Inauguration Viewings Result in Large DU Crowds

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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!

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.

Stars Fall to Rival Concordia

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

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)

The dreaded SIR evaluations

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...

"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!

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!

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

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

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

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.