St. Edward’s University Magazine Winter 2007

St.Edward’s UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE WINTER 2007 VOLUME 8 ISSUE 2

senseandsustainability y ethical business n environment n social responsibility

PULP CONVICTION n 14 LISTENING TO POVERTY n 15 FUTURE OPTIONS n 35

C L AU MM P N U IS NS ON TAEPSS H O T A

Ronald Penny, ’06, tests bluebonnet pollination on campus for a Biology class led by Lucian Professor of Natural Sciences Allan W. Hook

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St.Edward’s

SENSE & SUSTAINABILITY:

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UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

THE ENVIRONMENT

Editor

How St. Edward’s University stewards its campus resources. Plus, the endangered migration of butterflies, how to certify your backyard as a nature sanctuary, and the unique effort to accomodate both the people and the environment of Kenya’s endangered Lake Nakuru.

Steve Wilson Art Director

Ben Chomiak

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directOR of Marketing services

Carrie Johnson, MSOLE ’05 Associate Editor

Stacia Hernstrom, MLA ’05 writers

Hans Christianson Karen Davidson Designers

Natalie Burge Natalie Ferguson Melinda Helt

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ETHICAL BUSINESS The life of a coffee bean, from fair-trade field to Meadows Coffeehouse on campus. Plus a School of Management and Business trip to give a marketing boost to a Costa Rican hearts of palm producer.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Jeff Benzing, ’07 Shelia Dolan Alyssa Harad Katy Rogers, ’08 Terri Schexnayder, ’04 President

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George E. Martin, PhD

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Vice President of University advancement

Michael F. Larkin

Telling the world about the plight of Peru’s coca farmers. Plus, the School of Education’s program to jumpstart the teaching careers of students who can make a difference.

Vice President of Marketing

Paige Booth St. Edward’s University Magazine is published three times a year by the Marketing Office for alumni and friends. © 2007, St. Edward’s University Opinions expressed in St. Edward’s University Magazine are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the university.

Printed on Mohawk Options containing 100% post-consumer recycled fiber, manufactured entirely with wind energy and certified by Green Seal.

Contact us!

512-448-8400 or www.stedwards.edu Alumni Programs — ext. 8415 Athletics — ext. 8480 Bookstore — ext. 8575 Registrar — ext. 8750 Theater — ext. 8484

Send comments, story ideas or letters to:

St. Edward’s University Magazine 3001 South Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704-6489 phone: 512-637-5620 • fax: 512-637-5621 e-mail: stevew@stedwards.edu

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SUSTAINING THE FUTURE Our experts discuss the feasibility of options for keeping the world running, from alternate energy sources to ... a DNA space ark?

35 IN EVERY ISSUE

2 On the Hill: Postmarks, Ideas, Culture, Sports, News, Calendar and Faculty Bookshelf

12 Inner Workings: The Computer Help Desk 13 Special Destiny: Forever Young 14 Future Forward: The recycled paper chase

Alumni Notes: • From the Archives • Joe York, ’78, Time warper • Jackie Smith, ’79, Educator • Addie Horn, ’89, Commissioner • Holdings: Mind over medal • Mystery Solved

15 Hilltop Voices: Listening to poverty

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CAM P A I G N U PDA T E Giving at a Glance (for the period July 1, 2006–Dec. 31, 2006) n

Total new gift and pledge commitments: $2,186,927 n Total cash received (includes payments on previous pledges): $4,348,904 n Number of new gifts and pledges over $25,000: 17 n Number of President’s Associates (gifts of $1,000 or more): 214 received, 71 pledged n Alumni participation: 5.9 percent The St. Edward’s University fiscal year ends on June 30, and we need your participation. To make a gift, call Jay Hume, associate director of The St. Edward’s Fund, at 512-464-8811, or go to www.stedwards.edu/giving.

Philips Library Endowment ensures new acquisitions The new Susan S. Philips, ’73, Library Endowment, established in November 2006 by her parents, Lavon, ’74, and Verne Philips, will support the purchase of new books, periodicals, and online and print subscriptions for Scarborough-Phillips Library’s collection. Through the endowment, the library will enhance student research and academic enrichment. And by seeking materials that support a better understanding of world religions and cultures, the library will reinforce the distinguishing Holy Cross mission of providing an international perspective for students.

This endowment gift will also reinforce the mission of St. Edward’s University, which encourages students to confront the critical issues of society and to seek justice and peace.

St. Edward’s earns additional support for internships St. Edward’s was awarded an $81,135 grant by TG, a Round Rock–based public nonprofit corporation. The “TG Interns for Success” grant will support student internships during 2007. Students will serve as study group facilitators and teaching assistants or work with faculty members as research interns.

TG Interns for Success targets students who are financial-assistance eligible, are under-represented in graduate education, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The grant will also fund career development activities for students preparing for graduate and professional school.

“This program gives students an opportunity to have internships and broaden and enhance their experience at St. Edward’s,” says Marianne Hopper, dean of university programs.

Regional Support for Campaign Building on the campaign’s unprecedented success, grassroots efforts continue to help the university reach its goals. Local volunteers are conveying that involvement at every level, including giving to The St. Edward’s Fund, has an impact on the future of the university.

“Our involvement with St. Edward’s does not end with graduation,” notes Andrew Harper, ’03, Austin Alumni Chapter advancement chair. “As lifelong members of the university community, it is our responsibility to ensure that St. Edward’s maintains its outstanding reputation. By giving both time and financial resources to the university through alumni-sponsored activities, we help guarantee that future Hilltoppers will have access to the valuable educational experience that is unique to St. Edward’s.”

The ongoing excitement surrounding the accomplishments at St. Edward’s has inspired many alumni to become more involved at the regional level. “In the final year of the campaign, it’s important to instill a sense of ownership and pride among our alumni,” says Kippi Griffith, MBA ’01, director of Alumni and Parent Programs. “We want our alumni to know their gift is significant and meaningful, and by building the momentum at a regional level, we are sharing that message in person and in their hometown.”

To get involved in your local area and help support the Special Destiny Campaign, contact Kippi Griffith, MBA ’01, at kippig@stedwards.edu.

St. Edward’s University

Boar d of Trustees O fficers Chair, Peter Winstead Vice Chair, Kevin O’Connor, ’73 Treasurer, F. Gary Valdez, MBA ’78 Secretary, Margie Diaz Kintz

M embers Mike Aviles John Bauer, ’62 Brother Donald Blauvelt, CSC, ’67 Manuel Chavez Margaret E. Crahan Brother Richard Critz, CSC, ’72 Isabella Cunningham Brother Richard Daly, CSC, ’61 Linda P. Evans Carolyn Lewis Gallagher Timothy F. Gavin, ’76 Brother Richard Gilman, CSC, ’65 Monsignor Elmer Holtman Kevin Koch, ’80, MBA ’84 Gregory A. Kozmetsky, ’70 Margaret Krasovec, MBA ’98 Edward E. Leyden, ’64 Myra A. McDaniel Sister Amata Miller, IHM Victor Miramontes John Mooney Pat Munday, ’97 Marilyn O’Neill, ’74 Theodore R. Popp, ’60 J. William Sharman Jr., hs ’58 Jim A. Smith Ian J. Turpin Duncan Underwood, ’95 Donna Van Fleet Melba Whatley

E x O fficio George E. Martin Catherine Rainwater Simone Talma, ’91, MBA ’02 Philip Jones, ’07

T rustees E meriti Charles A. Betts Edward M. Block, ’50 Guy Bodine, hs ’68 Leslie Clement Fred D. George, ’69 Lavon P. Philips, ’74 Bill Renfro

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Best-Laid Plans Your retrospective “Fleck Hall: Built Fast and Made to Last” in St. Edward’s University Magazine is an interesting read about the uphill challenge facing the brothers arriving in the summer of 1946 to take possession of the school. But I am bothered that readers might get an imprecise, discrediting and unfair impression of St. Edward’s prior to that time.

Memories of a Tiger Great letter by Norman “The Tools” DeTullio,’63. Loved his reference regarding the intramural football team the Tigers. The record he referred to was that the ’62 team won its third straight intramural title by going undefeated for the third straight year. In fact, the Tigers lost only one game in four years, during our freshman year in 1959.

Deke (Dennis) Prendergast, ’63

Surplus Science As a Physics major who graduated in 1960, I remember Fleck Hall with great fondness. It is nice to see that it will be retained and put to good use. I was quite impressed with the John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center–North Building, especially the equipment now available to the students. When I was a student at St. Edward’s, a lot of our equipment was government surplus. Brother Romard Barthel, CSC ’40, would go to San Antonio on a regular basis and purchase equipment that we could use directly or we could cannibalize. My job was to take meters, such as volt meters, from the equipment and mount it for the use of the students in the labs.

The St. Edward’s University Magazine always brings back fond memories of my time at St. Edward’s, but none so much as the Fall 2006 edition. Keep up the good work.

Jack Houlihan, ’60

I was a high school freshman living in Holy Cross Hall in 1945–1946. The only permanent buildings on campus were Main Building, Holy Cross Hall, Sorin Hall, the chemistry building and the rock building housing the swimming pool. In addition, there were a number of wellbuilt and maintained semi-permanent frame structures, the largest of which were the gymnasium directly south of the chemistry building and the Abbey Theatre, which for the duration of the war served as a rifle range/Saturday night movie theater. Shortly after the brothers took possession it became the university chapel.

There was no deferred maintenance. There were no buildings in “shambles.” To be sure, there was not a lot of rainy-day money tucked away at the bank, but buildings were not neglected.

“Enrollment had plummeted” might give one the impression that college-age men were choosing not to go to St. Edward’s. All colleges and universities of that time were dispossessed of male students because their “customers” were all in the armed services. For several years prior to World War II the country had endured the Great Depression, a time when a college education was not an option.

I recall looking through yearbooks dating back many years before I came to St. Edward’s in which an ambitious campus master plan for a St. Edward’s of the future was depicted. The projected campus was replete with buildings that had the same architectural style as Main Building and Holy Cross Hall. The best-laid plans prior to the Depression and the war went astray not because of lack of vision, will and ambition but due to a lack of students and money.

In the summer of 1946 there was no summer school, thus there were no students around.

Only the lizards and horned toads choose to scurry around in the heat of Central Texas. The

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living was easy and sensible. It was an ideal block of time for the brothers and priests to fit in vacations, a time when Brother Myron, CSC, might be forgiven for being a tad neglectful of mowing.

When Brother Simon Scribner, CSC, said “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” that was an understatement. The brothers hit the ground running the minute they got off the train. They worked very hard, wore more than one hat expertly and planned appropriately. It would take a handful of years before they could ease back a little. By 1955, a handsome library and gymnasium had been built. Could Fleck Hall and a lot of others be far behind? SEU was gaining ground and hasn’t quit. And legions of us are better for it.

Gillespie P. “Bud” Baker Jr., hs ’48, ’55

Spilling the Beanies I enjoy receiving and reading my St. Edward’s University Magazine and add it to my stack of old Hilltopper issues once I finish passing it around my circle of family and friends. I write today to question a statement on page 44 of Volume 8, Issue 1, in “Hill of Beanies.”

It states that the beanie tradition ended in 1970 when St. Edward’s became coed. I was in that first group of women who attended St. Edward’s. We stepped onto the campus as members of Maryhill College of St. Edward’s University in 1966, the year I graduated from St. Mary’s Academy, a local girl’s school (sister school to all-male St. Edward’s High School). In 1970, we graduated as St. Edward’s University seniors after badgering the administration to toss the Maryhill College idea for the more nationally and scholastically recognized St. Edward’s identity. I believe our graduation rings are the only ones bearing the Maryhill College and St. Edward’s University names. I still wear mine proudly. I never saw a beanie on campus, so I think the tradition must have ended in May 1966 before we entered the scene.

I remember that our small group of women were frowned upon at first for invading a historically all-male campus but were eventually warmly accepted by what seemed to be a thousand-to-one male majority. My years there were the best.

Mary Teran Tovar, ’70

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A lumni A d d ress F all G ra d uates On Dec. 16, St. Edward’s University conferred 443 diplomas as the university recognized graduating students in two ceremonies — one for New College and graduate students and one for traditional undergraduates — at the Recreation and Convocation Center. A champagne reception followed each graduation ceremony. Margaret Gomez, ’91, MLA ’04, who graduated summa cum laude from New College, delivered the keynote address for the New College and graduate ceremony. Richard Halpin, ’72, who graduated as a Presidential Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts, delivered the keynote address for the traditionalundergraduate ceremony.

“Education is the safety net that we all need in life because as we begin our journeys, before and after St. Edward’s, things don’t always occur neatly,” Gomez told the New College graduates. “We may get sidetracked temporarily, but having an education makes it possible for us to recover, dust ourselves off, and keep on going, growing and learning from our experiences.”

Stewart jarmon, ’07

Student Uses Outdoor Skills to Survive Snowboarding Fall

40 Years of Stories: Women at St. Edward’s University The first women arrived at St. Edward’s in 1966 when five Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Monroe, Mich., came to run Maryhill College, established for women at St. Edward’s.

Maryhill welcomed 76 freshman women in its first semester, and by 1970, the school had officially integrated into St. Edward’s.

In late December, James Davol, ’07, survived eight hours in harsh conditions after falling down a ravine while snowboarding with his family at Powder Mountain Winter Resort in Utah. Rescuers found him shaking and disoriented but alive in a canyon at night.

In October, retired and active faculty members, staff members, alumni and students gathered together during Founders’ Week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of women at St. Edward’s.

Various speakers, including university Vice President Sister Donna Jurick, SND, Professor of Psychology Emma Lou Linn, Associate Professor of English Sister Anne Crane, IHM, and Dean of University Programs Marianne Hopper, shared stories and anecdotes about their early experiences at St. Edward’s as pioneering women at the university.

Davol, studying international business at St. Edward’s University, attributes his survival largely to outdoor survival skills taught to him by his father, Frank, and other leaders in Boy Scouts. “I remembered things like laying on my side and keeping my heart away from the snow, and trying to keep my hands and fingers warm by putting them under my armpits to avoid frostbite,” he says. “And, I tried to keep moving.”

Lori Najvar, MLA, ’05

Davol was snowboarding alone in foggy conditions and veered right instead of left at a fork and descended into Lefty’s Canyon on the southwest side of the mountain. During the next several hours, he climbed back up about 900 feet, digging three snow caves along the way to keep warm. When rescuers found Davol, they built a fire to warm him. He was checked by medical technicians and released.

Sister Madeleine Sophie Hebert, MSC, cuts a cake to help commemorate the 40th anniversary of women at St. Edward’s.

Hopper’s tales of Sister Madeleine Sophie Hebert, MSC, (left) particularly amused the audience: “Sister Madeleine was really quite good at raising money. I don’t know how long it took her, but Madeleine eventually raised over $50,000 for the gerontology scholarships by collecting aluminum cans.

I do remember one event where Sister Madeleine (in the dwindling moments of the event) was seen asking the late guests if they were done with the soda cans in their hands. Sister Anne Crane was not amused!”

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Hilltop Happenings Founder’s Week Dress for Success Clothing Drive St. Edward’s celebrated the 40th anniversary of women on campus by collecting 716 articles of professional attire for Dress for Success, which helps economically disadvantaged women dress for job interviews and subsequent employment.

José Miguel Insulza To celebrate United Nations Day, the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance welcomed José Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States, a chapter of the United Nations, to discuss “The Role of Regional Organizations Within the United Nations.”

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Día de los Muertos Students gathered at the Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Plaza at noon and proceeded over to Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel for the blessing of the ofrenda, or altar.

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St. Edward’s Makes New York Times “Colleges of Many Colors” List The New York Times recognized St. Edward’s University as one of the country’s most ethnically and economically diverse private universities in its “Colleges of Many Colors” list. Featured in the Nov. 5, 2006, edition of the paper’s “Education Life” section, the list includes 57 private schools, including Harvard, M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and Duke and 81 public schools.

St. Edward’s and Rice University are the only two private universities in Texas to make the list. For more facts, figures and student data visit www.stedwards.edu/studfacul.htm.

CAMP Cited in Chronicle of Higher Education Article In September, The Chronicle of Higher Education cited the College Assistance Migrant Program at St. Edward’s in an article about six college lobbying groups’ plan to strengthen America’s colleges and universities. The groups issued a letter that specifically mentions CAMP as an example of work already being done toward this goal.

eloise montemayor, ’10

Kneeling Down at Noon The creation of Austin Playwright Steve Moore and 15 student writers, Kneeling Down at Noon at Mary Moody Northen Theatre told the story of Muslims struggling to find, share and live their faith daily.

Sir Marrack Goulding For International Education Week, the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance welcomed Sir Marrack Goulding, former United Nations official, to discuss “The Role of the United Nations and Conflict: Prevention, Management, Resolution, Reconstruction.”

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OCTOBER Second Annual Hilltopper Golf Tournament St. Edward’s University held its Second Annual Hilltopper Golf Tournament at the Golf Club. The St. Edward’s golf coaches gave a free golf clinic.

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katy rogers, ’08

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Las Posadas Celebration St. Edward’s held its annual Las Posadas procession through campus in a re-creation of the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a room.

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Guests, Alumni and Faculty Receive ACOT Awards Guest artists, alumni and faculty members from St. Edward’s University were among the honorees at the 2006 B. Iden Payne Awards ceremony hosted by the Austin Circle of Theaters celebrating the 2005–2006 Austin theater season on Monday, Oct. 30, at Zachary Scott Theatre.

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Spring Welcome Week Spring Welcome Week kicked off Spring 2007 at St. Edward’s with music, games and plenty of food.

28th Annual Festival of Lights St. Edward’s lit up Main Building in a wash of colors as the Madrigal Chamber Choir, University Chorale, Omni Singers, Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Band and Mariachi Alas de Oro provided music.

Kneeling Down at Noon Featured on International Television NTV, an international television channel based in Bangladesh, featured the Mary Moody Northen Theatre’s production of Kneeling Down at Noon, an original play focused on Islam. Rabiul Islam, a U.S. correspondent for NTV, interviewed playwright Steve Moore and shot footage of the stage performance and St. Edward’s University.

For additional St. Edward’s University accolades in print media, see page 6.

katy rogers, ’08

Texas Association of Future Educators The School of Education hosted a one-day regional conference that drew 63 high school students interested in careers as teachers.

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Paper Trail: St. Edward’s Makes Headlines Over the past several months, St. Edward’s University has appeared in a number of newspapers and other media. Here’s a roundup of some of the more notable articles.

Texas Architect Magazine “St. Edward’s Strategy for Expansion Sets High Standards for Architects’ Selection” November/December 2006 A round up of recent campus construction.

Excerpt: “The university’s basis for its first two projects in the new millennium was prescribed by the historical resonance of Nicholas Clayton’s Main Building. According to President Martin, that precedence ‘demands a high standard of architecture.’ He also wanted the new buildings to reflect the school’s commitment to excellence by demonstrating ‘a high moral and ethical standard.’ For Trustee Hall, the master plan’s first building, the high standards and contextual compatibility were even more critical because it was about to become such a close neighbor to both of Clayton’s seminal buildings.”

Austin American-Statesman “Islam Studies Go Beyond Talking at St. Edward’s” Oct. 10, 2006 A feature on the St. Edward’s University Freshman Studies program for 2006 — The Many Faces of Islam Excerpt: “First-year students have read and are discussing the book What’s Right with Islam is What’s Right with America by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a New York City cleric who preaches religious tolerance.

The university also commissioned a local playwright [Steve Moore] to come up with a play about Muslims [Kneeling Down at Noon] and is hosting speakers and musicians on campus. Faculty and staff organized a Ramadan fast-breaking meal, expecting about 100 people and drawing twice that number. Students say they are seeing Muslims in a new light. Professors have embraced the teaching opportunity in class and in discussion groups.”

Fort Worth Star-Telegram “In 500 Words or Less” Nov. 7 A look at how universities like St. Edward’s have revamped the essay question portions of their applications Excerpt: “Ready? Here’s the situation: You are a writer for a popular Hollywood scandal magazine. You have been dispatched to report on

a story involving a celebrity, a lost wallet, birthday cake and the Library of Congress. Tell us what happens. OK, start writing. And remember: Your future may depend on what you write. It really does, if you want to be a freshman next year at St. Edward’s University in Austin, where this is one of the essay questions on the school’s application for admission. St. Edward’s — like a lot of other colleges — has, in the past few years, revamped the essay portion of its application. Out: the old, traditional questions. (What obstacles have you overcome? What can you contribute to this school? Tell us about your role model.) In: oddball questions that make students say What?? — and then sit down and solve a problem, use some creativity and show their personalities.”

Austin American-Statesman “St. Ed’s Aims for Best in the West” Monday, Nov. 27 An exploration of St. Edward’s plans for future growth.

Excerpt: “A plan adopted in 1999 to nearly double the number of undergraduates to 4,000 by 2010 is on track. A fundraising campaign reached the goal of $65 million a year ahead of schedule. A science building, a mixed-use academic building and two student residence halls have been constructed in recent years, winning praise in architectural circles for skillful design, and several additional buildings are planned.

The intellectual stew is getting more interesting, too. Average SAT scores for freshmen are up 85 points, to 1129, in the past seven years. Also in that period, the number of faculty members — full-time professors as well as part-time adjuncts — shot from 289 to 505.”

Architectural Record “Hitting the Books” October 2006 A look at how colleges and universities are expanding campus buildings to meet swelling enrollments and catching up on deferred maintenance.

The story featured the Marketing Office, a 3,500-square-foot space in Main Building.

Excerpt: “To make that project symbolize the creative process of the writers and designers, who create everything from fund-raising brochures to course catalogs, [architects] Specht Harpman built an entry wall composed entirely of No. 2 pencils. That kind of care and innovation suggests that St. Edward’s is certainly a campus to watch for other aesthetic breakthroughs.”

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O ne Step C loser to S ainthoo d The beatification ceremony for Father Basil Anthony Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, has been scheduled for September 2007 in LeMans, France. The threeday event will include a Vigil of Prayer, a Rite of Beatification and a Mass of Thanksgiving.

Beatification is the last step before sainthood may be considered for Moreau.

Moreau moved one step closer to canonization when the Vatican officially recognized a miraculous healing attributed to him in April 2006.

idea and are transforming hope in our schools.

Hope is the characteristic virtue of Holy Cross.”

The calendar for the celebration of Moreau’s beatification include the following official dates: Friday, Sept. 14, 2007 Vigil of Prayer Church of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix, Le Mans, France Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007 Rite of Beatification Centre Antarès, Le Mans, France Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007 Mass of Thanksgiving Cathedral of Saint Julien, Le Mans, France

2007 Lucian Symposium Explores Origin of Life

A lumni Celebrate F oun d er’ s Day T hrough C ommunity S ervice

Of all the mysteries of life, perhaps the greatest is how it first originated on planet Earth and whether it exists elsewhere in the universe.

These questions will be the focus of the 2007 Brother Lucian Blersch Symposium, “The Origin and Search for Life,” on March 23.

The half-day event will present lectures by Lucian Professor of Natural Sciences Allan W. Hook and guest speakers Antonio Lazcano, biology researcher and professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Jeffrey Bada, director of the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Exobiology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif.

“Seeking to know the ‘true’ meaning of life is an inextricable part of being human,” says Hook.

“We can only hope that the questions we’ll be asking at this symposium will lead us to a better understanding of this ultimate question.”

Organized by the School of Natural Sciences at St. Edward’s University, the event is free and open to the public. This annual symposium honors Brother Lucian Blersch, CSC, a longtime professor of engineering at St. Edward’s who died in 1986 and in whose name a professorship in the School of Natural Sciences was endowed by a gift from J.B.N. Morris, hs ’48, ’52, and his family.

Register online by March 16 at www.stedwards.edu/science/lucian.

Details concerning reservations and registration for official Holy Cross delegations and pilgrim groups will be announced late February 2007.

In October, hundreds of alumni across the country embodied the spirit of St. Edward’s and Holy Cross when they volunteered for community service projects on Founder’s Day. Seven Alumni Association chapters organized the helping of others while honoring the university’s Holy Cross heritage.

“The university has a long tradition of honoring Founder’s Day and the Feast of St. Edward each October, canceling classes for a day so that students, faculty and staff can join together in a large-scale service event,” notes Robyn Post, associate director of Alumni and Parent Programs. “On the suggestion of Robert Oppermann, ’56, one of our Alumni Board members, we’ve strengthened the tradition. Now, alumni chapters across the country participate in Founder’s Day events.”

Many of the alumni groups worked to benefit local organizations that provide services to those in need. Texasbased organizations included: n Caritas of Austin (Travis County’s largest nongovernmental source of assistance) n Houston Food Bank n Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley In Washington, D.C., alumni volunteered at Food & Friends, which supports people with HIV, AIDS and other illnesses.

Stewart jarmon, ’07

STEVEN SCARDINA

The LeMans, France, tomb of Father Basil Anthony Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Brother Stephen Walsh, CSC, director of the Holy Cross Institute, says Moreau’s qualification for beatification lies in his philosophy for education and ministry. “Basil Moreau spoke of education as a ‘work of resurrection,” he says.

“Holy Cross educators have embraced this

Volunteers also participated in events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which raises money for breast cancer research and St. Edward’s students beautify Blunn Creek education, and the Chicago Marathon Expo and Registration, as their Founder’s Day service project. where they helped distribute T-shirts to 15,000 runners whose participation raised money for Chicago-area charities.

Following each service project, alumni had lunch at local restaurants courtesy of the sponsoring chapter.

Learn more about Alumni Association chapter events at www.stedwards.edu/alumni.

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Campus Calendar Feb. 14–25

Macbeth Mary Moody Northen Theatre

March 1

The Most Reverend Bishop John McCarthy Lecture Series on the Catholic Church in the 21st Century 5 p.m., Jones Auditorium, Robert & Pearle Ragsdale Center

March 23

The Brother Lucian Blersch Symposium: “The Origin and Quest for Life” 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Mabee Ballroom, Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center

April 11–22

Ah, Wilderness!

Mary Moody Northen Theatre

April 27

katy rogers, ’08

Spring 2007 Honors Thesis Symposium 1-5 p.m., Mabee Ballrooms A and B, Robert & Pearle Ragsdale Center

May 5

Commencement Frank Erwin Center Vagdevi Meunier, assistant professor in the MA in Counseling program, recently earned her Gottman Method certification.

Mary Moody Northen Theatre: 448-8484 Music Program: 428-1297

Q&A

Can This Marriage Be Saved?

In April 2006, Vagdevi Meunier, assistant professor in the MA in Counseling program, received certification as both a Gottman Method Couples Therapist and a Gottman Couples Workshop Leader after a year and a half of training. She agreed to let St. Edward’s University Magazine take the therapist chair and do the questioning.

Why did you pursue the Gottman method?

I was introduced to Gottman’s research back in 1995 when he wrote his first book, Why Marriages Succeed or Fail. When I began working at St. Edward’s, I knew I wanted to teach cutting-edge models. I decided to do Gottman certification training because it is the best scientifically researched and proven couples practice model available today and it is very easy to learn and to teach. Using a rigorous, scientific analysis of couple behaviors, Gottman has been able to predict with over 90 percent accuracy which couples will stay together and who will divorce.

Gottman certification represents the equivalent of taking a doctoral-level course on the most recent research on marital success and couples therapy.

So what makes a relationship work?

The method is based on John Gottman’s theory of a Sound Relationship House, which has seven levels that represent the necessary ingredients of successful relationships. These include three levels of building a strong friendship, which involves knowing your partner and sharing fondness and admiration. Then two levels of conflict management, which includes building a strong emotional bank account and learning to solve solvable and unsolvable problems with different strategies.

And lastly, two levels of building and sharing dreams and aspirations, including building symbolic rituals of connection.

Are more people seeking couples therapy?

While I don’t have statistics on this, I would say in my own practice I have found more couples are realizing that relationships are hard and more people have had more than one unhappy dating relationship and don’t want to repeat the pattern. So they are more motivated to do couples work.

Fine Arts Gallery: 448-8685 or www.stedwards.edu/hum/art/student Athletics: 448-8480 or www.stedwards.edu/athletic/athletic.htm More events: Click “Calendar” at www.stedwards.edu

Do couples expect to be “fixed” People come to relationship therapy with all kinds of expectations. Sometimes one person in the couple needs help leaving the relationship, sometimes one patient wants it to be saved, and sometimes he or she is not sure and want to know whether their relationship is worth saving. Usually I try to tailor the work around what the couples want and need.

What do they expect out of the therapist?

Often I tell my students that what couples should expect from a couples therapist is someone who will be honest, caring, supportive and an advocate of the relationship and not just of one or another person. It is hard to maintain a healthy commitment, and therapists need to embody that realism instead of pushing clients to expect something idealistic or telling them to give up.

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BOOKSHELF Peter Austin, assistant professor of History, has authored Baring Brothers and the Birth of Modern Finance (November 2007, Pickering & Chatto Publishers, London). Utilizing British and American archives, Austin charts the rise of the British bank, Baring Brothers, from wool merchants in 1762 to one of the most powerful global financial institutions. A study of history, management, finance and colorful personalities, the book shows how the bank grew into a worldwide operation in tandem with the British Empire through government loans and shrewd foreign investment. Austin also explores the mistakes that led to the company’s sudden collapse in 1995.

Mark J. Cherry, associate professor of Philosophy, recently published the paper “Preserving the Possibility for Liberty in Health Care” in The End of Global Bioethics (M & M Scrivener Press, 2006).

Bill Kennedy, associate professor of Photocommunications, authored The Photographer’s Guide to the Digital Darkroom (Allworth Press, 2006). Now in its second printing, the textbook was one of the first volumes to bridge the gap between the traditional film-based wet darkroom and digital imaging and inkjet printing.

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Research Roundup Richard Kopec, professor of Computer Science and Chemistry coauthored the third edition of Web 101 (AddisonWesley, January 2007).

As the Internet continues to develop as the central resource for entertainment, news, communication and research, Web 101 continues to include all the tools readers need to acquire a foundational understanding of the online resources available today and how to take full advantage of the Internet’s power.

Susan Loughran, director of Capstone, was one of 12 faculty members chosen from across the United States to participate in Teaching About Islam and Middle Eastern Culture at the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan.

Sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and the U.S. Department of State, the event ran from Dec. 28, 2006, to Jan. 19, 2007, and included a series of 18 lectures on topics ranging from the history of Arabia to women’s rights in modern Islamic countries.

Joe Pluta, professor of Economics and chair of the Department of Economics in the School of Management and Business, published a second edition of his history of economic thought, The Story of Economics (XanEdu Publishing, 2006).

Major revisions include morethorough treatment of the personal lives of great economists and greater emphasis on the influence of religion, especially Christianity and Islam, on economic ideas.

In March 2007, Assistant Professor of Political Science Brian William Smith will present a paper at the Western Political Science Association Meeting on the Kinky Friedman campaign and its influence on the outcome of the Texas gubernatorial election.

Marc Swendner, ’92, documented the medical response to Hurricane Rita of 2005 at Seton Hospitals in Houston for the book Storm Surge, produced by Seton Hospitals.

Marilyn Schultz, assistant Professor of Communication, presented her documentary Moreau: A Legacy of Hope at the Jan. 20 international chapter meeting of the Sisters of Holy Cross in Manchester, N.H. Her film was inspired by the history and traditions of both St. Edward’s University and the Congregation of Holy Cross.

C U L T U R E

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Practical Music

How have you changed the music program at St. Edward’s?

When I got here, there were good music offerings taught by good music instructors, but there was no real vision for the program. So over the past three years, that’s what we’ve tried to develop with the new and existing faculty. In the past year, we’ve added three instrumental ensembles. So far, jazz band is going very well, Mariachi Alas de Oro is continuing to be a presence in the community and Chamber Music Ensemble is providing string players and other instrumentalists on campus the chance to play. Enrollment has also gone up in the majority of our choral groups. We’ve added classes in guitar, and we’re hoping to start a guitar ensemble next year. Practice rooms have been installed, and we have revamped the piano lab. Now when I look at where we are, I can say that we look a lot more like a “music department” because we hit upon more areas of music. We currently have a Music minor, but the goal is to establish a Michael McKelvey, director of Music, wants to prepare future musicians for more than just playing tunes.

Music major within the next year.

What would establishing a Music major involve?

We’ll have to boost our offerings in music theory and music history. It would also take additional classroom and practice room space, as well as a few more full-time faculty members. Curriculum-wise, we’re only about four classes away.

How would a Music major at St. Edward’s differ from others?

We want to start a “practical” Music major to teach musicians skills that will help them get work in the professional world. We would emphasize musical training in several musical styles ranging from classical to

Multimedia A roundup of artistic endeavors from within and outside the St. Edward’s community.

PRINT

In the fall of 2006, Assistant Professor of Political Science Brian William Smith appeared on KVUE-24 TV and in the AustinAmerican Statesman to discuss different aspects of the 2006 congressional and gubernatorial elections. Dr. Smith appeared on KVUE on Sept. 25 to discuss the Kinky Friedman candidacy, on Oct. 2 to discuss the lieutenant governor’s race, on Oct. 23 to explain the influence of early voting and most recently on Dec. 12 to talk about “Obama mania.” On Oct. 29, Dr. Smith was quoted in the Austin-American Statesman on the difficulties facing the Chris Bell campaign.

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popular music with an eye toward studio work. As music educators today, we have to take a careful look at the age we’re living and working in.

Having faculty members who play around Austin helps — our students can see them in action and then talk about it in class. Since everyone talks about Austin being the “live music capitol of the world,” it only makes sense that a university located right on South Congress, just a mile or so from some of the city’s best live music venues, offers a good music program.

TELEVISION

Three St. Edward’s alumni have worked on the ABC series Friday Night Lights. Jeremy Sexton, ’97, has been involved in many aspects of production as assistant to the director; Peter Malof, ’98, has a recurring role as the high school principal; and Elissa Linares, ’99, will be a featured extra in an upcoming episode.

In October, Kevin J. Prince, staff psychologist in the Counseling and Consultation Center, was a featured guest with other therapists on a mid-October episode of The Family Digest Show, a weekly nationally syndicated “how to” talk show that provides positive strategies for strengthening families and relationships. Also that month, Prince, his family and their East Austin home were featured on HGTV’s National Open House.

RADIO

Hamilton Beazley, scholar-in-residence at St. Edward’s University and author of No Regrets: A 10-Step Program for Living in the Present and Leaving the Past Behind, appeared on Laurie Spindler’s show, Life Changes with Laurie, on the Radio Colorado Network on Dec. 23. Beazley was also mentioned in an article on how to make an effective apology in the Nov. 17 edition of the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union.

Public Speaking

Marilyn Schultz, assistant professor and area coordinator of Communication, helped organize a roast for political commentator Molly Ivins last October, which was attended

by Garrison Keillor and Joe Ely. Proceeds from the fundraiser benefited the Texas Observer, a bimonthly magazine that prides itself on investigative journalism with a liberal bent.

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A performer, musical director and teacher around Austin for the past decade, Assistant Professor of Music Michael McKelvey (right), came to St. Edward’s three years ago to head up the university’s music program. St. Edward’s University Magazine spoke with the Los Angeles, Calif., native about where he plans to take music at St. Edward’s.

COACH’S CORNER

S P O R T S

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Highlights WRAP-UP

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• The women’s soccer team had one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation this year. After finishing last season 6-11-2, the Hilltoppers registered a program-best 17-3-2 record. The 2006 squad won the Heartland Conference Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

• The men’s soccer team finished at of 8-6-3, finishing third in the Heartland Conference.

• The volleyball team ended the season fourth in the Heartland Conference with 8-24. The Hilltoppers made it to the conference tournament’s semifinals.

• In just its third year of existence, the men’s cross country team won the Heartland Conference Championship and advanced to the first regional meet in school history. The team placed 13th at the regional meet. The women’s cross country team finished sixth in the Heartland Conference.

UPDATE

Having a Blond Day: Nick Cowell, Women’s Soccer Head Coach Nick Cowell is the kind of coach who gets results. During his 18-year coaching career, he’s led teams at five different colleges, guiding his athletes to nine conference championships and nine NCAA tournament appearances. He’s earne Conference Coach of the Year eight times. In his first year at St. Edward’s, the women’s soccer team won the Heartland Conference Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they won their first-round game. Cowell was also named conference and regional coach of the year. He shared his thoughts on his inaugural season with St. Edward’s University Magazine.

What do you like about coaching soccer?

I like soccer because it’s such a free-flowing sport. Once the game gets going there’s very little you can do you to affect the outcome of the game. There’re no timeouts and limited substitutions, so pre-game preparation and practice can end up making the difference.

What new strategies have you brought to St. Edward’s?

My overall philosophy is to train the team to be the best they can be at their game; for this team it’s about the attack. We have some talented attacking personalities on the team like midfielder Kristen Gascoyne, ’08, and defender Aimee Langlinais, ’09.

What were your goals for the team this season?

We wanted to win the conference championship and at least one game in the NCAA Tournament, and we achieved both of those goals. Next year, I’d like to add the goal of making it to the Final Four.

How do you balance having fun with consistency on the field?

Despite all the commitment and effort of the players, being on the team has to be a fun and enjoyable experience. Our players tread the line between easy-going fun off the field and intense competition on the pitch.

What really sticks out to you from this season?

During the preseason, I promised the players they could dye my hair blond if we won the conference. I forgot about it until two of the athletes showed up after the last regular season game with a bottle of bleach. I spent the next two weeks with blond hair — everyone got a kick out of that.

• The men’s basketball team is off to an 114 start. After losing the opening game of the season to #21 Harding, the Hilltoppers have won 11 of their last 14 games and are 2-1 in the Heartland Conference. The women’s basketball team opened with a 2-12 record, though they are 1-1 in the Heartland Conference.

• Currently ranked sixth in the nation in the GCAA/Bridgestone Coaches Poll, the men’s golf team has won one tournament and finished in the top five in four of its five tournaments.

The women’s golf team is currently ranked 14th in the nation by Golfstat, having have won one tournament and twice broken the school record for team strokes in a round.

PREVIEW • The men’s tennis team will look to improve upon last year’s 19-4 record, Heartland Conference Championship and appearance in the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament. The team returns five letterwinners from last year.

• The women’s tennis team will seek to build on its second place finish in the Heartland Conference. The squad returns five letter winners from last season’s team.

• The baseball team returns four starters and 19 letter winners to a group that finished second in the Heartland Conference at 36-20.

•The softball team finished last season 45-22 with a regular-season conference championship and the school’s first-ever appearance in an NCAA Regional.

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W O R K I N G S

“I Think I Just Deleted the Internet. ” Life at the Computer Help Desk

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By Karen Davidson

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ith more than 5,200 current and incoming students, and a staff and faculty of 939, life behind the Computer Help Desk is anything but dull. Last year, the office — staffed by three full-time employees and eight part-time students — fielded 14,632 requests for support through phone calls, walk-ins, e-mail and online chats. Given a growing student body with greater and greater computer needs, those numbers are likely to increase in coming years — along with the number of callers who lay claim to the monumental task of “deleting the Internet.”

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“Most times it’s just a browser issue,” says Sarah Rigdon, ’06, an English Writing and Rhetoric major who has worked on the Help Desk off and on for several years. Laura Ater, one of three full-time staffers on the desk, describes other issues as “all sorts of everything.”

That’s an understatement: From lost passwords to e-mail troubleshooting, wireless access to web publishing, the Help Desk serves as frontline support in the university’s initiative to ensure students, faculty and staff are not only equipped with the latest technology but also know how to use it.

“You have to be patient,” says Ater.

“You’ve got people who learn a lot of different ways: auditory, visual. I am a visual learner. I have to see what the problem is so I may ask my callers to re-create their situation, to teach me what they’ve done.’”

Brenda Adrian, associate director of Instructional Technology, knows firsthand that learning how to use a new technology all comes down to a user’s comfort level. “The way things are packaged these days, people think you just ‘plug it in and go.’ Sometimes it’s not that simple. You have to go through a few steps.” Inevitably, one of those steps may involve calling the Help Desk, which should never be a source of embarrassment, she says.

“People sometimes call and say, ‘I have a stupid question,’ but there really are no stupid questions. Chances are, we’ve had other callers asking the exact same thing.”

In addition to dabbling in the latest technologies, student workers like Rigdon and Erick Espinoza, ’06, an International Business major, see the Help Desk as a chance to hone valuable communication skills that will serve them throughout their careers. “We deal with a lot of different types of people,” says Rigdon, “different ages, different levels of competence. We learn new things every day.”

While the Computer Help Desk places priority on assisting users with supported software, e-mail and networking problems, it doesn’t stop there. The team also repairs student computers and helps fight viruses through hard drive scans and free antivirus software. “We deal with everything from the operating system on up,” says Adrian, “and usually have the computer back to the user within a day or so.”

In a world of increasingly sophisticated technology, it’s still people who keep the university up, running and connected. 

S P E C I A L

D E S T I N Y

A Storied Past

By Steve Wilson

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rowing up, Edwin Young Jr., ’67, loved hearing stories of his father’s days at St. Edward’s University.

Especially the one about the owl. As Edwin Sr., ’31, told it, a group of students from St. Edward’s had captured a great horned owl that they planned to present to football rival Rice University as a mascot during halftime at a game. The visiting Rice fans had other plans: In the spirit of unfriendly rivalry, they sneaked up to the owl’s cage before the presentation and set it free.

As a St. Edward’s trustee in the 1950s and 1960s, Edwin Sr. often invited over the likes of Brother Raymond Fleck, CSC, as dinner guests full of their own stories about the university. “Brother Raymond made the place sound as wild as a priest could,” says Edwin Jr. But it wasn’t until Edwin Jr.’s uncle made an idle remark 10 years ago that he learned one story he’d never been told: His grandfather, John Young, attended St. Edward’s from 1892 to 1893 before matriculating for reasons longforgotten to a relatively new school called the University of Texas.

That makes three generations of Hilltoppers in the family. And when you factor in Edwin Jr.’s brother, Robert A., ’68, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s a St. Edward’s gene in the Young DNA. At the very least, it’s safe to say the university has traditionally been strongly recommended from father to son. “My grandfather inspired my dad to go,” says Edwin Jr. “And my dad was very proud of being at school there. I’d have broken his heart if I’d gone to a Jesuit school.”

After what he calls an “enjoyable and enlightening” four years on the hilltop as a Business Administration major on a basketball scholarship, Edwin Jr. got drafted as an officer in the Army. Stationed in Washington, D.C., for a year and a half, he marched in the honor guard procession of Dwight Eisenhower’s funeral and the inauguration of Richard Nixon before doing a tour in Vietnam for 18 months.

Back home in Houston, he settled down with his wife, Helen, and got to work in the insurance business — which also runs in the family. Grandfather John started John Young and Associates as a small insurance outfit in 1900, and Edwin Sr. eventually took over the business. Edwin Jr. worked for various insurance companies — most recently AIG — over the course of 40 years before retiring last September at 61. He and Helen, who have four children, had their 39th anniversary this year.

Edwin Jr. has made periodic gifts to St. Edward’s, but in 2005 he increased his giving by joining the President’s Associates — friends of the university who annually donate $1,000 or more. From his multigenerational perspective, it’s the least he can do for a university that gave his family so much and continues to do the same for others.

“The facilities are so much better today than when I was there,” he says. “And I applaud the university for taking the steps to attract students from a variety of backgrounds.”

Some backgrounds are more familiar than others. Another Young graduates from St. Edward’s this year: Sarah, ’06, the daughter of Edwin Jr.’s first cousin. 

photos courtesy of Ed young

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F U T U R E

F O R W A R D

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ince 2005, St. Edward’s has used over 150,000 pounds of paper to produce more than 50 publications and other print projects. Odd as it may sound, this process has saved 1,452 trees, did not generate 68,244 pounds of solid waste or use 29 barrels of crude oil, and prevented 134,371 pounds of greenhouse gases from escaping into the environment.

Is this really possible? It is if you’re printing on recycled paper. In the interest of stewarding its resources wisely, St. Edward’s started using Mohawk Paper — manufactured entirely with wind energy and certified by Green Seal, an independent nonprofit — for a growing number of its marketing materials. Newsletters, brochures and this very publication have all been produced on the product. In 2006, Undergraduate Admission agreed to produce its recruiting materials on the paper, and New College and the School of Management and Business have followed. In late spring, all university-wide stationery will switch to recycled paper as well.

Mohawk makes its products from 100 percent post-consumer, chlorine-free waste pulp (nationally, only about 35 percent of fiber used by paper companies comes from recycled paper). Because recycled paper breaks down into pulp more easily than virgin paper made from fresh lumber, it requires around 40 percent less energy to produce. While many recycling mills tend to use more fossil fuels than standard mills, which use waste wood for most of their energy needs, Mohawk gets around this issue by procuring 38 percent of its manufacturing electricity from emission-free wind power.

“Paper is an energy-intensive material,” says Mohawk Sales Representative Jeff Donovan. “When you mention paper pulp, people get images of clear cutting forests, but that’s not what we’re about. Our goal is to buy 100 percent repurposed pulp, all while lowering our energy consumption. We want to reduce our footprint on the environment.”

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by Hans Christianson

1,452 trees preserved for the future 68,244 lbs solid waste not generated 29 barrels crude oil unused 134,371 lbs net greenhouse gasses prevented The phrase “post-consumer waste fiber” may sound trashy, but its no skimp on quality. To the untrained eye, Mohawk looks like any other brand of paper, perhaps because it’s made with the same process (just with fewer chemicals and bleaches). At the Mohawk mill in Cohoes, N.Y., the temperature races as high as 120 degrees in some areas as workers mix paper pulp with water in large vats. The pulp is mixed to a consistency that resembles something between cottage cheese and curdled milk before it’s run through a series of pipes.

The pipes pour out a goopy mixture onto mesh conveyer belts that dry away a substantial amount of excess water to create the final paper product. The slower this process, the higher quality the paper.

“Recycled paper takes pressure off forest resources and uses considerably less energy to

manufacture than a virgin fiber sheet,” says Mohawk Senior Vice President George Milner.

“Conserving energy is important in an energy starved world like ours. And an additional benefit of lower energy consumption is lower emissions of green house gases, primarily CO2, the primary cause of global warming.”

Director of Design and Publications in Marketing Ben Chomiak says St. Edward’s will continue to explore more printing options on Mohawk, and the day may soon come when the university produces all marketing and recruiting materials on recycled paper. “It just makes sense,” he says. “Recycled paper like Mohawk not only has a professional appearance, but it also helps the university demonstrate its commitment to preserving the environment. It’s important that our actions go beyond just words.” 

V O I C E S

katy rogers, ’08

H I L L T O P

Poverty: Learning to Listen

By Vicki Totten

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s a marriage and family therapist, I’ve learned that listening well is an essential skill for helping. As an educator, I’ve learned that I must extend my listening to my field and community to do the best job possible. And lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about poverty.

As the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” has widened, today’s human service professionals are encountering increasingly complex problems that can leave them feeling their limitations for helping. These complex problems demand a broader array of skills and knowledge than what I was taught and what many programs currently teach. Surprisingly, many of our helping professions still educate students to focus on the consequences of their clients’ problems rather than the source of those problems and the broader, systemic change that could alleviate them.

Many human services programs, for example, don’t include courses on community change and advocacy. A large majority of social-work graduates identify themselves as therapists instead of community advocates.

In my own graduate work in counseling, I learned very little about how to help

people build capacity within crumbling neighborhoods or fix ineffective agencies; what I learned was how to help them feel better about their situations.

So, in broadening my own lens to be a better change agent in my discipline, I’ve learned that I have to challenge myself first if I hope to challenge my students. This propelled me to become part of the guide team responsible for two national Ending Poverty conferences out of Springfield College (a leading educator of human service programs), and to accept a board position at the National Organization for Human Services. It’s this latter work that takes me to different parts of the country, listening to what students, educators and practitioners are saying is needed from the educational programs such as the one I manage here at St. Edward’s. What I hear is a sense of frustration with the increasing systemic barriers that often go beyond what people in the helping professions have been taught to address. This listening resulted recently in a re-evaluation of our curriculum in the undergraduate Human Services major to include the newly required classes Community Organizing and

Development, Using Policy to Transform Human Services Practice and Program Evaluation.

These changes represent an awareness that if our graduates are going to be effective change agents within our communities, it’s our job to make sure they’re up to the task. I can’t settle for simply educating my students the way I was educated. Today’s graduates need to be skilled change agents within our social service agencies and within our communities.

The results of this new paradigm are popping up all over the country. Groups like Building Movement are teaching nonprofits how to incorporate advocacy into their work.

Individuals like social worker Mark Homan in Arkansas are helping agencies move from a “service” to a “development” approach to solving problems.

These and similar goals are well worth a listen.  “Associate Professor Vicki Totten is coordinator of the undergraduate Human Services major in New College.

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The frog didn’t know the half of it: Being green isn’t easy, and it’s just one part of the challenge behind making a sustainable world. Besides stewarding the environment, sustainability calls for ethical business practices and social justice to ensure people, communities and countries grow in stable and self-reliant ways.

The following pages explore the ways the St. Edward’s University community — its campus, alumni, students, faculty and staff — has joined the movement to create a future in which everyone can get along well enough to keep going.

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Energy-Saving Landscaping

By Hans Christianson The grass has truly gotten greener on the hilltop thanks to recent efforts by the university to conserve better through landscaping.

Plaza. At Doyle Hall, sturdy native plants like Monterrey oaks and mountain laurels screen out the roads and parking lot.

In recent years, landscape architects Sasaki Associates have worked with Physical Plant’s grounds crew and gardening contractors to select native plants for the campus that don’t need as much moisture, saving on water.

Indigo spires, yellow coreopsis and calendula, cherry sage, red Turk’s cap, purple Mexican petunias, and more now grace the gardens around the historic Sorin Oak and Ragsdale

On other parts of campus, energy-saving shade is part of all new construction and renovation. Southeast of Moody Hall, a new arbored seating area provides shade and is surrounded by crape myrtles transplanted from their former location around Sorin Oak. At Teresa Hall, a new entry awning and crushedgranite patio were installed last summer along with canopied tables. All the original trees at

East Hall were saved throughout construction of a new front porch, and native Indian hawthorne shrubs line the new wall. And since 2002, more than 700 trees have been planted all over campus.

It’s all part of an effort to create a natural, pedestrian-friendly environment,” says Grounds Supervisor Homer Johnson.

“And the native plants will be easier to sustain as future changes are made to the campus landscape.”

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Recycling Buildings

katy rogers, ’08

By Hans Christianson

Premont Hall: from residence hall to chic office space.

During the grand opening ceremony of Trustee Hall in October 2002, architect Arthur Andersson spoke about the future but asked everyone to reconsider the past.

While the new building he helped create represented the new breed of structures that would appear on campus from that day forward, he noted the sturdy construction of Andre, Fleck, Doyle and Premont halls.

These functional, flat-topped “concrete shoeboxes” from the midcentury were scheduled for demolition, but they didn’t have to be, he said. “They have good bones,” he explained, “and are worth preserving.”

The university agreed, canceling the demolition plans and reassessing these diamonds in

the rough. “With the rising costs of building materials, it made economic sense to preserve these buildings,” says Vice President of Financial Affairs Dave Dickson. It made environmental sense too, keeping possible toxins from seeping into the air and ground and sparing landfills the extra tonnage.

In Summer 2005, Premont Hall underwent a major renovation from residence hall to office space with chic signage, vintage-style fixtures and warm colors to create an inviting yet professional atmosphere. And in August 2006, Fleck Hall started its transformation into the new home of the School of Education with a facelift that includes a new third floor with glass-walled conference rooms. Next up for retrofitting: Doyle and Andre halls.

“Judging by the enthusiastic reaction to Premont’s conversion, we expect future projects like Fleck’s renovation — and eventually Doyle’s and Andre’s — to go over well, too,” says Dickson.

Energy-efficient Buildings

By Jeffery Benzing, ’07

At St. Edward’s, energy efficiency in new buildings is about more than turning down the thermostat.

For instance, the thick wall on the façade of Trustee Hall functions as a sun block, keeping the building cool during hot times of the year.

(In Texas this can be any time from January to December.) The angled red tiling on the roof of the John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center–North Building serves a similar function, and specially treated windows let in light but keep out heat.

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Air-conditioning units in the sciences center, as well as in Basil Moreau and Jacques Dujarié halls, feature variable speed drives that reduce the energy of heating and cooling when fewer people use the facility. “This feature is especially important in the sciences building because laboratories can’t use recycled air, and new air must be constantly cooled,” says Physical Plant Director Mike Peterson.

As St. Edward’s continues to grow in the 21st century, it’s these small energy savings that will add up, even if most students don’t notice the difference between the air conditioning of the sciences center and Holy Cross Hall.

Recycling Can-Do

By Hans Christianson

To passersby, the giant plastic blue cans that appeared in most campus buildings at St. Edward’s last December may have seemed like holiday decorations or advertisements for blueberry soda. But the telltale triangle stickers on their sides revealed all: The university added aluminum cans and plastic bottles to the materials it recycles.

Since 2000, St. Edward’s has participated in a variety of recycling initiatives for office paper and computers. The results speak for themselves. Last year, through Austin-based Balcones Recycling, the university recycled nearly 90,000 pounds (more than 45 tons) of paper materials, which was in turn sold to paper producers worldwide. The university also partners with Axcess Technologies, an EPA-compliant recycling and asset-recovery

center that handles recycling of damaged or obsolete computer systems (see story below).

It took a joint effort between Student Life, Auxiliary Services and Physical Plant to upgrade the program — an idea that came from a research paper by Jake McCook, ’06. His research concluded that the university needed to expand its recycling efforts, and with the help of Tri Recycling Inc., it has.

“We estimate that an average of 2,500 plastic bottles were sold on campus each week last year,” says Physical Plant Director Mike Peterson. “That means the university has a new opportunity to recycle over 100,000 bottles alone in 2007.”

katy rogers, ’08

Students have taken to the new aluminum can and plasic bottle recycling bins around campus.

computer recycling

By Jeffery Benzing, ’07

Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation, theorized in 1968 that the number of transistors on a computer circuit would double every 18 months. This notion, Moore’s Law, ensures processing power increases so quickly, a computer essentially becomes obsolete after two years, especially for students who need cutting-edge equipment to prepare for life in a high-tech world.

Instructional Technology at St. Edward’s makes sure that computers, printers and other hardware can still be used even as newer computers pass them by. The staff rotates old models from teaching labs — which require newer technology — to the more pedestrian needs of regular student labs, classrooms and faculty offices. IT maintains and updates these machines, but after another year or two of use, the computers aren’t worth keeping around. “We’re not saving money by saving old computers that can’t support new

software,” says Mary Howerton, director of Instructional Technology.

But St. Edward’s doesn’t trash its old technology. Each year IT refurbishes and returns to service approximately 130 computers, while it retires an estimated 70 computers and uses them for parts. Still-functioning computers too old to be useful are donated to local school districts and nonprofit organizations, while the lost causes go to Axcess Technology, which disposes of old technology and the hazardous chemicals it contains in an environmentally responsible manner.

Between Nov. 1, 2005, and Nov. 1, 2006, Axcess helped the university recycle 16,190 pounds — the equivalent of about 150 computers, printers and copiers.

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a year, she’s received more than $150,000 from foundations and individuals.

Filming isn’t always easy when your actors are only a couple of inches wide. One particular day of shooting in central Mexico sticks out to Milam. “We were at the sanctuaries last March filming amid millions of monarchs,” she says. “The wind came up and they flew up and out of the trees at the same moment and the sky just turned orange. The combined sound of their wings almost sounds like millions of leaves falling at once.” When the scientists returned the following day, they learned that the entire monarch group had left the area due to the smoke from a nearby forest fire on the other side of the mountain.

While the film has no deadline, Milam hopes to finish shooting by next summer.

Already she’s shot 70 percent of her intended footage in high-definition video. When the film wraps, she’ll face a new obstacle: distribution. She’s already pitched the documentary to PBS and other networks, and with the box office draw of recent nature documentaries (Winged Migration and March of the Penguins), she’s not ruling out the possibility of a theatrical release. However she gets the film to the public, Milam hopes to give people a greater sense of appreciation of not only the monarch butterfly, but also the planet.

“I want people to learn about the many simple and rewarding things they can do to better preserve this endangered phenomenon and species for future generations,” she says. 

photos courtesy of kay milam, ’85

to respond to a bid for a museum exhibit at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the University of Florida, she researched the cost of filming the monarchs at their winter sites in Mexico. While the exhibit never came to pass, Milam grew fascinated with this butterfly phenomenon and set out to commit it to film. Ever since, she’s devoted large chunks of her spare time to documenting the annual migration.

“I think that a documentary is the best way to tell this amazing story,” Milam says. “It has all of the elements of a classic story — adventure, discovery and beautiful scenery.”

She’s also exploring the environmental issues that threaten the monarchs, like illegal logging and development on their natural habitats.

Beyond raising awareness of the monarchs’ plight, Milam also highlights solutions creating sustainable habitats for butterflies and humans alike. The Monarch Watch Organization at the University of Kansas encourages Americans to plant butterfly gardens with nectaring sources and breeding habitats for the monarchs along their migratory path. And in Mexico, a reforestation program called the Michoacan Restoration Fund plants half a million trees each year in and around sanctuary regions to help provide sustainable income for the local peasant farmers and combat the loss from illegal logging.

The Butterfly Trees marks Milam’s first time as a director and the first project for which she’s had to raise capital. In a little over

Geoff Maxwell

t’s late August in southeastern Canada. The temperature is beginning to drop, and leaves are getting ready to change colors. For the monarch butterflies living in the northernmost area of their breeding range, it’s time to go. Their destination: the warmer climates of the oyamel fir forests of the Transvolcanic Mountain Range of central Mexico, approximately 2,500 miles away.

Myriad pitfalls and dangers always lie along the way. Bad weather like rain, wind and cold temperatures. Man-made hazards like cars. But lately, the trips have gotten tougher. Illegal logging in the oyamel fir forests threatens the monarchs’ winter homes, while commercial and residential development on natural habitats decreases the amount of available milkweed, the only plant on which monarchs can lay their eggs.

At least the butterflies won’t be alone.

Other monarchs migrating south from across the United States will join them on the journey. And so will Kay Milam, ’85. So far, she and her film crew have trekked more than 10,000 miles in 10 weeks along the migration path to shoot the butterflies, from the ground, up in the limbs of trees and over the canyons of northern Mexico. All this to make a onehour documentary, The Butterfly Trees.

Milam, a film producer for museums, visitor centers, corporations and businesses, first heard about the monarchs’ incredible journey across three countries in 2002. Asked

A few of the stars of The Butterfly Trees (left), a documentary by Kay Milam, ’85 (right), about the 2,500-mile migration of butterflies from southeastern Canada to the Transvolcanic Mountain Range of central Mexico.

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ake a step into the backyard of Rachel Hansen, ’09, a New College Business and Management major, and you might forget you’re not far the hustle and bustle of Austin-Bergstrom Airport.

Butterflies flutter near cedar elm trees. Birds sing from one of 20 birdhouses in Texas red oaks, flowering plums and wisterias. Squirrels gather acorns that have fallen among the Virginia creeper and maiden grass. Armadillos sleep in boxwoods. Hansen’s half-acre property isn’t a private nature preserve, but it’s the next best thing: an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat certified through the National Wildlife Federation.

The certification process requires residents to provide the four elements wildlife needs to thrive: food such as native shrubs that produce berries, a reliable water source from a birdbath or pond, dense natural cover for protection from predators, and mature trees or other safe places to raise young animals.

Homeowners must also employ sustainable gardening techniques like mulching, xeriscaping and replacing invasive plants with native plants. Hansen took a few moments away from tending her slice of paradise to talk with St. Edward’s University Magazine about her experience as a backyard conservationist.

magnificent to look at. The parks and wildlife service estimates that they are probably over 20 years old. I’ve also seen armadillos, coral snakes and wild parakeets.

What do your friends think of your backyard?

One of my friends, [Assistant Professor of English] Susan Gunn, ’91, was so impressed by it that she went ahead and got her own backyard certified.

Are there ever any squabbles over territory between the inhabitants?

I notice a decrease in the fish in my pond when the hawks come around. Another time a water moccasin showed up in the pond, and most of the frogs disappeared.  Additional reporting by Stacia Hernstrom, MLA, ’05

Want to get your backyard certified?

It’s easy to get your backyard certified by the National Wildlife Federation.

Go to www.nwf.org/backyard and follow the six-step process of certification.

Step 1: Decide you’re ready to set up your

yard and garden for wildlife.

Step 2: Create a food source.

Step 3: Create a water source.

Step 4: Provide cover and places for wild

animals to raise their young.

Step 5: Develop environmentally friendly

ways to garden.

Step 6: Apply for certification through the

National Wildlife Federation.

Why did you get your yard certified, and how long did the process take?

I started about five years ago as a way to support conservation. I’ve always been into gardening, and once I realized how much natural wildlife was already in the yard, I took it to the next level.

How much work have you had to do to your backyard?

A lot of the wildlife like raccoons, squirrels and armadillos were already there when I started, but the snakes, frogs and most of the birds have arrived because of my efforts. In terms of plant life, I’ve put in 95 percent of all the plants, along with the redbuds, two of the mountain laurels, the flowering plum, one of the live oaks and the red oak.

Rachel Hansen, ’09 (above), tends to her backyard, certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Fake flamingos (right) share Hansen’s pond with more animate animal neighbors such as snakes, frogs, birds and armadillos.

katy rogers, ’08

What are some of the different species you’ve spotted?

There are two great horned owls, a male and female, that I’ve seen a few times. I usually hear them more than see them, but they are

23

T photos courtesy of peter beck

Peter Beck (above, third from left), assistant professor of Environmental Science and Policy, with a group of local environmental representatives at Lake Nakuru. As part of the Lake Nakuru Conservation and Development Profject, Beck has helped implement sustainable practices in the region. Beck on a more recent visit to Lake Nakuru with daughter Karen. (top)

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hroughout most of the year, an extraordinary shade of fuchsia pink lines the shores of Lake Nakuru in central Kenya.

Considered one of the greatest bird spectacles in the world, Lake Nakuru — and the abundant algae found in its shallow, warm waters — attracts up to 1.5 million flamingos that feed and nest there.

The surrounding Lake Nakuru National Park sanctuary, created in 1968, is also home to the largest concentration of black rhinoceroses in the country.

Another ecosystem of a different sort lies a short distance away — Lake Nakuru the town, population 400,000 humans. The area’s double life as Kenya’s fourth-largest town and its most visited park has led to the type of conflicts that are all too common between environmental conservation groups and

supporters of local urban development. But rather than entrench themselves, both sides have agreed to creative compromises. Longterm efforts like the World Wildlife Fund’s Lake Nakuru Conservation and Development Project are helping both the local people and the wildlife refuge by ensuring the two support each other.

While working on his master’s degree at Yale University, Peter Beck, assistant professor of Environmental Science and Policy, signed up to be a part of the WWF project soon after it started in 1991. Over the next 10 years, Beck, along with the rest of the team, trained locals in sustainability practices like growing specific timber trees that reduce soil erosion and chemical runoff into the lake. They also held conferences with local officials to create a town development plan that would minimize impact on the lake.

“I was attracted by the whole idea of incorporating the needs of the local people and development into the needs of conservation,” says Beck.

At the time, the Lake Nakuru project was a cutting-edge concept in environmental circles. More often, traditional conservation took a less cooperative approach: trying to force out the local people rather than working with them. “Instead, we were helping to improve their lives and protecting the area as well.”

Not surprisingly, conservation development has become Beck’s area of professional expertise. In Uganda, he has studied the villages surrounding the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (where visitors travel to see endangered mountain gorillas) and Mount Elgon National Park on the Kenyan border.

Within the environmental community, conservation development has become something of a standard, practiced in places like Asia and Latin America. Beck cites the SOS ordinance in Austin, which doesn’t prohibit new development but sets limits on it.

In July 2005, Beck made a return trip to Lake Nakuru. “The area has grown quite a bit, but the ecology of the park remains strong,” he says. Beck attributes this balance between civilization and nature to the community embracing the practices the project has encouraged. “If people don’t support the park,” he says, “they’d cut down trees and kill animals.

They’d wonder why they can’t have the land to farm. You need to get the support of the local people to make it work.” 

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In a Guatemalan orchard, among perennially green leaves and jasmine-scented white flowers, berries hang on a tree.

Inside this fruit rests the key to a caffeinated potion that has kept the world going since Ethiopia discovered its usefulness in the sixth century: the coffee bean.

A Harsh Life As the American business professional slaps the snooze button on the alarm clock at 6 a.m., the Guatemalan coffee farmer is likely already in the field. For 10 months out of the year, families of workers come together to plant and cultivate these coffee orchards.

In April or May, when the coffee berries turn from green to red, harvest begins. The workers strip the berries from the tree branches by hand. Each day, a worker can pick up to 200 pounds of the fruit, though only 40 pounds of this weight are actual coffee beans. Farmers without pack animals carry the crop from the fields themselves.

Conditions have always been harsh, but since 2000, independent coffee farmers in the more than two dozen countries — many of them in the developing world — that grow coffee have fought a life-or-death battle against malignant economic trends. As the average world price of coffee has dropped, more than 500,000 Central American farmers have been forced out of the industry. Today, many coffee farmers must sell their crop for about half the production cost. They earn an average 50 cents a pound compared to the $10 a pound that Guatemalan coffee can fetch in

the United States, which gulps down one-fifth of the world’s coffee.

Since growing coffee fails to guarantee livable conditions, farmers struggle to feed their families and the pack animals needed to harvest the crop. Many farmers can’t even gather the resources to get out of a coffee industry that’s trapped them in a cycle of poverty.

By the time a barrista pours the piping hot brew, numerous people have handled the beans since the farmers have, all of whom have enjoyed healthy profits: the middleman who buys the crop, the processor who defruits and dries it over the course of days, the exporter who ships it around the world, and the local roaster who brings out the flavors locked inside. Does this mean the blood of the oppressed worker taints your triple-shot espresso? At St. Edward’s University, at least, the answer is no.

The Fair-Trade Difference All the coffee carried by Meadows Coffeehouse in the Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center comes from Austin Java, which exclusively carries blends that sport

the Fair Trade Certified label. Fair-trade organizations like TransFair in the United States approve trade goods to ensure that the artisans and farmers who get them to market receive above-average wages for their toil.

Through better pay (as much as three times the going rate) and other standards (see page 28), the fair-trade movement aims to help marginalized workers move from economic instability to self-sufficiency so they’ll have a greater stake in international trade.

President and CEO of TransFair Paul Rice puts it this way: “Fair trade is tripling net incomes for farmers without anyone’s charity.

It’s about empowerment. It’s about helping communities develop their own capacity to become effective businesspeople and to achieve a decent price for a great product.”

Fair-trade coffee makes up only a tiny percentage of the overall market, and even the farmers who benefit from the movement still face other barriers. After selling to fairtrade intermediaries, farmers must sell the rest of their crop to exploitative middlemen.

This means that despite the extra profits they earn, the farmers still may operate at a loss.

However fair $1.26 per pound of coffee may be, it doesn’t ensure enough profit to help communities escape cyclical poverty.

27

Jason Jones

Though fair-trade coffee generally costs 10 percent more than average brews, Meadows, charging a minimum of 99 cents for a large cup, manages to provide a cheaper alternative to Starbucks ($1.75). Emilio Sarria, director of Dining Services at St. Edward’s, says Meadows customers have taken to the coffee’s flavor. “Everybody who comes in likes the coffee a lot,” he says. “They even buy the ground coffee to take it home and make it for themselves.”

Fair-trade advocates are betting that if more coffee drinkers embrace their product as Meadows patrons have, they can help ensure the livelihood of farm communities across the globe. “Fair-trade coffee has advantages for the workers, and it makes the whole supply chain more distributed as opposed to concentrated in a few hands,” says Mike Stone, director of Auxiliary Services at St. Edward’s. “What was even more appealing to us, though, is that our source, Austin Java, is a local business. It’s an added bonus.” 

Meadows Coffeehouse on campus buys fair-trade coffees harvested by farmers paid a livable wage for their toil.

T h e Fa i r - T r a d e Ma n i f e s t o As it’s developed, the fair-trade movement has solidified a set of principles for the way it seeks to help farmers and artisans.

These priorities include: Fair price: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products.

Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.

Fair labor conditions: Workers on fair-trade farms enjoy safe working conditions and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.

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Direct trade: Importers purchase from fair-trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair-trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest fair-trade revenues.

Community development: Fairtrade farmers and farm workers invest fair-trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship

programs, quality improvement training and organic certification.

Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and Genetically Modified Organisms are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

— source: TransFair USA

McCook says he hopes SEUganda’s microcredit program raises enough funds to give loans to the farmers to help them acquire organic certification. Since the farmers don’t have the money to invest in pesticides, they’ve never used them in their fields. As a result, they grow some of the purest produce in the world. McCook found the farmers receptive to the idea of getting organic certification, and loans would help cover the administrative costs of their applications. “The certification will allow them to sell their products in markets such as Europe and Japan for a higher value,” says McCook, who grew up on an organic farm in New Mexico.

Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Sara Medina-Pape, coordinator of SEUganda, says the program provides students with the chance to do more than simply see another part of the world. “It also gives them the opportunity to do work that will make a difference in many people’s lives,” she says. “I feel fortunate that St. Edward’s has been able to offer such a rewarding and educational trip for our students.”

Most recently, Zebrowski and MedinaPape traveled to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the Global Microcredit Summit in mid-November. “I’d done all of the field research I could,” says Zebrowski. “So the conference gave me the chance to speak to experts and ask a lot of questions.” She also met Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who established the microcredit concept over 20 years ago.

Zebrowski says that until her involvement with SEUganda, she never realized how easy it was to help people who are so far away. “It puts a perspective on globalization, how if you take $50 out of your pocket, you can see how it can change another person’s life.”  To learn more about giving to SEUganda, visit www.stedwards.edu/seuganda

photos courtesy of Sara Medina-Pape

Margaret is a single mother in Kirinda, Uganda, with six mouths to feed: her child and the five children of her sister and brotherin-law, who died of AIDS. She gets by with the money she makes running the Holy Cross crafts shop, but to pay for her kids’ education (primary school in Uganda costs nothing, but secondary schools charge a fee, and the required uniforms for both aren’t free), she needs to expand the business. That would require a small amount of seed money — too small for a bank to trifle with, but just the right size for the microcredit program being established by SEUganda and the Holy Cross Family Center.

Meeting Margaret put a face on the research of Rachel Zebrowski, ’06, a recent St. Edward’s graduate who studied microcredit for her Capstone project. After working at the Family Center for a month last summer as part of an SEUganda delegation, she put off plans for graduate school to help SEUganda and Holy Cross get money in the hands of budding entrepreneurs with no other access to capital. “This has put a fire underneath me to keep this project moving,” she says.

Ugandan women could buy a cow or a new sewing machine with the nominal sums (typically $85) SEUganda loans them, enough to start a small business. And through the infrastructure already set up by the family center, established in 2001 as a medical clinic and vocational school for local women, SEUganda found the perfect way to reach them.

Microcredit programs tend to focus on women, but if the initiative raises enough funding, it could help another segment of the local population: the farmers. While on the summer SEUganda trip, Jake McCook, ’06, met with several farmers to research for his Capstone the way they’ve inadvertently become leaders in organic agriculture.

Margaret (top, center), a single mother and crafts seller who cares for six children, is one of many Ugandan women for whom a microcredit loan can have a big impact. Rachel Zebrowski, ’06 (above, right), meets microcredit loan applicants at the Holy Cross Family Center in Kirinda, Uganda.

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P

almito Lasagna. Palmito Prosciutto Wraps. Palmito and Artichoke Crostini. These are just a few of the 86 recipes in Cooking With Palmito: A Chef ’s Guide to Costa Rican Hearts of Palm, and they represent more than just creative menu options. Seven undergraduate business majors and 13 MBAs from the School of Management and Business at St. Edward’s created the book during a weeklong trip to Cartago, Costa Rica, last summer, where they served as a consulting team to produce-canning facility Conservas De Valle.

Gary Pletcher, Global Business chair of the School of Management and Business, conceived of the project after meeting with the owner of Grupo Comeca, the parent company of CDV. A firm believer in global economic development, he agreed to help CDV develop a business plan. “I always feel good about working on projects that help regional global economies increase awareness of goods,” he says. “You see more jobs created and a better life for workers in that industry. It works every time.”

Pletcher tasked the students with creating a viable business plan that outlined merchandising, marketing and selling the vegetable in the United States. From brainstorming sessions, the 120-page cookbook — largely created by Courtney Smith, ’06 — emerged as one of the more effective ways to increase demand for palmito.

During the trip, the students also visited a sock factory and a coffee company, and they met with local government officials to talk about the U.S.–Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which promotes free trade between the United States and five Central American countries, including Costa Rica. “We got to discuss with them how the Costa Rican economy is directly affected by what the United States does,” says Chris Horabin, ’07.

In his five years with St. Edward’s, Pletcher has led multiple student trips abroad, but this was the first time he integrated undergraduates and graduates together. “It was incredibly rewarding to work alongside others who are older and smarter than me,” says Smith. “I definitely learned a lot from them.” Troy Bertram, MBA ’05, echoes Smith’s sentiment: “The mixture of graduates and undergraduates

working toward a common goal reflected a real-life business environment of individuals working at different levels of experience.”

Pletcher will lead another trip for undergraduates and MBAs to Shanghai and Beijing this spring. This time, his students will build a business plan for the 3M Corporation to produce the hardware

and software needed to equip regions with wireless telecommunications. Pletcher says his students will be well-suited to the job. “They understand how to live and work and manage an organization abroad as an expatriate,” he says. “It’s great to see how they take what they learn at St. Edward’s and use it in the global business world.” 

Hearts of palm (above, left), the little-known vegetable that became the focus of seven undergraduate Business majors and 13 MBAs from St. Edward’s tasked with helping a Costa Rican canning facility expand its U.S. business. A group of students hit a riding trail (above, right). Alex MacDonald, MBA ’06, Sue Kosub, MBA ’06, Lorre Walker, MBA ’06, and Courtney Smith, ’06, visit the Costa Rican countryside (below).

photos courtesy of Lorre Walker, MBA ’06

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zer0coca broadcasting

zer0coca

photos courtesy of edward williams, ’05

Edward Williams, ’05, interviews Peruvian coca farmers in the mountain village of Totoro. Williams turned his research into a program on Peru’s coca eradication for National Public Radio’s Latino USA program.

By Terri Schexnayder, ’04

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When Edward Williams, ’05, met an old farmer on the streets of Cusco, Peru, it wasn’t hard to draw the man out. All Williams had to do was ask about Peru’s program to eradicate coca, the plant used to make cocaine. “They should go after the rich drug traffickers, not the poor people,” said the farmer. “Coca farmers are not the ones selling the drugs.”

Many cocaleros, or coca farmers, share those same sentiments. They’ve mounted a growing protest against the “zero coca” agreement that Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo signed with President Bush in 2002 under the promise of $300 million in aid.

The governments consider the plan a way to eliminate coca from the countryside; the farmers see it as a threat to their livelihoods.

How Williams came to explain the zero coca dilemma to listeners of National Public Radio’s Latino USA program stems from his junior- and senior-year study-abroad trips to Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua and other Spanish-speaking countries. “When visiting Granada, Spain, I saw the local community’s reaction to the newly released Abu Ghraib prison photos — the people were so quiet and somber, not rioting like in other places,” Williams says. “I realized then there are many different viewpoints about global issues.”

Hearing about the plight of the cocaleros, he researched the effects of the coca program for his Capstone project. He decided to experience his research firsthand, traveling to Peru with the help of a grant from the Latin American Studies department to tape interviews with rural farmers and government representatives. journalism.”

To prepare for his trip, Williams first contacted Tex Harris, diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, who Williams had heard speak at St. Edward’s. Harris put him in contact with the Lima embassy and Williams walked away with a contact list of foreign correspondents who led him to the right sources.

In Peru, Williams interviewed members of the Peruvian Congress, leaders of the cocagrowing farmers union and the farmers themselves. After spending days with the indigenous people, he better understood how the coca leaves — one of the few crops able to grow in the hot, dry region — provided more than just their livelihood.

“They’ve used the leaves in religious celebrations and for health remedies for generations and generations,” Williams says. “The farmers chew it, make it for tea, gather to offer the leaves up in thanks to

Mother Earth. Why ask them to change their traditions now?”

In an Independent Study course the next semester, he molded his interviews into a story under the guidance of adjunct faculty member Maria Flores. Flores, a broadcast journalist from Miami, Fla., had previously inspired him in her Professional Oral Communication in Spanish class when she had him conduct at least eight interviews with Spanish speakers in their native tongue to achieve an A in the course. “He did it and discovered he loved journalism,” she says.

Flores suggested Williams pitch his piece to NPR and put him in contact with her former Miami producer for tips. Soon after making his final presentation to the station, Williams made the cut and produced the tracks at the KUT studios in Austin. A month before the segment aired in January 2006, Flores nominated Williams for the School of Humanities Outstanding Student Award.

Williams, working to save money for graduate school and a trip to Brazil, says his Peru experience opened his eyes to social justice in that part of the world. “The gun in the drug war is aimed at the wrong people,” he says. 

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2+2+2 from the ground up Preparing the next generation of teachers through Jumpstart

and get them on a fast track towards a positive career as a teacher.”

When it goes into effect June 1, 2007 after a yearlong planning phase, Jumpstart won’t stop there. The program will provide an ongoing resource for the young teachers it prepares, helping them stay in a profession that suffers low retention rates. Karen Embry Jenlink, dean of the School of Education and creator of the program, calls Jumpstart a “grow your own” program that will allow local leaders, academic partners and other regional stakeholders to cultivate and sustain a new generation of teachers and community leaders.

“For many of our high school students, college is outside of their grasp,” she says. “It takes high school teachers working with college faculty and community leaders to inspire that vision and make the transformation happen.

This may become the model for teacher preparation in the 21st century.”

Forging a partnership between a community college system, an urban high school district and a private college is no small feat, but Jumpstart would have stayed tethered if not for funding from the Sid Richardson Foundation of Ft. Worth, Texas. With a long history

stewart jarmon, ’07

With the 2+2+2 Jumpstart program, the School of Education at St. Edward’s is making a simple calculation: The more pathways you give potential teachers to get into the field, the more teachers you produce.

Acting as an extension of Project Access, a regional collaborative that helps Austin Independent School District teaching assistants earn a bachelor’s degree with teacher certification, Jumpstart will recruit high-performing Austin high school students from underserved backgrounds who want to teach. While in high school, these students — some of them the first to seek a college education in their families — will perform dual-credit class work at Austin Community College. Once the students complete two years of introductory course work at ACC, they’ll move on to advanced study and teacher certification courses at St. Edward’s, where they’ll earn their bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate.

“Ideally, this will save students lots of time and streamline the process of earning a degree and getting certified to teach,” says Allison Rasp, director of education grants and accountability and coordinator of the project.

“We’re going to recruit them, support them,

by Steve Wilson

Karen Embry Jenlink, dean of the School of Education, wants the 2+2+2 Jumpstart program to serve as a model for teacher preparation in the 21st century.

of supporting programs to improve Texas K–12 schools and a keen interest in helping high school students, the Sid Richardson Foundation found Jumpstart the perfect fit for its goals in funding education initiatives.

Val Wilke, executive vice president of the foundation, says that when he read Jenlink’s Jumpstart proposal a few short months after she visited him at his office in Fort Worth, it sounded “made to order” for the foundation’s goals. He recommended funding Jumpstart to the foundation’s board, which agreed to donate $120,000 to the program over the next two years.

“Our attention has been focused on attracting more capable teachers to come into public schools and changing how the teachers work once there,” says Wilke. “We also want to bring more minority groups into teaching, and there’s no question St. Edward’s has spent a lot of effort working in minority communities.” 

Social RESPONSIBILITY St. Edward’s Style students from St. Edward’s organized a clothing and medicine drive in June 2006 for AIDS patients in western Uganda. In one week, the students collected more than 300 pounds of clothing and 42 bottles of vitamins and Tylenol from the university community. All donations benefited the clinic at the Holy Cross Family Center in Kirinda, Uganda, which cares for about 65 AIDS patients. The donation drive helped fund the students’ monthlong summer study abroad program in Uganda (see story, page 29).

■ Nine

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■ Carrie

Kotecki, MAHS ’03, works as a literacy teacher at the Notre Dame Education Center in Boston, Mass., her second service commitment with the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers–AmeriCorps program.

■ Thirteen students and four staff members volunteered approximately 800 hours in Canto Grande, Peru, in Spring 2006 as part of Campus Ministry’s Peru Immersion Experience. During the 10-day trip, students volunteered at a primary school and a facility for mentally and physically challenged children and adults.

■ St.

Edward’s University Alumni Association Chapters across the nation celebrated Founder’s Day through community service.

Volunteers provided aid for of events and social organizations.

■ As an intern at Texans for Peace, Lisa Jackson, MLA ’06, of Austin, helped organize the second annual Teaching Peace in Texas Conference, held in San Antonio in October 2006. Texans for Peace serves as a central source for information about peace and justice organizations and events across Texas.

Sustaining

the Future

Alternative Energy Sources

Dwindling oil supplies, rising gas prices and global-warming disasters fueled by CO2 emissions mean alternative energy sources aren’t just for Willie Nelson any more.

Nelson’s soy-based BioWillie diesel fuel is but one solution to the oil crunch on the horizon. The auto industry is in on the action, too, with an increasing number of hybrid cars on the market and others under development, including federally funded research into hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Wind turbines show increasing promise as an energy source, and solar panels now pop up in “green design” homes, along with other energy savers like geothermal heat. Some Japanese homes even use fuel cells in combination with other alternative measures to save on energy bills.

Peter Beck, assistant professor of Environmental Science and Policy, points out that most alternative energies have been around for some time. While many still need some technological advances — especially in the area of storing and transporting energies derived from wind and sun — Beck says that this knowledge is well within our reach. What’s lacking, he says, is a consistent national policy — the political will and financial backing to turn possibilities into realities.

T h e Fa r-F lu n g

Options for keeping the world running

Beck points to Brazil, a country close to having all its vehicles run on ethanol from sugar cane, a much more efficient derivation than ethanol from corn.

“It shows that a huge country with a large volume of cars can do it,” he says. “There’s so much that we can do; we just need to start it.”

By Alyssa Harad

Overpopulation

Rev. Thomas Robert Malthus, an 18thcentury British economist and demographer, formulated the “Malthus Principle,” the idea that the number of humans would eventually outpace the food supply. He wasn’t the first (or the last) to fear overpopulation.

Lucian Professor of Natural Sciences Allan Hook falls into this camp, but for him, it’s not just about the people. It’s what they consume, too. “The bottom line is that there are too many humans and too much consumption,” says Hook. “This planet has finite resources, and if we also imperil the world’s ecosystems by extinction, pollution and other problems, the ecosystems are not going to be able H o r iz o n to provide all the services they currently do — free food, clean air

and water.” e th in Microbiologists

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Six experts from the faculty of St. Edward’s shed light on the best ways to address the planet’s ills.

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Peter Beck

Allan Hook

Sara Medina-Pape

Innes Mitchell

Gary Pletcher

Bill Quinn

loss of habitat.” He points to the diminishing wilderness in the tropics and the declining marine population from both near-shore and deep-sea commercial fishing. “I refer to humans sometimes as ‘the mass extincters,’” he says. “Right now most extinctions are all pretty much human-derived.”

For Malthus, the answer to overpopulation was “moral restraint” — sexual abstinence for the lower classes. It’s a strategy chillingly echoed by those who blame overpopulation on developing countries and call for limits on birth rates. Hook says a far more reasonable approach is for people to change their consumption habits and produce less waste. He’s also in favor of tax incentives for parents who adopt or limit their family size. It may take a combination of solutions, he says, to find our place in the world’s ecosystem.

“We’ve gotten so far away from understanding and appreciating that we’re organisms who have evolved and that we depend on other organisms to survive,” he says. “I say to my students, ‘Is this what we want for our epitaph? To go down as the mass extincters?’”

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36

Global Climate Change

For some people, the effects of global climate change are simply an everyday, undeniable reality — even a business opportunity. While oil companies position themselves to take advantage of newly accessible fuel under melting polar ice caps and economists theorize the price of water as a global commodity, African countries watch massive droughts deepening and spreading. Meanwhile, here in the United States, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pores over a new 338-page report predicting drought and floods in his state within the next decade.

Professor of Biology Bill Quinn, who has spent the past several years tracking changes in forest communities, is one of many biologists who see the effects of global climate change firsthand. While he’s careful not to blame climate change for all he has documented, he thinks that the problem must be addressed at every level of society.

“The most effective solutions are going to come at the community level,” he says. “And we need a lot of informed people moving into public policy to help advance those kinds of solutions.”

Quinn points to the university’s newly created Environmental Science and Policy major as one avenue. “It teaches students how to combine policymaking skills with sound science,” he says — a methodology that will be crucial in the coming years.

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Celebrity Philanthropy

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sold pictures of their baby daughter Shiloh to raise a cool $20 million for African charities. Oprah Winfrey and Bono are collaborating with Gap and Apple Computer on their new (PRODUCT)RED campaign, which has raised $12 million to fight AIDS in Africa.

Winfrey has also opened a new school for girls in South Africa, a facility so luxurious that a reporter for South Africa’s Sunday Times has suggested it could be confused for a five-star hotel. Madonna is so enamored with Malawi that she adopted a child from that country (and has funded infrastructure improvements there).

It’s easy to be cynical about these celebrity campaigns, but nonprofit leaders have accepted help from the stars gratefully.

Assistant Professor of Theater Arts Sara Medina-Pape, who directs the SEUganda program (see story, page 29), echoes their sentiments. “More power to them,” she says.

“Everybody in the world should get involved in this.”

Associate Professor of Communication Innes Mitchell points out that celebrities can draw much-needed attention to important crises, and that there are qualitative differences between celebrity projects. Jolie, for example, has gained credibility through her work with the United Nations and can use celebrity to “draw attention to a larger political context through her actions.”

Some interest and knowledge, Mitchell points out, is better than none:

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T h e Fa r-F lu n g “There’s such a dearth of awareness in the United States about what’s going on in the world. Anything that can be done to shine a light is good.”

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to create storage fa cilities on the moon that will preserve sampl es of our scienc ture and even D e, culNA. This way, in the event of ap lyptic disaster, ci ocavilization can m ake a comeback Earth. If that so on unds a little too much like Woody Allen’s Sleeper to be believed, take note that the Natural History Museum in Lond on already maintai a “frozen ark” tis ns sue bank storin g the DNA of th sands of endang ouered species.

Though it’s a loose term claimed by many different camps, “sustainable development” often refers to businesses and initiatives that protect (or at least don’t harm) the environment of developing countries. Peter Beck, assistant professor of Environmental Science and Policy, has worked on many such projects, both at St. Edward’s and during a stint with the World Wildlife Fund (see story, page 24). While Beck is clearly committed to the concept of sustainable development, he says persuading people to open their doors for ecotourism versus making fast cash from harvesting a rain forest can be a hard sell.

Getting a stove that burns wood more efficiently is one thing, but who wouldn’t rather have a house with electricity?

Beck says the potential for sustainable development may depend on whether environmental sustainability can be achieved with improvements in quality of life or whether it will require individuals to make lifestyle sacrifices.

For Gary Pletcher, Global Business chair for the School of Management and Business, sustainable development “is first and foremost about making sure that people have the knowledge and skills to care for their families and that they’re not reliant on someone else.”

Microcredit, the practice of loaning relatively small amounts of money to impoverished people with no collateral, is one way to accomplish this kind of growth (see story, page 29). But critics point out that some governments may depend on such self-sufficiency in lieu of social services and improved education — support they say is just as essential to truly eradicate poverty.

Pletcher, a believer in the free market, says people need to view microcredit in the larger context of economic globalization, a force he sees as an inevitability. “In addition to insisting on multinational corporate responsibility through governmental legislation, inspection and penalties,” he says, “we should focus on what we can do to empower and sustain individuals and small businesses.

Microlending is one way to do that.

Private and public organizations are better at doing this than governments.” 

37

A L U M N I N O T E S

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

ALUMNI NOTES

From the Archives Missing a vowel?

Share your stories about this photo with us: St. Edward’s University Magazine 3001 South Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704 stevew@stedwards.edu

38

A L U M N I N O T E S

Col. Sidney J. Marceaux, ’62, is serving as a U.S. Army chaplain assigned to NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium. He deployed to Iraq in December to fill in for two young Catholic priests taking a hiatus from ministering in a combat zone.

Guy S. Bodine III, hs ’64, ’68, of Dallas, was selected in August to oversee Wachovia Corp.’s new Central Banking Group, which includes Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Illinois. He also joined the General Bank Operating Committee.

Krandall Kraus, ’66, of San Francisco, Calif., received the 2006 Christopher Isherwood Fellowship in Fiction Writing for his novel Perfect as It Is. He is the author of six books and a winner of a Lambda Literary Award. His latest novel, The Assassination of George W. Bush: A Love Story, is being serialized.

70s

Joseph Dispenza, ’70, has published his latest book, God on Your Own: Finding a Spiritual Path Outside Religion (Jossey-Bass, June 2006).

Richard Halpin, ’74, of Austin, gave the commencement speech at the St. Edward’s University December graduation for undergraduates.

Marilyn O’Neill, ’74, became the proud great-aunt of Ryan Lawrence Berry on Dec. 18, 2006. Berry was born on the 35th wedding anniversary of Marilyn and Kevin, ’72.

Laurie Friedman-Fannin, ’79, of Hortonville, Wis., was selected in

December as one of 20 community columnists for the Appleton PostCrescent. She works in special education at a local high school and is a member of Attic Theatre’s board of directors.

Bill McMillin, ’79, of Austin, was named vice president of Hyde Park Theatre’s board of directors in December. He is a Theater Arts adjunct faculty member at St. Edward’s.

80s

Maureen Stewart Dugan, ’81, of Alexandria, Va., is president of her local civic association and is a member of the city’s Stakeholders Group on Affordable Housing. She was recently recognized as an outstanding civic leader.

Barry A. Zale, ’85, of Dallas, is consignment director for the Fine Jewelry and Timepieces division of Heritage Auction Galleries. He was named to the position because of his intimate knowledge of jewelry and timepieces and his personal reputation in the industry.

Sabrina Bermingham, ’88, of Chicago, Ill., ran the Chicago Marathon in October and raised more than $3,000 for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

Jeffrey C. Bruce, ’88, of Beavercreek, Ohio, retired at the end of 2006 as editor of the Dayton Daily News and editor-in-chief of Cox Ohio Publishing, where he oversaw a staff of 300. As editor, he was responsible for all news content and the opinion pages, as well as the editorial content of the paper’s web site, www.daytondailynews.com.

MARRIAGES Joy Lynn Pilney, ’94, to James Walter Gorden on Oct. 15, 2005, living in Carrollton.

Michelle Costa, ’02, to Manuel Costa in November 2005, living in Merced, Calif.

Fowler Carter, ’03, to Lucy Birdwell, ’05, on Oct. 28, living in Houston.

Nancy Flores, ’03, to Jeremy Schwartz in April, living in Mexico City, Mexico.

PROFILE Let’s Do the Time Warp Again Joe York, ’78 Joe York, ’78, supplemented his Theater Arts studies by day with acting gigs at night at local Austin theaters. His dedication eventually made him one of the premier attractions in Austin live theater in the 1990s. In 2002, he moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., and along with his acting he started Lookit Design, a web design company. Last October, York came back to Austin to reprise his role as Dr. Frank N. Furter (which he has played over 100 times) in the Zach Scott Theatre’s production of The Rocky Horror Show (precursor to the film version, The Rocky Horror Picture Show). St. Edward’s University Magazine caught up with York after a performance to bask in his limelight.

COURTESY OF JOE york, ’78

60s

How do you keep a role fresh, especially when you’ve performed it a lot?

With Rocky Horror, it’s a little different than a lot of productions.

We have license to ad lib, and that helps to keep it fresh.

With the audience participation, the fourth wall isn’t there during the performance.

How did you go from acting into web design?

I found out that I didn’t like the business end of the New York acting scene. At the same time, I discovered that there wasn’t affordable web design for artistic groups and companies that wanted to have professional-looking web sites. I kind of stumbled onto a niche market.

What was your experience at St. Edward’s like?

It was wonderful. I came to Austin specifically to go to St. Edward’s.

It allowed me to find out about myself.

What does the future hold for you?

I tell people that I’m 50 years old, and I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. I really just want to do what makes me happy, and that includes acting and building my business without letting either lose my personal touch.

— Hans Christianson

Regina Sosa, ’05, to Tyrone Douglas Gordon on June 23, living in Austin.

39

A L U M N I N O T E S

80s cont.

RoxAnne Lee-Price, ’88, completed 27 years with the Austin American-Statesman and is now quality manager for operations in Spicewood.

Dawn A. Owens, ’88, of McNeil, received her sixth-degree black belt in tae kwon do in September. She teaches martial arts at the YMCA of Austin’s Northwest Branch.

R. Kelly Wagner, MBA ’88, of Catonsville, Md., has published her first piece of music, an arrangement for a concert band called Jingle Bells Hora. The Montgomery Village Community Band premiered the piece, which was played by community bands across the United States and Canada in December as part of holiday concerts. Wagner would like to hear from classmates at bunrab@bunrab.net.

Brian Tuerff, MBA ’89, of Austin, joined Compass Bank in December as senior vice president and corporate relationship manager.

90s

Margaret J. Gomez, ’92, of Austin, gave the commencement speech at the St. Edward’s University

December graduation for New College and graduate programs.

commanding officer of a recruiting station in Jacksonville, Fla.

Michael Miller, ’92, of The Colony, is assistant manager of the Austin History Center. His wife, Corina (Muñoz) Miller, ’93, is a freelance writer, which allows her to stay home with their two children, Rebekah, 6, and Katherine, 4.

David Coronado, ’96, joined the Association of American Geographers as its first communications manager in January.

The AAG is a scientific and educational society committed to the advancement of geography and geographic education. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in Public Communication at American University beginning in Fall 2007.

Mark A. Magnon, ’94, of McAllen, has been promoted to branch manager at Penske Truck Leasing for the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo.

He celebrated 10 years with Penske in November.

Ryan Kellus Turner, ’94, of Austin, was promoted to director of education for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center in October. He has been general counsel for the organization since 2004.

Jose Manuel Ponce Navarrete, ’95, represented Mexico in SuperCrawl V 2006, an off-road “rock-crawling” race held in Phoenix last December.

He organized a similar rock-crawling event in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he resides.

Maj. Dennis Sanchez, ’95, has returned from a second tour of duty in Iraq. He has been assigned as

F U T U R E H I L LTOPPERS To Cissy Gamboa, ’94, and Marcel Gamboa, ’95, of Buda, daughter Ashlynn Marcel on March 7.

To Mark A. Magnon, ’94, and America Magnon, of McAllen, son Alejandro on Sept. 28.

To Pamela (Polnick) Alvarado, ’97, and Charles Alvarado, of Round Rock, son Hunter Matthew on May 30.

To David Barrientes, ’97, and Jessica (Monreal) Barrientes, ’98, of Arlington, son Drew Anthony on Sept. 16.

To Jennifer (Zadrozny) Nevins, ’97, and Steve Nevins, of Houston, son Mitchell Walter on March 31.

To Michelle Costa, ’02, and Manuel Costa, of Merced, Calif., son Ryan in February.

To Sharon Rossie, ’02, and James Rossie, of Round Rock, daughter Sabrina Marie Rossie on Oct. 31.

To Stacia Hernstrom, MLA ’05, and Joshua Hernstrom, ’07, of Austin, daughter Sophia Katherine on Oct. 13.

To Beth Lovaas, MBA ’05, and Tim Lovaas, of Austin, daughter Audrey on Nov. 12.

To Ann Starr, MAHS ’02, and Stephen Beasley, of Austin, son Vaughan Starr Beasley on Dec. 5.

40

Mical Trejo, ’97, of Austin, was named secretary of Hyde Park Theatre’s board of directors in December. He is an actor and writer with the Latino Comedy Project.

Ashley Holmes, ’99, MLA ’04, of Austin, has launched Little Pepper Pouches, a business that sells her homemade over-the-shoulder baby holders. Visit her web site at www.littlepepperpouches.com.

Elisa Macias, ’99, is director of community relations for the Corpus Christi Hooks. Her career as a minor league baseball executive began in 2003, when she was appointed director of community relations for the Round Rock Express.

00s

Kerry Janel Kern, ’01, of Buda, has been promoted to property manager in the Austin office of Trammell Crow Co. Michelle Costa, ’02, of Merced, Calif., is working on a master’s degree in Ecology and Sustainability at California State University–Stanislaus.

Brandon Benavides, ’03, of St. Paul, Minn., is a news producer for KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities. Before joining KSTP, he was executive producer for KETK-TV in Tyler.

Nathaniel F. Chua, MAHS ’03, became resident area coordinator for Station Square Apartments at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, in July. His areas of concentration are Greek housing and the campusowned apartments.

ALUMNI BOARD Simone Talma, ’91, MBA ’02, chair Jesse Butler, ’99, vice chair Bob Lucash, ’72, admission and current students chair Jesse Butler, ’99, advancement chair Neil Brown, ’02, alumni programs chair Christyana Ramirez, ’00, nominating committee chair

MEMBERS Richard Allen, MBA ’01 Kay Arnold, ’04 P.R. Avila, ’96 Jessica Burkemper, ’07, student representative Eliseo Elizondo, ’87, MBA ’98 Diane Gilley, ’92 Dave Hughart, MLA ’05 Brother William Nick, CSC, ’64 Holy Cross representative Bob Oppermann, ’56 Rich Ries, ’57 Donna Rodriguez, ’87 Joel Romo, ’94 Chad Skinner, ’97 Tony Tijerina, MBA ’98 Ann Waterman, MBA ’99 Bill Zanardi, faculty representative

BOARD CHAIRS EMERITI Don Cox, ’69 Eliseo Elizondo, ’87, MBA ’98 Marilyn O’Neill, ’74 Maurice Quigley, hs ’50 Tom Ryan, ’63 Paul J. Tramonte, ’91 Frank Woodruff, ’69 Alumni are elected to the board of directors for rotating three-year terms and may serve for up to six years. If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, contact Kippi Griffith, MBA ’01, at kippig@stedwards.edu.

A L U M N I N O T E S

PROFILE

C alendar of Events

Reading, Writing, Performing Arts

Austin

Jackie Smith, ’79

March 26: Career Grooves — Networking Nights

Mabee Ballroom A

6:30–8 p.m.

April 11: How to Boil Water — Decoding Day 1 At Work

Mabee Ballroom A

6:30–7:30 p.m.

April 18: Career Compass: SEU Graduate School Admission Panel and Networking Night

Mabee Ballroom

6:30–8 p.m.

April 27: Party At The Hilltop

Ragsdale Lawn

3–7 p.m.

HAPPY HOURS: Feb. 8, March 8, April 12

May 9: Presidential Reception

Los Angeles March 8: Presidential Reception

ALUMNI CONTACTS Austin

Los Angeles

Chris Ragland, ’05 chris@raglandfamily.net

Todd Freemon, ’97 freemon22@hotmail.com

Chicago

MAHS

Neil Brown, ’02 neil.brown1@comcast.net

Leanne Treviño, ’03, MAHS ’05 lnoskey@yahoo.com

Corpus Christi

MBA

LaVerne Gomez, ’97 Laverne.Gomez@dchstx.org

Kippi Griffith, MBA ’01 kippig@stedwards.edu

Dallas/Fort Worth

Miami

JD Garza, ’93 jdgarza31@msn.com

Giovanna Garcia-Pons, ’97, MBA ’03 gioarias@aol.com

Gulf States International

Rio Grande Valley

Atif Abdulmalik, ’88 aabdulmalik@arcapita.com

Robyn Post robynp@stedwards.edu

Yasser Abdulla, ’88 yabdulla@arcapita.com

San Antonio

Brian Smith, ’98 bsmith@ncslow.com

“Without a doubt, the school atmosphere at St. Edward’s influenced what I wanted to pass along to young children,” Smith says.

“Small classes, interested teachers and curriculum.”

Providing education for 400 students from kindergarten through eighth grade (as well as preschool), the private school emphasizes the arts in class sizes that never exceed 18 students. Jackie’s school ranks nationally within the top 10 percent of schools in achievement test scores.

Dallas

Houston

Joke all you want about how a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology comes in handy for educating children.

Jackie Smith, ’79, is hardly laughing when she says her time at St. Edward’s informs the way she runs her school, Jackie’s Performing Arts and Private Education in Austin.

COURTESY OFjackie smith, ’79

March 7: How to Boil Water — Relocation 101

Mabee Ballroom A

6:30–7:30 p.m.

Smith’s approach to education revolves around giving children advanced educational opportunities as soon as they’re ready for it.

“We have seventh-graders who are reading high school literature,” she says. “They love it.” She attributes this philosophy to one of her early mentors at St. Edward’s, Sister Madeline Sophie Hebert, MSC. “She believed in encouraging every student to understand and ask questions,” she says. “That’s how we do things here.”

Many students graduate from Jackie’s school and move on to private schools or gifted-and-talented programs in public schools. In Spring 2006, Austin Mayor Will Wynn awarded Smith an exemplary school award, recognizing her more than 25 years of service and education for young people.

“My experience at St. Edward’s gave me the courage to risk things,” adds Smith. “It gave me enthusiasm for learning and teaching. It also prepared me to always reach for challenges and not take what is given.”

— Sheila Dolan

Brother Jesus Alonso, CSC, ’01 alonsoj@utscsa.edu

Washington, D.C. Jeremías Alvarez, ’01 dcseualumni@hotmail.com

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A L U M N I N O T E S

PROFILE

00s cont.

Nancy Flores, ’03, of Mexico City, Mexico, has completed a two-year journalism fellowship with Hearst Newspapers. She is now a freelance writer for the Miami Herald’s international edition.

katy rogers, ’07

Lisa P. Goddard, MBA ’03, of Austin, has been named advocacy and online marketing manager for Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

Listening to the Fading Boom Adelaide “Addie” Horn, ’82 It’s not every commissioner of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability who lines the shelves of her office with toys. But in this line of work, Adelaide “Addie” Horn, ’82, is reminded daily to appreciate the fun things in life. St. Edward’s University Magazine chatted with Horn about running the state’s fourth-largest agency.

What are the major issues in aging and disabilities?

Sufficient services to meet the growing demand of the citizens of the state. We are all aging, and many of our citizens have disabilities. We need a well-funded, comprehensive array of services.

Additionally, we need sufficiently paid, trained and quality direct-care staff. Also affordable, accessible housing and funding for community services.

What’s happening to the baby boomers as they become senior citizens?

Our industry needs to understand their needs and desires, which is more independence and self-determined care. We need to be doing the preventative things that ensure healthy long-term living.

For example, our “Aging Texas Well” program includes a statewide fitness campaign called TEXERCISE. How did your St. Edward’s New College experience help you in your career?

The New College program gave me the opportunity and flexibility to hold down a full-time job and take the courses I needed for my Bachelor of Liberal Sciences degree. To me, a diploma is a badge of courage and tenacity that says you have dedication and can complete a task.

— Terri Schexnayder, ’04

42

JoyLynn Gonzales Occhiuzzi, ’04, was named director of community relations for Round Rock ISD in August. Previously, she managed the public-education program behind Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD’s successful $207 million bond package.

Noah Webster, ’04, has been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant in the United States Army.

Jessica Curry, ’05, traveled and lived in Portugal after graduation.

Now back in Austin, she has started Douro Décor, which imports Portuguese and Italian custommade, hand-crafted furniture. Visit her at www.dourodecor.com.

Gilberto Wong, ’05, has joined the U.S. Education Finance Group in Miami, Fla. Tyler Duncan, ’06, of Charleston, S.C., was named assistant coach of the men’s golf team at the College of Charleston in August.

James Patrick Harkins, ’06, has opened Fondren Guitars in Jackson, Miss. He sells vintage, new and used guitars and amplifiers, offering lessons and repairs. Visit him on the web at www.fondrenguitars.com.

Brian Rabalais, ’06, of Nacogdoches, was part of the sixmember winning team at a two-day design competition co-hosted by Emory University’s MBA program and the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Industrial Design program in October. About 80 students participated in the event, which focused on developing products and services to help users accomplish their morning routines. 

Alumni P rograms CAMPUS NEWS The St. Edward’s University Office of Alumni and Parent Programs spent the summer and beginning of the fall holding events and planning others.

Here’s a look at a few of the office’s recent activities.

In October, alumni attended the second annual Hilltopper Golf Tournament to benefit the university’s varsity athletic teams. In November, alumni shared their career expertise and insight with freshmen majoring in Business, Political Science, Communications, Humanities, and Criminal Justice at the third annual alumni career panels co-hosted with APSS. In December, Richard Halpin, ’72, and Margaret Gomez, ’91, MLA ’04, addressed graduates at the fall commencement ceremonies.

This fall, The St. Edward’s Fund Phonathon introduced a new automated computer-based system.

This new system gives student callers a more efficient way of speaking with more alumni to update their contact information, raise their awareness of campus events, and talk with them about giving to The St. Edward’s Fund, student scholarships, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, Athletics and Campus Ministry. Remember, no matter how big or how small your gift, your participation means a lot to St. Edward’s. We look forward to speaking with you this spring during Phonathon.

We would like to thank our alumni admission volunteers who served as university representatives at over 30 college fairs this fall. By sharing their educational experience with prospective students and their parents, these volunteers assisted the university in recruiting great students from across the country and internationally. Thank you for your time, effort and dedication!

A L U M N I N O T E S

UPD A T E CHAPTER NEWS

Austin: At “How to Boil Water” events in November, recent alumni attended workshops on formal dining etiquette rules and managing personal finances. In December, over 20 alumni and guests volunteered for the chapter’s annual holiday service project with the Salvation Army Christmas Cheer Center. Recent alumni and faculty also welcomed December graduates into the Alumni Association at the December Graduation Party. On Feb. 10 during Homecoming 2007, the chapter will screen the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with hot cocoa and tasty chocolate treats at Alumni & Family Night on the Town at Beck’s on South Congress. Admission volunteers continue to help with online chats for prospective students and parents. Spring events include a panel to highlight the various St. Edward’s graduate school programs (April 18).

Chicago: Spring events include an Alumni Night at the Ballpark with the Chicago Cubs. The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities.

If interested, please contact Robyn Post at robynp@stedwards.edu.

Upcoming spring events in the “How to Boil Water” series for recent alumni include tips for home buying on March 7 and preparing for the first day of work on April 11. A “Career Grooves” networking night and panel on March 26 will inform alumni about the advertising and public relations professions.

Corpus Christi: In January, alumni and parents helped ring in the New Year by cooking a barbeque lunch for children in temporary housing at the Ark Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter for Youth.

The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities. If interested, please contact Robyn Post at robynp@stedwards.edu.

San Antonio: In December, the chapter welcomed Jesus Alonso, CSC, ’01, (above) as its new chapter president. Brother Jesus and other chapter leaders are making plans for spring events and request your ideas and input. President Martin will visit with alumni and parents in the spring. The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities. If interested, please contact Robyn Post at robynp@stedwards.edu.

Dallas/Fort Worth: Over 20 alumni volunteers contributed to the chapter’s annual holiday service project with The Salvation Army Angel Tree Christmas Center in December.

Spring events will include cheering on the Hilltoppers at the Heartland Conference Basketball Tournament in March and a reception with President George E. Martin on May 9.

Houston: The chapter welcomes new president Brian Smith, ’98, who is working with fellow alumni to plan a series of regional events throughout Houston in the spring. President Martin will host a reception in late spring. The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities. If interested, please contact Brian Smith, ’98, at bsmith@ncslaw.com.

Los Angeles: Future spring events include a reception on March 8 with President Martin and a sporting event. The chapter seeks volunteers to serve on a steering committee to plan future alumni activities. If interested, please contact Robyn Post at robynp@stedwards.edu.

MAHS (Austin): In November, 25 MA in Human Services alumni and guests collected toys at the Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade, benefiting Operation Blue Santa. The chapter hosts monthly mixers for alumni and students and will co-host with the Austin chapter a panel to highlight the various St. Edward’s graduate school programs this spring.

Miami: In December, alumni attended a performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts. Spring plans include attending a Marlins game. The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities. If interested, please contact Robyn Post at robynp@stedwards.edu.

Rio Grande Valley: The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities. If interested, please contact Robyn Post at robynp@stedwards.edu.

Student Alumni Association: SAA hosted the December Graduation Party, where 60 attendees celebrated graduates’ accomplishments. This fall, the group raised money for the Senior Signature campaign, benefiting The St. Edward’s Fund, and continues to solicit graduating seniors through an organized fundraising campaign.

Spring events will include planning the May Graduation Party in conjunction with Picnic on the Hill.

Washington, D.C.: St. Edward’s alumni gathered with Southwestern University’s D.C. alumni chapter for a networking “I-35 Happy Hour” in December (right). The chapter seeks volunteers for a steering committee to plan future alumni activities.

If interested, please contact Jeremías Alvarez, ’01 at dcseualumni@hotmail.com.

ONGOING EVENTS Austin Monthly Networking Happy Hours Second Thursday of the month

Austin Women’s MBA Network Fourth Monday of the month

Austin MAHS Monthly Mixers Second Thursday of the month

Click “Get involved” at www.stedwards.edu/alumni to find news and events in your area, or call 800-964-7833 or 512-448-8415.

43

A L U M N I N O T E S H oldings:

Mind over Medal “Holdings” profiles objects in the permanent collection of the Scarborough-Phillips Library Archives and Special Collections.

Drawing. Elocution. Christian doctrine. Irreproachable conduct.

Students attending St. Edward’s University in the late 1800s and early 1900s vied for top honors in categories like these. The prize for being at the head of the class? Exquisite medals donated by alumni and prominent community leaders like lawyers and members of the clergy. There was even a prize for coming in second — a mention in the university bulletin as “closely contesting” in a particular category. The awarding of the medals — precursor to today’s Honors Night awards — ended in 1941 when the university temporarily became a military academy.

— Stacia Hernstrom, MLA ’05

IN MEMORIAM Robert E. Alexander Jr., hs ’33, of Dallas, on Jan. 26, 2005.

Anna M. Hensley, ’83, of San Antonio, on Sept. 12.

Carl F. Adamietz, ’36, of Floresville, on March 23, 2005.

Stephen C. Light, ’88, of San Antonio, on July 21.

Walter Joseph Biedermann, ’37, of Austin, on Aug. 7.

Jean M. Shaughnessy, ’89, of Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 27.

John E. Fuchs, ’44, of Angleton, on Sept. 9.

Donovan G. Peterson, ’90, of San Marcos, on Dec. 30, 2005.

Ferris Nassour, ’46, of Austin, on Aug. 16.

Marna M. Boggs, MAHS ’95, of Forth Worth, on Nov. 6.

Vidal Sepulveda, ’50, of Eagle Pass, on July 15, 2004.

Dubbie L. Francis, ’96, of Austin, on June 23.

Joseph P. Godleski, ’51, of Clute, on Nov. 9, 2005.

Sandy F. Sheehan, ’96, of Austin, on July 31.

William C. Leahy, ’51, of Tupelo, Miss., on Oct. 4.

Guillermo M. Moreno, ’05, of San Antonio, on March 10, 2005.

John David Burke, ’52, of Oklahoma City, Okla., on Aug. 5, 2005.

William J. Buchholtz, of Austin, on Sept. 24, 2005.

Richard W. Fry Jr., ’52, of Corpus Christi, on Aug. 6.

Jesse Cordero, of El Paso, on Jan. 18.

John S. Kaczmarek Jr., hs ’63, ’67, of Corpus Christi, on Sept. 19, 2002.

Brother Keric Dever, CSC, of Austin, on Nov. 23.

Mark C. Walter, ’66, of Boonville, Ind., on June 28.

Andre Juneau, of Austin, on Feb. 14.

Edward G. “Jerry” Wisinski, ’68, of San Antonio, on July 25.

Dorothy Lee, of Corpus Christi, on July 15.

Karen S. Johnson, ’76, of Wimberley, on Dec. 27, 2005.

Eugene Marfin, of Boerne, on Jan. 26, 1998.

Robert C. Bigham, ’77, of Houston, on Oct. 22.

LaVerne A. Redwine, of San Antonio, on Sept. 5.

Alfred W. Lupo, ’79, of Austin, on Nov. 20.

J. Wayne Richardson, of Atchison, Kan., on March 18.

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A L U M N I N O T E S

From the Archives: Mystery Solved Remember any tails about these two?

Larry Maurer, ’61, braved the admittedly bad wordplay in the headline of last issue’s “From the Archives” photo to again share his undimmed memories of St. Edward’s (see the “Mystery Solved” from St. Edward’s University Magazine, Fall 2006).

Here he sheds some light on Brother Thomas McCullough, CSC (right), professor of Chemistry, who passed away in 2004.

“That’s got to be Brother Thomas McCullough, CSC, who was a mentor to most of the Chemistry majors of late 1950s and early 1960s. (There weren’t many.)

Besides being one heck of a great Chemistry teacher and an exemplary vowed religious, he was an avid naturalist. His forte was hiking on weekends, sometimes solo but frequently accompanied by willing students, say, to Onion Creek and back on a Saturday.

I found this a challenge because at the time I was about five-foot-six inches and Brother Thomas was a tall and lanky six-foot plus. His stride was about one for every two of mine!

The critter in hand is indubitably from one of these excursions. But I also remember his mounted insect collections and his pet Rhinoceros beetle. Additionally, these trips were sometimes collection trips for flora and fauna used in his own modest research. Mexican poppies, tiglic and angelic acid, TLC and paper chromatography are just a few of the things he got me involved in as an undergraduate researcher.

He was one of my wife’s favorite faculty members, also, and we visited him several times when we made trips back to Austin after I graduated. (My youngest daughter still lives in Austin.)”

stay in touch E-MAIL: luciep@stedwards.edu

— Steve Wilson

send in your alumni note A fun vacation, volunteering, a job change — whatever your news, share it with friends and classmates via St. Edward’s University Magazine. Submit your news by March 30 to be considered for the next issue. If your address or other information has changed, please let us know.

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________

WEB:

www.stedwards.edu/alumni

Former Name: _____________________________________________ Class Year: _______________

FAX:

512-416-5845

Address: ____________________________________________________________________________

MAIL:

Lucie Perez, ’92 St. Edward’s University 3001 South Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704-6489

City/State/Zip: __________________________________________ Phone: _______________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________________________________ Your News: __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

When faxing or mailing your note, please photocopy the form to the right.

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45

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