March 2007

Passover and peanut butter
Thursday evening, I experienced my first Passover.
The UD Jewish Student Union, as well as members of the Dayton community, organized a Seder meal in the Kennedy Union Barrett Dining Room. Guests prayed and ate the traditional matzo, bitter herbs and wine (grape juice) while Rabbi David Burstein presided over the event.
"It's traditional for Jews to invite non-Jewish guests to the service and to share the experience. We open our doors and hearts to all people," Burstein said.
He also explained the significance of each action, such as dipping 10 drops of wine onto one's bread plate to symbolize each of the 10 plagues, and remembering Elijah by placing a cup of wine for him in the middle of the table.
"Each of the stories about Passover are just as sacred as the service itself," Burstein said.
I also received a useful dining tip from a 5 year-old guest at my table. "You know, if you put peanut butter and jelly on matzo, it's very good," he said.

by Caroline Miller '07 03-26-07

Auto skills tune-up

Unseasonably warm weather fared well for "Boys … Ahem, I Mean Girls and Their Toys." The event was held yesterday in the RP 7 lot outside Rudy's Fly-buy.
Jenay Beer '06, with the Women's Center, coordinated the auto repair and maintenance demonstration. She said she felt that introducing auto knowledge to women was important because men are perceived to know more. "I realized how little women knew about car repair," she said.
Frank Z Chevrolet technicians gave demonstrations and answered questions from attendees. Hot dogs were handed off the grill and a raffle was drawn for car tool kits. Several women, and even some men, dived under car hoods and examined tire treads to learn how to keep their vehicles in good health. The technicians stressed the importance of an oil change every 3,000 miles, calling it good insurance for the long run.
"I think I know more than the average girl," Beer said. She pointed out she keeps a watch on her tire pressure and fluid levels and makes timely oil changes. "It’s a shame because there's a misconception that it's really hard."
Vehicle safety checklists were handed out with five pages of descriptions before drivers put the pedal to the metal. Beer prompted all to give auto skills a try, "It's very easy to keep up with your car."

by Johnnie C. Kling ’09 03-27-07

Sacred ground

As rain pelted the tent housing those gathered for the blessing and dedication of the University of Dayton's new Heritage Center, Father Paul Marshall, S.M., quipped, "The guidelines say to sprinkle the people before sprinkling the building."
In between raindrops, UD celebrated its history with stories, song, prayer and ritual on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph and the 157th anniversary of the purchase of the land on which UD was built.
"For us, this is sacred ground," said Marshall, University rector. "Today, we bless the University's legacy because it is a legacy that is still alive in us."
Dan Curran, UD's president, expressed admiration for the ingenuity of founder Father Leo Meyer, S.M. He offered John Stuart a medal of St. Joseph as collateral for the 125-acre Dewberry Farm when they struck a deal for the purchase. "The fact that he could give a medal as collateral always amazes me," he said. "I was in a meeting today and asked, 'Where is Father Meyer when you need him?"'
Dick Ferguson, an aficionado of UD history who traced UD's development through the decades through words on large panels in the Heritage Center, said UD was "built on the shoulders of giants." The Heritage Center "reminds us how important it is to stay at the table through good and bad times. We use these stories of the past to inform our future."
Some stories beg to be retold: "This building served as an outhouse in 1903 for the boys of St. Mary. They wouldn't call it that. They called it the Crystal Palace. Talk about spin," said Ferguson with a laugh.
A $200,000 gift from UD's National Alumni Association helped fund the Heritage Center, which is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is staffed by volunteers from the Golden Flyers, an organization of alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, and retired faculty and staff.

by Teri Rizvi 3-22-07

Women power

Senior Erin Petrovic wants to celebrate her spirituality as a woman and to encourage others to do so as well.
Women's Week, March 25 - 31, will provide the perfect opportunity. Petrovic has organized UD's first women, faith and ministry panel discussion, taking place at 6 p.m. Monday, March 26, at ArtStreet Studio B. The event will feature women sharing their faith journeys with each other and the audience.
"There had been no religion event during Women's Week in the past, but students had a strong interest in it. We didn't want the topic of faith and women to be overlooked, especially since this is a Marianist institution," Petrovic said.
Other activities next week include the student-written UD Monologues, Women's Advocacy Dinner and women-focused films playing on the Flyer movie channel. A full schedule is available online.
"Faith has always been important to me," Petrovic said. "Religion in general often has a very patriarchal culture, and I think it's important to highlight and discuss the power women have in religion."

by Caroline R. Miller ’07 3-21-07

A heritage worth celebrating

UD's new Heritage Center, which opened in February, will be dedicated and blessed at 3 p.m. Monday, March 19, the 157th anniversary of the purchase of the land on which UD was built. The entire University community is invited.
Click the image at left for a preview (requires Flash). The center, located in the former post office building east of St. Mary Hall, is open weekedays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is staffed by volunteers — retired faculty and staff and members of the Golden Flyers, an organization of alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago.

by Matthew Dewald 3-15-07

Sing along

The Bill Mays Trio has no vocalist, but two dozen voices joined the singing of piano, bass and drums during a music workshop Friday.
"You have to sing your notes," said pianist Mays as he got the audience in Sears Recital Hall to sing along with the melody of Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice." (Click here for a Quicktime movie.) By singing, you hear new ways for your instrument's voice to play with the other musicians. To demonstrate, he prodded drummer Matt Wilson with the question, "Can drums be a melody instrument?"
Wilson played the tune again, mirroring the melody line with staccato raps on high hat and snare drum, and again, with silent expanses accentuating the notes of Mays and bassist Martin Wind.
"We think we're only responsible for the note as we play it," Wilson said. "You have to make it sing, you have to shape it. ... Once I hit this bass drum (bam) it's out there in the band and I'm responsible for that sound."
UD music instructor Jim Leslie hosted the trio, in town for a Cityfolk jazz concert.
Whether it's silence or sound, listen for the voices, Mays said.
"Each time we play, it is something completely different because I'm listening intently and I'm willing to give up what I was doing for what the other is doing," he said. "(The music) is not just about this time, it's about this piano, this audience, this hall."

by Michelle Tedford 03-12-07

Sharing faith

The lines separating faiths blurred Monday in Kennedy Union during a panel discussion with three Muslim students. The students, including the president and vice president of the UD Muslim Student Association, talked about what it's like to be Muslim at UD as part of UD Islam Awareness Week.
"[Being Muslim at UD] is no different from being Muslim at any other university," senior Roua Azmeh said. "Catholicism gives the atmosphere but doesn't dictate anything."
The panel pointed out that unity and community are held in high regard in both Islam and Catholicism. They also explained the Quran's consideration for all pious people.
"Heaven is not a place for good Muslims, it's a place for good people," added sophomore Souha Azmeh.

by Sarah Barnidge ’07 2-7-07

One night at RecPlex

The sophomore's T-shirt read "respect compassion kindness." It must've been what she hoped for as she stood with her back to a wall facing what looked like a firing squad.
Five UD softball players with matching uniforms and black paint under their eyes marched toward her, plotting strategy with red dodgeballs in hand. The softball players lunged forward and fired laser shots in lockstep.
How had it come to this, the sophomore wondered. She was the lone survivor of team Quack Quack, left to fend for herself against Team Step Up in the first-ever women's intramural dodgeball tournament last night at RecPlex. The crowd of nearly 100 players on 14 other teams chanted "Grace, Grace, Grace" in support. Though it sounded like a plea for mercy, it was in fact the woman's first name.
"I didn't have any strategy," Grace Finn said later. "I felt abandoned, but everyone was watching, and I realized this would probably be one of my favorite memories in college."
There were a lot of gutsy performances last night. Take Krystal Killingsworth, for example, a freshman on the 2 Adele team who faced the short end of a one-on-four. The four-sport athlete picked off her opponents one by one with a combination of quick acceleration and great catches.
The final four --Step Up, Something Hilarious, I'm Sweet and Theta Phi Gold -- emerged as midnight approached. Step Up, which included a center fielder, first baseman, second baseman, designated hitter and two catchers, came away with the homemade gold trophy without a single loss.
Dominant on the court, Step Up was all class off it. Earlier, after they inevitably knocked Grace out on their march to the championship, the first thing the softballers did when they came off was high-five her and tell her, "Good game."

by Matthew Dewald 3-6-07

The house that 1966-67 built

Dan Obrovac ’69 gave a jump Saturday as he took his position at center court, where he started the 1967 game that earned the Flyer men's basketball team the NCAA championship runner-up trophy.
The 1966-67 team, honored during halftime of the current team's season-finale against Saint Louis Saturday, recreated scenes from its tournament run as part of activities honoring its 40th anniversary.
Don May ’68 stood near where many of his 34 points and 15 rebounds happened against Dean Smith's North Carolina team in the national semifinal. Dan Sadlier ’69 went to where his jumpers overcame deficits against Virginia Tech in the regional final. That was near where Gene Klaus ’67 torched Tennessee's 1-3-1 defense to help UD advance in the tournament. Fans chanted for Bobby Hooper ’68 to launch another bomb like the one that beat Western Kentucky in the tournament's opening round. Also in attendance were manager Dave Borchers ’68 and players Rich Fox ’68, Dave Inderrieden ’67 and John Samanich ’67.
Many say UD's 1966-67 team was the best in school history. Others say the tournament run laid the foundation for UD Arena.
"It was a springboard for (UD Arena)," said Don Donoher ’54, coach of the 1966-67 team, at a pregame reception. "After (we won) that regional final game, (former UD Director of Athletics) Tom Frericks said, ‘We just built an arena tonight.' Just think how this building has helped us stay in the big-time basketball scene."
UD will honor the team again Oct. 9 during a celebration of Flyer basketball at UD Arena with keynote speaker Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight.

by Shawn Robinson 3-5-07

Sounds familiar and foreign

Sounds of a Mandarin radio station filled the World Exchange Lounge in Alumni Hall Feb. 24 as students and faculty members gathered to share their interest in studying in China with Chinese students currently studying at UD.
"They came here to meet friends or maybe not even friends yet," said Weipang Wang, who is UD's consultant for initiatives in China. She said the purpose of the meeting was for interested parties to share their ideas with each other.
The UD Chinese students, who are either completing their undergraduate or graduate educations, were quick to share their experiences of studying in a foreign country. "It's great we get to meet a lot of people from different countries," said Zhuojun (Daisy) Tao, who lives in UD's Garden Apartments in an international learning community that includes students from seven foreign countries and U.S. students with international interests. "We realized we were a whole family in the beginning," she said.
Two UD undergraduates talked with international students about their potential journeys to the Far East. Both students were currently taking Chinese 141. "I really wanted the languages department to start offering it," said sophomore Tyler Deutsch. He said that this was the first year the course was being offered through video link with another university.
Andrew Perkins, a first-year Chinese 141 student, saw the course as necessary for his future career. "Learning a second language is almost essential," he said. "Hopefully we can get more people learning Chinese here."
Internationally focused students like Perkins might be impressed with the dedication of Sijia (Cindy) Zou. She said she did not miss her familiar Chinese radio stations from back home. Working on her master's in business at UD, Zou has all her energy focused on absorbing U.S. culture. "I'm so familiar with Chinese, so there's really no need for me to listen to it," she said.
Perkins also hopes to gain the experience of absorbing another culture. For now he was content with new faces. "It's great to meet people from all over the place."

By JohnnieC. Kling ’09 03-01-07