Speaker to share experiences as Colombian labor leader

Witness for Peace – Upper Midwest is hosting  Elizabeth Cuero Badillo, the secretary of  education for Buenaventura’s chapter of the  Portworker’s Union, to share her experiences  as a female labor leader in Colombia’s dangerous ports. She will speak 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the Common Room.

The event is hosted by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, the Saint Teresa Leadership and Service Institute for Women, and the Peace and Justice Club.

Badillo has been organizing for over 15 years in the deadliest country for union organizers, leading various actions for just working  conditions in Colombia’s principle port city of   Buenaventura.

Hearing about the reality of life in  Buenaventura is especially significant on the   eve of the one-­year anniversary of the U.S.-­   Colombia Free Trade Agreement; 60 percent of Colombian imports and exports pass  through Buenaventura, and its strategic  location makes it a center of much organized violence.

Badillo will share what privatization and free trade have meant for Buenaventura’s   Afro-­Colombian community, who make up  nearly 90 percent of the municipality’s population. Her major goals are to achieve recognition   and respect for worker’s rights, increase  women’s participation in organizing, and end  discrimination against women port workers.

For more information, contact Dorothy Diehl, Ext. 1531.

SMU hosts sustainability forums

Student Life will once again hold a series of forums this semester on issues related to sustainability. The forums are intended to provide interested students, staff and faculty with the opportunity to learn more about the broad concepts of sustainability, discuss these issues as they relate to our daily lives both on and off campus, and then identify actions to contribute toward a more sustainable future.
The series includes:

• “Sustainability & Catholic Higher Education” — Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m., Damien Commons in Watters Hall

How and why should we (as members of a Catholic and Lasallian community) become better stewards of God’s creation and champions for environmental justice? This forum features Chris McClead, co-director of Campus Ministry.

• “Food, Compost and Recycling” — Tuesday, March 20, 7:30 p.m., Damien Commons in Watters Hall

It has been said that “Food goes to the heart of civilization.” Topics for dialogue will include: Food and nutrition security, famine, waste, organic food, composting, fair-trade, “eat local,” community gardens, “foodies,” carbon-free diet, etc. We are what we eat, so come and share your point of view.

• “Water” — Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m., Toner Student Center Lounge

If today the issue is oil, then tomorrow the issue will be water. Whether gathered in your reusable container, flowing down the Mississippi River, pumped from the ground, or falling from the sky, water is at the core of all life on earth and we can’t take it for granted anymore. Come and dialogue with us about water!

Project FINE (Focus on Integrating Newcomers through Education) hosted its annual Taste of International Cuisine fundraiser on June 13, and SMU supported this event by sponsoring a table. Project FINE is a local, private, non-profit organization that has been serving refugees and immigrants in Winona County since 1990.

Lupita Garza, International Admission, is a Project FINE Board Member. Fatima Said, executive director of Project FINE is pictured to left of Garza. Other SMU staff attending included, from left: Brit Wagner, International Center; Edith Galvez, Countdown to College; Ken Pellegrini, Domestic Admission; Katie Trnka, Domestic Admission; and Brother Ed Siderewicz, assistant to the President for First Generation and Lasallian Initiatives.

SMU Green Team presents 5-part series on sustainability

The Saint Mary’s Green Team is presenting a five-part series on sustainability.

The next event is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 23, and will be led by faculty Joe Tadie, Joyce Altobelli and Jeff Amundson. They will lead a discussion on how small, daily changes may have the greatest impact on lowering energy consumption.

On Wednesday, March 17, the topic will be “Food.” Mary Gleich, Curt Coshenet, Chris Kendall and Chris McClead will lead a discussion on how food affects and is affected by climate change, including locally grown foods, composting, gardening, farming, Fair Trade, starvation, and other topics.

On Monday, April 23, Tom Marpe, Chris Kendall and Andy Robertson will lead a discussion on “Green Economy” — how climate change impacts the way we do business including green purchasing, marketing strategies, and new careers related to sustainability.

Everyone is invited to join the discussions on how Saint Mary’s is responding to climate change issues — and how you can help. As the university implements its Environmental Management System, faculty, staff and students will reduce their consumption of resources, reduce their carbon footprint, become better stewards of creation, and support environmental justice.

Topics already covered include efforts to reduce solid waste production, and “Sustainability and the Catholic University” — the moral and ethical implications of climate change and sustainability.

Frozen River Film Festival to kick off at Saint Mary’s

Extreme sports and thought-provoking materials will be shown and discussed as part of the Frozen River Film Festival at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

The opening event of the festival is the “adrenaline film set” to be shown from 9-10:30 p.m. in Salvi Lecture Hall.

The full schedule for the Frozen River Film Festival is now available with a full listing of events, synopses of films, and times. The festival will run Jan. 27-31.

Students may attend the festival for free with student ID. For more information, visit www.frff.org.

‘Our Story’ on display in McEnery Lounge

Everyone is invited to come to the McEnery Lounge to view “Our Story” — a photo exhibit of 61 photo boards and 21 text boards with titles and text of the past 60 years of the Palestinian Nakba, “the catastrophe.” This exhibit was originally created in 1998 by Sabeel, an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians, and updated in 2008 by Sabeel Canada. The exhibit is on loan for the month from Northfielders for Justice in Palestine/Israel.

Campus invited to join Relay for Life teams

The 2010 Relay for Life at Saint Mary’s will be held April 9-10. Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in the community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length. To learn more about SMU teams, go to www.relayforlife.org/smu.

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.

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.

BUGSS events raise about $1,500

Nine groups competed in the “Iron Chef” competition, with nearly 100 people in attendance. Approximately $1,500 was raised in loose change, ticket sales, and donations. The money will be sent to Bethlehem University.

Iron Chef competition Sunday will raise money, awareness

BUGGS Month will end on Sunday, April 19, at 5 p.m. with an Iron Chef competition in the Common Room. This event is the major fundraiser for the Bethlehem University Gaza Student Scholarships. Ten student teams and two faculty teams are competing for the Iron Chef SMU title.

If you didn’t get your ticket yet, you can still purchase one from Amira Sadek or Dorothy Diehl ($5 for faculty/staff and $3 for students). Your ticket will let you sample the various entries and enjoy a falafel sandwich, hummus, and tabouleh, prepared by Brother Tom Houde, John Schollmeier, and Diehl.

Come sample some great food and watch the three highly qualified judges, Brother Stephen Rusyn, Dr. Gary Diomandes and Joe Piscitiello, at work.

If you can't make it but would like to make a donation towards this charitable event, contact Sadek, student coordinator, at amsade06@smumn.edu or Diehl at ddiehl@smumn.edu.

Students sleep outside to raise awareness of homeless

Saint Mary’s students slept outside in cardboard boxes Thursday, April 2, during the annual “shak-a-thon,” part of Habitat for Humanity’s Act!Speak!Build! Week. A week of activities raised awareness about the millions of people who do not have adequate shelter to sleep.

BUGSS month to raise funds, awareness

The Bethlehem University Gaza Student Scholarship (BUGSS) month kicked off on Monday, March 27. A variety of activities are planned. Today, check out the television in the dining hall over lunch to learn more about Bethlehem University.

Next week see “Palestine through the Media.” On Monday, a loose change kick-off day is planned. Help send a student from Gaza to Bethlehem University. Put your loose change to work by dropping it off in one of the collection jars across campus.

On Tuesday, March 31, Dr. Dorothy Diehl, Modern/Classical Languages, will present on her fall sabbatical at 3 p.m. in the Common Room. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Dr. Diehl’s sabbatical had a double focus, to gather information for a Global Issues course on refugees, which she will teach next fall, and to investigate the possibility of arranging a three-week immersion program at Bethlehem University for interested students the following spring. She spent seven weeks in the West Bank last fall. Although the majority of her time was spent in Bethlehem, she also spent two days in Tuwani, a small village near Hebron, staying with a Christian Peacemaker Team. She also traveled briefly through the Galilee and Jordan. Her presentation is open to all students, faculty, and staff and will include a PowerPoint presentation with pictures.

On Wednesday, April 1, loose change jars will be put around the Winona community at various businesses.

And on Thursday, April 2, Ben Scott will lead a poetry reading of Middle Eastern literature at 7 p.m. in the President’s Room.

Additional activities are planned, including IronChef SMU on April 19. Additionally, SMU students will be receiving information from students at Bethlehem University, and a video conference with BU students and Brothers is planned. Watch for more information. Contact Amira Sadek, student coordinator, at amsade06@smumn.edu with questions.

March is Campus Energy Challenge Month

During the month of March, the Saint Mary’s community is invited to examine its energy consumption and work together to reduce the amount of energy. In the coming weeks, look for more information via e-mail and all over campus about ways you can reduce energy and some activities promoting energy-saving .

National Women’s History Month is March

During March, Saint Mary’s will join thousands of other institutions across the United States in recognizing the significant role of women in American history and contemporary society for National Women’s History Month.

The 2009 theme is “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet.” The 2009 national honorees are women who have demonstrated leadership in protecting the environment on a local, state, national, or international level. The most well-known 2009 honoree is Rachel Carson, who authored “Silent Spring” and who is widely recognized as a founder of the current environmental movement. Other honorees include women who are scientists, engineers, business leaders, writers, filmmakers, conservationists, teachers, community organizers, religious or workplace leaders and others whose lives show exceptional vision and leadership to save our planet. For information about all honorees, go to www.nwhp.org.

SMU women also take the lead in saving the planet through a variety of activities and initiatives and these projects will be highlighted during March. Mark your calendars —Thursday, March 12, will be the annual Women’s History Month reception. Look for more information throughout the month about local projects to save our planet.

Common Threads Clothing Drive is March 20-22

On March 20-22 the Peace and Justice Club will be having a clothing drive/sale for the SMU community and the Winona community.

SMU’s Day at the Capitol is March 5

Saint Mary’s students have been actively involved over the last few years in Minnesota’s Private Colleges Day at the Capitol. On this day students meet with their legislators at the State Capitol to advocate for student financial aid, specifically the Minnesota State Grant Program. Between February and April 2007, more than 400 students developed skills on how to be effective citizen lobbyists and urged their hometown legislators to support Minnesota students.

Saint Mary’s will be at the Capitol on March 5. Anyone can attend Day at the Capitol — students, professors, parents, or administrators. Last year 40 students took advantage of this opportunity. Student Senate is trying to increase these numbers this year.

Minnesota undergraduate students and their families had to borrow more than $1 billion dollars in 2005 to pay for higher education — an amount that has grown 162% since 1995. The value of state grants dropped 14 percent from 2000 to 2005. Only 2 percent of public spending for Higher Education goes to private schools while 28 percent of state graduates come from private schools like Saint Mary’s.

With 71,108 students receiving need-based aid through the State Grant Program and our state budget deficit for the next biennium forecasted to be at least $4.8 billion, preserving the State Grant program and keeping the cost of education low is even more important.

Go to the Minnesota Association of Private College Students’ (MAPCS) website at www.mnprivatecolleges.org/mapcs/index.php for more information. Students will be able to register on the MAPCS website or through Student Senate as the event draws nearer.

In addition to excusing students to attend, faculty are encouraged to promote conversations about the cost of higher education and the problems our state is currently facing.

If you have any further questions, contact Mary Gleich, Student Senate vice president for external affairs, at mtglei04@smumn.edu.

SMU invites community to decorate fountains

The Heart of the Beast Puppet Mask Theatre residency ended in public performance in celebration of our water on Friday, Feb. 6.
A decorated drinking fountain in Saint Mary's Hall.

The public is invited to adopt a drinking fountain as part of the “Our Drinking Fountains, Our Water!” collaborative project.

Winona State University, Saint Mary’s University, Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board and the City of Winona are incorporating the water theme into classes, presentations and activities this year. The goal of the project is for the community to achieve a broader and deeper understanding of water quality and stewardship. This project is funded by the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Campus Compact.

Through the adopt-a-drinking fountain project, community members are invited to design and implement an artistic design around a drinking fountain. This project was designed to get the community involved in highlighting our drinking fountains and remind everyone how lucky we are to have clean, drinkable water right at our fingertips.

Fountains must be registered by Feb. 27. Decorating must be started and completed between March 2-18, and the design must remain in place until Earth Day celebrations on April 27.

A map of the decorated fountains (along with designer credit) will appear on the project’s website, http://water.southeastmn.edu. Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories including: most educational, most inspirational, best use of water theme, most creative, and most eye catching.

Refer to the project’s website for rules of the contest, as well as details about how to register a fountain, or call Katie LaPlant at Ext. 6936 or kalaplan@smumn.edu.

SMU in the news

Here is a recent mention of SMU “making the news” — in the Winona area and beyond.

• The Winona Daily News ran an article titled, “Drink it up” Feb. 9 inviting the public to decorate drinking fountains and detailing SMU events in connection with the project.

Daffodil orders due next week

Daffodil orders can be turned in until Feb. 17 (during break), or order online until Feb. 19.

Support the American Cancer Society’s programs of research, education, advocacy and vital patient services by purchasing some of these bright spring flowers, which serve as a symbol of hope.

This year’s Boyd's™ exclusive, limited-edition bear is Carrie N. Hope. She is available through the “Bear Hugs for Hope” (through which a bear will be delivered anonymously to a child at an area cancer center for $25) or “Bear and a Bunch,” (through which the bear and 10 daffodils will be delivered to you for $25).

“Dainty Daffodils” return this year. Plant bulbs outside in fall to enjoy again in your garden next spring, or regrow indoors. — $15

Also available are:

“Bunch of 10” daffodils — $10; “Vase and a Bunch” — $12; “Gift of Hope Bouquet” (bouquet of open flowers in vase delivered anonymously to a local cancer patient) — $25; and “Sunshine Bouquet” (a vibrant arrangement of 6 bouquets and fresh greenery presented in a glass vase) — $75.

Order online at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/smuwinona or contact Sylvia Pflughoeft, spflugho@smumn.edu, Campus Box 17, Ext. 1455.

Payment is required with your order. Make checks payable to the American Cancer Society, and please don’t send cash through campus mail.

Daffodils will be delivered on the Winona Campus during the week of March 9.