December 2006

My Old House: 418 Kiefaber

They call it the farmhouse and fill it with art projects.

by Anna Sexton ’07 12-27-06

Christmas off Campus

Alumni in 30 cities across the country celebrated Christmas off Campus with caroling, carnivals, presents, tree trimming, Santa and hope and good cheer with organizations in their communities. Click the image for a slideshow of highlights from just a few of the cities.

by Matthew Dewald 12-20-06

Christmas way off campus

The spirit of Christmas on Campus found Greg Kaiser in Myanmar, far from his COC friends. So the senior business major, who is finishing a six-month internship at Pun Hlaing International Hospital in Yangon, hosted a Christmas way off campus event of his own in November. He sent this note to those organizing COC:
Although the spirit of Christmas is less intense in Myanmar, the spirit of Buddhist giving is equally as strong. I heard about a few of my friends in the office who were planning on making a donation at a nearby school and a light went off in my mind. Having read some articles about Christmas off Campus activities in Houston, Boston, San Diego and Atlanta, I thought, "Why not Yangon?" I shared the idea with the friends who were donating and they loved it. We hosted a very small version of COC last week when we went to a schoolhouse bringing gifts of school supplies and coloring books, as well as making a cash donation to the headmaster for repairs. We all had a fun time and my friends here intend to take the celebration to the next level in 2007.
Wishing you all the best in COC 2006. Know that we are thinking about you here.

by Michelle Tedford 12-19-06

Singing the way, truth and life

Nick Cardilino is inspired by everything. The guitarist, songwriter and director of the Center for Social Concern draws from conversations with students and family and from reading Scripture, as is the case with his song "Discover the Way," which has been selected as the theme song for the 2007 National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry.
Next year's conference, taking place in Columbus, Ohio, centers on "Jesus as the Way, the Truth, the Life." Cardilino focused each verse from the song on those three elements. "I tried to put focus on Jesus in the song," he said. "What I really want is for people to be focused on Jesus — who He is and all He's done and continues to do for us."
He sings the lyrics, "There is a word. This word became flesh so that we might hear. And through this word the truth of the Father's love appeared." The refrain of the song states, "Jesus is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life," in both English and Spanish, which professor Enrique Romaguera helped to translate.
Cardilino began songwriting in college with a friend, but slowly fell away from it until about 10 years ago when a co-worker invited him to a local songwriters group. He's been actively writing songs ever since, and has recorded two CDs. Audio files of his songs and his lyrics are online.
Cardilino and David Smith, who helped edit the song, performed "Discover the Way" during a December debut at this year's conference in Las Vegas. Cardilino couldn't be happier. "It encourages me to keep going," he said. When asked if he thought this honor would launch his music career into bigger things, he replied, "If it happens, great; if it doesn't, whatever. It is whatever God wants."

by Sarah Barnidge ’07 12-18-06

Karma paybacks at Saturday benefit show

Philosopher Simone Weil put it well: "The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say, 'What are you going through?'"
This concern is what artist and UD graduate Tom Watson deeply wanted after he suffered a near-fatal stroke in March 2005. After much recovery and physical therapy, Watson was able to return to UD and graduate in 2006 with a BFA in visual communication design. While individual students and faculty members offered concern about what he was going through, Watson said he longed for more comprehensive support.
The Dayton community will come through for Watson Saturday, Dec. 16, by hosting a benefit show to raise money for his medical bills. The show, 9:30 p.m. at Oregon Express, 336 E. Fifth St., will feature a sale of Watson's silkscreen artwork inspired by the experience of his stroke. Other local artists have donated works to sell at the event, and four local bands will donate their performances to the effort. Admission is $5. More information on the show, a gallery of art for sale and benefit donation form are available online.
"I've lived in Dayton since my childhood, and I've really gotten involved in the local area's cultural outlets over the years. … Karma comes back to pay you back for the good you do — eventually," Watson said.

by Caroline R. Miller ’07 12-14-06

New energy, new look

The African American Alumni Organization is getting a new look to match its recent revitalization. On Nov. 3, the AAAO drew 30 students and more than two dozen alumni to the Hangar in Kennedy Union for food and games. The organization is also working toward raising $25,000 to endow the Black Alumni scholarship at UD.
For information about ordering the AAAO's sweater vest or   contributing to the scholarship fund, contact Patricia Crews in alumni relations at patricia.crews@notes.udayton.edu. Proceeds from the sweater vest will provide seed money to support future AAAO projects and student-alumni events.

by Matthew Dewald 12-14-06

Tis the season for bidding

This Christmas, give a gift to that special someone that will, at the same time, also give to UD students traveling to Africa this summer.
Seven pots made by three local artists are now on sale on eBay (keyword: ArtStreet pots) to help raise money for UD's Zambia immersion trip.
"The point is to have people donate money to a cause and, in return, they get a pot," Dave Chesar ’97 said.
This is the second year that Chesar, a UD employee, along with local artists Kate Meinke and Tommy Williams, have used their art to help raise money for a good cause.
"Each year we make pottery, and around Christmastime we pick an organization to donate the money to," Chesar said. The artists are using their hobbies and talents to help others, and Chesar suggests others do the same.
Last year they raised nearly $800 in an art auction for Daybreak. This year, Chesar chose the Zambia project after working with some of the trip's students.
As part of the international summer immersion experiences offered through the Center for Social Concern, 10 students will travel with a trip leader to the rural village of Lubwe, Zambia, to work on community projects, including agricultural work, a micro-lending program with a women's group, and the continued development of the community library and sports league.
Bidding starts at $40 and closes Dec. 15. The pots are currently on display in the ArtStreet gallery. If interested in donating money, but not for a pot, contact outreach community coordinator Selena Hilemon.

by Sarah Barnidge ’07 12-13-06

Christmas on Campus 2006

The sub-freezing temperatures, and even colder wind, did nothing to chill the fun at this year's Christmas on Campus. The funny thing was that temperatures were in the 50s, albeit very windy, a week earlier. It was that wind that helped make this year's Christmas on Campus a two-tree affair. (See the UDQuickly story posted Dec. 1, 2006, for all of the details.)
The UD spirit, as always, was enough to support two trees, and then some. The new layout, with the tree in Humanities Plaza and the carnival at RecPlex, seemed to work well and kept most everyone in a central area. The UD band trumpeting Santa's arrival with Christmas music added greatly to the evening's revelry.
While Christmas on Campus brings out the kid in all of us, my wife and I couldn't help but think that this may be our 5-year-old twins' last "real" Christmas. But their smiles, and the smiles of even the big kids, showed that Christmas magic will be alive in all of us for many years.
(Click the image for a slideshow of COC highlights. Requires Flash.)

by Shawn Robinson 12-11-06

Suddenly Santa

Robert Plucis’s first Christmas on Campus could turn out to be a long night.
The slender Berry Scholar from Gaithersburg, Md., will suit up as Santa and play the starring role, entertaining hordes of small, excited visitors to campus. But Plucis didn’t have to compete to win the honor. He was appointed by the Christmas on Campus committee, he surmises, “because it’s probably the hardest job so they give it to a freshman. It’s probably a really hot suit,” which he’ll wear for four hours. “If everyone wants to sit on my lap, it’s going to be a long night.”

by Deborah McCarty Smith 12-7-06

Got milk?

Elizabeth Whitacre has a solution to a common college housemate conundrum: Who drank all of my milk?
This weekend, Whitacre, a junior entrepreneurship and marketing major, was among the first students and alumni to pitch new business ideas in the School of Business Administration's first business plan competition. In two minutes, she had to convince a panel of judges that refrigerator dividers could quell animosity and anger among roommates, help families keep track of leftovers, and turn a profit within four years.
Other ideas among the 21 pitched were an indoor deep-water climbing park, personalized bobbleheads, gelato shop and electronic scoreboard cornhole sets.
Some students fiddled with notecards or froze under the stress, but engineering graduate student Carl Eger III remained calm. He clearly conveyed his team's plan for an energy-efficiency consulting service and received part of the best oral presentation prize money.
The five winning teams will develop full business plans for a March presentation and vie for $10,000 in prize money. Their ideas are funnel cakes for your freezer; home retrofitting for the elderly; an Italian gelatoria; life stories funboxes; and a computerized athletic training system pitched by junior Vince Pecoraro on behalf of a team that includes Andy Harmon, a former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle.
While Whitacre didn't win, she's hoping to install a prototype in her own fridge at Lowes Apartments. She plans to pursue the idea she pegged with the tag line: "Don’t let your refrigerator divide your household -- divide your refrigerator."

by Michelle Tedford 12-7-06

Found in translation

The students gauged their success not only in what they saw, but in what they didn’t see: Chinese characters in their final report.
For their project management class, the six engineering technology students created a Web site for their client, assistant professor Margaret Pinnell. The students divvied up the work, with Xu "Paul" Zhenyu taking a lead in programming the site's search engine.
"They used a Chinese computer, Chinese software and Chinese Word. We were finding Chinese characters everywhere," said team member John Hemsley.
Among those in the industrial engineering technology class are 12 students from Shanghai Normal University, who are on campus for a year to complete a joint UD-SHNU degree. The SHNU and UD students worked together to complete six projects for clients, including Montgomery County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, City of Dayton, Greater Old North Dayton Business Association, Norwood Tool Co. and Copeland Corp.
Students said it was a true team effort, with UD students helping their SHNU classmates by proofreading the presentation materials and the SHNU students using their skills in time management to keep the projects on task.
When Mark Collins, the project team leader, commented that they were still scrubbing Chinese characters up to the final presentation, associate professor Becky Blust told them such glitches are a normal occurrence in international business.
"This happens in industry all the time, especially when there's no direct translation," she said.
One thing that translates well across all languages: the smile and praise of their sponsor for a job well done.

by Michelle Tedford 12-6-06

My Old House: 68 Chambers

Six housemates, four education majors and one neighborhood fellow, but no partridge or pears in their Christmas tree. Click for a peek inside 68 Chambers.

by Caroline R. Miller ’07 12-05-06

If a tree falls ...

A cold morning and gusty winds proved too much for the tree donated for this year’s Christmas on Campus. The tree, a gift made to honor the mother of a 2006 UD graduate, snapped in two as it was being lifted from the ground.
“It all happened in slow motion,” said junior Lisa Monnot, one of three co-chairs of the Christmas on Campus plaza and outdoor decorations committee. “They went to pull it up and the top broke off and fell on the crane company’s truck.”
So they went to Plan B. Step 1: Start figuring out what Plan B is.
One decision was easy: They wanted to bring the topless tree to campus and display it.
“We didn’t want to say, ‘Let’s just scrap this tree,’” Monnot said. “It has so much meaning to them and to us.”
They quickly located another from their list of people who had originally offered trees, and the delivery company offered to donate its time again tomorrow morning. They’ll collect the new tree at 8 a.m.
So now there will be two trees for the children celebrating Christmas on Campus, one in KU Plaza, the tree’s traditional spot, and one in Humanities Plaza, where the committee planned to install the tree for the first time.
Sandy Borchers, coordinator for Christmas on Campus, shivered as she walked up the KU steps after watching the installation of the broken tree out front.
“Let me ask you something real quick,” said Adam Schuster, a co-chair on the outdoor decoration committee. “Do you want us to go buy more lights to decorate this tree?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, opening the front door of KU on her way into the COC offices.

by Matthew Dewald 12-1-06