Panel to discuss human trafficking in Minnesota

Three young women from the Philippines were rescued from the sex industry where many end up after they are trafficked. They are now living in a shelter where they are provided an education and counseling so they can regain their childhoods.

Human trafficking occurs in every Minnesota county, and the Twin Cities are one of the 15 largest trafficking centers in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

On Nov. 13, a panel of experts from throughout the state will gather at Saint Mary’s University’s Winona campus to discuss “Sold: Human Trafficking in Minnesota and Beyond” including:

•    global aspects of trafficking;

•    human rights, especially women’s and children’s issues;

•    impact on rural and urban Minnesota;

•    how to talk about the issue; and

•    initiatives underway to combat trafficking.

Panelists will include Dennis Cusick, Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute; Sister Marlys Jax, Sisters of Saint Francis at Assisi Heights; Michele Garnett McKenzie, Advocates for Human Rights; and Grant Snyder, Minneapolis Police Department. The moderator will be Fred de Sam Lazaro, director of the Under-Told Stories Project at Saint Mary’s University and a correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

The event will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall. The public is invited, and refreshments will be provided. Register online at www.smumn.edu/SOLD.

The same event will be held on SMU’s Twin Cities campus Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Saint Mary’s University Center, 2540 Park Ave., Minneapolis.

This event is made possible by the Under-Told Stories Project as seen on the PBS NewsHour, and is sponsored by the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Kabara speaker Oct. 25 to talk about entrepreneurship

The Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies  will present the next event of the fall 2013 speaker series today, Friday, Oct. 25.

A successful entrepreneur, Mark Schweiger has led and managed various teams to success. He will share some of his experiences with students from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in the Common Room. The event is also sponsored by the Department of Business, the Envision Club and the Business and Public Relations Club.

Schweiger is co-founder of Sologear LLC, located in Middleton, Wis. Sologear developed a proprietary fuel technology and he leads the sales, marketing and strategy functions. Prior to Sologear, he co-founded another company that was sold to a Fortune 500 firm. His background includes an MBA from the UW-Madison and progressive marketing management positions with Smucker’s and Kraft Foods.

Schweiger has served several religious organizations in roles that include children’s ministry leader, church deacon, church elder and Christian school board chair. He was co-chair of a capital campaign for UW Hospital cancer research and was a member of the advisory board for the UW Entrepreneurship Association. He feels truly honored to be part of the Care Net board.

Students to stage comedy ‘The Government Inspector’

The Department of Theatre and Dance will present the satirical comedy “The Government Inspector” Nov. 7-10 at Page Theatre. Shows run 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 7-9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10.

The news that a government inspector is due to arrive in a small Russian town sends its bureaucrats into a panicked frenzy. A simple case of mistaken identity exposes the hypocrisy and corruption at the heart of the town in this biting moral satire. Witty, smart and wildly satirical, this timely and spirited adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s classic play exposes the corruption of a provincial town with biting hilarity.

Guest director Gale Childs Daly has served as the text coach for the Great River Shakespeare Festival since its inception in 2006. The actor, director, teacher, writer and dialect/text coach is from Milwaukee, Wis.

The play was selected to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty.  Although Russian comedies are known to be dreary and heavy, “The Government Inspector” — adapted by Minnesota playwright Jeffrey Hatcher — is both modern and funny. 

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and area available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Halloween Fun Night is Oct. 28

Elementary and preschool children from the Winona area are invited to attend the 13th annual Saint Mary’s University Halloween Fun Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28.

Participants should stop at the guard booth at the main entrance of the Winona campus for directions on where to park. 

Young trick-or-treaters should start out the evening at the Hall of Fame Room, located in the Toner Student Center, where tattoos and stickers, a coloring station, and other fun games will be offered, and the Cardinal mascot will greet pint-sized ghosts and goblins.

From there, SMU students will lead groups of trick-or-treaters through the residence halls of the university, where they can go door to door for candy.

Last year more than 750 youth participated in this free, safe and fun event, sponsored by the Office of Residence Life.

Get set to scream at annual Saint Mary’s Walk of Horror

This year’s Walk of Horror is again guaranteed to give you goosebumps. New scares are planned around every corner.

The 17th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 25-26 and 30-31 in the SMU bluffs. Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes. The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate.

Proceeds from this event will be used for the softball team’s travel expenses.

SMU head fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller said the event is fun for all ages. The scare level is toned down for younger children and turned up for groups bold enough to face their fears. Last year more than 1,100 brave souls took SMU’s Walk of Horror.

For more information, contact Miller at Ext. 6923.

Dance Repertory Company celebrates 40 years

The Dance Repertory Company, celebrating 40 years of dance, will host special events in connection with the spring concert 7:30 p.m. April 25 and 3 p.m. April 26 at Page Theatre. A reunion reception will begin at 9:30 p.m. to midnight at Green Mill Restaurant, following the April 25 performance. A free breakfast and tours of the Valéncia Arts Center will be held April 26. Reconnect with fellow dancers and alumni. Free adult and children’s dance workshops will be held the morning of April 26 at the Valéncia Arts Center. Commemorative pieces and memorabilia will be sold to benefit a scholarship fund. For more information, call 453-5500 or go to www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org.

‘Make a Difference Day’ and ‘Lasallian Day of Service’ are Oct. 26

Make a Difference Day

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

The university hopes to get as many students as possible out into the community between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. Students are willing to help individuals and organizations with anything from painting to yard work.

“Make a Difference Day” is a 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. For the sixth year, SMU is proud to join the millions of people throughout the nation who are participating.

Lasallian Day of Service

Also on Oct. 26, alumni are invited to participate in the fifth annual Lasallian Day of Service. This is a day that allows alumni to come together in the spirit of the Lasallian mission in service to others. 

The alumni association has established a volunteer site for the Winona area at the CSTea House, 357 Gould St.

The CSTea House is the home of the College of Saint Teresa Alumnae Association. It is located next to Lourdes Hall and adjacent to the Chapel of the Angels and the Alverna Center. Fifteen volunteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to organize and clean the basement.

Sites have also been confirmed in the Chicago, Twin Cities, Saint Louis and Denver, Colo., areas. Alumni who reside outside these locations have been encouraged to arrange their own service project(s).  A record number of 200 alumni volunteers have already registered.

For more information go to:  www.mysmumn.org/LDOS13.

Alumnus returns to SMU for exhibit titled ‘Excessibility’

Las Vegas artist and 1994 Saint Mary’s alumnus Todd VonBastiaans — along with friend and colleague Bryan McCarthy — are curating the Saint Mary’s University exhibit, “Excessibility.”

The show, which depicts luxury and celebrity accessibility is subtitled, “Access 2 Excess” and features works from 1939 to 2013, including Banksy, Ed Ruscha, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol. VonBastiaans and McCarthy are also displaying their new pancake pillows.

“Excessibility” will run through Nov. 10 in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries, located in the Toner Student Center.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the show is free and open to the public.

Special Halloween ‘Boo-fet’ and costume contest is Oct. 31

Start planning your spooktacular Halloween costume now; get your office or department together and vie for the highly coveted traveling Halloween contest trophy. The last costume contest winners, the Business Office, aren’t going to give it up easily!

This is the SMU Volunteer Committee’s first “Let’s Do Lunch” potluck/fundraiser.

This year’s winner will be able to direct their $500 winnings to their choice of the following worthy causes: Winona Food Shelf, scholarships at SMU, SMU in Jamaica, Habitat for Humanity, the First-Generation Initiative or the Red Cross.

The lunch, hosted by the Student Success Center and I.T., will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in the Common Room. All faculty and staff are welcome!

It’ll be a frightfully good time; ghoul be glad you came!

Blue Angel is Nov. 1-2

The Brothers of Phi Mu Alpha cordially invite members of the faculty and staff to Blue Angel    2013. This year’s performances are Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 and 10 p.m. You may receive a complimentary ticket to the show of your choice by contacting Bob Fisher at Ext. 6658 or rfisher@smumn.edu.

Lawing to display work in Decorah, Winona

“Elegant Decay,”new work by Preston Lawing of the Art and Design Department, is on display at the ArtHaus Gallery in Decorah, Iowa. This exhibition moves to Winona with an opening reception Nov. 5 at the Lyon Smith Gallery, 199 E. 3rd St.

Theatre students perform in London

Saint Mary’s University theatre majors, under the direction of Dr. Gary Diomandes, are staging the tragic play, “The Triangle Factory Fire Project,” Oct. 22-26 at TARA Studio in London.

“1 CIGARETTE, 28 MINUTES, 148 DEAD”

On Saturday, March 25, 1911 at Triangle Waist Factory off downtown Manhattan's Washington Square, 500 immigrant workers from Poland, Russia and Italy are toiling 14-hour days making lady’s dresses. Suddenly, a cigarette is tossed into a bin of fabric scraps.

Despite desperate efforts, flames sweep through the eighth, ninth and 10th floors. Panic-stricken workers run in all directions. On the ninth floor, some make it to the fire escape, only to have it collapse beneath their weight. Others run to the exit door but find it locked—many, including the soon-to-be-married Margaret Schwartz, die with their hands on the doorknob. Dozens leap from the windows to their deaths, shocking the crowd of onlookers gathered below. And some, through bravery or sheer luck, make it out alive. In the space of 28 minutes, the fire is under control, but 146 people, mainly young immigrant girls, have died.

The Triangle Factory Fire Project uses eyewitness accounts, court transcripts and other archival material to create a dramatic moment-by-moment account of this historic fire and the social upheaval that followed. It culminates in the manslaughter trial of the owners, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck, whose shocking acquittal inspires new outrage across New York and the entire country, the repercussions of which shaped social, political and economic policies for decades to come. By using real words spoken by real people, from Ukrainian seamstresses to millionaire Fifth Avenue socialites, The Triangle Factory Fire Project paints a heartbreakingly clear picture of a disastrous day in American history and explores the human toll such a tragedy takes on us all.

Qualified theatre majors at Saint Mary’s are studying theatre in London, England, this semester through the Stefannié Valéncia Kierlin Theatre in London Program. Under the guidance of Saint Mary’s faculty, the program includes a variety of classes in theatre, as well as courses focusing on broader enrichment. Students have the unique opportunity to attend numerous performances at London’s West End, Off-West End, and Fringe theatres.

For more information, go to http://tara-arts.com/whats-on/the-triangle-factory-fire-project.

Tristano publishes article

Richard Tristano, Department of History, published an article “’In the Guise of History:” History and Poetry in Cinquecento Italy;” which can be found in Viator 44, No. 3 (2013), 369-396.

Events designed to assist undecided majors

Students at Saint Mary's had an opportunity Oct. 22 to explore majors at a unique fair led by students for students.

The event drew 45 students, mostly freshmen and sophomores, who were looking for a variety of information. This fair was geared toward students who are not happy about their majors, are undecided majors, are trying to choose a minor, or are just first-year students looking for information.

Sixty-five student representatives from all majors participated.  These students were recommended by their department chairs as individuals who could best answer questions about their majors, their college experiences and their career plans.

The fair encouraged meaningful peer-to-peer interaction, which research shows is a primary factor in student retention.


Attendee Natalia Shupe said, "I was impressed that the students were dressed professionally and were friendly and helpful. They were excited about sharing information about their majors, and they helped answer my questions."

Another opportunity for students to get information will be at the Undeclared Majors Retreat scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Hillside Hall. There is no cost to attend, and a free lunch will be provided. This event will help students wondering what they are being called to do, those who are not sure they’re in the right major, or those who wonder what major to declare. Students are asked to register by Oct. 31 to student success@smumn.edu, in person at 70 Griffin Hall or by calling Ext. 8737.

Both of these events are part of iPath, a series for undecided students, hosted by the Student Success Center.

Fact Book available online

The Office of Institutional Research presents the Saint Mary’s University Fact Book 2012-2013.  The SMU Fact Book is a compilation of historical and current data designed to facilitate internal communication, provide data to use in decision-making, planning and improvement efforts, and answer frequently asked questions about the university.
 
An online version of the Fact Book is available at www.smumn.edu/welcome-tobrst-marys/offices-services/institutional-research.