Iron Chef results announced

The 3rd annual Iron Chef competition raised $1,000 for Bethlehem University's Gaza Student Initiative scholarship.  The winning student team was Team #6 (Luke Brown, Randy Vette, and Roque Meraz) and the winning faculty team was Team #8 (Jorge García and John Reed). The LCT375A class would like to thank everyone who participated, particularly the 13 teams who prepared some delicious dishes and desserts.  Special thanks to the Chartwells staff and the distinguished judges (Brother Stephen Rusyn, Gary Diomandes and Joe Piscitiello) for their help.

Iron Chef fundraiser is March 27

The Iron Chef fundraiser will be held 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 27, in the Toner Student Center Dining Room.

Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for adults, faculty and staff. The last opportunity to buy tickets will be today, Friday, March 25.

For more information, contact Dr. Dorothy Diehl at ddiehl@smumn.edu.

The money raised through this event helps support students at Bethlehem University.

Competitors needed for Iron Chef competition

The 3rd annual Iron Chef competition will take place in the North Dining Room at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 27. As always, the funds raised will be sent to Bethlehem University for the Gaza Student Initiative.

This initiative provides scholarships for students from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University.

Students will be signing up in teams of up to four people. Each team is responsible for preparing a dish and dessert for 10 people.

In the past faculty and staff have also entered. Faculty/staff teams do not have to have multiple members, so if you’re a lone chef, you're welcome to participate.

If you're interested in making a dish for the competition (or just providing a dish and not competing), let Dorothy Diehl know at Ext. 1531 or ddiehl@smumn.edu.

Competitors needed for Iron Chef competition

The 3rd annual Iron Chef competition will take place in the North Dining Room at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 27. As always, the funds raised will be sent to Bethlehem University for the Gaza Student Initiative.

This initiative provides scholarships for students from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University.

Students will be signing up in teams of up to four people. Each team is responsible for preparing a dish and dessert for 10 people.

In the past faculty and staff have also entered. Faculty/staff teams do not have to have multiple members, so if you’re a lone chef, you're welcome to participate.

If you're interested in making a dish for the competition (or just providing a dish and not competing), let Dorothy Diehl know at Ext. 1531 or ddiehl@smumn.edu.

Competitors needed for Iron Chef competition

The 3rd annual Iron Chef competition will take place in the North Dining Room at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 27. As always, the funds raised will be sent to Bethlehem University for the Gaza Student Initiative.

This initiative provides scholarships for students from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University.

Students will be signing up in teams of up to four people. Each team is responsible for preparing a dish and dessert for 10 people. In the past faculty and staff have also entered. Faculty/staff teams do not have to have multiple members, so if you’re a lone chef, you're welcome to participate. If you're interested in making a dish for the competition (or just providing a dish and not competing), let Dorothy Diehl know at Ext. 1531 or ddiehl@smumn.edu.

Deported Palestinian student to speak at Saint Mary’s Dec. 1

A Palestinian woman who made world headlines in 2009 after she was arrested at an Israeli military checkpoint and forbidden to continue her studies at Bethlehem University will share her story with Winona audiences Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

In October 2009, on her way back to Bethlehem from a job interview, Berlanty Azzam was arrested at a checkpoint and forcibly deported. A Palestinian student from Gaza, Azzam was blindfolded, handcuffed and forbidden by the Israeli military to return to Bethlehem University — just two months shy of completing her bachelor’s degree. The Israeli state never told her why she was denied permission to complete her studies, only that her presence in Bethlehem was illegal. In December 2009, the Israeli High Court upheld the government’s position.

In January 2010, despite not being able to return to school, Azzam completed her degree long-distance from Bethlehem University.

Her story drew international attention from human rights groups and CNN, MSNBC, BBC and the Washington Post.

Since July, Azzam has been sharing her story across the United States. Her presentation in Winona is being hosted through a collaboration between Saint Mary’s University and Bethlehem University, both run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The group sponsoring her trip to the U.S. is Project Engage of the Telos Group, a non-profit educational initiative that seeks to educate America’s mainstream faith leaders and their communities about the causes of — and solutions to — the modern conflict that currently ravages the Holy Land.

Winona State University students are being invited to hear Azzam’s story Tuesday, Nov. 30. On Wednesday, Dec. 1, she will speak to Saint Mary’s students.

The public is invited to hear her story at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, at Saint Mary’s University’s Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the Performance Center.

For more information, contact Dorothy Diehl at Ext. 1531. To learn more, visit www.bethlehem.edu/archives/2010/2010_003.shtml.

Teams invited to compete in Iron Chef Oct. 9

The third annual Iron Chef competition will take place Saturday, Oct. 9, in the Common Room. As in the past, the money raised will go to the Gaza Student Initiative to help provide scholarships for students from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University. The competition is open to both student and faculty/staff teams.

If you are interested in forming a team, or have any questions, contact Dorothy Diehl at Ext. 1531 or e-mail ddiehl@smumn.edu.

Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for faculty and staff. They can be purchased from any team member, at Campus Ministry, or at Office 209 in Saint Mary’s Hall.

Film, presentation about Palestine offered Dec. 9

The public is invited to a video and presentation about Palestine at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9, in Salvi Lecture Hall.

The free event will begin with a half-hour video about the Free Bethlehem Campaign. The movie discusses the highly controversial Israeli West-Bank barrier, a network of fences with vehicle-barrier trenches. Following the video, Dr. Dorothy Diehl, associate professor and chair of the Modern/Classical Languages Department, will make a presentation about her visit to Palestine in the fall of 2008. Diehl will also give an update on conditions in Bethlehem.

The Free Bethlehem Campaign, sponsored by the American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights, works to educate Americans about the current situation in Bethlehem.

CNN report on Gaza student features Brother Bob Smith

CNN has done an update on the situation with Bethlehem University student Berlanty Azzam. The piece features an interview with Brother Bob Smith, former VP for mission and currently a vice president at Bethlehem University.

To view the video clip, go to www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/31/west.bank.college.student/index.html

Iron Chef winners announced

This year’s Iron Chef Competition raised about $500 for the Gaza student scholarship.

There was a tie for first place between Team Librarians and Team Diehl. Team Seminarians came in second place, and Team Kim Riley came in third.

If you couldn’t attend but would like to send a donation toward the scholarship, please contact Dorothy Diehl.

Iron Chef competition Nov. 8 to raise money for scholarship

The second annual Iron Chef Competition will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, in the dining hall. All proceeds will support a scholarship that will enable a student from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University.

Teams of four will create a main dish and dessert for judges and fans to enjoy. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to create teams. Tickets are $5 for faculty and staff and $3 for students and children. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the game room.

Iron Chef competition Nov. 8 to raise money for scholarship

The second annual Iron Chef Competition will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, in the dining hall. All proceeds will support a scholarship that will enable a student from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University.

Teams of four will create a main dish and dessert for judges and fans to enjoy. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to create teams. Tickets are $5 for faculty and staff and $3 for students and children. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the game room.

Iron Chef competition Nov. 8 to raise money for scholarship

The second annual Iron Chef Competition will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, in the dining hall. All proceeds will support a scholarship that will enable a student from Gaza to attend Bethlehem University.

Teams of four will create a main dish and dessert for judges and fans to enjoy. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to create teams. Tickets are $5 for faculty and staff and $3 for students and children. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the game room.

SMU collaborating to bring special education to Palestine

Brother Robert Smith, Dr. Jane Anderson and Rebecca Hopkins participated in the first national conference on special education.

On Aug. 5, Rebecca Hopkins, dean of the Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Jane Anderson dean of the School of Education, traveled to Ramallah, Palestine to participate in seminar work sessions and the first ever national conference on special education.

The project director, Dr. Sami Basha, Department of Education faculty member at Bethlehem University, invited Saint Mary’s to collaborate on this ground breaking initiative of developing the first teacher preparation program in special education in Palestine.

Prior to this visit, curriculum and program structure of our newly launched M.A. in Special Education was shared with Dr. Basha and his team. The basic structure of this master’s degree has now been developed, and continued work on curriculum writing and assessment planning will be next. Brother Robert Smith, vice president of Academic Affairs at Bethlehem University, was also present at the conference in Ramallah to support this initiative and the collaboration between the two universities.

For more information, go to www.bethlehem.edu/index.php.