Perceptions
I was stood up for an interview today.
But I was put out for only a fleeting moment. The unexpected gap in my schedule was a welcome one. Consumed lately at the "macro" level with the powerless observation of worldwide financial collapse, I have been gradually preoccupied, too, with its impending effects on a "micro" level — on my family, my community, my work ... my future.
As I passed by a monument to the Blessed Virgin Mother with casual disregard, my brisk stride slowed at a sudden awareness of the divine: I was alone. The normally bustling central campus was quiet, the students away on a four-day midterm break. In that peaceful moment, I was taken by the serene beauty of creation. A warm breeze quietly rustled the leaves, mostly still green under the sun's autumn brilliance. As I glanced toward the flawless blue sky, extremes came to mind. Despite our best efforts to pollute the world and abuse its abundant resources, God's creation has not lost its stunning majesty, holy and perfect. It stood in direct contrast to the man-made cesspool of a world economy that has polluted my outlook for the past few weeks.
When I got back to my office, the phone rang. It was my interviewee, sincerely apologetic.
No apology was necessary, I said. No harm was done. In fact, the net effect was the opposite, I told her, for the circumstance had brought about a revelation I desperately needed.
"How does one reconcile such perfection and such discord in the same realm?" I asked her, rhetorically.
To this world-class business scholar, the question wasn't rhetorical. She shared that she'd had a similar epiphany just the day before. As the Dow was recording its largest seven-day percentage decline in 21 years, she'd been filled with fear — for the world, for our country, for her children, for her future.
But she'd spent part of the day at temple in prayer. It was a high holy day — Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. On Yom Kippur, she said, one seeks forgiveness from God and from the community. But to receive true peace, one also must also seek the forgiveness of the one who was harmed.
The desired effect: tikkun olam -- translated from Hebrew, "perfecting the world," or "world repair."
In our common glimpse of God's perfection and our shared experience of it, hopefulness prevailed above the fear and uncertainty.
Tikkun olam.
Sleeping in a cardboard box
Monday night, six UD students slept in a house made of cardboard boxes. It was World Habitat Day, and the UD chapter of Habitat for Humanity wants to get the word out.
Allison Hrovatich, fundraising co-chair for UD’s chapter, was out to set the record straight on Habitat. The organization doesn’t just give houses away. It requires “sweat equity” from future homeowners as well as money for the materials. Habitat also counsels recipients on homeownership.
UD’s chapter hosted a fundraiser last week at City Barbecue raising over $300. Students volunteer every Saturday to work on sites in the area, and travel out of state every spring break to build homes. The tentative spring break destination this year is Tennessee.
Come blow your horn
Get ready to blow your horns. It is almost time for the band alumni weekend, Bandcoming, Oct. 3-5. The alumni band will perform selections from the 1978 movie Animal House at the Oct. 4 home football game.
However, the band is short on members. Instruments still needed include two alto saxes and three tenor saxes. If you are interested, contact Mark Buchwalder.
Band alumni will stay at the UD guesthouses on Brown Street and feed the Pride of Dayton students homemade cookies.
My Old House: 452 Kiefaber
Paul Mattie ’04 likened his time in this Kiefaber house to being on a cruise ship, a comparison current residents relate to.
Quicker route to class
Every time I leave class, the bike racks are full. As I walk, I feel the breeze of passing bikes. What is going on?
The number of bikes on campus has increased across the country. At Michigan State University, bike registration has increased three-fold in five years. No one has counted UD’s bikes, but students are talking about their rising popularity. Katie Sunday, a junior living on the Darkside, has noticed other people riding bikes and full KU bike racks.
Some students want to get to class faster and some either don’t have a car or want to save money on gas. Still others bring it for fun.
“I find that I really like riding my bike home,” Sunday said. “It literally takes 30 seconds. I also have meetings late at night, and I feel safer riding my bike home when it’s dark.”
Junior Tracey Horan brought her bike to school because she does not have a car. She also goes on bike trips with the River Stewards program. "There are some great bike paths near campus,” she said.
However, there is a downside: “The worst thing is when it rains during class and then you get on your bike,” Sunday said. “That’s no fun.”
One thing is clear: If biking becomes any more popular, UD is going to need more bike racks.
Perspective
After weekend windstorms took out power, downed trees, blocked streets and forced a television holiday in the student neighborhoods, students have done well at putting their predicament in perspective.
In comparison to Texas, where Hurricane Ike’s wake includes washed-out highways, energy shortages and a public health crisis, Dayton’s storms paled.
Though the power was still out for more than 2,400 students:
* Water is running.
* Dining halls are open to any student with a UD student ID.
* Toilets are flushing.
* And though the milk in the fridge has long gone sour, the Velveeta’s good well into 2009.
As students strolled by fallen limbs on their way to classes Monday morning, tree-trimming crews and groundskeepers were beginning to make a dent in the days-long task of cleaning up the debris that covered the campus. A crane had been dispatched to lift a tree off the house at 401 Irving Ave., and by Sunday night UD had made reservations with area roofers to repair damaged shingles on residence halls, academic buildings and more than 40 student houses.
When Beth Keyes, assistant vice president for facilities management, drove to campus Sunday afternoon to begin assessing the damage, the scene was surreal. A severe storm with hurricane-force winds – unofficially more than 70 mph – was passing through, yet with the absence of rain and dark clouds, many were undaunted.
“It was 80 degrees, hot and sunny,” she said. “People were out walking around and looking at stuff, hanging out on their porches, trying to listen to the (Cincinnati Bengals) game. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon if not for the storm.”
Destined donation
It took more than a year to make it happen, but 31 computers donated by the School of Engineering arrived this week at Instituto Chaminade Marianistas in Callao, Perú. Just one thing was missing: senior John Ventimiglia.
The ETHOS student spent his summer at the technology vocational school providing hardware support. He also took over the donation project started by Jon Obergefell ’07, the institute's 2007 summer volunteer. One obstacle was the several thousand dollars it would have cost to conventionally ship the computers. Obergefell's father, Dave Obergefell ’75, instead added the computers to a container of supplies his 
company shipped to Perú. They just didn’t arrive before Ventimiglia headed back to UD.
"I would have liked to have seen how they were received ... getting the full circle thing. I literally loaded them at UD on the truck," Ventimiglia said.
The institute's founder, Brother Felipe Melcher, S.M., wrote UD a letter of thanks: "Every volunteer has been a delight for us and is positive testimony to the great technical-académico-Christian formation they receive at UD. Thanks for helping with the PC donation and sharing your students with us."
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