I first became aware of the designation via an e-mail sent to all seniors on April 11 from our class president, Thomas Engrav. In the section regarding the senior class gift, he writes, “I, along with a committee of seniors, decided that we’d like our class to raise money to create a scholarship that will support students who want to participate in the VISION program.” I do not know who the members of the committee referenced in the e-mail are or how or when it was set up. To my knowledge there was no vote taken to determine the membership of this committee.

I have chosen not to support the senior class gift because of the lack of representation given to the students of our class in designating the recipients of our generosity. To clarify, this has nothing to do with the quality or worthiness of the VISION program, but simply the fact that no one other than the members of the “committee” had any say in where the money is going. Had a class-wide election been held and the VISION program came out on top, I would have most definitely supported the fund. I was under the impression that in the past, senior gifts have gone into a general scholarship pool, supporting all future students equally with no designation. Any departure from this prior precedent should have been put to a vote by all members of our class.

Seniors, if you have not yet received a call from the St. Thomas Development Office soliciting a donation to the senior class gift, you will soon. I was contacted last night and shared my views with the student caller. If you feel the same way I do, I urge you to not support the Class of 2010 scholarship fund and outline your reasons for doing this to the student caller. I do hope that this sends a message to future classes to change the system and give seniors a voice in what happens with our gifts.

John Gummerson, senior

Spark

Every fall I saw countless fliers for upcoming VISION trips. I’ve heard several personal testimonies and have had personal encouragements to apply. I am ashamed to admit that until this semester I had ignored them all, at least partially. I was fully aware of the VISION trips and I knew all the factual information: deadlines, cost, trip destinations, etc. However, I failed to understand past that. I failed to recognize that everyone who returns from these trips has only positive things to say. I failed to see that each of these students commits to bettering the world around them. A world in which I live contentedly, and have never made a serious effort to improve. I can turn off lights at night or turn off the faucet while brushing my teeth, but that is about as much as I’ve ever done.

When this year’s assortment of fliers, offline and online, came out, something was different. This year I looked at the VISION forms. I read through all the site locations and the application process. By the time I was done, I was more than committed to applying. It was as if my vision widened. I saw beyond myself and I was disappointed. Both in how limited I was looking before, and what it was I saw. I was primarily concerned with social justice issues and set New York as my primary decision. From the summary of the New York trip I understood my group would be primarily concerned with people living without permanent shelter, and working at soup kitchens and different service banks. To have done this alone I would have considered my trip a complete success; however, what actually unfolded was so much more.

Fuel

Within a week of filling out the application I received the confirmation e-mail. Great, I was going on a VISION trip. However, at this point I’m still a while away from New York. As a student who spends most of his time behind computers dealing with strict logistics, I had to admire the entire VISION process. After the successful spark the next part of the process ensured the proper “fuel,” as it were, to ensure a successful trip. I could easily liken the process to a machine with feelings. The next step after confirmation was an interview. My interview was great, to say the least. It was full of fun and engaging conversation that helped my VISION leader and I get to know each other. We shared silly stories, answered emotional questions, and even had time to watch kittens on YouTube.
At this point, I had long since forgotten whatever apprehensions I may have had about VISION. More time passed as my eagerness for spring break rose. Not to go home and play video games as I always have, nor to see friends from other schools. I was looking forward to spring break so that I could make a difference in someone’s life. So I could learn about another aspect of society that I’ve been personally blind toward for my entire life.

Ignition

And then I met my group. Over the deafening sound of this metaphorical engine would be the laughter of every single member of our group. That is when we weren’t sharing personal stories, giving reflections, or singing (off-key, I might add). Little did I know what would form from the nine people, some of whom I knew and the others who were strangers. A few get-togethers and we were off to New York. I’d say we were going 60 mph while parked outside Common Ground at 4:00 a.m. waiting to head out. If you don’t happen to know this off the top of your head New York is about 1,200 miles away. And we were going to drive every one of them in a 12-person van. Needless to say, personal space does not last long. In retrospect, the limited space is more a convenient excuse than the actual reason we got close. Let’s face it, people make better pillows than a window or door.

Drive

As I said earlier I could go on and on about every aspect of this trip, and in all honestly I would love to, but not here, I’m afraid. Definitely in person, and maybe in another piece of writing. Highlights of our drive include a night in a (possibly haunted) convent, Palm Sunday in Mogadore, Ohio, and pizza at a restaurant/drive-thru convenience store. We danced to Miley Cyrus outside a fast food restaurant. Some (make that one, Sarah) of us made peanut butter and banana sandwiches. And of course, there was singing. Be it Justin Bieber, Lil’ Wayne, or Frank Sinatra, if we heard it, we sang it. Our last great triumph had to be a “jumping” photo shot in New Jersey – six failures later and I’m not sure if we ever really got it right. Keep in mind all of this is just on the trip out there.

Park

At last we arrived in New York. We couldn’t help but mention that we had not even truly begun our VISION trip. Of course the VISION trip truly encompasses everything from my application to this reflection, but we had not done any service work. It was service work that had prompted me to begin this trip and at this point I’d have categorized my expectations as unrealistically high. Perhaps I have a have a poor understanding of “unrealistically high,” but I believe the VISION trip simply met and exceeded all conceivable expectations. Without overstating anything, I am a different person compared to before I left. It would be impossible to see and do the things we did without changing. Stereotypes: shattered. Understanding: widened. Vision: granted.

We were placed in the heart of this country’s largest city. We opted to face injustice and instead of shying away from it we tried to make a change. I am no fool, though. I know poverty and homelessness exist now just as they did several weeks ago. I did not find anyone a home, nor did my work give people employment. However, while in New York we helped give Eddie, a former gang member from El Salvador, a hot meat. We assisted Dolores and “The Dragon Lady” feed 100 people while it rained outside. Carmen’s summer distribution will hopefully go off without a hitch so as to clothes thousands of people in comfortable and fitting attire. Eighty families will receive keyboards for their sixth grade children, cleaned by our hands. This is only a part of the work a fraction of our group did. We were separated into two groups, meaning even more efforts were put to good use of which our group has no memories.

In addition to our physical efforts, I would personally attest to the fact that all 10 of us gave 100 percent toward our mental awareness of the issues at hand. Working through Youth Service Opportunities Project, we were educated on a variety of topics and listened to firsthand experiences of living on New York’s streets or losing one’s home. When listening to speakers we were able to give thoughtful questions and receive helpful answers. For instance, unaware of how to respond to people asking for money, we were informed of potential responses that we would later use that resulted in success. We all left with the drive to do more after leaving New York. We realized that every minute we gave to helping someone else counted for so much more than just 60 seconds. In fact, we were given the opportunity to challenge ourselves through a letter Y.S.O.P. will hold onto for one month before sending it back to us. We wrote, sealed and addressed the letter to ourselves on our last day with Y.S.O.P.

Reverse

In spite of what I originally expected, the return trip was not met with sadness or despair. While leaving New York was not an easy task, there was and still is so much more to look forward to. It is unfathomable that any of us will forget our spring break. Nor will we forget the faces of those we helped and the feeling we got doing so. Amongst the niceties exchanged on a daily basis, never have I felt a more earnest “thank you” than by a nameless man with no teeth who merely smiled at us after receiving a simple dinner of a donut, steamed vegetables, chicken, mashed potatoes and hot dogs (all right, no one actually took the mashed potatoes). These memories are priceless to me and like all other important aspects of my life, will help shape my disposition and actions in the future.

P.S. Kari Jo, Kristen, Lj, Adam, Steph, Lexy, Sarah, Lilla and Myke – I love you guys.

P.S.S. Cabo.

Brett Brakefield

I came to St. Thomas hoping to deepen my relationship with God and to grow in my understanding of who the Church is. Looking back on my four years at UST, I can honestly say that both of those things happened.  In the process, I also learned to look at the world through Catholic eyes.

Looking through Catholic eyes means looking at the world through the lens of the teachings of the Catholic Church, and learning how a Catholic looks at the modern world differently than a non-Catholic does. I strongly believe that this is something essential for Catholic students to learn, but something I believe non-Catholic students would find valuable as well.

There’s an old adage that the best way to understand someone else is to walk a mile in their shoes. In learning the teachings of the Catholic Church, and how the Church looks at the world in light of those teachings, a student is, in essence, walking a mile in the shoes of a Catholic.  In the process, the student learns what it means to be a Catholic and who the Church is, viewed through Catholic eyes. Whether or not the student believes what the Church teaches, such insight is extremely valuable, and this is insight that can only be offered by a Catholic institution.

Unfortunately, many students on campus don’t seem to take advantage of this unique opportunity. They see St. Thomas’ Catholic identity as more of a burden than a blessing, and an unwelcome intrusion of conservatism on campus. In truth, the Church is neither liberal nor conservative. She is, has been for over two millennia, and always will be, in the words of Cardinal George “Simply Catholic.” But one must learn to look at the world through Catholic eyes in order to understand this.

To my fellow Tommies, I offer this word of advice: take advantage of this opportunity to learn to look at the world through Catholic eyes. It is an opportunity you may never find anywhere else, and it’s something a Catholic educational institution can offer you that a non-Catholic educational institution, by its very nature, cannot.

When you learn to look at the world through Catholic eyes, to quote a Phil Collins song, “you’ll be amazed what you find.” That was certainly the case with me, and I hope and pray that the same will be true for all students who graduate from my beloved alma mater.

Michael Blissenbach

Pick your favorite: mine is “Tutugate.”

For at least five years, our university has been marred by frequent controversies pertaining to speakers sharing their views on campus. In such cases, the inability of opposing parties to effectively communicate and receive information with their intellectual opponents has brought the issue to a fever pitch. The blunt remarks of Ben Kessler at Spring Commencement seemed to open this rattlesnake’s cage in ‘06. And based on the recent Bulletin article “University launches effort to address society’s growing lack of civility,” it seems the snake is still slithering on the drafty tile of Aquinas Hall.

I use the snake illustration because I believe this issue has indeed snake-bit administrators into a position of what seems to be perpetual hesitation and damage control. Because these authorities must appear evenhanded, they are often forced to limit debate to issues that cause minimal discomfort to the status quo. Moreover, this response solicits the least criticism today and is therefore easy. As a result, we have significantly increased our propensity towards sterile discussions and debased debate.

But now we have reason to hope. I find the ostentatiously ambitious approach of administrators from the College of Arts and Sciences and Student Affairs to provide national leadership on this issue very commendable. Indeed, civil discourse is vital to the health of any university as it is the only base from which contentious parties may learn from each other. But like many things, the devil’s in the definition, and the meaning of “civil discourse” is itself subject to contention. If we are to move beyond the politically correct attitude that has lead to our current state, we must be clear in our future approach.

This approach must start with the recognition that each student, staff, and faculty member enjoys a challenge. We are confident in our beliefs because they are logical, researched, and consistent. We express them in a manner that is informative to the listener, and we invite criticism and objection from those who disagree. We are not embarrassed to alter our views when confronted by a superior argument because we know this leads to constructive compromise. Moreover, we believe this process benefits us immensely as an institution in the long run. It is inherently respectful and civil.

Perhaps more importantly, this approach must guarantee our individual rights as independent minds to listen to anyone we choose. We each contribute to the health of our university in some unique way, and our distribution of speaking facilities should reflect this to the greatest extent possible. In short, we have the right to say what we wish, and we have the right to hear what we wish. We recognize no issue is too taboo and we do not grow offended when we are exposed to conflicting evidence. This is because we know these demons will haunt us if they are not exercised from time to time.

Finally, this approach must encourage friendship and sportsmanship when our debates have ended. We recognize the humility in the human condition and our susceptibility to error- even in our well-intentioned pursuits. We laugh together more often than yell.

Although these seem like idealistic platitudes, they are attainable if we are committed to them. Their encouragement is a hallmark of western liberty and eastern integrity. If we follow a less libertarian track to civil discourse, it will be the wrong one. We will learn less from each other and from ourselves.

Brady Narloch, Senior

Finance and Economics major

blnarloch@stthomas.edu

PepsiCo recently came out with a new iPhone application to market their Amp Energy drink. The application is titled “Amp Up Before You Score.” What’s its purpose? To allow application users to select from 24 different stereotypes of women depending on the user’s mood, then provide tips and tricks on how to “score” (because apparently, women are more akin to flavors of ice cream than actual people).

As if Pepsi thought that wasn’t quite demeaning enough, not only do the types include “Married”, but the caption below “Sorority Girl” says “This shouldn’t be a problem.”

And then we have the proverbial cherry on top: the application actually encourages users to “keep a list” of their conquests, and brag about them. Take a look at this excerpt from the application information on iTunes.

Here’s how it works:

1. Identify Her Type

Got your eye on a girl, and aren’t sure how to get started? Pick out her profile, flip the card, and study up quick with a cheatsheet on the stuff she’s into, with lists, links and some surefire opening lines. (Surefire to what, we won’t say.)

2. Keep a list

Get lucky? Add her to your Brag List. You can include a name, date and whatever details you remember.

3. Brag

You got it? Flaunt it. Keep your buddies in the loop on email, Facebook or Twitter.

In response to criticism of the application, PepsiCo offered this “apology” via Twitter, “Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women. We apologize if it’s in bad taste & appreciate your feedback. #pepsifail.”

I, for one, do not find misogyny humorous. Nor do I find it compatible with our University Mission, Vision, and Convictions Statement, which with respect to dignity it states “We respect the dignity of each person and value the unique contributions that each brings to the greater mosaic of the university community.” With respect to diversity it states “We strive to create a vibrant diverse community in which, together, we work for a more just and inclusive society.”

As a university, the way in which we conduct business should be a reflection of our values. Who we choose to do business with says something about our ethical standards. Continuing to do business with PepsiCo is tantamount to an endorsement of their company and consequently their marketing methods. I hope the University of St. Thomas can do better than that. Please remove Pepsi products from our campus.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Pogin

About 10 percent of our first-year class this year lives off-campus. In the Commuter Center & Off-Campus Services, we offer Commuter Connections – a program that pairs a small group of first-year commuter students with a Commuter Advisor who communicates with the group and plans activities for them. We also have our Commuter Center lounge with activities happening every week to connect commuter students with the each other and the university’s services and resources. A survey we conducted last spring with over 1,000 UST students that live off-campus shows that those commuter students who visit the Center are more likely to feel connected to student life at St. Thomas than those who haven’t and are significantly more likely to say they feel that UST cares about them.

The work in the residence halls is clearly important. Residence Life does a fantastic job in facilitating the connections for their resident students and has even partnered with the Commuter Center to offer our Commuter-Resident Partnership program. In this program, first-year commuter students become honorary members of a residence hall floor, offering another opportunity for them to connect with their on-campus peers.

Different backgrounds and experiences can affect how individual students seek connections to our community. What St. Thomas does exceptionally well is provide a variety of opportunities for students to engage in the community – from residence halls to commuter programs, service learning to study abroad – so each student can find what fits for them. Thanks for highlighting the diversity of opportunities for all of our first-year students.

Josh Hengemuhle

Area Manager Commuter Center & Off-Campus Services

Dean of Students Office

University of St. Thomas

Our names are Enzo Randazzo and Matthew Malicki. We’re two seminarians at St. John Vianney Seminary which is on the campus of the University of St. Thomas where you just performed on Saturday night. We want to thank you and let you know that we were deeply moved that night because of your show. One reason is simply because of the genuineness of your music, a pure expression of what’s on your heart. On top of this, we had a very long discussion with another seminarian named Juan who is from Mexico originally (now studying at St. Paul Seminary, the other seminary on the UST campus – yes there’s two seminaries on one campus!) We talked about evangelization.

Both of us had attempted to speak with you after the show but we obviously weren’t successful (hence the letter!) We had our minds set that we were going to ask you to go grab a cup of coffee with us, we wanted to hear about your life and share ours with you. You are a pretty down to earth person and might have just said yes! We wanted to talk to you about the two bookends of your performance. In the beginning, you mentioned you went to Catholic school and at the end you said “Peace be with you.”

It seemed as though you were trying to relate to us because we were on a Catholic campus. What really got us was the fact that you said “Peace be with you” and not something like “Peace out” but it was explicitly “Peace be with you.” That’s a response from the Catholic Mass which gets it from Christ. You brought us his word.

When he appeared to his Apostles after he rose from the dead he said to them “Peace be with you” and breathed the Holy Spirit on them (just like God breathed his spirit into Adam at creation, so Christ breathes the Holy Spirit into us who are spiritually dead with his resurrected life.) The early disciples received the life of God into their being; we have received that same gift.

You brought us a gift. You shared your gift of music; your talent for songwriting and singing are beautiful and we thank God for them and we thank you for sharing them. You shared your gift and you spoke peace on our lives. That is beautiful as is your music.

You have music in your heart. The heart longs for what is true, good and beautiful. This is mainly why we are writing you this letter. We want to remind you why your heart seeks beauty.

Your heart is Imago Dei, made in the image and likeness of God. God’s heart is beautiful and all creation is beautiful. All beauty is a reflection, an echo, of his heart. All hearts are beautiful, yours is no different, nor ours, nor any other person on this planet. However, sometimes we marr that beauty, we fall, we make mistakes, we sin – sin is a denial of who we are and the beauty that is within us and it a rejection of the beauty that calls us.

You may not know it, but your music was used by God tonight. Anything that is good is used by him to bring him glory and to bring the truth to his people. Your songs which are about love, they are reflections of the love relationship between God and us. For example, your song “Everywhere” really touched us tonight.

It seems to be about faith, about God being everywhere even though we can’t see him. We can’t see him when we’re awake “’Cause every time I look you’re not there,” but we sleep in an ocean of love at night “And every time I sleep you’re always there.” I especially like the lyrics “And when I touch your hand it’s then I understand.” It reminded me of St. Thomas the Apostle who doubted that Christ had risen from the dead. However, when he encountered Christ’s real presence Jesus told him, “Take your hand and put it in my side, do not be unbelieving but believe.” Thomas had said before that he wouldn’t believe unless he put his hand inside the nail marks to prove that Jesus had indeed risen.

This desire for resurrection that Thomas sought is a desire that all human hearts have. We all feel our fallenness. The doctrine of original sin is the only doctrine that the Catholic Church teaches which every human being will readily admit. There is something essentially not right with us, something off, something fallen. We’re not OK. But we’re also not alone.

We stood there in the back of the crowd and we were looking at all these people and wondering what was going on in their lives. What are these students going to be doing after the show? What motivates these students? After the show, will they make fruitful or rather dangerous decisions? Do some of them have broken hearts right now? Do they have broken lives?

The Gospel message speaks directly to that. Christ has entered into our shame, our loneliness, our pain, our fear. He took our sin and nailed it to the tree of life, so that just as sin entered the world through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so now life comes through the tree of the knowledge of love and mercy.

This is Christianity, this is hope. There is a way out of our fallenness, and in fact, that way is a person: Jesus.

This is why we are studying to be Catholic Priests. We have encountered him; we don’t simply intellectually assent to the fact that God exists, we’ve experienced that God exists and we want others to experience his love, too. His love is real. That is our message to you today.

We want to thank you for coming to the University of St. Thomas. We want to thank you for sharing your gifts. We want to thank you for being a mirror and a conduit for Christ. Whether you knew it or not, you brought us closer to God.

Thank you and peace be with you as well,

Enzo Randazzo and Matthew Malicki

Students have a lot of energy, and especially at the end of the week they are ready to relax, to get together with friends and to party – and that’s fine. Neighbors know that is going to happen. They once were college students, too, and they know there always will be a certain level of activity.

The majority of students are respectful of neighbors’ privacy and property, and I appreciate that. I always suggest to students that they should treat neighbors like they, the students, would want to be treated if they owned a house near St. Thomas and had young children.

Despite the best of intentions, there have been a significant number of disturbing incidents in the neighborhood over the past month. Many of them have to do with noise – music or conversations that become too loud, go on too late and include profanity. Other complaints have to do with littering, trespassing, stolen or damaged property such as election signs, and urinating in yards or on the streets.

These incidents simply aren’t acceptable – and from my perspective, I believe they can be easily avoided.

If you are going to have a party, please alert your neighbors in advance and promise that you will hold down the noise. Then ask your guests to do the same. Make sure your yard and the vicinity are cleaned up afterwards.

If you are walking or driving in the neighborhood, please stay on sidewalks and streets and, again, hold down the noise. Loud music, conversation and horn honking aren’t appropriate later in the evening because they do disturb what should be a peaceful and tranquil neighborhood.

It all boils down to, as I mentioned earlier, the need to honor and show respect for your neighbors’ privacy and property. I ask you to do your part.

John Hershey

Neighborhood Liaison

We hope you had a great summer and want to welcome you back to this neighborhood for fall semester! The key word in that previous sentence being “neighborhood”. While you are here, aspiring to higher thinking and planning your future, we ask that you consider your actions when walking, biking or just plain stumbling through the neighborhood. We ask that you treat our yards and streets with the same respect that you would your own home, wherever you might hail from. We won’t bore you with a list of the blatant vandalism that occurs most weekends, but we trust that you wouldn’t throw garbage on, vomit on or vandalize your own parent’s yard.

We live here because we like the area; however, we don’t like your actions from time to time. They frustrate us and set a bad example for everyone – including the many children that live here and your fellow students. Now we understand the freedom you feel while at school. The fact is, many people in this neighborhood attended St. Thomas – and came back because this is a nice place to live. But with that freedom hopefully comes maturity. I won’t bore you with the various items (some disgusting) found in our yards–except for the poor fella who left his clothes and underwear on our front porch along with his cell phone. We just couldn’t resist calling the listing “home” in the cell phone and telling his mother where his personal items currently reside.

We aren’t objecting to the fact that you throw parties or walk around the neighborhood – this is where you live, as much as it is where we do. We object to the fact that you want to be considered – and treated – as adults, but you don’t seem to act like them. Have you stopped to consider that there are people asleep in those houses you walk by, talking on cell phones, at 2 a.m.? That maybe you don’t need to slam your doors shut, after leaving them in front of our houses for 2-3 days at a time so you don’t have to pay for the ramp parking? Do you really think that is how adults act? Please realize that others live here, besides you. This is a diverse community – ethnically, economically and demographically – and that’s a good thing, but it requires respect from all parties to make it work well.

You chose St. Thomas for various reasons. One certainly was the urban setting, the wonderful campus and the surrounding beautiful neighborhoods. Help us keep it that way. Please don’t destroy what you value.

And if in the future you decide to return to live here–as so many have–because this is a stable, wonderful place to live with access to all the amenities the Cities have to offer – and a large number of private Catholic schools for your children to attend from kindergarten through college – we would welcome you. But we would also hand you some ear plugs and garbage bags and warn you to “brace yourself—they’re back” when fall comes each year. Which is unfortunate for all of us.

Elaine Weber Nelson

Class of 1986