Saint Mary's annual Fall Frolic is Saturday

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 the Department of Theatre and Dance, 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 or staff are eligible for two free tickets to any SMU music or theatre and dance events. To get your free tickets, you must call or stop by the box office.

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.

First annual disc golf classic is Sept. 26

The first annual Disc Golf Classic, a two-person best shot scramble, will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Woods. Check-in is from 10:30 to 11 a.m., a disc golf clinic begins at 11 a.m., and the shotgun start is at 11:20 a.m.

The fee is $20 per person, which includes 18 holes of golf, a T-shirt, energy drink, lunch and a chance to win prizes, including a scooter.

Entries are limited to 36 teams or 72 players. Drop off your entry fee to Winona Radio, 752 Bluffview Circle in Winona, or go to www.winonaradio.com. For more information, call 452-4000.

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 Dan Sheridan, along with Ariane Lydon, Tim Britton, and Devin McCabe.

Tickets are $18.96 ($9.48 for students). 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 studio theatre. 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.

First ‘Let’s Do Lunch’ has Halloween theme

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 Business Office and Academic Skills and Academic Advising. 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.

A thanks to faculty and staff from Young Alumni Weekend

Laura Eggert '08 and Abby Rosenthal '08 met with Dr. Mary Fox and Father Andrew Fabian during Young Alumni Weekend.

The inaugural Young Alumni Weekend, Sept. 11-13, was a success!

Thanks to faculty and staff for attending and for their continuous support throughout the weekend. Many young alums have expressed their gratitude for being given the opportunity to reconnect with people who made such an impact on their lives.

Throughout the weekend, more than 100 young alumni and guests came back to the Winona Campus to participate in the weekend events. Photos will be posted online at www.smumn.edu/youngalumni.aspx.

Page Series receives grant from Community Foundation

Saint Mary’s will receive $3,000 from the Winona Community Foundation to support the 2009-2010 Page Series educational programming. Each year, on average, over 3,000 grade-school students from the region attend educational arts programming in the Page Theatre.

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. Mark it on your calendar!

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

Session details student study abroad opportunities

An 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.

MIASMU begins its 21st academic year

September 14 marked the beginning of the 21st academic year of MIASMU at Tangaza Collage in Nairobi-Kenya. The Semester began with 20 students from 10 countries. Three courses being taught are: African Culture: An overview; African Marriage and Family: Challenge and Change; and Sage Philosophy: the Roots of African Philosophy.

Since 1990, MIASMU has registered more than 900 students at various academic levels and has graduated 11 students with Masters of Arts Degrees (MA) in African Studies and two with Masters of African Studies Degree (MAS). Also, 134 certificates for successful completion of three courses have been awarded along with 94 diplomas for five courses, including African Culture: an Overview; and African Traditional Religion.

MIASMU continues to make SMU present in Nairobi-Kenya. In addition, the Institute makes a unique contribution towards personal transformation, global peaceful coexistence and development. As one of the alumni said, “MIASMU found me in cultural adolescence and initiated me into adulthood.”

Memorial service for Joe Kritzeck is Monday

A campus memorial service for Joe Kritzeck ’10 will be held 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, in Page Theatre. Guests are welcome to visit in the lobby beginning at 4:30 p.m. Following the memorial service, a plaque dedication will be held in the Memorial Plaza.

Whelan, Michener displaying work in La Crosse exhibit

Dr. John Whelan (Department of Art) and Dr. Christian Michener (Department of English) will each have work displayed in the “Mark my Words” exhibit at the La Crosse Pumphouse Arts Center. Twenty poems by 20 writers were first chosen, and then 20 visual artists were chosen to produce original works of art inspired by the poems. The exhibit runs from Oct. 1 to Nov. 14, with a reading and reception on Oct. 10, and then moves to the La Crosse Public Library. Michener’s poem, “Skin,” was chosen as one of the works for the exhibit, and John Whelan completed a collaborative drawing with his grandson, Jacob Runyan, titled “Jacob's Vision,” as his contribution to the exhibit.

Faculty work on Lasallian assessment published

“Lasallian Assessment: Charism and the University,” co-authored by Dr. Richard Tristano, History; Dr. Mary Fox, Interdisciplinary Studies; Dr. Melissa Luedke, Education; and Sister Judy Schaefer, O.P., Ph.D., Theology, has been published in the new online Lasallian higher education journal AXIS.

To read it online, go to http://axis.smumn.edu/index.php/TestJournal/index.

Support Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts

Dance and Music students attending the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will be selling candles from At Home America, Sept.15 to Oct. 1. Candle scents available include: Cider & Spice, Fresh Linen Breeze, Heaven Scent, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Passion Fruit & Kiwi, Totally Tropical Coconut, and Dutch Apple Pie. The 7 oz. jar candles are $10. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward MCA’s Winona Area Youth Singers, Dance Repertory Company II members, and Young Choreographers. To purchase a candle before Oct. 1, e-mail: mca@smumn.edu or call Christine Martin at Ext. 5501. MCA is a non-profit 501c3 organization that exists to provide quality arts education and performance by nurturing and encouraging artistic expression in children and adults. Its service to the community ranges from recreational to pre-professional dance and performing arts curriculum and programming designed to provide physical and aesthetic benefits, heightened self-respect, discipline, and confidence.

For more information, visit: www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org.

Jazz notes

The John Paulson Trio will perform 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Michael’s Restaurant in Rochester.

SMU alum finalist in Forbes business contest

Naturally Bamboo, founded by April Femrite M’02, is one of 20 finalists for the Forbes.com “Boost Your Business” competition. The winner will receive $100,000 in cash and advertising. She was selected from more than 1,500 applicants. To learn more, go to www.forbes.com/byb/2009/semi/boost-your-business-contest-09-naturally-bamboo.html.

Voting ends Sept. 30 and the top five vote getters will be flown to NYC for a presentation to a panel of Forbes judges.

Sympathy to Philomena’s family

Musili Philomena Mbithe, a third-year student at Christ the Teacher Institute for Education at Saint Mary's Nairobi Campus, died Sunday, Sept. 20 of meningitis. Philo was one of the first Young Lasallians who participated 10 months ago in the teleconferencing for the Huether Conference. She was preparing to be an English teacher. The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to her family.