February 2006

Constant conversations

If it was made to evoke awareness, The Constant Gardener certainly succeeded.
As my roommates and I walked out of the Tuesday evening film screening at ArtStreet, we were engaged in conversation, fascinated by the lives of people living in these small African villages. We couldn't believe the movie's plot: Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes, pieces together the work of his deceased wife Tessa Quayle, played by Rachel Weisz. In the first moments of the film, the audience learns she was killed for her activism to gain public awareness for the testing of unapproved drugs on AIDS victims by large pharmaceutical conglomerates.
We found ourselves asking, "Does this really happen? Who is to blame? What can be done? What can we do?"
The movie was shown as part of the Citizens of the World events series, taking place in ArtStreet Feb. 13-March 10, designed to allow students to glimpse various world cultures. The series is sponsored by the Department of Languages, the film studies program, ArtStreet and the Center for International Programs.

by Kailyn Derck ’06 2-27-06

All our stories

When I asked my little brother if he would go see the UD Monologues with me, he quickly responded with, “I can’t. It’s part of women’s week, AJ. I can’t go. I’m not a woman.”
It was this stereotype specifically that Josh Richardt and Leslie Singel, the student directors of this past weekend’s Studio Theatre production, were trying to fight.
“This show is going to be something that we hope every student can relate to in some way, not just the women,” Singel said.
Issues ranging from body image, first loves, chick flicks, rape, Halloween and much more were told from a woman’s perspective, a man’s perspective, a teacher’s perspective and even a reporter’s perspective.
Men, women, faculty, students, parents and friends attended the show and each seemed to be touched in some personal way.
“Theater should be for the people. They should be able to relate,” Richardt said. “And that is why we are dealing with issues that happen right here on this campus.”
The entire show was student written, directed and performed. Each member of the cast was asked to write one original monologue. These, along with monologues collected from the student body and a few professors, were assembled into the show.
Watching, I couldn’t help but marvel at how real it all was. Each monologue touched me in some way. I either had gone through that, helped a friend through it or known someone dealing with the same thing.
At times I looked around and everyone seemed to be feeling the same thing -- they knew this story, they had been a part of it at some point in their lives.
Many others, like my brother, realized this weekend that these weren’t just women’s issues, but issues that affect us all as members of the UD community.
“If I could leave UD with one thing when I graduate this would be it,” Richardt said, with the hope that this project will continue for years to come.

by Amanda Hargadon ’06 2-27-06

Can-do engineers

With red Campbell's soup cans representing the brick and white-labeled cans as the stonework, a team of chemical engineers re-created the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Torch Lounge Thursday during the Engineers' Week can build.
Senior Chad Brajercik said he chose the chapel "because I want to win and I figured they'd give us points for school pride." The team taped together cans of mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple and Vienna sausages to make the cross topping the blue-papered dome.
Four teams representing the different departments used 1,200 cans to craft their structures, including a bridge (electrical and computer engineering), the Eiffel Tower (civil engineering) and the Gateway Arch of St. Louis (mechanical and aerospace engineering).
"Anyone can stack cans straight up," said senior Richard Henkel, whose team built the arch design. With the help of packing and duct tape, the team used a slight angle when stacking the cans to create the curved structure. When the ceiling was too low to completely finish the curve, they added a keystone at the top to join the two tilting towers. With the leftover cans, Daniel Shellhuase ’05 — who came back to campus for the fun — and sophomore Thomas Robbins created a can catapult to help destroy the arch after the competition.
The cans, collected from the campus community and donated by Campbell's Soup Co., will be donated to the House of Bread.

by Michelle Tedford 2-24-06

Leggo my egg-o, but don't let it break

If only the Winter Olympics had the drama of this event. As part of National Engineers' Week activities, engineering students Tuesday tried to avoid egg drop soup with contraptions of coat hangers, paper cups, straws, rubber bands, paper string and paper clips. The goal was to land an egg safely on the ground from a third-floor drop from Alumni Hall. Judges awarded points for appearance, function, ingenuity, design and style. Some bird droppings had the look of MacGyver contraptions. Others had me wondering if the Wright brothers started out like this.
David Krivonak, a gold medal winner in the enginerd competition and a computer and electrical engineering student, fell short of a bronze by half a point.
“No. I don’t feel cheated by the judges,” Krivonak said. “He was fair. I have next year and maybe grad school so I have time to win.”
Krivonak said the competition got his creative juices flowing. He was able to use some of the engineering design ideas from class as well as lessons in physics and math.
In the end, unlike Olympic snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis whose showboating move in her event final cost her a gold medal, nobody was left with egg on their face.

by Shawn Robinson 2-22-06

Enginerdy

Engineers' Week started with displays of supreme geekdom yesterday in Kennedy Union. Students donned pocket protectors and "kick me" signs for the enginerd competition. On Friday, one department will be named the week's winner.
"Down to the core, we're all nerds," said Dave Krivonak, a senior electrical and computer engineering major from Canfield, Ohio (pictured right), who posed for a photo with fellow contestants Kevin Walsh (left) and Daniel Fleck (center). It's a label Krivonak's proud of. "If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have gadgets like these," he said, displaying a palm-sized computer fan rigged with a 9-volt battery that served as his personal air circulator. He then tested its voltage with the digital multimeter he carried in his other hand.
Even the faculty got in on the fun. Kevin Hallinan, chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, had gotten geeked up the night before for his daughters, who were supremely embarassed for him, he said. So he decided to bring the get-up to school. "What they don't understand is that when you get older, you have no reason to be embrassed," he said, grinning through masking-taped spectiacles
Krivonak got all the glory; his outfit and gadgets won the contest, earning his department 10 points toward the week's total.

by Michelle Tedford 2-21-06

So the students can learn

Electrical engineering professor Bernie Schmidt ’42 had such a love for teaching that he would constantly think of new ways to instruct his students. Once, as he headed excitedly down the hallway toward class, he mentioned his latest brainstorm to a young faculty member.
Brother Ray Fitz, S.M., was that person. Fitz remarked that he was instantly jealous of his department chair's students, jealous that he was no longer a pupil of Schmidt's.
Fitz shared his recollections yesterday at the installation ceremony for the Bernhard M. Schmidt Chair in Engineering Leadership, funded by another of Schmidt's former students, John McHale ’78, and held by professor David Herrelko (pictured right).
Schmidt (pictured left, above) and his family rose to great applause as he was recognized for his 52 years of service to UD.
"Even though I'm not teaching electrical engineering anymore, I'm still striving to teach as well as Bernie Schmidt did," said Fitz, echoing Schmidt's educational philosophy: "We teach so our students can learn."

by Michelle Tedford 2-17-06

Students, alumni and a weekend

An obvious observation: Alumni were students; students will be alumni. The distinction is one of time as much as anything.
At Reunion Weekend last year, alumni from the 50s and 60s grabbed incoming Student Government Association president Andrew Navolio to sing the UD fight song with them.
He didn't know the words.
The alumni taught him.
"That's the kind of thing that can tie us all together," he told a room of alumni, students, faculty and staff over dinner in the Kennedy Union ballroom on Saturday. It was the first night of the first-ever Alumni Winter Weekend, an event dreamed up, petitioned for and then planned by students who wanted to bring alumni back to campus, have some fun together and maybe even learn a little more about the UD community.
They pulled off an entire weekend of events, including dinner, a basketball tournament, a post-game reception and a Sunday pancake breakfast. Despite promoting the event for just a month, they drew nearly 200 alumni and 80 students.
That night at dinner, and just about everywhere he spoke over the weekend, Navolio was already talking about next year.

by Matthew Dewald 2-16-06

Best foot forward

I followed the signs to UD's first career fair held in College Park Center, the old NCR building. As I walked from St. Mary's to Brown Street I noticed the increasing number of students in black suits walking in the same direction, portfolios in hand looking purposeful and perhaps slightly nervous. Entering the fair, we were greeted by career services staff who gave us last minute advice to put our nametags on the right side so that when shaking hands, employers could more easily see our names. As I walked away I was reminded to smile and make eye contact. Then I was on my own.

I walked down an entire aisle looking at all the booths before I got up the nerve to stop to talk to a recruiter. He smiled and read my name as I shook his hand. I was glad I had my nametag on the right side. Though he wasn't sure his organization, St. Joseph Orpanage, had any openings in my field, he gladly took my resume to pass it along. Every employer I talked to was the same (though I certainly didn't make it to all 80) —friendly and helpful, even if they didn't have any positions that fit my background. The rows were crowded with UD and DECA students and maybe a few alumni.
At every booth students were engaged in conversations with employers, asking and answering questions and getting more than a few free ink pens, maybe a letter opener or even a chocolate bar. My favorite freebie was from Cincinnati's Children's Hospital. They didn't have a job for me, but at least I got a keychain Band-Aid dispenser.

by Jessica Gibson-James 2-16-06

Y'ought to been dah

On the centennial of Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar’s death, school children and local dignitaries gathered at his grave at Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum this morning (click on photos to enlarge).
Since 1989, Dunbar fans have paid tribute to the poet's legacy with music, song and poetry at his grave on Feb. 9. The event has grown from five people to about 500.
Today’s celebration brought to mind Dunbar’s poem “The Party”:
“Who was dah? Now who you askin'? How you 'spect I gwine to know?
You mus' think I stood an' counted evahbody at de do'.”
Tim Beatty, director of the Dunbar High School band, played ''Taps.'' The Dunbar High School Color Guard raised an''Oak and Ivy'' flag.
Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin emceed. G. Edwin Zeiders, president of United Theological Seminary, offered remarks. The Rev. Ronald Glenn, pastor of Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church, said a prayer. Mitchell Capel, interpreter of Dunbar's works, read the poem ''To a Dead Friend.'' Dayton City Commissioner Joey Williams placed by a wreath on Dunbar’s grave.
“Y'ought to been dah, fu' I tell you evahthing was rich an' prime,
An' dey ain't no use in talkin' we jes' had one scrumptious time!”

by Deborah McCarty Smith 2-9-06

'Stoop' culture

As the University discusses what it means to live and learn in community, alumni have made one thing clear: Don't loose the "stoop" culture.
When Deb Bickford first heard this a few years ago, she asked what they meant.
"It's when you sit on the porch -- or sit on the stoop -- and talk with your roommates who have different interests from you and you learn things," they told Bickford, associate provost for academic affairs and learning initiatives.
Bickford shared these and other thoughts as a way to start the integrated living and learning in community conversation today with members of the School of Business Administration during a Learning Teaching Forum in Kennedy Union.
The brainstorming session moved to a discussion on how to engage students early in their majors. Dean McFarlin, management and marketing department chair, suggested having first-year students apply business principles to the everyday challenges of this new, college life. Limited resources? Ambiguity? They live it.
Going one step further, Jay Janney, assistant professor of management, suggested using the business school's buildings as more than just classroom space. What if students physically lived in a business setting, or at least spent more of their lives involved in activities in Miriam Hall and Anderson Center?
Sounds like there are opportunities to spread the stoop around.

by Michelle Tedford 2-8-06

Table tips

Walking into class on Jan. 19, a table of plates, knives, water glasses and napkins awaited me. A social and business etiquette class was offered this semester for the first time at UD.
For six weeks, 20 students from varying majors will learn the proper way to set a table, how to interact with business professionals through written correspondence and conversation, and how to react to life-changing events such as weddings and funerals. Team-taught by Ricki Huff, the assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Arlene Camacho, head of Career Services, and Paula Braley, administrative assistant in the international studies department, the class offers basics in etiquette that could make or break an interview or dinner party.
"Taking this class was a decision I made for my future," said senior public relations major Rachel Olszewski. "You never know the kinds of experiences you're going to have or the people you're going to meet. This class has been a preparation for me to deal with all kinds of potentially embarrassing social and business situations. I feel that I'll be able to take all the skills I'm learning out into the 'real world' and apply them to everyday life."
Braley's collection of etiquette books dating back to 1884 shows the evolution of etiquette through the years. It is no longer necessary to learn the proper way to exit a carriage, but recent books, such as Emily Post on Etiquette, explains table manners, tipping and relationships. A "graduation" reception will be held for the students with guests from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the UD Mother's Club -- a testing ground to see just how much these students have learned.

by Shelby Quinlivan 2-8-06

Overtone ovations

Boll Theatre filled with a rush of nature's noises last night — the growl of an animal, the whistle of a bird, the whoosh of the wind.
All sounds simultaneously erupted from the throat of a single singer, a master of khoomei, throat singing from Tuva in southern Siberia. (Click for a QuickTime video.)
Four such masters, each wielding an array of stringed, woodwind and percussion instruments, formed Huun-Huur-Tu. As a group, they performed music historically practiced by a solitary reindeer herder imitating the sounds of nature. The concert was part of the World Rhythms Series, presented by the UD Arts Series and CITYFOLK.
The tunes were mesmerizing. On one song, the musicians created an orchestra of sound on instruments with only 10 strings among the four of them. On "Yellow Trotter," Sayan Bapa played his square-bodied doshpuluur like a banjo to mimic the rhythmic galloping of a horse.
The sold-out crowd sat stunned for a second or two after each song, waiting for the last drone to completely die away before erupting in applause. As Huun-Huur-Tu made its exit for intermission, the crowd gave the performers a standing ovation.
"Wow, just like an old-time band," commented a woman in the back row.
Old, yes. Try sixth-century.

by Michelle Tedford 2-3-06

Where in the world...

I'm not sure how anyone got anywhere without Mapquest to tell you to turn left or right in exactly 1.3 miles. But Mapquest doesn't work on campus. It can't tell me how to get to Gosiger or Chaminade.
I am not afraid to ask for directions, but it's difficult for someone to reply when you have few common reference points. I asked my boss how to get to Gosiger (which, unknowingly, I pronounced as Go-seeger, making her laugh for quite a while). She tells me to go past Marianist Hall and I'll find it before I get to VWK. I then ask, where's Marianist again? My boss tells me where I can find a campus map and wishes me luck.
I bravely head for the map but my eyes glaze over as I look at all the colored boxes and numbers. That's OK, because if you want to get directions on campus all you have to do is stand and look at a map. Without fail someone will stop to ask if you need help and then will gladly point you in the right direction. I know because it's happened to me three times.
UD deserves its reputation for its friendly campus.
I was able to repay the favor when a student stopped me and my husband to ask how to get to the registrar's office. My husband pointed him to St. Mary Hall. It was nice to be able to help, but as he walked away, I had a sinking feeling. I asked my husband if he was sure the registrar's office was in St. Mary's. "Isn't it?" he asked. Well, at least we were friendly even if we weren't exactly right.

by Jessica Gibson-James ’06 2-2-06

Entrepreneurship, not just for business classes

Approximately 20 students of various majors gathered at Kennedy Union last weekend for a two-day retreat, "Entrepreneurship: A new way of thinking."
Alumni and business leaders came too. Al Sicard '93 talked about running his own insurance business, and Wes Philpot '77 shared his experiences in the nonprofit sector. Participants discussed credit, personal finances and family businesses during other presentations, roundtables and dinner.
The retreat, hosted by the office of diverse student populations, was part of U.P.L.I.F.T., a program serving male African-American students. "Entrepreneurship" helped address the two biggest reasons African-American students leave UD without graduating: finances and campus climate. Speakers not only offered financial advice and possible internships, they also "gave students a chance to partner with black alums who can show that UD thinks it's important for them to be here as a valuable part of this community," said Joel Buckner, coordinator of African-American student services.
Students lingered in the Barrett dining room long after the last speaker Saturday night. "I had to kick them out," said Buckner, clearly pleased.

by Matthew Dewald 2-2-06

Weekend warriors

Mount Washington in New Hampshire is downright nasty this time of year. The trails are steep and icy, and when the wind kicks up, the ice blows right into your face.
That's why 17 members of UD's Outdoor Adventure Club decided to take a 17-hour bus ride to scale it Jan. 21, said club president Steve Mannhard, a junior.
"We wanted it to be a hard-core trip. We did it in January for the snow and the ice."
Before the climb, the students got a lesson in self-arresting -- "basically how to hold your ice axe without killing yourself or anybody else," said junior Heather Stewart, who shared some of her photos for this slide show.
The celebration at the 6,288-foot summit was cut short when a storm system moved in. A guide estimated the winds they encountered on the way down at 120 mph.
The Outdoor Adventure Club, just in its second year, is planning more extreme adventures: rock climbing, white-water rafting, maybe even sky diving.
"We wanted this trip to set the bar," said Mannhard.

by Matthew Dewald 2-1-06