February 29, 2008 - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

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10 February 29, 2008 Feature: Lasallian Service www.smumn.edu/cardinal Professor defines a Catholic Lasallian university BY DANIELLE LARSON Cardinal Staff Catholic, Lasallian universities have become more mainstream due to the pulling forces of American higher education to appear like every other university, explains the “Lasallian Assessment: Charism and the University” report, written by Saint Mary’s University history professor Dr. Richard Tristano. According to Tristano, the shift toward mainstream is what is causing Lasallian universities to lose their identity and why many faculty, staff and students cannot explain what it means to be Lasallian. With that in mind, Tristano devised the idea of writing the report. The report was written with the help of three other professors: Dr. Mary Catherine Fox, professor of interdisciplinary studies; Melissa Luedtke, professor of education; and Sister Judy Schaefer, professor and chair of theology. Because Saint Mary’s faces this same threat, the assessment states that the professors felt it was their duty as Lasallian educators to put together a document with the goal of creating a truly Lasallian university. “Lasallian Assessment is a means of integrating the Lasallian charism with the purpose of an American Catholic university through the evaluation of Lasallian goals and objectives,” the document states. Tristano said the purpose of this assessment was to define a Lasallian university in a concrete and specific way. To do this, they compiled broad goals of what a Lasallian university should be. Each goal was then broken down into more specific objectives that define the goal. Tristano and the other professors came up with examples from prior experiences to express how a Lasallian university could reach each objective and obtain its goals. SMU is one of seven Lasallian universities in the United States. The Lasallian Assessment was sent out to the other six universities after it was completed to help them develop their Lasallian identities as well. If SMU wants to be a truly Lasallian university, said Tristano, “[it] needs to have the will to gain the knowledge on how to become more Lasallian.” The professors believe that by enhancing the Lasallian identity, the institution will become more appealing to students and parents because its education is based on these Lasallian values. The Assessment took approximately 11 months to complete, from January to November 2007. A Lasallian university: *Reflects its Catholic and university identities. *Reflects the charism of John Baptist de La Salle and the Brothers of the Christian Schools. *Provides a holistic, values-based education that integrates Catholic thought and tradition with various other traditions and cultures. *Fosters relationships in community, together and by association, with particular attention to the relationship between teacher and student. *Develops an identity in students rooted in faith and zeal. *Responds to specific and changing educational needs especially focused on individual students. *Measures its effectiveness by how it addresses the religious, social, political, and economic needs of those less fortunate, especially the young. Students go south to make a difference BY KARINA RAJTAR Cardinal Staff Spring break is coming up, and while many Saint Mary’s University students are planning exotic vacations or anticipating a quiet week at home, thirteen students are preparing to help others. Members of the Saint Mary’s University campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity will travel to Abilene, Texas, to participate in a weeklong Collegiate Challenge, a program sponsored by Habitat for Humanity International that allows high school and college students to travel to other parts of the country during school breaks to help build houses. The program aims at getting youth involved in eliminating substandard housing while allowing them to experience a new community with new people. The thirteen students and one staff advisor will likely work on a number of different tasks, which may include tiling, painting, putting in appliances, putting up siding and installing insulation. They will also have a chance to learn more about problems with poverty and affordable housing while also getting to know people they might not otherwise get a chance to talk to. Junior Bethany Kaufmann went on last year’s trip to Greensboro, Ala., and said she would do it again “in a heartbeat” if she had the time to. She still spends time with some of the people she first got to know on the trip and is glad she had the opportunity to go. “I don’t think there’s anyone on the trip that could say they had a bad time,” Kaufmann said. The group will drive about 20 hours and spend a day sightseeing before beginning work, and they will be back in time for Easter weekend.
www.smumn.edu/cardinal Sports February 29, 2008 11 Sign-up begins for SMU Disc Golf Open BY NICOLE L. DALITTO Guest Writer The Office of Outdoor Leadership and Innova Disc Golf will sponsor a disc golf tournament at Saint Mary’s University on Saturday, April 5. “The disc golf course has seen amazing use by the Saint Mary’s community as well as the Winona community and the region,” said Davey Warner, outdoor leadership coordinator. “The disc golf open will provide a chance for all of these people to come together for a fun day to recreate and compete while benefiting the course and the new Outdoor Leadership program at SMU.” The tournament registration fee is $15 for students from any institution and $25 general admission. All proceeds from the tournament will go to the maintenance of The Woods disc golf course and the Office of Outdoor Leadership. Each participant will receive a free Saint Mary’s customized Innova Putt and Approach Disc. According to Warner, individual scores will determine first, second and third place. First prize will receive an Innova portable disc catcher, disc golf carry bag and three discs, including a driver, mid-range and putter. Second prize will win an Innova carry bag and the three discs, and third prize will be the three discs. Tee times will be determined by order of registration and will be announced at check-in. Check-in is between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on April 5 at the Toner Student Center. To receive the best tee time, participants are encouraged to register early. Professional Disc Golf Association rules will apply. More information on the rules is available at www.pdga.com or www.smumn.edu/thewoods. Disc golf was invented in 1970 and is similar to traditional golf in some respects. According to the PDGA, opponents throw discs- than using balls and clubs) to use the fewest strokes to get to a hole. The hole is sometimes referred to as the pole hole and is an elevated metal basket placed a good distance from the tee area. The SMU community has been interested in disc golf since the installment of the 18 hole disc golf course, The Woods. The course winds through the bluffs surrounding the SMU campus and includes challenging fairways that both beginners and experts could appreciate. Registration forms will be available in the next week in the Office of Outdoor Leadership, located in the lower level of Toner, or online at www.smumn.edu/thewoods. For more Disc Golf Open information contact Davey Warner at outdoorleadership@smumn.edu. Santana to the Mets, Twins receive. . . who? BY DAVID KRIEGER Guest Columnist The blockbuster trade between the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets involving the best pitcher on the planet, Johan Santana, was cleared on Feb. 2. In exchange for their ace, the Twins received four prospects from the Mets: outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. This is the first step, along with the inability of the Twins to resign center fielder Torii Hunter, in what appears to be the inevitable restructuring of the Minnesota Twins. This transformation process has all begun under new general manager Bill Smith. Smith was anxious to get the deal done, saying, “I think it dragged on long enough, and we all got to a point where you want to go into spring training knowing what you have,” Smith continued that, “The other teams certainly want to do that. The Twins, our manager and coaching staff ... I think everybody just reached the point that this was the best deal we were going to get.” While it appeared to be clear that Santana would be leaving (Santana’s new $137.5 million contract over six years was the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history), Twins fans are still left to question why the organization was not able to add proven players rather than just prospects. The reason for the trade with the Mets goes something like this: After Torii Hunter left for the Angels in late November, Santana made the decision to waive his no trade clause. It was clear that the Twins would have to make a long-term offer. Because the Twins were unable to come to an agreement due to Santana’s high monetary demands, he was soon on the market. The trade talks, which began to surface sometime in early December, originally involved the two powerhouse clubs of the American League East: the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Twins were looking for a proven position player and young major league experienced pitcher; more specifically, they sought to acquire packages with either Phillip Hughes and Melky Cabrera of the Yankees or pitchers Jason Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox. Neither one of these deals panned out because neither New York nor Boston was willing to give up both a dominant pitcher and position player. Seeing that neither New York nor Boston was likely to obtain Santana, both seemingly dropped out of the race. Meanwhile, Santana was still looking to be dealt, and the best available deal, in General Manager Bill Smith’s eyes, seemed to be the one the prospect heavy Mets proposed. The Twins were forced to decide if they would roll with Santana for the year and receive nothing for him after the season or take the deal. They chose the latter. Devout fans are deeply concerned about the absence of Santana, considering the moves that the rest of the AL central teams have made. The Detroit Tigers may have the best lineup in baseball; however, fans, too, frowned upon a little deal in 2003 that sent A.J. Pierzysnki to the Giants for a couple of pitchers few had never heard of…please rise Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. Loyal fans of Twins territory, my advice is this: before we hang Bill Smith by his trousers on the mighty Paul Bunyan statue, let’s wait it out and see what these new Twins can do. Keep in mind, Smith inherited these problems and has made a couple of key signings, including Delmon Young and Livan Hernandez. Also, in a few years, our club will be playing outdoors, bringing in new mone, and signing our stars to long-term deals. In the words of the late Kevin Garnett to Charles Barkley after going up 2-0 on the to-be-champion L.A. Lakers, “We commmmiiiiinnnnn!” … only it may take a couple seasons.
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February 29, 2008 - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

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