Thanks to the efforts of Jennifer Williams, continuing education students at Aquinas have a new resource on campus – the Aquinas Club for Continuing Education Students, or, as it’s known, A.C.E.

One of the newest Senate-recognized organizations on campus, A.C.E. seeks to support and connect continuing education students at Aquinas, offering special events, speakers and social opportunities designed to make life easier for non-traditional aged students.

Williams, a continuing education student who will graduate this year with a degree in political science, says that when she approached Director of Adult Student Recruitment Brenda Hennink about A.C.E., she envisioned a group to help “every CE student feel like there’s a place for them on campus.” With Hennink’s support, Williams sent out a survey and found “overwhelming support” among CE students for such an organization. Soon after, the club was born.

Since its first meeting on Aug. 26, A.C.E. has been exactly what it’s acronym implies – a hole-in-one. The group meets Tuesday nights every third week, featuring guest speakers on a variety of academic and social topics especially important to CE students. On Sept. 9, Assistant Professor of Theology Stephan Davis led a writing workshop attended by roughly 20 students. A.C.E. plans to host a professional talent recruiter at its Dec. 2 meeting. The meetings are open to all CE students and consistent attendance is not mandatory.

“I’ve met a ton of new people,” says Williams. “This filled a void and a lot of people have said to me it’s helped them realize all of what Aquinas has to offer.”

A.C.E. is advised by Molly Patterson, assistant professor of political science, and has received significant support from various departments on campus. In early Oct., the Office of Adult Student Recruitment, the College’s three academic deans and A.C.E. sponsored “Deans on the Deck” – a social gathering for CE students that featured an Oktoberfest-style dinner, refreshments and a chance to meet Aquinas deans and professors. Nearly 100 students and their guests attended.

“Students are so busy with their family and work lives that it’s rare for them to be able to slow down enough to take the time to socialize with people here at the College,” said Hennink. Regarding the presence of the students’ friends and relatives, Hennink said, “It’s important for us to recognize those that support our students as they go through the program.”

Although Williams will graduate in May, she is proud of what A.C.E. has accomplished and believes it will continue to grow.

“Aquinas has a great [continuing education] program,” she said. “It would be great if we could make A.C.E. a drawing factor for prospective students.”

 For more information on A.C.E., please contact Jennifer Williams at willije3@aquinas.edu.

Dangerous words: Vandals struck the Grace Hauenstein Library sometime before morning on Thursday, Oct. 30. Student witnesses recall finding the words “Bomb Abortion Clinics” scrawled across the brick signage. The threatening language struck a particularly sensitive chord on campus, as it came in the midst of Pro-Life Week on campus.”Nobody has been identified at this point,” said Campus Safety Director Tony Nolan in a voicemail message on Friday. “The police have reported and logged it as debasement of private property. We consider it vandalism and have cleaned up the paint.”

An anonymous source has told The Saint that the surveillance cameras which would have captured the incident were either inactive or positioned incorrectly.
Despite the College’s efforts, the damage was still visible on the Library facade as of Monday.

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s extraordinary election, blinded by the lights and confetti at Chicago’s Grant Park, amidst the cheering thousands who one day will tell their children, and their children’s children, “I was there,” it is easy to forget the challenges a President Obama will face come Jan. 20 in the White House. The fight is not over.The election of Barack Obama is a historic one, and one to celebrate. One, indeed, to tell the grandchildren about: “I was there. I saw it happen.” Last night, the United States redeemed itself on the brightest of world stages, proving once again that this is a country of opportunity for all those who believe in its promise.

Obama’s election to America’s highest office will not undo the unforgivable slavery and segregation scarring our young history, but it will go a long way toward removing the albatross of racial inequality from our national conscience. Now is a time of great polarity in American politics, but on this day after the election, let us pause so as to forever remember the moment at which we accepted the call of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., and truly “let freedom ring.”

Yet let us also remember that the fight does not stop here. Like “the shot heard ‘round the world” fired in a small Massachusetts town in 1775, let us recognize this moment as the beginning, and not the end, of a campaign. A campaign that began with the minutemen on Concord green, with the abolitionists in the village square, the suffragists on the picket lines, and the unionists on strike. Let us remember also the marchers in Birmingham, the students at Kent State, and the untold millions who, at various points in history, have descended on Washington in support of freedom, equality and democracy.

Our democracy is indeed great, but it is also imperfect. Its success – and thus our freedom – is dependent upon our own vigilance. That our government’s power is derived from the people is as much a blessing as it is a curse.

Although we have succeeded in electing the first African-American to the presidency in history, we must be cautious to avoid exaggerated self-congratulations. Now that so much is symbolically accomplished, above all we must not become complacent. There is, as the aforementioned crises suggest, much work to be done.

The damage inflicted on our international reputation over the past eight years is staggering, and yet we must resist the temptation to withdraw into the mythical safety of isolationism. On the contrary, the incoming Obama administration should pursue a proactive policy of engagement with the world. It’s no joke to say that a goodwill tour of some kind is in order. Obama’s election proved the United States capable of acting on its pledge of equality and justice for all, and now is the time for evangelism, however in a less aggressive form than the outgoing neoconservatives would likely prefer.

History was made last night, but it wasn’t changed. There is no changing the terrible and many sins our nation has committed in the name of God and Country over the past two and a half centuries. We can neither undo the racism that marrs our past nor can we bring back the thousands lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. What we can do, however, is move forward reaffirmed in the knowledge that the American promise remains relevant in the 21st century – and more achievable than ever.

When you recall what happened last night, many years from now, I hope you will tell your children, or your children’s children, “I was there. I was part of it.” But afterward, I hope you and I will be able to smile and also say, “That was just the beginning.”

Senator Carl Levin visited Associate Professor and Political Science Chair Roger Durham’s World in Crisis class on Friday, Nov. 17, supplementing the course with his expertise in military and foreign policy.Levin, a Democrat and the longest-serving U.S. senator in Michigan’s history, currently serves as chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee. Despite his Democratic alliances and his own reelection bid against Republican Jack Hoogendyk, Levin was insistent in his focus on the issues.

“People were really impressed,” said freshman Kyle Pray. “He wasn’t focused on the election. He was very bipartisan and not at all confrontational.”

Levin focused his remarks on the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Regarding Iraq, the senator cautioned students that a difficult road lay ahead for the United States, predicting that as power shifts within the Iraqi government, the pressure to withdraw U.S. troops will only intensify.

Whereas Levin sees a gradual withdrawal from Iraq on the horizon, he also spent time at Aquinas advocating a troop “surge” to reinforce U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and prevent resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda forces from advancing further.

Such a sudden influx of U.S. troops into Afghanistan would be similar to the recent “surge” strategy implemented in Iraq, according to Levin.

Levin additionally took the opportunity to commend students for their interest and activism in the 2008 campaign cycle.

“I’ve never seen this kind of energy level to get out the vote,” Levin said. Levin, who supports Barack Obama, did take a moment to address the Democratic candidate’s much publicized tour overseas.

“He talked about how Obama went to Germany and 200,000 people went to hear him speak, and then Americans criticized him for it,” said Pray. “Levin said people shouldn’t criticize him for that because when people are excited about the United States abroad, it’s a good thing.”
According to Pray, Levin struck students as both courteous and knowledgeable.

“He knew what he was talking about,” said Pray. “It was really interesting.”

Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, leading Democrats in an unprecedented call for change across the nation. Before a crowd of more than 100,000 in Chicago’s Grant Park and on television sets across the world, Obama declared, “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible…tonight is your answer.”

Will Barack Obama win in an historic landslide? Or will John McCain pull off a stunning comeback? How much control will Democrats have when the Senate reconvenes in January? A lot is at stake and unprecedented turnout is expected as America votes. Stay with the Saint for post-election updates throughout the week.

The unexpected passing of psychology professor Burton Ozarow on Wednesday has left a profound void at Aquinas, as current and former students, faculty and staff mourn a man described by President Balog as “a wonderful teacher” and devoted family man.

Ozarow, 61, died in his sleep Wednesday at home. He had been on campus as recently as Monday.

“It was a shock,” Balog said in an interview with The Grand Rapids Press. “He was here Monday talking to people…and suddenly (Wednesday) we got the call.”

According to the Press, Ozarow’s wife said that “Doctors said they believe he suffered an arrhythmia caused by an underlying heart problem.”

“We’re very saddened,” he said. “It’s a blow not only to his own family but also for the whole college family.” Ozarow has taught at Aquinas since 1983. A memorial service was held this morning in Cascade. Ozarow, who is survived by his wife Bonnie, and daughter Abby, lived in Ada.

“His biggest pleasure was his family, and his daughter Abby,” said Bonnie. “His whole world revolved around his family.”

***

For more on the life of Burton Ozarow and reflections on his tenure at Aquinas, please see the upcoming issue of The Saint on Sept. 17.

Ever so often, as I stare bleary-eyed at the blinking cursor upon a blank Word document, I find myself lamenting the very foundation upon my post-modern existence is constructed:
I am haunted by the memory of writing in cursive.

I can still remember consulting the coffee-stained Rolodex on the kitchen counter.

I yearn for life before Facebook, research before Wikipedia, entertainment before YouTube.

I remember laughing before LOL, leaving before BRB, freaking out before OMG.

Just ten years later, our world is one without boundaries. Barring the advent of the Internet, just think of all the things we might have done without: online predators. Spam. Perez Hilton. Even eHarmony. Enough said.

Now before I jump on the wagon down to Shipshewana, I must admit that as a member of the Facebook generation I do enjoy privileges my parents did not. Foremost among them, of course, is the unprecedented access to information the Internet makes possible.

It is, after all, convenient to be able to resolve late-night arguments over Lewis Carroll’s real name with a quick Google search. And despite the proliferance of worthless blogs, conspiracy theories, and celebrity trash, it’s impossible to discount the value of 24/7 access to news in a democratic society.

That being said, and as a journalist, editor and English major, I cannot help but lament the lack of interest our generation exhibits in reading – be it a single newspaper or an entire novel. The fact of the matter is that our convenience-obsessed, continually-updating generation is culturally worse off with the Internet than it was without, preferring pictures to words and bullet points to sentences.

We have become complacent, lost somewhere in the “series of tubes” that, according to our current president, is “the Internets.”

When I go out of town, I rarely bring my laptop. Friends call me crazy. Before a recent trip to Washington, D.C. some asked me, “How can you stand to be so disconnected?” As though the Internet were some kind of artificial life support.

“It’s a vacation,” I usually respond. “That’s the point.”

Somehow, though, the night before my departure, I always find myself at the computer, editing my profile status: “In D.C.,” it says. “BRB.

Sphere: Related Content

]]> http://aqsaint.com/2008/10/03/life-before-facebook-living-without-lol/feed 0 http://aqsaint.com/2008/10/03/obama-draws-16000-at-calder-plaza-mccain-pulls-out-of-michigan http://aqsaint.com/2008/10/03/obama-draws-16000-at-calder-plaza-mccain-pulls-out-of-michigan#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:31:08 +0000 Dan Treul http://aqsaint.com/?p=513

Sen. Barack Obama held an early morning rally in Grand Rapids yesterday, drawing an estimated crowd of 16,000 people to Calder Plaza, where the Democratic presidential candidate delivered a 30-minute speech contrasting his economic proposals to those of his Republican challenger, Sen. John McCain.

“The unemployment rate here in Grand Rapids and other parts of this state is nearly double what it is across this country,” Obama said. “And a new jobs report is coming out tomorrow that experts predict will show our ninth straight month of job loss. McCain just two weeks ago said ‘the fundamentals of our economy are strong,’” he said. “Well, where I come from, the strongest fundamental of the economy is a job.”

According to Real Clear Politics, Obama is leading in statewide polling by an average of seven percentage points, and trending upward.

Just hours after Obama’s rally in Grand Rapids, the McCain campaign announced it was pulling out of Michigan in order to focus its efforts on more competitive battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a McCain campaign official in Grand Rapids told this reporter that he was “unfortunately not allowed to give…any information on that.” He declined to characterize the move as a complete pull-out, noting that some staff will remain in the state.

It was announced today that both the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee have decided to suspend all future TV and radio advertising on behalf of McCain in Michigan.

The move all but concedes Michigan’s 17 electoral votes to Obama. The state hasn’t voted Republican in a presidential election since 1988, but many Republican strategists believed McCain had a shot. According to the McCain campaign, staff and resources in Michigan will be “shifted” elsewhere.

“It’s not good news,” said Michigan McCain campaign Co-chair Charles Yob in an interview with the Grand Rapids Press. The anticipated loss of Michigan tightens the already difficult battleground electoral math for McCain.

According to Andrew Romano of Newsweek, “The truth is, without Michigan – which the campaign has now all but admitted it will lose – it’s very difficult to see how McCain can emerge victorious on Nov. 4.”

Speculation grew today that the McCain campaign was considering a similar move in Pennsylvania, which has also been trending Democratic.

The McCain campaign has cancelled all future candidate appearances in Michigan. On Monday, Obama will visit Ypsilanti, where he will appear alongside rock legend and Democratic activist Bruce Springsteen.

What this country needs is a good depression. The longer the better. For the past week, the entire nation or, “Main Street,” as our illustrious leaders call it, has watched helplessly as the market has tanked and the government politicizes a response of unprecedented scale.

I’ve had it.

Let Wall Street crash. I want to see bankers on the run, chaos on the floor, and a shortage of red ink at Office Depots everywhere.

As for the bailout plan – a $700 billion warm fuzzy for corporate America courtesy our tax dollars – let that fail too. Wall Street doesn’t need saving; it needs remaking.

A $700 billion bailout for failed private enterprise? Federal takeovers of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Lehman Brothers? The convenient government seizure and selling of Washington Mutual? How about AIG?

And how about you? How about your parents, your family and friends? What are you getting out of the deal?

If you’re like me, you haven’t gotten a dime in economic assistance from the federal government. If you’re like me, you were told in April that you “didn’t make enough money to qualify for the economic stimulus payment.”

Huh?

Right…because it’s not as though my fiscally irresponsible and rash decision-making, non-investing youthful self is going to do anything useful with the money… nah, couldn’t happen.

If there’s anything hilarious about the economic catastrophe that this country’s outgoing administration has blessed us with, it’s the undeniable irony of Bush-brand fiscal “conservatism.”

A few fun facts:

- This president has presided over the largest expansion of federal government since the New Deal.

- This president has overseen nearly unprecedented and uninterrupted tax cuts during a time of war.

And now, of course, the bailouts. At least $700 billion in one attempted rescue bill alone. Untold billions more for the acquisitions of Lehman Brothers, AIG, etc.

Next time I hear a Bush-supporting Republican spewing anti-Socialist nonsense, I may just vomit. Nationalized healthcare, indeed.

Although I obviously don’t wish to see anyone undeserving suffer as a result of the government and Wall Street’s absolute arrogance and incompetence, I strongly believe that it’s high time we face the music.

Perhaps not as individuals, but as a nation, we deserve this.

Perhaps a full-on market crash will succeed in teaching Wall Street a lesson where we the people have failed.

Perhaps now they will listen.

As I write this, I am fully aware that my views on this issue are not popular – at least among the more controlling forces of our society.

I don’t care.

If the government deems me so poor and inconsequential as to deny me a lousy $600 stimulus check, I can at least take comfort in the fact that I won’t be helping to preserve a morally bankrupt system.

Such is my disgust.

I cannot say, either, that I’m disappointed by what will surely be this crisis’ adverse effect on our position of global power.

It’s high time we were dethroned, or, as it were, deposed. 

Belgium may take our beloved Budweiser. China may have our shameful debt. Let them come into our self-anointed temple. Let them overturn our tables.

Right now, there are families – millions of them – across America that cannot afford to feed, clothe, and educate their children.

How has this happened? This is America. The land of “amber waves of grain,” the land of opportunity. Things like this do not happen here. They happen, but they do not happen here. This is America.

No. No, it’s not.