This is News in :90 for Friday, May 6, 2011

Video by Mary Kenkel, director emeritus

Osama bin Laden’s death stirred strong emotions nationally Monday, and St. Thomas students were also reflecting on what President Barack Obama called “the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaida.”

Senior Air Force ROTC student John Keefer said the event is important to national security.

“Not everyone can necessarily rejoice in the death itself, but someone who was inflicting harm on other people is no longer able to do it,” Keefer said. He said his statements are not the opinion of the Air Force.

Bin Laden’s death Sunday came just months ahead of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. The attacks took almost 3,000 lives and led the U.S. into war in Afghanistan.

People around the world discussed the dramatic event on social media websites. A crowd gathered to celebrate outside the White House and Ground Zero in New York.

Senior Chris Antonelli, a psychology major, said he viewed the victory as “mostly symbolic.”

Antonelli said he was bothered by the celebration of a person’s death.

“I’m a little disturbed, to be honest,” Antonelli said. “It’s like a revenge kind of thing. Justice and revenge are not the same thing.”

Senior Kellen O’Grady said the death was an important step in the war in Afghanistan.

“As with any death I don’t [find] joy in someone dying, but it does mark the end of what we got into the war in Afghanistan for,” O’Grady said.

In his address Sunday, Obama said the U.S. is not at war with Islam.

Tripti Sedhi, a graduate student from India, echoed Obama’s point.

“It’s not written in the Quran or the Bible to hurt other people. It’s in the minds of people,” Sedhi said.

“It’s the people whom they should hate, not a country, not a religion,” Sedhi added.

Drew Landon contributed to this story.

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

Your time at college can be put to great use. There is a laundry list of experiences to have at St. Thomas, and I suggest making the most of your time.

Experiences I had and that you should, too

1. Participate in a college sport
Getting involved with a sport my freshman year was a great way to make friends. I rowed with the crew team through my junior year, and it gave me the opportunity to travel across the country to places such as Boston and Philadelphia. I not only made great friends, I was also able to stave off the freshman 15. As an added bonus, being a part of a team sport in college looks great on a resume.

2. Hold a student leadership position
There are many opportunities to apply for a student leadership position on campus. During my junior and senior year, I was fortunate enough to be a resident adviser on campus. Having a leadership job on campus introduces you to amazing people, gives you a valuable experience and is a great talking point with potential employers. Residence Life is not the only department on campus with positions. St. Thomas has a large number of clubs to get involved with.

3. Go to a Tommie-Johnnie game
Many St. Thomas students think a Tommie-Johnnie game only comes once a year during football season. Though I have experienced the football rivalry, a Tommie-Johnnie game is equally nail-biting in basketball, lacrosse and other sports.

Opportunities I missed that you shouldn’t

1. Live off campus
My experience living on campus has been very rewarding. I have lived in a variety of different dorms and apartments, and each has offered me a different experience. Now that I am moving on to renting a property, I wish I had experienced living off campus. There are many apartments and rental houses around campus.

2. Take advantage of the arts
The arts program at St. Thomas includes this campus and the other ACTC schools. Whether it is performing in a choir or taking in a student show around campus, there are many opportunities to experience the arts St. Thomas has to offer.

3. Holiday meals
During the school year the campus cafeteria hosts holiday meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Every year I told myself I would attend, and every year I missed it. Most students agree the holiday meals are the best dinners on campus, and I would suggest learning from my mistake.

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

The St. Thomas men’s lacrosse team beat Augsburg 18-1 at home Tuesday, April 12, with 13 different players scoring during the game.

Tuesday’s win improved the Tommies’ record to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the Division II Upper Midwest Lacrosse League.

Senior goalie Thomas Thone said Tuesday’s game was a learning experience for the team.

“It was a good experience for the younger players, and it allowed our team to rest the older guys to get ready for the Johnnies game,” Thone said.

The Tommies’ win helped the team gear up for the rivalry game against St. John’s Friday. The Johnnies are tied for first with North Dakota State in the UMLL with a 5-0 record.

“With St. John’s, it is always a personal matter,” Thone said. “We know them really well, since we play them every year. They’ll try and get in our heads, but we can’t let our emotions get the best of us. We just need to play our game and stay calm, cool and collected.”

The Tommie-Johnnie game is at 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, at St. Thomas Academy. The game will be streamed live on the team’s website through the Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network.

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

“With One Voice: Unity Through Art” mixed music and writing from different world views and religions in a concert that celebrated the blessing of water.

The concert was presented by the music department as part of the Sacred Arts Festival at 8 p.m. Friday, April 8, in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Both the liturgical and concert choirs were featured in the performance, as well as guest artists Cantus and Nirmala Rajasekar with Thanjavur Murugaboopathi.

Sacred Waters series

The concert was part of the Sacred Arts Festival’s Sacred Water series. The Sacred Arts Festival presents various artistic forms including music, drama, poetry, dance, painting and film.

Liturgical choir director Aaron Brown began the performance by explaining the concert’s greater purpose.

“Art and music are universal,” Brown said. “The concert is about how art and music can bring understanding between different people and religions.”

Brown said the Sacred Waters theme is timely in the wake of the tsunami in Japan.

“Water is one of the most powerful elements,” Brown said. “It’s an element that comforts and terrifies; brings life and brings death.”

Diversity through art

The concert included various musical performances about water from different religions.

Liturgical choir member and freshman Katie Erickson said she was pleased with the wide selection of music.

“It’s supposed to be very multicultural,” Erickson said, noting one of the choir’s songs was in Hebrew.

“It’s a bit difficult to start learning [the music] but it always comes together,” Erickson said.

Cantus, a nationally-recognized ensemble, performed several songs from the Native American world view.

Fellow guests Rajasekar and Murugaboopathi played songs from southern India with a sitar and traditional drum. The duo was joined by Cantus and performed an improvised Indian melody in ancient Sanskrit.

A sacred variety

Different sacred texts, poetry or prayers about water were read between musical numbers. A poem about a tsunami, a Muslim blessing and a Hindu peace prayer were among the readings.

Junior Patric Driessen said he was impressed by the variety of music.

“There was a good mix of different sounds and types,” Driessen said. “I thought it was very interesting.”

Freshman Elizabeth Banks said the concert was a great display of the vocal talent at St. Thomas. Banks also said the concert lived up to its theme.

“It was about embracing the respect we should have for water,” Banks said. “It was spiritually uplifiting.”

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (ChicagoPhotoStop/Creative Commons)

The situation should cause universities to consider what their students want and need, and it should lead universities to think hard about what their intentions should be when inviting guests to campus.

Money talks

Sure, the Rutgers University Programming Association had a responsibility to entertain the students on campus, but Snooki’s appearance failed to involve a majority of the student body. The event was funded with students’ mandatory activity fees, so the entire student body should be able to attend.

Only 2,000 students were able to attend the Jersey party girl’s event. The math works out to essentially $16 a ticket to catch Snooki and her comedian sidekick.

Toni Morrison will speak at the university’s commencement ceremony. The venue will seat 52,000 people, significantly more than Snooki’s appearance. More importantly, the university has funded Morrison’s appearance, which costs the students nothing.

With the numbers in mind, was it worth the money Rutgers spent on Snooki to entertain a small portion of the student body? I don’t think so.

The value of education

The most important issue to recognize is the content marketed to students. A university is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas. I find it hard to believe that Snooki’s advice, “study hard, party harder,” is crucial to the betterment of young minds.

The price of either guest cannot be changed. It is a sad fact that a reality star is paid more for appearances than a Nobel Prize winner. However, I don’t believe that excuses Rutgers for indulging in the temptation.

As capable and intelligent students at universities, we need to hold our institutions accountable. These few years should be an opportunity to take advantage of the scholars and insightful thinkers available to us. I would hope students would question St. Thomas if it made a similar decision.

St. Thomas’s decision to invite musician John Legend to campus is an excellent example of mixing entertainment with education. Legend will speak about his involvement in charities as well as perform several songs. The event will be informative and entertaining.

There are plenty of opportunities to experience entertainment’s guilty pleasures. A university’s funds should go toward the betterment of its students, and I would guess most people agree Snooki does not help fulfill that goal.

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

“Revealed,” a performance by St. Thomas’ Invisible Children group, highlighted a variety of talents and raised awareness and funds for the charity.

The charity benefits children in war-torn countries in east Africa. According to the charity’s website, the group advocates for children who have been affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Many donations go to the Legacy Scholarship Fund, which provides education in Uganda.

The performance was Friday, April 1, in the Brady Educational Center auditorium. All the money collected from the event will benefit Invisible Children.

Sophomore Bianca Jones, service chair of St. Thomas’ Invisible Children, said the events at St. Thomas are crucial to spreading the message.

“Our biggest thing is raising awareness,” Jones said. “I think we can do big things.”

The show included 14 different acts. Performances included music, dance, spoken word and film. The musical acts ranged from Lotus Eater’s indie-rock to Nick Kiekenapp’s folk style. Spoken word performances about the issue included a dramatic interpretation through the actor’s shadows. The dance groups pumped up the energy with hip-hop and slowed the mood with a contemporary-style dance.

Several testimonials from child soldiers in east Africa were read between performances.

Jones said showcasing different art and talent interests more people.

“Nobody wants to sit and watch the same thing over again,” Jones said.

Many of the performers said they were pleased to support the charity, including sophomore Landon Rick who performed with the band Blue Whale and the Swedes. Rick said the event brought to light issues most students don’t think about.

“It’s a good cause and a good outlet for local St. Thomas talent to express themselves for something bigger,” Rick said.

Sophomore and spoken word artist Rae Horton said the events have the opportunity to influence students.

“I went to other [Invisible Children] events last semester and was really touched by the films,” Horton said. “That’s why I wrote the poem performed tonight.”

The event seemed to interest many people, including freshman Kristin Braden, who had not heard of the organization before the performance.

“It’s a good organization and a good cause to support,” she said. “I liked how it was a little bit of everything from music to speakers.”

Co-chair and senior Kaitlin Rattigan said the event was an effective way to spread information.

“We’re unique in the fact that we use art as a way to communicate a message to people,” Rattigan said.

She added, “It’s interactive, accessible and exciting. It meets people halfway.”

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

"The Soapbox," a student publication that covers justice and peace issues on campus and worldwide, is one of a few publications that opinions editor Gina Dolski says deserve more recognition. (Gina Dolski/TommieMedia)

I am fortunate to have a public platform to publish my writing. I have the privilege of publicizing my opinions through my editorials on a weekly basis. Many students are writing quality articles in speciality publications, but sadly they are often lost in the shuffle.

Most of the publications reach out to different student demographics and contain interesting articles. Print media that reach out to different communities on campus help strengthen students’ bonds through a shared medium. The publications often print articles about events or subjects that are specific to the community and may get skipped over by other news outlets.

These publications don’t only benefit their target community. The articles can inform other students anxious to know about clubs and communities on campus.

“The Soapbox” is a great example of a specialty student publication that floats around campus. This publication covers justice and peace issues on campus and worldwide. It is refreshing to see a student-produced publication confronting important issues. The publication also includes literature and art by talented students.

Sadly, it is difficult to spot “The Soapbox” around campus. Some copies were left in campus eateries and other locations, but they are a bit difficult to obtain. Unfortunately this is a common theme with most student publications, making it difficult to continue printing editions.

A second great publication is “The Pulp,” which mixes honest dialogue with satire. The small publication is easy to enjoy with content such as fake Public Safety briefs. But the one-page editions are difficult to get ahold of. I found mine through word-of-mouth requests and suggest you do the same.

Another forgotten publication is the “Summit Avenue Review.” The yearly art and literary review is mostly student-produced and includes only student submissions. The publication is an excellent way to discover the creative sides of many St. Thomas students.

A variety of student publications have come and gone during my four years at St. Thomas. They often make an appearance for several months, then fade away. I think this is a shame. Many of these publications inevitably die off from a lack of available publicity and advertisements.

It is difficult to say how the St. Thomas community can support student publications to help them thrive, but these publications are hidden gems at St. Thomas. My best advice is to enjoy the publications while possible.

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.

This is News in :90 for Monday, March 28, 2011.

1. Duke
I always have been and always will be a Duke fan. Every year my bracket is topped by the Blue Devils, except for last year. During the 2010 playoffs, I jumped on the John Wall bandwagon and chose Kentucky as my championship team. Sadly, karma taught me to never be a fair-weather fan when Duke claimed the championship. I have a good feeling about the Blue Devils this year after the team’s recent victory over University of North Carolina.

2. Ohio State
The Big Ten champions have the No. 1 overall seed, making them a great pick for the Final Four. The team’s weapon, freshman forward Jared Sullinger, has proved himself time after time this season. Sullinger is one of the season’s big-name players, pushing the team onto my Final Four list.

3. Brigham Young University
Everyone loves an upset. Even with their recent bad luck, I am willing to place BYU in my Final Four. BYU still managed to earn a No. 3 seed in the Southeast region, even with sophomore Brandon Davies off the team. Never underestimate a team’s desire to prove people wrong. The Cougars have something to prove, and that fire could lead to victory.

4. Purdue
The Boilermakers are seeded third in the Southwest region. The team managed to get ranked second behind Ohio State during the Big Ten season. Purdue’s top scorers, JaJaun Johnson and E’Twaun Moore, are seniors, giving them one last chance for a title. That inspiration may push the Boilermakers toward the championship, which is why the team makes my Final Four.

Gina Dolski can be reached at grdolski@stthomas.edu.