Working for the common good
If community is a buzzword at UD, it’s fitting that the man who delivered this year’s Marianist Heritage Lecture speaker would take the concept to a whole new level.
On Feb. 6, Larry Hufford, a professor at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. presented his ideas on a faith-based form of democracy. Based in the teachings of Paulo Freire, Huffard believes in a concept of social justice derived from social charity.
“No one community looks like another,” said Huffard. Communities must decide for themselves what the common good is and work together to achieve it.
Hufford explained the common good is not a definition, but rather a process that requires community, hard work and strong relationships. He encourages the people of a city to look within themselves to see what talents they can use to better their area as a whole.
One of the most important aspects in achieving social justice is involving the every generation of the community.
“The youth of today should work for the common good,” he said. “It is part of your responsibilities as humans, as Catholics.”
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Porch Reads and pizza
Typically when a professor asks if anyone has anything else to discuss within the last two minutes of class, the only responses are the sounds of notebooks dropping into backpacks and coats being zipped in anticipation of dismissal.
When Professor John McCombe asked that question last Wednesday, multiple students started talking. And no one even groaned.
Though in a Marianist Hall classroom on the evening of Feb. 1, the group of assembled students wasn’t there for a class. The students were there to participate in Porch Reads, an informal book discussion group sponsored by Roesch Library.
“The point is to get students to talk about books they read and hopefully enjoyed,” said Heidi Gauder, coordinator of research and instruction at Roesch. Started in 2005 and comprised of two book discussions a semester, Porch Reads is geared towards sophomores, but upperclassman can participate.
That day’s selection was Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand’s chronicle of American Louis Zamperini’s experience as a Japanese prisoner of war in World War II. The motives behind students’ participation included receiving the free book and their interest in the war.
The discussion was held, like many discussions amongst friends, over pizza and soda. “It’s just people talking and there’s no need to structure that,” Gauder said. “The only structure needed is plates and cups and napkins for the food and drinks.”
Though last week’s moderator is an English professor, McCombe said he didn’t want Porch Reads to feel like class. “In class we talk more about what it means; in here it’s about what we like,” he said.
The students liked Unbroken. The pizza was pretty good, too.
Best field trip ever?
As she walked onto the court this morning, center Casey Nance heard a group of little girls cheering her name. When Nance made eye contact with them, “they melted — like I was a Beatle,” she said.
The stands were packed with thousands of local schoolchildren ready to watch the women’s basketball team take on the Charlotte 49ers as part of a special National Math Day event.
Throughout the game, which started at 11 a.m., the students answered Flyers-themed math questions. The prize was priceless for a grade-schooler —a pizza for the student to share with his or her friends.
While UD students can certainly make some noise during a game, nothing compared to the steady roar that consistently rocked the arena.
“This game was different because it’s so loud all the time,” laughed Nance. “It’s hard to hear our coaches during timeouts because kids are screaming for pizza or giveaways. But to hear people in the stands is always awesome.”
The energy fueled the Flyers to a 91-68 win over the 49ers, a victory that led the 6,000 students to jump to their feet, waving their homemade “Go Dayton Flyers!” signs.
Nance believes games like this are important in integrating sports with academics.
“A lot of kids need to know basketball can’t happen without good schoolwork,” she said. “We are held to high standards.”
And as for those schoolgirls who called “Go, Casey!” as she entered the court? Nance melted a little bit too.
“To leave a positive impression was the best part of this game,” Nance said.
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Lean on me
Lacking a bench atop a hillock in the Central Mall near Wohlleben Hall, L-Emily Stienecker and R-Megan McManus enjoy our recent sunny weather as they study together by sitting up back to back.
2-6-12 by Larry Burgess
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SOEAP grads buckle down
Seniors in the School of Education and Allied Professions will be sharpening their pencils and breaking out their creative lesson plans this fall if they plan on teaching in Ohio after graduation.
In December 2011, the U.S. Department of Education and President Barack Obama announced Ohio as one of nine states that would receive grant awards from the $500 million Race to the Top — Early Learning Challenge fund to improve learning conditions for children from low-income families.
SOEAP professor Tom Lasley said Ohio submitted a strong proposal for the grant, and the state is committed to enhancing early learning.
“Students graduating will have to keep up with the academic standards now and make sure students learn,” he said.
Ben Moore, a senior education major, said any initiative to improve education at the youngest levels is important.
“Early years form the groundwork for what kind of students they are going to be,” he said.
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King of all he surveys
“Huey” a house dog at 426 Lowes, a landlord house, looks out over his realm on a warm day. “Huey” is a schnoodle hybrid dog which is a cross between a schnauzer and a poodle.
2-3-12 by Larry Burgess
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Christmas (on Campus) in February
The spirit of giving isn’t just for December. At Wednesday night’s men’s basketball game, Stafford Jewelers presented one of those jumbo checks to the Dayton alumni chapter at center court. The big check was fun, but the real check will do some real good for struggling families in the Dayton area this coming Christmas.
This gift will be combined with other donations to help make Christmas a little merrier for students at the Dayton Early College Academy and their families. The school, housed in UD’s College Park Center and operated by Dayton Public Schools, is a nontraditional charter school focused on preparing first-generation urban students for college. Since the school’s launch 2003, all of its graduates have gone on to college (with help from the more than $7.6 million in scholarships and grants they’ve earned).
Accepting the check are, from left to right, Gloria Marano ’88, Aimee Kroll Forsythe ’99, Emily Griffin Bowman ’01 and Chris Bottomley ’99, with Stafford on the right. It’s fitting that it takes so many to hold the check, a sign that whether we can give $100, $2,500 or much more, all of us working together make an impact on our UD community and beyond.
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The Patriot
What is a patriot? A New England NFL team? Someone who sports an American flag on their T – shirt? An 18th-century British colonist? Can you still be a patriot and be anti-war?
Kyle and Kelly Phelps used ceramic and mixed media to create “The Patriot” for the visual arts faculty and staff exhibit in gallery 249 in the department of visual arts’ new facility in the College Park Center.
A sullen black man wearing a ruined military jacket and holding a tiny American flag sulks with his grocery cart behind him – full of what seem to be the only belongings he has. From 100 yards away the art appears to be a painting but really is a hanging 3-D scene.
A grubby American flag that appears to have been through the same hardships as the man sitting in front of it, is the backdrop. His cart is full to the brim with tiny plastic bags, a painting of Jesus and other tarnished belongings.
In a time when thousands of American soldiers are arriving home from Iraq to a country with a nearly 9 percent unemployment rate, this scene becomes a reality, and the word patriot takes on new meaning.
The work depicts a man who risked his life for Americans who comfortably stroll by him in their plush designer coats, talking fast on an iPhone, headed to their penthouse office, no regard for his tragic situation. This art depicts not a homeless man, but a patriot, and one that could use the support of his fellow Americans. Maybe then they could earn the title of ‘patriot,’ too.
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Strike club
After a tough week of classes, the “Friday Bowling Association” convenes at KU’s Hangar lanes to let off some steam. Here L-Ben Danklefsen rolls smoothly toward the pins as Dan Fink, and Joe Schambach look on. Other members of “FBA” include A.J. Ferguson, Erik Vasilaus, Travis Schubert, and Tom Hanson. They are all friends and share classes in engineering, math, or business.
1-27-12 by Larry Burgess
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Everything’s going just swimmingly
Looking like a living screen saver, these three salt water fish swim about the tank in Miriam Hall-053, the Computer Help Desk room.
1-24-12 by Larry Burgess
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