Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
Darfur activist Nick Clooney to speak at Xavier
Kelly Shaw
Asst. Campus News Editor
Though Xavier has hosted famous musical personalities, well-known poets and playwrights, and controversial politicians, the university has never had the chance to host a name such as Clooney. An appearance and presentation by journalist and advocate Nick Clooney will amend that statement at 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the Schiff Family Conference Center.
While Nick Clooney may not have the credentials of a superstar as his son George does, the Xavier chapter of a larger national group called Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, believes he has just as much importance.
Founded by seniors Ian Maloney, Joyce Cruz and Farrell Kukucka, the group concerns itself with education and advocacy about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. It has been in operation since the fall of 2005.
The group has attempted to become a forum for information about the genocide in Darfur for students by distributing cards and green ribbons to raise awareness, as well as shown films such as “Hotel Rwanda” for interested students. This event with Nick Clooney will be their largest undertaking to date.
“This is something that is of the utmost importance to our group and the international community, and I feel that all students will benefit from attending this event,” said co-founder Farrell Kukucka.
Senior Shannon O’Neill, an official for the group, saw Mr. Clooney speak a few months ago and asked him to come to Xavier.
“This is extremely valuable due to his extensive credentials in journalism and advocacy, along with his firsthand experience in visiting Sudan with his son George Clooney,” said Kukucka. “He has done extensive work in spreading the message about this humanitarian crisis by sharing his stories and experiences. Now Xavier University and the local community are fortunate enough to welcome him here.”
During his presentation, Clooney will focus on the nature of the genocide that is going on in Darfur, describe his travels and experiences with victims of the genocide and share their horrific stories, as well as describe methods of advocacy available to students.
“Genocide is a global issue that has been perpetrated in the past and we are now allowing it to occur once again. It is a problem that should force all of us to reflect about the moral and ethical obligations we have towards our fellow man,” said Kukucka.
The estimated number of deaths in the conflict is around 400,000, a figure from the Coalition for International Justice that has since been cited by the United Nations. As many as 2.5 million people are said to have been displaced.
“We, as a Jesuit university, have an obligation to insist upon more action from our own government and the international community, and this event is an excellent step in the direction of education and change for this terrible humanitarian crisis,” said Kukucka.
Both Nick and George Clooney are adamant about sharing their experiences and have appeared on “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN, “The Today Show” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” They also contribute to national events sponsored by groups such as the Save Darfur Coalition. George Clooney recently spoke to the United Nations Security Council, comparing the current situation to the Rwandan, Cambodian and Holocaust genocides.
While Kukucka believes Mr. Nick Clooney’s presence is of utmost importance for the upcoming visit, when asked if his son might be joining him, he stated that “George Clooney is not scheduled to appear. However, stranger things have happened, I suppose.”
Xavier interns help more than a resume
Colleen Bott
Contributing Writer
An exciting internship opportunity is available to Xavier students this summer. For some time now, Xavier has offered the summer service internship program for students interested in working for a local non-profit organization over summer break. Applications for this competitive and often life-changing program are available at www.xu.edu/involvement and are due to the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership in GSC 320 by 5pm on Monday, January 29.
Interns spend 35 hours a week at their assigned site. Private donors ensure that interns are paid and the program continues, providing non-profits with valuable services for a small fee on their part.
Junior Caitlin Siehl was one of the interns last summer. She worked with children at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center in Over-the-Rhine, and believes it added to her summer.
“It was a great opportunity to get to know an area of Cincinnati I wouldn’t normally visit. The community aspect was a lot of fun and I got to know a lot of new and different people,” Siehl said.
Junior Kyle Wynk worked at the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
“I enjoyed working with kids. I got to plan a summer camp for the blind kids and we got to do a lot of things they initially didn’t know they could do, like go rock climbing. We also did art projects with clay and went swimming. I got to help teach them how to cook and use the microwave. We got to go to King’s Island and ride all the rides with them,” he said.
Junior Mary Bridget Mathews worked at the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education.
“I did research and put together a movie for their Mapping Our Tears exhibit. I listened to survivor’s testimonies and put them together to make a video testimony. It was about the rescue of 1,200 Jews who fled to the Philippines,” she said. “I also did a teacher’s luncheon where I showcased some of our exhibits and documentaries. We also had 15 Holocaust survivors come and meet the teachers and engage in dialogue with them.”
Wynk felt he gained a lot from his experience.
“I learned so much,” he said. “I’m a business major and at first I thought that didn’t really go with summer service. But I used what I’ve learned in my major a lot by planning events and calling people.
A lot of the kids came from bad homes, which made it tougher.”
Interns live in community in Brockman Hall for 10 weeks and meet once weekly for communal dinners and reflection. A student Intern Coordinator helps coordinate these events and also visits sites to assess the interns.
“The reflection nights were really awesome. Everyone took turns making dinner and we learned a lot about asset-based community development. I got to know a bunch of people I wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise,” Mathews said.
“We also went off on our own and did a lot of great things around Cincinnati that you can’t do during the school year,” Wynk added.
Mathews acknowledges that while the experience was sometimes challenging, it was influential.
“It was a lot of work and we did get a little burned out,” Mathews said. “But it was very rewarding. It was one of the best experiences we had at Xavier. I would recommend it to anybody.”
“It was an experience you can only have once in your life,” Wynk said.
Interested students can contact Kimberly Goldsberry at goldsber@xavier.edu or Flo Sahker at sahkerff@xavier.edu with questions.
PLT awards
Colleen Bott
Contributing Writer
Xavier’s Peer Leadership Team (PLT) honored some campus leaders last semester. Three new awards were created and given out to recognize students, faculty and staff and their contributions to the Xavier community.
The Giving Tree Award was given to students who give selflessly but might not always be recognized in the spirit of Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. Club leaders were encouraged to nominate fellow students. M’aza Dowling-Brown of the African Student Association and International Students Society, Matt Kinmartin of the Xavier Television Association, Rachel Ross of Students Taking Active Roles and Erin Riga of the Learning Assistance Center all received a certificate and a copy of The Giving Tree.
Rachel Ross, who works on recruitment for Students Taking Active Roles (STAR), a volunteer organization, felt privileged to receive the award.
“Receiving the award during finals week was a wonderful pick-me-up!” she said.
The Planting Seeds Award recognizes a club or organization for an event or program that affected the Xavier community. Student Activities Council received this award for their “Remembrance: A 9/11 Memorial” event. Finally, the Bravo Branch award recognized club advisers who go above and beyond to challenge students and help them develop. Students may nominate their club advisor for this award. Drew Peters, advisor for Alternative Breaks, an organization that sponsors service trips during school breaks, received this award.
“I was surprised and it was certainly nice,” he said. “But really, the students who work so hard are the reason I am able to do what I do.”
PLT is made up of thirteen students who work closely with Kimberly Goldsberry and Leah Busam Klenowski of the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. Each student works in the office at least two hours a week and participates in one of three committees. One committee is working on the upcoming Emerging Leaders Retreat for nominated first or second year students, held January 26 and 27at Camp Kern.
“It’s an opportunity for students to get together from different organizations and learn leadership skills,” PLT member junior Ann Dalton explained.
Another committee works on the Advancing Leaders series for upperclassmen, which will offer “Take the LEAP” at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the GSC room 330 to help student leaders re-energize their clubs and organizations after break. On Monday, Feb. 5, Husman Hall Director Jeff Girton will offer tips on conflict resolution at 4:30 in GSC room 330. This series will continue with workshops throughout the semester.
“We’re trying to help students transition their leadership skills into a career setting,” Dalton said.
PLT is also trying to organize a “Club Olympics” in April to promote a team-building atmosphere for clubs. Meanwhile, the members of the Outreach Committee are working on organizing leadership workshops at local schools. Dalton feels this group has accomplished a lot.
“We’ve revamped workshops and are working on finding new ones we’d like to implement,” she said.
Professor Profile: Dr. Morten Kristiansen
Tyler Burgei
Contributing Writer
Dr. Morten Kristiansen of the music department began teaching here at XU last fall. He has previously taught at Eastern Washington University, Georgetown and Truman State University. So far while at Xavier, he has taught the Art of Listening, Classical Music, Music History in Literature I, II, and III (Seminar) and History of Rock.
Although Dr. Kristiansen’s expertise lies in late 19th century German music and German romantic opera, he has decided to take on the challenge of starting History of Rock, a new class at Xavier this semester.
His reasoning for doing so is to seek variety, branch out and broaden his experience in teaching musicology. He also points out that such a course is the present and future of music appreciation.
Dr. Kristiansen is also a published scholar; he has had several book reviews published, as well as articles about Richard Strauss. In addition, he has sung in several different choirs and “sort of played keyboard in a band in college”; he added, laughing, “though that was an experience I would almost rather forget.”
Dr. Kristiansen tries to integrate a wider palate of popular music classes in his teaching and recognizes the importance of maintaining a broad scope for the future, especially among music students. He encourages students, including non-music majors, to be “flexible,” by enrolling in double majors or additional minors. As a liberal arts school, Xavier University has benefited by adding a teacher who has such a grasp on the importance of broad perspective and expressive arts appreciation to their faculty.
Police Notes
Jan. 10, 3:05 p.m.—An employee reported a hit-and-run accident in the A and M parking lot.
Jan. 12, 2:30 p.m.—A non-student speeding on University Drive was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Jan. 13, 2:18 a.m.—Campus Police investigated a report of a subject demanding wallets and money from five students on Harold Avenue. The report was unfounded.
Jan. 13, 9:17 a.m.—Campus Police investigated a suspicious subject behind the 1019 block of Dana Ave. The subject was gone upon the authorities’ arrival, but the suspect’s bicycle was recovered.
Jan.15—The Cincinnati, Norwood and Campus Police Departments performed crowd control during a high school event at Cintas Center. Approximately eight arrests were made.
Jan. 18, 10:05 p.m.—An officer on bike patrol discovered two students smoking marijuana outside of Brockman Hall. The students were cited for drug abuse.
Jan. 19, 2:27 p.m.—A student reported that their vehicle had been broken into and that their stereo had been removed while it was parked in the South lot.
Jan. 20, 12:23 a.m.—A student reported that they were assaulted at a house party held on the 1000 block of Dana Avenue. The Cincinnati Police Department was notified.
Jan. 20, 3:44 a.m.—Campus Police and Cincinnati Fire responded to a fire alarm that was set off in Kuhlman Hall. A pull station on the first floor had been intentionally activated. Police confirmed that it had been a false alarm and that the suspect was gone upon their arrival.
Jan. 20, 4:00 a.m.—An RA reported criminal damage to the RA office in Brockman Hall.
Jan. 20, 4:27 a.m.—Campus Police investigated a dispute among several subjects on the residential mall. The parties were advised and sent on their way.
Jan. 21, 1:30 a.m.—Campus Police received a call from a neighbor complaining about the noise from a house party on Hudson Ave. The incident was referred to the Norwood Police Department.
Police Note of the Week
Jan. 20, 12:20 a.m.—A student in the woods behind the C-3 lot was cited for underage consumption and disorderly conduct.
Kelly Shaw 
Campus News Editor
“Into the Woods” auditions
Production Directors Scott Buzza and Steven Skiles are inviting students to acting auditions for Peter Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods” from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday in Edgecliff Hall. The play is slated for the first week of November and the directors ask that those who wish to audition prepare a song by Sondheim and get an accompanist, if possible. In addition, persons auditioning should schedule a vocal work session with Scott Buzz for a date between Jan. 16 and 26. There will be 12 leading, 11 supporting and several non-singing roles. Vocal work sessions may be scheduled by emailing Scott Buzza at buzza@xavier.edu.
New safety
program series
The Office of Emergency Management and Business Continuity are sponsoring safety programs for members of the campus community. Each month, the program will focus on topics related to the workplace and home. The programs will be held each month from noon to 2:50 p.m. in Flynn Hall. Interested persons should feel free to bring their own lunch while beverages and dessert will be provided. The first topic will be “Workplace Violence” and will be held at noon on Thursday. For more information, call 513-745-2090.
Summer service internships
Want a summer of service? Need to make some summer money? Check out the Summer Service Internship. Work for 10 weeks at a non-profit organization in Cincinnati and live in a community at Xavier. Information and applications are available here under Service Programs in the applications. Applications and recommendations are due Monday to the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. Contact Flo Sahker at Sahkerff@xavier.edu with questions.
Writing center
reopens
The Writing Center is now open for the spring semester! If you need help getting started with those class papers, then make an appointment. The center is open at 9:30 a.m. and is located in Alter B-12. Walk-ins are also welcome. For appointments, stop by the center or call 513-745-2875.
Biology
lecture
The Biology Department is hosting a lecture by Dr. Dawn M. O’Neal of Indiana University entitled “Behavioral and Fitness Consequences of Experimentally Elevated Testosterone in the Female Dark-eyed Junco.” The talk starts at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and will be held in the Kelley Auditorium. Contact the department secretary at x3623 for more information.
Campus
stargaze
The first of the “monthly” Campus Stargazes for the spring semester will be held this Thursday on the Rooftop Observatory of Linder Hall. Please note that they will only be held under clear weather. The next stargaze will be on Feb. 22. Please contact Prof. Hamilton by email at HamiltonR@xavier.edu or by phone at 513-484-6284.
STAR
signups
The Students Taking Active Roles (STAR) is holding signups for its remaining positions in its numerous service programs from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday in the GSC.
Club softball info meeting
The spring season of club softball is coming up and there will be informational meetings for new and old members at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24 near the GSC fireplace.
Blood drive
All students and staff are encouraged to participate in the Campus Blood Drive that started on Tuesday and will run until Friday. Donors are needed to meet the daily needs of the area’s patients. Please sign up here.
