In June of 2011, Loyola and PNC bank became partners, replacing Chase as the official campus bank. In addition to replacing six ATMs, PNC also set up an on-site e-brance in the Centennial Forum Student Union, with a branch manager present five days a week.

Treasurer of the University Eric Jones says the switch to PNC was the last phase of changes in banking at the University. He noted that PNC was willing to offer more services that benefited the University, and “…because they have a more highly evolved approach to developing relationships with institutions like [Loyola].”

He also explained that PNC offers programs and accounts for students that go beyond what any other banking institution has set up. One example is the Virtual Student Wallet, an online tool for managing financial accounts that is specifically designed for students, by students.

“We literally had students on the team that helped design the product,” says Kathleen Newrones, PNC university banking relationship manager. “The Virtual Wallet is different from your standard checking account because it offers a very visual and intuitive approach to doing your banking.”

The Virtual Wallet is a visual representation of a typical student’s financial life, and offers integrated tools for managing money. The wallet features a calendar where students can put in their paydays, due dates for rent and utilities, and any other important dates that may require spending. The calendar is also synced with the Loyola academic calendar, alerting students of important University dates. Using this calendar, the wallet also alerts students (and parents, if chosen) of “danger days,” days where spending needs to be reined in because there may be a pocket of time between when rent is due and when a paycheck comes through. In addition, students can put big-ticket items on their “wish list” and continually add money to a savings account for that item, which indicates how close students are to being able to afford it. Another feature warns students when they are in danger of over-drafting, via e-mail and text message.

“We want to show students how to manage their money as early as possible,” says Newrones.

The account also offers one free wire transfer a month, a feature, Newrones says, that may be beneficial to international students.

PNC is also hoping to offer further financial literacy services to students throughout the year, including workshops on credit, managing money, and identity theft. Their first event, however, is a ribbon-tying event (symbolizing unity between bank and University) for the opening of the new Loyola PNC branch, happening on Wednesday, September 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in CFSU (actual ribbon-tying ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m.). The event will feature a prize wheel giving away Loyola gear, as well as free refreshments, and a raffle that boasts iPod nanos, a Kindle and a Keurig coffee maker. In addition, if students sign up for a free checking account at the event, they will get a Loyola-branded check card, as well as a Loyola/PNC t-shirt.

Despite the positive changes PNC offers, Jones says he understands that the switch may inconvenience some Loyola students, and the large number of Chase account holders on campus was considered. However, he says beyond that, Chase didn’t provide the banking presence that PNC has already proven to have.

“We spent a lot of time thinking about it, and decided it was worthwhile to change,” he says.

For more information on Virtual Wallet or PNC, click here and for more information about the upcoming ribbon-tying event, check out the event on the University Calendar.

Loyola basketball fans can get geared up for the 2011-12 season by attending the annual Loyola Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, October 27, at noon, at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse (33 W. Kinzie) in Chicago.

As part of the program, first-year Rambler men’s coach Porter Moser and third-year women’s coach Eric Simpson will address the crowd and talk about the upcoming season. Fans can reserve a seat for $40 or purchase a table of 10 for $350.

Moser, who spent the last four seasons on the staff under Rick Majerus at Saint Louis University, welcomes back junior forward Ben Averkamp (12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and senior forwards Jordan Hicks (11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Walt Gibler (9.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg), from a team that won 16 contests a year ago.

The Loyola women’s squad is led by junior guard Monica Albano, who ranked fifth in the Horizon League with 16.7 points per game in 2010-11, senior forward Ellen Ayoub (10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg), and junior forward Abby Skube (10.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg).

Seating at the luncheon is limited to 200 people, so make your reservations today by calling 773.508.WOLF or visiting LUC.edu/athletics/luncheon.

Ten percent of all course materials will be digital by Fall of 2012, according to projections by the National Association of College Stores as reported by the Boston Globe, which is up from three percent in 2010. But still, for many this  may be uncharted territory.

The University Libraries are here to help, however, with their September Commonalities discussion series, occurring on Monday, September 26 from noon to 1 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Klarchek Information Commons.

“Commonalities is an informal discussion group for faculty interested in exploring topics that are related to teaching and research,” writes Leslie Haas, director of the Klarchek Information Commons, in an e-mail interview.  “It is not meant to be a lecture or presentation, but to provide faculty with an opportunity to meet others who may have an interest in the same subject and to get together and explore different topics.”

This month, the focus is all on the new era of digital textbooks. In addition to being an increasingly prominent issue in the higher education world, Haas says there was an e-book discussion last year, and it was so popular they decided it should be brought back and expanded.  Haas says the Dean of the Libraries, Robert Seal, is leading a University Committee on the subject as well, making the discussion particularly germane in terms of Loyola’s broader vision.

Not a digital textbook expert? Don’t worry. Haas says the discussion is facilitated by a faculty member that has a “specific interest” in the topic and helps the conversation begin. If interested, participants are also given articles and resources before the discussion in order to help prepare.

Commonalities is open to faculty, administrators, and graduate students who teach. The event is free and includes lunch, but reservations are required.  Reserve a spot by September 22 by e-mailing Carol Franklin at cfrankl@luc.edu.

But on Tuesday, September 20, at 6 p.m. at the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA), students, faculty, staff, and the general public have a chance to take a break and contemplate life as Al Gini, professor of business ethics, reads excerpts from his book Seeking The Truth In Things: Confessions of a (Catholic) Philosopher. But this isn’t your ordinary philosophy 101 textbook.

The book, which reads like a memoir/philosophy/humor hybrid, is comprised of a series of essays, each tackling a different part of life and the questions that go with it. Gini says it is a “personal and intellectual memoir” about what caused him to fall in love with philosophy.

“The book is about what philosophy is, and the lessons that I have learned as a student of life and a student of philosophy,” he says.

But Gini doesn’t claim to have the answers. In fact, in the prologue of Seeking The Truth In Things he calls himself a “Catholic philosopher,” Catholic meaning universal (its adjective definition) because he writes  he wants to “be open to understanding and appreciating all philosophies, not just defending one.”

As someone who fell in love with philosophy as an undergraduate student, Gini understands what it is like tackling these big questions at such a young age.  However, Gini says students can find deeper meaning by looking at life through the philosophical lens, as long as they are willing to engage.

“There is something,” he says. “There is much to love, much to grasp. It is up to us to seek out.”

The discussion is free, but RSVP is encouraged. To do so, send an e-mail to luma@luc.edu. For more information on LUMA and its exhibitions or events, please click here.

When new students arrive on Loyola’s campus each fall, they are formally welcomed through a convocation where the University’s mission and values are explained. It is equally important for new faculty and staff to learn about the University’s mission, and the newly revised Partners in Mission program does just that.

The Partners in Mission program is a half-day introduction to those things that make being a part of the Loyola University Chicago community unique. The program covers Jesuit history, explores the University’s values and mission, and explains the importance of transformative education. The Office of the President and Human Resources are responsible for the program.

On Tuesday, September 13, they conducted a workshop for approximately 75 faculty and staff members hired between April-September 2011. A highlight of the program was a panel discussion by staff members who shared how they merge the University’s mission into their daily work.

John Hardt, assistant to the president, wants the program to show University employees that their work and contributions are critical to the mission of Loyola. ”The mission of an institution lives in the people who give their time and talent to it through their commitment and work regardless of division, department, or title,” he says.

“When employees understand and are connected to an organization’s mission there is greater engagement. Loyolans are proud of the University’s mission. I believe that’s one of the reasons why people are attracted to this workplace,” Jorene Richards, manager of the training and development department, says.

In addition to hearing presentations from influential Loyola leaders, orientation attendees received a folder containing mission-related resources that can be utilized throughout their University careers.

The Partners in Mission program is scheduled to occur twice each year, and newly hired employees are strongly encouraged to attend.

Hardt believes the new additions to the Loyola community will greatly contribute to the betterment of the University.  ”One would be hard-pressed not to feel good about our future when one sees the caliber of people we’ve hired this year,” he says.

Prior to the forum, students in the lobby were encouraged to video tape a message to their congressional representative discussing what the MAP and/or Pell grant means to them. Many of the students interviewed shared personal stories and openly discussed the idea that without these grants, they could not afford college. To view one student’s story, click here. For more information on uploading a video submission, click here.

The seminar began with Phil Hale, vice president of governmental affairs, talking to students about the current status of the MAP and Pell grants. He noted that although the grants are not being targeted immediately, the government is constantly looking for areas to cut funding. Hale encouraged the Loyola Student Financial Aid Alliance, a student organization rallying for funds, to continue working hard to save this much-needed financial aid.

Following Hale’s speech, Eric Weems, director of student financial assistance; Sean Vera, president of the Unified Student Government Association; and Kimberly Moore, student activities program director, spoke about why the grants are so important to Loyola as a whole. Each speaker emphasized that the MAP and Pell grants aid in diversity on campus, which is especially important at a Jesuit university.

The discussion then turned to what students can do to protect their financial aid. Maggie Meza, a founding member of the Loyola Student Financial Aid Alliance, was videotaped on stage explaining how much the MAP and Pell grants mean to her. She later emphasized that she hopes fellow students will follow her lead and advocate for their financial aid.

“Overall the campaign did what it needed to do, and that’s make students aware of the circumstances,” Meza says. “Students are now better informed on the current funding situation and know what they can do to make their voices heard.”

To learn more about the MAP and Pell grants, click here.

Time at Loyola
I was a commuter student. I think because of that I really got to know the city.

Auspicious beginnings
I met my husband during my first class on the first day. I have this blazing picture in my mind of what he looked like. He was wearing white Levis, a red-and-white striped T-shirt, baby blue socks, and penny loafers. I thought he was so cute. We got married the week after I graduated from social work school. I was 19.

From the outset
I was swept up in high school in the first sociology class I took. After Loyola, I worked at Mercy medical center in Aurora in mental health.

Entering the game
I never thought I’d be in politics in a million years. My husband was a political science major. He got me out ringing doorbells for Dan Walker [governor of Illinois from 1973-1977], which I’d never done. But I got involved in a local issue, and started learning about local politics.

From social work to politics
A lot of the state spending is on human services. To have the information to make budget decisions, social work is a great background to have. Secondly, as the caucus leader, I’m dealing with a small group. And a large part of social work is listening to opinions, finding solutions, and negotiating, which comes very much into play.

Any surprises?
The thing that surprised me the most is what a satisfying career it is. Even though right now I’m in the minority, the most incremental change affects so many people. I feel like it’s extremely worthwhile. I enjoy it.

On incremental progress
Of course I want to see good things happen faster. But the alternative is to do nothing, and then nothing happens.

Change from within
Working on the outside for some time, I think, can be a good thing. You develop a passion, and you develop a critical outlook on government. You do develop some good skills and insights. But very few people are successful as total outsiders. Eventually you have to come into the system. And that really happened to me when I first got involved locally. I was the outsider, the one looking in, and saying, “What the heck are you guys doing? This makes no sense!” But if you want to see things change, you have to adapt.

On the budget
There are lots of good ways to spend money, and there are a lot of needs. But there is also a limited ability to fund them. This is kind of a funny story: I was on a panel at Loyola when I was newly elected— a seminar for housing for the mentally ill. Everyone was lamenting that there wasn’t enough. And one of the panelists said to the audience, “How many of you know who your state senator and state rep are?” And only about three hands out of a hundred went up. So there’s that disconnect between wanting good things to happen and the ways those things get funded.

Alumni association?
Of the four leaders in the state government, only one doesn’t have a Loyola connection.

Best moment
Being elected leader was a huge moment for me. To be elected by your peers, who are all leaders in their own right, is an honor. (Sen. Radogno is the first woman elected to lead a legislative caucus in Illinois history. She’s been elected twice as leader of the Senate Republican Caucus.)

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Summer 2011).

Case in point: Continuum, which is offered by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, offers non-credit classes to people who are interested in studying pertinent academic topics, enhancing career-based skills, or simply expanding  their knowledge of the world.

But these are no typical adult-education courses. Classes are split into four categories of academic areas: humanities; professional development; sustainability studies; and writing, communication, and marketing, and the topics within each of these areas contains a variety of courses. Maria Lettiere, assistant director of academic programs for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, says overall Continuum has about 60 to 70 courses and they “run the gamut” covering a huge range of topics and disciplines.

Though the wide range of classes may seem overwhelming to the casual learner, Continuum is making it easy to choose what classes are right during their upcoming Open House on September 17, in the School of Communication (SOC) lobby (51 E. Pearson), at 6 p.m, which is co-sponsored by the School of Professional and Continuing Studies as well as the Department of Community Relations.  Potential students can get a taste of several different classes by meeting the teachers and learning more about what each class will be like before they make their final decision.  And according to Lettiere, getting a “taste” of classes is actually literal in this case.

“We try to give a sampling of our classes to individuals that come,” she notes.  “This year we have a course in French Gastronomy, so we will have samples of French wine and cheese.”

In addition to the tasty portion of the evening, many classes will be on display, including the “Localvore” series, which explores the issue of eating local foods (also includes a demonstration on how to preserve food), the “Image Business and History Series: Fashion Forecasting,” and “Yoga Series: Mind and Body.” Event participants also will have the opportunity to tour the SOC convergence studio. Lettiere says “we love to integrate any part  of our schools when we can” and notes that it is a good way for potential students to see the resources that Loyola can offer.

Aside from the variety of courses, Continuum also offers varying locations, times, lengths, and prices of courses.  Classes have always been held at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus and Water Tower Campus, but this semester Continuum will also feature courses taught at Loyola’s Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, as well as the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens in Vernon Hills. Classes start throughout the month of September, and can range from a one-time seminar to a six- to eight-week course. Discounts are available to LUMA members and Loyola faculty, staff, and alumni.

Ultimately, Lettiere explains that Continuum provides a good way for students to gain knowledge while being a part of something bigger.

“Our students often tell us that not only are Continuum classes practical and affordable, but that the students enjoy being a part of the Loyola community,” she says.

For more information on Continuum and its programs, click here.

Continuum Open House: Thursday, September 15, 6-7:30 p.m., in the School of Communication lobby (51 E. Pearson)

This September, the Loyola University Libraries are launching a series of interactive events aimed at getting students to “Like” their Facebook page and get more involved with life in the stacks. Laura Berfield, political papers archivist for the Loyola University Libraries, says the libraries’ Facebook page has been live a few years, but students haven’t taken advantage of the opportunities it offers.

“It seems that most Loyolans may not realize it exists and that it provides useful information,” she says in an e-mail interview. “We hope that this Facebook campaign will encourage students and faculty to utilize the University Libraries Facebook as a good resource for the latest library information, as well as an easy way to interact with the library.”

So what do students get out of “liking” the library?  Unlike that “friend” who posts their latest Farmville stats and horoscopes, the University Libraries’s page provides helpful posts that make navigating the library easier.  Berfield says the page will feature new resources, services, and events that benefit students, such as upcoming reference workshops, Friends of the Library Speaker Series, and Donuts with the Dean.

First, however, the focus is getting “Likes.” During the month of September, the Klarchek Information Commons (KIC) and Cudahy Library will be busy with treasure hunts, free food, and prizes all named with a clever literary title. But it doesn’t stop there.  Once students “Like” the library, they can go online and interact with the page for an opportunity for even more prizes.

Events are as follows:

• Treasure Library (all of September) – If you start seeing a glimmer of gold in the library, investigate: it could be your ticket to a free TV.  Coins will be hidden around Cudahy Library and the KIC, and once students find coins, they can turn the treasure in to the second floor service desk to be entered into a raffle for a 22″ LCD television.

• A Series of Fortunate Spins (September 14, 2-3 p.m., first floor of the KIC) – Who doesn’t like free food AND a prize wheel?  Students who “Like” the University Libraries page on Facebook get the chance to spin a prize wheel and win gift cards, coupons, and other prizes. Food will also be available.

• As You LIKE Us-Photo Contest (during the week of September 19) – Each day a photo will be posted on the Libraries Facebook page and students can comment on the photo for a chance to win a gift card. Have a penchant for photography? Post your own original photo on the Facebook page of something to do with the library (an action shot, a favorite study spot, etc.) for an even bigger prize.

• Lord of the LIKES (September 28, 2 p.m., first floor of the KIC) – The grand prize winner of the Treasure Library raffle will be announced, plus there will be another round of free food.

This particular event will introduce the Student Financial Aid Alliance, a student-run campaign currently being formed. The organization’s purpose is to “engage students, alumni, and parents to advocate for federal and state financial aid,” Maggie Meza, a senior at Loyola who works as the government affairs coordinator in the government affairs office, explains.

Meza insists the MAP and Pell Grants are “underfunded,” noting that the federal Pell Grant is currently facing a $1.3 billion shortfall for the 2012-2013 academic year. Also, the Illinois MAP lost funding for the 2011-2012 academic school year. Other federal grants, such as the Supplemental Equal Opportunity Grant , are also “at risk of losing much of their funding because legislators don’t realize how much of an impact cuts in these grants would have on students,” Meza adds.

Speakers at the event include Phil Hale, vice president of government affairs at Loyola, Kimberly Moore, student activities program director, and Eric Weems, director of student financial assistance. Sean Vera, president of the United Student Government Association, will also speak along with other students, including Meza, who will testify to the necessity of MAP and Pell grants.

The seminar also serves as a call to action for students to join the fight for financial aid. Students will be encouraged to contact their legislators immediately following the seminar on September 15 either by e-mail, phone call, posting a video of themselves, or through social media. At the lecture, participants will learn about the most effective grassroots advocacy tools, including how to create and post a personal video testimony online.

Also attending will be Dave Davis, the grant coordinator for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, the representative for the 9th district of Illinois. Davis will discuss the impact of grassroots advocacy and how it is a powerful vehicle of change.

The seminar will be held from 5-6 p.m. in the Crown Center Auditorium at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. All members of the Loyola community are encouraged to attend, especially students interested in joining the Student Financial Aid Alliance. For more information, contact Maggie Meza by sending an e-mail to mmeza@luc.edu or by calling 312.915.7579.

On Saturday, August 27, first-year students and faculty embarked on a 45-mile bike trek, traveling from Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus to a small farm in Cary, Ill. On the trip, students carried small backpacks with waste from the “No Impact” dinner that took place after the First-Year Student Convocation the day before. The waste was then composted at the local farm.

The results of the ride?  Between the 28 students that participated in the event, students biked more than 950 miles and only emitted 42 pounds of carbon dioxide.  If they had each driven to Cary, they would have emitted more than 657 pounds.

The ride paralleled the theme of this year’s convocation events, which emphasizes Loyola’s mission to become a more eco-friendly university. Justin Daffron, S.J., associate provost of academic services, planned and participated in the bike ride himself. According to Fr. Daffron, the ride is only the beginning of conservation efforts at Loyola this year.

“This year we have made a commitment to reduce waste and to be as environmentally conscious as possible,” he says.

In addition to working with first-year students, the event partnered with another new Loyola endeavor.  ChainLinks, the student-run bike rental and maintenance shop that launched this summer on the Lake Shore Campus, kindly supplied the bikes for the trip.

Spencer Schmid, a senior accounting major and president of ChainLinks, who helped lead the ride, said the experience was also a great opportunity for freshmen to meet other students who were passionate about the environment and biking.  Though some students had to turn back at various points due to varying abilities and time constraints, Schmid says he still feels the experience had significance.

“I think for some students it was tough, but overall we just had a really enthusiastic group of people who were interested in making a difference,” he says.  “It was hopefully something to remember four years later.”

In addition to biking, the students took the Metra back from Cary and the Red Line back to Loyola, which Schmid noted was a good way to introduce new students to the variety of transportation options available in and around the city of Chicago.

Though the goal was to make it all the way to Loyola’s retreat center in Woodstock, the ride was cut short because of time restraints.  Regardless, Schmid says he was pleased with what had been accomplished and hopes to include ChainLinks in future “no impact” bike rides.

“We didn’t make it to LUREC, but still gained our goals.  We made new friends, we composted the waste from the lunch, and we explored the greater area of Chicago,” he concludes.

Monday, September 26
Crown Center Auditorium (Lake Shore Campus)
4–5 p.m. – Address
5–6 p.m. – Reception (Crown Center Lobby)

Thursday, September 29
Kasbeer Hall, 15th Floor, Corboy Law Center (Water Tower Campus)
3–4 p.m. – Address
4–5 p.m. – Reception

Friday, September 30
Tobin Hall, Stritch School of Medicine (Health Sciences Campus)
3–4 p.m. – Address
4–5 p.m. – Reception (in the cafeteria)

For those who are unable to attend in-person, the Lake Shore Campus address will be streamed live on the Inside Loyola news site. The event will also be streamed live on the digital screens located in the Centennial Forum Student Union and the Terry Student Center.

(detail) Noah Addis, Carmen Velazquez, 2010

According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, about 88,900 Chicagoans were homeless during the 2009-2010 academic year. On Saturday, August 20, the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) debuted, Pathways to Stable Housing, an exhibit that shares the stories of people who continue to overcome the hardships of homelessness each day.

The exhibit showcases the work of Noah Addis, who teamed up with Philip Nyden, PhD, director of Loyola’s Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL), in the summer of 2010 to photograph and interview 25 homeless men and women and their families. The exhibit emerged from a combination of years worth of research conducted by CURL and photography projects Addis created while studying homeless communities worldwide.

In Pathways to Stable Housing, portraits of the individuals are displayed alongside transcripts of interviews. Many of those featured in the exhibit have endured struggles such as childhood homelessness, poverty due to physical or mental health issues, the lack of available access to education, and the shortage of affordable housing.

Nyden says the key point of the exhibit is to portray those who were formerly homeless as people who had the strength and determination to conquer their misfortune, rather than as people who were very passive and helpless while in homelessness.

“The experience of seeing the exhibit clearly conveys the struggles these people are going through, but also their very positive view for the future,” Nyden adds.

Two public programs will accompany the run of the exhibit:

Reception for Pathways to Stable Housing
Tuesday, September 13 at 5:30 p.m. 
Simpson Lecture Hall, LUMA

Come and meet several of the individuals featured in the exhibit and hear brief presentations by Noah Addis, Phil Nyden, PhD, and Nancy Radner, CEO of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness. RSVP to luma@luc.edu or by calling 312.915.7608. Admission is free.

Meet the Photographer Lecture
Wednesday, September 14 at 4 p.m. 
$4 for the public; Free for LUMA members and Loyola faculty, staff, and students
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Ave.

Noah Addis will talk about his experience as a photojournalist, specifically as a staff photographer at the Star-Ledger, where he captured the growth of Christianity in Africa, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Iraq immediately following the fall of Baghdad in 2003.

For more information about the Pathways to Stable Housing, please visit LUMA’s website.

For $7.99, customers receive a voucher for a pump bottle and two travel bottles of BioSoap, which is made from a byproduct of biodiesel, CUERP’s main product. The deal is hosted by QuiVeev.com, a coupon site that seeks to support environmentally friendly businesses by making green products more affordable and widely available.

Zach Waickman, the biodiesel program manager, says this collaboration came about because a Loyola staff member passed the soap along to the founder of the newly-launched QuiVeev. He is excited that BioSoap will finally be getting recognition outside the Loyola community.

“This is really the soap’s first exposure to people outside of the Loyola community,” he says. “We have had it at a lot of events… but it is always Loyola-related.”

The Biodiesel program has certainly made a name for itself beyond Loyola, especially in 2010 when it became the first school program in the United States to be licensed by state and federal authorities to produce and sell its biodiesel fuel.  Since then, the program has continued to grow, and Waickman says this deal continues to reward the student effort that made the program a success.

“It is good that we get the exposure,” he says.  “It validates the hard work that the students have put into the biodiesel lab.  The whole program, from being a school product to the first school in the U.S. to be able to sell biodiesel fuel, that whole thing has been one big student effort and a lot of student passion. That’s what has brought it this far. It was them entirely that created BioSoap.”

Customers can also rest easy knowing their money is going toward continuing the efforts of the biodiesel program and benefiting the local community. Waickman says the proceeds from the soap sales will go toward funding CUERP’s biodiesel and BioSoap programs, as well CUERP’s outreach to local high schools regarding the subject of sustainability.

“We want [teachers] to plug in environmental information to current curricula,” he says.  “It’s labs and lessons that are free on our website.  We travel to high schools to do guest speaking and conduct labs [and] we invite them here to tour the University.”

Ultimately, this deal is just another step in making the CUERP biodiesel program a continued success and a learning opportunity for students outside of the classroom.

Customers can pick up BioSoap from the biodiesel lab located at  6317 North Broadway, Chicago, Illinios, 60660.  Live outside the Rogers Park area and are a Loyola alum?  Contact Zach Waickman and you can get the BioSoap shipped to you for free.

For more information on BioSoap, check out the biodiesel program’s website.

After delving into this new orientation to the study of psychology, Loyola professor and psychologist James Garbarino, PhD, found it to be an effective and meaningful approach when trying to understand children and youth at risk, leading him to publish The Positive Psychology of Personal Transformation: Leveraging Resilience for Life Change in spring 2011.

The book’s focus is on the importance of positive psychology, but also explores Dr. Garbarino’s 40 years of work and experience in child psychology. Dr. Garbiarino explores the move from negative psychology in child development—child abuse, poverty, trauma, etc.—to help children and youth cope, to positive psychology in order to help kids and adults push through the negative experience to a positive place.

“Positive psychology has become a big player in the field; it is about bringing joy, happiness, meaningfulness, and is also based on the idea of bringing faith in the face of hopelessness, and optimism in the face of difficult times,” says Dr. Garbarino. “As an academic and a faculty member at a Jesuit institution, I felt like this resonated.”

To learn more, or to purchase the book, click here.

Image courtesy of Chris Garofalo

The Department of Fine and Performing Arts (DFPA) is starting off this season inspired by nature, with Uberzootany, a ceramics exhibit by local ceramicist Chris Garofalo.

Uberzootany (named for a combination of the words “uber,” “zoology,” and “botany”) explores the beauty of nature and intricacies of the evolutionary process through ceramic creatures and plants born of the artist’s imagination.

Garofalo’s inspiration for the exhibit was organic matter, ranging from observations in the natural world, under a microscope, and even in her own backyard.  She describes her ceramic creations in a statement as “hybrids combining the essence of all five Kingdoms of Life” that are “at once recognizable and unidentifiable.”

The exhibit kicks off on September 1 with a special reception from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Ralph Arnold Fine Arts Annex, featuring a special appearance by the artist, who is a native Chicagoan. Jennie Martin, director of public programming at the DFPA, says putting the focus on local art is a theme of the exhibits this year.

“We wanted to showcase local artists,” she explains. “We feel there are a lot of people who are in the city of Chicago who are doing a lot of great things and we wanted to put it on display.”

Martin also noted that Garofalo’s presence at the exhibit is a great opportunity for aspiring artists to network with a professional.

“Students are encouraged to attend,” she says.  “This is actually just a chance to get them to engage with someone who is doing art as a profession, since that is what our students are looking to do.”

Aside from Garofalo’s unique subject matter and proximity to Loyola, Martin says the DFPA was happy to find something so different to kick off the 2011-2012 season.

“We were really intrigued by her work because we haven’t had a ceramicist in our space for a while, and her stuff is so unique,” she says. “It’s not what you’re used to seeing every day from a ceramicist.”

For more information, visit Arts Alive, the DFPA blog.

Emily Benfer, director of the Health Justice Project, speaks with students involved in the new clinic.

Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to come at it from all sides. The newest of the law school’s five clinics, the Health Justice Project, aims to do just that. The clinic’s format, a medical- legal partnership, takes a holistic approach to clients’ problems—“We call it preventive lawyering,” says Director Emily Benfer—by identifying the cascading barriers to health for low-income families. These barriers can include food instability, disability, difficulty in school, unsafe or unsanitary housing, or problems with public benefits such as Medicaid or food stamps. Cases may include a variety of health-related matters, such as housing code violations, special education, or public benefits denials. The clinic is a partnership with the Erie Family Health Center, which has nine sites across Chicago. Law students enrolled in the clinic will help train health care professionals to identify social determinants of health problems that could be resolved through legal intervention. Once clients are referred, the clinic provides advice, other referrals, and legal representation.

“Research shows that social conditions often impact health more than medical conditions,” says David Buchanan, MD, MS , chief medical officer for the Erie Family Health Center. “For many patients, the Health Justice Project partnership will have a greater impact on their health and longevity than any pill our physicians could provide or medical procedure we could perform.” The Health Justice Project, together with Erie and representatives of Loyola’s schools of medicine and social work, will work to address systemic problems through public policy reform.

Students are excited about the new clinic. Says Drew McCormick, a recent graduate who worked with Benfer, “Through experiential learning at the clinic, Loyola students will discover the true meaning of advocacy.” The Health Justice Project also allows law students to gain experience with direct client representation and will help them to develop practical lawyering skills. The 21 law students who have participated in the clinic since December have served over 250 patients of Erie Family Health Center, trained over 70 health care providers, and integrated medical-legal partnership and the social determinants of health into Erie’s family practice residency program curriculum.

For more information on the Health Justice Project, click here.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Summer 2011).

A group of Loyolans and Libyan refugees at a camp in Tunisia.

In January of this year, Tunisians rose up against the authoritarian president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, in what is now called the Jasmine Revolution. Peter J. Schraeder, PhD, a political science professor, has long studied and spent time in the region, and has been leading students to Tunisia since 2004. He started and led the John Felice Rome Center’s spring break trip to Tunisia in 2004 and 2005, and since 2006 has been leading a 22-day summer travel course, “Arab World, Islam, and U.S. Foreign Policy.” This year’s travel course, which included stops in ten cities throughout Tunisia from May 22–June 11, offered a chance to explore a nation on the heels of a large-scale revolution.

Jessica Murphy, a doctoral student in higher education, was partly drawn to the Tunisia trip because of the unique timing of the course. She describes meeting a group of Tunisian law students as a highlight. “We could understand and experience the revolution in a different way by being there with students, some of whom had demonstrated in the streets to help push the revolution along.”

Schraeder, whose wife and three children accompanied him on this year’s trip, took the group to Sidi Bouzid, the town in which the revolution started when a 26-year-old fruit and vegetable seller, Mohamed Bouazizi, lit himself on fire. Protesting the confiscation of his vegetable cart and harassment at the hands of officials, he later died in the hospital, having set off a wave of demonstrations around Tunisia.

“We didn’t know what to expect in Sidi Bouzid,” says Schraeder. “In town, there’s the square of the martyrs, and there’s graffiti, but the fighting was between people and police. Except for the square, you’d never know something had happened.”

As might be imagined, the group stood out a bit.

“Apparently we were the first major student group to go into the town,” says Schraeder. “But we were warmly welcomed by everyone we met, each of whom wanted to tell their story and to ask that we go back and tell the world that Tunisia has changed for the better.”

As Bouazizi’s protest became a catalyst for the rest of Tunisia, so Tunisia’s revolution became a catalyst for the subsequent uprisings of the Arab Spring, including in Tunisia’s neighbor to the east, Libya.

“We were driving through southern Tunisia when we passed a stadium, and a professor at a university in Tunis had told us that there was a camp in a sports complex that had been housing Libyan refugees,“ says Murphy.

Schraeder decided to see if the Qatari military, which was operating the camp, would grant them entrance.

“There was a little bit of hesitation, because none of the students had ever been to a refugee camp before,” recalls Schraeder, who had previously visited refugee camps in Djibouti and Somalia. But enthusiasm soon grew among students to see what they could contribute.

“They bought soccer balls and took up a collection among themselves to buy water. One student bought a big jar of suckers,” says Schraeder.

Upon entrance, the Loyola group remarked upon the orderliness of the camp.

“Children started coming out first, being curious and looking at people. Then some of the women popped their heads out of their tents.” Soon the Loyolans and the children of the camp were playing soccer, and communicating with each other as the language barrier allowed.

“A girl of about 16 approached me with her sisters,” says Murphy. “She could speak a little English and was excited to practice, despite some initial shyness.”

Murphy hopes to continue her studies with a focus on Tunisia.

“It definitely affected my larger plans,” she says. “We visited the U.S. embassy and a nonprofit for education and cultural exchange between the U.S. and the Middle East.“

Murphy and the 23 other students who participated in Professor Schraeder’s travel course now have an even more vested interest in finding out, along with the rest of the world, how the effects of the Jasmine Revolution and the unfolding Arab Spring play out on the global stage.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Summer 2011).

Typically held in Madonna della Strada Chapel, this year's Lake Shore Campus Mass of the Holy Spirit will be held on the East Quad (weather permitting).

The 2011 Mass of the Holy Spirit will be held Sunday, August 28, at 5 p.m. at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. All members of the Loyola community are invited to gather on the East Quad and reflect in prayer before the start of the academic year.

According to Patrick Dorsey, S.J., the Mass of the Holy Spirit is a tradition that has existed since the establishment of the first Jesuit school in Medina, Sicily, Italy.

The Mass provides students an opportunity to “gather and center themselves before the busy of class, and to sit down and pray before the year starts,” Steven Betancourt, director of liturgical music, says.

Unlike years past, this year’s Mass will be held outside on the East Quad. Father Dorsey says it’s supposed to “be a beautiful day and we’re going to be very fortunate to have it” in such a serene and peaceful setting.

The Office of Sacramental Life has conditioned a brand new piece of music that will premier during the Mass, Betancourt says. The piece has been commissioned by Chris de Silva, a prominent composer of religious music who will also be appearing on campus during the week of September 4.

A barbecue picnic will follow the Mass. Food tables will be set up outside of the Norville Center.

The Water Tower Mass of the Holy Spirit will take place Thursday, September 15, at 10:15 a.m. in St. James Chapel, which can be found in the Quigley Center located at the corner of Rush Street and Pearson Street.

To find out more details about the 2011 Mass of the Holy Spirit, please visit the Office of Sacramental Life website.

First-year students began moving into residence halls bright and early Wednesday morning. Once settled and unpacked, students took part in a number of Welcome Week activities, including Dr. Jim Wand, who hypnotized brave participants in the Mundelein Auditorium. Afterward, students mixed and mingled at the Ramblin’ Music Fest, which was held in the Centennial Forum Student Union (CFSU).

On Thursday, first-year students will continue moving in from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Families are encouraged to stick around and attend the Loyola Family Picnic at 6 p.m. on the second floor of Halas Sports Center.

On Friday at 3 p.m., all new students will join in the annual Convocation walk, a procession through campus led by student body president Sean Vera. Students will pass through the ceremonial south doors of Cudahy Library and arrive at the East Quad in time for the First-Year Student Convocation, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. All members of the Loyola community are encouraged to attend the Convocation and welcome the Class of 2015 and other new students to the University.

Following the hour-long ceremony, students will separate into small groups to discuss the first-year text, No Impact Man. Deans, faculty, and other administrators will facilitate conversations among the students as they reflect and brainstorm ways to lessen their individual impacts on the environment.

Upperclassmen will return to campus on Saturday morning, just in time for Saturday of Service. Throw on some grungy, comfortable clothes and tennis shoes and help out with one of many volunteer projects happening in the neighborhood. Energize with a continental breakfast available at 8:30 a.m. in Simpson and Lake Shore dining halls at 8:30 a.m., then gather by 9:30 a.m. in Mundelein Auditorium. The first 400 participants will receive a free t-shirt and lunch will be provided for all.

After Saturday of Service, students pick up their CTA U-PASS in CFSU and embark on explorations through the city via public transit. Welcome Week leaders will take students on organized trips to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier, and other landmark attractions.

The 2011 Mass of the Holy Spirit will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday in the East Quad, weather permitting. People of all faiths are welcome to attend. A picnic will immediately follow the Mass.

Welcome Week 2011 is jam-packed with activities for new and returning students and their parents. For a complete schedule of events, click here. You can also follow @WelcomeWeek on Twitter to stay updated on the week’s happenings.

Starting this fall, all Loyola students will have easy access to bicycles thanks to ChainLinks, a student-run business offering bike rentals and a full maintenance repair shop.

ChainLinks officially opened for business Monday, making it Loyola Limited‘s third company. Spencer Schmid, president of ChainLinks, says the business is off to a good start. He’s hopeful new students will realize biking is a great way to socialize and cultivate friendships while also exploring the wonders of Chicago.

To rent a bike for the fall and spring semester costs $159. The rental package includes a black Specialized Sirrus bicycle, helmet, lock, front/rear lights, maintenance, and secured storage.

Customers who opt for short term rentals will ride the Trek B-Cycles. These bikes, which are the same style as those used for Loyola’s former Borrow-A-Bike program, can be rented for $3 per day and $10 per week. Daily and weekly renters will also receive a helmet, lock, maintenance, and built-in lights.

Schmid says a key goal of the business is to educate cyclists about “safe biking in the city and how to be a conscious rider.”

ChainLinks also hopes to organize frequent group rides for their customers and other bikers at the University.

“Whether we’re biking up to the Baha’i Temple [in Wilmette] or going all the way downtown, we want to host free events to encourage people to utilize the bike,” Schmid says.

On Friday, August 26, ChainLinks, in conjunction with the Division of Student Development, will lead two group bike rides along the Lakefront Path. The first group will depart from the ChainLinks storefront at 11 a.m. and the second group will leave at 1 p.m. All bicycles will be provided by ChainLinks. Spots for the ride will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

ChainLinks has also partnered with the Office of First-Year Experience to host a long-distance bike ride for incoming students on Saturday, August 27. Cyclists involved in the “No Impact Bike Trip” will transport small backpacks filled with compostable waste from the No Impact Lunch to Loyola’s Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. Students will ride to the campus on bikes provided by ChainLinks and return via train.

The first 15 students to sign up for the “No Impact Bike Trip” will receive a $50 gift certificate to ChainLinks. To sign up, contact Robert Stanczuk at rstanczuk@luc.edu.

Once classes begin, the ChainLinks storefront will be open Tuesday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. The shop will be closed Sundays and Mondays. However, ChainLinks will have extended hours during Welcome Week to accommodate as many customers as possible.

Only Loyola students, faculty, and staff are eligible to rent bicycles. However, all community members are able to access the services available at the ChainLinks repair shop located in the Main Parking Structure at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. ChainLinks only accepts credit cards and Rambler Bucks.

To learn more about ChainLinks, visit the company’s website.

The Mass, which begins at 4 p.m., will be followed by a reception and dinner. Fr. Baumhart is one of many Jesuits being honored for demonstrating a lifelong commitment to serving others.

Friends of Fr. Baumhart are welcome to attend the ceremony. To RSVP, please contact Fr. James Twohig at the Colombiere Campus by calling 248.625.0400.

However, those who cannot attend are encouraged to congratulate Fr. Baumhart for reaching this remarkable milestone.

Cards and gifts can be mailed to:

Raymond C. Baumhart, S.J.
The Colombiere Jesuit Community
9075 Big Lake Rd.
Clarkston, Michigan 48346

The Loyola community can also congratulate Fr. Baumhart by calling 248.620.2440 or by sending an e-mail to rbaumhart@colombiere.com.

Barbara Baumhart, sister-in-law of Fr. Baumhart, says “Father is not the type of person who will brag,” but she believes this would be a “wonderful way of thanking him for all he’s done for the Loyola community.”

She adds, “The Baumhart Family in Chicago certainly appreciates all the kindnesses and gifts and words of greetings that his friends and colleagues have extended to him since he moved to Colombiere in late January.”

Oh, What a Bloody Good Friday: A Playful Mystery grew out of Boyle’s experience at the bi-annual 14^th Century Mystery plays held in York, England, where he watched 11 plays. From this, he became intrigued by the challenge of creating a modern mystery play, and worked creatively with director Katie Miller to create the production. Their creativity paid off as the play was named a semi-finalist at the 2011 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference this summer.

“These plays, which were religious in nature, were based on Bible stories. The playwrights of each instilled their own unique touch or spin on the stories, including comedy, in order to communicate better and to engage the audience,” says Boyle. “After witnessing all of these unique productions, I discovered I wanted to construct a similar play, surrounding it around a religious event, but also setting it in a contemporary time that enabled the audience to live and breathe the play as well. That is the basis of how Oh, What a Bloody Good Friday: A Playful Mystery was created.”

The play, set in contemporary time, centers upon the death and resurrection of Christ in Derry, Northern Ireland after the 1998 ceasefire, also called the Good Friday agreement. The play begins with God, a character who hangs out at a local park and who is viewed as the outsider, commenting on the events, which have led to the death of Christ. His reflections are quickly built on by the four main characters: Murray, the mother of Jesus, Mary, as in Mary Magdalene, Siobhan, a sassy, young, good-time woman, and Phyllis, a middle-aged teacher who fears getting older.

“We are very excited to present this modern day mystery as our first outdoor summer theatre production,” says Kevin Ginty, general manager of the Cuneo estate. “We strive to offer an array of educational programming, events, and entertainment for the local community, and this play is an example of that. While the majority of our events are family friendly, we do stress that this production contains adult language and is not appropriate for children.”

The play will be held outside in the back yard area of the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens. Attendees should provide their own chairs and blankets. Tickets are $18 per adult and $15 for students and seniors. Performances (rain or shine) will occur on the following dates and times:

• Friday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, September 10 at 1 p.m.
• Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m.

For more information on the play, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.cuneomansion.org, or visit http://ohwhatabloodygoodfriday.com.

*This play contains adult language and is not recommended for children under 17.

(detail) Janet McKenzie, Jesus of the People, 1999, Oil on canvas

Holiness and the Feminine Spirit: The Art of Janet McKenzie and Inscribing the Divine: The Saint John’s Bible, two brand new, thought-provoking exhibitions at the Loyola University Museum of Art, will be unveiled to the public this Saturday, August 20.

About the Exhibitions
Holiness and the Feminine Spirit: The Art of Janet McKenzie exhibits 21 paintings depicting Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The artist creates masterful paintings that celebrate all people, particularly women and people of color. In 1999, her painting Jesus of the People won the National Catholic Reporter’s competition for a new image of Jesus, and she subsequently received worldwide attention for her unusual interpretation of the image of Jesus. McKenzie has uniquely focused on the Holy Family and the Catholic saints, depicting them as people from many ethnicities and cultures, including Native American, Middle Eastern, African, and Asian.

In Inscribing the Divine: The Saint John’s Bible, LUMA displays 13 bifolia (pair of pages) from The Saint John’s Bible, considered by many as a modern masterpiece of sacred art executed according to the traditional arts of calligraphy and hand illumination. This is the only public exhibition of its pages in Chicago.

On Friday, September 9, the museum will hold an opening reception to officially welcome the new exhibits. The event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 7:30 p.m., is free for museum members and all Loyolans, and the general public will pay $15. Both of these exhibits will remain on display through October 23, 2011.

A third exhibit, Pathways to Stable Housing, also debuts this weekend. A separate opening reception is scheduled for this show on Tuesday, September 13, at 5:30 p.m. We’ll have more details on this exhibition in the coming weeks.

To RSVP for either opening reception, please send an e-mail to luma@luc.edu or call 312.915.7608. To learn more about the exhibitions, stop by LUMA or visit LUC.edu/luma.

As part of the spring 2011 organizational development course, Rodriguez and four fellow classmates were required to develop a project that would aid an existing organization. As team leader, Rodriguez chose to contact the Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of Chicago (CCAC) to ask if they needed help with any current programs.

Michael McDonnell, director of volunteer relations for CCAC informed Rodriguez’s team that the Cordi-Marian Child Developmental Center wanted to implement an art curriculum for their after-school program.

As a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rodriguez jumped on board with the idea. Her team began planning the Picasso Project Art Curriculum and recruiting volunteers with a background in the fine arts to teach the children, ages 5-12, the wonders of painting, dance, and other mediums.

Rodriguez insists that the success of the arts program is wholly dependent upon the volunteers at Cordi-Marian.

“Their existing staff is already so stretched out, they haven’t had the time or resources to implement a fine arts curriculum,” she says. “In this day in age, it is so imperative to keep the fine arts alive and going since they are being cut back in so many schools.”

The Picasso Project Art Curriculum, which runs from June 2011 until June 2012, is not solely based on art production. Students at Cordi-Marian will also learn about art history and go on field trips to various museums and galleries.

Rodriguez is very grateful to Loyola’s SCPS for providing the skills and support that allowed the Picasso Project to come to fruition.

The Picasso Project is fully underway, but Rodriguez says the Cordi-Marian Center still needs more volunteers. All Loyola students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to guide the children at Cordi-Marian as they express their artistic sides. If interested in volunteering, please send an e-mail to Dolores Rodriguez at lolalapistola@yahoo.com.

School of Communication instructor John Goheen, while shooting a documentary on the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, shows a Haitian boy how to hold and operate a video camera.

There are currently more than 22 million veterans living in the United States, with thousands more residing overseas. On November 11, Americans will pay tribute to all those who have served our country, but one filmmaker, John Goheen, will spend the day taking a closer look into the lives of the men and women who have sacrificed so much.

Goheen, instructor in the School of Communication, is producing a film entitled, A Day in the Life of America’s Veterans 11.11.11. The project will be filmed entirely on Veteran’s Day by various photojournalists located throughout the world.

Goheen, who is a veteran himself, is producing the documentary to share the compelling stories of American veterans. Although the U.S. is in the midst of two wars, Goheen believes the contributions of servicemen and servicewoman are often “overlooked.”

“I just felt, as the wars continued on, that the public interest in them [dwindled],” Goheen says. “I felt that was unfair to all these men and women who served in these wars.”

So far, more than 50 still and video photojournalists have volunteered to shoot footage for the 90-minute documentary. Due to time restraints, not every individual will have his or her work featured in the film, but Goheen hopes for the project to establish a long-term web presence where additional footage can be accessed.

All photojournalists volunteering for the project were required to submit a proposal for a story about a specific veteran, in order to ensure there were no duplications of similar ideas.

CNN has also partnered with the film to provide supplemental footage of events occurring around the country on November 11.

When Goheen was planning for the film, he approached Don Heider, the dean of the School of Communication, to see if any faculty or staff within the department would want to jump on board with the project. Goheen also contacted Loyola President Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., to see if the University could help with funding. Father Garanzini then directed Goheen to the Tawani Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Col. James N. Pritzker that is committed to promoting military history and heritage.

In May, the Tawani Foundation awarded a $49,500 grant to Loyola, specifically designated to cover the film’s production costs. Goheen said the bulk of the grant will be used to hire composers and professional editors, who will assemble the final product.

The project is still seeking additional sources of funding.

Aaron Greer, associate professor in the SOC, is one of five other photo and video journalists helping Goheen lead the film.

Any Loyola students interested in contributing are encouraged to submit a story proposal through the project’s website.

A Day in the Life of American Veterans 11.11.11. is set to be released by Armed Forces Week, May 13-19. To find out more information about the film, including the names of contributors, visit www.veterans111111.com.

Image courtesy of the Songbird Coffee Roasters Facebook page.

Most routine coffee drinkers would agree that waking up with a bad cup of joe can throw off an entire day. Start the morning off right by brewing savory beans from Songbird Coffee Roasters, a local vendor at the first-ever Loyola Farmers Market.

Songbird Coffee Roasters was founded by Garrett Derner in the spring of 2009. About a year before starting the business, Derner began regularly purchasing raw coffee beans and roasting them himself because he said it “tasted better, and made me feel better than the coffee I had been buying.”

He adds, “It really seemed like a different drink altogether, much more pleasant.”

Derner shared his self-roasted coffee beans with friends, and once they requested more, he reasoned that it would be pretty easy to sell the beans to others.

“I had been wanting to start a business, doing something I liked and believed in,” Derner says.

So he did, and in the spring of 2009, Songbird Coffee Roasters debuted at the Ridgeville Farmers Market in south Evanston.

Derner runs the business with his wife, Lisa Gordon, who helps sell and manages all the accounting.

Songbird Coffee Roasters offers beans from all over the world. At the Loyola Farmers Market, they currently sell El Salvador Saint Adelaida, Uganda Bugisu, and Decaf Ethiopia, all of which are certified organic beans. Market-goers can also purchase hot coffee, iced coffee, lemonade made from scratch, and organic tea at the Songbird Coffee Roasters booth.

Derner only sells coffee from recent crops, explaining, “there are seasons to coffee.”

According to Derner, Latin American and African coffees are harvested during the spring and summer, while Indonesian coffees such as Sumatra, Bali, and Flores, are harvested during the fall and winter months. He insists that roasting a recent harvest yields “a livelier and more flavorful cup.”

Derner says the most rewarding part about his business is receiving compliments from satisfied customers, knowing he “made a difference in someone’s day.” He also enjoys smelling the fragrances that emanate from the beans as they roast.

“As they heat up and start to brown, they go through stages: first like hay, then mushrooms, then cocoa, then sometimes tobacco, flowers, or perfume, depending on the variety and origin,” Derner says.

Pick up a bag or two of certified organic coffee from Songbird Coffee Roasters this Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Loyola Farmers Market located at 6556 N. Sheridan Road in Rogers Park. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

“When I first started at Loyola ten years ago, there were some damaged relations,” says Jennifer Clark, associate vice president of campus-community planning. “Especially where property and development were concerned, Loyola was seen by some to do everything behind closed doors.”

Dorothy Gregory, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1968, agrees. Frustrated with buildings that would go up or come down without the knowledge of the community, Gregory began organizing to ask for more transparency and big-picture planning.

Phil Kosiba, Loyola’s former vice president of facilities (Phil retired this summer), had been with Loyola since 1980. “I was thankful for Phil,” says Gregory. “He was a mediator and understood where the neighborhood was coming from. What’s good for the neighborhood is good for Loyola, too.”

Most of the current community relations team arrived the same time Father Garanzini did, ten years ago.

“We’ve demolished 11 buildings, built 13 new ones, and doubled student population,” says Clark. “We create long-term plans and follow them.”

Gregory, who has continued to work on Loyola’s relationship with Rogers Park and Edgewater, has largely been pleased with the progress. “Overall, I think we are in much better shape. The whole point was not to be insular,” she says. “Once we all started working together, attitudes about Loyola changed in more positive directions. There is always room for improvement, but we’ll keep moving forward.”

A Lake Shore Campus advisory council, consisting of University and community stakeholders, regularly meets to discuss issues of mutual interest. The University and the community lobbied the CTA to run the 147 bus, which runs mostly express from the Lake Shore to Water Tower campuses, seven days a week. The joint efforts convinced the CTA to pilot it.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Summer 2011).

Marcel Fredericks, a triple alum and longtime faculty member, receives an honorary degree for contributions to medical society.

Marcel Fredericks, PhD, has been a member of the sociology department for over four decades.

A triple alum of Loyola, he is the director of the office of research in medical sociology, a field in which he is credited with creating and developing two new sub-disciplines, genetic sociology and cellular sociology. He also pioneered a teaching model integrating the natural and social sciences: the Society, Culture, Personality (SCP) model.

In addition to his many contributions to medical sociology research, he has received several teaching awards in his tenure at Loyola, including the Faculty Member of the Year in 2000 and the Outstanding Professor and Educator Award in 2006.

Fredericks, whose educational background includes study at Cambridge and Harvard Medical School, earned his BS, MA, and PhD at Loyola. He can now add another degree to that list as the recent recipient of an honorary degree from Czestochowa University of Technology in Poland.

“I am indeed pleased and honored to have been awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa degree in recognition of my research contributions to the field of medical sociology,” says Fredericks. “I am gratified that this award initially resulted from my academic studies here at Loyola–my alma mater.”

Fredericks is the first professor at a U.S. university and the first graduate of a Jesuit university to be awarded this degree.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Summer 2011).

The online game, “The Business Strategy Game (BSG): Competing in a Global Marketplace,” provides students with the opportunity to compete with fellow teams in their class as well as with thousands of other teams from across the world.

Amy Kyhos, adjunct professor in the School of Business Administration (SBA), employs the game in her Management 304 courses.  This is the strategy and leadership focused capstone course required for all undergraduate business students. In Kyhos’s classes, students select teams of 3-5 members, and each team creates a team name for their online footwear company.  Teams then develop a mission statement, select their initial strategy, and flush out an initial strategic plan.  Students are offered 1-2 practice rounds in the game to ensure that they are proficient at the online tool and the weekly decisions that the simulation tool presents.

Kyhos believes the game presents both hard and soft skills needed to effectively manage a firm and operate in a team-based environment.  The team members are all co-managers of the firm and there are many aspects to the BSG, including marketing, distribution, finance, and corporate citizenship.

According to Kyhos, “It’s a low risk way to begin to utilize your skills, as you are in a simulation environment.  And, we’re working to learn the proactive and reactive nature of strategy creation and execution.  There are a lot of moving parts and the teams that fare well generally understand these moving parts, work to anticipate their competitors’ moves, and have a solid working relationship with their fellow co-managers.”

Although in Kyhos’s classes students are competing against their fellow class teams, the BSG is a global simulation game. Each week, BSG posts the names of Global Top 100 teams for each of the four key categories: overall score, earnings per share, return on equity, and stock price. BSG also offers the Gold Star Award for corporate citizenship. In the past several semesters, teams in Kyhos’s classes have been ranked in several of these categories. Additionally, Kyhos is in the BSG Hall of Fame honoring 164 BSG “Master Professors.”

“I am continually impressed with the caliber of Loyola students from a knowledge perspective as well as their overall ability to work in a co-manager environment in the semester-long BSG simulation,” Kyhos says.

According to Kyhos, teams submit a final paper discussing their BSG strategies and their progress in the game. At the end of the semester, teams present a summary of their papers.

“It’s a great opportunity for class discussion amongst the teams about what worked well, what did not, and what was learned during the semester in the context of strategy development and execution,” Kyhos adds.

Additionally, Wayne Koprowski, part-time professor of management in the SBA, also advised many Loyola teams that ranked in Global Top 100 for a series of weeks.

To learn more about “The Business Strategy Game: Competing in a Global Marketplace” or to view the rankings for yourself, click here.

Image courtesy of the Izopi Company.

Humans are not the only ones who can find tasty foods at the Loyola Farmers Market. One local vendor, the Izopi Company, offers healthy treats for our favorite, four-legged friends.

The Izopi Company was founded this past June by Elizabeth Igoe and Kalli Agoglossakis, who say their dogs motivated them to start the business.

One of Igoe’s dogs, Harry S. Truman, a bichon, has knee-joint issues. Igoe has tried feeding Harry healthy nutrients, but she says “all of the supplements on the market smell awful and must also taste terrible because Harry won’t take any of them.”

Harry’s ailment inspired Igoe to start baking, and so came the Executive Biscuit, a hard dog treat made from only five human-grade ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, egg, dehydrated milk, and butter. The treats come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Igoe and Agoglossakis have been friends since high school and lifelong animal-lovers.

“We appreciate all that our animals do for us, and we like to do as much as we can for them,” Igoe says.

The Izopi Company offers another popular treat called the Pupcake, which Agoglossakis created “with a few large dogs with sensitive stomachs in mind.” The Pupcake is made from seasonal fruits and vegetables, usually with a pumpkin or banana base.

The batch of Pupcakes sold at last week’s market contained blueberries from Mick Klug’s Farm, another vendor attending the Loyola Farmers Market.

“It is fulfilling to know we are contributing to the health and happiness of dogs,” Igoe says. “We bake for them, and it gives us great joy pulling our treats out of the oven, savoring the smell and sights.”

The Izopi Company heard about the Loyola Farmers Market from Baking Beauty, another fellow vendor at the Loyola market with whom they share an insurance agent. Igoe says her company was glad to join a market that was dog-friendly, and she and Agoglossakis have enjoyed working with Gina Lettiere and everyone else involved with the market.

Stop by Loyola’s Farmers Market at 6556 N. Sheridan. Rd. in Rogers Park this Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to pick up some dog delicacies from the Izopi Company. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Ice cream was handed out on both the lakeside campuses as part of the EMERGE Summer Sizzle program.

EMERGE recently wrapped up its Summer Sizzle campaign aimed at increasing enrollment in its upcoming professional development programs.

Any University faculty or staff member who registered for an EMERGE program between June 15 and July 2 was entered into a raffle for a summer fun pack comprised of a rolling cooler, professional and development books, and beach accessories.

The winner of the EMERGE Summer Sizzle raffle is Brenda Jervier, office coordinator in the English department, who signed up for the Delegating for Results workshop that is occurring October 20.

Jervier has participated in several EMERGE programs during her years at the University, and she appreciates that these programs are provided to staff members.

“I liken the workshops to conference travel that our tenure track faculty are able to participate in,” Jervier says. “Even though this is not guaranteeing us tenure, it gives us an opportunity to sustain our professionalism in a work environment.”

Upcoming EMERGE events include:

Writing Effective E-mails – Thursday, October 6 
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Quinlan Life Sciences Center, Room 312, LSC
By attending this workshop, your writing will become much clearer as you learn how to control the tone and style of your messages. You will also learn how to write reader-focused messages even under challenging circumstances.

Crucial Conversations - Tuesday, October 11 & Thursday, October 13
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. both days, Quinlan Life Sciences Center, Room 312, LSC
Dealing with difficult situations means resolving the issue through open dialogue.  Resolve problems and get better outcomes through learning the skills for holding “Crucial Conversations.” Participants must attend both days of the workshop.

Delegating for Results – Thursday, October 20 
9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Terry Student Center,  Room 303, WTC
In this course, you will overcome your hesitation for delegation by learning skills for successfully matching people, responsibility, and authority.

Leading High Performance Teams – Thursday, October 27
9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Terry Student Center, Room 303, WTC
This managers-only program will provide attendees with an application guide to help teams reach high levels of performance. Attendees will learn how to address issues such as conflict or poor performance so their team is able to meet organizational goals and client expectations.

To sign up for fall 2011 EMERGE programs, click here.

From now until Labor Day, September 5, active duty military personnel and up to five family members can visit LUMA for no cost thanks to the Blue Star Museums initiative. LUMA is just one of 1,500 museums nationwide partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, an organization that raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life, to bring about the Blue Star Museums initiative.

Pam Ambrose, director of cultural affairs for LUMA, explains that during a time when many museums have admission prices that can discourage visitors on fixed or limited income, LUMA understands that free admission for parts of the population—including students, clergy, museum professionals, and the military—is important.

“For our military service personnel and their families, visiting a museum here in Chicago can be a wonderful opportunity, and LUMA’s location right on Michigan Avenue provides accessibility,” Ambrose says. “An enlisted man once told me that he tries to see a museum in every city he visits—that’s something that should be encouraged.”

The admission discount is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card.

Ambrose adds, “We are proud of our military, and this is just one way of letting them know that feeling of pride and appreciation for all they do for our country.”

For more on the Blue Star Museums Initiative, click here.

The market’s success would have never been a reality without the passion and diligent planning of Gina Lettiere, coordinator for the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy, and a handful of undergraduate students.

After years of collaborating with Lettiere, Kelsey Horton, a senior majoring in environmental studies, presented a business plan for the Loyola Farmers Market as part of her final project in the STEP: Food Systems course.

Within months, Lettiere and Horton were selecting the market’s location and vendors and finalizing plans before the grand opening on June 6.

Each Monday, Horton is typically the first person at the market and the last to leave. She, along with other student volunteers, sets up signs, tents, banners, and items for the information table, and stays the full day to help marketgoers with any inquiries.

Lettiere says that Horton has been “critical in keeping the market functioning smoothly.”

Other students who have spent their Mondays manning the market include Sam Kronk, Cary Allen-Blevins, Lorena Hudbert, and Leslie Proudfoot.

Kronk, a senior majoring in anthropology and environmental studies, was motivated to volunteer after taking the STEP: Food Systems course along with Horton. Each Monday, Kronk can be seen greeting customers at the information table and taking pictures for the LUC Farmers Market Facebook page.

Kronk says her favorite item available at the market is Tomato Mountain’s all-natural Bloody Mary mix.

Allen-Blevins, a recent Loyola graduate, became involved with the market to demonstrate her support for the local economy and local farmers.

“The work that they do is absolutely vital,” Allen-Blevins says. “We need to use our dollars to support them instead of giant corporations.”

Allen-Blevins couldn’t pick just one favorite item from the farmers market; she enjoys the Brunkow Baked Cheese, coffee from Songbird Roasters, Midnight Sun’s organic eggs, and the additive-free preserves from Tomato Mountain.

Stop by Loyola’s Farmers Market at 6556 N. Sheridan. Rd. in Rogers Park this Monday from 3-7 p.m. to pick up vegetables, sweets, and preserves from local small businesses. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Mass begins at 11:00 a.m., and the picnic celebration (which will be held rain or shine) begins at 12:15 p.m. As always there will be food, games, and activities for all ages.

For those interested in singing in the choir at Mass, please contact Steve Betancourt at sbetancourt@luc.edu. Rehearsal will begin at 10 a.m. on July 29 in the MDS Chapel. If you are interested in volunteering at the picnic, click here for details.

Eric Weems, director of student financial assistance, spoke with Inside Loyola to explain how students financing college with loans could potentially be affected by this crisis.

What happens to the interest rates on federal student loans if the U.S. defaults on its financial obligations?
Interest rates going up won’t actually affect most students’ loans. Federal loans have fixed interest rates. What goes on with the economy doesn’t affect the cost of a student’s borrowing through federal loan sources.

However, those with alternative student loans – a last resort that some of our students access – could be affected, as those loans typically carry a variable interest rate. It’s not something that is going to affect the majority of students, but, as always, an increase in the Prime Interest Rate could increase the interest rate on this type of loan.

Do you believe the government will forego paying student financial aid if an agreement is not met by August 2?
The U.S. Department of Education has said nothing specifically. The programs are funded through the Treasury and they are funded through precisely the type of debt being discussed by Congress and the President.

If no compromise is reached, there may be a delay in funding to schools for a short period of time, much like what has occurred during times of government shutdown. The interruption likely won’t last long enough to be seen by students.

Both of the separate plans proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner call to eliminate the interest subsidy on  federal loans for graduate students. Could you explain the impact of this?
From the time a loan is made to a student, interest on the subsidized Direct Stafford Loan is paid on the student’s behalf by the federal government. For a student who borrows the maximum loan, the interest is approximately $500 per year. The reason for these proposals is that, adding up the subsidies paid for all graduate students, funds are then saved and available to be used for other types of spending, such as complete funding of the Pell Grant. In these proposed plans, the subsidy would be ended and graduate students would be responsible for the interest payments until they graduate and enter repayment.  The availability of loans would remain, simply the subsidy would be eliminated.

Do you think the government will actually stop payments on subsidized federal student loans if an agreement is not met by the deadline?
It’s hard to say, but I don’t think student loans get pushed to the bottom of the spending priorities, if a shutdown was to happen. Likely, the reason there are not a lot of contingency plans being discussed is because the expectation is that a compromise will be reached and the debt ceiling raised.  Everyone will benefit from a decision being made. It doesn’t seem that there will be a period of extended shutdown, so everything for student financial aid will likely continue business as usual through and after the August 2 deadline.

As with any issues regarding federal (or state) financial aid, advocacy is always a recommended step.  If you want to make sure Congress considers federal student aid a priority in the Debt Ceiling conversations, tell your congressmen. Our office’s website keeps a “News and Events” section so that we can keep our students, parents, and University community aware of legislative and funding issues in student financial aid.

Gale, who played at Loyola from 2003-07 and was a part of Rambler teams that won 40 games over a two-year period from 2005-07, was in charge of offensive sets for the U16 team that was comprised of Jewish athletes from New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, Houston, and New York.

“As a whole, the trip was an amazing experience,” Gale says. “Our kids really came together and played their best basketball in the gold medal game. We came together as a family by the end of the trip, sharing a lot of laughs and new Jewish experiences, all while exploring a new country with open eyes and open minds. Friendships and memories that will last a lifetime were formed.”

Following a three-day training camp in Albany, N.Y., Gale and the team traveled to Vienna for the Maccabi Games, which featured teams from 35 countries competing in 17 total sports. While in Vienna, the U.S. squad went 4-1, but after losing its first game in pool play to Brazil, rebounded to record victories over Germany and Austria to finish second in its pool.

Gale helped guide the U.S. team to a semifinal victory over Turkey before exacting revenge on Brazil in the gold medal game by earning a 60-57 decision. In 2006, Gale participated in the Maccabi Games in Australia as a player and helped the U.S. team to a bronze medal.

Gale currently serves as an assistant video coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Story courtesy of the Loyola athletics department

Inside Loyola student journalists Jessica Reynolds and Laura Kujava sat down recently with Abe Cortes, the human resource manager in charge of the day’s events, to chat a little bit about how Service Day came about and what the volunteers would be working on as part of this year’s festivities. Click here to watch that interview.

Please also remember that the University will hold its annual Feast of St. Ignatius Mass and picnic this Friday, July 29. For more on that event, click here.

Midnight Sun Organics, a three-acre farm located in Grayslake, Illinois, raises free-range chickens and turkeys for eggs and meat. All of the birds are organically fed and pastured.

Midnight Sun was founded in 2010 by Nick Choate-Batchelder and Becky Stark, both of whom have a professional background in organic farming. In addition to raising poultry, the farm grows beets, broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes, which have been plentiful this season.

One of the most popular items from Midnight Sun are their eggs, which “can’t be beat,” according to Choate-Batchelder. The eggs come from the farm’s free-range chickens.

Choate-Batcheler says the most intriguing part of the business “is trying to close the consumption loops in the farm operations.”

“Our birds provide us with meat and eggs, but they also provide us with manure and weed-free fields to plant in, which keeps our fertility inputs and tilling to a minimum,” Choate-Batchelder says. “Trying to find a way to work with what we have and still provide food locally is always a diverting challenge.”

This year, the farm will be selling free-range, sustainably raised turkeys that will be available by Thanksgiving.

The Loyola Farmers Market does not mark Midnight Sun’s first appearance in Rogers Park. For the past two years, the farm has attended the Glenwood Sunday Market on Morse Avenue.

“The Rogers Park neighborhood has been good to us,” Choate-Batchedler says. By participating in the Loyola Farmers Market, “we hoped to expand our operation to better serve this community.”

At the Loyola Farmers Market, Midnight Sun offers their signature eggs as well as beets, cabbage, carrots, and other greens.

The Loyola Farmers Market, located at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd. near the University’s Lake Shore Campus in the Rogers Park neighborhood, is open each Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until October 17. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Loyolans listen in as Al Gini speaks at EVOKE's "This I Believe" event in February.

Audio and video recordings of EVOKE’s Signature Series programs from the past year are now available online.

The brand new “Media Archives” section on EVOKE’s website includes videos from “TellingHERstory” events, the “You’ve Heard the Name… Now Meet the Person” interview with Al Norville, and the Family Weekend Edition of “This I Believe.” There are also audio recordings from previous “This I Believe” segments.

Take a look at some of EVOKE’s past events, and be sure to keep an eye peeled for upcoming ones as well.

EVOKE will kick off this year’s Signature Series on September 13 with “TellingHERstory” featuring Wendy Cotter, CSJ, associate professor of theology. Dr. Bridget Kelly, associate professor of education, and Dr. M. Grace Calhoun, athletic director, are also scheduled to share their stories fall.

The fourth annnual EVOKE Ramble, a scavenger hunt with a modern twist, will occur September 23 – October 2. Teams of 3-5 students compete to collect “Treasures,” which are current faculty, staff, and students who will share their personal stories and help the teams build connections on campus. Winners of the Ramble have the chance to join Father Garanzini for dinner and be escorted to the President’s Ball in a limousine.

To find out about more EVOKE events occurring this fall, check out their calendar here.

British Tabloids
By: Don Wycliff, School of Communication Distinguished Journalist in Residence

“Rogue” members of an org. almost never are really rogues. Their rogue modus operandi almost always reflects the organization’s modus operandi, or ethos.

I jotted that note to myself back in early June, after reading a Vanity Fair story about the British newspaper phone hacking scandal while on a flight home to Chicago from Paris. The story quoted Andy Coulson, former editor of the recently shuttered News of the World, describing the first case in the scandal—reporter Clive Goodman’s and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire’s 2006 convictions for hacking voice-mail messages of the royal household—as the work of a “rogue reporter.”

Goodman, it turns out, was anything but a rogue. His actions—for which he served a brief term in prison—appear to have been all too typical of the way things were done at the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World and, quite possibly, at other Murdoch papers as well. Goodman, it seems, was just following his paper’s standard operating procedure when he hacked into the phones of members of the royal family.

No reporter, I always tell my ethics classes, ever publishes a story on his or her own. Publication is always a cooperative activity—it involves decisions by reporters, editors and an entire quality-control apparatus. When there is a screwup, it is the organization that screws up. And even in cases of true “rogue reporters,” like Jayson Blair or Judith Miller at The New York Times, the organization is ultimately responsible, because the quality control process obviously broke down and failed to catch their falsehoods, exaggerations and departures from standards.

At the most basic level, there’s nothing really new about what the News of the World was doing: acquiring personal information and communications and publishing it for profit. And it has been done electronically since the telegraph and the party-line.

But the existence now of the cellphone, text-messaging and other digital devices allowed the paper to do this on an industrial scale and with an intrusiveness that was nothing short of…well, scandalous.

To read the rest of Wycliff’s essay, click here.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

By: LUHS Media Relations

Retired NFL football players are at higher risk for mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease, a Loyola University Health System study has found.

A screening survey of 513 retired players and their wives found that 35 percent of the players had scores suggesting possible mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Their average age was 61.

“It appears there may be a very high rate of cognitive impairment in these retired football players, compared to the general population in that age range,” says neuropsychologist Christopher Randolph, PhD.

Randolph presented his findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2011 in Paris.

People with MCI have problems with memory, language, or another mental function. Such problems are noticeable to themselves or others, and show up on tests, but are not severe enough to interfere with daily living. People who have MCI are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease over the next few years.

A subset of players was further screened by telephone, and then underwent more extensive evaluation at the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. These players were compared with two groups of nonathletes: 41 demographically similar adults with no cognitive changes and 81 people diagnosed with MCI.

The retired players met standard diagnostic criteria for MCI and were clearly impaired compared with the demographically matched nonathletes. The impairments of retired players shown on neuropsychological testing were highly similar to those exhibited by patients with MCI.

The athletes with MCI were significantly younger and slightly less impaired overall than the comparison group of nonathletes with MCI.

Animal studies have demonstrated that blows to the head can kill brain cells, even when the blows are not sufficiently hard enough to produce a concussion. Recent studies of football players wearing helmets with accelerometers have found that, each season, the average college football player receives more than 1,000 blows to the head of a magnitude greater than 10 G-force. More than 250 of these blows are greater than 30 G-force.

Randolph says the findings of his study suggest that repetitive head trauma from years of playing football may result in diminished brain “reserve” and thus lead to earlier expression of age-related degenerative diseases such as MCI and Alzheimer’s.

“However, it would take additional studies to confirm this,” Randolph says. “So for now, these studies should be considered very preliminary.”

Randolph is a professor in the Department of Neurology at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine.

Brockway Farm, located in Will County, Illinois is owned and operated by Randy Brockway.

Brockway grew up on a family farm in Bettendorf, Iowa. He, along with his mom, dad, brother, and sister, ran the Brockway Berry Farm, which grew strawberries, raspberries, pumpkin, and other sweet plants.

However, when Randy Brockway started his own farm, he chose to grow primarily vegetables. The farm specializes in herbs, kohlrabi greens, kale, eggplant, spinach, and many salad greens.

This season, Brockway Farm is attending the Logan Square Farmers Market, the Oak Park Farmers Market, and Hines’ Farmers Market in Maywood, in addition to Loyola’s Farmers Market.

Brockway Farm also participates in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Interested buyers can purchase shares directly from Randy Brockway by sending an e-mail to randyjb@sbcglobal.net. Shares are available for pick-up in Brookfield, Illinois.

Loyola market-goers can purchase flowers, beans, beets, chard, eggplant, and more at Brockway Farm’s booth, where they will likely be greeted by a friendly, smiling Randy Brockway himself.

Loyola’s Farmers Market is held each Monday, until Oct. 17, at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd. in Rogers Park, near Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. For more information on Loyola’s Farmers Market, contact Gina Lettiere at glettie@luc.edu or 773.508.8255, or visit the website at LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

In March 2009, Kyle Powers, who spearheads the park district’s biodiesel initiative, and some of his colleagues enrolled in the small-scale biodiesel production continuum education class offered by Loyola’s Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy (CUERP). In June 2010, after Powers spent more than a year leveraging the Chicago park district’s assets and economic funds, a pre-engineered biodiesel processor was installed at a park district facility.

Because the Chicago Park District does not staff its biodiesel facility internally, Indigenous Energy, an Oak Park-based company that focuses on reducing CO2 emissions, operates the processor. Pete Probst, who heads Indigenous Energy, has also participated in Loyola’s small-scale biodiesel production continuum course.

Zach Waickman, Loyola’s biodiesel lab manager, says that, in addition to teaching Powers and Probst how to recycle cooking oil, Loyola’s biodiesel program has advised the park district and Indigenous Energy on legal hurdles, fuel testing, and industrial contracts.

According to Waickman, Powers is interested in having a Loyola student intern at the park district’s biodiesel facility once it’s fully up and running.

To learn more about Loyola’s biodiesel program, visit LUC.edu/biodiesel.

Image courtesy of LUHS.org

By Jim Ritter, LUHS Staff Writer

For kidney disease patients, a large belt size can double the risk of dying.

A study led by a Loyola University Health System researcher found that the larger a kidney patient’s waist circumference, the greater the chance the patient would die during the course of the study. The study by lead researcher Holly Kramer, MD, MPH, and colleagues was published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

Waist circumference was more strongly linked to mortality than another common measure of obesity, body mass index (BMI). BMI is a height-to-weight ratio. For example, if John and Mary are both the same height, but John weighs 20 pounds more, then John will have a higher BMI than Mary. But BMI can be misleading — a muscular person with little body fat could have a BMI higher than a flabby person with little muscle mass. Waist circumference, by contrast, simply measures abdominal fat.

Researchers examined data from 5,805 adults age 45 and older who had kidney disease and participated in a study called REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke). They were followed for a median of four years and during that time 686 kidney patients (11.8 percent) died. The average BMI of the kidney disease patients who died was 29.2. This was lower than the average BMI, 30.3, of the patients who survived. (A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 and above is obese.) By contrast, the kidney patients who died had a larger average waist circumference (40.1 inches) than the patients who survived (39.1 inches.)

Researchers compared kidney disease patients with large waists to patients who had more normal waist sizes. After adjusting for BMI and other risk factors, women with waists equal to or greater than 42.5 inches and men with waists equal to or greater than 48 inches were 2.1 times more likely to die than those with trimmer waists (less than 31.5 inches for women and less than 37 inches for men).

Researchers concluded that in adults with kidney disease, BMI by itself may not be a useful measure to determine mortality risks associated with fat. The reason is that BMI reflects several components, including muscle mass and abdominal fat. “In contrast,” the researchers conclude, “waist circumference reflects abdominal adiposity [fat] alone and may be a useful measure to determine mortality risk associated with obesity in adults with chronic kidney disease, especially when used in conjunction with BMI.”

Kramer is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Her co-authors are David Shoham, PhD, and Ramon Durazo-Arvizu, PhD, of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine; Leslie McClure, PhD, George Howard, Dr.PH , Suzanne Judd, PhD, Paul Muntner, PhD, Monika Safford, MD, and David Warnock, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and William McClellan, MD, MPH of Emory University.

John Benkoske was one of five Ramblers named to the NABC Honors Court.

Five members of the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team were recently named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) 2010-11 Honors Court. The NABC Honors Court recognizes collegiate basketball student-athletes for their excellence in the classroom.

Juniors John Benkoske, Walt Gibler, Tom Neary, and seniors Andy Polka and Ryan Sterling represented Loyola on the NABC Honors Court. The University of Denver also had five honorees on the NABC Honors Court and the only other NCAA Division I school with more was Belmont with eight.

A year ago, three Ramblers were named to the NABC Honors Court, with Sterling and Polka earning repeat honors this season.

During the 2010-11 campaign, Benkoske, a finance major, averaged 0.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 17 appearances, while Sterling, who majored in finance/sport management, contributed 1.2 ppg and 0.2 rpg in 11 games. A finance/sport management/operations management major, Polka put up 6.3 points and a team-best 7.2 rpg and closed out his career ranked third on the school’s rebounding chart with 989 boards. Gibler, a psychology major who captured Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year accolades in 2009-10, tallied 9.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg last season despite battling nagging injuries. Neary, who majors in finance, did not appear in any games after injuring his hand in preseason workouts.

In order to be named to the Honors Court, a student-athlete must: be a junior or senior and a varsity player; possess a 3.2 or higher cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of the 2010-11 academic year; have spent at least one year at their current institution; and be a member of an NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA institution.

As a research partner, Loyola will administer surveys to students, graduates, and non-graduates in order to measure which practices are most beneficial for improving completion rates. Participants in the Graduate School will also survey program directors and conduct student focus groups.

According to Belle Woods, spokesperson for the Council of Graduate Schools, the intended outcome of the study is to better understand reasons for enrollment, factors that contribute to students’ success, and objectives that will increase completion.

The other universities chosen to conduct research were Purdue University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Texas A&M University, and Wright State University.

“This will be the first study of its kind in the U.S. and we are delighted to work with these innovative graduate schools on this unique project,” says Debra Stewart, CGS president, in a press release that announced the award recipients. “The results of this study will be information essential to graduate deans as they foster student achievement in graduate education.”

Samuel Attoh, PhD, dean of the Graduate School, served as the principal investigator for the proposal that was submitted as part of the application for the award.

“As a member of the Council of Graduate Schools, the Graduate School at Loyola University Chicago is committed to bringing together and working with a diverse group of administrators, faculty, and graduate students to create a unique collaboration; one that will expand dialogue, spark the imagination, and create a vision that reflects the specific and unique needs of graduate students,” Attoh says. “We are proud to have been selected to participate in such a prestigious project.”

Tomato Mountain specializes in salsas, soups, preserves, pasta sauces, and even a Bloody Mary mix. All of Tomato Mountain’s products are naturally vegan and gluten-free and contain no dairy, soy, or nuts, making the foods suitable for many people with allergies. Because all the products are crafted and jarred at their on-farm licensed kitchen, there is no risk of cross contamination.

Chris Covelli founded Tomato Mountain Farm in 1993. Covelli, who majored in geography in college, has always had a love for the land. As a completely self-taught farmer, Covelli has made it his life’s work to grow top-quality produce. He creates all the recipes for the jarred goods, and he emphasizes being directly involved with all stages of the production process for the food.

“I put the seed in the ground, and the lid on the jar,” Covelli says.

Robin Schirmer, the Chicago area market coordinator for Tomato Mountain, is in charge of strengthening the farm’s presence in the city and its suburbs. Schirmer said the farm prioritizes making the most out of each parcel of land.

“We’re trying to cover all the bases and use our land as thoroughly and wisely as we can to truly have a sustainable farm,” Schirmer says.

Besides attending more than 30 farmers markets throughout the Chicagoland area, Tomato Mountain participates in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. The CSA program allows customers to purchase shares (aka “memberships” or “subscriptions”) of the farm’s produce. According to Tomato Mountain’s website, shares consist of a box of various vegetables, and all CSA subscribers receive a box delivered to their home each week during the farming season.

Schirmer said that Tomato Mountain is accepting new subscribers on a prorated basis, meaning new subscribers will only pay for the shares received, and will not be charged for the week’s they missed prior to signing up. The farm delivers to all of Cook County and DuPage County, and the southern half of Lake County.

For more information about Tomato Mountain, visit their website at www.tomatomountain.com.

The Loyola Farmers Market, located at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd. near the University’s Lake Shore Campus in the Rogers Park neighborhood, is open each Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until October 17. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Nolan Fine was one of ten Loyola student-athletes named to their respective sport's Horizon League All-Academic Team.

Ten Loyola University Chicago student-athletes have been named to their respective sport’s 2011 Horizon League Spring Academic All-League Team, the conference announced recently. The Rambler men’s and women’s track teams led the way with three representatives, followed by softball with two, and both the men’s and women’s golf teams placed one.

In total, 89 student-athletes from eight conference sports were honored, with Butler placing the most honorees with 17, edging Youngstown State (13) by four.

Josh Stein, a two-time nominee, Nolan Fine, and Declan Murray made up the 19-person men’s track team, while Nicole Noelliste, Alison Rack, and Jordan Rohlfing were chosen to the women’s track squad. Brooke Andresen and Lauren Arceneaux earned spots on the softball team, while Dylan Gergen and Nikki Miller found placements on the men’s and women’s golf teams.

The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with seasonal Academic All-League Teams in each of its 19 championship sports. To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) and have completed at least one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits.

Michael Wieczorek, a recent Loyola graduate, and Michelle Amiott, a senior undergraduate, serve as conference chairs for this year’s event. Wieczorek and Amiott have spent two years working on the NJSLC, and their responsibilities have included recruiting exceptional Loyola students to serve alongside them as part of the leadership team. The 12 students they selected are running the event with the help of 22 additional student volunteers and two staff advisors, Shannon Howes, director for student leadership development, and Matt Gebhardt, coordinator in the office of student activities and Greek affairs.

The NJSLC takes place at a different Jesuit institution each year, and its host is determined by a competitive bidding process. Representatives from Loyola submitted the bid application in September 2009. Nearly a year later, the Jesuit Association for Student Personnel Administrators (JASPA) executive team named Loyola as the winner.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Go Forth and Set the World on Fire.” Wieczorek says the activities will be centered on Jesuit values.

“Our goal is to challenge each student to incorporate the Jesuit values into their leadership, in the here and now,” Wieczorek says. “One question we posed to delegates this year is, ‘How can we be proponents of social justice through our roles as student leaders?’”

Besides attending professional workshops, conference attendees will have the chance to venture throughout Chicago and learn about the local culture. Student volunteers will lead tours through campus and Rogers Park, and all conference participants will have plenty of free time on Thursday to check out Chicago’s top tourist attractions.

On Friday, attendees will spend the day volunteering with various neighborhood non-profits such as the Howard Community Center, Sarah’s Circle, and Miseracordia. The conference festivities will conclude with a banquet at The Chicago Cultural Center on Saturday night, followed by a breakfast served on Sunday morning before checkout.

For more information about the 2011 National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference or to view the complete schedule, visit LUC.edu/NJSLC.

ABBA Salute, recognized as one of the most accurate ABBA tribute bands in the country, is known for its painstaking attention to detail and creating an authentic ABBA experience that won’t soon be forgotten. Fronted by two dynamic ladies with angelic voices, and backed by a group of world-class musicians, the music of ABBA, one of the greatest pop bands in history, comes to life in a Las Vegas style show that mesmerizes the viewer, both young and old alike.

Concert Information:
Admission is $10 per adult and free for children under 12-years-old and tickets can be purchased the day/night of the concert. Attendees are advised to bring their own blankets and chairs to sit on the lawn. Bauer’s Catering will also be on-site offering fine foods and beverages for purchase at the concert.

Concert Series Line Up:

Steve Richards is Neil Diamond
Wednesday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m.

The Neverly Brothers
Wednesday, August 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Diva
Wednesday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m.

Dakota Horvath Sings Sinatra
Wednesday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m.

Piano Man
Wednesday, September 7, at 6:30 p.m.

For concert inquiries, please call the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens at 847.362.3042. More information on the bands scheduled to perform can be found by clicking here.

(detail) The Flag of the Un-United States of America, 2006, U.S.A. and Texas flags, 54” x 90”

Fr. Jerry Bleem, a contemporary fiber artist, is an expert at making one man’s trash another man’s treasure. On Tuesday, July 12, at 6 p.m., Bleem will discuss the cultural construction of meaning by looking at what we discard in his lecture entitled, “Archiving Detritus,” at the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA).

Bleem, an instructor in the department of fiber & material studies at the Art Institute of Chicago, creates two- and three-dimensional designs that address topics from beauty to ecology and politics. His artwork includes innovative masterpieces crafted from staples, paper scraps from magazines, cloth, as well as drawings, collages, and prints that captivate the eyes and minds of art enthusiasts.

Bleem’s collection entitled, “Nationalism,” explores the link between the United States’s course of action in the war in Iraq and the lives of citizens. In this exhibit, Bleem cuts the American flag into thin strips and crochets the pieces back together “to reconfigure the familiar surface into the unfamiliar,” according to a description posted on Bleem’s website. Bleem insists that his goal is not to desecrate the flag, but to show how others have used the banner to voice their opposition to our nation’s policies.

According to Bleem’s website, his interests “span historic and ethnographic textiles, the dynamics of collection for artistic production, and material culture from popular and denominational art.”

Ann Meehan, curator at LUMA, says Bleem’s lecture aligns with LUMA’s current exhibitions that examine the many uses and meanings of cloth in society.

“We want to highlight that textile making is a continuing art form and is alive and well right here in Chicago,” Meehan says.

Bleem’s artwork is not displayed in LUMA’s current exhibition, Stories in Cloth: The Threads of Daily Life. However, anyone interested in viewing his collections can check them out at www.jerrybleem.com.

Admission to “Archiving Detritus” is $4 for the general public, and free for LUMA members and Loyola faculty, staff, and students. If interested in attending, please RSVP by e-mailing luma@luc.edu or by calling 312.915.7608. The lecture will be held at LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois.

Loyolans enjoy their time at the Retreat and Ecology Campus.

Loyola University Chicago staff members are invited to sign-up for the first annual Staff Retreat taking place July 29-30 at the Loyola University Chicago Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) in Woodstock, Illinois.

The registration fee for employees is just $25, and it covers the cost of retreat materials, room accommodations, the reception and dinner on Friday evening, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Human Resources is covering the majority of the expenses, in hopes that more people will be motivated to attend.

Each staff member will stay in his or her own private, air conditioned room. Bus transportation to and from LUREC is also included in the cost, although staff members are welcome to drive on their own.

Buses will depart from the Lake Shore Campus (LSC) at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 29, immediately following the Feast of St. Ignatius festivities, which include Mass in Madonna della Strada Chapel and a picnic occurring outside of Simpson Hall. The buses will return to LSC on Saturday, July 30 by 5 p.m.

Fr. Kevin Gillespie, associate provost, has engaged in much of the planning and preparation for the Staff Retreat.

According to Gillespie, “Staff will have the opportunity to connect with people from other departments, relax in a beautiful atmosphere, and be involved in dimensions of spirituality.” He adds that the focus of the retreat is “adapted around mission and purpose,” and that all those who attend will be given plenty of time for self-reflection. Gillespie also urges that the retreat is open to people of all faiths.

Staff members who attend the retreat can expect to:

• Experience first-hand the serenity of LUREC’s surroundings
• Have fun with other Loyola staff away from the office
• Strengthen your sense of unity, inspiration, and collaboration
• Gain a better understanding of self and personal mission
• Reflect on your understanding of self as an employee of Loyola and the University’s mission
• Contemplate and rejuvenate, while having fun

Gillespie says the retreat marks “a chance to celebrate and show appreciation for staff members,” who he believes are “the nuts and bolts of the University.”

If you’re interested in attending the Staff Retreat, sign up soon! Anyone who registers before July 15 has the chance of winning a $100 Visa gift card.

Staff members can register at LUC.edu/hr/retreatpayments. Those who would prefer to pay by check can drop it off at the HR office located at LSC or WTC. For more information about the retreat, please contact Joan Stasiak via e-mail at jstasia@luc.edu.

Lane Vail, research associate of CUERP, will guide the class as the students learn about environmental problems pertaining to water, but the course will also feature lectures from multidisciplinary faculty and aquatic experts such as representatives from the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.

Vail explained that the course is intended for students who have “a desire to learn more about how they can play a role in leading the way toward sustainability on Loyola’s campus and beyond.”

Students enrolled in UNIV 350 (STEP: Water) will gain a detailed understanding of a range of topics including water sanitation, sustainable water use, and public health and water-based infectious diseases. Other topics covered in the course include water in relation to warfare, the spiritual implications of water, and social-justice issues such as water accessibility.

“Many people do not realize that in other parts of the world, people are experiencing a water crisis,” Vail says. “Water drives whole economies, influences politics and religion, and allows for biological diversity on this planet. Water is an extremely valuable resource, and the goal of this course will be to introduce students to the multiple reasons water is important.”

Course projects, which will be created and led by students, could include managing an aquaponics sustainable fish farming system, creating a pilot-living machine for waste-nutrient removal, and activities relating to the water-conversation policy for Loyola’s campus.

The class, which is worth four credit hours, will meet Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m to 9:45 a.m. and Thursdays from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Because students will be learning hands-on through projects and field trips, the STEP: Water course fulfills the civic engagement and leadership requirement for the University’s undergraduate core curriculum.

The enrollment total for the STEP: Water course is limited to just 16 students. However, seats are still available for the fall 2011 semester. Any undergraduate student interested in signing up can register directly through LOCUS.

The 120-acre farm has been in the Klug family for the past 80 years. About 30 years ago, Mick Klug purchased it from his parents, and since then, he, his wife, Cindy, and the couple’s two daughters, Amy and Abby, have been running the farm with the help of just 15 other employees.

When Mick first took control of the farm, he focused mostly on wholesaling produce to brokers and much less on farmers markets, attending just a few around Chicago. However, as the markets gained popularity, Mick shifted his efforts and began setting up shop in the city more often.

Mick Klug Farms has now frequented farmers markets in the Chicago area for the past several decades. As a result, they have developed a loyal fan base of city dwellers who prefer the family-grown fruits and vegetables to those found in the grocery store.

The mission of Mick Klug Farms is to ensure that their customers are provided with the freshest produce of the utmost quality.

“I only sell produce that is picked the day before,” Mick says. “I have learned that selling only high-quality produce sets you apart from other farmers, and it is definitely worth the extra time, cost, and effort.”

At the Loyola Farmers Market, Mick Klug Farms offers nearly every fruit or vegetable imaginable. Their booth features green and purple asparagus, rhubarb, shelled peas, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and several varieties of plums, apples, and grapes. Their booth also features an assortment of colorful, ripe berries including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries, and blackberries.

Visit the Loyola Farmers Market, located at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd. near the Lake Shore Campus, Mondays from 3-7 p.m. to pick up some delectable foods from Mick Klug Farms and other local businesses. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Market Vendors scheduled to attend include:

Each workshop will be hosted by George Rumsey of Chicago’s Computer Resource Center, Inc., an organization that provides training for many institutions located throughout the metropolitan area.

The workshops being held are:

• Microsoft Access 2007: Introduction | Aug. 1 & 2, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  In this two-day workshop, you will learn how to create tables and processes from which query searches and selection, simple forms, and reports can be created. You may also learn some useful tips and strategies for customizing it to your specific department.
• Excel 2007: Introduction | Aug. 3, 9 a.m. to Noon
  You will learn how to create basic formulas (PEMDAS), use simple functions, edit and format cells, and format and link workbook sheets. You will also learn how to customize the layout of the Excel window and how to print the contents of a worksheet.  Other topics include learning how to use borders, shades, headers and footers, and other fundamental formats.
• Using Microsoft Word 2007 Effectively: Tips & Shortcuts | Aug. 3, 1 to 4 p.m.
  This three-hour intermediate-to-advanced class focuses on those aspects of Word that are often overlooked or not used well. The course begins with text shortcuts such as Autocorrect, adding characters to your keyboard, and Quick Parts. Then, there will be an overview of formatting concepts in Word, such as paragraph spacing, bullets and numbering, tab sets and indents, and section breaks. Tables, graphics, and text boxes will also be covered.
• Excel 2007: Intermediate | Aug. 4, 9 a.m. to Noon
  Build on your existing Excel skills, but make sure you are comfortable with the basic skills listed in the Excel: Introduction workshop before signing up.  Topics include: more math functions, creating and formatting charts, links tables and charts to other programs, and conditional formatting.
• PowerPoint 2007: Bells & Whistles | Aug. 4,  1 to 4 p.m.
  This workshop will emphasize efficient use of layouts, grids and guides, color schemes and themes, and graphic features such as charts and videos in the program. This class will include key concepts behind “master pages,” including global design decisions such as colors and fonts for seamless presentations. SmartArt, photos, and videos will also be reviewed. The course will conclude with how to create self-running presentations with animation, then “package” the presentation for CD or flash disk or for zipping and e-mailing.
• Excel 2007: Advanced | Aug. 5, 9 a.m. to Noon
  This workshop will introduce MORE Excel functions, such as VLookup. Instruction will include a review of charting and graphics. Students will also learn how to build pivot tables and pivot charts from databases, as well as use the consolidate and subtotal features to get grouped summary information. Students will also work with Goal Seek, scenarios, and other “what-if analyses” such as validate.
• Adobe Photoshop Overview | Aug. 5, 1 to 4 p.m.
  The course introduces basic concepts of Adobe Photoshop, such as modes, pixel vs. dot resolution when printing and for web design; and then works with basic photo editing (brighten, contrast, lighten, darken, sharpen, crop, straighten). Students will learn to use basic tools in the complex Photoshop toolbox, such as paint, dodge/burn, smudge/sharpen/blur, zoom/pan, and text.

For more information about each of the workshops, visit the ITS website by clicking here, or send an e-mail to training@luc.edu.

The symposium, which was held during the University’s inaugural Weekend of Excellence, allowed students to showcase completed research projects in a setting similar to a professional academic conference. Most presentations came from students studying with a LUROP fellowship, however, there were also students who presented research conducted independently from the program, whether in courses or at other institutions in the Chicago area.

Kelly Christopher, undergraduate research coordinator for LUROP, co-administered the symposium with Dr. Patrick Green, director of the Center for Experiential Learning.

“Presenting gives students new ideas and insights about their work and its potential impact,” Christopher says. “It is an especially beneficial experience for those students going on to graduate school or a professional career that will involve similarly formatted presentations.”

The symposium has experienced vast expansion since it first began in 2007. According to Christopher, when the event started, it featured just a few dozen posters. This year, there were 120 posters displayed by students from all schools within the University.

Six projects received recognition as part of the 2011 Poster Awards ceremony.

The top three winners (unranked) in the Physical and Life Sciences category were:

Unleen Kiverkis & Lacy Simons
Microscopic Investigation into the Dynamics of Falling Chains
Mentored by Dr. Asim Gangopadhyaya, Physics

Bhavik Patel
Study on the Ligand-Binding Pathways of the Heme-Containing PAS Protein, EcDOS, of Escherichia Coli
Provost Fellowship and Mulcahy Scholars Program
Mentored by Dr. Ken Olsen, Chemistry

Brian M. Sweis
The Behavioral Effects of Chronic Stress on Mental Health
Carbon Scholars Program 
Mentored by Dr. Louis Lucas, Biology and Dr. Robert Morrison, Psychology

The top three winners (unranked) in Social Sciences and Humanities were:

Kelsey Oseid
Developing Well-Designed, Well-Researched Informational Materials To Aid Refugees and the Volunteers Who Serve Them 
Provost Fellowship
Mentored by Joyce Epolito, MFA, Department of Fine and Performing Arts

Kelly Silay
Perceived Discrimination, Stigma Consciousness, and Romantic Relationship Functioning 
Provost Fellowship
Mentored by Dr. Tracy DeHart, Psychology

Nausheen Syed
Attention and Distractibility in Infants: A Study on Infants and How They Control Their Attention
Provost Fellowship
Mentored by Kathleen Kannass, Psychology

The business, which started up in the summer of 2010, sells pastries that are influenced by French and traditional American baking styles and prides itself on making delicious treats, filled with nutritious fruits and nuts, that customers “won’t feel too guilty enjoying.”

Lia Riperton, the owner and operator of Baking Beauty, has had a passion for baking since the earlier years of her life. As a young child, she would frequently lend her mother a hand in the kitchen.

“I always admired her attention to detail and her love of cooking for her family and the joy of it itself,” Riperton says.

Riperton shares that same love of cooking with her customers, who flock to farmers markets around the city to pick up tasty treats from Baking Beauty. Riperton says her baking styles were mastered during her travels to Paris and cities in Italy, where she was able to experience “the beauty and decadence of their desserts.”

Baking Beauty’s booth at the Loyola Farmers Market typically offers banana nut sweet loaves, zucchini sweet loaves, lemon bars, brownies, fresh fruit tarts, cakes, muffins, and cookies the size of an adult’s face. According to Riperton, all the baked goods featured at the market are made strictly from fresh and organic ingredients.

“We only use fresh produce in all of our baked goods, never frozen blueberries or pre-mashed bananas,” Riperton says. “Our lemons are squeezed fresh everyday.”

Although Baking Beauty does not yet have a shop of its own, their pastries can be found at farmers markets throughout the Chicago area, including the City of Evanston’s Central Street Green Market on Wednesdays and the Grant Park South French Market on Fridays. The bakery is currently operating from a professional certified licensed kitchen in Evanston, but is planning to open a brick and mortar store in the fall.

Stop by Loyola’s Farmers Market at 6556 N. Sheridan. Rd. in Rogers Park this Monday from 3-7 p.m. to pick up some goodies from Baking Beauty. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Market Vendors scheduled to attend include:

I write to share with you the news that Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus, has asked me to serve as the Secretary for Higher Education for the Jesuits beginning on September 1, 2011. This new role will be in addition to my continued service as president of Loyola, and I will be succeeding the late Paul L. Locatelli, S.J.

As secretary, I will be assisting the Father General on a part-time basis, coordinating and championing Jesuit higher-education issues around the world. This includes:

• Creating and maintaining networks of research and common action among Jesuit higher-education institutions
• Promoting the Jesuit mission and identity in our institutions
• Developing means of sharing the knowledge and research of Jesuit universities with those who have limited access to education around the world

I am humbled by this appointment and recognize that the invitation to serve in this position is a reflection on the good work and commitment of everyone at Loyola to offer a transformative education in the Jesuit tradition. At its quarterly meeting last Friday, the Loyola University Chicago Board of Trustees pledged its support for my expanded role and the trustees affirmed their commitment to work with me to ensure my success in leading Loyola and assisting Father General with the worldwide Jesuit higher-education enterprise.

During the 10 years I’ve been here, we have accomplished a tremendous amount and I am confident that together, we will continue to create an even more successful future for Loyola. As last weekend’s Founders’ Dinner confirmed, there is tremendous momentum and enthusiasm surrounding our success and future plans and I look forward to continuing my work with all of you to fulfill those aspirations.

Summer is a great time for scholarship, personal projects, and spending time with our family and friends and it allows us to return each fall renewed and prepared to welcome new and returning students. I will be enjoying a respite over the next several weeks and will be ready to invest my full energy in both Loyola and my new duties come the beginning of the new academic year. I wish you all a blessed summer of renewal and enjoyment with your family and friends.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
President, Loyola University Chicago

Dr. Elizabeth Coffman (right) at the Audubon Society's 2011 Women in Conservation luncheon. Photo courtesy of the Audobon Society.

Dr. Elizabeth Coffman, director of international film and media studies, was recently named as one of the Audubon Society’s “Women of the Gulf” at the 2011 Women in Conservation luncheon as a result of her passionate commitment to exposing the realities of the rapidly disappearing Louisiana coastline.

Coffman was honored because of her film, Veins in the Gulf, a documentary that tells the story of Cajun culture and the environmental crisis that is threatening Louisiana’s landmass. The film exposes and explains the state’s coastal turmoil through interviews with scientists, musicians, and engineers – people who make up the heart of Louisiana’s coast.

Along with her filmmaking partner Ted Hardin, Coffman began working on Veins in the Gulf in March 2003. The film’s original aim was to raise awareness about the disappearing bayous, but when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and other coastal cities in 2005, the problems became more complex. The infamous BP oil spill in 2010 brought a slew of new troubles to southern Louisiana, and Coffman and Hardin had to once again shift the film’s focus to include the ruinous effects of the man-made disaster.

Coffman, who is originally from Florida, has been studying the Gulf Coast region for quite sometime. While teaching at Tampa State in March 2004, Coffman and a fellow colleague, poet Martha Serpas, took a group of poetry and documentary students to southern Louisiana to learn about the crisis in the wetlands and assist with filming for Veins in the Gulf.

Serpas, a native of southern Louisiana, narrates much of the film with her celebrated poetry that effectively communicates the spiritual and emotional devastation that accompanies the continual loss of Louisiana’s landmass.

Veins in the Gulf takes an in-depth look at the dilemmas coastal communities face and raises questions about the future of southern Louisiana.

“Our film talks about the damages and how [the oil companies] are financially liable for some of those causes,” Coffman says. However, Coffman insists that the federal government is also liable because they “allowed the oil industry to build under government permits.”

“Scientists that have the answers [for stopping land loss] just need funding from the federal government and the oil companies for restoration,” Coffman says.

Coffman has dedicated her time in academia to exposing social and environmental problems occurring in all parts of the world. In 2002, she and Hardin produced a documentary entitled, One More Mile: A Dialogue on Nation Building, which provides insight into the lives of Bosnians dealing with the post-war situation. She also currently serves as Loyola’s environmental curriculum developer, a new position designed to increase course offerings for students interested in learning about environmental sustainability.

The Audubon Society’s Women in Conservation luncheon was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in May. The event also featured artist Maya Lin and actress Sigourney Weaver, both of whom received the Audubon Society’s Rachel Carson Award for their contributions to conservation and the environmental movement. Coffman spoke with Weaver at the luncheon and gave her a copy of Serpas’ poetry.

Rough cuts of Veins in the Gulf have been screening at universities throughout the United States for the past few months. The finalized version is set to be released this fall. More information about Coffman’s film can be found at www.veinsinthegulf.com.

Toward the end of the spring 2011 semester, 23 students in Jasmine Tata’s international management course separated to join 13 teams, whose additional members consisted of international undergraduate and graduate students. Each team had only three weeks to select, research, and draft a practical business plan aimed at boosting development for an indigenous population. Because each team was made up of members from various countries, teammates met virtually using interactive technology, such as Facebook, Skype, and similar programs accessible through the competition’s website. Finalized projects were submitted via e-mail to the panel of prestigious judges.

More than 500 students from 39 different countries competed in the 2011 Global Enterprise Experience competition that ran from March 22 to April 13.

Among the 64 teams in the competition, Balek and Simanskyte’s team, Biodiesel Nigeria, placed as the third runner-up. The team’s plan involved farming Jatropha trees, small perennials that can grow in arid climates, and using the non-edible oil from the trees’ seeds to produce biodiesel. According to Biodiesel Nigeria’s written proposal, the business would provide farming jobs for Nigerians and consequently reduce poverty levels.

Along with the team’s six-page business proposal, each participant had to write a one-page reflection paper about the experience. In Balek’s journal, she confessed how challenging it was to schedule group meetings.

“I thought coordinating meetings with a group was hard in the U.S., [but] at least I’m in the same time zone as them,” Balek says.

However, Balek said the communication difficulties eased after members determined a regular meeting time. She added that working with international teammates made her appreciate what she takes for granted everyday, such as owning a personal computer and a smart phone.

Tata said she has her students participate in the Global Enterprise Experience so they have the opportunity to learn how to work with people from other countries.

“In international business, developing the skills to relate to peoples from diverse [backgrounds] is critical,” Tata says. “So too is forming an understanding of the challenges and needs in developing countries, because I see new business opportunities coming from solving some of the world’s more intractable problems.”

The winning teams, including Biodiesel Nigeria, were strongly encouraged to advance their projects. According to Tata, the Nigerian student on the Biodiesel Nigeria team expressed an avid interest in furthering the plan, but the group is still looking for sources of funding.

“The success of this campaign is an example of what can be achieved when individuals band together for a common cause. It’s a testament to the spirit of generosity,” says Father Garanzini. “I’m exceedingly grateful to all of our partners who supported the campaign. Their generosity will make a difference for years to come.”

Over 50,000 donors contributed to the campaign. A singularly important gift to Partner, and the largest in the history of the University, came from John and Herta Cuneo and the Cuneo Foundation, who, in December 2009, made a $50 million gift that included the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens in Vernon Hills, Illinois, its nearly 100 surrounding acres, an extensive collection of art and furnishings, and an in-kind distribution of funds.

In addition to the Cuneo property, donations to the Partner campaign have been responsible for many major projects, acquisitions, and initiatives at both Loyola University Chicago and the Loyola University Health System. Some of these include:

• The Michael R. and Marilyn C. Quinlan Life Sciences Education and Research Center
• The Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons
• The Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics
• The Terry Student Center
• The Corboy Law Center
• Loyola University Hospital Tower
• The Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Center for Collaborative Learning
• The CIVITAS ChildLaw Center
• The Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
• A number of endowments, centers, and programs that will enrich Loyola’s academic life

The campaign also raised significant funds for scholarships that will strengthen Loyola’s mission of welcoming students from a wide variety of economic backgrounds.

The Partner campaign was co-chaired by Nancy Knowles and William J. Hank and was supported by a Campaign Leadership Committee, many of whom were some of the campaign’s most significant contributors. “The success of the Partner campaign represents a milestone in the history of Loyola University Chicago,” says Bill Hank. “The over $530 million raised as a part of this campaign has had a transformative effect on the entire University and is a testament to the loyalty and generosity of the Loyola community. I’m proud to have been a part of this campaign, and I’m excited to witness Loyola’s continued forward momentum in the years to come.”

From the lakeside campuses to the health enterprise to its international centers, the campaign has changed the way Loyola provides its students with a transformative education. In the spirit of the Partner campaign, in the months and years to come, the University will continue to unveil bold new plans for the future. “Loyola has just finished the largest campaign in the University’s history,” says Father Garanzini. “And in the true Jesuit tradition, we will continue moving forward to make this University one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world.”

H&H Flowers, a micro farm that rests on a modest five acres, began in 1991 when Hans Winter and his daughter, Herta Gee, started a chrysanthemum farm. The father-daughter duo spent years selling their beautiful flowers and building a loyal clientele.

When Herta Gee’s daughter, Sacha Burns, finished school, she inherited the family business and partnered with her sister, Nicole, to create the Sunkissed Organics division of the company. The sisters expanded the scope of the business and began growing and selling a greater assortment of perennials, shrubs, and vegetable plants.

“We enjoy being outside and witnessing the transfer from seed to plant to food, and love it the entire way,” Burns says. “In an essence, we are truly living the dream.”

The garden specializes in heirloom tomatoes and grows more than 75 different varieties throughout the year, including white, black, yellow, pink, green, and even striped tomatoes. The sizes range from currant size to “Giant Belgiums,” which, according to Burns, can weigh up to three pounds each.

The H&H Flowers/Sunkissed Organics stand at the Loyola Farmers Market offers colorful perennials, flowering scrubs, fruit bushes, and their distinctive heirloom tomatoes and other vegetables.

The Loyola Farmers Market, located at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd. near the University’s Lake Shore Campus in the Rogers Park neighborhood, is open each Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until October 17. For more information on the market, please visit LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Market Vendors scheduled to attend include:

“The three concerts that we had last summer were so successful that we thought we would try more concerts for this summer season,” says Kevin Ginty, general manager of the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens. “We had nothing but great feedback from concert goers last year and many commented on how it was a nice alternative to Ravinia. The best thing about Cuneo’s concert series is that it’s an affordable family outing, and this season brings a wider range of music to the local community than ever before.”

Concert Information:
Admission is $10 per adult and free for children under 12-years-old and tickets can be purchased the day/night of the concert. For Wednesday evening concerts, gates open at 6 p.m., and concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. Attendees are advised to bring their own blankets and chairs to sit on the lawn. Bauer’s Catering will also be on-site offering fine foods and beverages for purchase at each concert.

Concert Series Line Up:

The Neverly Brothers
Wednesday, June 15, and Wednesday, August 3, at 6:30 p.m.

International Music Concert featuring bands Rio Bamba and Guitarra Azul
Sunday, June 19, from 1-4 p.m.

Britbeat
Wednesday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m.

ABBA Salute
Wednesday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m.

Steve Richards is Neil Diamond
Wednesday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m.

Diva
Wednesday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m.

Dakota Horvath Sings Sinatra
Wednesday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m.

Piano Man
Wednesday, September 7, at 6:30 p.m.

For concert inquiries, please call the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens at 847.362.3042. More information on the bands scheduled to perform can be found by clicking here.

Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that uses light and a dye to transform oxygen into a more reactive species that is able to modify proteins in a cancer cell. In order to target specific cancer cells, Olsen, Crumine, Schroeter, and students assisting the professors in their research will attach vitamin folate to the PDT agent. Olsen explained that, because rapidly growing cells, such as cancer cells, need folate to divide, they use larger amounts of folate than normal cells. Because the PDT and the folate will be conjoined in this experiment, PDT will be brought into the cancerous cells as well.

Olsen explained that if the cell proteins modified by the PDT agent no longer work, it is possible to kill the cells.

“The method has the potential to be more selective than traditional chemotherapy because, in order to be killed, the cell must both absorb the PDT agent and be exposed to light,” Olsen says.

According to Olsen, nearly 50 percent of all known cancers have excess folate receptors and “should be susceptible to the proposed PDT approach.” He adds that excess folate receptors are especially common in ovarian and brain tumors.

Olsen, Crumrine, and Schroeter will use cell culture and zebrafish to test their new PDT agents.

The Provost’s summer fellowship is awarded annually to teams of collaborative researchers focusing on campus initiatives. At least three multi-year awards of up to $10,000 per individual are given to research teams that submit a multidisciplinary proposal that align with the major themes generally funded by nationally recognized funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is an international non-profit organization that encourages students to build a more sustainable world through the power of business. SIFE sponsors regional and national competitions at which teams present original business plans aimed at improving the lives of people in need. At the national competition, the plans are judged exclusively by presidents and CEOs from corporations, such as Walmart, Kraft, and many others.

Loyola’s SIFE team was founded three years ago, with some of the first members being Joel Bennett and Tom Bohac, who now serve as president and vice president of the team, respectively. When the original founders of Loyola SIFE graduated last year, Bennett and Bohac “looked at the similarity between the SIFE mission and the Loyola mission and [realized] all of the good work that a SIFE team could do.” They chose to continue the team and expanded membership to 26 students.

Throughout the year, the team worked on six projects:

• GREENOLA Chicago – SIFE partnered with Stacy Neier’s marketing class to conduct market research and design a new t-shirt line for GREENOLA, a fair trade firm that operates out of Evanston with producers in Bolivia
• GREENOLA Bolivia – The team developed a product book and coding system to help Jenn Moran, owner of GREENOLA, better communicate with the producers in Bolivia
• Books Building Business – With the help of Dr. Cliff Schultz, the team collected business publications to send to Cambodia, where there is a severe shortage of educational material
• College Knowledge – The team created a game to teach high school seniors financial literacy; through Fr. Daffron, the SIFE team completed a dry run of the game with a group of students at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
• Caps Off – The team began a recycling campaign aimed at collecting plastic bottle tops, which must be recycled separately from the bottles; the tops were sent to Aveda and Shannon Clark, companies that recycle the tops to create new products
• Loyola Can’s Hunger – As part of a national canned food drive sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Loyola SIFE collected 5,000 cans of food to send to local pantries

Prior achievements of Loyola’s SIFE team have included Rookie of the Year at the 2009 regional competition and regional champions in 2010 and 2011.

Bohac believes much of the team’s success is a result of the “tremendous support” they have received from team advisors in the University’s School of Business Administration, including Dean Abol Jalilvand and professor Gezinus Hidding, who was awarded a Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellowship in 2009.

The LEEF committee of the Staff Council is currently selling bags of regular and decaf coffee for $12 each at the Lake Shore and Water Tower campuses. All proceeds will benefit LEEF, which depends on donations from faculty and staff to sustain its mission to provide emergency financial support to employees.

The fundraiser will last until all bags are sold.

To order a bag, contact Cara Young, at cyoung4@luc.edu, at Water Tower Campus and Kathryn Jackson, kjackson9@luc.edu, at the Lake Shore Campus.

Brunkow Cheese, known for its artisinal cheeses, is one of many vendors that will participate in Loyola's inaugural farmers market. Image courtesy of Cheese Underground.

The grand opening of the Loyola Farmers Market occurring today, June 6, will feature an array of sustainable foods from vendors based throughout the midwest. The market, located at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd., near the University’s Lake Shore Campus in the Rogers Park neighborhood, will be open Mondays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until October 17.

The market is attracting a number of vendors, and over the course of the next several Mondays, we’ll introduce you to each of them and give you a preview of their offerings. Today’s feature focuses on Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin, a fourth generation dairy farm that specializes in live, natural cheeses that do not contain additives or preservatives.

The Brunkow Cheese factory, located in the rolling hills of Darlington, WI, was founded in 1899 by a group of dairy farmers who wanted to build a plant that would provide them with a market for their milk. Named after the farmer who donated the land, it was built as a co-op, with each farmer devoting money or labor to keep business operations afloat.

More than a century later, The Brunkow Cheese factory continues to operate as a co-op, sourcing milk from a selection of neighboring dairy farms in Lafayette County. Although Brunkow Cheese has modernized their production methods over time, the company’s mission has remained the same.

The Brunkow Cheese factory has frequented farmers markets throughout Chicago, including those held at Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Chicago. Joe Burns, cheesemaker and spokesman for Brunkow Cheese, says students seem to be avid supporters of smaller, more sustainable food producers like his company.

“I think a certain consciousness permeates with young adults that fits our philosophy,” Burns says. “We opt for quality over quantity, making cheeses in an artisanal fashion that focuses more on craft. We think that type of production will translate to customers in the academic community and surrounding Rogers Park neighborhood.”

Burns said market-goers can expect cheddars aged from two to 12 years, flavored cheddars and spreads, fresh cheese curds, fresh mozzarella, small batch batters, and Brun-uusto, a Finnish-style baked cheese that is grilled on a flame. Burns will also be selling Brunkow’s line of artisanal cheeses that are aged in an underground cellar: bandaged cheddar called Avondale Truckle, a French-style tomme called Little Darling, and a line of seasonal Jersey milk cheeses.

All members of the Loyola and Rogers Park communities are encouraged to stop by the Loyola Farmers Market, located just off of the CTA Red Line Stop, and check out the delicious foods on display from our vendors.

For more information on Loyolas Farmers Market, contact Gina Lettiere at glettie@luc.edu or 773.508.8255, or visit the website at LUC.edu/farmersmarket.

Market Vendors scheduled to attend include:

The Schweitzer Fellowship, named in honor of 1952 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, is awarded to exceptional students who show a dedication to increasing knowledge about the health problems that plague our society. Each of the Schweitzer fellows promises to dedicate 200 hours to direct service within the Chicago community.

Elborno will address the health needs of Chicago’s growing Arab refugee population by training health promoters within the community. The training curriculum aims at empowering girls and women to feel self assured when seeking health information in America.

Pleasant’s project will focus on the issue of food insecurity with school children in the Englewood neighborhood. By promoting community gardening and other similar activities, Pleasant will further educate children about the attainability of food.

Zabinski will raise awareness on and increase the public’s understanding of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Through the construction of a support group, Zabinski will serve as an advocate for victims of modern-day slavery.

More information about the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program can be found at their web site.

This year, the Family Business of the Year Awards will celebrate 18 years of recognizing exemplary family businesses. In addition to business success, those recognized have demonstrated positive family/business linkage, multigenerational family business involvement, contributions to industry and community, and innovative business practices and strategies. Any family-owned business headquartered in Illinois is eligible to win and may be nominated by anyone—including themselves.

Nomination forms can be obtained online at LUC.edu/fbc/nomination or by contacting the Family Business Center directly at 312.915.6490 or ILFBOY@luc.edu. All nominations received by Friday, July 1 will be considered. Professionals in a variety of fields, including family-owned business leaders, will serve as judges to review all applications and determine the winners.

This year’s winners will be honored at an awards gala on Tuesday, November 29, at The Four Seasons Hotel–Chicago. The gala attracts professionals from all over the Chicagoland area, including previous Family Business of the Year winners and finalists and members of the Family Business Center. This year’s gala sponsors include Harris BMO, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Grant Thornton, Mass Mutual Pearre & Associates Ltd., and MB Financial Bank.

For more information on the Illinois Family Business of the Year Awards, please visit LUC.edu/fbc.

The featured reading will be The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin, S.J. The book is a solid introduction to the spiritual tradition of the Jesuits – a tradition from which the Jesuits’ commitment to higher education is born and of which you are, in one way or another, a contributing member.

All staff members are invited to join the group, but space is limited. A copy of Fr. Martin’s book will be provided and lunch will be provided at each of the meetings. The discussion dates are:

• Monday, June 13
• Wednesday, July 20
• Wednesday, August 17

For more information, and to RSVP online, please click here. Please note that the registration deadline is Friday, June 3.

A column at the entrance pf the Parthenon in Athens.

Democracy is a concept much on people’s minds today, particularly in light of current world affairs. As with other forms of government, democracy has strengths and weaknesses. From its origins in 6th century BCE Athens, it has spread and evolved with the societies that have adopted it. Athenian democracy, like its modern counterparts, had its share of limitations. There is much we can learn about our own and other contemporary systems of government by understanding that first democracy.

In consultation with Brian Lavelle, professor of classical studies, we discovered some of the premises of ancient Athenian democracy, warts and all.

• Direct democracy: The Athenians gathered with fellow citizens to speak their minds and hear the views of others. They then voted directly on government laws and policies.
• Societal limits of democracy: Only Athenian male citizens over the age of 18 could participate in government and vote. Women and slaves were prohibited from politics, serving on jury-courts, or voting. Similarly, the existence of slavery in Athenian society was in itself contradictory to the tenets of true democracy.
• Term limits: Public officials were elected—or reelected— every year. This was meant to prevent any politician from becoming too powerful as well as to make offices available to a wide field of candidates.
• Euthyna: Athenian leaders were required to keep records of their terms in office, after which the records would be submitted for public examination. Citizens could then file charges if they found the records to show anything objectionable. This procedure of scrutiny was called a euthyna.
• Boule: Every Athenian citizen would likely serve at least one term in the council (boule), a body that prepared agendas for the larger assemblies. Citizens were thus temporarily involved with democracy at a higher level. During this term, each citizen had both more power and more responsibility.
• Rhetoric: In ancient Greece, as now, rhetoric could be a powerful tool for both good and bad. At assemblies, Athenians heard from speakers on all sides of an issue. Early on, they seem to have listened and voted wisely. They could, however, be misled by specious rhetoric, make bad decisions, and vote for poor leaders. As history shows, they did so increasingly, with disastrous results. Ascertaining the truth in impassioned speech was and remains a challenge of democracy.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Spring 2011).

Cynthia Blakemore (from left), Cristina Lamb, Jane Thomas, Dorothy Jambrosek, Dr. Susan Hou, Barbara Thomas, and Jodi Tamen.

By Perry Drake, LUHS Staff Writer

Loyola University Medical Center is believed to be the first organization in the country, and perhaps the world, in which five employees have each donated kidneys to complete strangers with no strings attached. Two other employees have donated kidneys to casual acquaintances, also asking nothing in return.

The good Samaritan donors are known as “The Seven Sisters of Loyola.” Officials at two major organ transplant agencies say they have never heard of so many employees at a single company donating kidneys to non-relatives. The donors say they are seeking nothing more than to give others a second chance for healthy, productive lives.

The Seven Sisters were introduced at a news conference April 27 at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

A spokesman for Gift of Hope, which coordinates organ and tissue donations for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, said that what the Seven Sisters have done is most likely a first in the nation.

“I can’t say for certain. But, without a doubt I can say that it’s amazing that Loyola would have seven people who work at the hospital who have that kind of caring, concern, and compassion for people who are suffering and waiting for an organ transplant,” spokesman David Bosch says.

Charlie Alexander, president of United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), says his organization, which maintains the national organ waiting list, hasn’t heard of such a feat, either nationally or internationally.

“We applaud the generosity of living donors and appreciate the life-changing difference they make for those awaiting an organ transplant,” Alexander says.

Because of the Seven Sisters, 28 kidney patients, drained after years of dialysis, were able to return to normal, healthy lives. How could 28 patients receive transplants with the kidneys of seven women? It all has to do with the magic of transplant chains and the Pay-It-Forward Kidney Transplant Program, led by co-directors Dr. John Milner and Dr. David Holt. Often a kidney patient has someone who wants to donate to them but isn’t a match. When an altruistic donor gives a kidney to this patient, their would-be donor can give to someone else and it creates a chain that has the potential of saving hundreds of people. Since it started, this program has helped 19 altruistic donors start chains that led to 96 kidney transplants across the nation, all through chains.

Dr. Paul K. Whelton, MB, MD, MSc, president and CEO of Loyola University Health System, says the Seven Sisters’ generosity “is just one of the many instances at Loyola in which our employees demonstrate their commitment to upholding our Catholic-Jesuit tradition of Magis, which challenges us to do more.” (By pledging to uphold Loyola’s Magis values, employees commit themselves to providing the highest level of Care, Concern, Respect, and Cooperation in all areas of patient care.)

Dr. David Holt, co-director of the Pay-It-Forward Kidney Transplant Program, says, “”Loyola has revolutionized the way altruistic donors can help patients awaiting kidney transplantation in the Midwest.”

More than 110,000 patients are on waiting lists for organ transplants from deceased donors. Most are waiting for kidneys. Patients typically wait for years, and many patients die before organs become available. Donations from living donors can significantly reduce the wait. However, many patients do not have family members who meet the medical conditions necessary for donation. But due to the generosity of good Samaritan donors, Loyola’s living-donor program has substantially reduced wait times for such patients. A successful transplant triples the life expectancy of a kidney patient who had been on dialysis and dramatically improves the patient’s quality of life.

“Dialysis drains your strength and energy. You don’t feel like doing much,” says James Love, 34, of Westchester, Ill., who suffered kidney failure from sickle cell anemia. One of the Seven Sisters, Barbara Thomas, donated her kidney to Love on October 22, 2009.

“I thank God every day for the chance to go out and toss a ball with my son, or sit and talk with my daughter, and be able to do homework with them,” Love says. “That stuff is priceless, and she gave it all back to me.”

Thomas, of Brookfield, Ill., is an administrative secretary in Loyola’s Kidney Transplant Program. Love was her tenant at the time of the transplant.

The six other Loyola Sisters are:

• Cristina Lamb, a credentialing coordinator at Loyola, who donated to Robert Rylko, 22, of Rockford, Ill., on March 18, 2010. Lamb lives in Melrose Park, Ill.
• Dr. Susan Hou, medical director of Loyola’s Kidney Transplant Program, who donated to one of her patients, Hermelinda Gutierrez, in 2002. Hou lives in River Forest, Ill.
• Jodi Tamen, a dental hygienist at Loyola’s Oral Health Center, whose kidney was removed at Loyola and flown to California to a complete stranger, G. Murray Thomas, on April 8, 2010. Tamen lives in West Frankfort, Ill. Thomas is a poet and author of the soon-to-be published book, “My Kidney Just Arrived.”
• Dorothy Jambrosek, administrative director of the Graduate Medical Education Program at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, whose kidney was removed at Loyola and rushed to another Chicago-area hospital to a complete stranger, a Chicago-area man, on March 4, 2011. Jambrosek lives in Woodridge, Ill.
• Jane Thomas, a registered nurse in Loyola’s Lung Transplant Program, who donated to a complete stranger, Aaron Green, 38, of Bellwood, Ill., on Aug.12, 2010. Thomas lives in Villa Park, Ill.
• Cynthia Blakemore, manager of Loyola’s Clinical Laboratory Department, whose kidney was removed at Loyola and flown to a complete stranger in Cornell, N.Y., Memerto Asuncion, 47, on Sept. 2, 2010. Blakemore lives in Montgomery, Ill.

For the fourth straight year, the Loyola men’s basketball team was honored with a Public Recognition Award, joining Butler as the only League schools to be saluted. Loyola was one of only 40 men’s basketball programs to receive a Public Recognition Award for 2009-10.

Loyola’s men’s soccer, men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s indoor track, men’s outdoor track, women’s basketball, and women’s soccer programs were feted with Public Recognition Awards. The Ramblers were the only Horizon League team to receive a PRA in the sports of women’s soccer, men’s soccer, men’s cross country, men’s indoor track, and men’s outdoor track.

Through the APR, which provides an annual account of academic achievement, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention, and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 academic years.

The 909 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement represent 14 percent of the 6,385 eligible Division I teams. The list includes 525 women’s teams and 384 men’s or mixed squads. A total of 23 institutions, out of 335 Division I colleges and universities, placed at least one team on the top APR list. Top-performing teams this year posted APR scores ranging from 977 to a perfect 1,000, according to NCAA President Mark Emmert.

Adentro de Pilsen was created in November 2009, when the project received a $45,000 start-up grant from The Chicago Community Trust, the same organization that administered the most recent award. Loyola’s SOC and the Benito Juarez Community Academy partnered to create Adentro de Pilsen as a means for student journalists to gain experience as beat reporters.

Ralph Braseth, student media manager in the SOC, serves as Adentro de Pilsen‘s project administrator at Loyola.

“[Adentro de Pilsen] provides news and information for a community that is generally under served by traditional media,” Braseth says. He explained that although Pilsen is home to more than 750,000 residents, their perspectives are rarely included in Chicago news coverage.

Students in Braseth’s fall 2010 advanced reporting class wrote for the publication. However, Braseth says that the stories in Adentro de Pilsen are written predominantly by students at the Juarez High School.

The $10,000 grant from the Community News Matters program is funding a partnership between Adentro de Pilsen and Hoy, the city’s largest Hispanic newspaper, to produce in-depth pieces on primarily economic stories.

“In addition to publishing our special edition of Adentro de Pilsen for this series, those stories will also appear in a pull-out section of Hoy,” Braseth says. “This partnership promises to get our stories out to the largest audience we have ever had.”

Check out some older stories by visiting Adentro de Pilsen‘s web site.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Loyola University Chicago is bringing sustainable and locally grown food to Chicago’s 49th Ward with the debut of its Loyola Farmers Market on Monday, June 6. The market, which will be held at 6556 N. Sheridan Road, near the University’s Lake Shore Campus in the Rogers Park neighborhood, will become the second market in the 49th Ward.

Conceptualized and planned by students enrolled in the University’s Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) class, the market’s goal is to increase residents’ relationship with the environment by demonstrating first-hand where their food comes from and by promoting the benefits of access to locally grown food. Students also hope that residents will learn about the importance of supporting the local food economy, small family farms, and sustainable agriculture practices that continuously yield fertile lands.

The market will be managed by Gina Lettiere, coordinator of the University’s Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy (CUERP), and student assistants and volunteers.

“This is not just a great benefit for area residents, but also for our Loyola students, faculty, and staff members, as they will now have access to fresh, organic foods right on campus,” says Lettiere. “We’ve been planning this market for a couple of years now and we’re just really excited that it’s all finally come together in time for the summer. We expect it to be a wonderful gathering spot that will ultimately bring the Loyola and neighboring communities together.”

The Loyola Farmers Market will be held on Mondays, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., from June 6 to October 17, 2011. For more information on the market and how to get involved, please contact Gina Lettiere at glettie@luc.edu or 773.508.8255, or visit the Farmers Market website at www.luc.edu/farmersmarket.

Market Vendors scheduled to attend include:

The Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy (CUERP) is currently conducting a search for the University Sustainability Director position. This week, three candidates will visit Loyola to present their campus sustainability plans and the entire community is invited to attend. For those unable to attend in person, each presentation will also be accessible via video conference. Details are included below.

George Nassos
May 23 from 1:15 p.m to 2:45 p.m.
Corboy Law Center, Room 727
(LSC Video Conference Location: Granada Center, Room 290)

Melanie Napoleon Welch
May 24 from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Corboy Law Center, Room 727 
(LSC Video Conference Location: Granada Center, Room 290)

Gordie Bennett
May 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Klarchek Information Commons, Room 332
(WTC Video Conference Location: Corboy Law Center, Room 727)

If you have any questions, please contact me at dcrumri@luc.edu.

Sincerely,

David Crumrine, PhD
Acting Director, CUERP
Professor of Chemistry

Change Kwesele (BA ’11)
Kwesele, who recently graduated from Loyola with a BA in black world studies and international studies, will research the causes behind the high percentage of young women dropping out of secondary education in Zambia. Kwesele will specifically focus on an organization that succeeds in keeping young Zambian women in school, and examine the organization’s impact on the women’s attitudes and retention rates. Kwesele’s ultimate goal is to see young Zambian women complete school and become influential members of society.

Armaan Siddiqi (BA ’11)
Siddiqi will study in Morocco and analyze the involvement of Moroccan Muslim women in an Islamic social movement, specifically the Qadiri Boutchichi Sufi Order. More specifically, Siddiqi will examine the connection between the Sufi Order and the empowerment of female participants in modern society, ultimately hoping to discover whether or not the empowerment women receive from the order is the motivation behind joining. Siddiqi, who earned a BA in anthropology and international studies, plans to attend graduate school after completing her research.

Laurel Yohe (BS ’11)
Yohe will use the Fulbright Research grant to enhance her career goals in biogeographical research. Yohe will travel to Vietnam to evaluate changes in several bird species over time, and focus on areas in the country with the greatest conservation needs in hopes of expanding Vietnam’s biodiversity. With the grant, Yohe will be able to build ties with other scientists aiming to protect the world around us.

The Fulbright Scholars Program, funded primarily by the U.S. Department of State, is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity offered to scholars. For more information on the program, click here.

The award categories were Outstanding Teacher, Researcher of the Year, Dean’s Staff Service Award, and Dean’s Faculty Service Award.

The winner of the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award at the undergraduate level was John Janiga, JD, professor in the Department of Accounting and Business Law. The Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award at the graduate level was given to Fred Kaefer, PhD, associate professor in the GSB.

The co-recipients of the Researcher of the Year Award were Vefa Tarhan, PhD, professor in the Department of Finance, and Arup Varma, PhD, professor in the Department of Human Resources and Employment Relations. The award winners were selected based on their contributions to research within the past five years as reported in the most recent Faculty Research Inventory.

The co-recipients of the Dean’s Staff Service Award were Susan Phillips, administrative assistant in the Department of Finance and Economics, and Mark Law, academic advisor in the GSB. This is a new award intended to acknowledge the superior service of full-time staff members.

The co-recipients of the Dean’s Faculty Service Award were Brian Stanko, PhD, professor in the Department of Accounting and Business Law, and Michael Welch, JD, instructor in the Department of Management. This is a new award given to full-time faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional service to the SBA for three years or more.

The award recipients were nominated by their fellow colleagues and selected based on the recommendations of committees designated to each award.

Please join us in congratulating these individuals for their contributions to the SBA and the University.

Pictured: Members of BrandU, winner of the Concept Innovation and Team Spirit Award

The recent Loyola University Chicago Business Plan Competition, held on April 29, gave entrepreneurial students an opportunity to present their innovative ideas to a panel of Chicago business leaders. Nine teams developed four-minute business presentations, and three teams took home the top prizes.

The first-place plan was UniverCity, a web portal for incoming college students that utilizes a behavior profile algorithm for roommate matching compatibility, and also provides new students with links to various campus and local business services, allowing for a positive transition to college life. UniverCity was created by Garrett Jackowiec, Margaret Keen, Cara McCarty, and Elizabeth Wolff, who were granted $1,500 to further develop their idea.

The second-place plan was “DAFFLE: Diaetic Application for Furthering Life Expectancy,” a downloadable smart phone application that communicates with a diabetic’s glucose insulin pump to monitor and dose insulin levels in real time. Brian Bowden and James Fleischmann, DAFFLE’s creators, received a $1,000 prize to advance their business endeavors.

The third-place winner was Caravan Skateboard, a small business created by Adam Facciolla and Cesar Vargas that sells custom-designed skateboards made from bamboo material, which subsequently helps reduce the use of maple wood and contributes to the effort to protect natural resources. The team received $500 to continue their entrepreneurial success.

The Concept Innovation and Team Spirit award, created in recognition of professor Mike Welch for his devoted support of the undergraduate entrepreneurship program, was awarded to BrandU, a program that serves as an online resume that allows  its consumers to create a user-specific webpage. BrandU’s team members were Kyle Gilligan, Brianna Falls, Kevin Smith, Matt Woodruff, and Amir Yousuf.

The competition was sponsored by Loyola’s School of Business Administration, the Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Program Office, and the Loyola Chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization. More than 60 business-team participants and invited guests attended the event. Judges of the business plan presentations included senior serial entrepreneurs, business-equity advisors, and business managers.

New members gather for a photo with Father Garanzini (far left) and VP of Student Development Rob Kelly, PhD, (far right) at the recent Maroon & Gold Dinner on May 9.

Twenty-three students were recently inducted into Loyola’s Maroon & Gold Society, a new organization on campus that recognizes rising seniors who have shown a commitment to leadership, academic excellence, and community service. During the Maroon & Gold Dinner on May 9, each inductee was given a commemorative plate and blanket and was acknowledged in front of Loyola President Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., Provost John Pelissero, and other special guests from the University.

Members of the Maroon & Gold Society were nominated by faculty, staff, and fellow classmates, and then awarded membership based upon individual achievements demonstrating dedication to the five pillars of the organization: academic excellence, service, diversity, the Loyola community, and student philanthropy. Father Garanzini and Dr. Robert Kelly, vice president of student development, selected the final members, in consultation with Shannon Howes, director of student leadership development, Nicole Meehan, director of alumni relations, and Jon Heintzelman, vice president for advancement.

The society acts as a liaison between the student body and other University administrators, including Father Garanzini. Members coordinate and work on strategic projects related to the organization’s values, and they also serve as mentors for younger students.

“The Maroon & Gold Society will provide its members with an enriched final year at Loyola and a platform in which they will have the opportunity to contribute more fully to the University community,” says Jack McLean, the assistant vice president of student development.” Also, by participating in this society, the students will develop a deeper sense of purpose that will better prepare them for their transition as leaders beyond Loyola.”

Members of the Maroon & Gold Society are:

• Michelle Amiott
• Lauren Arceneaux
• Annemarie Barrett
• Jenai Booker
• Michael Bunting
• Julia Catania
• Nicole Cotto
• Rajelin Escondo
• Lindsy Fagerstrom
• Christine M. Flynn
• Wendolyn Gomez
• Russell Gonzalez
• Walt Gibler
• Michael Levasseur
• Tim McMahon
• Jack Nguyen
• Pedro Portillo
• David Ridder
• Stephanie Romeo
• Rameya Shanmugavelayutham
• Kelly Silay
• Christina Smith
• Brandon Thies

These students were previously recognized at a ceremony during the University’s first annual Weekend of Excellence in April, where each member received the Maroon & Gold Society membership pin.

Congratulations to these exceptional students who represent Ignatian leadership at the University and in the community.

Pictured: Mock Trial Team A

The Loyola University Chicago mock trial team recently wrapped up its best season in the program’s nine-year history. The team placed sixth in the Belin Division of the America Mock Trial National Championship and 11th overall, finishing with a 5-3 record in rounds against Notre Dame, Bellarmine, Harvard, and the University of Chicago.

The mock trial season began in August, when the team received a 150-page long case from the American Mock Trial Association, complete with evidence, witnesses, and affidavits, that was to be tried at each competition throughout the year. The fall semester was spent attending invitational tournaments at universities throughout the midwest. The team began the spring semester with their annual “boot camp,” where team members returned to school a few days before classes start in ordered to maximize preparation for the spring invitational season.

Loyola’s mock trial has about 20 members, who are divided among three teams: A team, B team, and C team. The A and B teams competed in the Joliet regional championship in February, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Both teams advanced to the AMTA Opening Round of National Competition, where a finish in the top six was required to continue on. The A-team finished in third, while the B team finished in eighth, just missing a bid to the national championship. Due to their excellent performance at the national championship, Loyola’s mock trial A team is now ranked 13th of more than 600 teams that compete nationally in AMTA competitions.

Individual team members also brought home awards. Junior captain Alyssa Pronley won an All-American Attorney Award, becoming Loyola’s fourth AMTA All-American.

During the school year, team members spent an average of 20 hours per week practicing, with official practices occurring twice during the week and all day each Sunday. Students also met up in individual groups on their own time.

Devon Holstad, a graduating senior and a captain on the A team, has been a member of mock trial since his freshman year.

“It was really great seeing everyone else work so hard over the year, and then make it worth something at the end, at the championship,” Holstad says.

Michael Walsh, professor of political science at Loyola and the mock trial team’s coach, says the team’s high rankings are a result of their  work ethic, drive, and intelligence.

“I could not be more proud of how hard our students work and of the sacrifices they make to succeed,” Walsh says. “Working with them has been the highlight of my time at Loyola, and it is truly a privilege to be associated with these teams.”

This year’s team has just three graduating seniors: Phil Bredeson, Devon Holstad, and Christine Murphy.

More information about the Loyola mock trial team can be found here.

Aerial view of the student fair and carnival, 1955

In October of last year, Loyola’s archives received an unexpected gift. Alumna Mary Ellen Smajo, PhD, DABR (BS ‘85), donated a collection of photographs taken by her father, Joe Smajo, who served as the photographer for the Loyola News and Cadence as a student during the 1950s.

“This collection really fills in a gap in our existing University photograph collection for images from the 1950s, particularly images of student events,” says Kathy Young, University archivist. The Smajo collection contains about 900 prints, negatives, and transparencies focusing on student activities, athletics, the Lake Shore Campus and buildings, and Loyola events. Here is a small sampling of the collection, offering a look at what life was like at Loyola during the mid-1950s.

Friendly competition: Freshman students pose with an effigy of a sophomore for the 1953 pushball battle.

A dashing Superman and his somewhat wary companion make a pictureperfect pair at a costume party.

Students setting up a tent for the second annual student fair, held in 1955

“Gene has done an outstanding job and has served Loyola well in a number of responsible financial capacities at the University,” says Bill Laird.  “He will be extremely missed, both as a colleague and a friend.”

Due to Gene’s retirement, a number of organization changes has occurred in the financial services area, including:

• Andrea Sabitsana (left) has been promoted to Associate Vice President and Controller
• Donna Quirk (right) will be promoted to Associate Vice President, Financial Administration and Compliance
• Brian Slavinskas has been promoted to Assistant Controller and Director, Disbursement Services
• Under Sam Perry’s leadership, Purchasing will report to Donna Quirk.

If you have any questions, please call Sherilynn Allen from the Division of Financial Services at extension 5.7797.

Live Video Streaming of Commencement Ceremonies
Each of the University’s 2011 Commencement ceremonies will be available via a real-time online video feed from the Joseph J. Gentile Arena and the Mundelein Theatre.

This is a great opportunity for family and friends who were unable to travel to Chicago, could not attend for health reasons, or simply could not get tickets, to see their student graduate with his or her classmates.

To access the streaming feature, please visit LUC.edu/commencement.

Commencement Parking
For those traveling to the Lake Shore Campus on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, please plan ahead. Parking is free, but extremely limited, for guests of the Commencement ceremonies (parking restrictions are in effect for faculty and staff from May12-14; click here for details). Also, due to general city traffic and limited resources, please expect lengthy delays when arriving and departing campus. Loyola’s Department of Campus Safety works closely with the Chicago Police Department to manage traffic during Commencement weekend. Please adhere to all instructions given by these officers as they strive to ensure the safety of all our graduates and their families.

Parking passes are issued to students for their guests attending the College of Arts & Sciences ceremonies (May 13) and the School of Business Administration ceremony (May 14). Each graduate receives ONE parking pass for the Main Parking Structure on the Lake Shore Campus. This pass will only admit ONE vehicle to the structure. Vehicles without parking passes WILL NOT be allowed access to the parking structure. Additional free parking is located in the Fordham Garage, but this lot will fill up quickly.

Graduates and their guests are strongly encouraged to utilize public transportation for access to the Lake Shore Campus if possible. The Loyola Red Line stop, as well as the #151 and #147 buses, can drop you off within a few steps of campus.

For more information about Commencement, including a full schedule of ceremonies, click here.

Carajohn grew up in Seneca, Illinois, a rural hamlet of 2,100. Now that she’s in Chicago, people still know her name. Carajohn is getting attention at Loyola as a two-sport athlete: she competes on Loyola’s track and field and women’s volleyball teams. In an era of specialization, year-round training, and an increased emphasis on academic performance, the multi-sport college athlete is becoming an endangered species.

A sophomore biology major, Carajohn received a scholarship to be on the track and field team. She came to Loyola to compete in the long jump, triple jump, and hurdles events, and, because of her leaping ability, she thought she might do well in volleyball.

She walked on and made the team as a middle blocker.

The track and field coaches decided to take advantage of Carajohn’s athletic ability by having her compete in the pentathlon and heptathlon combined events. So, in addition to the jumps and hurdles, she added shot put, javelin, and running events. In early meets in the track and field team’s indoor season, Carajohn finished in the top four.

While balancing two sports and academics is challenging, Carajohn says she likes the variety.

“In volleyball, I love the teamwork, I love working out  and hanging out with the girls. In track and field, it’s more solitary and working alone, challenging yourself and striving for individual accomplishments,” Carajohn says. “I have the best of both worlds.”

She’s also grown comfortable with Chicago. “I love the activity and noise,” she says. “It’s a lot different from home.” Regardless of the change of scenery, Carajohn seems to be fitting in just fine.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Spring 2011).

Marge Nykaza (MPS '00) conducts a choir she formed through her nonprofit outreach organization, Harmony, Hope & Healing.

When Marge Nykaza (MPS ’00) was completing her master’s in pastoral studies 11 years ago, a class offered her the opportunity to work at a recovery shelter for homeless women, children, and pregnant teens of Chicago. The assignment at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope would change her life.

Nykaza, a professional singer and pastoral musician, was asked to develop a music program at House of Hope, and the experience showed her the power music has to heal and transform lives. She started to realize that she could use her musical gifts as a way to help those in need. While volunteering at House of Hope, she began seeking funding to develop similar therapeutic music programs for the city’s most vulnerable residents.

Nykaza’s efforts spread to shelters and community outreach programs throughout the city. In 2003, she formed Harmony, Hope & Healing, a nonprofit organization. The nonprofit reaches out to those dealing with the devastating effects of poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and the isolation of aging. It offers music lessons, musical English lessons for non-native speakers, parent/child music classes, site concerts or performances at each program’s conclusion, and other musical opportunities.

Nykaza, who currently is pursuing a Doctorate of Sacred Music at Graduate Theological Foundation, says she is inspired by the growth of Harmony, Hope & Healing and by seeing the difference that music can make for those who are trying to turn their lives around.

Play on, play on
Harmony, Hope & Healing’s programs are in shelters and organizations such as Higgins House in the West Loop and Maria Shelter and Vincennes Senior Center in Englewood.

The HHH Choir, made up of participants from the organization’s programs, performs throughout Chicago and elsewhere in the Midwest and has recorded three CDs.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Spring 2011).

Shuttle Service:

• Through Friday, May 6, shuttle service will run on the usual schedule with buses departing approximately every 20 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night
• On Saturday, May 7, the shuttle will run from 7 a.m. (WTC) and 7:30 a.m. (LSC) until 5 p.m. on both campuses, with buses departing approximately every 30 minutes
• There will be no service on Sunday, May 8
• On Monday, May 9, the shuttle will run on the usual schedule, with buses departing approximately every 20 minutes during the day andevery 30 minutes at night
• On Tuesday, May 10, the shuttle will run from 7 a.m. (WTC) and 7:30 a.m. (LSC) until 2 p.m. on both campuses, with buses departing approximately every 20 minutes; Tuesday is the last day of service for the inter campus shuttle for the 2010-11 academic year and there is no service during the summer term
• From Wednesday, May 11 to Friday, May 13, there will be a 9:05 p.m. shuttle available to go from the WTC to the Metra

8-RIDE:
The last night of 8-RIDE service before the summer break will be Monday, May 9, with the last call being taken at 2:15 a.m. There will be NO 8-RIDE service during the summer term.

If you have any questions, please contact Eniko Racz, in parking services, at 8.3184 or visit LUC.edu/transportation.

Dr. Felkins (second from left) with some of the women she works with as part of her educational and charity outreach programming in Kenya.

Last fall, the School of Communication’s Patricia Kay Felkins, PhD, traveled to East Africa to study public health campaigns and the narratives and social construction of HIV/AIDS in Kenya. As a result of her research, Dr. Felkins is now working with a group of young professional artists in Kenya that includes musicians, poets, actors, and singers to develop a grassroots youth-to-youth HIV/AIDS education program. The proposal was submitted to the Kenya National AIDS Control Council and is scheduled to kick off this June when Dr. Felkins returns to Kenya.

As part of the program, the young artistic team will work directly with secondary-school students who live in rural areas of Kenya to develop communication materials and presentations on HIV/AIDS education for youth-to-youth programs. The creative process should provide educators with a better understanding of how to communicate with young people about HIV/AIDS, help them plan more strategically, and take a step toward ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The program will also develop the students’ media and communication skills.

“While the nonprofit factor is changing with more social entrepreneurship and creative coalitions around diverse needs, the concept of working together for a common good, such as HIV/AIDS prevention, must remain a central value,” says Dr. Felkins. “We are all in this world together. Our research must also move into the world and make our world better.”

The Lake Shore Campus breakfast will be held today, Tuesday, May 3, from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. in Gentile Arena, and the Water Tower Campus breakfast will be held on Wednesday, May 4, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., in the Terry Student Center.

Students, make sure to bring your Loyola ID for the free breakfast.

Local and national artists working in a variety of media, such as painting, photography, jewelry, fiber, sculpture, mixed media, and ceramics, will be featured. Highlighted artists include local artist Michel Ditlove, an oil painter from McHenry, Illinois; Roxanna Santoro, a jeweler from Indiana; Jennifer Cavan, a pastel artist from New Mexico; and Barbara Barkley, a fiber artist who crafts her own paper from fibrous plants using an ancient process.

In addition, attendees can enjoy live entertainment as four bands play throughout the weekend. Saturday features Bruce and Julie Hecksal of the band Patchouli, a classically trained duo that blends elements of folk, pop, flamenco, and jazz with world beat rhythms. Sunday features musical talents such as Donna Herula and Tony Nardiello, a mix of acoustic blues, country, folk, pop, and standards, and more! For a full list of musical performances and their times, see below.

Performance Schedule:

Saturday
• Patchouli: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday
• Donna Herula & Tony Nardiello: 10 a.m.-Noon
• Mick Ducker Duo: 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Ted Wulfers Band: 3 p.m.-5 p.m.

“I always look forward to putting together the Cuneo Art Fest as it brings such a wide array of art and culture to the Cuneo estate and to the local community,” said Debbie Netter, event planner and lead coordinator of the festival of D&W Events Inc. “This Art Fest is for everyone—young adults, teenagers, children, families, art enthusiasts, music enthusiasts, and more! What better way to start the summer than walking around on a beautiful 100-acre estate, enjoying food, music, and art?”

At the event, Bauer Catering will serve fresh food including wraps, hamburgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, wine, and beer. Festival admission is free. There will be a parking fee, $5 per car. Tours of the historic mansion are $10 for adults and $9 for seniors and students.  Please, no dogs allowed.

This event was organized by D&W Events Inc. For more information on the event and D&W Events Inc., visit www.dwevents.org or call 847-726-8669.

A Loyola student recycles using the University's solar compactor located on Lake Shore Campus.

Loyola University Chicago was recently featured in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition. The edition was published in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and focused on colleges that have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability.

The publication highlighted Loyola’s Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy (CUERP) as the center of the University’s sustainability initiatives, as well as other initiatives such as CUERP’s Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) curriculum, scholarship programs launched specified to sustainability research, the LEED Silver certification of the Information Commons, and Loyola’s overall dedication to conservation through various campus-related initiatives, and more!

For the entire Loyola article, and to download the full version of The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition, visit www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.aspx.

The performance will begin at 2 p.m. in the Mullady Theater, in the Centennial Forum Student Union. Comprised of 15 different dances, the show is meant to highlight the individual dance talents of this 32-member company. What’s even more special about TDC is the fact that each piece is student-choreographed.

“Our choreography grows stronger and more eclectic every year. The creativity among our student choreographers breathes new and exciting life into every performance,” says Michelle Chorski, the president of TDC.

This year, don’t expect anything less. According to Chorski, the choreographers have demonstrated an incredible balance between “technique and showmanship.”

“I would describe our show as eclectic. We have such a wide variety of dance styles incorporated within the pieces,” explains Chorski. Ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, tap, Irish dancing, and lyrical are some of the dance genres featured in the showcase, and many of these styles are blended into unique creations.

And just like the wide range of dance styles that this show will feature, TDC is also comprised of an extremely diverse group of dancers. Some of the dancers have been studying the art since they could walk and others only began to learn the technicalities of dance since enrolling in the program. But they all have one thing in common… their passion.

“Our members are committed to growing as dancers… this shows what a talented group we have at Loyola and how extremely important dance is to the Loyola community,” asserts Chorski.

In an effort to selflessly share their art, TDC is hosting the performance free of charge and invites everyone to come and see their style, flair, and love for dance. To learn more about TDC, and more upcoming events and performances, visit their website.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to see the hard work, dedication, and creativity these talented dancers exude,” says Chorski. “No matter what, TDC puts on a fantastic show that you don’t want to miss!”

Dr. Arthur Lurigio (pictured above) organized this one-of-a-kind panel discussion on the Outfit, Chicago’s longstanding criminal organization.

This evening, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Loyola University Chicago’s Center for the Advancement of Research Training and Education (CARTE) and Department of Criminal Justice will host a series of panel discussions led by principal authorities and experts in the field of organized crime to discuss the story of the Outfit, Chicago’s longstanding criminal organization. The event will be in the Galvin Auditorium, located on the first floor of the Sullivan Center, on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus.

The Outfit surfaced on the streets of Chicago in the 1890s. As a modest enterprise that consisted mainly of prostitution and gambling, the criminal organization rose to become a political and economic powerhouse that ran local, regional, and national labor unions. Today, the Outfit still remains a formidable criminal organization in the city of Chicago. Panel members will examine the longstanding history and story of the Outfit from a variety of perspectives and disciplines.

“This panel represents the first time that local experts on the Outfit have been on the same rostrum for the purpose of examining organized crime from a political, historical, sociological, and law enforcement perspective,” according to panel organizer and chairperson Dr. Arthurt J. Lurigio. “Such an interdisciplinary approach provides a broad and informed view of the origins and adverse effects of organized crime on the city, which have been extensive and profound. The discussion will confront many myths about organized crime and peel away the layers of mystery and mythology that have surrounded the mob for the past century. Hence, the discussion will be instructive and interesting to students and members of the general public alike.”

Panel members and their discussion topics include:

• “A Few Truths about Wise Guys and the Outfit” – Arthur J. Lurigio, PhD, professor, faculty scholar, associate dean of College of Arts and Science at Loyola, associate dean for faculty at Loyola, and author of A Century of Domination: The History of the Chicago Outfit

• “Explaining Organized Crime: The Social Structural Paradigm” – Robert M. Lombardo, PhD, assistant professor of criminal justice at Loyola and author of The Black Hand: Terror by Letter in Chicago

• “Organized Crime as Social Practice: The ‘Boys’ of Chicago Heights” – Louis Corsino, PhD, professor of sociology and chairperson of human thought and behavior at North Central College

• “From Acorns to Oak Trees: The Chicago Mob in Infancy” – Arthur J. Bilek, MSW, executive vice president of the Chicago Crime Commission, instructor of criminal justice at Loyola, and author of The First Vice Lord, Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levy and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

• “Gangland Killings in Chicago, 1919-1933” – John Binder, PhD, associate professor of finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of The Outfit

• “Investigating Mob Murders in Chicago: A Local Perspective” - Wayne Johnson, EdD, associate professor, program coordinator at Harper College, and co-author of New Faces of Organized Crime

• “Bringing Down the Outfit: The FBI’s Investigation of Organized Crime in Chicago” - Ross Rice, special agent and public affairs director of the Chicago FBI

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Dr. Lurigio at alurigi@luc.edu.

Sister Virginia Jung, OSB, (right) with Sister Patty Fillenwarth, director of Providence Family Services.

By: Amy Miranda

It could perhaps be said that the pairing of Loyola counseling student Sister Virginia Jung, OSB, at Providence Family Services (PFS) in Chicago seems a match made in heaven.

Sister Virginia is a Benedictine Sister from St. Scholastica Monastery in Chicago. She taught Spanish for 20 years and has since worked with homeless populations and women fighting substance abuse. Now she is a student in the master’s of arts in pastoral counseling (MAPC) program at Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies.

As an intern counselor at Providence Family Services, Sister Virginia brings not only a fluency in Spanish that allows her to serve the largely Spanish-speaking and often struggling population at Providence Family Services, but she also brings with her a deep spirituality and a desire to serve.

Providence Family Services was established in 1993 in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago to fill a void by making available affordable bilingual counseling services to area residents. The ministry of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., and program of Guerin Outreach Ministries has continued to grow and expand since.

Sister Virginia, who is serving 15 hours a week for 40 weeks at Providence Family Services, began there this past August. She is grateful for the experience.

“The center is rooted in the neighborhood and has grown to fulfill people’s needs even beyond counseling — like English-language classes (with child care), safe after-school space [with homework help], and citizenship classes. I appreciate that attention to the whole person,” Sister Virginia says.

As part of her internship, Sister Virginia works counseling clients in one-on-one therapy. She then meets for one hour a week with PFS Director Sister of Providence Patty Fillenwarth who serves as her counseling supervisor. Sister Virginia shares what is going on in her therapy sessions, and Sister Patty offers insights or suggestions into where the therapy could proceed.

“Working with Sister Patty is phenomenal. I feel I benefit from the same enthusiasm, compassion, energy, experience, and wisdom that she brings to her clients and community,” Sister Virginia says.

Sister Patty has taken on the role of counseling supervisor for students in Loyola’s pastoral program many times over the past 10 years. She sees Sister Virginia’s presence at Providence Family Services as mutually beneficial.

“Sister Virginia is realistic, attentive to the needs of her counselees, and keeps me on my toes. She brings an excitement to her work and is good at it,” Sister Patty says. “It is good for active counselors, such as me, to be stimulated by enthusiastic students.”

Sister Patty says students in Loyola’s Pastoral counseling program are a good fit for Providence Family Services, because the program sees counseling as a ministry and the interns come with a desire to serve.

Diane Maloney, director of field education for the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola, explains further.

“The current MAPC program began in 1986. Those who designed the program specifically intended to train counselors to serve those who would not have access to costly therapy. It was specifically intended to prepare counselors to serve the underserved communities in Chicago. It is unique in that it provides all the courses required for licensure as a professional counselor in the State of Illinois, but also asks students to draw from the resources of their faith tradition as they seek to assist others,” Maloney says.

It seems that needy residents throughout Chicago are those who benefit most from both Loyola’s MAPC program and the free and reduced-fee services offered at Providence Family Services.

And if the pairing of the two entities is not a match made in heaven, it is at the very least doing much good here on earth.

For more information on Providence Family Services, call 773.235.8264 or visit www.GuerinOutreachMinistries.org. For more information on the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola, click here or call 312.915.7400.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. Before and after, guests may purchase bake sale items or make any donations. Those who donate $10 or more will receive a copy of the book Children’s Rights are Human Rights. Those who donate $25 or more will receive a purse made by a poor family of craftspeople as a fundraiser to keep their children in school.

A slideshow/documentary produced by James Garbarino, a professor of psychology at Loyola, and Claire Bedard will premiere at the event. It is called Cecilia’s World: Bringing Light to the Darkness in El Salvador and exposes the dire lives of the children in El Salvador and the efforts of the Solidarity in Education Program to aid the children in one poor community and its educational facility, Lidia Coggiola School.

“[The film] puts the life of one little girl – five-year-old Cecilia – in the context of the history of El Salvador as a country steeped in trauma, poverty, and social injustice. Her mother is poor and illiterate and her father is a gang member,” explains Garbarino.

There will also be a puppet show presentation by the First Year Learning Community in Fine Arts and Social Justice Puppetry Class. This presentation was created to be donated to the children at Lidia Coggiola School.

“[This event] resonates with the core Loyola and Jesuit mission of education for the poor and disenfranchised and a concern for social justice,” says Garbarino.

“The special legacy of the Jesuits in particular and the Catholic church in general in El Salvador makes it particularly relevant to our concerns,” says Garbarino, referencing the assassination of Jesuits who spoke up for the poor and supported Liberation Theology.

By attending the event and showing your support, Garbarino feels that people can “gain an appreciation of their opportunity to do something positive for the next generation of children in El Salvador.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to not only enjoy delicious baked goods and experience an entertaining puppet show, but to also learn how you can help the children of the world. An Evening of Solidarity will be located in Galvin Auditorium in the Sullivan Center.

It is a free event and the entire Loyola community is welcome to attend.

Pictured: Kyle Exline

Kyle Exline and Erik Hoops of Loyola University Chicago are two of the 303 total student-athletes that have been selected to participate in the 2011 NCAA Career in Sports Forum, June 12-15, in Indianapolis. The NCAA Career in Sports Forum is a four-day event through which selected student-athletes explore and become educated on careers in sports, many with a primary focus on intercollegiate athletics.

Exline is a senior setter on the Rambler men’s volleyball team and so far this season has accumulated 133 assists, 27 digs and 18 service aces for the Ramblers, who are ranked No. 12 in the nation.

Pictured: Erik Hoops

Hoops, a junior on the Loyola men’s golf squad, ranks third on the team with a 76.8 stroke average through 23 rounds of action. He has recorded three top-ten finishes in 2010-11, including a tie for second place at the Butler Spring Invitational in March.

The forum features 10 sport-specific coaching tracks and one administration track. The coaching track includes the following sports: cross country/track and field, basketball, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. The administrator track will cover the internal and external operations of an intercollegiate athletics department, which includes academics, communications, compliance, development, event management, and marketing.

Participants in the forum will examine the functions of a coach or administrator within sports. Foundational skills such as communication, networking, recruiting, managing culture, transitioning, and budgeting will be addressed.

For more information on the forum, click here.

Pictured (left to right): Jeff Roberts, Anne Reilly, Niyati Mehta, Birger Buesching, and Stephanie Szoko

A group of students from the Graduate School of Business has recognized the University’s efforts to lesson its environmental footprint and, in order to improve upon this mission even further, focused their research project on recycling. Recently recognized at the 47th annual North American Management Society/MBAA International Conference in Chicago on March 23, their presentation is entitled “Recycling Initiatives at Two Urban Universities” and thoroughly examines the struggles of our University and makes recommendations for improvement.

The graduate students involved in this project include Birger Buesching, Niyati Mehta, Jeff Roberts, and Stephanie Szoko. Zdenek Vrbka, a student of a Czech exchange program from Masaryk University, was also involved in the plan. They were enrolled in the Fall 2010 Organizational Change and Development course, taught by Assistant Provost and Director of Faculty Administration Anne H. Reilly, PhD.

“I [designed] the group project assignment so that students had to choose as their example of an organizational change some kind of sustainability initiative at an organization,” explains Reilly. “This particular group chose to focus on one of the many sustainability initiatives at Loyola.”

Because several of the members of this particular group were international students, they chose to create a comparison between Loyola’s efforts and the efforts of Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. Vrbka, one of the students, actually hails from this University, which allowed the group greater access to information about this particular institution.

The students worked diligently to collect data from a wide range of sources, including university records and publications, observations, surveys, and interviews with faculty and administrators. When analyzing the data, these students examined the proposed objectives of the recycling initiatives at both universities, responses of key stakeholders, progress achieved to date, and recommendations for improvement. Lastly, the results were considered in the context of the overall strategy for sustainability of each university.

“I think one of the biggest lessons that these students learned was, at Masaryk, a lot of the initiatives were coming bottom-up, driven by students, whereas a lot of what we’re doing at Loyola is being mandated by upper administration,” says Reilly.

These students became involved in the North American Management Society/MBAA International Conference by the prompting of their teacher. “The students did such a good job on their project and their conclusions were so interesting and they had been so careful with their data collection that I thought we could get it into an academic conference, and that’s indeed what happened,” Reilly says.

If you would like more information on this student project or the Organizational Change and Development course, e-mail Anne Reilly at areilly@luc.edu.

Shuttle Service:
On Thursday, April 21 the last shuttle bus will leave at 9 p.m. and there will be no shuttle service until 2 p.m. on Monday, April 25, when normal operating hours are resumed. Please note however that a separate 9:05 p.m. shuttle will run on Thursday night from the Water Tower Campus to the Metra stations.

8-RIDE:
There will be no 8-RIDE service on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. 8-RIDE will resume normal operating hours on Sunday, April 24.

If you have any questions, please contact Eniko Racz, in parking services, at 8.3184 or visit LUC.edu/transportation.

“This could be our biggest year yet. This is a really great time for Loyola athletics and we’ve seen a lot of growth in the program. It’s an exciting time to be a Loyola fan,” says Brian Sisson, the ticket manager for Loyola athletics who also worked to put together this event.

This yearly golf outing will again be held at the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, Illinois.

Not only will the crowd be able to enjoy some healthy competition and hopefully beautiful weather, but the Rambler Golf Outing is also the perfect opportunity to meet the new athletic director, Grace Calhoun, along with new men’s basketball coach Porter Moser. Both will be mingling with guests and personally getting to know the community.

“[The Rambler Golf Outing] is nice because it brings everyone together. It’s a good way to bring alumni, season ticket holders, faculty, staff, sponsors, and people in the community together for a good cause,” says Sisson.

Foursomes will play on one of four courses. Depending on the course, prices range from $150 per golfer or $600 for a foursome to $250/golfer or $1,000 for a foursome. These fees include a cart, lunch, and dinner. For those guests who will not be golfing, the dinner-only price is $50 and tee sponsorships are $200.

Cocktails on the patio will begin after 4 p.m. and dinner starts at 6 p.m. At the end of the night, there will also be an awards presentation and you especially won’t want to miss the silent auction and raffle.

“Everyone who golfs will get a raffle ticket and we get a bunch of fantastic donations, so many that everyone goes home with at least something. That’s the best part,” says Sisson.

To receive more information on how you can register for the 26th Annual Rambler Golf Outing, or if you would like to get involved by becoming a sponsor, e-mail Brian Sisson at bsisson@luc.edu or visit LUC.edu/athletics.

“Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual golfer at heart, this golf outing is just a great cause to provide for opportunities for Loyola athletes,” says Sisson.

As of April 6, 2011, both the business and accounting programs of the School of Business Administration officially received maintenance of their accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International Board of Directors, keeping their prestige intact.

“Personally, I think [maintaining accreditation] is really a milestone for the School of Business. Employers are now familiar with accreditation, so they focus on getting students from accredited schools,” says Dean Abol Jalilvand. “Students from accredited schools have much better job opportunities than others.”

According to Jalilvand, accreditation is not something that is easy to obtain. “Of 12,000 plus business schools in the world, only 1,200 of them are accredited. That’s 10 percent,” he explains. Regarding the re-accreditation of the accounting program, few universities and colleges around the country actually possess a curriculum that measures up to AACSB’s expectations. However, Loyola’s program most definitely encompasses every quality they look for.

“Our accounting program by and large has one of the largest majors… When you have an accounting program like that and you can show that you have enough faculty, then [you should absolutely] start applying for accreditation… it’s a seal of quality,” says Jalilvand.

And not only has Loyola managed to maintain their accreditation for another term, but it did so with flying colors. “Our result was very positive. There was not a single area that [AACSB] wanted us to do differently and we got many commendations,” Jalilvand explains.

Prior to this re-accreditation procedure, schools had to reapply for this recognition every ten years. After this most recent process, schools will have to reapply every five years. If you would like more information on Loyola’s School of Business Administration, click here. Also, to learn more about AACSB International accreditation process, click here.

“As far as the students are concerned, they are attending a program in which its quality and its relevance are externally certified. It shows what they’re learning is relevant [and] it shows that the degrees that they’re getting are more valuable,” believes Jalilvand.

Provost John Pelissero is inviting the Loyola community to meet with each of the three candidates for the position of dean of the School of Social Work at a series of upcoming town hall meetings. Below, please find a schedule of the meetings, as well as the name of each candidate and a link to his or her CV.

Darrell Wheeler, PhD, MPH, ACSW – Associate Dean for Research and Community Partnerships, Hunter College/CUNY
Monday, April 18 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Regents Hall, 16th Floor, Lewis Towers

Barry Ackerson, PhD, LCSW – Associate Dean and MSW Program Director, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tuesday, April 19 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Ceremonial Courtroom, 10th Floor, Corboy Law Center

Audrey Shillington, PhD, MSW, MPE – Associate Director, Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies, San Diego State University
Thursday, April 28 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Ceremonial Courtroom, 10th Floor, Corboy Law Center

If you have any questions regarding this invitation, please contact Anne Reilly at areilly@luc.edu.

Sincerely,

Anne H. Reilly, PhD
Assistant Provost and Director of Faculty Administration

“Our [student-athletes] are very competitive, so a lot of them like to have good GPA’s. I think that competitive spirit definitely adds something to it,” says Phyllis Williams, the academic program director for Loyola Athletics.

Candidates for this honor roll must meet three criteria in order to receive this honor. First, they must have participated in at least one of the League’s 19 sports during the most recent season, including the current season. Secondly, the student must have finished three semesters as a full-time student at the same member institution. Lastly, they must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale.

This Sunday, April 17, the Athletic Department will honor the juniors and seniors who have a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher during the 9th annual Athletic Academic Awards Ceremony. It will take place at 2 p.m. on the second floor of the Norville Center.

“[The student-athletes] invite a professor who has been significant to them in some way… if the professor is able to attend, they usually say a few words about the student,” explains Williams. The senior male and female athletes with the highest GPA are also respectively recognized.

While the academic accomplishments of these athletic students have always been deserving of acknowledgment, the academic department hopes that their educational successes will only increase as a result of the new academic facilities in the Norville Center.

“There’s more space, there’s more availability of computers… it’s got Wi-Fi so the students can have easier access on their computers. It’s certainly a nicer environment than the little cubbyhole we were in in Alumni Gym… and it’s right there. It’s a nice, big space next to where they’re competing and practicing,” says Williams.

And while the facilities at Loyola are definitely going to be one factor in continued academic success, Williams is sure to include the many concerned staff members who also work to serve the students’ educational needs.

“We have a caring faculty overall at Loyola that want to help students succeed,” says Williams.

If you would like the complete list of student-athletes who were honored as part of the 2010 Horizon League Fall Honor Role, please click here.

Sponsored by Loyola University Chicago, Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, and Rogers Park Business Alliance, this night of good eats will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

Registration begins at The Morgan at Loyola Station, where participants will receive their passport to enter all 23 restaurants that reside along North Sheridan Road, North Broadway, West Granville, and West Devon.

This year’s tasty lineup will include:

• Awash Ethiopian Restaurant
• Blue Elephant
• Carmen’s Pizza
• Chimney Cake Island
• Chipotle
• Ethiopian Diamond
• Gino’s North
• Habibi Restaurant
• m.henrietta
• Metropolis Coffee Company
• Pumping Company
• Red Mango
• Rice Thai
• Royal Ethiopian Coffee
• Rub BBQ Company
• Shabuka
• SP Kabob
• Starbucks
• Summer Noodle
• Sweet Attilas
• Thai Grill
• The New 400 Theatre
• Uncommon Ground

During this evening of delicious food, guests will also be welcomed to stop by The Flats at Loyola Station, Loyola’s first student-run business, to receive a tour of a unit and taste featured dishes from Ethiopian Diamond and Rub BBQ Company.

“[Taste of RogersEdge] is about bringing visibility to some of the great local establishments in our community while also encouraging people to try a new experience ” says Sangita Gosalia, the assistant director of community relations for Loyola’s Division of Public Affairs.

All proceeds for this event support the local chambers, Rogers Park Business Alliance and Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. These two organizations serve the mission to support the retention of businesses. Tickets for the Taste of RogersEdge are $25 in advance or $35 on the day of the event.

To buy your tickets online, click here. If you would like to learn more about the Taste of RogersEdge, e-mail questions or comments to communityrelations@luc.edu or call 773.508.7450.

“We welcome everyone, even people who don’t live on the north side of Chicago, to come out and enjoy a cultural experience” says Gosalia.

Junior Natalie Niskanen is a psychology major at Loyola with a minor in the psychology of crime and justice. Her dream is to someday be able to help children who have suffered from abuse or neglect. Niskanen has taken organ lessons for two years at Loyola and can be seen on campus in Madonna della Strada playing the organ for Mass. She also has a passion for learning other languages and has dabbled in Italian, French, and Russian and has been studying Spanish literature.

Why did you choose your major and your minor?
I chose my major [because of] my cousin’s experience, abuse at the hands of her father, and that was something very close to home so that kind of inspired me to learn more about the field of psychology. And so that’s really my goal… I’m very interested in child psychology and how you can help children who have been abused or neglected and help them to have healthy development.

What’s the most fulfilling thing about working with children?
I love having a relationship with them and having fun and watching them grow. And I work with autistic children and it’s just really great to see their progress and how I’ve helped affect their lives. I’m so satisfied that they’re happy. I love kids. I want to work with children whenever I can.

How did you get started playing the organ at Loyola?
I took piano lessons when I was younger for 12 years and actually my dad was really interested in organ music. When we were kids he used to play organ music in our house. And I play for church services at home and I thought, hey, I should take advantage of it and it would be a really fun and interesting thing to do.

Do you have any advice or wisdom to share with other students to encourage them to find a way to serve their community?
I would say that they should just find something that they’re passionate about. Loyola has all kinds of opportunities and all kinds of missions. They have all kinds of different ways that you can help people. And you should take advantage of all those opportunities and you just need to get out there.

Do you have anything you consider to be your most rewarding experience as an undergraduate?
I think one of the greatest things I’ve been able to do—that is kind of an accumulation of all the things I’ve been involved with—was I took a graduate seminar focusing on infant cognition. That was a coming together of all my previous hard work. It brought together all of my interests and created this really great opportunity and experience.

Where do you see yourself in the future?
I have to see what’s out there for me, but I definitely want to work with children. I’m thinking about one possibility. My minor is in the psychology of criminal justice, so [I’d like to] help represent children in court or be a psychopathologist. I’ll definitely be going to graduate school after working in the field for a few years, so that’s in my future.

Timothy Grivois (MEd '05) hopes to create a charter school in Chicago with a longer school day and a year-round program.

School is now in session, or, at least, those are the words Timothy Grivois (MEd ’05) can’t wait to hear.

In 2003, Grivois began teaching for the first time through Loyola’s LU-Choice program. Now, less than eight years later, he works to define his education model and open up his own charter, the Excelencia School of Chicago—in between working full time and writing his dissertation, of course.

“When I walked into the classroom the first day and I realized I was ‘Mr. Grivois,’ I discovered the schoolhouse environment really fit me like a glove,” says Grivois.

LU-Choice takes a small group of students every year and places them in underserved schools around the Chicago area. The program participants also live in an intentional community environment. Together, the 12 students share a communal experience of living, teaching, learning, and faith, says Lee Hubbell, director of LU-Choice. This has created a bond so strong that Grivois has remained a part of the program long past his own completion by participating in the interview process and leading prep seminars.

Grivois’s passion for teaching has led him to seek a career in administration. “Many people talk about administration as ‘leaving the classroom,’ but I never really saw it that way at all,” Grivois says. “I saw the career in administration as a way to affect a whole school full of those classrooms.”

Hubbell isn’t surprised that Grivois is in the process of opening a charter school. “From day one, he has had so much enthusiasm for teaching and education,” Hubbell says.

Part of Grivois’s model is based on the premise that students are not in school long enough. According to Grivois, after lunch and recess, students just are not receiving adequate time in the classroom. His charter school model includes a longer school day and a year-round program. With sufficient staffing by committed professionals, Grivois believes students will receive more attention and therefore be more successful.

Story courtesy of Loyola magazine (Spring 2011).

When the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish colonies in South America in 1767, they left behind this enchanting heritage of music that had been buried for more than 200 years. Their music nearly disappeared forever, but thanks to the Chiquitos people of Bolivia, it was rediscovered and preserved throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

It was not until 1985 when Swiss architect Hans Roth found 9,000 of these musical manuscripts and resurrected the sound of the Jesuits in modern day. In 1990, UNESCO declared the churches of the Chiquitos a “patrimony of humanity.”

Thanks to Dr. Gustavo Leone of Loyola’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts, four of these astonishing manuscripts have been carefully retrieved and restored and the treasure of the Jesuit and Catholic musical culture has been preserved.

“Dr. Leone was the recipient of a Hank Center Research Award in 2009 [and] this is the basis of the upcoming colloquium. He has done outstanding work recovering 18th century musical scores from the Jesuit missions of Bolivia. The colloquium will discuss his research and we will hear the music performed for the first time in 200 years,” explains Michael Schuck, the director of the Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage.

The four events for the colloquium, all located in the Simpson Hall Multipurpose Room, will include:

11 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. – Lecture: Reconstructing & Resurrecting the Music of the Jesuit Missions of South America – Dr. Gustavo Leone will speak

12:45 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. – Film: In Search of the Music Manuscripts – presented by Professor Paul Hettel from the Film Department of Columbia College Chicago

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Panel: Baroque Music of Latin America – Dr. Robert Kendrick of Loyola’s Department of Music and Charles Jurgensmeier, S.J., of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, will speak

3 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Performance: Music from the Archives of Chiquitos: “Baroque Band” and Bella Voce” – directed by Garry Clark and Andrew Lewis respectively

The event is presented by the Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage in collaboration with the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Additional funding was also provided by the College of Arts and Sciences and Maria McCormick.

If you would like more information on the colloquium’s events, call 773.508.3820 or visit LUC.edu/ccih.

Wednesday, April 6
The Dynamic Earth–Genesis of Earthquakes and Tsunamis
Noon to 1 p.m.
Crown Center, Room 530

Dr. David Slavsky, director of the Center for Science and Math Education and a faculty member in the physics and natural science departments, will serve as the guest speaker for this brown bag luncheon.

Friday, April 8
Japanese Cultural Response to Crisis
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Crown Center, Room 530

Dr. Janet Fair-Christianson, a faculty member in the modern languages and literature department, will serve as the guest speaker for this brown bag luncheon.

Nuclear Reactors and the Recent Nuclear Accident in Japan
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Quinlan Life Sciences Center, Room 312

Dr. Raymond Nackoney, associate professor in the natural sciences department, will host this after class/work chat and answer your questions.

For more information on the events, or to learn how to make a donation or how to help in another way, visit LUC.edu/responds.

This week’s events are sponsored by Loyola Responds, a standing committee composed of individuals from across the University and chaired by the Director of Ministry. This standing committee serves as a coordinating body to assess, plan, and guide Loyola’s response to humanitarian crises and disasters.

Robert Pitts, PhD – Professor of Marketing, College of Charleston (South Carolina)
Thursday, April 7 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Terry Student Center, Room 303

Kathleen Getz, PhD -  Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, American University
Tuesday, April 12 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Kasbeer Hall, 15th Floor, Corboy Law Center

Darrell Radson, PhD – Professor and Dean, School of Business and Economics, Michigan Technological University 
Wednesday, April 13 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Ceremonial Courtroom, 10th floor, Corboy Law Center

If you have any questions regarding this invitation, please contact Joanna Pappas, director of academic business operations in the Office of the Provost, at jpappas@luc.edu.

To be sure your transition to the new version goes as smoothly as possible, the University’s Blackboard support staff in Academic Technology Services (ATS), along with the Office of Learning Technologies and Assessment (LTA), will host training sessions throughout the month of April. The first session is scheduled for Monday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., on the Water Tower Campus.

In order for us to adequately prepare for each session, we request that faculty register in advance of the workshops. We have attempted to make this easy by placing the registration online in MarketPlace. To register for a session, or to view the entire schedule of training sessions, click here.

For those who wish to review the changes before attending a session, Academic Technology Services has posted a number of resources on its Blackboard 9 upgrade site. On the site, you’ll find the following:

• What’s New Guide – Includes a series of short video introductions to the new Blackboard 9 features
• Getting Started Tutorials – View step-by-step instructions for important Blackboard-related topics, including setting up your course, adding content, communicating via Blackboard, using the assignment tool, and backing up or copying course materials
• FAQ – Read the questions that many of your colleagues raised at the recently held Blackboard 9 road shows
• Information for Summer Instructors – This upgrade immediately impacts those teaching during summer sessions; find out how to work on your summer 2011 courses in the Blackboard 9 staging environment

We understand that this shift to Blackboard 9 involves a period of adjustment, but we are excited about the many enhancements and features the new system provides. LTA and ATS are doing our best to be sure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible. If you have any questions about the upgrade, please feel free to contact us directly at cschei1@luc.edu or bmontes@luc.edu.

Sincerely,

Carol Scheidenhelm
Director, Office of Learning Technologies and Assessment

Bruce Montes
Director, Academic Technology Services

“We honor alumni and friends who have made Loyola proud and have gone on to do really terrific things as leaders in their community or leaders in their business,” says Richard Williams, Loyola’s director of special events.

Founders’ Dinner celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year and, out of pure coincidence, the location for the event will be in a grand tent on the east quad instead of in the traditional location, Gentile Arena on the Lake Shore Campus. The gym will be shut down for construction as part of Loyola’s reimagine campaign.

Guests who attend will enjoy a cocktail reception in the Klarchek Information Commons and a three-course meal under the tented venue. And for their entertainment pleasures, a special chorus of Loyola students, staff, and alumni will perform along with a live orchestra.

The evening will also include an awards ceremony in which a number of individuals will be presented with various honors, such as the President’s Medal or the Caritas Award. Another special feature that guests are sure to enjoy is a video honoring the 10 recipients of the Damen Award and single Coffey Award recipient.

There are a variety of ticket prices. The standard ticket costs $250, the young alumni ticket (graduates after 2005) is $150, and the faculty/staff ticket is $125/person. Each ticket possesses a gift component, meaning that part of that money goes towards student scholarships.

“At Loyola, we train people to be persons for others. Our alums are going out and doing really great things. They are changing the world and that’s what we celebrate… that they’re out there changing the world one person at a time,” says Williams.

To purchase tickets or for more information on Founders’ Dinner, click here. If you are unable to attend, please visit the website to give back to the University through a donation.

Former men's basketball standout Blake Schilb is putting together another strong season playing for Chalon-Sur-Saone in France.

A handful of former Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball players are making names for themselves overseas by putting together remarkable seasons this year. J.R. Blount, Tracy Robinson, Blake Schilb, and Earl Brown are each registering some eye-popping numbers while also leading their respective teams to winning records.

Playing in the United Kingdom, Blount (2005-09), who closed out his career ranked ninth on Loyola’s all-time chart with 1,603 points, is leading the Leicester Riders with 20.2 points per game, to go along with 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals. He is shooting 51 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point distance and has scored in double figures in all but one of his 25 appearances.

The guard’s best outing of the season came on February 19 in a 102-99 victory over Newcastle when he poured in a season-high 40 points, hitting 17 of 22 shots from the field, and added seven rebounds and seven assists.

Robinson (2004-08) is also thriving overseas and leads Jyvaskyla (Finland) with 20.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg, and a 51-percent field goal percentage. The 6-foot-7 forward’s play has helped Jyvaskyla to a 17-5 overall record and his signature performance came on October 21 against Say Ri, when Robinson accounted for a whopping 39 points and 12 rebounds.

Finally, despite battling injuries, Schilb (2003-07) is putting together another strong season playing for Chalon-Sur-Saone in France. The versatile guard is averaging 14.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, and 1.7 spg in 21 games and ranks second on his club in scoring. He has enjoyed one of his better seasons of shooting the basketball, knocking down 54 percent of his field goal tries and 92 percent of his charity tosses.

Schilb registered 25 points and chipped in four rebounds and eight assists against ASVEL on January 22.

Earl Brown (1996-2000), whose playing career at Loyola wrapped up in 2000, is a key contributor for CSU Sibiu (14-13) in Romania. As one of the top guards on the team, Brown is accounting for 11.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.4 spg in 19 appearances.

Lastly, although he is playing in the United States, David Bailey (1999-2003) is back with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Developmental League, averaging 10.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.4 apg, and 1.1 spg in 34 games. Bailey exploded for 30 points, five rebounds, and eight assists against the New Mexico Thunderbirds in a January 22 contest.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Award-winning commentator and American political columnist Mark Shields will step foot on Loyola’s campus this Tuesday, March 29, to speak with the community about current topics in politics and journalism.

Brought here by the University’s College Democrats, Shields possesses a wealth of experience following more than 11 presidential campaigns and he should have some very exciting and interesting stories to share with students. According to Griffin Byers, the president of the college Democrats, Shields will discuss issues such as the 2012 presidential elections, the current issues surrounding the budget, and other hot political topics that students are interested in.

Not only has Shields closely followed President Obama’s political career, but his first-hand experience in politics ranges all the way back to 1968 when he worked for the Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign. After his first successful stint with Kennedy, Shields went on to manage a wide variety of campaigns. He is most well-known for his work on CNN’s Capital Gang, where he discusses topics of policy along with other award-winning journalists.

As an undergraduate, Shields graduated in 1959 from the University of Notre Dame after receiving a major in philosophy and minor in history. After serving in the Marines immediately after college, Shields then traveled to Washington, DC where he could allow his passion for American government to flourish.

Today, Shields is a full-time political pundit and regularly makes appearances on CNN and other popular media. He enjoys sharing his opinions and ideas in any way he can and his discussion is sure to be filled with unique insights of the past, present, and future of American politics.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for students to meet and actually ask questions of someone who has had decades of experience in the field. [Shields] can really shed some light on what goes on in Washington and how students can get involved in it themselves,” says Byers.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Mundelein Center Auditorium. It is free for students with a Loyola ID and $5 for the general public. Tickets are now on sale at the Centennial Forum Student Union front desk.

When you played volleyball at UCLA, what distinguished you from other players on the court? What are your special or unique talents as a player?

I am someone that believes in team, and my greatest asset was the work ethic, mental focus, and passion that I brought with me everyday to practice. I was improving everyday by being surrounded by great volleyball players and I like to think that I made them better by pushing them to match my intensity.

Did you always know that you wanted to be a volleyball coach? When did you realize that this was a career you wanted?

When I graduated from college, I taught high school for seven years while coaching in the club circuits. Being removed from college athletics really provided me the opportunity to reflect on how much I missed being a part of the process of developing young athletes into great teams.

Why volleyball? Why not basketball or soccer or any other sport? What is it about volleyball that hooked you?

I played a pretty wide range of sports growing up and I was a good athlete. There was something about volleyball that combined athleticism and skill that really appealed to me. There is a great deal of diversity in the skills needed to be a good volleyball player and only fractions of a second that you have to decide which of those skill sets you will execute successfully in a rally. Volleyball is a perfect combination of skill, athleticism, and strategy.

As head coach, you have a lot of responsibility. What do you think your greatest challenge will be?

I am not sure that I would describe our road ahead as a challenge but instead a great opportunity. We are changing a lot of the things that we currently do in the program. These changes begin with the volleyball specifics skills that we are teaching and extend to the expectations that we have of our players in the classroom and the community. I know that one of the things that our staff is looking forward to is building a volleyball culture that enables our student-athletes to grow as players as well as people.

What is your coaching style like? How do you think the girls on this team will respond to your techniques?

I think that the best way to describe my coaching style would be consistent. It is easy to get caught up in the emotional highs in the game, and equally easy to get caught up in the struggles that a team may face in any given match. We strive to be a perfect team, but more importantly we stress the importance of being a consistent team. While over-stimulation can win you a set and emotional lows can lose you a match, consistency will prevail over a long period of time.

Lastly, what can the Loyola community expect from this season?

Whether you are a novice fan, experienced veteran, or a developing player to the game I think that our fans and community will experience a style of play that is both entertaining and exciting to watch. This team will play with the same passion, heart, and skill on the court that they take towards their everyday lives.

If you would like to participate in Earth Hour, simply turn off all of your lights, TVs, computers, and other electronics at 8:30 p.m. for one full hour. But why stop there? Feel free to leave them off as long as you’d like.

Not only does this moment of energy conservation help save our planet, but it also fits in with Loyola’s mission of going green. “Participating in Earth Hour supports Loyola’s commitment to serve humanity and create a more just society. Earth Hour brings the topic of climate change to the forefront in society – a global conversation in which everyone can take part in,” explains Gina Lettiere, the coordinator of the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy.

“The University’s participation allows students, faculty, and staff to contribute to the topic, take action to make wise use of natural resources and the environment, and reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change,” says Lettiere.

According to Lettiere, this mere hour of conservation spreads hope of a healthier planet. It demonstrates that each person has a responsibility and when millions of people collectively participate in a cause, it makes a difference by reducing the demand of fossil fuels and other resources. Thus, carbon emissions that contribute to climate change are significantly reduced.

“Students will be a part of the future and will face significant challenges such as lack of access to clean water and clean air as a result of climate change. Taking part in Earth Hour will provide that glimpse to students that conserving resources is easy and can be social as it brings them together with friends and family and offers them a time to reflect,” adds Lettiere.

If you would like more information on Earth Hour, click here.

“Students are realizing that they often forget that there are other communities in need and that they absolutely can help others,” says Student Activities Coordinator Adrienne Jaroch. “So when some of their friends chose to go spend their spring breaks out [partying], they instead went and helped a community in need and made great friendships that they’ll never forget.”

The event was organized by the student organization, Greeks for a Good Cause, and this is their sixth year planning this alternative break trip. In past years they have visited New Orleans, Phoenix, Mobile, and Miami. This year, the group felt as if Tucson was the right place to be.

“We chose Tucson because it has a large population in need to housing. More than 35,000 families in Tucson live in ‘poverty housing’ and qualify for a Habitat for Humanity,” explains Junior Jeanne Marie Evans, the student who took the lead in planning the trip.

“There are currently nine Habitat houses under construction in Tucson, so there was definitely a great need for volunteers. The Tucson Habitat for Humanity affiliate was also great to work with so that was a big deciding factor… Oh, and because Tucson is warm,” adds Evans.

As the students labored on the nine houses on the worksite, they also had the chance to work alongside the people they were helping. “We had the beyond fantastic opportunity of being able to meet some of the future Habitat homeowners. It was such an amazing experience to work on a project where you are literally helping take a family out of poverty housing,” believes Evans.

Students also met and worked alongside female prisoners who were volunteering from a local jail. “They were all very friendly and pleasant women and we all enjoyed getting to know them. It was great to see how people can defy expectations and stereotypes. Although it was something we were all hesitant about, it ended up being one of the best parts of the trip,” Evans asserts.

Though the Greek students worked incredibly hard, they were sure to also make time for some fun and exploration of the beautiful terrain. They were able to visit the world-renowned Desert Museum and Biosphere 2. They also went on a daring “spelunking” endeavor and explored the caves beneath the mountain on which they were staying.

After this very fulfilling experience, Evans hopes to continue being a person for others in any way she can. “Honestly, I cannot even image spending my spring break any other way. I find myself getting so caught up in the little things throughout the semester, and going on this trip really helps me refocus and get back to what’s really important,” says Evans. “As corny as it sounds, I find nothing to be as rewarding as spending my free time helping others.”

The panel will include leading supply chain practitioners from retail, electronics, and food industries, as well as the CEO of the most widely recognized supply chain management professional organization in the country. The group will discuss topics such as risks in supply and manufacturing, challenges of execution risk (i.e. transportation, labor, redeployment of inventory, etc.), and infrastructure risks (i.e. IT, labor, transportation lanes, etc.).

“Loyola is looking to be on the forefront of supply chain management (SCM) education in Chicago, one of the largest logistics hubs in the word,” says Maciek Nowak, a professor in the School of Business Administration.

For those who are unfamiliar with how a supply chain works, you may consider a modern day example. For instance, think of a supply chain that starts in a cotton field in Georgia. The cotton is then shipped to a factory in China where it is made into cloth and then it moves to another factory in Vietnam where it is pieced together into pairs of shorts. Next, it heads to a warehouse in the United States and, finally, to a store shelf in Chicago just in time for the summer season.

Though this process may seem simple enough, there are actually many risks that are involved. “Some of the most timely [dangers that face supply chains today] include rapidly rising energy costs, political turmoil overseas, intellectual property theft, and a disconnect between American companies and the production facilities that manufacture their goods thousands of miles away,” explains Nowak.

When considering the fact that supply chains are severely disrupted during times of crises, one is unable to deny the fact that many companies will struggle to maintain their businesses considering the recent devastating earthquake in Japan. “The tragedy in Japan is a sobering instance of the unforeseen occurrences that can create extensive supply chain problems,” explains Nowak.

“Many companies, in Japan, the U.S. and elsewhere, have had their operations severely disrupted. While some operations are beginning to resume normal functions, it may take others months, if not years, before they are where they were before,” he adds.

The discussion is sponsored by the Center for Integrated Risk Management and Corporate Governance and will take place on the 16th Floor (Regents Hall) of Lewis Towers on the Water Tower Campus. It will begin at 8 a.m. Click here to register for this event.

“[Continuum] is about life-long learning. That’s what we’re getting at. This is an extension out into the community and it’s really for the general public, people who have already graduated who want to take these course for knowledge enhancement,” explains Maria Lettiere, the assistant director of academic programs for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at Loyola.

All classes are based at the Water Tower Campus and there are over 100 to choose from. Classes offered cover a broad range of topics, including the humanities, sustainability studies, personal and professional development, writing, communication, and marketing.

Some of the newer or more popular courses being offered include:

Modern Interiors: 1870 – 1970 (Art & Architecture) – emphasizes the architectural and decorative styles that prevailed in the U.S. during the distinctive period between 1870 and 1970, focusing on decorative arts, including furniture, objects, wall finishes, and door and window treatments.

French Gastronomy and Culture (Food & Spirits) – Integrate authentic French gastronomy into your kitchen by understanding the larger concept of French and European culture. Explore recipes and discover famous cheeses, wines, and regional dishes.

The Craft of Voiceovers (Theatre & Performing Arts) – Study vocal characterization, use vocal exercises, and learn audition techniques. The instructor will also describe current industry trends and move you in the right direction for this exciting career.

The Interfaith Movement (Comparative Religion) – The course examines Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism in relation to Christianity, and addresses the interfaith religious movement to building understanding and peace, thus creating new spiritual bonds to bring people together.

Exploring Modern China: Work Values and Business Etiquette (Global Studies and Political Science) – Gain an advantage in the international business world by understanding China and its business practices and hone the etiquette skills necessary to achieve success.

Not only do these classes offer a broad and unique range of opportunities for higher learning, but the cost of enrollment is also quite moderate. The prices range from anywhere between $150 to around $300 and alumni, faculty, staff, and LUMA members receive a 15 percent discount.

The running time for each course also varies and is dependant upon the topic of the course and how much time is necessary to offer students the full results. Some courses, for instance, are as short as a single workshop or others run as long as eight weeks. “We schedule these courses in a way that is meant to work for somebody’s very hectic personal schedule, work schedules, or social schedules. We’re very cognizant of what people need,” explains Lettiere.

If you would like more information on the courses that are being offered for Spring/Summer 2011, click here.

Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross

Dear Loyolans,

The earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Pacific last week have had devastating effects on Japan. As additional concerns mount about the compromised nuclear energy plants, water contamination, and waste disposal, we know that this crisis is still evolving and will have far-reaching and long-term consequences.

We are addressing the crisis in Japan through our Loyola Responds initiative, which we began last year as a way to coordinate educational and fundraising events in times of need. We will have more details about events and how you can help as soon as they are available. Please visit LUC.edu/responds for more information. Funds raised by Loyola programs will be directed to the affected students and families of the Sophia Jesuit University in Japan.

Catholic Relief Services is also working with Caritas International and other organizations to aid those stricken by the earthquake and tsunami. You may support their efforts by making an online donation.

Go to the Terry Student Center or Centennial Forum Student Union Monday through Thursday next week at lunch (11:30–1:30) or dinner times (4–6) to make a contribution to a project organized by the student Anime Club. The club, along with other student organizations, is hoping to raise money for survivors and to fold 1,000 paper cranes to send to Japan, a symbolic gesture of peace and goodwill. Take a moment to stop by their table, donate a dollar or more, and fold a paper crane.

Please visit LUC.edu/responds to learn about ways to get involved and learn about the situation in Japan as it develops. Please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts and in your prayers.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
President, Loyola University Chicago

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Loyola’s College Republicans are getting set to welcome former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove to the Lake Shore Campus on March 22.

Rove is also remembered for his work as President George W. Bush’s senior advisor. He is the author of Courage and Consequence, a Fox News contributor, and a columnist for both The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. According to Rove’s personal bio, U.S.News & World Report columnist Michael Barone said that Rove is “unique… no presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.”

Rove will discussg how the 2010 midterm elections and how the 112th Congress will impact the President’s agenda as we head into the 2012 Presidential election.

According to Matthew Noto, the president of College Republicans at Loyola, Rove’s discussion is going to be a highly enlightening and one-of-a-kind experience. “We chose Mr. Rove to speak in the first place because he is a figure that stands out in the Republican Party specifically, but is well known and respected nationwide,” says Noto. “He is the best political strategist of the generation regardless of your political affiliation and he is one of the biggest names in politics. We all can learn a lot from him,” he believes.

Although Rove is of the Republican Party, Noto wants all Loyola students to come and hear what he has to say despite their possibly opposing political views. “Our Jesuit Catholic values show that we are a community of learning that is open to all ideas. I encourage attendance as Loyola believes its [students should] have an open mind, a big heart, and a growing brain,” he affirms.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Mundelein Auditorium and students are free with the show of their ID. Non-Loyola community members are also welcome with the purchase of a $5 ticket, which they can buy online at LUC.edu/saga/payments. This online ticket sale will end at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 21. Students will also have the opportunity to pose their own questions to Rove by writing them down on note cards that will be quietly collected during the speech to better facilitate the event.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, shown here with two Loyola students, is just one of the many BVMs affiliated with Loyola University Chicago.

By Nick Patricca, Professor Emeritus of Theater Studies at Loyola University Chicago
March 6, 2011

Thursday, Feb. 10. I’m listening to Shelia O’Brien, Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, tell me why my story of being an American and a Catholic is important.

We American Catholics, Justice O’Brien says, as she marches back and forth on the platform of Loyola University’s Klarchek Information Commons, have important things to say to the men dressed in showy Renaissance gowns who issue rules and decrees from on high and haven’t a clue.

Cassie, a Loyola undergraduate, is sitting next to me. She is listening to Justice O’Brien and texting on her smart phone. I lean over and ask Cassie to find out if Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned yet. He hasn’t.

As if reading my mind, Justice O’Brien launches into her call that we take back our church just as the Egyptian people are taking charge of their own country and destiny.

I ask Cassie why she is attending this conference on “Women Shaping the Church.” She says her dad asked her to say ‘hello’ to Sister Simone Campbell, another presenter, who baby-sat him when he was a child. I survey the audience: most of us are over 55; most are women.

Friday, Feb. 11. I’m participating in a memorial mass for my Mundelein-Loyola colleague, English Professor Michael Fortune. We are having a grand time remembering Michael and celebrating over 40 years of friendship and learning. Kateri, another colleague from my Mundelein days, leans into me and says, “Isn’t it grand to be a Catholic? We have such great fun at a wake.”

I survey the gathering for Mike’s memorial. Again, we are mostly women and mostly elderly. And, we are great fun.

Saturday, Feb. 12. Mubarak has resigned. Facebook, the Internet, Twitter, the World Wide Web and cell phones have made a revolution. A new paradigm: virtual social networks for social change. Not violence, not knitting needles, not guillotines, not the model of the French Revolution.

Sunday, Feb. 13. I have joined my friends and colleagues at the last mass at the chapel of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (commonly known as the BVMs) at Wright Hall, their retirement residence on the Mundelein-Loyola campus.

This closing of Wright Hall, along with the closing of Mundelein College in 1991 when it affiliated with Loyola, marks a significant juncture in the history of the BVMs in Chicago.

The BVM community, like most congregations of sisters in the United States, is having financial and recruitment challenges.

To add to this bleak landscape, in January 2009 the Vatican bureaucrats instituted an official investigation of American nuns.

Some say this investigation is a smoke screen to deflect attention from the festering issue of pedophilia among the male clergy.

The BVMs were visited by the ‘Apostolic Visitators’ in November 2010. The Visitators make a report to Rome (not shared with the nuns) in which they can recommend the suppression of an order or the appointment of an outsider administrator, among other scary alternatives, or a clean bill of health. The results of this visitation are not yet known.

This stellar group of nuns, who had achieved so many firsts in the history of the U.S. as well as in the history of Catholic women religious, is marking this change in their Chicago presence in a quiet, simple ceremony of great dignity. Our median age is over 75; our mean probably the same. There is one high school student present, male.

After the homily in the mass, Sister Mary Healey reads the intercessions that she has written for this last mass.

That people of the Middle East who are agitating for freedom of speech will soon achieve all the freedoms which are human rights, we pray to the Lord . . .

That political candidates will be clear and accurate in all they say about their own objectives and their opponents’ so voters may safely judge them, we pray to the Lord . . .

For print and broadcast journalists to be aware of their own preferences and prejudices so they can present only facts to their audiences, we pray to the Lord . . .

That legislators on all levels will pass unambiguous laws that will save time for judges and money for taxpayers, we pray to the Lord . . .

For the group composing the report on the apostolic visitation of religious women in the United States to find the words to explain our life and mission to men of a different culture, we pray to the Lord . . .

For our BVM leaders who have been so open in preparing us for the closing of Wright Hall and making the transition, we pray to the Lord . . .

In the heady days of the 1960s, the Catholic Church was one of the most vital institutions in the nation. Its lay people, its thinkers, its nuns and clergy were shaking and shaping the very foundations of our culture. John F. Kennedy had been elected president. The American Jesuit John Courtney Murray was in Rome instructing cardinals and Vatican bureaucrats at the Second Vatican Council on the virtues of religious liberty, pluralism and other democratic values.

Chicago’s own Carol Frances Jegen, a BVM sister, Jack Egan, a diocesan priest, and Peggy Roach, a lay woman, were in the front lines of the struggle for civil rights. Ann Ida Gannon, BVM, president of Mundelein College, was a national leader in education and advocate for the equal role of women in forming society.

The whole world saw in the American Catholic Church signs of hope for a better future.

I am a male of our species and I do not own a smart phone. But I believe Justice O’Brien. I know what Catholic women have achieved in the past. I see what they are doing in the present. I know they will find a way to our future.

This op-ed piece appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on March 6.

Mayor Richard M. Daley participates in a Q&A session with moderator Mariam Pera on Monday night.

On Monday night, the Loyola community crowded into the Corboy Law Center’s Kasbeer Hall to enjoy a lecture by current Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The Mayor, invited by Loyola’s Inside Government student organization, discussed a number of topics during his lecture, including the importance of education and the public school system, gun control, green initiatives, and a number of other topics.

Following the lecture, the Mayor sat down with moderator Mariam Pera, a Loyola alum, and took several questions from the audience. Both the lecture and the Q&A portion were videotaped and will be posted to igNation in the coming weeks. We’ll be sure to post a link to the video in “The Feed” section of Inside Loyola once the video is available to view.

Following the Mayor’s appearance, political science professor Alan Gitelson and School of Communication professor Jack Smith took to the stage to reflect on the Mayor’s earlier comments.

At this event, teams of people will camp overnight in Gentile Arena and take turns circling around a track to help raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society’s efforts to celebrate the lives of people who have fought cancer, remember loved ones who have passed away because of the disease, and decrease the lives lost because of this deadly illness.

Each team must maintain one representative on the track at all times for up to 24 hours. “One of our slogans is that cancer never sleeps and so for one night, neither will we. I think that everyone these days knows someone that’s been affected by cancer so this is a great opportunity for the Loyola community to come together and fight against it,” says Kathleen Hannon, the co-president of Colleges Against Cancer.

“Our goal is to create a world where more people survive cancer so they can celebrate another birthday,” explains the mission statement of Relay for Life. “This year more than 11 million people will be able to do that thanks to the support of millions of dedicated Relay participants.”

Relay for Life has many traditional ceremonial elements that are repeated from year to year. The first is the Survivors Lap, in which survivors of cancer are welcomed to the track and invited to circle together to celebrate their victory. It is an extremely emotional moment for Relay participants.

After dark, the Luminaria Ceremony fills the event with the spirit of remembrance as those who have been touched by cancer are honored through the lighting of candles. These candles are placed inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of an individual who has been profoundly affected by cancer. A lap of silence follows the lighting ceremony.

The Relay also includes the Fight Back Ceremony, where all participants make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up their own personal mission to fight against the plague of cancer.

Many individuals and teams have been working for months to raise money. One such team is Loyola Nursing who has raised a total of $2,175 so far and leads all other teams in terms of their fundraising efforts. This group’s mission statement affirms that “saving lives from cancer starts one team, one participant, and one dollar at a time. Our team is doing our part to make sure that cancer never steals another year of anyone’s life.”

For those who are interested in participating in or donating to the event, click here.

Tuesday, March 15
Regents Hall, 16th Floor, Lewis Towers (Water Tower Campus)
4–5 p.m. – Address
5–6 p.m. – Reception

For those who are unable to attend in-person, the address will be streamed live on the Inside Loyola news site.

Questions regarding this event can be directed to Lorraine Snyder at lsnyde2@luc.edu.

Monday, March 14
Crown Center Auditorium
4:30–5:30 p.m. – Address
5:30–6:30 p.m. – Reception (Crown Center Lobby)

For those who are unable to attend in-person, Father will deliver his Water Tower Campus address tomorrow, March 15, at 4 p.m., in Regents Hall (16th Floor, Lewis Towers). That address will be streamed live on the Inside Loyola news site and the digital screen located in the Centennial Forum Student Union.

Questions regarding this event can be directed to Lorraine Snyder at lsnyde2@luc.edu.

On average, people go to work or school on the first Monday of Daylight Saving Time after sleeping 40 fewer minutes than normal. And recent studies have found there’s a higher risk of heart attacks and workplace injuries on the first Monday of Daylight Saving Time.

“Many people already are chronically sleep-deprived and Daylight Saving Time can make them even more tired for a few days,” says Dr. Nidhi Undevia, medical director of the Sleep Program at Loyola University Health System (LUHS).

Undevia offers these tips for coping with Daylight Saving Time, which this year kicks in at 2 a.m., Sunday, March 13:

• In the days before the time change, go to bed and wake up 10 or 15 minutes earlier each day
• Don’t nap on the Saturday before the time change
• To help reset your internal body clock, expose yourself to sunlight in the morning as early as you can

LUHS offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary program to help identify and treat sleep disorders. The sleep laboratory and sleep clinic diagnose and treat a full range of sleep disorders, including insomnia, sleep walking, obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, circadian rhythm disorders, restless legs syndrome, and periodic limb movement disorders. For more information or to make an appointment, please call 888.LUHS.888, 888.584.7888.

The event is free with museum admission and RSVP is encouraged by sending an e-mail to luma@luc.edu or by calling 312.915.7608.

Looking ahead, the series will continue in April and May with the following events:

The Wounded Body of Christ and the Modern Social Conscience
Friday, April 1 at 3 p.m.

Of all the images involving Jesus, those related to the Passion have arguably been the most frequently used by modern and contemporary artists in their address of issues such as war, bigotry, poverty, oppression, genocide, and pandemics. This presentation by Terrence E. Dempsey, S.J., director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art at Saint Louis University, will offer a brief overview of how images associated with the wounded body of Christ have been used by modern and contemporary artists to inspire devotion and to stimulate an empathetic response that leads the viewer to action in the social issues that are of greatest concern to the artists.

Dorothy Day at The Catholic Worker: A Need for Beauty
Friday, May 6 at 3 p.m.

Dorothy Day has been called “the radical conscience of American Catholicism.” Stephen Krupa, S.J., from Loyola will discuss Day’s life of voluntary poverty, prayer, social activism and public protest, absolute nonviolence, perpetual study, skilled journalism, and “hands-on” daily care of the poor. Her work drew the attention of many, including the Vatican. In accepting her cause for canonization, the Vatican has named Day a “Servant of God.” While her Gospel-based social activism and radical imitation of Christ have drawn attention, not many know of Day’s love of beauty. Day loved the arts and drew scholars and artists to the Catholic Worker movement, which she co-founded in 1933.

For more information on LUMA and its various exhibitions and events, visit LUC.edu/luma.

A patient tries out the new 1.5 Tesla Extremity MRI.

By Jim Ritter, Loyola University Health System Media Relations

Loyola University Health System, nationally recognized for its physicians and services, is opening a center designed around the needs of our patients in the heart of the west and southwest suburbs.

The Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge, opened on March 7, is the largest academic medical center outpatient facility in the Chicago suburbs. It is anchored by Loyola’s musculoskeletal and neurosciences service lines, rehabilitation facilities, and full-service imaging. Loyola physicians will work in close partnership with referring physicians, who can refer patients to Burr Ridge for consultations. Patients can receive rehabilitation services and obtain test results and imaging services in the same location.

Patients now have easier access to a comprehensive range of health-care services without having to drive to Loyola’s main campus, 12 miles north in Maywood. The one-stop model of care will enable patients to get all their services in one visit. For example, a back pain patient could get an MRI and see a specialist and a physical therapist all on the same day.

Unlike most outpatient centers, the Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge will have very little space for waiting rooms.

An innovative care model will significantly reduce waiting times and improve patient flow. Registration and insurance verification will occur prior to the visit so patients avoid the long waits at check-in.

Many patients will provide intake information and a history before the visit. Once the patient arrives, a medical assistant will accompany the patient throughout the visit. The medical assistant will, for example, help transcribe information into the medical record, provide educational materials, and schedule future appointments.

Loyola was among the earliest centers to adopt electronic health records. Referring physicians now can directly access their patients’ electronic health records at Loyola. And the Burr Ridge center will conduct a pilot program in which patients will be given iPads or other tablet computers to complete questionnaires or to provide other information electronically.

Parking is free. There’s Wi-Fi throughout the building, as well as an optical shop, hearing center, and a café serving baked goods, sandwiches, and fresh-brewed gourmet coffee.

The complex has a light, airy feeling. An entire side of the building is glass. Natural lighting fills the atrium and provides a panoramic view of the outdoor pond and landscaping. Sliding doors to exam rooms make it easier to negotiate wheelchairs and walkers. And radiology equipment will be located in clinical suites. Thus, an orthopaedic patient could go from an exam room to a radiology room and back without getting on an elevator or even crossing a hall.

The center will include comprehensive primary-care services and an Immediate Care center that will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. Immediate Care will be staffed at all times by physicians. No appointments are needed and wait times will be minimal.

Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge is located at 6800 N. Frontage Rd., just off County Line Road and the Stevenson and Tri-State expressways. It is convenient to other Loyola outpatient centers in Hickory Hills, Homer Glen, Oakbrook Terrace, and Wheaton. (Loyola’s primary-care center in Darien and its physicians will relocate to the third floor of the Burr Ridge center in July.)

Loyola has leased the entire three-story building, which has more than 100,000 square feet of space. Loyola is expecting 150,000 patient visits per year, as well as physician visits, rehabilitation visits, laboratory studies, and other diagnostic services, such as a sleep lab and infusion center.

Some physicians will practice full time at Burr Ridge, while others will split their time between Burr Ridge and other Loyola sites. Burr Ridge doctors will include many of Loyola’s best and brightest physicians, who are national leaders in research, education, and patient care.

Among the Loyola faculty who will practice at Burr Ridge are: Terry Light, MD, chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation; Thomas Origitano, MD, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery; Steve Gnatz, MD, division director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; J. Paul O’Keefe, vice chairman of medicine; James Stankiewicz, MD, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology; Keith Veselik, MD, medical director of Primary Care; and Charles Bouchard, MD, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology.

“Many of our physicians live in Burr Ridge and surrounding communities,” Dr. Light says. “They are delighted to have a center close to their homes, where they can practice and take care of their neighbors.”

To schedule an appointment with a Loyola physician at Burr Ridge, please call 708.327.1000. To see a video about the new facility, please click here.

Many Loyola students recognize Lent as a time for them to remember what the Lord gave for salvation. However, instead of renouncing something like food or candy, they’ve decided to actively improve themselves by doing.

“I’m giving up laziness and using that as a reason to push myself to exercise everyday,” says Senior Alyssa Flisiak. “I know it’s slightly unorthodox, but it’s just one way for me to work on bettering myself in some way,” she says.

Junior Katherine Dreher is also taking a very unique approach to this Lenten season. “Instead of giving something up, I try to do something or set a goal, so it’s about what I’m doing instead of what I am refraining from,” explains Dreher. “This year I would like to try to keep a prayer journal of my own prayer requests. I would like to explore more of what a dependence on God feels like, actually giving up my struggles and prayers and allowing them to be in the hands of a higher power rather than simply saying the words,” she says.

Freshman Ali Drumm is actually not Catholic. She is Jewish and instead of giving up something during Lent, her faith asks her to keep kosher all year long, which dictates what she can and cannot eat. Though her religious laws are different, she still appreciates the sacrifices of many of her friends who are Catholic.

“It’s good for Catholics who are giving up something, particularly if it’s meant to strengthen their relationship with their faith… perhaps you would be more successful in achieving your goals of self-improvement if it was done in conjunction with strengthening your faith,” believes Drumm.

Senior John Adorno is another student at Loyola who is approaching Lent in a new way this year. “I don’t plan on giving up anything, because I plan on giving. I’m going to be volunteering more in the community around me. It’s not necessarily about me. At Loyola, I’ve learned more about what it means to be a person for others,” he explains.

And for Adorno, this brief time of sacrifice seems to be too short-lived. “I don’t think the Lenten season should be just 40 days… you should really push yourself to be the best you can be 365 days a year,” he asserts.

Ash Wednesday Services
For those students and members of the community who would like to attend an Ash Wednesday ceremony, the schedule on campus is as follows:

Lake Shore Campus:
Noon, Mass in Madonna della Strada Chapel
5:15 p.m., Mass in Madonna della Strada Chapel

Water Tower Campus:
11:30 a.m., Mass in Saint James Chapel in Quigley Center
5 p.m., Brief Ash Distribution Service in the Terry Student Center, Rooms 303/304

“There is a tie to ethics for all of the programs [and] I think that Stu Feldman’s take on ethics is a real opportunity to see what ethics is going to mean in the digital world,” believes Kim Walsh, the assistant director of the Development & Alumni Association.

From year to year, the Dean’s Speaker Series has always been an event based upon that idea of ethics that is so closely linked to Loyola’s mission. But the event’s theme of morals in business was mostly inspired by Raymond C. Baumhart, S.J., the former dean of the School of Business Administration and a past president of Loyola University Chicago.

“Father Baumhart was one of the founding faculty in the country for the field of business ethics… so our business school is known for having one of the longest traditions in [this field],” says Walsh. “He was a Jesuit, so [his philosophy] was based on theology and that’s kind of where his ideas of business ethics came from,” she explains.

Considering the focus of this series is “Innovation in Ethics,” the discussion is “really going to be about taking ethics as you’re innovating and creating things for the future and how Google has been successful, and at other times not successful, in that area,” explains Walsh.

There will be a reception at 5:30 p.m. and, again, the actual event will begin at 6:30 p.m. It will be at the Union League Club of Chicago at 65 W. Jackson.

The registration for this event is now closed. However, if you would like to attend, please e-mail Kim Walsh at kwalsh6@luc.edu.

“It’s a really nice opportunity to get to see the whole business school community come together and really share in the traditional values that we’re all here for,” believes Walsh.

According to Stephanie Tomakowski, the annual giving officer who worked to put together Wolf and Kettle Day, this year’s event was no less than a success. The Student Philanthropy Group that volunteered at the event did an excellent job spreading the message of gratitude for donors. What surprised many students was the fact that only 71 percent of their tuition is actually covered by what they pay. The other 29 percent is provided by donors. March 1 actually represents the day in which the student’s tuition money runs out and donor money takes over financing their education.

“I saw a lot of that wide-eyed, open-mouthed response,” says Tomakowski. “Students would say, ‘Are you kidding? So the school year would end today if it weren’t for donors?’ It was really great to see and I think it just indicates the necessity for a program like this to just educate people about what goes on behind the scenes in a fun way like Wolf and Kettle Day,” she believes.

The Student Philanthropy Group not only volunteered at Wolf and Kettle Day, but they also worked alongside Tomakowski to prepare for it. This organization is very new on campus, having started in late January, and is meant to provide students with an in-depth look at the fundraising efforts at the University. Students work together to create awareness for what alumni gifts do for students, increase recognition for the philanthropy that students are doing, help other students get involved in the Loyola community, and foster a spirit of philanthropy throughout the campus.

Students who participate in the group also learn significant marketing, public relations, and event-planning skills. Overall, the goal is for these undergraduates to incite and promote a deeper understanding of University development.

“These students that are in the [Student Philanthropy Group] are fantastic and they took so much ownership of the message of Wolf and Kettle Day. They were getting the message across and they were like rock stars,” exclaims Tomakowski.

For simply stopping by at the event and hearing the messages of the student volunteers, those who attended received free bags of Trader Joe’s Kettle Corn and a coupon for a number of different businesses on both the Lake Shore and Water Tower campuses. Each student who walked away with a prize also walked away knowing more about who funds their tuition.

Students also had the chance to sign a kettle-shaped “thank you” poster for the donors. Or they could stop at one of the computer stations to write an electronic “thank you” to a donor and receive a free stuffed wolf in exchange.

“Everyone’s so afraid to say tuition like it’s a naughty word. It’s like that crazy uncle you have that no one ever asks about. But people should be informed about where the money’s going and how the University responsibly spends gift money,” asserts Tomakowski.

Later that evening, the theme of generosity was shared with more students at the Klarchek Information Commons as they were served free pizza from J.B. Alberto’s.

The next project for the Student Philanthropy Group will be the Senior Class Gift. If you would like to become a part of this tight-knit group of students who work to not only support their University, but to also spread the goodness of giving back, contact Stephanie Tomakowski at stomako@luc.edu.

Timothy Hoellein, PhD, assistant professor in biology, has teamed up with Chester Zarnoch, PhD, assistant professor of environmental studies at Baruch College, City University of New York, for a two-year research study on “The Influence of Oysters on Sediment Nitrogen Cycling: An Ecosystem Approach.”

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the study examines how two important variables, oyster density and dissolved nitrogen concentration, control the influence of oysters on sediment nitrogen cycling, decreasing nitrogen pollution in New York City (NYC) waters. In May 2010, oysters were placed at four different coastal NYC locations, each with different levels of nitrogen density. For the next two years, researchers will measure rates of oyster survivorship, filtration, excretion, and sediment nitrogen transformations.

The experiment will document the potential for re-introduction of the native oyster to NYC waters to reduce nitrogen pollution. The study’s results will help direct the selection of oyster restoration locations and densities, which will provide the maximum benefits for enhancement of nitrogen removal.

To learn more about the study, contact Dr. Hoellein at thoellein@luc.edu.

The show will run the rest of the week until it closes on Saturday, March 6. “I decided to direct Mud because it’s my favorite play ever,” explains Eastman. “No other play that I’ve read has had such a visceral impact in the language. The play has a deeply emotional effect with even a casual read,” he says.

During the show, the audience is not only introduced to Mae, but also two other characters, Lloyd and Henry. Mae and Lloyd live together and have succumbed to a lowly lifestyle, struggling amidst a deep state of poverty. As Lloyd’s health worsens, Mae meets Henry, who can read and agrees to help them by explaining a health pamphlet. Mae is overcome with emotion as she vies after the knowledge that Henry possesses. Conflict arises as she finds herself torn between her responsibility to Lloyd and her desperation for Henry’s intelligence and both men equally compete for her attention.

“Overall, this play is about people trapped in life by other people. It shows what can happen to people when we only worry about those who are in their direct sphere of contact. And what I want people to take from this show [is that] there’s hope hidden in the sadness,” explains Eastman.

This production is not only unique in content, but the way they’ve staged the show is also special compared to past plays put on in the Studio Theater. “One thing we’ve done that nobody has ever done is make the studio smaller,” says Eastman. “We wanted to have people feel as entrapped as the characters in the play, so we shrunk down the seating and staging areas.”

To purchase tickets for Mud, visit LUC.tix.com. It is strongly recommended to buy your tickets ahead of time, because they will likely go fast due to the small number of seats available. Tickets may be picked up at the Box Office will call table in Centennial Forum Student Union by 7 p.m., 30 minutes before the start of the show.

In order to reach out to young girls who are transitioning through this period of physical self-awareness, a panel of student and staff women leaders from the University became a part of the “Leader to Leader Interviews” initiative forwarded by the nonprofit Girls in the Game. The interview and luncheon took place Monday, February 21.

Girls in the Game is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide and promote “sports and fitness opportunities, nutrition and health education, and leadership development to enhance the overall health and well-being of girls.” With the “Leader to Leader” program, Girls in the Game hopes to introduce the young students to Chicago leaders in order to teach them about different career fields and have “meaningful dialogue about the issues girls face when growing up.”

After touring the campuses, eight young girls, ages 13 to 17, stopped at the athletic offices of Alumni Gym to talk to the panelists, several of whom hail from athletic backgrounds. The panelists include:

Janet V. Deatherage, PhD – Associate Dean, School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Carolyn O’Connell – Senior Associate Athletic Director

Clare Bodensteiner – Assistant Basketball Coach

Brittany Boeke – Senior forward, Loyola Women’s Basketball team

After the panel, the girls were treated to lunch at Piper Hall, home of the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership, where they were joined by Janet Sisler, director of the Gannon Center, Graduate Student Ann Terrell of the School of Social Work, and a number of Gannon Scholars.

These girls asked the panel questions like, “What is the hardest part of your job?” or “How does your job impact your personal life?” “The women on the panel talked a lot about taking multiple roads to finding a career that fits them, and that oftentimes you have to be open to different opportunities and you might be surprised where you end up,” says Jenny Martin, teen manager of Girls in the Game.

According to Martin, one of the greatest lessons the eight girls walked away with was the importance of prioritizing. “These teens are starting to learn firsthand about juggling school work, after school activities, and a social life. I think it was helpful for them to hear from professional women how important it is to maintain your priorities,” she says.

After the success of the experience, Loyola hopes to maintain a relationship with this nonprofit because cultivating the minds of today’s youth is a mission close to the University’s heart. “I think Girls in the Game can benefit greatly from a partnership with Loyola. It would be great to take some of our girls to see a Loyola women’s basketball game or to explore some of the other women’s sports teams on campus,” says Martin. “The more we can expose our girls to strong women with diverse experiences in terms of sports and leadership, the better we are preparing them to make informed choices for their futures,” she believes.

To find out more about Girls in the Game and their mission to empower young girls everywhere, click here.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Rahm Emanuel took Chicago with full force on February 22 during the 2011 Chicago mayoral election, gaining more than 55 percent of the votes and far outrunning his opponents. And though historically the number of votes cast by young adults have not been very high, many students at Loyola University Chicago are optimistic about Mayor-Elect Emanuel and are curious to see what he has in store for the city.

“The youth vote in past elections has not been as good, but it’s really getting to become a huge factor in what campaigners are looking for and it’s beginning to be a huge market,” explains Senior Chris Thompson, a theatre, English, and psychology triple-major. “I think that the youth vote is definitely one of the reasons Obama won his campaign, because he worked to target younger voters,” says Thompson.

“I think that more students should have taken the initiative to vote because ultimately, the decisions will affect us in some way and especially since we are adults now, we should take the initiative to choose our leaders,” believes Junior Kathryn Bro, a nursing major.

Senior Bryce Gangel, a theatre major, is most impressed by Rahm because of his passion. “I think he’s got backbone. He’s not really afraid of many things… he seems like a person who has a lot of drive and isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s important,” she believes.

Now that Rahm Emanuel has been elected, students hope that he sees the value of youth opinion and focuses on the issues that are important to them.

“Mayor Emanuel is going to have to work hard to keep businesses in the city, especially when you consider the recent Illinois tax increase. Businesses are already struggling to stay afloat, so I hope Rahm has a plan,” says Sophomore Hannah Witte, an economics major.

Witte is also concerned about the efficiency of public transportation, particularly in regards to the trains. “As a student who is taking the “L”, I know that they recently cut down how many trains were running, especially on the Red Line. I understand why they did it and it’s fine, but it would be great if Rahm could find a way to make it more efficient, especially at rush hour periods,” states Witte.

For those of us who live in neighborhoods where crime is still a problem, Bro hopes to see the new mayor work harder to keep the city safe.

“Although Loyola has really been trying to keep Rogers Park safe for students, it could definitely become safer,” says Bro. “When I watch the news, I see a lot of violence that occurs in the southern area of Chicago. I think the new mayor should try and do more to prevent that from happening.”

Something that Mayor Daley always put great emphasis on was the culture and art of the Windy City. Because of how important the arts were to Daley, Emanuel will have to continue this mission.

“Chicago is such a city for the arts and this has had a big impact on the way a lot of people campaign. Daley’s shoes are going to be really big to fill because he really cared about the arts and he had a lot of grant work and fundraising for theaters, dance, the Symphony Orchestra, street festivals,” says Thompson. “The arts have made this city what it is today and the new mayor can’t let it fall through the cracks because Chicago just wouldn’t be the same.”

ABA approval shows that the program has met the standards of educational quality specified in the ABA’s Guidelines for the Approval of Paralegal Education Programs. This distinction was achieved by only 274 programs in the United States.

“Having ABA approval on the program means that our students, once graduated, will meet certain and particular guidelines that employees are looking for,” says Kelly Barry, the academic program coordinator of Loyola’s paralegal studies program. “Many law firms, especially within the Chicago area, require or find it important to hire a paralegal from an ABA-approved program, and we want to provide that for our students,” she adheres.

Loyola’s Institute for Paralegal Studies has been instructing paralegals for 20 years and this approval certifies that it will continue to successfully do so. The graduates of the program go on to work in law firms, courts, government agencies, and corporations across America.

The post-baccalaureate curriculum includes concentration in Civil Litigation, Corporate/Commercial Transactions, and Corporate/Real Estate to meet the specialized needs of the legal community. The Institute also stresses the importance of technology skills in the legal practice of the 21st century.

The University must seek renewed approval every seven years to be sure that it still complies with the standards of ABA curriculum and current practices.With this ABA approval, the Institute for Paralegal Studies will be able to further improve and increase student internship and job opportunities.

Kelly Shannon is the Vice President of University Marketing and Communication for Loyola and on February 28, at noon, she will have her moment to shine in this series and will reveal the secrets to her long and successful career.

“One of the things that I would like for the students to understand is that careers don’t go on a linear path,” explains Shannon, referring to her start as a journalist after she received her undergraduate degree. “I think what one of my lessons will be [is] allow yourself some breath and allow yourself lateral departures off the road and allow yourself to go down forks [even though] you might not know what’s at the end of that,” she says.

And just because this event seemingly caters to a young female audience, Shannon is careful not to exclude all the men who could take away a lesson or two from her experiences. “This really should be genderless. I think men can get just as much out of this and, you know, leaders are leaders… you might learn just as much, if not more, from a female leader,” she asserts.

Shannon hopes to empower the students in the audience and show them how, despite the fixed idea they may have for their future, diverging from their preplanned paths may actually lead them to a higher and happier destination.

“I think you get someone who’s been in a career for 20-some or 30-plus years, they probably have some tales that would help younger people, students, who are just dreaming about what that world’s going to be like,” says Shannon. “I think the value that I bring is, literally, I’ve lived the last 30 years working in a number of different industries. I’ve worked in corporate life, I’ve worked in a government job, I’ve worked in nonprofit now. I think that that brings a lot of value,” she concludes.

After Shannon’s spotlight, Associate Professor P. Ann Solari-Twadell will speak on April 27 at noon. She is the director of the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. If you would like to hear the highlights from past speakers, click here. To RSVP for the February 28 event, click here.

The book is set in the late 1960′s and though the city is never named, it is easy to tell that it takes place in Chicago. It follows an African-American student to the fictional Eden University and is a coming-of-age story that passionately demands an answer to questions about identity that still linger on today.

“I first read about Angela Jackson’s new book, Where I Must Go, in the Chicago Tribune in 2009. I am always looking for Chicago authors who I think would appeal to Loyola faculty, staff, and students,” explains Cathy Miesse, the assistant dean for technical services and outreach.

What especially caught Miesse’s eye concerning Jackson’s life is the meaning of her struggles in a historical context. “I was interested in Ms. Jackson’s story of a young African-American student going to school at a predominantly white campus in an era transformed by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960′s,” she says.

Though the novel fictionally describes Eden University, Jackson’s book is subtlety autobiographical as the reader is able to see the connection to Jackson’s own experiences as a student at Northwestern University. “It was a turbulent time in America’s history and I think people will enjoy hearing her story about that time. I also thought that having Angela Jackson come speak would be a great way for the University Libraries to celebrate Black History Month,” claims Miesse.

After Jackson speaks on February 24, a number of other writers will discuss their recent works with the Loyola community. On March 31, Dr. Al Gini will give a lecture on his book Seeking the Truth of Things: Confessions of a (Catholic) Philosopher. Then, on April 14, political cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune Scott Stantis will give a discussion called “What’s Happening in Chicago’s Politics?”

If you would like to RSVP for or receive more information about any of these events, contact Cathy Miesse at cmiesse@luc.edu or 773.508.2674. The University Libraries staff promises “a rewarding time that will enlighten and fascinate you.”

Warren began this project in 2004 by simply handing out postcards to strangers or leaving them in public places around Washington, DC. These cards were self-addressed and encouraged people to anonymously reveal a secret. The requirements simply stated that the secret had to be true and it had to be something that you’ve never told anyone before. As of today, Warren has received more than 500,000 creatively decorated postcards expressing each individual’s soulful mysteries.

“I think people will see a lot of secrets that they can relate to and that are brutally honest. I think that might encourage people to share their secrets or possibly send in their own postcards. At the very least, I would hope that it would make everyone in our Loyola community realize that they are not alone in their struggles and fears,” says Jennifer Martin, the program director for the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.

In order to give Loyola students and staff their own opportunity to release their inner secrets, the University has created several exhibitions of their own that opened last Monday, February 21 at multiple locations around campus. If you visit either Centennial Forum Student Union, the Klarchek Information Commons, Quinlan Life Sciences Center, or Mundelein’s Center Stage café, you can read the many private thoughts of students, faculty, staff, and even alumni.

The reception to celebrate PostSecret’s grand opening will be held February 24, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and reservations are required by calling the Loyola Box Office at 773.508.3847. Admission to the exhibit itself is $5 for the general public and free to Loyola students (LUC ID required).

“PostSecret is a unique experience,” believes Martin. “When you go, you will not be seeing fine art. You will be seeing truth, pain, joy, confusion, fear, and everything in between. These postcards are not on display because they were created by someone who has art up in the MOMA or the Louvre. The artists are completely anonymous, it’s really about what is on that little three by five card,” she says.

Though this issue is grandiose and complex, Loyola students are trying to make a dent in this social problem and improve the lives of the homeless in New Orleans by participating in the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip.

From March 5 to 12, students will travel to the Gulf Coast region that was largely affected by the natural disaster and will work on a home for a deserving family who still has not recovered. The students will have an opportunity to get to know the family they are constructing the home for, as they will be helping in the project as well.

This Loyola group will work on the framing of a six-bedroom home and will most likely begin with a slab of concrete and, by the end of the week, have the entire house framed, the roof up, and the house dried in. Another group will come in after the Loyola students leave and finish the job, which is expected to be completed in May.

“I think this trip is a good chance to be exposed to harsh realities present in our society today and what we can do as college students to help,” says Senior Marika Iszczyszyn, the student-leader for the trip.

The cost of the trip is a little under $400 for the week, which covers transportation, Habitat fees, lodging, and most meals. Students are advised to bring an additional $100 to $200 for extra spending money.

But this trip will not be all work and no play. Students will have the chance to get to know the New Orleans culture, as well. Mardi Gras falls early this year, so those who go on this trip will be in town for Fat Tuesday and can immerse themselves in the celebration. Iszczyszyn says that she tries to have a fun event planned for every night so that students can get to know each other. In the past, students have visited historical downtown areas, gone bowling, had bonfires, and went out to experience the nightlife downtown.

Although these students are making a giant impact in the lives of one family, there are still thousands of other people living without shelter. “Honestly, I think that if everyone devoted a week of their busy life every year volunteering with an organization like Habitat for Humanity, an organization that helps put deserving families into homes, the number of people that live in poverty housing would greatly diminish,” asserts Iszczyszyn.

If you would like to get involved in the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip or would like more information on other trips in the future, contact Marika Iszczyszyn by e-mailing her at marika.iszczyszyn@gmail.com. Sign up for any of the opportunities Habitat for Humanity offers, because your work today can give someone a home tomorrow.

The story that Shaw has created is set in 1910 and presents an off-beat English family living in a lovely country home. The teenage Hypatia Tarleton tugs at the heart-strings of a mix-matched bunch of suitors and she plays with their emotions from start to finish. Though her father, John Tarleton, owns a very lucrative underwear business and has made a fortune, Hypatia longs to break free of a society that stifles her passion for life and its adventures.

It is because of this very energetic humor and physicality through language that Director Sarah Gabel decided to put on this play. “I enjoy Shaw because his language is very witty and he uses language as action. Language can be a weapon to get what someone wants [and] the words that [the characters] use are very active,” she explains.

The period of time in which this play was written also marks a dramatic turning point for the society of England. “The play takes place at the beginning of a new millennium. Just five years earlier, the Wright Brothers flew a plane for the first time. Music was changing, political climate was changing, class status was about to change, education was changing… everything felt possible, new, and exciting,” says Gabel. “We’re at the about the same point in our millennium… it’s the same feel. It just seems right to do Misalliance,” she feels.

But if you come to see Misalliance for any reason, come for the simple fact that you will leave much happier than when you arrived. “The audience is going to laugh very, very hard [and] their spirit will be uplifted. They will recognize themselves on stage in one, if not many, of the characters. They’re just going to have a really good time,” declares Gabel.

The show opens tonight (February 18) at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $7 to $15. Click here to purchase tickets or view details on show dates and times.

Though these career-oriented events are already underway, there’s still time to catch a number of them and sharpen your competitive edge in the job market. The remaining events include:

Look the Part, Get the Job, Thursday, February 17, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Corboy Law Center: students will find out how the way they dress affects whether or not they get the job. They will pick up tips on what to wear and what not to wear, how to look great on a tight budget, and also learn about other areas like hair, grooming, accessories, and makeup. And three lucky students will walk away with amazing door prizes including $100 gift cards for Water Tower Place.

The Internship and Job Event, Tuesday, February 22, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Corboy Law Center: Representatives, recruiters, and hiring managers from up to 35 employers of the Chicago area will be at this job fair looking for future hires and you could be the one they choose. Use the skills you learned during last week’s events and put them to the test. Come prepared with your resumes and network, network, network!

“The people who get hired are the ones who have that face-to-face connection. It’s the networking, it’s the knowing the person… that’s how you get the job. It’s not by blasting out a thousand resumes over monster.com,” believes Journalism Program Director John Slania. “Try to make some connections… sometimes it might lead to a job [or] maybe it’s just good experience, but it’s that face-to-face that’s really important. That’s why we do [the job event],” he says.

If you would like more detailed information on any of the events that the School of Communication will be holding, click here.

Sophomore Brooke Andresen was named to both the All-Horizon League First Team and All-Newcomer Team as a freshman last spring.

Fresh off of a successful fall season under a new coaching staff, the Loyola University Chicago softball program looks to the 2011 campaign with much optimism. First-year head coach Missy Beseres, who guided her squad to victories over Northwestern, DePaul, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and UIC in the fall, welcomes back 10 letterwinners from last season’s team.

The 2011 Ramblers feature a nice blend of youth and experience and the team returns a pair of All-Horizon League players from a year ago in senior catcher Jenna Grim and sophomore outfielder Brooke Andresen. Grim earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors last spring and tied a Loyola single-season record by belting 11 home runs, while also batting a career-best .328 with seven doubles and 32 RBI.

Andresen, who was named to both the All-Horizon League First Team and All-Newcomer Team as a freshman last spring, burst onto the scene in grand fashion. The left-handed hitter batted a team-high .384 with three home runs, seven doubles, a pair of triples, 21 RBI, and 10 stolen bases, while showing her versatility by playing both the infield and outfield.

Junior infielder Lauren Arceneaux, who played through an assortment of ailments last season, looks to bounce back to her freshman year form when she was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer squad. Despite the injuries last spring, Arceneaux appeared in 42 contests and posted five doubles, a home run, 11 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.

The Rambler offense will also be buoyed by the return of senior Jacqueline Grim, who saw time at both first base and right field, had her best year as a Rambler last season, and set career highs in every offensive category, including batting average (.264), home runs (5) and RBI (17). Senior infielder Bridget Lally started 35 contests, mostly at second base, last year and registered a pair of home runs and seven RBI, while playing solid defense.

Fleet-footed junior Stevie Bradich is one of three other returnees in the outfield. Bradich, who stole 26 bases as a freshman in 2009, swiped 11 bags a year ago and started 38 games. Senior Carly Benford, who drove in four runs and stole four bases in limited action after transferring from Phoenix College, and sophomore Tori Spears, who stole three bases in as many attempts, while seeing most of her action as a pinch runner last season, will also vie for playing time this spring.

Sophomore Lauren Gonzalez saw time at both catcher and designated player last season and batted .231 with a double and pair of RBI and will challenge for playing time at both spots again this year.

The Loyola staff welcomes in a large, but very talented cast of freshmen that have the ability to make immediate contributions this spring. Outfielder Olivia Bell had a standout career at suburban Plainfield South High School, where she batted .495 with eight home runs as a senior, while first baseman Emily Bentley hit a staggering .514 with 40 RBI during her senior campaign at Midland High School in Michigan.

A pair of other slugging infielders will look to crack Loyola’s lineup in 2011. A standout player at Antioch High School in Antioch, Ill., Lauren Moore had a monster senior season in 2010, batting .450 with seven homers and 45 RBI. Lauren Zaworski wrapped up her career with a .377 batting average and graduated as Fremd High School’s all-time leader with 16 home runs and 128 RBI.

Beseres, who was a standout pitcher herself at Penn State, will have a young but talented corps of hurlers this spring. The lone returnee from last season is junior Seana Stillson. The right-hander won three games last spring and tossed a pair of shutouts in her seven starting assignments.

Loyola will rely on a pair of freshman right-handers, Brittany Gardner and Keali Engelkens, who had stellar prep careers, to also provide innings this spring. As a senior at Sandburg High School last season, Gardner went 20-2 with a 0.66 ERA and 222 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Engelkens rolled up a 21-4 record and a 0.81 ERA as a senior at Milledgeville High School in 2010.

“We’ve been very excited and eager about getting the season underway,” Beseres said. “We have been working very hard these last few weeks and are looking to build on the success we had during the fall when we began to make a name for ourselves with some wins over quality opponents.”

The Ramblers who will face the likes of Northwestern, Notre Dame, DePaul, Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana and Wisconsin in non-League action, opened the 2011 season on Thursday, February 10 at the Best Western Marina Grand Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Click here to see their full schedule.

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God
February 24 to April 9, 2011
Ralph Arnold Fine Arts Annex

The Chicago premiere of Frank Warren’s exhibition will showcase more than 270 postcards from anonymous writers containing deep secrets concerning spirituality and religion.

Pippin
April 8-17
Kathleen Mullady Theatre

This pop-musical, directed by Mark E. Lococo, will run for two weekends. With pop- and rock-influenced music by Stephen Schwartz, the show will be unlike any seen on the main stage before.

Spring Dance Informance
April 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Kathleen Mullady Theatre

To close the season, dance students from all class levels will demonstrate their newfound skills in this informal dance performance. The audience will enjoy ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, and more.

The breaking of ground for the new Info Commons in Rome began last year and was recently inaugurated and open for use on January 25. Though this new library and study center is a much smaller version of the Klarcheck IC, holding up to 110 students and faculty, it is equally awe-inspiring.  The ceilings are adorned with charming chandeliers and detailed gold-leaf partitions and the main floor holds numerous sleek black chairs and fine wooden tables; it makes for a charming balance of the old and the new.

This two-floor building connected to the Rome Center offers an upper level space for books and periodicals, four study rooms equipped with a table and chairs and a flat screen TV, and also nearly 30 state-of-the-art desktop computers. “They’re saying it’s supposed to be one of the most technologically advanced libraries in all of Rome,” says Gabriella Fortunato, a recruiter for International Affairs.

For studying purposes, students studying in Rome have access to a full array of Loyola libraries’ databases and scholarly e-book collections as well as one of Italy’s largest English-language libraries housed in the Information Commons. The collection is still growing in its established strengths in classical studies and art history, but it is also working to fortify the area of Italian studies, including contemporary Italian culture, history, and politics.

Students have been flocking to the Rome Information Commons for not only studying purposes, but to also use it as a means of connecting to their friends and family back home. “There are study rooms that are soundproof where [students] can Skype and have some privacy. Many students are concerned about being away from home and not being able to stay connected and this definitely has [helped] that,” explains Fortunato.

Considering all the energy and power that the new technology of the Information Commons is using up, it’s not unusual to be concerned about the environmental effects of a building such as this. But according to Fortunato, the Rome Information Commons is environmentally friendly. “The Rome Center is not functioning on all of its own energy. We put in solar panels just last year over the summer [and] it’s actually producing more energy than the Rome Center even needs, so it’s giving energy to Rome as well,” she says.

Students who feel like a snack or need some caffeine can go to the famous Rinaldo and Nella’s bar located right below them in the basement of the Rome Center.

The new Information Commons is on its way to becoming the heart of the Rome Center and the administration is very proud and pleased to be able to give its students a place they can escape to. For more information about the John Felice Rome Center and how you can experience an education abroad, visit LUC.edu/romecenter.

The EMERGE Training & Development program is offering a total of nine courses this spring that seek to strengthen the abilities of those who posses leadership roles within the University or work as individual contributors.

“The thing I like about EMERGE is that the programs are convenient… they’re right here on campus [and] they are no cost to you, so your manager can’t object [and say] there’s no budget to send you to a conference or they can’t afford for you to be away,” explains Jorene Richards, the manager of the Training and Development program. “[The courses] really can assist you with your professional and personal development goals,” says Richards.

The classes designed specifically for managers include:

• Delegating for Results (February 23, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
• Coaching Skills for Managers (March 3, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
• Leading High-Performing Teams (March 22, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)

The classes aimed at the needs of individual contributors or non-managers include:

• Crucial Conversations (March 16 & 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Crucial Conversations: Refresher (March 29, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Writing Effective Emails (April 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (April 13, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
• Working as a High-Performing Team (March 24, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
• Conflict Resolution (April 5, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)

The newest courses that EMERGE would especially like to promote are Conflict Resolution, Leading High-Performance Teams, and working as a High-Performing Team. In Conflict Resolution, participants will learn how to use the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument in order to fully address issues of difference. If enrolled in the Leading High-Performance Teams class, you will learn how to address problems with poor performance and employee disagreement so you may fully achieve client satisfaction. Lastly, if you take Working as a High-Performing Team, each person will leave with an eye for observing their team’s weaknesses and limits and also the knowledge to correct and overcome them.

According to Richards, each one of these three new courses possess an emphasis on the importance of teamwork, a University-wide initiative. “We did a survey in 2010 and one of the findings from the survey was, across the University, teamwork was something that could be improved. So that’s why we’ve got these new classes to help people get better results and improve their work environment,” she says.

If you are interested in learning more about or enrolling in any of these courses, visit LUC.edu/emerge or e-mail Jorene Richards at jrich1@luc.edu. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, because courses that do not meet the minimum enrollment will be cancelled.

This year, more than 630 colleges will participate, including Loyola University Chicago. That means 6 million students and over 1.5 million faculty and staff will work towards the goal of keeping our earth clean and safe for generations to come.

The guidelines for the competition ask colleges to track and report the weights of their recycled waste products during this 10-week-long tournament. Universities and colleges are ranked based on the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest total amount of recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or having the greatest rate of recycling. Check out the results from the first week’s weigh-in on February 18 by going to RecycleMania’s result’s page at www.recyclemania.org.

This battle to save the planet is comprised of four main competitions (Grand Champion, Stephen K. Gaski Per Capita Classic, Waste Minimization, and Gorilla Prize) and four additional targeted material competitions, including Paper, Corrugated Cardboard, Bottles and Cans, and Food Service Organics. Loyola will be participating in the Gorilla Prize category.

“The recyclables that are being recorded into this national database [are] papers, cardboard, magazines, newspapers, copy paper, envelopes, stickies… all those cardboards and boxes, cans, bottles, and plastic containers 1 through 5 and 7. So that’s the general recyclable materials for the Gorilla category,” explains Gina Lettiere, the coordinator for the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy.

Some simple tips for reducing your ecological footprint include saving all canvas bags to take with you when you go grocery shopping or drinking coffee out of a reusable mug or water out of a reusable water bottle. But according to Lettiere, a really effective way to be environmentally aware is to simply abstain from purchasing things that we know will only lead to more pollution and waste.

“Reducing our consumption is really critical. So if you’re confused about recycling, just don’t buy it [or] don’t use it. Food wrappers, candy wrappers, chip wrappers… those are not recyclable, so try not to buy it,” asserts Lettiere.

Loyola has done well during the past two years it has participated in the competition. In 2009, the University ranked 146 out of 293 and in 2010, ranked 79 out of 346 colleges and universities that competed in the Gorilla category. This year, Lettiere hopes that Loyola will have an even better standing compared to last and make the top 50.

“[It’s a] really great time… for people to think about recycling and get into the habit of recycling. If they haven’t in the past, now’s the time to join. If they’ve been recycling, but they’re not quite sure what’s recyclable, what’s not recyclable, it’s an opportunity to improve their behaviors,” explains Lettiere.

Keep an eye out during the week for special events inspired by RecycleMania. For example, the University is holding sorting competitions where students can break into teams of two or three and race to sort the greatest amount of recyclables in the shortest amount of time. The University will also feature weekly RecycleMania trivia questions in Inside Loyola’s “The Feed” section and some lucky respondents will receive prizes.

For more information about RecycleMania, visit www.recyclemania.org. If you have specific questions regarding Loyola’s participation in this year’s competition, e-mail recycle@luc.edu.

John Pelissero, PhD, Loyola’s provost, addresses students at the ACE welcome reception.

Since launching this fall, the Achieving College Excellence (ACE) program, a new retention initiative for undergraduate students (targeted towards low-income and first-generation students and students with documented disabilities), has enrolled 125 students, hired two full-time staff members—ACE project director De’Sha Wolf and ACE advisor Derrick Gunter—and enters 2011 with a line up of new spring programming for students.

The programming is designed specifically around the ACE students’ academic needs and interests, explains Stephanie Stewart, PhD, ACE faculty director. “In early December, we held a reception for all of the ACE students where we welcomed and introduced them to the program,” says Stewart. “During that event, we gave an in-depth needs assessment and interest survey to students in order to learn more about their academic strengths and weaknesses and future goals. ACE spring programming was then tailored accordingly.”

Spring programming includes:

• Faculty panel discussions
• Alumni mentoring (matching ACE students with alumni mentors according to their career interests)
• Financial literacy workshops
• Career-preparation experiences
• Graduate school tours within and outside of Loyola
• Cultural excursions and more

For more information on the ACE program, visit LUC.edu/ace.

In order to discuss the future of this academic realm, Marjorie Garber, a William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English at Harvard University, will hold the Forum on Higher Education in the Humanities on February 9 at 3 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Klarchek Information Commons.

During her lifetime, Garber has written 15 books and has edited seven essay collections about an outstandingly wide range of topics, from literary theory to animal studies to Shakespeare. Not only does she teach at Harvard, but she is also the Chair of the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies and also the Director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts.

She received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College in 1966 and earned a PhD from Yale University in 1969. Now she has come to Loyola to reach out to students and Loyola community members who are interested in her field of study, the humanities, and discuss some of the many ways it has progressed throughout the years.

“I think [Garber’s discussion] is going to be about how well we define the humanity disciplines today as opposed to the past… especially because disciplinary [humanities] are getting challenged by, [for example], historians looking at literature or literary scholars looking at philosophy,” explains Julia Bninski, the communications officer for the English Graduate Student Association.

And for those individuals who are not necessarily hoping to become humanitarian intellectuals, the discussion will offer something to them, as well.

“I think she’s very interested in scholars talking about sort of the larger questions… like, ‘What is human nature?’ And making their research intelligible to non-experts. In terms of speakers, I would say she is one of the most understandable and engaging,” asserts Bninski.

The lecture is a free event and is open to the public. For more information on Garber’s personal and academic background, click here.