I was grateful that the University felt like this event was important enough to show throughout the campus," she said. "This gave the DU community to participate in an historical moment together."

Patriotism was a large presence that not only took over Washington, but the Dominican community as well...the cafeteria even had a cake for lunch decorated like the American flag and said: "President Obama...Yes We Did!"

We WILL Be Back

2008-12-17T19:59:00.005-06:00

I hope all of you DominiNET readers are enjoying the first week of break!!! (I know my fellow bloggers and I are!)

Please CHECK BACK WITH US the first week of next semester.

Have a happy and safe holiday break!!!!

Take a part in helping the environment...

2008-12-08T15:47:00.006-06:00

Today and tomorrow (from 10am-4pm in the Social Hall), Eco Club is having its annual Christmas plant sale where you can choose from several different plants priced from $3 to $10. The plants are: Snake Plant, Moses in the cradle, Spider Plant and Purple Queen.

I personally decided to take advantage of this because I wanted to get a Christmas present for my mom. I know she likes having potted plants around the house. And I'm never sure what to get her for Christmas, so I thought this would be a good idea.

The president of Eco Club, Elena Maans, talks about her club's Annual Christmas Plant Sale and how it's going so far (today being the first day of the sale).

A quick overview of each of the plants at the plant sale. For those (like me), who don't know much about plants. Also, why the plants are good for students living on campus...

Clothing Swap Fashion Statement

2008-12-08T12:11:00.003-06:00

At Holly Ball, I noticed Jamie Zwijack's interesting choice of dress for the night. Two minutes later, she had another, more trendy outfit on. I asked Jamie what happened to her lovely red outfit and she explained that it was kind of a joke. Jamie said that she had gotten this lovely circa 1991 outfit through the clothing swap she and a fellow resident assistant helped organize. I thought this was amazing it it totally made me laugh!!

Kudos to the clothing swap!!

This is why I love the Dominican Staff

2008-12-04T21:49:00.005-06:00

As I walked through Parmer Atrium yesterday the sound of loud laughter caught my attention. It was our wonderful Dominican faculty decorating the Christmas tree. They were having such a great time I was almost envious. It put a smile on my face, so I figured it was a good time to capture the holiday moment...and yes, she is shaking her butt at me.

Holiday Cheer Comes to Dominican

2008-12-03T18:52:00.004-06:00

The weather outside is frightful, but Dominican is so delightful! As the holiday season comes into full gear, the school has began to decorate to spread some cheer. There have been trees and ligths all over to make DU a little bit more of a home.

The social is set up for the annual RSA Auction with a tree and wreaths.

Coughlin 2 with a festive holiday snowman!

How will you spread the holiday fun?

Fashion Club Basket Raffel

2008-12-03T18:35:00.000-06:00

So today and tomorrow, the Fashion Club will be selling tickets to raise money for their annual fashion show (which happens in Spring). Christmas music could be heard in the library and dining halls luring people to get in the spirit and stop by their apealling display in the Lewis Alcove. The fashionistas dominated the alcove from 9:30 this morning until 5 tonight...they will be there all day tomorrow as well.

Tickets to win one of the elaborate baskets cost $1 each. Six tickets can be purchased for $5. All proceeds will help to produce the fashion show coming this spring. The Fashion Club's Kelsey Swank is a member of the club's publicity committee. In this video interview, Swank explains more about the drive.

The most expensive item featured in one of the baskets is a Nintendo DS. Nintendo DS's generally range from $125-$200 at retailers.

This next basket will satisfy the winner's sweet tooth. Boxes of fine chocolates and a $50 Cheesecake Factory gift card are included among other treats.

Attention all movie lovers: This basket features all your favorite pick on's while watching some of this year's most popular included DVD's.

The mentioned baskets are just some of the many baskets featured in the raffle. The prizes are great and the baskets would also make awesome gifts.

Tip's View on DU's Men's Basketball

2008-12-03T17:56:00.002-06:00

As Joe posted earlier today, the Stars lost one of their biggest games of the season last night. Our men's basketball team lost to Concordia's Cougars 75-41. Ouch.

Starting senior and point guard Kyle Tipton spoke with me this afternoon about the defeat. He's thinking positive about the rest of the season and the next game, this Saturday against Marian University. The home game's tip off will be at 4:15 p.m.

In this video, hear why Tipton thinks the Stars lost and how they'll make a comeback.

Flower Power....After the Snow

2008-12-03T17:26:00.000-06:00

With this season's first snow fall decorating the landscape, and Christmas lights glistening all around, one can't help but appreciate the winter wonderland. Just how long will the snowflakes and icicles last?

I love the winter snowflakes and ice (ice rinks, that is) has been a part of my life since I can remember. (My entire family is obsessed with hockey.)

Anyways, Monday I snapped this photo in Parmer Hall's fourth floor women's restroom.

Weird, huh??

I know that Parmer's a science facility (among other things), but I thought all plants and flowers were kept in the green house. Since the old science building is a little out dated, is Parmer's women's restroom becoming a new botanic garden?

CSA wins 1st Place...

2008-12-03T17:07:00.013-06:00

The Gingerbread House Competition took place this afternoon, ending at 4 PM. Anyone who is a part of the Dominican community could have participated - you didn't have to be a member of a student organization. The majority of gingerbread houses I saw were from student organizations such as CIAO, OLA, RSA, Eco Club, CSA, etc.

I came after 4 PM while judging was still taking place. I took a picture of CSA's house because of its uniqueness - having no idea that a few minutes later their house would be placed first in the competition.

The shuttle is the vehicle-shaped cookie with black windows on the top level of the "parking garage."

The "shrine to the parking garage" house wins CSA first place.

Commuter Student Association won first place with their gingerbread house styled after the parking garage. The above picture was taken while judging was still underway. What it says on the red card is "CSA! Our shrine to the parking garage. It saves us commuters in winter! The shuttle is on top!"

OLA (Organization of Latin Americans) won second place.
"The Gingerbread House Competition gave the clubs an opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the holidays," OLA member Angie Santiago said.

Another member of OLA, Alex Sifuntes, liked that the competition "gave a chance for clubs to express themselves" through the way they designed their gingerbread houses.

Resident Student Association won third place with their house advertising one of their big events - Battle of the Bands (BOTB).

There were several gingerbread houses made by teams of students who were not doing it as part of a club. One had a Snoopy theme to it.

Gingerbread Decorating Contest!

2008-12-03T17:04:00.009-06:00

Today in the social hall the annual gingerbread decorating contest took place. The Commuter Student Association took first place. The judges were impressed with their remake of the parking garage!

The Campus Climate Committee makes their house solar friendly!

Members from OLA have their eye on the prize!

A member of the Ecology club concentrates.

Team Snowflake smiles for the camera.

CIAO members Michael Meranda and Paolo Cosentino decorate their house.

Top ten places to study on campus

2008-12-03T17:04:00.006-06:00

Having trouble studying in your dorm room or at home? Luckily, there are several areas on campus that are excellent for studying, based on your individual study habits and needs.

TOP 10 PLACES TO STUDY AT DOMINICAN

10. The Old Library

Internet access available. So quiet, it's unsettling. The lighting is pretty dim overall, if you aren't near one of the few lamps. Good for hardcore studying.

9. The Clock Lobby

Comfortable furniture, very relaxing. Possibly distracting because area is generally crowded and people are constantly walking past. Internet access is spotty, at best.

8. Secluded areas of the Library

Secluded, quiet. Not much traffic. Lots of natural light during the day. Very private area. There aren't very many of these spots so you might have to fight for it. It's well worth the fight. Internet access is obviously available. Great view...potentially distracting view?

7. The Library

Usually quiet. Internet access and a few PCs available. Printing is very accessible. Good for working in groups. Lighting is good. People walking through can be distracting, especially walking up and down the spiral staircase.

6. The Cyber Cafe

PCs and internet access available. Crowded and loud. TVs are always on. High activity level. PCs usually occupied during the day. People getting food can be distracting. Printing is very accessible.

5. Area near the racquetball courts

Newly furnished. Furniture is comfortable. Lighting is good. Internet access not available. Some traffic. Potentially noisy area.

4. The Old Grill Area

Internet access available. Variety of tables, chairs, and couches. Comfortable furniture. Good for studying in groups. Not a lot of traffic anymore. Four PCs available.

3. The Area near the Bookstore, between the Gym and the Old Grill

Although people pass by, area is usually quiet. Internet access...sometimes. Lots of natural light. Windows might be distracting. Close to the vending machines. Might hear activity going on in the gym, depending on the time of day.

2. The Tech Center

Can be loud or quiet, depending on the time of day. More crowded than not. Both macs and PCs available. Tech support available if needed. Printing very accessible. Good lighting. Not a lot of desk space. Not a lot of privacy.

Or if you're a resident...

1. The Lounge Areas

Lounge areas are available in all of the residence halls. Generally quiet. Some are more secluded than others. Internet jacks available. Must be a resident.Good lighting. Controllable AC and heating in Centennial.Some traffic because people go in there to use their phones.

Hope studying goes well. Good luck, colleagues.

Stars Fall to Rival Concordia

2008-12-03T14:35:00.004-06:00

The Men's Basketball team came up short versus rival Concordia Chicago Tuesday night. Team captain Dan Borys scored a team-high 20 points, but it was not enough, as the Stars lost 75-41. This 34-point loss leaves the Stars' record at 2-5, and 0-2 in the Northern Athletics Conference. The Stars will try for their much needed first conference win against Marian University Saturday at Dominican.

(Team captian Dan Borys, photo courtesy of dustars.cstv.com)

Finals this week?...I DON'T THINK SO

2008-12-03T14:15:00.004-06:00

I heard some interesting news yesterday. Someone in one of my classes said they had a final this week. My professor (who shall remain anonymous) informed this student that professors CANNOT give finals this week, and that they can only be given during finals week (next week). She recommended that this student protest that final. So now all of you loyal DominiNET readers know, finals cannot not be given this week. If you do have a final this week...FIGHT THAT EARLY FINAL!

(Cartoon courtesy of www.lapsura.com)

Have you seen my car?

2008-12-03T13:35:00.009-06:00

It's parked in the resident parking lot, and buried under a mound of snow and ice, last I checked.

Although outdoor parking lots are probably the norm on college campuses, I can't help but wish I could keep my car in the empty and conveniently close parking garage on blizzard prone nights.

Is this too much to ask for?

Currently, students are not allowed to park their cars in the parking lot overnight. Vehicles left in the garage are ticketed $30. I understand the potential safety issue here. Maybe security doesn't want students in the garage during the late hours of the night. That make sense. Residents probably use their cars less, meaning those cars would be parked in spaces for longer periods of time. I'm sure there are good reasons for keeping residents out of there at night. I attempted to get in touch with John Tsouchlos, Director of Campus Security, but he said he would not be available to meet with me until next week. I will post again when I know more about the situation.

If a student leaves his or her car in the parking garage for two weeks, I see how that's ridiculous. But if the weather is going to be bad one night, and the parking garage is empty anyway, I don't see why it's a problem. I can park on the higher levels so my car won't bother commuters in the morning. I'll even promise not to visit my car at 2 a.m. if I have to. When the weather is a mess, this option seems like the better bet for my car.

Photo courtesy of The Post-Standard

The dreaded SIR evaluations

2008-12-03T11:58:00.004-06:00

Now is the time for the SIR evaluations, also know as the Student Instructional Report. Every student and faculty member is familiar with these end of the semester professor evaluations. Some may believe they are a burden, but truly they are important in the fate of your professor.

I spoke with Michael O'Donnell, Director if Institutional Research and Assessment, to learn a little bit more about the importance of these evaluations. He informed me that the SIR is a "standard measure of teaching, which is done at every university. This particular assessment has been in place at Dominican for about 15-20 years."

The evaluations are sent out to a company in New Jersey who calculates and sends reports back broken down by instructor, department and the university as a whole.

O'Donnell said these are a staring point in observing problems. "Every teacher has a bad class, so we must be very careful when evaluating." He also mentioned that these reports are important for first year teachers, as it is a first impression.

These evaluations are a good opportunity for students to voice their opinions about their professors, but I would urge students not to just mindlessly fill out the evaluations because they can have an effect on your professors job.

On the week before finals...

2008-12-02T22:25:00.007-06:00

"I always dread the week before finals since my sophomore year," says senior Gwen Geever. She's a Business major and while she has only one final during finals week, she has five group presentations this week.

Considering her major, this is no surprise. I know how important it is to have good presentational skills in the business world - my sister is in marketing and there is always an annual presentation she has to do along with the rest of the marketing team. It is a big deal and there's no room for mistakes.

So while the opportunity to practice essential presentation skills is beneficial, Geever finds it hard to schedule meetings with all the groups she is a part of. She works two jobs - 15-20 hours during the week and 25-30 hours during weekends. While she's a resident, most of her group members are commuters. And while she's free in the evening hours, commuters - especially the ones who have to drive far - probably wouldn't want to go back and forth from home to school just to meet in the evening.

I know that if I'm finished with classes for the day and don't have a night class, I'd want to go straight to my room and relax. Who doesn't think that no matter if you're a resident or commuter?

I'm grateful that at least I don't have all of my papers due in one week - some were due last week or the week before. Though I wish all my papers had been due last week so I could have this week more or less free to focus on studies for finals week. I have two presentations as well, but if some people have up to five presentations in one week; then two doesn't look so bad in comparison.

Good luck to everyone as finals week approaches!

Hollyball Tickets!

2008-12-01T23:54:00.003-06:00

A friendly reminder that Campus Activities Board Hollyball, Dominican's semi-formal winter dance, is this Friday. Tickets will be sold for $15 all throughout the week. Stop by and enjoy some other festive winter activities!

Some students have questioned the cost of the tickets, saying that $15 is a lot to pay for a dance. Junior Jess Van Kempen said that she may not be attending due to the price. "They are never that expensive! Weren't they like $8 last year?"

Actually, Jess is right. Tickets were greatly reduced last year because the dance was held on campus in the Social Hall. The dance traditionally, however, is held off campus at the Carleton Hotel in Oak Park. This classy destination explains the increase in price.

So hopefully the holiday gift buying has not rendered your wallet so empty that you can't afford a ticket to the dance.

Celebrating the Christmas Season!

2008-12-01T22:39:00.003-06:00

With the holiday season in full gear, Dominican is also getting ready for Christmas. On Wednesday, December 3, each club will have a ginger bread decorating contest. Hollyball tickets are also for sale. Both the ticket selling and the ginger bread contest will be held in the social hall.

Student opinion: Trayless Tuesdays

2008-11-30T22:35:00.005-06:00

On Trayless Tuesdays, residents are hit the hardest because they eat most frequently in the dining hall. I know that I almost dread going to eat in the dining hall Tuesdays because there will be no trays. I know it may be a good thing for the environment, but I'm not fond of that extra trip to get a drink - unless I can manage to balance everything in one trip.

But is it really helping the environment and we should just deal with the inconvenience or have other problems arisen as a result?

Senior resident Anne Marie Barrett gives her thoughts on Trayless Tuesdays (transcribed from video interview):

"...there have been more spills, more breaking of plates than I have ever seen because of trayless Tuesdays. And I would like to know if they really are conserving water. How much water they are conserving? And how much money they have to spend on paper towels to pick up the messes and plates that have been broken?"

Barrett also says that she sometimes sees paper plates, which she thinks is just as wasteful.

"So, it’s like why would we have paper plates on trayless Tuesdays when you know, we’re trying to help the environment. It’s just – I don’t know – kind of seems like a contradiction."

Barrett explains what it's like on Trayless Tuesdays...

Neon Beauty

2008-11-30T16:44:00.003-06:00

Jean Bevier, assistant professor of Graphic Design, explains the concept behind her interesting installation currently being exhibited in the O'Connor Art Gallery as part of the [Re]visions Faculty Exhibition, on display through December 15.

Sustainability Program to Debut Next Semester

2008-11-29T16:35:00.003-06:00

http://blog.cogapp.com

As reported in one of my previous posts, Dominican has a brand new program for sustainability currently in development.

"We're approaching sustainability in an informal, but definitely focused way," said project manager Dawn Morse. "We're going to make it fun, and get people involved."

According to Morse, the project's origins can be traced back to the construction of Parmer Hall in 2007. Parmer's structure follows the LEAD criterion, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEAD is a set of guidelines created by the U.S. Green Building Council that focuses building design on sustainable practices, such as using local materials for construction and using recycled materials in building construction. Parmer Hall has many features which comply with LEAD, including efficient mechanical systems designed to reduce waste, engineered ditches to process storm water without using municipal processing methods, and occupancy sensors designed to turn off lighting, heating and air conditioning when rooms are unoccupied.

With Parmer Hall being Dominican's first official "Green building," it was decided the other buildings on campus could also be more environmentally friendly as well. Older windows in Power and Lewis Halls were replaced recently, to keep more cool and warm air inside the buildings. Campaigns to monitor water use and recycling have also been established. Modifications were also recently made to the heating system in Lewis Hall so that the same aging system could also be converted to support a central air system for the building.

Morse believes reusing existing structures and supplies on campus is key to the program.

"To reuse something is one of the best sustainability things you can do," Morse said of the Lewis heating and air system. "Now we're putting it into a framework of what we can afford and what's important to the world."

Along with construction and recycling initiatives, it was decided that students could also get involved. The program is currently seeking volunteers and an intern willing to lead the program forward.

"We're aiming at younger students, someone who's going to be here a while," said Physical Plant director Dan Bulow. "We want to keep it going."

According to Bulow, the primary goal of the program will be to work with students to develop programs, structures and ideas to make Dominican a more environmentally responsible campus. Students in the program will conduct measurements of energy use on campus, research benchmarks for energy use for schools of Dominican's size, and collaborate with Physical Plant and the university administration on environmentally friendly programs.

According to Morse, students will factor heavily in making new decisions on buildings, and that will start with student involvement in sustainability efforts.

"Getting students involved will be key," said Morse. "With a lot of people doing a little, you can still have a large impact."

The program will see an official launch next semester.

It's Basketball Season!

2008-11-29T13:16:00.003-06:00

Today, November 29, 2008 there will be a basketball game at Lake Forest College at 3:00 p.m. The boys need all of the support they can get. The boys celebrated a victory on November 21, 2008 against Greenville College. "I just try to help them develop into the best player and person that they can be so that they are successful once they graduate," Coach White said.

DU Looks to Send Athlete to Leadership Conference

2008-11-28T14:31:00.008-06:00

Every year the NCAA sponsors a leadership conference for a selected few NCAA athletes. This year DU is taking a shot at sending one of our athletes to the conference held in Orlando, Florida in May.

According to one of the student-athletes applying, woman's basketball player Melanie Bonifacio , there are four Dominican student-athletes applying. Dominican will then send one to Florida if accepted into the program.

The 2009 NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference will take place May 24 - 27 in Walt Disney World.

According to the NCAA website the Conference "provides NCAA student-athletes with a forum to openly discuss issues that may affect them on their campuses and in their communities, while also providing them with the opportunity to enhance their leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills."

(Photo courtesy of www.ncaa.org)

Avoiding the subs at the Cyber comes to an end

2008-11-26T09:31:00.017-06:00

After growing sick of the subs at the Cyber Cafe last year, I couldn't even look at them this semester and chose the pizzas or the dining hall food over it. Too many times last year I went and ordered the Philly Chicken sub to the point where I really rather not eat that anymore.

This year, a friend of mine said they chose the subs over pizzas because the wait wasn't as long. Logically, it takes longer for the pizzas to be made. But the only reason I opted for the pizza was due to the fact that I could eat it without contemplating throwing it out.

Yesterday (Tuesday), after my 5:30 P.M. night class, I had no choice but to order a sub. I had missed dinner in the dining hall, and two hours before the Cyber closed - there were no pizzas. This may have had something to do with this being right before Thanksgiving break, so maybe traffic was expected to be decreased?

I know at least one friend of mine who was planning to hightail it out of here right after night class Tuesday. I told him I was planning to get something from the Cyber for a late dinner. He said he'd just get something from McDonald's on his way back home. I probably would too if I had the option - I do like their crispy chicken sandwiches...

But despite the sometimes not so great selection in the dining hall, I prefer going there because at least there are more options - it's not just a sub/pizza with chips or fruit. Though a few times, the only thing worth eating was the potatoes or quesadillas; there's always salad. You can't really mess up salad, right?

The Cyber was open until 2 P.M. because of Thanksgiving break and they had limited options (sausage/pepperoni pizza or turkey/ham & swiss sub). I could have ordered a pizza, but I just went with a sub again. I'm guessing months of avoiding the subs has done its job - my appetite for them has returned. The subs are better in moderation though - I really don't think it's a good idea to eat them often during the week because you will grow tired of them.

Anne Marie Barrett, a senior at Dominican, weighs in on what she has heard from others on the food at the Cyber.

RSA President Discusses Upcoming Battle of the Bands

2008-11-25T15:28:00.002-06:00

I sat down with RSA President Jaron Salazar to talk about the upcoming Dominican Battle of the Bands, sure to be an interesting event. Proceeds from this year's event will go toward the American Red Cross.

Applications for bands are currently available from RSA.

Are we helping during the Holidays?

2008-11-25T13:12:00.006-06:00

Around this holiday season Dominican offers many different ways that students, faculty and staff can give back to the community. As Natalie had posted earlier, some programs include Adopt-A-Kid and Thanksgiving baskets . Other programs are the NAC (Northern Athletics Conference) Food Drive, Warm Clothing Drive, and the Ronald McDonald Pop Tab Collection.

Each of these programs are great and follow in the Dominican mission...if participated in. This seems to be the main problem for the groups sponsoring these efforts.

Yesterday was the last day for Adopt-A-Kid sign-ups. When I went to choose my children to adopt at 5 p.m., Taylor Eshleman, president of Students Exploring Rewarding Volunteer Experiences (SERVE) said there were still about 100 kids to choose from. She planned on staying at the booth all night, just as long as people kept coming. I ended up adopting a whole family because of how many were remaining.

As I left the booth, I walked past a box for the NAC food drive and noticed it was empty, except for two winter hats. I think the person may have gotten the box confused with the Winter Clothing Drive.

I find this lack of participation in these programs to be disappointing. I understand it is not free and we are poor college students, but is a few dollars to someone in need to much to spare? I don't think it is.

Donate Clothing and Get Something In Return

2008-11-25T01:15:00.000-06:00

The Clothing Swap, an event put together by Resident Assistants Jamie Zwijack and Stephanie Foley, allows residents to donate clothes that they don't wear or don't want as well as giving them a chance to find something for themselves out of the items there.

Residents can donate any clothing, accessories or shoes and then come to the event in the Coughlin Commons Resource Room (the CCMPR) Thursday, Dec. 4th, from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. to sort through what's there on the tables. Everything will be sorted by gender and size.

It's a chance to get free clothing/accessories/shoes as a reward for donating clothing.

"It's nice to know you're donating to charity but you can also come and find new things for yourself." says Jamie Zwijack on what she hopes people will get out of the event.

There will be bins available in the Coughlin Commons starting Monday, Dec. 1 through Wed., Dec. 4 for residents to drop off clothing items.

The ultimate goal, according to Zwijack, is to donate clothes to charity. Any leftover items will be donated to charity.

The Clothing Swap did take place last year, but a publicity mix-up caused the event to go forward mostly through word of mouth. Also, it was through Resident Student Association as a Hall Rep program. This year, the two RAs are doing it as one of the programs that RAs have to do each semester (6 programs each semester).

The people who did come and participate last year thought it was a really cool idea despite the last minute publicity. Zwijack is hoping that this year with publicity up earlier, that this clothing swap will be an improvement over last year's.

Clothing items that are gently used or not worn at all are preferred. Zwijack said that any roughly used clothing (i.e. stains are on them) will probably not be laid out on the table, but may be donated to charity.

Rather than just dropping off clothes to donate to charity - who hasn't seen the bin near the Commons desk allowing people to do just that? - the Clothing Swap goes a step further.

Zwijack hopes this will bring people together through coming to the event and "find[ing] new treasures" as the flier says.

Last year, most of the items were scarfs, hats, gloves and a couple pairs of shoes.

The timing of this event (right after the upcoming break) is to give residents a chance to dig stuff out from the back of their closets during Thanksgiving break. That'll make room for clothing received at Christmas...

And though that task of sorting through clothes in your closet might not be fun, at least you know you'll be doing a good thing by donating to charity. The Holiday Season is upon us, after all.

Division III Players to Professionals...

2008-11-24T23:15:00.008-06:00

To follow up on Natalie's post, I interviewed Mike Haiduc, Jose Garcia and Rashim "Shim" Lettsome.

Jose Garcia is playing basketball in Colima, Mexico which he considers a true dream come true. "A typical day for me is waking up for breakfast at 9 a.m., and then I have practice from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. I then get a break for lunch and a 2 hour nap. Then I usually wake up to talk to my family and my daughter. I then have practice again from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. After that, I will go back to my house for dinner, talk with my family once again and then go to bed," Garcia said. Garcia will be playing for this team until January 2009.

Mike Haiduc is playing basketball in Lemvig, Denmark. Haiduc loves living in Denmark but it was a little bit of a culture shock for him when first moving there. "So far it has been a great experience for me. It's the first time I've really lived on my own and I have loved it. However, I have to do laundry and dishes which was hard to get used to at first. It is not that big of a deal doing it any more. I've also had to learn how to cook a little a bit, which I struggled with for a while but now the meals I make are turning out pretty delicious. It's made it easier that most of the people here speak English so I havent had too hard of a time communicating. I guess this experience has helped me rely more on myself and not so much on others," Haiduc said. Haiduc will be back in Chicago in April 2009 if he does not play for another team after that.

Last but not least, Shim! Rashim Lettsome is playing for the St. Thomas National Basketball Team. He is eligble to play there because he was born in St. Thomas. "If I would have listened to people who told me I would never play basketball after high school, who knows where I would be now? I went from getting beat by a girl, to getting cut, then sitting on the bench, to 6th man, to starting in college and then to an all conference record holder," Lettsome said. Lettsome wakes up every morning and runs on the beautiful beaches of the Virgin Islands. Can we say, lucky?

Lettsome, Garcia and Hadiuc are on the road to a successful future in basketball! Good luck boys!!!

Students Get Hypnotized!

2008-11-24T22:59:00.003-06:00

On Friday, November 21, 2008 comedian and hypnotist Frederick Winters was at Dominican's Priory campus. Winters hypnotized about twelve students and made them do a range of activities such as belly dance, act as if they were three years old and dance. Junior Derek Zebb was one of the lucky students who was hypnotized.

Mini-raffle at October's RSA meeting

2008-11-24T00:16:00.000-06:00

With Resident Student Association's December Auction coming up in early December, here is a video clip of the mini-raffle that RSA does at every general meeting.

Attendees who sign in are eligible to win free stuff - not as exciting and big as the Auction in December and then in the spring (where you can win gift baskets, iPods, even a mini-refrigerator) - but it's still fun to win something.

This is from October 29th's RSA meeting - the Executive Board is dressed up in their Halloween costumes since it was only a few days before Halloween. Meetings are every other Wednesday at 10 P.M.

The Unused Textbook.

2008-11-23T18:06:00.012-06:00

They're weighing me down and overcrowding my room.

I realize the importance of over expensive textbooks. I admit that I've learned from them, been moved by them, hated them and have even fallen asleep on top of them.

Even though every one of my classes requires one or more of said textbooks, in half of these classes we have not even used the required textbook. There are textbooks that I haven't even opened since the beginning of the year. I haven't needed to. In some classes, we've used them once or twice; in others they haven't even been mentioned.

I have no problem investing in a book that I will get something out of. The textbooks that I use on a regular basis are, for the most part, insightful. Is it necessary to assign textbooks that students will only need once during the semester, or worse, not need at all?

I want to be more involved with the untouched textbooks that have made their home in my desk drawer(s). Or I don't want to be required to purchase them. These brand new "used" but unused books are taking up space while depreciating in value all of the time. My college lifestyle is expensive enough, and a few hundred dollars may not be much to some people, but could possibly be put to better use.

Commuter Student Appreciation Massage Video

2008-11-22T20:49:00.004-06:00

As Charlotte promised in her post Thursday, here's the video of commuter massages. Massage therapist, Melanie Rottmann, gave five minute massages to all commuters that signed up.

Even Charlotte and I received our free commuter massages. Check out this video for more.

P.S. residents, resident massages are coming soon.

I Want the Red Eye!

2008-11-22T00:03:00.001-06:00

Last year every morning I would pick up a Red Eye newspaper before going to class to catch up on celebrity gossip and news. But this year, where is the Red Eye? One night at dinner Joe Piatkiewicz was expressing his disappointment that we do not have it anymore especially because it is a free paper. He really misses the crossword puzzles and Sudoku. The students have spoken; we want the Red Eye back!

Student Bloggers get paid $25 a post

2008-11-21T00:17:00.005-06:00

The Office of Marketing and Communications recently launched the new DominICAN website for potential students. Guess what this website includes... Blogs .

The difference between DominiNET and DominICAN blogs: the student bloggers on DominICAN get paid $25 per post.

The other obvious difference is that this is a news blog with multimedia content, while the student blogs on DominICAN are personal blogs about their lives and experiences at Dominican.

According to Junior Andrew Infanger, a contributor to the DominICAN blogs, he was emailed by the PR department offering this position. He then had to submit a writing sample and was chosen for the job.

There are 6 student blogs on the page and, of course, Dean Jeff Carlson's blog.

After discovering that students were getting paid to blog I had mixed feelings. I understand this is a great PR tool and is new with the changing technology, but I think it is silly DU has to PAY students to say things about Dominican. If students are passionate about Dominican and love our school, they should be willing to write about it without charge.

I am not upset that I am not getting paid. DominiNET is strictly for a class and I am receiving credit, not to mention great blogging experience to add to my resume. I just wish that Dominican realized they are a good school and students are willing to say good things about them without getting paid for it.

Dear CSA: You've won me over.

2008-11-20T22:18:00.009-06:00

If you would have asked me last year (or even at the beginning of the semester) if I participated in anything on campus besides attending classes, I would have said, "No. I come to Dom early enough to print my documents, go to class, and bolt to my car right after."

Well, that's all changed, and commuter student appreciation week isn't even over yet! When I heard about all the fantastic activities scheduled exclusively for non-residents this week, I made the conscious decision to attend as many as possible and see what the deal was.

I'm only on campus Tuesday through Thursday, and each day I experienced something great! In case you missed anything, here is a recap (and a preview of tomorrow) with a couple photos:

From myDU:

Monday, November 17
Campus Town Hall Meeting; 5:30p.m. in the Social Hall
Come and voice your commuter concerns to administration.
This I missed, but my colleague Tom posted a great video here.

Tuesday, November 18
Coffee with Commuters; 8:00a.m.—10:00a.m. in Lewis Alcove
Free coffee and donuts for all commuter students. Also stop by to share any commuter concerns you have, pick up commuter student resources and sign up for opportunities to be involved with Commuter Student Association.

No complaints here...

Wednesday, November 19
Graffiti Name Art 11:30a.m. in the Social Hall
Stop by to have an artist combine your name and hobbies into an original piece of art. Who got some cool name art? Send your photos in, I missed this!

Basketball Tournament; 7:00p.m– 9:00p.m. in the Gym

Hot action!

Movie Night featuring the Dark Knight; 9:00p.m. in the Social Hall
We walked through at 8:30 while they were setting up and saw popcorn and beverages galore! Talk about hospitality..

Thursday, November 20
Free Neck and Back Massages; 11:00a.m.—2:00p.m in the Cyber Cafe
Relieve some stress by enjoying a free massage.

Natalie and I--exhausted from late-night blogging and early-morning campus blanketing--took a marketing hiatus and received exquisite massages from massage therapist Melanie Rottmann. There was beautiful, tranquil music playing in the background, and Melanie was fantastic and thorough.

And of course, Natalie set up the tripod to shoot interview commuters receiving the massage--coming soon!

Commuter Student Association Meeting; 2:20p.m. in Lewis Lounge

Winterize Your Car; 5:00p.m. in Crown 002/003

I would love to hear from those who attended any of these events!

Coming tomorrow:
Friday, November 21

Hypnotist Frederick Winters; 8:00p.m. in the Priory Auditorium
Watch as Frederick Winters hypnotizes students and gets them to do crazy things.

Commuter students: what did you like about this week?

I would say this week was a success in me spending more time on campus than usual, enjoying all the goodies the Commuter Student Association had to offer. This semester I had slowly begun hanging around more often (mainly reporting for the blog & Star), but this week helped me get truly involved, meeting new people and interacting with the community.

Thanks, CSA and Student Involvement!

Student Voice: Chartwells

2008-11-20T21:29:00.001-06:00

Here is a short video on what the students think of Chartwells.

dominiNET: HIT IT!

2008-11-20T18:44:00.010-06:00

This morning, circa 9:56 a.m. CST, two bloggers, who shall remain anonymous, did a little thousand-flier-drop on the students.

Said bloggers did return to the scene two hours later to scoop the remaining flyers that hadn't been claimed by excited dominiNET fans--and also, not to "litter" our beloved campus.

Throughout the day, if you were on campus, you undoubtedly noticed our not-so-subtle guerilla marketing of the blog.

Someone took many of our fliers down, but it worked! People were reading!

To all who are checking in here on a daily basis, thank you! We really are striving to represent the voice of the students, and bring all current events and on campus happenings to light. We know you're reading, but we also want to hear from you! Comment, agree, disagree, discuss! We want dominiNET to be a sort of open forum where all of us can feel like part of the community, residents and commuters alike.

Again, thanks for the support, and leave us your feedback!

dominiNET Promo

2008-11-20T18:43:00.000-06:00

Today, Charlotte and I were on a mission: get the word out about dominiNET.....to DU students. Tom and Megan also helped promote our blog. Fliers were posted all over campus. We also handed out promo fliers to about 100 students. Hopefully, students will become familiar with our blog. We encourage all readers to please leave comments!!

Check out this video to find student's first reactions to dominiNET.

I hope students will agree with Javier and become regular dominiNET readers. And commenters.

RockFest 2008: the aftermath

2008-11-20T18:28:00.002-06:00

In case you missed RockFest 2008 this time around, no worries! Sounds Society will be doing it again this Spring.

Maryann Dreas, Vice President of the campus organization, explains that several other people were involved in the event besides herself, Shahzeb, and Nick.

Here's a short clip of three of the artists--and students dancing. Don't be fooled by the small group of kids at the front; there were nearly 200 people in attendance scattered throughout the auditorium...mainly scavenging the free pizza and pop in the back.

Averno performs "Blown Away," Anemic Annie is covering the Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm," and Fotosputnik gives us a visual utopia while playing "Terns."

Bright Light Brigade's drummer, George, gave me his opinion on the event, and shares the band's plans for the future.

Everyone did a fantastic job, and keep an ear out for the Spring show! It'll be around before you know it.

Footage of the SGA Town Hall Meeting

2008-11-20T17:40:00.002-06:00

Here is some brief footage from the Student Government Association Town Hall Meeting that took place Monday night, Nov. 17.

Thanks to students interviewd: Ali Wesowlowski-SGA President
Zach Holtman

Dominican Athletics Shares Their Thoughts

2008-11-20T14:19:00.003-06:00

Here are four people in the Dominican sports community sharing their thoughts on DU sports. Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Seth Mason and Head Women's Soccer Coach Jeff Halsema share their thoughts on their recently completed seasons, while Head Women's Basketball Coach Michael Lane and Aubrey Denard, a forward/center for the Men's team, discuss the start of the basketball seasons.

Bullet Investigation....Part 3

2008-11-20T13:33:00.005-06:00

So, once again, River Forest police were at Dominican inquiring about the fired bullet that was found. My original posting stated that the bullet was found Thursday, Nov. 6. This is a factual error. In fact, the bullet was found Tuesday, Nov. 4. I apologize for the mix-up.

That said, the police are still working on getting to the bottom of the finding. R.F.P.D.'s Deputy Chief Kendra Sullivan was finally reached for comment. "(Dominican University) asked us to look into this. It's still under investigation. Officer Fields is following up in conjunction with our detectives." Yesterday, Officer Fields, the community liaison for DU and R.F.P.D., contacted Ashton Baran to meet where the bullet was found. Baran walked Fields step-by-step as he and Conrad Sewinski did when they noticed the bullet.

The original posting, not only led campus safety to alert police, but police also spoke with Trudi Goggin, dean of students, and Norah Collins, assistant dean of students. Goggin said: "The fact is, there was no sign of damage to Dominican property that indicated a gun was fired here. There is no proof based on what was turned. Someone could have taken the bullet from a shooting range, put it in their pocket and dropped it there accidentally."

I am still waiting for a copy of the police report. I submitted a Freedom of Information Request Friday, Nov. 7, and have not yet received it.

"But I don't beat women!"

2008-11-20T09:47:00.002-06:00

Now through Wednesday (and also Nov. 24 and 25), DASH (Domestic Abuse Stops Here) is holding a bag & bracelet sale in the Lewis Alcove.

"We're trying to raise money for the DASH program," said senior Cecily Bonilla. "We raise funds and give them to domestic abuse shelters in the area," she explained.

DASH's aim is to increase domestic abuse awareness on campus and support local efforts. Last month, DASH held an informational meeting for that very cause. "We tried to get guys to come out," Cecily told me, "but most of them were like, 'Well, no! I don't beat women!'"

But everyone can learn from these meetings; and it goes beyond physical abuse.

A year ago, I entered into a relationship with a seemingly sweet, sensitive 28-year-old who appeared to have it all together and played the Prince Charming role perfectly. Within weeks, however, his true nature emerged and he turned out to be excessively controlling and possessive; demanding to know where I was at every moment and freaking out if I wanted to spend time with anyone other than him (including my best friends and family!). Irritated to the core, I googled "How to tell if you're in an abusive relationship." The guy had never physically hurt me, but out of a list of 100 "warning signs," he had committed over 95% of them. Mmhmm.

He was out of my life before we hit the three-month mark, but it wasn't without major drama. This just goes to show how easy it is for a relationship to become abusive, and people may not realize exactly what constitutes "abuse." Emotional and mental factors also come into play. It can go the other way around as well, with the female abusing the male. And let's not forget about gay relationships!

DASH is definitely onto something. So guys, you may not beat up your sig os, but you may still be abusive!

DU Former Athletes Play PROFESSIONALLY Overseas

2008-11-20T09:47:00.000-06:00

As I was watching the Bulls game last night with a friend, my inner journo came alive! I thought of my friends that graduated from DU last year now playing professional basketball overseas. Three of the five starters on 2007-2008 men's basketball team are now getting paid to play professional basketball. Mike Haiduc plays in Denmark. Jose Garcia plays in Mexico. Rashim Lettsome plays in the Virgin Islands. How cool is that??

Haiduc goes up for the rebound wearing his red Denmark jersey.

The 6'8" center from Chicago has received post-season recognition, numerous awards and was named to the 2007-2008 Northern Athletics Conference All-Conference 2nd team. Haiduc is a three-time all-conference player in the NAC.

Garcia, in his Dominican jersey, scored a total of 691 points in only two seasons as a DU Star.

The 6'2" guard from Kenosha, Wis. currently plays for a team in Mexico. Garcia ranked in the top 20 in the conference in scoring. He averaged 12.8 points per game. Garcia left Dominican as the all-time leading three-point shooter. Garcia, like Haiduc, also received post-season recognition.
Lettsome was nominated numerous times for the NAC's student athlete of the week while he played for Dominican.

Now, 6'1" Lettsome plays for the US Virgin Islands men's national basketball team. The point guard spoke with me on the phone last night about where he and his former teammates are.

"I'm really proud of Mike and Jose because we've worked really hard to be able to play at this level. I still keep in touch with former coaches and players because they've been with me all the way. I still wear my Dominican University Basketball t-shirt and people (including the media) always ask me about DU. It's cool!" Lettsome plans on playing with the Virgin Islands for the time being but hopes to move forward and play in Europe or a semi-pro US team. With his current team, the Eagles, Lettsome played tournaments this summer in Argentina, Brazil, China and the US. The Eagles qualified for the 2008 Olympic games. Lettsome hopes that the Virgin Islands will get another chance to win a medal at the 2012 games.

From left to right: Haiduc, Garcia, (Andre) Smith, Lettsome and (Kendall) Moore.

Former player, Andre Smith, was one of the starters last year. Smith said he talks to his international former teammates every other day. "I'm very, very proud of them. I still tell them to play hard."
As for this year's men's basketball team??? Smith, now assisting with coaching and managing, says the season looks promising. "We have a young team this year. Although we had more experience as a team last year, our talent this year looks really good."

Who knows? Maybe players from this season will play professionally overseas next year!! CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE, JOSE, SHIM AND ALL OTHER FORMER DU ATHLETES THAT REACHED FOR THE STARS AND ARE NOW PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY!

CHECK OUT THE DECEMBER 3RD ISSUE OF THE DOMINICAN STAR FOR MORE ON THE GUYS!!!!!!!!!!

DU's Still Got Edge

2008-11-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday, Suzy posted about a free sample that had been passed out, Edge. Edge is an Ecslpise shave gel with a pinkish tint. Suzy observed, as many students and faculty did, that the free sample was used for graffiti all over campus. It was sprayed on the lockers near Cyber, in the mini quad, the trash can in the commons and even on cars in the parking lot.

That was last Tuesday. Yesterday, I saw that the Edge Effect is still around. Check out these pictures of Edge graffiti on a car in the parking lot near the gym.

Holiday Helping Hands at DU

2008-11-19T23:59:00.000-06:00

"No one can do everything, but everyone can do something," Taylor Eshleman, president of Students Exploring Rewarding Volunteer Experiences, says is one of her favorite quotes.

Dominican University's Service Learning and University Ministry have been encouraging the Dominican community to follow Eshleman's footsteps. The helping hands of DU will bring joy to many in Chicagoland this holiday season. Service Learning will be sponsoring Thanksgiving families through the Thanksgiving Baskets by providing all the necessities of a true holiday meal. Serve, sponsored by University Ministry, will be holding Adopt A Kid to provide needy children and adults with presents for Christmas. Watch this video package to find out how.

To Write Love on Her Arms

2008-11-19T21:49:00.000-06:00

According to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide is the 3rd highest cause of death among young people. Depression and suicide is a major issue on any college campus. To Write Love On Her Arms is a movement to promote awareness of depression, addiction, and self-injury among individuals of our generation. Since its creation, the organization has gained support from colleges, musicians, and individuals around the country. The organization uses merchandise to raise money and compassion on these issues to help create a more hopeful world.

This past Thursday was To Write Love on Her Arm Day. Individuals were encouraged the write the word “love” on their arms in order to promote the organization and the movement. Many Dominican students participated in the day, proudly writing “love” on their bodies. The idea is for others to see it, ask about it, and learn that while depression is a serious problem, there are many people to help.

Here are some pictures of DU students displaying their artwork.

For more information on To Write Love on Her Arms click here.

Ya know what really grinds my gears?

2008-11-19T20:45:00.001-06:00

Mandatory attendance at extracurricular academic activities.

Make 'em optional for extra credit. Offer something in place of the event. Give students a choice! I already am scheduled to be on campus for certain classes at a certain time. Beyond that, I'm not just sitting at home; I'm working around my ridiculous class schedule.

Let's back up here.

This week I've been faced with a challenging predicament as a full-time working, self-sufficient (barely), commuting student. I have two and a half jobs, and one of them is at a private season-ticket holders' club at the United Center. This week we have events (Bulls and Blackhawks games) Sunday through Sunday, with the exception of Monday night. I already request off every Tuesday and Wednesday night event because of night classes, and I just cut my losses with that because you have to sacrifice and be magnanimous and all that jazz.

However, this week, in addition to missing two nights for class, I am required to attend the Etiquette Dinner on Thursday night, and one of the performances of the musical Into the Woods either on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. And if you'll notice again on the November schedule, there are events on all four of these nights, meaning an inevitable missing of FOUR nights out of a six-night workweek!

But it gets better! Each year, during the last two weeks of November, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus comes to United Center.

joesportsfan.com
Being that I work in a classy white-tablecloth establishment on the Club level (or so my bosses like to drill in our heads every day), my restaurant in particular won't be open for the circus crowd (they must prefer unruly, beer-guzzling hockey fans who wear shorts in the winter to ice arenas), so I have two weeks off.

Am I seriously supposed to work two out of six nights in one week when I won't be working (at the U.C.) for the next two?

I know it's not my professors' faults that the U.C. planned their schedule this way. Our great teachers want us to learn how to not slurp our soup and which fork to use when. They want us to experience the magic and excitement of stage performances and stories in solidarity.

These, inherently, are good things (even though the only time I'll slurp is for the last couple sips of my cocktails--but I use a straw! Plus, I saw Into the Woods in high school six years ago).

But I don't have the time (or money) for this!

I'm not donning a Miss Misery sash for pity points here, but something's gotta give. It's a lot easier for some students to attend events outside of the classroom than it is others. I get that for every 3 hours in the classroom, you have to devote an additional 300 outside the classroom per week, yes.

But I should be able to choose when I devote those 300 additional hours. If I want to stay up all Monday night to finish a reading or start a project due Tuesday, that's my prerogative. But to have to pay to attend fairy tale plays and pseudo dinners while forgoing income...uh, yeah. I don't think I can hit up my profs for rent money.

Nothing replaces actually attending an event, but teachers should remember that we are adults and a lot of us work. Give us options. Give us us free! I understand scholarly responsibility, but you have to draw the line somewhere, right?

Is that too much to ask?

Well. I'll figure my life out, friends, but THAT'S:
investorial.com

ROCK Fest 2008 review

2008-11-19T19:01:00.000-06:00

Dominican held its second annual Rock Fest featuring Tonight the Prom, Fotosputnik, Bright Light Brigade, Anemic Annie, Averno, and The State Affair this past Saturday, Nov. 8 from 6-11 p.m. Free pizza and drinks were definitely consumed.

I saw (as much as I could take of) each band's set, and the following is my opinion on the performances of the night.

Tonight the Prom is good...if you like pop punk emo powerpop music that sounds like a mix of early Fall Out Boy and Hawthorne Heights. I'm sorry, I don't listen to much of that genre anymore, so I can't give you other examples. But they were energetic and had the crowd going wild, as far as stage presence goes, and they were cute and seemed like friendly kids. But really, I would have liked that band if I found them back when I was 17 maybe, so that explains their masses of young fans who couldn't possibly have been college students. Which rocks for them, hitting the target market.

I thought the glossy black and white photos they were selling and autographing crossed the pretentious line, though.

--

Fotosputnik impressed me, and I'm not just saying that because drummer Tom Blackwell is my editor. I had seem them play once before in September downtown at Cal's Liquors, and the sound is never good in a cramped corner of a dive bar off Congress Parkway, so that didn't help much.

But last Saturday, the band was in their element, playing on a large stage in front of a projector screen with colorful, trippy visuals. Their abstract style of music, which was random but controlled, was truly enjoyable, despite their lack of a singer (which many people think detracts from musical quality). I had deja vu feelings of Radiohead and Ratatat, for reasons other than the sound of the music. It had more to do with the "feel" of it; the ambience of the room while they played.

Unfortunately the dark did not make for great photos on my camera without washing everything out.

--

The singer of Bright Light Brigade made me want to say "snoochie boochies" and "noich noich noich" every time he walked by. And I did, in my head. But seriously, he had a great voice. Again, their music was upbeat pop punk, but it was well-performed, tight, and energetic. I wish they woulda covered "Jungle Love," though.

--

Oh, Anemic Annie! My, was I captivated. The duo played originals, covered the Smashing Pumpkins and Ludo, and moved the house. The acoustic guitar coupled with beautiful harmonizing voices and gorgeous string accompaniments was fantastic. I was, especially at this moment, glad that the Sounds Society chose a variety of artists rather than all the second comings of New Found Glory. Kudos to Anemic Annie.

--

Then there's my Shane, who goes by the name Averno when performing. I'm biased, naturally, but I loved his performance the best. With strong, beautiful, hauntingly soul-wrenching vocals over electric guitar, keyboard and hand-crafted electronic compositions, Averno's fresh, different style made the crowd stop and listen. And dance.

I'm gonna go ahead and do another shameless myspace plug right about now.

Shane closed with my favorite, "Laced Blinds."

I think people truly appreciated his unique style, and a number of girls approached afterward to say how beautiful of a voice he has. Swoon.

--

The State Affair got a great crowd surge to close out the concert. Again with the energetic pop punk genre, the crowd was really into it, singing along and fist-pumping. They were talented, but I couldn't handle the gimmicky vest get-up. You can wear costumes on the weekend before Halloween, the week of Halloween, Halloween itself, and the rest of the weekend, but beyond a week after is just too much. I didn't dare ask if it was his normal stage getup. Other than that, though, they were catering to their crowd and people were enjoying.

--

Overall, the Fall Rock Fest 2008 was a huge success. Everything ran smoothly from load-in time to showtime, and Shahzeb, Maryann, and Nick did a fantastic job coordinating the event. Kudos to them as well, and I'm excited for the bash in the Spring!

Additional videos from more artists coming soon.

Chicago's Media Down the Street from Dominican

2008-11-19T18:52:00.001-06:00

After a long 8-hour day at Dominican yesterday, I was anxiously driving home. I was hurrying spend time with my mom (who was visiting my sister and I) and to walk my dog, Romeo. Plans changed, as they often do when a hungry journalist is ready for a story. I saw ABC 7's live truck at parked on Augusta right in front of Concordia University. I wondered, "Hmmmm......Why is 7 here?" So I turned around, parked and approached the photographer.

After I told him about my internship at NBC this summer, he was glad that a random person wasn't bothering him (as countless, nosey people do when out on a story). He was excited that a fellow journalist was there. Not just a bum. So we spoke, he told me John Garcia was in the truck and I asked him questions: Was there breaking news? Did something happen? What's going on?

He filled me on about Concordia's huge press conference that was held earlier that day.

Fifth Third Bank offers sixth graders in the the surrounding area possible opportunites to attend Concordia University for free if they can maintain their grades throught middle school and high school. Click here to watch ABC 7's John Garcia for more.

I wanna be Stephen Kinzer when I grow up.

2008-11-19T18:48:00.003-06:00

And I told him so, yesterday. Dork, I know.

Yesterday he spoke to our Intercultural Communications class, and again, our discussion was not only fascinating, but very inspiring. My classmates and I had read Overthrow over the course of this semester, and he was coming to answer our questions on the 300-page book. While we talked about the facts of America's imperialism, he also interjected much of his funny quips and natural wisdom.

"I like everyone who's 'atypical.' Each of you is a unique, individual, separate part of creation."

"As Americans, WE think we have the key (to how other nations should live). This illusion comes from our narcissistic view, that thinks culture doesn't matter. It's been said, 'Better 40 years under a tyrant than one day under foreign rule.'"

"We should represent our true values! Look at past interventions and learn from them."

"It's also been said: 'The happiest countries, like the happiest women, have no history.'"

"I realized I didn't have any other abilities! If I didn't make something of writing, I'd be sleeping in the gutter."

It was that last quote that really got me. As a writer, I know that if I don't make a career of it, I won't be able to do anything else. His humor and wisdom was inspiring, and I suggest everyone utilize him before the end of the semester!

Centennial Hall: Bruised and Broken

2008-11-19T18:47:00.004-06:00

As the semester comes to a close Centennial Hall damages have not disappeared, as residents and their guests continue to take poor care of their home. Check out the video below for details on the situation.

Putting the Smokeout.

2008-11-19T18:19:00.003-06:00

This Thursday, Resident Assistant Liz Salmon challenges Dominican students to kick their smoking habits for 24 hours. At midnight tonight (or Thursday morning), she will be collecting packs of cigarettes from students at the Coughlin Commons Resource Desk. Throughout the next 24 hours, the students are welcome to visit Liz's room whenever they are craving cigarettes and pick up some chocolate. At 12 a.m. Friday morning, the cigarettes will be returned to the students.

In a video that will be appearing momentarily, Salmon goes into further detail about the event.

flier around campus

door decs which were made by Salmon for the month of November

It will be interesting to see how many students end up participating.
Anyone with questions should contact Liz at x5310.

Achoo!! Colds at DU

2008-11-19T17:10:00.004-06:00

As the weather cools and the leaves fall, an inevitable doom will pass through Dominincan: the cold.

Yes, those little bugs are everywhere, especially in the Res Halls. With late nights and close quarters, the passing of the vicious cold from student to student is like watching a row of dominoes fall. On my floor of Coughlin 2, it seemed to start slowly, working it's way down the rooms, one by one. Now, there seems to be an epidemic of sick freshman everywhere. Kleenex fills the garbage cans, sniffles echo in the hallway, and the NyQuil is passed around like a bottle of whiskey.

It's no wonder why everyone is getting sick. Students work hard and late on homework.....well at least late. Everyone lives close together and shares everything from pants to pillows to cups. Germs spread easily through the halls.

Help is in sight. There are some simple tips to avoid the cold from the The Parent Guide, besides hiding in your room until March.

1. Wash hands frequently

2. Drink plenty of water

3. Consume healthier foods and beverages.

4. Stay upbeat.

5. Get plenty of fresh air and gets some exercise.

6. Sleep

For now, follow these tips to avoid the cold or at the very least, make it less severe. See? Feeling better all ready!

Students discuss diversity

2008-11-19T16:38:00.004-06:00

Four Dominican students discuss diversity on campus, compare it to their experience in high school and talk about any improvements DU should make in connection with diversity.

Students interviewed: Christina Kim, Monica Prisco, Nadya Remy and Dulce Melo.

Former US Foreign Ambassador Sparks Political Science Students' Interest

2008-11-19T15:41:00.002-06:00

Former US Ambassador to Rwanda, Michael Arietti, spoke to students about careers in foreign diplomacy Thursday, Nov. 13. Anyone interested in foreign diplomacy and careers in foreign affairs was welcomed to attend his lecture, which was held in the Springer Suite at 2:20 p.m. But what some people don't know is that only a handful of students (four or five) were afforded the opportunity to spend the afternoon with him in a more intimate setting.

Arietti had lunch with students and faculty and then had an intimate discussion in one of the theology rooms. For political science students, this was a great opportunity to learn about what's it's like living as a foreign ambassador. Arietti spent 35 years in foreign affairs with the US Department of State. The Department of State is responsible for American government regulations with countries around the world. Six of Arietti's 35 years with the Department of State were spent living overseas. He lived in Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Iran, Zambia and Rwanda. "It was something I've always wanted to do," he said. "Living overseas allows the opportunity to deal with interesting issues, interesting places, interesting policy questions. It comes with lots of responsibility."

Arietti worked at US embassies and similar parallel structures in these countries. From 2005 until July of this year, Arietti served as ambassador of Rwanda. "It was a time in history when Liberian peace talks were facilitated by the US to bring peace and a better government to Liberia," he said. "We were restoring sanity to a country that had been devastated."

Students were fortunate to meet with him before his informative, invigorating open discussion.

Cristian Alaimo, seated left of Arietti, was given the opportunity to speak directly with Arietti at the intimate discussion. "It was an awesome experience," he said. "It was interesting to hear about all the places he's been to, people he's met, and experiences he's gone through. I learned a lot about the Department of State, ranks of diplomats and foreign affair careers." The aspiring attorney is a history major and political science minor.

Shahzeb Shaikha, seated left of Arietti, also attended the personable discussion. "I wanted to have a more personal interaction with him before the open lecture. I want to go into foreign office as an ambassador or foreign policy advisor," the international relations major said. But when asked whether he'd like to pursue this type of career for the US or his native country of Pakistan, Shaikha said, "I'd prefer to work back home. I'd like to help educate my people."

Maryann Dreas attended Arietti's lecture, but was unable to attend the invite-only discussion. "It was a good opportunity to learn about the Department of State. The session was very informative on careers in diplomacy and the state department." Dreas is a double major in journalism and political science, with a minor in women's studies. "I'd like a career in international affairs. I'm thinking globally with foreign service, even the Department of State- something along those lines."

Arietti influenced Dominican students interested in this career field. Maybe a DU alum will be a US foreign ambassador one day.

Photos courtesy of Ann Charney Colmo, professor of political science, international relations and diplomacy, pre-law advisor and honors director.

Self-Segregation on College Campuses...

2008-11-19T15:13:00.004-06:00

The issue of self-segregation was brought up by Dominican student Nadya Remy after we discussed diversity at Dominican. She mentioned that she saw a clip on YouTube where a student at Duke University interviews fellow students about self-segregation. There is a trend among college campuses, though high schools may have the same predicament as well, where students of the same race and ethnicity sit together at the same table in the cafeteria and hang out together.

I've seen this at Dominican and it has been discussed among my friends. It is an unavoidable subject as you look around the dining hall at lunch or dinner. I've definitely noticed how certain types of people sit together.

Now while ideally, college should be a time to mix and mingle with other people from different backgrounds; self-segregation may not exactly be an obstacle to that. Some students in the YouTube video say that it's easier to connect with others of the same background.

Even though self-segregation is prevalent on some college campuses like Dominican, the question is: is it negatively affecting the campus environment here? Or is it something that's just there, but it's not really detrimental to promoting campus diversity at DU?

Senior Nadya Remy gives her opinion on the issue:

Sustainability Program

2008-11-19T14:59:00.002-06:00

Dominican currently has a new plan for sustainability in the works. This new program seeks to monitor the current and future ways in which Dominican can become more environmentally friendly and energy-conscious.

Goals for the program include assessments of the university's energy savings and expenditures, replacing windows in older buildings to keep warm or cold air in, management of water, and other various initiatives aimed at making Dominican a "green campus."

According to Amy McCormack, vice president of Administration, the program is currently seeking a dedicated intern to carry the project into the future.

"We're currently aiming the program at younger students," said director of Buildings and Grounds Dan Bulow, who is collaborating with others in the community on the project. "We're looking for someone who's going to be here for a while."

The program could have countless benefits for the university, chief among them reducing the student costs by reducing the amount spent paying energy bills, according to Bulow.

DominiNET will be reporting more on this program as it develops.

Dominican's Housing Crunch

2008-11-19T14:15:00.006-06:00

Fact: college enrollment is expected to rise over the next couple years in the US.
This increase will also go into effect at Dominican. According to Residence Life, there will be sixty additional on campus residents attending Dominican by the fall of 2009. However, because the dorms are currently at full capacity, Dominican will be short on-campus housing for 60 students.

"The misconception going around is that 60 students won't have housing," said Residence Life Coordinator Anthony Gagliano. "That is not the case. We will provide some kind of housing for these students, but it will have to be at an off campus location.”

Even with the opening of Bon Villa and Mazzecheli Hall this year and the additional space for students at the Priory, there still won’t be enough space for all of thr students who want on campus housing next fall.

According to Gagliano, Dominican is looking into either buying or renting an additional apartment building where 15-20 students could live together. Residence Life is currently looking into ideas to solve the problem of unfurnished apartments, transportation issues and meal plans for off campus students. “We are taking all of these into consideration,” said Gagliano.

As Residence Life looks into finding additional housing opportunities for students, they are also trying to figure out the fairest way to divvy up the dorms that are available on campus.

“The reality is that freshmen will not be moved off campus,” he said. “It will be the sophomores and upperclassmen who will get affected the most." One option that Residence Life has considered is using a lottery housing system. However, the problem with the lottery is that seniors and juniors would have first choice for rooms on campus, which would be unfair to the sophomore class.

Another option is dividing it up evenly so that 20 students from each of the upper classes will be turned down housing on main campus.

“We’re trying to figure out the fairest way to do this,” Gagliano said, “but the reality is we’re growing.”

The housing crunch is a work in progress, and one that Domininet will be following up on throughout the remainder the year.

Big People on Campus

2008-11-18T22:48:00.000-06:00

I interviewed four students who are or who have done something extra ordinary at Dominican. Sophomore Iliana Incandela, is a professional singer and is working with producers. She recently was an opening act for Italian sensation, Zucchero. Junior Annie Rohrbacher spent nine months in Ensenada, Mexico as a missionary! Joe Mcerlane is a foreign exchange student from Co.entrim, Ireland. He will spend two semesters in America before returning home to Ireland. Last but not least, Susan Barron is a first year runner on the girls cross country team and has already accomplished more than experienced runners. She was injured but still took second and beat her personal record by two minutes. In conference she placed 23rd and received an honorable mention award.

Free Rice

2008-11-18T21:47:00.005-06:00

This week is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness and DU is doing it's best to help out.

Tonight was Resident Assistants Rosana Godinez and Megan Russell's Free Rice Program. Students were given a bowl of rice in exchange for $.50 or a non-perishable food item. Extras such as veggies, chicken, or sauce cost additional money or item.

Russell explained that the purpose of the event was "to raise awareness about the hungry and homeless population of the world. I think it's going awesome. Great turn out and people have an interest to help out."

The program had a fair amount of participants, considering this wasn't just a free hand out of food. Freshman Corrine Zimmerman said that she really enjoyed the event. "It was really good. Great idea!"

Check out some pictures of the events.

Father Mazzucchelli Statue Coming to Founder's Court

2008-11-18T21:13:00.004-06:00

A one-and-a-half times lifesize bronze statue commemorating the life and educational works of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli will soon be constructed in Founder's Court, located in front of Parmer Hall, according to Amy McCormack, Vice President of Administration, and Sr. Diane Kennedy. Both women are members of a committee working to make the statue a reality sometime in the next year.

"It [the proposed statue] will be a three-figure sculpture with Father Mazzucchelli being the dominant figure, with a Dominican sister and a student being a part of the piece as well," said McCormack. "The one-and-a-half times lifesize is still in debate, as there is concern about it being big enough [in comparison to] the size of the building," she said.

The statue will be built in the middle of Founder's Court, a small, round, grassy plot situated in front of Parmer Hall's glass atrium, between the two major wings of the building.

Sr. Diane Kennedy, head of the committee on the statue, said that an artist has been selected to work on the piece.

"We have made a selection on the artist," said Kennedy, who was unable to reveal the name of the artist at publication of this story. Kennedy also stated that the committee is in the final stages of negotiation with the artist and the donor of the piece, to determine a way to accommodate the preferences of both parties before contruction begins.

According to Kennedy, the concept of the work has been determined, and the statue will focus on Father Samuel's work as a teacher of science.

"Father Samuel will be a seated figure, very intense, he will be in the act of teaching," said Kennedy. "He will be facing the atrium, while the student and sister will be facing outward."

"A telescope will also be a part of the sculpture, as a symbol of scientific education and interest," she said.

Kennedy also noted that the university is unsure how long it will be before dedication of the statue, but said the artist projected it would take 3 months for construction of the piece. This is well ahead of the previously projected 9 months to one year timeframe originally projected, according to McCormack.

"Dedication of the statue was originally planned for Founder's Day 2009 (Nov. 4), but now it could be sooner than that," said McCormack, who along with Kennedy stressed the University's desire to dedicate the statue on a day of importance.

The Reasons behind Officer Training

2008-11-18T19:42:00.005-06:00

Last week I had a posting titled "What is the Point of Officer Training?" . In this post I mentioned my problems and concerns with the officer training sessions required of student club officers each month.

I recently spoke with Rachel Costello, Coordinator of Student Involvement, to find out the goals and reasons behind officer training.

"These training sessions are meant to first educate new officers and then bring leadership to the next level for experienced officers," Costello said.

This is a legitimate reason for officer training, but student leaders have been through countless training sessions in the past. According to Costello, this is one of the main concerns when planning officer training.

Costello said she is trying to make the sessions more fun and interesting, so students will want to attend. She plans the sessions so they relate to problems she sees occurring with the clubs.

This month's training was about burnout and stress, which is a concern to all students right now, as the end of the semester creeps up on us. They talked about how to manage your own responsibilities, but also how to keep your members involved towards the end of the semester.

"Officer training is really meant to better yourself and your organization," Costello said.

Aw, I feel appreciated.

2008-11-18T12:34:00.006-06:00

It's Dominican's Commuter Appreciation Week! This morning I arrived on campus around 9:45, hoping to grab a cup of free coffee, which was offered from 8-10 a.m. Probably since it was nearly 10, there were no donuts or coffee to be found, which is what I was after. But there were cute "I <3 Student Involvement" pins!

However, it was nice to see a suggestion box for commuters to voice their opinions and share their concerns, and I also thought it was very helpful that there were CTA and PACE bus and rail schedules available, as well as other resources. I obviously have my gripes as a temporary public transportation commuter, but I think the Office of Student Involvement deserves kudos for planning these events this week.

I will probably be back for the free massages and graffiti name art later this week!

(Election) Day in the Life of a Dominican Journalism Student

2008-11-18T11:42:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 will go down in the books as one of the most ground-breaking days in the history of the world.

Eager with anticipation of The Big Day, I could not sleep Monday night. After a couple hours of intermittent shut-eye, I rose early to go to my classes and do my duty as a citizen, supporting Senator Barack Obama.

*Flashback* February 11, 2007. Dominican students Mariya Kozlova, Tyson Schutz and I went to the UIC Pavillion to attend one of the first campaign stops in the days after Barack Obama announced his decision to run for the presidency.

The MC announced Obama as "the next President of the United States." The energy and excitement in that arena was unbelievable, and that man stirred up deep emotion within all. Little did we know about what was in store for the nation over the next 21 months...

Back to Election Day.

Pumped up from the nationwide energy at the polls, I waited at a CTA stop to head to Dominican for my Tuesday morning classes, rocking the "HOPE" shirt I made at 3 a.m.

On my train car, I found a flier for Senator Harmon from Oak Park.

I tried to finish my Dostoevsky reading on the train to no avail; my mind was on the election. On campus, you could sense the nervous energy; the collective panic attack feeling throughout--but in a good way.

On the way home, I saw many more "I voted!" stickers and election pride, exciting me further.

I bet this man with an Obama/Biden button was up early to vote...

I got home around 4:30, ran some quick errands, and hopped back on the El to head downtown for night two of Hanson at the House of Blues.

Excitedly waiting for my friend Natalie to meet me at State and Lake...

...my inner journalist started to itch and I ran across the street to capture the people hanging out in front of the ABC News studio, peering in the glass and watching the news ticker. They were talking about New Hampshire, but these headlines made my heart jump:

Natalie arrived and we walked across the bridge to the House of Blues just as doors were opening. Hanson's opening artists were an LA band called Everybody Else and an artist named Dave Barnes. The musicians were all excited for the elections, stating their Obama pride and applauding all the concert attendees who had voted in the past month, regardless of which candidate they supported.

Near the end of Dave Barnes' set, Zac and Taylor Hanson surprised us by taking the stage to serenade the crowd with an a capella rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

The guys played a rockin', energetic set and everyone in the House had a fantastic time.

In addition to their originals, Hanson covered Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," as well as other classics--"Oh! Darling," by the Beatles, "Hole in My Life" by the Police, "(I Want to Take You) Higher" by Sly and the Family Stone...

And during their song "Running Man," Zac modified the lyrics to sing, "Life isn't what it seems/Dave Barnes is in my dreams/That's exactly what I mean!" while the other bands goofed off onstage.

It was definitely a party.

The show ended around 9:40, and Natalie, Sara and I made our way down to Michigan Avenue to be a part of the Grant Park festivities. The outpouring of people was overwhelming, and the excitement was unlike anything I've ever witnessed in my life. Cars honking, people cheering.

This was BEFORE it was "officially announced that Obama was the winner," but at this point it was pretty much a given.

The Obama gear being sold on the streets was in high demand!

And the police presence was so reassuring. It was all hands on deck; there were at least five on EVERY corner. But they didn't have to do anything because nothing ever got out of hand.

A sweet girl offered to take our photo in front of the Art Institute. "This is history in the making," she said, smiling. "You girls'll show this picture to your grandchildren and say, 'I was there!'"

This is me skipping down Michigan Avenue.

We finally found a JumboTron with CNN footage and the words: Barack Obama Elected President of the United States.

There are no words to comprehensively describe that feeling.

Only pictures. And I apparently couldn't keep my mouth closed all night!

Finally, after a number of commercials, we sang the national anthem (I felt like part of the biggest choir in the world [and I thought the Hanson boys did it better;)]), and Senator John McCain took the stage in Arizona to address the world.

And finally, our guy came out with his beautiful family.

CNN footage of the first 2 minutes of his speech:

The crowds walking toward the parking lots, trains, and buses were unbelievable. The sheer magnitude of people who had all come out for the same purpose, in solidarity, was astounding. For miles, all you could see were hoards of people...of all colors, all ethnicities, all ages.

People were standing on ledges, dancing, singing, hugging, chanting, LOVING.

And finally, over an hour later, the streets started to clear.

A few friends and I went to Sanjay's house to have a couple celebratory cocktails:

And finally, at 1:15 a.m., I decided to head home to hopefully catch one of the last pink line trains. As I approached the station, a lady was selling the first copies of the Chicago Tribune.

I asked a few officers who were on the State & Lake platform if the trains were still running, and had a wonderful conversation with a police officer. I was looking over the front page of the Trib, overwhelmed with emotion, and he came over to chat with me. "You look very sentimental," he said, smiling.

"Tonight was just...unlike anything I've ever experienced," I told him. "The solidarity, the turnout...tonight I am TRULY proud to live in Chicago, and proud to be an American. There is hope."

"Oh, yeah, this has been a remarkable night," he said. "America elected a person because of his character. What happened here tonight doesn't just affect you and me. The whole world was watching. Tonight will impact the entire world."

He said he had heard that gunshots were fired on the south side, but they were celebratory shots and no one had been injured--that he knew of. He also told me that Tuesday had been his day off, but since it was an all-hands-on-deck night, he was getting paid time and a half and was very happy about that! With some more words of encouragement and a handshake wishing me well, the 54/Cermak Pink Line train approached.

I cried as I read the front page on the train:

"Barack Obama, son of an African man and a white woman from Kansas, a figure virtually unknown outside his home state of Illinois just five years ago, emphatically captured the presidency Tuesday night, as crowds massed in Grant Park to cheer his victory...

...With his victory, America's tortured relationship with race has entereed a new phase. The Obama presidency may be a sign that a country that all too recently tolerated segregation has moved irrevocably forward, or it may mean only that the nation is so hungry for change that it set aside racial struggles.

Obama is a man of extraordinary political gifts. The challenges facing him are many, including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a struggling economy. He will confront them soon enough.

But Tuesday night, at least, was a time to marvel at a once-inconceivable moment in American history."

Reading about the events that I had been in the midst of, a part of merely HOURS ago was mind-blowing.

At 1:50 a.m. I walked the two blocks from the California stop to my house on Marshall Boulevard. The streets were still and silent; I encountered not a soul.

Still riding the waves of euphoria from the evening, I reflected on all I had seen and experienced that night. As a person who fits into many "categories"--female, college student, first-generation African (like Obama), hopefully to have a family some day, the events of election night have definitely changed the face of my future, and that of the world. To see America stand behind an exceptional man, one that I have personally admired for over two years, and a man of color...there are no words to truly encompass that feeling.

And when I got home, I dumped the contents of my purse onto my bed.

Tagged in this photo: Nov. 5 issue of the Chicago Tribune, Barack Obama poster, Harajuku Lovers hoodie, wallet, handout from Revolution, my reporter's notebook, Starburst wrappers, assorted Sharpies and pens, lighters and matches, keys, Hanson HOB tickets, a comb, the Nov. 4 issue of the Red Eye, and my trusty Moleskine notebook.

It's time. It's been a long time coming, but well worth the wait. It's as though America had to go through hell the past eight years--it makes this victory for HUMANKIND so much more fulfilling. You catch more bees with honey, and Obama took the high road, never stooping to the level of his naysayers. In a manner not unlike MLK's philosophy of non-resistance and peace, Obama proved that with love and virtue, we can do anything.

Martin Luther King had a dream. As my friend Diana said, "Rosa Parks sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children can fly!"

Yesterday, that dream was actualized: America selected a man because of the content of his character.

Amen.

Get The Word Out

2008-11-17T23:27:00.004-06:00

This evening was Student Government Association's Town Hall Meeting. While the panel of university administrators (8 in total) answered a variety of questions, one comment caught my attention.

A commuter student asked a question about what student involvement is doing to get commuters more involved at Dominican. Bill Dlugokienski, Associate Director of Student Involvement, said that they "would really love to get them [commuter students] more engaged" though there are opportunities for commuters to get involved (Commuter Student Association, Stars On Wheels publication, etc.).

After Dlugokienski's answer, Dan Bulow, Director of Building and Grounds, cut in to bring up a point that relates to student involvement. It made me think of a previous post about the struggle to get students involved in different campus events. This extends to club and organization involvement as well.

Bulow commented that students should "band together and get the word out." There are chances like the Town Hall meeting to get pressing questions about university life, academics and more answered by university administrators. He said that "you have these administrators here" but there aren't a lot of students who are not a part of SGA. The Town Hall meeting is counted toward SGA attendance - all senators are required to attend. I did see a few people who weren't senators, though some of them were active members or officers of other campus organizations.

Campus Climate's Open Forum was also brought up by Trudi Goggin, Dean of Students. A student asked a question about class size and Goggin said that this issue was discussed at the open forum a few weeks ago.

I think it's good to have multiple chances within a semester to get questions answered by a panel of administrators. Who doesn't want an opportunity to get answers from administrators who cover different areas of Dominican University - from Chartwells to Building and Grounds - while they're available to take questions at the same time?

What Became of "The Wall"

2008-11-17T20:57:00.008-06:00

Once upon a time, there was a giant piece of art entitled "The Form Makers" where Parmer Hall stands today. "The Form Makers" was an enormous mural; 20 three-and-a-half ton panels forged of concrete and iron by renowned sculptor Henri Nehemiah Azaz, measuring approximately 10 x 57 feet. It portrayed forty-five famous landmark Chicago buildings constructed from 1836 to 1968, when the piece was commissioned by George Kaufman, then president of the Sherman House Hotel.Undated photos of "The Form Makers" as it appeared on the West side of campus, current site of Parmer Hall

photos courtesy Amy McCormack/Business Office

According to an official description assembled by Dominican in 2007, the piece was donated to Rosary College in 1976 by Chicago area construction mogul Ezra Sensibar, a friend of Azaz, who purchased the piece. Sensibar donated the work to Rosary in memory of his recently deceased wife, who was a lifelong lover of the arts. Sensibar also believed Rosary to have a strong art department, then headed by influential sculptor Geraldine McCullough, and he donated the piece in hoping it would spark the creation of a student sculpture garden on campus.

Jump ahead 31 years to 2007. Rosary College, now Dominican University, had begun construction of a brand-new, multi-million dollar science building in the very same area where "The Form Makers" stood watching over the West parking lot. After construction was started, the piece was disassembled by Pepper Construction, the same firm constructing Parmer Hall, and moved by truck across campus to a small plot of land situated between Coughlin Hall and the Igini Sports Forum. There it sat for over a year, awaiting its fate.

"That probably wasn't the best solution," says Vice President of Administration Amy McCormack of the wall's new storage space.

In an article in the Sept. 27, 2007 issue of the Dominican Star entitled "The Fall of 'The Wall?'", McCormack estimated it would cost the university approximately $20,000 to move or recycle the piece, should a potential new location be found for it. McCormack was charged with finding a new home for the sprawling mural, as Dominican's property no longer had enough room to fully display the artwork in its entirety. Restoration of the artwork was also considered, but this option carried a hefty $80,000 price tag.

After months of trying to find a potential new home for the piece but with no takers, McCormack decided to approach the donor's family in hopes they might be interested in re-acquiring the artwork. But no such luck.

"The donor felt like it ["The Form Makers"] had lived its purpose, and couldn't take it back," says McCormack. It was then decided that the thirty-year-old piece of Dominican history be retired for good.

Director of Buildings and Grounds Dan Bulow was responsible for contracting local firm Harrington Excavation to remove the neglected and deteriorating three-and-a-half-ton sections of the wall during summer 2008.

"It cost more to move across campus than it did to dispose of it," says Bulow, adding that the disposal and recycling of the piece never reached the estimated $20,000 price expected by the university. "The Form Makers" was recycled by Harrington for a mere $1,200. "It was just like throwing away concrete," says Bulow.

The two areas "The Form Makers" once occupied on campus have been radically transformed in its absence. Parmer Hall now towers over the area where the piece once stood, offering the promise of a new educational era for the university. Batting cages for the baseball team now stand in the wall's former storage space behind Coughlin Hall, a far cry from the cluttered, ruinous piles of concrete rubble the wall had been reduced to in its final years.

Maybe the wall's time had truly come after all. Although many students and faculty at Dominican will fondly remember what became affectionately known as "The Wall" with a certain nostalgic longing, perhaps the piece really does offer more in the way of growth as a simple memory than as a reality.

DU's Pool is not Forgotten

2008-11-17T13:00:00.010-06:00

As I walked through the old grill area a few days ago, I noticed someone had pulled down the coverings of the windows, which lead to the old pool. This grabbed my attention because the light was on. I could see the rusty walls and empty hole, which was once a place for exercise and relaxation.

This caused me to do a little digging into the fate of the space that occupies the retired pool, which if new to Dominican, may not know even exists. According to an article in The Dominican Star Nov. 7, 2007 issue, "The pool was built in the 1920s and has not been renovated because of the expensive cost and difficulty it would take to rebuild something few use."

The article also states, "A construction date has not been finalized...some construction could start as early as next semester."

Now over a year later, the pool has not been touched. It still remains empty and unused by the campus community.

According to Dan Bulow, Director of Buildings and Grounds, although the pool area remains empty it has not been forgotten. Different ideas have been explored from turning it into a student union to making it additional space for athletics.

What is certain is that the pool will disappear. Bulow said a structural engineer has already been brought in to explore the idea of covering the pool with a floor, but no building has been scheduled.

As for now, the fate of this area is still in the deciding process. It continues to be part of Dominican's master plan, which included the building of Parmer and the parking garage, so it will not be a forgotten area forever.

(Slide show above is current pictures of the pool taken last week.)

The Laramie Project comes to Dominican

2008-11-17T11:07:00.003-06:00

This Friday, Nov. 21 are auditions for the play "The Laramie Project." This play, written by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project is a true story about the murder of a homosexual college student in Laramie, Wyoming. He was brutally beaten by two other young men.

Theatre major Stefanie Greenman is auditioning for the play on Friday. She has also read the play and seen the movie. She believes this play will "make Dominican's Theatre Arts program more well-rounded and add to it."

Germaine Goetz Sota, Associate Professor of Theatre and Chair of CAS, Music and Theatre has taught and studied the play in her Theatre American Scene class, THEA 270.

She said that "this play is very powerful and should be read by everyone. It comes to terms with this act of violence and allows change to occur in the reader."

I am enrolled in Professors Goetz Sota's class and really enjoyed reading "The Laramie Project." It deeply describes the hate-crime that occurred in this small town and is very moving.

"The Laramie Project" is set to play February 27 - March 1 in the Martin Recital Hall.

Ban of Patriotism

2008-11-17T01:04:00.001-06:00

An email I received recently stated that "ABC NEWS issued orders forbidding reporters to wear lapel pin American flags or other patriotic insignia."Both snopes.com and truthorfiction.com have verified this statement. When I first heard this statement, I was disappointed, a little shocked. I understand that journalists must remain objective, but since when is patriotism, pride in one's country, considered a bias??

At first I thought nothing of the email. But soon I became curious, on a mission to find out whether this ban of patriotism was really necessary. I spoke with several reporters on the issue.

One reporter, Alex Shabad, of Evansville, Indiana's NBC affiliate WFIE-TV, also agreed that patriotic insignia interferes with objectivity. "It's hard to criticize our country when you wear an American flag pin. If a reporter is covering a bad story on the government, and wearing an American flag pin, it raises questions." Shabad also made a valid point about international journalists. "International reporters wearing the American flag pin are not objective. They are working in another country and should not display their patrioitsm for the US."

Chicago's NBC 5-WMAQ-TV's anchor and reporter Anna Davlantes said she understands the reasoning behind the ban, and refrains from displaying her views on air. "After the 9/11 attacks, we all wanted to wear American flag pins. The news director here told us that we couldn't. The display of patriotism contrasts our goal as reporters: being objective at all times."

Dominican University's Lund-Gill Chair Stephen Kinzer supported the reporters' views on journalists displaying their patriotism but spoke about a deeper meaning of patriotism. "Patriotism is a high virtue. It is love for one's country through hard work and sacrifice. Patriotism is giving back to the country that's given us so much."

Kinzer made the point that many Americans display their patriotism as an excuse, an alternative.A way out. "Don't tell me you're a patriot. Show me. Show me you're a patriot in a more profound way (other than wearing an American flag," he said. "Displaying one's patriotism is easy symbolism as an excuse for substance. We're moving into an era where people become suspiciousif you're proving to be patriotic."

After writing this post, I walked from the Tech Center to the Cyber Cafe, hoping to snap a photo of something patriotic. I was disappointed to find nothing. No American flags, no stars and stripes. No Uncle Sam. Nothing. Dominican University does have an American Flag that is flown in the Quad. But there's another story here:

According to the United States Code, compiled by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives, the flag is not to be displayed at night. The US Code states: "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness." In this video, you will see Dominican's flag display violating two rules from the US Code.

While DU is not supported by government funding, as this is a private university, shouldn't patriotism be displayed? AND when displayed, shouldn't it follow the US Code's laws regarding proper flag etiquette?

As a private insitution there are numerous religious figures displayed throughout campus. I enjoy the fact that I can see them while walking DU's hallways. As an American, and a journalist who is limited from diplaying personal beliefs and supports, I would enjoy seeing my university display their patriotism. There are numerous countries around the world that do not afford their people educational opportunities as the United States of America does. We should be proud and fortunate to be Americans, living here, studying here, and should embrace and encourage patriotism at Dominican.

Allposters.com

RA Opening: Earlier than Normal

2008-11-16T22:29:00.010-06:00

I noticed last week that there were postings for an open RA (Resident Assistant) position in the Res. Halls. The above pictures are of the posting in my hallway on Power 2. I've also seen a similar-themed one to the right of the door leading to Coughlin, Power and Mazzuchelli in the Coughlin Commons. It is not common to see a posting to fill an RA position for the spring - usually it is for the upcoming year in the fall.

I talked to senior Resident Assistant Anna Johnson about this posting. She said that the RA who stepped down "told us [Residence Life] enough in advance that we could go through the selection process" rather than going through alternate routes.

At the bottom of the posting, it is listed that there's a preference for male applicants based on the gender make-up of the floor in need of an RA. Johnson said that because of this note, there have been more male applicants than female. But considering Dominican's demographic (more women than men), this is not typical.

According to Johnson, with the RA selection process for the upcoming school year, a good number of freshman girls apply to be an RA for their sophomore year.

For people who apply but don't get selected as an RA due to all positions being filled, they may be assigned as an alternate RA and be called on to fill any open positions.

The theme for the postings are associated with Barack Obama and echoes his campaign message of hope and change - suggesting if you go for the position, you'll be a leader and inspiration to others. His campaign logo can be seen on his suit and "YOUR FACE HERE" is on the circle covering his face. I thought it was a clever way to get passersby to stop and take a second look. Riding on the heels of a historic presidential election, not too many should be surprised that the theme for RA selection is associated with the president-elect. Being an RA is about leadership after all.

Johnson says that the theme will probably change when they look for RAs for the 2009-2010 school year. One year, they did a Napoleon Dynamite theme. Residence Life always tries to come up with a fun theme to apply to their fliers for the RA selection process according to Johnson.

There is no specific reason why the theme for the current posting is the way it is. "The person who made it thought it would be fun," she says. A person from the Leadership Team, the professional staff for Residence Life, was the one who designed the fliers. One can not deny the timeliness of it.

Applications for the open RA position were due this past Friday, November 14th. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say a male applicant will be chosen considering on the special situation. During my time at DU, I've heard that male applicants are preferred to be chosen as RAs. This puts a new light to the trend of freshman girls going for the position. It makes it seem that so many females apply to be an RA - that any males who apply are dwarfed by the number of females who go out for it.

Gender demographics at a previously all-girls college...it takes a while for things to balance out.

Tuition at Dominican

2008-11-15T21:49:00.002-06:00

My dad, Pasquale "Pat" Pisano, is not very tech savvy and has trouble manuvering around MyDU while paying my tuition. He used to be able to mail in a check to Dominican, but now they have changed it. In order to pay tuition by check, students have to physically go to the Student Accounts office. I am sure that my dad is not the only parent who has trouble with the website. At Elmhurst College, students are allowed to mail in their tuition through check. "The Dominican website is very hard to manuever and very awkward," Pisano said. "I think it needs to be revamped."

Engineering and Nursing

2008-11-15T19:55:00.005-06:00

I wonder if Dr. McDreamy's nurses had a four year program...

Many students enter Dominican with hopes of becoming a nurse or an engineer. However, at Dominican, these majors are a lot more complicated than people think. The engineering program is affiliated with Dominican, and is a five year program. The first two years students only take classes at Dominican, but the next three are at Illinois Institute of Technology. Students who are involved with this program are still able to live on campus. Junior Ernesto Ramirez is currently involved in the engineering program. "IIT's campus is about forty five mintues to an hour away. Sometimes it is hard because I have an 8:30 a.m. class at Dominican and have to literally run to my car to make my classes at IIT. Also, it is hard to receive extra help just because the campus is far away from River Forest. But, we are being taught by real engineers who really know about the field," Ramirez said.

But, what about the nursing program? For students who want to become nurses, they have two options. They can either complete two years at Dominican and apply to West Suburban or finish four years of college and then apply to nursing schools. Most colleges have a nursing program so after your four years students are able to become nurses. Tammy Altonaga completed two years at Dominican and now attends West Suburban. She really wishes that she could have completed her nursing degree through Dominican instead of transferring after two years. Gina Navia, who is from Kansas City had to rent her own apartment because Dominican does not offer housing for West Suburban transfers. If a student is still affiliated with Dominican for the engineering program, why should it be different for the nursing program? Also, since nursing is such a popular field, shouldn't Dominican have a four year program without transferring in between or afterwards? More people would be attracted to Dominican if these programs were offered as a four year program.

DU Journalism: Past. Present. and Future?

2008-11-14T23:52:00.005-06:00

With the latest issue of the Star in the makings the last couple days, I've been running around Dominican (and the surrounding community) reporting for a couple different stories. One story, or little blurb rather, about the bullet found on campus, led me to the office of Jeffrey Carlson, Dean Rosary College of Arts and Sciences. What I assumed to be a 15 minute interview turned into a 45 discussion on many different things all relating to Dominican and journalism.

Carlson was very interested on my suggestions about expanding the courses offered for journalism students. While a state of the art media center is not in the picture, new opportunities may come!!

We touched on the possibility of an online Star website including blogs (like most newspapers have). We also discussed technology use that allows DU journalists to provide exclusive multimedia coverage for various stories. And my favorite: We discussed the possibility of adding new journalism courses to the curriculum.

In my opinion, future DU journos would greatly benefit from a continuation of Convergent Journalism (CAS 352). This type of class would challenge students to create better multimedia projects and provide additional experience with cameras, editing software and the like. I also suggested that a course teaching the writing style of broadcast journalism should (in my opinion, most definitely) be offered. The intro and intermediate journalism courses here provide extensive instruction on how to report, write and structure a story the correct way. The correct way for print.

I told Carlson that based on my experience interning at WMAQ NBC 5 this summer, DU journos should know how to write stories for broadcast...(not only for an internship or possible career in broadcast, but also for) the multimedia projects we're working on for this class. When I began my internship, my advisor and DU's journalism guru, John Jenks, provided me with a book on broadcast. If it weren't for his advice and guidance, the resume tape I left my internship with would've been half as good as it is now.

I've learned an immense amount on journalism from the journalism courses I've taken at DU. But a broadcast writing course, in my opinion, is a Must Have. Print and broadcast are two totally different information highways. The stories are written in two totally different languages. By this I mean the structure is completely different. So different, it's like comparing the Eiffle Tower to a local 7-11......not saying that either or is in my eyes a 7-11....just saying that print and broadcast are completely different. Both give audiences all the facts. But each has its own method of delivery: printed vs. spoken words. Newspapers are written to read, not hear, and vice versa.

After the 45 minute discussion Carlson and I shared, I left his office feeling fabulous about the possibilities DU can provide future journalists. I was enthusiastic to see how receptive, appreciative and understanding Carlson was in hearing what, why, when and how I think new courses would dramatically enhance the journalism curriculum.

Although I will be graduating from Dominican with my degree in journalism this spring, I hope that my efforts will have made some sort of impact on the future of DU's journalism program. I am confident and very satisfied with the skills I've learned here thus far and hope that future DominiNET bloggers and Star staff writers will have more opportunities to explore their passions for news delivery.

Salsa Dancing!

2008-11-12T18:28:00.003-06:00

Today was Salsa Dancing in the Social Hall with OLA, the Organization of Latin American Students. The music was blasting and it looked liked everyone was having fun and learning a lot. Sophomore Vania Lopez was teaching senior Christina Crowley a thing or two about the dance. Lopez said that she was having a great time teaching and that Crowley was doing very well. Crowley shrugged, half in agreement.

This is a great event for something like OLA to have. It costs nothing, spreads diversity, and helps students learn something for the next time they are at a family wedding. The Social Hall was a great location because people were heading back from dinner so there was a good amount of interest. Awesome job, OLA!

Ministry Center's Busy Student Retreats

2008-11-12T17:42:00.002-06:00

Margaret Brennan from the Ministry Center explains the Busy Student Retreats, a free service which students can utilize to get a handle on all that end of semester stress.

more on Officer Training

2008-11-12T17:39:00.008-06:00

To go along with Megan's post (directly below this one), it seems silly that Student Involvement requires club officers (who are busy enough as it is) to attend Officer Training sessions.

I feel that if Student Involvement is going to make a fuss about students attending, then the sessions should at least teach club officers and members something useful. ie. How to update myDU pages!

I'm serious. I was skimming through the different clubs' myDU pages today and, sadly, MOST of them haven't been updated in the last year at all. There is even a page for Dominican's cheerleading team (FYI Dominican doesn't even have a cheerleading team anymore...and hasn't since last year). MyDU is a tool that I think club officers could use to their advantage, but obviously don't.

All in all, like I said above, it's a bit ridiculous to force students to attend these meetings during such a busy time of year. But, if it must happen, Student Involvement should at least focus on teaching club officers something that could actually be of use to the students for their clubs. And by the looks of it, the myDU pages should probably be a top priority.

What is the Point of Officer Training?

2008-11-12T17:15:00.005-06:00

Dominican club officers are required to go to countless Officer Training sessions throughout the semester in order to follow the guidelines of Student Involvement. If you do not attend these sessions your club will be suspended.

This is the case with the wonderful Dominican Star. Myself and my Co-Editor Tom, see no point in these sessions. Honestly, we have not gone to any of them, which is our own fault. I just do not understand why the sessions are so frequent. I think I have done my fair share of leadership building exercises throughout my education. Eventually it gets over done.

I would be more inclined to attend these sessions if there was only one at the beginning of each semester. The late notice on the sessions is also not appreciated. I received an email Monday reminding me that officer training was Tuesday and Wednesday. I never received an original notice that we had training at all, so this was no reminder to me.

To anyone that has attended Officer Training, really what is the point?

Dish Pick-up, the Trash & Unexpected Reward

2008-11-12T11:43:00.017-06:00

This is going to be a somewhat mixed post. I wanted to give an update on the Chartwells Dish Pick-up on Power 2. Over the past week, I've noticed that there were about four or five dishes in the bin as well as most recently, glasses and utensils. The dishes are taken on the designated days (Tuesday and Friday). It looks like the dish pick-up service is catching on and more residents are utilizing it. Above, is a picture of what was in the bin today, but the same thing has been there since yesterday.

I want to follow-up on a comment I made here on Natalie's post about Recycling at DU. While it's great that DU does recycle and color code their bags to that effect, I get disheartened when I see items that clearly should be recycled aren't thrown away in the right bin. Now I am guilty of this too sometimes - it happens, but I hope there is a system that sorts out recyclables that are accidentally thrown out in the regular waste bin.

Case in point - the trash bin on Power 2 this morning (11/12):

A gallon of milk...shouldn't that be recycled?

An unopened Outtakes Chicken Caesar Salad is in the regular waste bin as well. Considering it is a plastic container, this should be in the plastic recyclable bin. But I think it is worse that it's been thrown out without even being touched/eaten. I admit I have thrown away unopened food items once in a while. But I'm always reminded of my sister's speech about how you should clean your plate because of all those people starving in the world. The food you leave on the plate and then throw away equals less food for those who deal with hunger everyday.

On a light note, not the best advertisement for the Chicken Caesar Salad (which is most likely from the Cyber Cafe): "So good, you could throw it right away!"

Finally, Show Your ID at the Coughlin Commons Desk. You just may get free candy.

The Hershey's candy bar I received this morning after I showed my ID without prompting. I don't know if it makes a difference if you show it without the desk person asking you or if they have to ask you. Either way, I was surprised when the Resource Desk Assistant stopped me and put a basket of candy in front of me asking me if I wanted a piece of candy for showing my ID.

I don't know if I just chose a lucky time of day or if this is something that will continue on for the rest of the school year. Judging by the Hershey's candy bar with its Halloween theme...it could just be leftover Halloween candy that they'd like to get rid of. If this didn't just happen to me, then I hope that others who got some free candy feel more incentive to show their ID in the future. As for me, I think it was a one-time thing, but if I get more candy for showing my ID in the future, then I'm all for it.

Relief for Chicago drivers?

2008-11-11T23:50:00.003-06:00

I love the city, but I hate its relentless parking tickets. Being a commuter student who lives in Chicago, sometimes it's pretty tricky finding legit parking without having to wake up at 7 to move your car before rush hour. Sometimes it's worse when driving home from night classes because by the time I get home, most of my neighbors have settled in for the night and taken every available spot that doesn't require an early rise. For a while this year I was convinced that my car was giving off invisible meter-maid signals drawing them to my Jetta.

theexpiredmeter.com

My friends are in a band Treaty of Paris, and several of those members live in the suburbs but work in the city. They laments the pain as well in their song Tired All the Time: "The city's out of parking spaces, but never out of orange citations, paper slips and brand new yellow boots."

I am someone who has been booted, towed, and ticketed multiple times by the city of Chicago (in instances that have been both my fault and NOT my fault), and still make the trip every month to the Department of Revenue to pay down my ever-growing payment plan.

The "boot threshold"--which is the number of unpaid, doubled tickets you can have before your car is booted--dropped from five to three in 2002, to two earlier this year. Ouch.

Last Wednesday, Nov. 5, Mayor Daley announced a new parking ticket amnesty plan which will run from Dec. 1 through Feb. 14., which excited me at first. However, the details of the "deal" aren't that great: a 50 percent waiver of penalties on tickets issued before Jan. 1, 2007.

...So, if I have a $50 ticket from 2006 which doubled to $100 (ticket fines double after two months), I would be able to pay $75 to clear it from my record.

It's something, I guess.

Although this doesn't directly benefit me, as my tickets are more recent, I'm sure this will help a lot of people, because there are people who owe nearly $72,000.00 in parking ticket debt. Carla Morgan has 442 tickets which amount to that much, according to the City of Chicago's list of debtors. The next highest "scofflaw" owes $44,000 on 333 tickets. How do you get THAT bad? How do you climb out from under THAT much parking ticket debt? Unbelievable. It makes me feel a lot better about myself.

Anyhow, this was nice news to receive last week. And although I've yet to be a victim of red-light Big Brother camera violations (knock on wood...), those who have been will benefit as well. I know city aldermen criticized Daley for lowering the boot threshold; I wonder if electing a Chicagoan president also had anything to do with this softening of heart (which it really isn't; it's a quick revenue-generating tactic.)? I just wish the amnesty were extended to tickets from 2007. Or even this year, why not?

I'm writing Obama. I know where he lives.

Blocking off the back parking lot: safety issue or not?

2008-11-11T22:38:00.005-06:00

Every night between 2 a.m.-6 a.m., the back parking lot off of Park Avenue is gated off. All cars entering and leaving must go around the main entrance and enter through the main circle drive.

I believe this is done to prevent unwanted guests from entering the back parking lot in the middle of the night and to prevent theft from occuring.

I've always wondered though, whether or not this is a potential safety issue. Think about it. If there was an emergency in the middle of the night and the police or fire department had to get through to the dorms, they, like everybody else, would have to go all the way around. I feel like this would slow down response time if there was ever a real emergency.

Besides, does blocking off the parking lot for a few hours really prevent theft? The parking lot is still very open, and anyone could walk right in... or drive around if they really wanted to.

What are your thoughts? Safety issue or not? I'll be following up on this post after I have a chance to talk with security.

Pro Vita Pres. Discusses March For Life

2008-11-11T22:23:00.005-06:00

Dominican's Pro Vita president, Jessica Ayette, talks about the March For Life event coming up this January in Washington D.C. Pro Vita is sponsoring the event. Any student is welcome to attend. It's a good opportunity to talk with politicians and network with other pro-life students and leaders who will also be there.

Free Edge!

2008-11-11T19:17:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, some company came in to pass out free samples of Edge Shave Gel. While it was nice to see faces light up at the prospect of free samples, it was not as nice to see the said gel all over the mini quad, the trash can near the commons, and, yes, even on some cars in the parking lot. I’m not sure whose idea it was to allow these samples to be handed out, but whoever it was obviously was not thinking about the maturity level of 19 year olds.

This brings another question to mind: how are companies given authorization to pass out samples of products? This is not the first time I have seen fellow students walking about with travel sized toiletries. Do companies just come into school with boxed of things to give to students? Technically anything could be in those boxes so is it really safe?

Sigma Tau Delta Book Sale

2008-11-11T14:03:00.003-06:00

The annual Sigma Tau Delta book sale in the Social Hall is always a great way to support this student organization and pick up some bargain books from all over the literary world. Books at this year's sale include everything from novels to biographies to Marxist theory, so there's probably something for everybody. Go on out and support them on their last day!

Student Carrie Stump describes the book sale in this short video clip.

calling all CABbies...2 positions now open on the e-board

2008-11-11T00:14:00.019-06:00

Campus Activites Board (CAB) is currently accepting applications for students interested in joining the executive board as homecoming co-chairs. The homecoming co-chairs are responsible for planning the dance and all other activities that go on during homecoming week.

According to the CAB homecoming application, CAB members are expected to:
-attend CAB meetings
-recruit a committee for your position to assist in planning and implementation of the event
-serve on two additional CAB committees
-hold regular meetings during the appropiate time for your event
-work closely with the CAB's President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer

In addition to the CAB member requirements above, the Homecoming Chairperson(s) are expected to:
-work closely with two Executive Boards to fulfill a one year position serving from December 2008 to December 2009
-serve on the University Homecoming Committee to assist in planning the campus wide fall Homecoming program
-work closely with Student Involvement, Athletics and Recreation, Alumni/ae and Constituant Relations, and University clubs and organizations
-recruit a committee to assist in the planning of student Homecoming events; Planning will occur during the winter, spring and summer

Here are a few of this year's homecoming photos:

(Photos courtesy of Ebony Benson)

Griselda Feliciano calls the DJ during the dance set up. "There were so many little details," she said, "but it was very rewarding in the end."

Dance decorations.

The final product

Students at the dance

Junior Griselda Feliciano has been one of the homecoming co-chairs on CAB for the last two years. When asked what advice she would want to give the new homecoming co-chairs, Feliciano said, "As the homecoming co-chair, you must be responsible and willing to ask for help. You must also be creative because things are going to go wrong and you will need to be creative enough to come up with solutions."

Although it's a huge committment, Feliciano had an overall good experience on CAB. "There's nothing like walking into the dance you helped bring to life," she said. "It's a lot of work, but it's satisfying."

Applications are available in the Student Involvement Resource Center (SIRC). They must be turned in to Coughlin 040 by Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 by 3:00 p.m. When dropping off an application, students should also sign up for an interview time on the CAB bulletin board on Lewis 2.

Matt Gibson on "Into the Woods"

2008-11-11T00:12:00.004-06:00

As Suzy posted below, the play Into the Woods is opening up this weekend on campus. This is a little preview of the play from one of the main actors Matthew Gibson.

Film Course

2008-11-10T23:55:00.004-06:00

I think a lot of people reading this are going to be communication students. If you are a communication student, I really recommend taking a film course. It's a really cool alternative to the normal communication classes. This semester I'm taking "Seeing Hitchcock." We watch and discuss films by one of the all-time great directors, Alfred Hitchcock. I've seen such great films as Vertigo and Strangers on a Train. I loved movies before, but now I feel that I really understand them. So if you're looking for classes to take, I would definitely consider a film course.