Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
Colleen Bott
Contributing Writer
More Xavier students than ever are choosing to eschew an MTV-style spring break and instead volunteer through Alternative Breaks. The program has grown so much that there are 44 Alternative Break site leaders this year. That number is more than the total participation of all trips when Alternative Breaks was started in 2000 by Amanda Corzine, then a sophomore at Xavier. The 30 students involved went on one of three trips over their spring break.
This year, 22 trips are planned involving approximately 207 students, 44 site leaders, 12 board members and nine faculty and staff members. This makes Xavier’s Alternative Breaks program among the top 10 largest in the country and the largest program that is entirely run by students. Eighteen trips were initially planned, but when an unprecedented 288 applications were received, the board members decided to add four extra trips to the Gulf Coast area because of high interest in serving areas affected by Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina last year.
Xavier has received national attention from the parent organization, BreakAway, for being a small school whose program has grown quickly in such a short amount of time. Director and senior Beth Carver commented on what that means:
“The national organization now contacts us for ideas. We’ve gone from being a school that learned from others, and that’s how we grew, to a program that can teach others,” she said. “We’ve developed our own structure for our board, and the national program is using us as a model for other small schools looking at starting or expanding their programs.”
Another idea that has spread to other schools is adding a mystery trip, where participants are given clues about where they are going, but not told until the day of the trip. Now in its third year at Xavier, other schools are picking up the idea.
Junior Laura Morand, a site coordinator in charge of putting trip logistics together, commented on the effort involved in adding new trips.
“It’s going to be a little extra work,” she said. “But it’s worth it if we can allow more people to participate. The Gulf Coast is a place where a lot of help is still needed, and it’s great that we can send more people there.”
Junior Katy Bartholomew has participated in Alternative Breaks trips for two years. Last year, she went to Florida on a trip focused on environmental issues.
“We went to the Everglades and focused on invasive species removal. It was only a few months after the hurricanes, and one of the paths was still shut down, so we spent two days clearing that,” she said.
Alternative Breaks strives not only to provide opportunities for direct service, but to educate participants about issues and allow them to reflect on what they have learned and experienced. Its goal is to create aware citizens active in the global community. Each trip is organized around an issue, and trips are sent all over the country and the world, from El Salvador and Jamaica to West Virginia, Baltimore and California. Bartholomew explains what she learned from her experience.
“It changed my perspective on the power of nature and its destructive forces, and it taught me about the great power we have to change things to combat those destructive forces,” she said.
A week-long trip to Ukraine might sound like an expensive break, but extensive fundraising means that participants only have to pay a couple hundred dollars out-of-pocket.
Xavier’s trips are some of the cheapest compared to schools such as Vanderbilt, where Alternative Breaks was started, that can run up to $700.
Students who would like to support the program can pick up a fundraising certificate from the Dorothy Day House or cut it out in this week’s Newswire and go to Max and Erma’s in Rookwood Commons on Thursday, Oct. 26. Twenty percent of the bill will be given to the program.
All involved are excited about the growing program, including communications director and senior Steve Taylor.
“We have grown immensely, and hopefully we will be able to continue to expand in the future,” he said.
Carver also hopes that the program will get bigger:
“One of our biggest goals is to serve the student need,” she said. “There is a drive to want to do this. There is interest. We envision every student who wants to participate being able to do so. No one wants to have to turn down someone interested in doing service on their spring break.”
Colleen Bott
Contributing Writer
The Peace and Justice Programs are celebrating their 25th anniversary from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 in the GSC Clocktower Lounge. The celebration will include music, children’s activities and testimonies from alums of the Peace and Justice Programs started by Benjamin Urmston, S.J.
“Peace and Justice Programs are an effort of Xavier to integrate faith and justice. We emphasize not just social service, but social analysis and justice as well,” said Urmston. “It is not an easy thing to work for peace and justice. A special department can be a catalyst for other activities. Unless we have something devoted specifically to peace and justice, it can get lost in the shuffle.”
Over the years, he says, more students have become involved in the programs, along with faculty and staff. The programs try to work with other departments on campus.
“It has to be a partnership,” Father Ben said. “Different departments can work together to create an interdisciplinary perspective. Is there a way to end the war system? Is there a way to confront global warming? Economics, theology, biology – we can address these topics in a variety of ways.”
Father Ben says one of his proudest accomplishments is the implementation of a peace studies minor, a 15 credit hour interdisciplinary minor. The goals of the program include “the causes and consequences of war and social conflict; the ethical implications of violence and peace; the requirements for peace and strategies for conflict resolution; and the relationship between peace, justice and ecological sustainability.”
Peace studies minor Molly Hartge reflects on how the courses have affected her:
“The peace studies minor has allowed me to look at the world in a totally new light,” she said. “It shows me that there are numerous issues in the world, and the way to start change is to learn about them and see the other sides of issues and other possible lifestyles.”
Another popular aspect of peace and justice programs at the Dorothy Day House is ConneXions, a program strictly for first-year students. For a few hours once a week, students visit a local organization to learn more about issues and to participate in service opportunities. Freshman Anna Russell feels this has taught her a lot about the city:
“One of the greatest attributes of ConneXions is becoming more aware of the tangible problems that exist. It teaches you about the little things you can do, and places them in a greater social context that allows you to more effectively work on changing your small corner of the world,” she said.
As co-president of Voices of Solidarity, a group dedicated to Latin American issues, junior Lauren Staley talks about how peace and justice programs have affected her personally and the campus at large.
“Peace and justice programs have brought the Jesuit ideals of promoting justice into action on our campus,” she said. “This is evident for me on a personal level in that I’ve become committed to thinking critically about the systemic causes of problems facing society and challenging these problems by working for change.
“Peace and justice programs have also continuously supported more wide-scale efforts to bring change into action, such as the national School of the Americas/WHINSEC protest that Xavier’s Voices of Solidarity attends every year. The Dorothy Day House, in particular, has become a place for students to share hopes, join in solidarity and support each other, all in an effort to transform our individual lives and our society into ones centered on compassion and justice.”
Father Ben is excited about the 25 year anniversary:
“I want to use it as an opportunity to give gratitude to God, the Society of Jesus, faculty, staff and students, to work for the integration of faith and justice,” he said.
The goals of the program include encouraging more journaling among students to reflect on their experiences, and allowing all students to learn about peace and justice through the core class requirements. Father Ben has been working on visioning, and his video “A Vision of Hope” has inspired a lecture series, now in its second year at Xavier.
“I don’t think that any student should graduate from Xavier without an awareness of peace, justice and the importance of caring for the integrity of creation,” Father Ben said. “They may not agree on every idea, but it’s important to take a look.”
Courtney Gillett
Asst. Campus News Editor
How would you feel if you were told that you had only two months to live?
This is the case for local Cincinnati police officer Jason Faulkner, who needs a bone marrow donor within the next two months. In an effort to assist him, there will be tissue testing taking place from 10-2 p.m. on Friday in GSC, room 330.
Faulkner was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January of 2005. This type of leukemia is a rare form of the bone marrow and a blood disease that usually affects children.
According to the official site for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), www.marrow.org, more than 35,000 children and adults are in need of a bone marrow transplant every year, and only 30 percent of those seeking a transplant actually receive one, which makes finding a match for Officer Faulkner a daunting task. However, Xavier students’ help on Friday would increase the chances of saving his life.
Faulkner previously went into remission after nine months of chemotherapy, but recently had a recurrence in his spinal column. He now needs a bone marrow transplant from someone who has tissue containing the same amount of human leukocyte antigens that he does. These antigens are proteins that help the immune system.
The friends, family and co-workers of Officer Faulkner have organized a number of donor recruitment activities in Kentucky and Cincinnati, including a benefit and a silent auction.
“Everyone in the family has already been checked, including police and firefighters [but] still no match,” stated Mary Watkins, Officer Faulkner’s sister-in-law, in an interview with the Northern Kentucky Enquirer last week.
The interview also stated that close to 1,000 people have been registered on the national bone marrow registry for Faulkner’s sake.
There is no need to fear that the testing will be painful; it only requires a swab test to the mouth and some medical paperwork. Persons being tested must also be between the ages of 18 and 60.
Contact Jason’s recruits at 513-662-6918 or j.p.watkins@fuse.net for more information.
Kelly Shaw 
Campus News Editor
The Student Activities Council (SAC) is inviting all students to the Pumpkin Patch Hoe-Down which will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday on the Xavier bookstore patio. There will be line and square dancing, free food, pumpkin carving and real hayrides. Don’t be afraid to face the cold and come dressed in your country best. Call x3534 for more information.
Spring
registration
Tickets for spring semester 2007 are available on the Student Services tab under “registration status” on the XU portal. This ticket determines when you are eligible for registration online or in person. Contact the registrar at 513-745-3941.
Salsa dancing lessons
The Department of Recreational Sports along with SOL is holding weekly introductory salsa dance lessons. These will take place from 7-8 p.m. at the O’Connor Sports Center Fitness Studio. The price is $3. Students are welcome to come single or with a partner. Call or email Julio Minsal-Ruiz at x8155 or at minsal-ruizj@xavier.edu for more information.
Breast cancer fundraiser
The Student Athlete Academic Council (SAAC) has designed a “Winning the Battle” pink and grey T-shirt in order to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. They will be sold for $10 in GSC from 12-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25 and in the Athlete Academic Resource Center on the first floor of Kuhlman Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Contact powers@xavier.edu for more information.
SOL cookout
Care to taste a traditional, Latin, home-cooked meal? Join the Student Organization of Latinos from 6-7:30 p.m. on Sunday in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) on the second floor of the GSC.
Ireland summer study
An informational session for the Ireland Summer Study sessions will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25 in B11 Alter Hall. Call or email Dr. White at (513)745-2997 or white@xavier.edu for more information.
Spooktacular
This week, the Xavier University Television Association’s (XUTVA) show “Time Well Spent” will broadcast a special Halloween edition called “Spooktacular.” Students are encouraged to come to the TV studio at 3:30 p.m. on Friday to be a part of the audience, as well as to receive free candy. This week’s spooky edition will be broadcasted, as usual, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Men 4 Others
The Men 4 Others group is holding their first meeting at 9 p.m. on Thursday in the Men 4 Others House, 3728 Ledgewood Ave. All students are encouraged to attend. The group will be reviewing plans that might include movie nights, Halloween Featastik Funapaloozas, Christmas dinners and a very special event that involves wheels and moving bodies. Contact men4others@xavier.edu for more information.
