Saint Mary's annual Fall Frolic is Sept. 26

The 22nd Fall Frolic 5K fun run/walk will be held during Family Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 26. The event is free to SMU students, faculty and staff, but is open to the community as well. Typically close to 500 people participate; competitors of all levels (including walkers) are welcome.

Registration will run from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in SMU’s Toner Student Center. The race begins at 10 a.m. SMU participants will receive a free T-shirt.

Registration forms — as well as a complete weekend schedule — are available online at www.smumn.edu/familyweekend.

Family Weekend, which runs Sept. 25-27, includes a full slate of activities. In previous years, as many as 1,000 visitors have come onto campus for Family Weekend music and theatre events, sporting events, the Fall Frolic, and other games and activities.

SMU offers full weekend of student performances

Three student performances — a jazz concert, a choir and band performance, and a staged comedy — highlight Family Weekend.

• The Saint Mary’s University Department of Theatre, under the direction of Judy Myers, will stage “Fallen Angels” Sept. 24-27 at Page Theatre. This three-act comedy takes place in the 1920s and follows best friends Julia and Jane as they wait for a visit from Maurice, a French seducer who had affairs with both women before they were married. While their husbands play golf, the women quarrel, make up, and get a little tipsy on champagne. They then must face their husbands, who unexpectedly return early. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 24-26, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors.

• SMU jazz groups will kick off their year with a fall blast at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in Figliulo Recital Hall. Jazz Combo I (a new and hot jazz septet) will fire off the show with jazz classics like Horace Silver’s “The Preacher” and the Miles Davis classic “Freddie The Freeloader.” The 18-piece Jazz Ensemble follows with some great selections and soloists including “Keep The Stick,” a new Dean Sorenson composition that will feature trombonist Tom Briese of Rochester, Minn. They will also perform “The Nasty Blues” by Mike Carubia, featuring many of the soloists in the band; “Smack Dab in the Middle” from Count Basie’s book; and “Blue Skies,” arranged by Mark Taylor. Both groups are directed by professor of music Dr. John Paulson. Two jazz workshop combos directed by Dr. Paulson and Eric Heukeshoven will play for a reception following the concert in the Toner Student Center Lounge. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors.

•The SMU Concert Band will join the choirs for a 2 p.m. concert Saturday, Sept. 26, at Page Theatre. The Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Patrick O’Shea, and the Women's Choir, directed by Lindsy O’Shea, will present works in English, Latin and the African Xhosa languages. The SMU Band will start the year by featuring two Minnesota composers’ works, “The Jig is Up” by Dan Kallman, and “Jazz March” by Frank Bencriscutto. Both works feature the percussion section. To round out the program, a beautiful setting of the traditional Irish hymn-tune “Be Thou My Vision,” will be performed, as well as music from “Offenbach” arranged by John Bourgeois (former director of the U.S. Marine Band), and the “Galop (from Genevieve de Brabant).” Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors.

Tickets to all three performances are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Tickets are also available at the door.

Faculty Updates

Brother Larry Humphrey, FSC, director of Mission, will be on leave the first semester of the 2009-2010 academic year to complete work on his doctoral program.

Dr. Jane Kelley Rodeheffer, Philosophy, is working on projects assigned by the President’s Office for the first semester of the 2009-2010 academic year. The projects will focus on Lasallian Catholic higher education.

Faculty members attend social responsibility conference

Dr. Elizabeth Throop, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, Dr. Dorothy Diehl, Modern/Classical Languages Department chair, and Dr. Daniel Bucknam, assistant professor of psychology, will attend the Association of American Colleges and Universities conference, “Educating for Personal and Social Responsibility: Deepening Student and Campus Commitments,” from Oct. 1-3 in Minneapolis.

Dr. Martin to present at next biology seminar

Dr. Debra Martin, Biology Department, will present “Feminization of Chickens Exposed to Atrazine” at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at Room 112, Hoffman Hall.

Buckets and Tap Shoes show Oct. 2 sold out

Tickets are sold out for the first Page Series event, Buckets and Tap Shoes.

This company of musicians, percussionists and rhythm tap dancers will perform in Page Theatre at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.

The group uses five-gallon buckets, metal cans, barrels, found objects and tap shoes to create rhythms. They also mix in original live funk music, improvisation and some magic tricks.

Members of the troupe will lead a tap dance workshop at Valéncia Arts Center from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct.1. For more information about fees, dress, and skill levels required, call Ext. 5501.

For more information about other Page Series events, go to www.pagetheatre.org.

SMU music faculty to perform at marine art museum

“A Celebration of Words, Music, and Images” — featuring William Neil, artistic director and 2008 McKnight Visiting Composer with the American Composers Forum — will be held 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.

The event will include six world premieres performed by some of the most gifted classical and folk musicians in the region. The performance will feature six distinct musical perspectives on the themes so sensitively expressed by the poets James Armstrong (poet laureate for the city of Winona), Chad Mikal Oness, and Elizabeth Oness.

“A Celebration of Words, Music, and Image” features the Duisigh Ensemble, a consortium of classical and folk musicians whose work is inspired by the city of Winona. New works by SMU Music Department faculty Dr. Patrick O’Shea and A. Eric Heukeshoven will be performed by Dr. Janet Heukeshoven and WSU faculty Paul Vance and Dan Sheridan, along with Ariane Lydon, Tim Britton, and Devin McCabe.

Heukeshoven’s piece, narrated by the Armstrong, draws contemporary parallels to the life and times of Charles Stewart Parnell who visited Winona in the late 19th Century. The work utilizes traditional Irish and American folk music to evoke the era described in Armstrong’s poem.

O’Shea’s song cycle, a setting of Armstrong’s poems, examines the coming to this area of the Dakota, Irish, Germans, Poles and Hmong and features interesting and expressive combinations of the ensemble including the singer playing hand-drum.

Tickets are $18.96 ($9.48 for students). The cost includes access to audio and video interviews with the artists, admission to the main event and access video excerpts from the live concert. A reception prepared by MyChef Creations will follow the concert.

For more information, call 800-822-4373.

Play about Gaza is student senior project

“Seven Jewish Children,” a chamber theatre piece about Gaza, written by Caryl Churchill, will be performed at 6:15 p.m. Oct. 2-4 at the Veterans Memorial. The freeform play is Bernadette Raspante’s senior theatre graduation project.

Saint Mary’s art show titled ‘A History of the Plains’

St. Cloud artist David Sebberson is exhibiting a portion of his on-going series, “A History of the Plains,” through Sept. 27 at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries.

A closing reception for the artist will be held 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the galleries. Admission is free and open to the public, and gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call Ext. 1652.

Volunteer committee funds to help food shelf, students

This fall the SMU Volunteer Committee will use funds from the “Let’s Do Lunch” events for Volunteer Services Food Shelf, and “Jeans for a Cause” funds will go toward student assistance, especially first generation students.

The first Let’s Do Lunch “Boo”fet will be Friday, Oct. 30, hosted by the garden level of Saint Mary’s and Heffron Halls. The Cabinet will host a Let’s Do Lunch on Dec. 4. If your department or office would like to host a “Let’s Do Lunch” second semester, contact Laurie Haase at Ext. 1464. The volunteer committee provides water, plates, napkins, silverware and desserts. Hosts are asked to bring food for the main course.

Fine Arts Commission to honor SMU School of the Arts

On Monday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., SMU’s School of the Arts is being recognized by the City of Winona’s Fine Arts Commission for outstanding contributions to the City of Winona and its arts community.

Dean Michael Charron will accept the award on behalf of SMU and the School of the Arts. Everyone is invited to attend. The Fine Arts Commission will meet in the council chambers at city hall.

Host families needed for San Miguel visit

Saint Mary’s will host San Miguel students Monday, Oct. 5, through Thursday, Oct. 8. Host families are still needed for four students. E-mail richmond@smumn.edu with your gender preference. This is a great way to reach out to part of our Lasallian family and live the mission!

National Parks movie Sept. 20

America’s National Parks are some of the most beautiful places in the world. The Frozen River Film Festival and Saint Mary’s have partnered to share a sneak preview of Ken Burn’s series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” Come and enjoy a glimpse of the stories behind what made the national parks possible and the people that continue to enjoy them at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, in Salvi Lecture Hall.

Choreographer’s Showcase is Saturday

A dance audition for the Young Choreographer’s Showcase will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, from 2 to 4 pm in the Gostomski Fieldhouse dance studio. Pieces will be choreographed and produced by five SMU dance minor students and performed at the Valéncia Arts Center Academy Theatre, Dec. 4 and 5. Auditioning dancers should be at an intermediate or advanced level in their dance training.

Participants are asked to wear movable clothing and bring jazz, tap and/or ballet shoes. The studio will be open by 1:15 p.m. for dancers to stretch and fill out audition forms. For more information, contact Tammy Schmidt, director of Dance, at Ext. 5502.

Students can sign up for SOUL trips

Students are encouraged to sign up for SOUL (Serving Others United in Love) trips during October break. The cost is $40, and there are scholarships available. Spots are limited so sign up now in the Office of Campus Ministry.

One SOUL trip will visit Habitat for Humanity Twin Cities, San Miguel Middle School, and Sharing and Caring Hands of Minneapolis. This trip will embrace social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and education.

Or, experience the outdoors like never before on a SOUL trip that blends service with current food justice issues. Students will visit local organic farmers, homes that are built out of sustainable materials, and relax in the serenity of Whitewater State Park while planting trees to reduce air pollutants.

Benefit planned for Griffin family

A benefit for Bob Griffin, husband of Crystal Griffin, who works in maintenance, will be Saturday, Oct. 24.

Bob Griffin is paralyzed from a staph infection in his spine.

The benefit will begin at 4 p.m. at the Lewiston Community Center. There will be a silent auction at 5:30 p.m., as well as a live auction at 6 p.m. The event will conclude with a DJ.

The menu will include pulled pork, beans, salad and a roll for $10, with dessert available for purchase. Tickets are available in maintenance.

Auction items or monetary donations can be brought to the Maintenance Department or Business Office.

Saint Mary’s to make a difference on Oct. 24

In recognition of national “Make a Difference Day,” Saint Mary’s Volunteer Services group is inviting Winona nonprofit agencies to submit requests for service.

Approximately 150 Saint Mary’s University students will be teamed up from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help groups and organizations on Saturday, Oct. 24, in recognition of “Make a Difference Day.”

“Make a Difference Day” is the most encompassing national day of helping others, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Created by USA WEEKEND magazine, this annual event takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. SMU is proud to join the millions of people throughout the nation who are participating.

For more information, call Katie LaPlant at Ext. 6936 or e-mail volunteerservices @smumn.edu.

Sessions detail student study abroad opportunities

HECUA (Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs) will present an information session on study abroad programs to Ecuador, Norway, Norway and Poland, and Northern Ireland at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, in the World Room.

Another information session for all affiliated study abroad programs will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Saint Mary’s Hall Room 132.

For more information, contact Phil Hull at Ext. 1447 or phull@smumn.edu.

Annual river cleanup to be held Sept. 19

The annual Mississippi River cleanup will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Latsch Island Beach. Participants should wear gloves and old clothes. Free lunch and music will be provided. For more information, contact Richie Swanson at richieswan@lycos.com or 454-8478.

Students host Mexican Independence celebration

Members of ICAA hosted a “El Grito,” an event celebrating Mexico’s independence from Spain, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the plaza.

Students enjoyed authentic Mexican food catered by Tres Compadres and listened and danced to music by a live Mexican mariachi band.