Common Threads clothing drive ends today

The Peace and Justice Club will once again be conducting the Common Threads clothing drive from noon to 4 p.m. today, March 21, in Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Common Threads clothing drive is March 19-21

The Peace and Justice Club will once again be conducting the Common Threads clothing drive. Look for donation bins in the residence halls; today is the last day to donate.

All the clothes that get donated will then be sold at Saint Mary’s very own “thrift shop.” Any clothes that do not sell will get donated.

The sale will be noon to 4 p.m. March 19-21 in Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Common Threads Clothing Drive continues

The annual Common Threads Clothing Drive will continue 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, April 13, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, April 14, in the Toner Student Center game room. The event is hosted by the Peace & Justice group.

Peace and Justice brings in speaker from Sudan

The Peace and Justice Organization, led by Libby Perkins, Bridget Coffou and Robby McGuire, invited Father Lasuba from Rochester, Minn., to come and present on the current situation in Sudan Feb. 17.

The presentation highlighted Father Lasuba’s work with his country’s movement toward independence and the struggles and tragedy he personally has experienced. He also discussed the referendum which will allow South Sudan to become its own independent country.

This guest speaker was a continuation of a series started by Peace and Justice, with support from their connection with Catholic Relief Services, on peaceful solutions and solidarity with those who live in areas of conflict.

‘Engage: Poverty’ weekend events announced

The Peace and Justice Club will host a variety of activities March 20-22 in recognition of Engage: Poverty weekend including:

• Common Threads Clothing Sale Friday through Sunday.

• Spoken Word – Youth poet Tottiana Adams (Minnesota State Youth Poetry Champion) at 7 p.m. today, March 20, in the Game Room. Go to
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=wsfv9TNwz4c&feature=user for more information.

• Fair Trade/Local Business Fair — 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Hall of Fame Room.

• Hunger Banquet — 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 21, Saint Mary’s dining room.

• Keynote Speaker Julia Dinsmore, 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Presidents Room.

• Poverty-related movie with Will Smith — 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Presidents Room.

• Prayer Service — 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22, Saint Thomas More Chapel.

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. Shop 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday or 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the Hall of Fame Room. Items are 50 cents each or $3 a bag! All proceeds are donated to help those in poverty. This event is part of the Engage:Poverty weekend.

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.

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.

Common Threads clothing drive starts today

The Common Threads Clothing Drive will be held Oct. 24-26. The annual event, sponsored by the SMU Peace and Justice Club, will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, in the Hall of Fame Room. Proceeds will benefit the Winona Catholic Worker Community.

Common Threads clothing sale will be Oct. 25-27

The sixth annual Common Threads clothing sale will be held Oct. 25-27 in the Hall Fame Room.

Gently used clothing and footwear for men, women, youth and infants will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, through Saturday, Oct. 27. The public is welcome.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Campus Ministry and the student Peace and Justice group. Each year the money raised — along with the leftover clothing from the sale — goes to local organizations that help those less fortunate.

This year proceeds will go to the Winona Catholic Worker House.

Items can be dropped off, beginning at 9 a.m., Oct. 22-24 at Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Volunteer Opportunity for Earth Plaster Day on Sept. 30

Come learn about sustainable and green living, peace and justice, and the Catholic Worker Movement as you apply earth plaster to a straw bale home in Lake City. A group will leave the Toner Student Center at 10 a.m. and return at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30. RSVP by Sept. 27 to Holly Richard, Ext. 6651 or hjrichar@smumn.edu.

Rockin’ for Relief raises nearly $5,500 for flood victims

Big Red couldn’t stop dancing to SMU’s Bookreader.





An estimated 300 to 350 students, staff and faculty attended the concert, which also included food and kid’s games.





SMU student Peter Snell performs as part of the Rockin’ for Relief concert.


Last weekend’s Rockin’ for Relief — a live concert to benefit flood victims in our surrounding communities — raised $2,889.78. With a matching $2,500 donation from Modern Woodmen of America, the proceeds total $5,389.78.

Between 300 and 350 people attended the event that included live music, kids games, a live auction and barbecued food.

The event was sponsored by Saint Mary’s Volunteer Services and Office of Campus Ministry.

SMU to host speaker on PATRIOT Act Sept. 18

George Christian











A Connecticut librarian who is one of only four people in the nation who can legally discuss a gag order imposed as part of a USA PATRIOT Act investigation will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Saint Mary’s. The event — free and open to the public — will be held in Figliulo Recital Hall.

George Christian was party to a lawsuit that successfully challenged the gag order provision of the National Security Letter (NSL) statute. The NSL is part of the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). In 2005, Christian was served by the FBI with an NSL demanding that he turn over records concerning library patrons’ use of computers, the Internet and e-mail.
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“The idea that the government can secretly investigate what the public is informing itself about is chilling,” Christian says.

Christian and three colleagues are the only four people who can even mention they have been served with an NSL. Christian said the recipients of an estimated 270,000 other NSLs issued since 9-11 “are under a perpetual gag order and must therefore carry the secret of their encounter with them to their graves.”

The group has been featured in Washington Post and New York Times news stories, the Public Broadcasting System’s NOW program, the American Civil Liberties Union website, and other media outlets.

Christian’s appearance is being held in conjunction with events for Constitution Day, which was instituted by the Bill of Rights Institute to “educate young people about the words and ideas of America’s Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our founding documents, and how our founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society.” For more information, contact Dr. Steven Schild, Ext. 1753.

Benefit concert for flood relief is Sept. 7

Saint Mary’s Volunteer Services and Office of Campus Ministry are planning a benefit concert, Rockin’ for Relief, 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, in the plaza.

Proceeds will assist victims of flood damage in our surrounding communities. The public is welcome.

Performing will be Bookreader, an SMU student band; SMU’s Adam Stasica; Winonan Mike Munson; and Monday Saga, a band from Milwaukee in which SMU alum Brandon Mathieus performs. Barbecued food will be served, and kids games will be provided. Many big-ticket items, including a Wenonah Canoe, are being donated for a live auction.

Admission will be $10 or $5 for students. A freewill donation will be asked for those younger than 12. Families will be admitted for $10 per adult and freewill donations for children.

The concert will serve as a kickoff for an SMU volunteer weekend of service to flood victims. For more information, contact Katie LaPlant at Ext. 6936.

Scott and Jeff radio marathon Habitat fundraiser

For the third consecutive year, the Scott and Jeff Show (a quirky talk show hosted by two Saint Mary’s business faculty members, Scott Deml and Jeff Hefel) will do a 10-hour Habitat for Humanity Radio-a-thon.
Read more.

The unpredictable fundraising show will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 3. Additional members of the SMU community will be making guest appearances.

Callers may pledge money by dialing Ext. 1615. In 2005, the duo raised $500; the total tripled to nearly $1,500 last year; Hefel and Deml hope the donations continue to grow. The Scott and Jeff Show can be heard on SMU radio station, KSMR, 92.5-FM on the Saint Mary’s campus and 94.3-FM in Winona. Their regular show plays 3 to 5 p.m. Thursdays.

Known for being “so bad they’re good,” the duo play music by Jimmy Buffett and Elton John in between their corny contests and bantering. For the radio-a-thon, the group will expand their music venue to play a variety of artists.

Currently, Scott and Jeff are looking for members of the SMU community to sign up for one- hour time slots to be spent in the booth with the stars. Contact Matt Klosky at mklosky@smumn.edu if you are interested.

Annual Take Back the Night rally is April 26

An annual rally for sexual assault awareness and prevention, focusing on ending sexual violence upon children and teens will be held Thursday, April 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Winona’s Lake Park band shell, located at Huff Street and Lake Park Drive.
Read more.

The 28th annual Take Back the Night, hosted by the Women’s Resource Center, will involve local youth participation in the rally held in part of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, as well as National Child Abuse and Prevention Month. Students from Winona schools will be reading aloud published stories of recovery and healing from sexual abuse victims of similar ages.

The rally will also include speaker Leah Sweet, prevention specialist, from Stop It Now! Minnesota, part of a national and community-based program focused on the prevention of child abuse.

The rally will conclude with a march to the Winona State University campus where participants will have the opportunity to use chalk to write various abuse statistics in an effort to spread sexual assault awareness.

The Women’s Resource Center invites Saint Mary’s University and Winona community members to attend Take Back the Night in support of sexual assault awareness and prevention.

For more information regarding Take Back the Night, contact the Women’s Resource Center, 452-4440, or SMU Counseling Services at Ext. 1773.

Faculty, staff to put on medicine show fundraiser

SMU faculty and staff and students are presenting “Queen Sheba’s Medicine Show — The World Peace and Full Belly Tour” 8 p.m. Friday, April 6, at the Winona Arts Center, 5th and Franklin streets.

The event will feature music, monologues and dance, centered around sustainable living, social justice and the foibles of globalization. Participating are faculty members Dr. Wes Miller, Dr. Eileen Daily and Dr. Joe Tadie; Monta May, Communication and Marketing office, and SMU students Sheba Hulsing and Emerald Hulsing, as well as others.

The audience are invited to make a freewill donation to either Winona Volunteer Services or Amnesty International. In lieu of a cash donation, audiences members are encouraged to volunteer their time and talents in the community.