Marquette has a theatre. Marquette has a theatre department. Marquette has a theatre major. Really.
“I have gotten on the L.I.M.O. and told them to go to the Helfaer Theatre, and they have pulled up in front of the Varsity. That happened twice,” said Jessica Orr, a junior double major in Theatre Arts and Communication Studies.

The Helfaer Theatre is actually located next to Lalumiere Language Hall and is right behind the Haggerty Art Museum. It houses the program, students and faculty for Marquette’s only art degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts. Theatre Arts is a major in the Diederich College of Communication.

Both faculty and students in the Performing Arts Department recognize that the theatre is not well-known at Marquette.

“When I meet other professors and faculty, they are often surprised to learn that there is a theatre department on campus,” said

Debra Krajec, an adjunct associate professor of Performing Arts. And not only the professors and faculty are unaware of the program, the students remain oblivious as well.

“They just don’t know [we’re here],” said PJ Berns, a senior Theatre Arts major.

There seem to be a variety of reasons for this university-wide lack of knowledge.

“I don’t think the arts are very prominent on campus,” said Jenni Shine, also a senior Theatre Arts major. “We don’t have a music department or a visual arts department or anything else to tie into [the theatre]. I think we’re more focused on sports and academics.”

Records held by the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Marquette University Libraries (UNIV C-11.1 Series 1, Box 1 “Carousel”) show that Marquette once had the awareness and focus on theatre it lacks today. In 1954, Rev. John J. Walsh, S.J., the chair of the theatre department at the time, traveled to New York to personally ask Oscar Hammerstein II for the rights to perform “Carousel.” Marquette became the first amateur company allowed to perform the musical.

According the Thomas Jablonsky’s book, “Milwaukee’s Jesuit University: Marquette 1881-1981,” the theatre tradition continued in 1963, when “Oliver Twist” was in such high demand on campus that extra performances had to be scheduled, totaling 78 performances in all. Theatre’s reign on Marquette’s campus continued into the 1970s with the construction of the Helfaer Theatre in 1974.

After the theatre was built, the prominent Marquette interest in the theatre began to dwindle.
Provost John J. Pauly believes that the advent of multiple other types of entertainment has been another source of the decreasing appeal of theatre to the University as well as to the public in general. However, as an ardent advocate of the theatre program, he believes that Marquette should “reclaim that part of our history.”

The current program offers quality that deserves just as much appreciation as the theatre offered earlier in Marquette’s history.
“Marquette theatre is as good if not better than many professional shows that I’ve seen,” said Bonnie Auguston, a senior French and Theatre Arts double major.

And behind these performances is the intensive education in all aspects of theatre that Marquette theatre students receive.
“What we offer that is totally different from any other school is a BA program in a liberal arts school with a Jesuit mission and a top-notch theatre program,” said Stephen Hudson-Mairet, the Performing Arts Department Chair. “A Marquette education is so strong. Here they become the whole artist. We educate them beyond how you move on stage. That theology class ties in to that performance you are working on. Drama’s about being human and if you don’t know anything outside of these four walls you don’t know what it means to be human. So we encourage our students to go out and experience life, which they can do here at Marquette.”

Marquette’s Performing Arts Department is constantly working on improving this education. The department is currently applying for accreditation through the National Association of Schools of Theatre. According to Hudson-Mairet, the department needs to make some improvements to achieve the full accreditation, such as increasing the number of faculty, as it currently only employs five full-time faculty members. However, he hopes that Marquette will receive an associate membership or a deferred membership in NAST this spring.

This accreditation could mean extra money for the department, which already has a strained budget, only another aspect of why many Marquette students do not know the theatre exists: there is no money for advertising.

“I am given an allotted amount of money each year, and out of that has to come the money for the staging, the costumes, the lights, the guest directors and everything we do here in the theatre,” said Hudson-Mairet. “And out of that same budget I have to find the money for advertising, so it doesn’t end up being a lot of money that we can spend on advertising.”

According to Krajec, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel no longer covers academic theatre, which means it is harder to reach the Milwaukee and Marquette community. So, the department had a public relations class work on ideas to promote the theatre on campus and even instated a committee of public relations students to provide additional help.

One of the promotions to come out of the class was the institution of “Date Night” on the second Thursday performance of every mainstage show. According to Hudson-Mairet, this has really increased ticket sales on that night. Another promotional idea was “Philanthropy Friday,” where the theatre offers the opportunity to student groups with a philanthropic outlet to sponsor a Friday mainstage performance. The theatre would then give $1 from each ticket sold for that performance to the student group’s charity. This particular promotion has not been successful for the department yet, but Hudson-Mairet remains positive and hopes to continue working on it.

Another idea to increase ticket sales is the ability to sell tickets online. Hudson-Mairet hopes to have this service running by next year.

The Performing Arts Department also has one advocate at the administrative level: Provost John Pauly, former Dean of the College of Communication.

“I tried to bring the special needs of the theater program into the normal budgeting and planning processes of the Diederich College, and of the university as a whole,” Pauly said.

If and when the Performing Arts Department is able to reach the majority of the student body, it will only enrich the Marquette student’s college experience.

“[Theatre] is different than reading a book. It’s different than going to see a movie. It’s your peers up there, going through that… watching them walk in the shoes of this person; it makes it a personal experience for you too,” Krajec said.

Popularity: 13% [?]

At Marquette University, mission is everything. Mission is, or should be, the reason behind every major decision made by every office on campus. It is, and should be, what drives this University to become the very best that it can be. Especially this time of year, mission takes on a new meaning. It transcends the ambiguous and becomes a concrete reality in the form a week geared towards celebrating what it means to be Marquette University.

Every year, Mission Week offers Marquette administrators, faculty, staff, students and members of the Milwaukee community a chance to evaluate the meaning and impact of Marquette’s mission on the world around us. It allows the abstractness of “mission” to take on a more practical and vocalized meaning, and in doing so, allows this Mission Week to motivate students in a special and unique way. Past Mission Weeks have included a wide diversity of speakers from a variety of different backgrounds, mostly centered on social justice issues.

This year, the many Mission Week activities seemed to focus on enriching student’s minds with diverse perspectives, and providing programs and lectures whose intent was ethical decision-making and acknowledgement of one’s impact on others. iAct, the theme of this year’s Mission Week, implies that students play a very active role in the definition and formation of Marquette’s mission on a daily basis.

According to Rev. Douglas Leonhardt S.J., of Marquette’s Office of Mission and Identity, “The Mission of Marquette as a Catholic Jesuit University is what gives us our deepest identity. Stepping back and focusing on our mission can make us more aware of what really defines us as Marquette.”

One major challenge to the continued success of Mission Week is keeping it fresh and dynamic. To counter this, Leonhardt says, “Mission Week gets tweaked each year so that the activities and programs stay fresh, attract more participants, and help people reflect on the pillars of: faith, excellence, leadership and service. Each year the planning committee has many new members from the student body, faculty, administrators and staff, so new ideas emerge.” Leonhardt continued to say that he hopes that all students are able to take advantage of Mission Week events, as it is a very special time for the University as a whole.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, was poised, seemed well spoken (although the whole speech was translated), and had a very direct message for the Marquette community. To Mara Branli, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, “it was really pretty simple for me: she is not afraid to dream…but she is truthful in that our dreams cannot stay in our imaginations, we must bring them into reality through action.”

For freshman Scott Luke, College of Business, “I think it was really neat to witness a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. It is always interesting to hear someone not native to the U.S. give a perspective of what other nations globally think of the U.S. and its policies. Dr. Ebadi had a great message and profound messages about Islam and human rights.”

Those who were in attendance seemed truly interested and open to what Ebadi was saying, however due to the reactions of many in attendance it seemed that the opinions of the crowd were congruent with those of the speaker. Perhaps this is another reason why a wider variety of student tickets should have been made available, to ensure a greater diversity of students. An event attended by just as many, if not more, middle-aged attendees as students does not provide members of the Marquette student body with the opportunity to learn, or be exposed to new ideas. In fact, the erupting applause and standing ovation that occurred after her praise of President Obama demonstrated that many in the audience really enjoyed having their own personal beliefs ratified.

Whatever one’s personal political stance or viewpoint of Ebadi is, it is hard to deny her ability to inspire. One particularly touching moment was when Ebadi exclaimed, “Non-Democratic Islamic governments don’t hold the key to Heaven; suicidal operations will not take you to Heaven. The framework of Democracy is human rights laws… [and] weapons such as religion and ideology should not be in the hands of the government.” Her sentiment echoed through the room as her translator relayed the message to everyone in the ballrooms, and it became evident that no matter how negatively she views the previous U.S. administration, Ebadi is truly passionate for human rights.

One disappointing feature of the event is that Ebadi did not stick around for a panel discussion or question and answer segment following her keynote. It would have been interesting to hear her publically expand on her wide political stance on some of her more polarizing views, especially those towards the former President Bush and U.S. intervention abroad. Regardless, a successful Mission Week needs a successful keynote speaker, and has been the case in the past, the keynote did not fail to get people talking.

One problem this year’s Mission Week faced is that many students were unable to attend the Mission Week keynote, either due to the time it was planned for, or poor ticket distribution schemes. Either way, Mission Week continues to be evaluated, that it might be implemented better next year. A few suggestions have been raised for improving Mission Week here at Marquette by students, staff and faculty alike.

In evaluating Mission Week as a whole, Leonhardt says, “There are the two major events of Mission Week, the Mass on Sunday and the keynote speaker, which are always well attended. But some of the other events during the week, which are well planned, but poorly attended, need evaluation.” In reference to these events, Leonhardt reflects, “perhaps they need to be changed or dropped entirely. We do an evaluation after Mission Week each year, during which we ask questions about numbers attending and whether they accomplished their goal of bringing people together and focusing on a particular aspect of our mission.”

Many people noticed a discrepancy between the amounts of faculty, staff and administrators present and the number of students. In a random polling it was concluded that, for the vast majority of students, the time of the event was the major deterrent.

Mike Hennicke, a junior in the College of Education, said of Mission Week, “I went to the last Mission Week speaker. Sadly, I would have loved to go [this year], but 4 p.m. on a Thursday? I had class and a meeting.” Scheduling was the issue for seniors Brandon Rindfleisch, Arts & Sciences, and Greg Shutters, Communication, as well as many others who had prior academic commitments that afternoon.

Further, many students are not fully aware of what Mission Week is. They know that there is something outside of the ordinary going on, but never take the initiative to learn more. The Mission Week planning committee also faces the challenge of raising awareness and interest among the student body.

The challenge of an event such as Mission Week is to ask members of the Marquette community, what does “mission” mean to your identity? At a Catholic University, the question changes slightly: What does “mission” mean to my relationship with Christ? This challenge to students and faculty stands as a constant reminder of a lesson learned by many at a Tuesday night 10 p.m. Mass two years ago. When showing off the beauty of the chapel one night, Rev. John Naus S.J. pointed to the arm-less Jesus (lost during a bombing in WWII), which hangs on the back wall of the St. Joan of Arc Chapel. According to Fr. Naus, “we are all called to be the arms of Christ reaching out to the Marquette community, to those who need us.”

Perhaps rather than searching out a great keynote speaker, we need only look to the people we have right here at Marquette to learn something about being men and women for others. After all, what would Mission Week be if it were simply one week? Mission Week, at Marquette, should be every week.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Bringing up academic advising during standard small talk among Marquette students is sure to bring about a series of broad, but equally fervent responses. Academic situations vary from student to student, but academic advising at Marquette and its effectiveness in preparing students for graduation is often described as either a nightmare or a godsend.

ADVISING’S TWO WAY STREET FOR STUDENTS

While students who enter Marquette as first semester freshman are assigned a departmental major adviser, transfer students follow a somewhat different advising track. Meghan Dolan, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences transferred to Marquette from the University of Arizona at the beginning of her sophomore year. She said advising was a factor in her decision to transfer.

“I didn’t have an adviser at the University of Arizona,” Dolan said. “I didn’t know who to go to with questions about required courses and what ones would go with my major. I didn’t know who to talk to, and just had a general lack of direction.”

Dolan said after being accepted into Marquette, she received an e-mail from the Advising Department at the College of Arts and Sciences over the summer and then was able to then meet with an academic adviser to map out the courses she needed before she registered for classes.

“I met with my adviser before school even started and we talked a lot, which was really nice. She set up sheets and helped me map out my gen eds and everything I needed to do to graduate on time, and how I could get classes to double count for requirements, because I behind on credits,” said Dolan. “She’s been super helpful.”
Dolan met with her adviser twice more throughout her first semester, and said her adviser made herself very available to discuss any questions and concerns.
“She was really good about making sure I was adjusting and fitting in and making friends, making sure I was in the right classes.”

After her first year at Marquette, Dolan was assigned a major-specific adviser to meet with every semester before registration.

“I have a specific academic adviser now, but she’s relatively new and I’ve always wondered, do they really know what I need other than what’s a good major-related course for me to take?”

As positive as Dolan’s advising experience as been, College of Communication junior Joe Gacioch hasn’t been as fortunate, his advising experience at Marquette has been, in his words, “below average to say the least.”

Gacioch entered Marquette as a broadcast and electronic communication major, and was initially assigned a faculty member in that department as an adviser. Gacioch switched to Public Relations, subsequently changing advisers.

“She was either in her first or second year at MU, so she was unclear as to what classes I had to take to fulfill core, college and major requirements. As such, I basically had to figure out my requirements on my own,” Gacioch said.

Gacioch explains that although he is required to meet with his adviser, he usually has his classes already picked out.
“I was in Johnston Hall, not just her office, for eight minutes for my last advising session,” Gacioch said.

In addition to his poor experience, Gacioch said many of his friends have also had “below average experiences with their advisers.”
“I think that many students are unsatisfied with the advising system, as a whole, because of the lack of required sessions.”

MARQUETTE’S ADVISING STRUCTURE AND PHILOSOPHY

Each college at Marquette individually organizes and assigns advisers to students who have declared a major, but the Advising Center in the College of Arts and Sciences has a distinctively comprehensive program for Arts and Sciences students, transfer students and students who have an undecided major.

According to their Web site, the Advising Center utilizes full-time professional advisers who are available to assist students with “choosing a major, utilizing study skills techniques, determining career goals, selecting and scheduling courses and preparing for professional school.”

The Advising Center promises that their advisers will know students well and meet individually until a major is declared and other questions regarding courses, majors and careers are answered.

Brenna Vogel, who is an Academic Adviser at the Advising Center for College of Arts and Sciences takes that promise seriously. As a full-time pre-major adviser, Vogel works with 150 students on a one on one basis. Vogel typically meets with freshman, sophomores and transfer students from other universities or colleges within Marquette until they are paired with a faculty adviser in their area of study in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I really get to know the students that I serve,” Vogel said. “I aim to see each student three times a semester, more if he/she wants. If a student is on academic probation, I meet with him/her weekly to make sure that we are working together to achieve academic success.”

Vogel also assists students with study abroad plans, summer school options and to ensure a smooth transition from high school to college, holds workshops on time management, organizes the College Majors Fair and does curriculum presentations during Orientation and Preview.

“I love what I do and I love my students. Advising is extremely rewarding and truly gives me a chance to get to know students on a personal level. My goal is to embody “cura personalis,” care for the whole person – mind, body, and spirit.”

MAJOR ADVISER PERSPECTIVE

College of Communication Associate professor, Dr. Ana Garner has been a faculty adviser for 16 years, and said faculty are expected to become familiar with the requirements of the major, college and university when advising students.

“The College of Communication has always held information sessions as things changed. Since faculty oversee requirements and course content they are usually familiar with changes that occur. The information sessions help fill in the gaps.”

Garner said College of Communication faculty undergoes supplemental training as academic requirements change and said balancing an advisee load is a part of being a faculty member just as much as teaching and researching.

“It is part of the ebb and flow of academic life, thus advising demands change as we move through the academic year in the same way the other work does.”
In his role as chair of the political science department, Dr. Lawrence LeBlanc, who has been advising and teaching at Marquette for 40 years, is responsible for assigning and meeting with all students who declare a major in political science.

“Yes, I would consider myself accountable to the College for the efficiency of the advising program in Political Science,” LeBlanc said. Students can either choose or be assigned an adviser after meeting with LeBlanc. He said, “the ability for students to choose their adviser is important.”

“I make every effort to be sure that students have advisers they will be comfortable working with,” LeBlanc said. “Advising is very important, but not all students see it as very important. Some want help not only with course selection but with working out, or at least thinking about, career plans and options. Others do not and are very self-reliant in making decisions on such matters.”

LeBlanc, who received the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Advising Award in 2006, said he was given no training on advising when he first came to Marquette.

“From time to time I went to advising workshops, particularly when I served as a Freshman Adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences. I do not require that the faculty undergo special training.”

Despite the lack of a formal training program, LeBlanc said the faculty in his department consult among themselves and share knowledge and insight on advising.
“Our objective is to provide first-rate advising to students, and I would say that we almost invariably achieve that.”

Popularity: 20% [?]

With the election over and the semester coming to a close, The Warrior thought it might be a good idea to shift focus and briefly survey the state of Catholicism on campus. As a Catholic institution of higher learning, fostering an environment that provides students the tools and knowledge necessary to deepen their faith should be a priority. Marquette’s mission statement attests to this responsibility when it notes that its “Catholic identity is expressed in our choices of curricula, our sponsorship of programs and activities devoted to the cultivation of our religious character, our ecumenical outlook, and our support of Catholic beliefs and values.”

The university’s Catholicity is at the core of its identity, and many of the standards and rules in place are rooted in Catholic values. On the surface, it would seem that the University is overwhelmingly Catholic.

However, despite the rhetoric promulgated by the University, what does one actually find when they look beyond the crucifix in every classroom? How active and informed is the Catholic majority at Marquette? Do the programs the University initiates have a positive impact on the faith of students on campus? How effective is Marquette at fostering and promoting its Catholic identity? On the other hand, are students doing their part to advance their faith? Certainly most students are aware that the University has an Office of Campus Ministry, which works closely with Christian and non-Christian student organizations alike. However, how many students, especially those that consider themselves Catholic, actively seek to take advantage of what Campus Ministry has to offer? Are students actively seeking to deepen their understanding of their faith?

These questions are complex and can be very subjective; indeed finding comprehensive answers to these inquiries may not even be possible. However, seeking to encourage thought and discussion on this topic, The Warrior interviewed a handful of students, faculty and staff who are involved with various aspects of spirituality at Marquette. These people are all in positions that allow them to observe and comment on the state of Catholicism on campus. They were asked to answer a series of questions evaluating Catholic activity amongst students and then grade the campus’ Catholicity in several categories. The findings of this brief survey of selected individuals highlight many of the things that Marquette and its student body are doing correctly to further the University’s Catholic identity. It also reveals some areas of deficiency that could use some improvement and attention. Hopefully, the following exposé will shed light on some of these shortcomings and serve as a call to action, urging students, faculty and staff alike to work towards a University that is unashamedly, and passionately Catholic.

The questions that were asked can be divided into five categories dealing with participation in religious activity, knowledge of Catholic teaching, involvement of non-Catholics, emphasis among students on prayer and emphasis on social justice and service. The interviewees were then asked to provide suggestions for bettering those categories that they feel need improvement. The following will provide five different perspectives on these questions from active students and staff.

Student A

Catholic Outreach is one of the larger, regularly meeting, Catholic student organizations on campus. As such, active participants of Outreach are an ideal source for opinions on campus Catholicism.

One regular female attendee of Catholic Outreach, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes that, “for a Catholic school, there are definitely not a lot of Catholics participating in religious activities on campus…if Catholics really wanted to grow in their faith, they would be more active and look for ways to build on their relationship with Christ.”
She expressed their concern with the low attendance at Campus ministry sponsored retreats and activities, as well as the low participation in Catholic student groups, expressing the desire to see new faces at these events.

On the topic of catechized students, Student A sees a sharp division between those who are informed on the teachings of the Church and those who are not, saying that the University and Catholic organizations should “focus more on catechesis and discovering church doctrine…it would be awesome if there was more discussion on Catholic topics such as how to pray the Rosary, Eucharistic adoration and John Paul II’s theology of the body.”

Despite these shortcomings, she feels that the University does an excellent job of getting students of other faiths involved, noting that ecumenism is important and that Marquette performs its duty to people of other faiths superbly. However, she warns that, “Marquette, especially Campus Ministry, focuses so much on trying to include everyone that they sometimes forget that they are really Catholic at heart and must uphold Catholic values above all others.”

In addition to ecumenism, Student A sees Social Justice as one of the University’s strengths, and iterates that she’s “really proud” of Marquette’s dedication to service. Although, she cautions that students must be careful not to over-emphasize the service aspect of the faith and forget about other elements like the Eucharist and prayer, saying, “the root of service is Christ, and we must grow in a relationship with Him before any real service can be done.”

As a means of improving the Catholic environment on campus, Student A suggests hosting panels on Catholic topics like Sacraments, marriage and on controversial topics like homosexuality to provide more ways that students can further explore their faith.

Manresa Intern

Manresa intern Emily Schumacher, who works in the Office of Campus Ministry, also provided some of her thoughts on these questions. In answering the first inquiry about participation, Schumacher poignantly highlighted that it is very difficult to define a faith-based activity, as many students –she believes – pursue their faith in their own way. She also pointed out that although it appears that students lack information on what the Church teaches, this is a universal problem that is not specific to Marquette. Schumacher also believes that the University definitely tries to involve people from other faiths in its faith-based activities, saying that Marquette needs to “remain true to our Catholic core, but not be exclusive.”

On the topic of prayer, Schumacher believes that students on campus are spiritual and overwhelmingly engage in some sort of prayer, whether it’s in the Catholic tradition or not. Social Justice is something she says is very important to certain students, and something that Campus Ministry does an excellent job of. On this subject, she would like to see the Catholics who are heavily involved in liturgical circles engage in more service, and vice-versa, as these are both essential aspects of the faith.

Beyond this, Schumacher views the impending Campus Renew program as a positive addition to Marquette’s arsenal of faith programs. Campus Renew is a program that consists of small faith communities that allow people to connect with their faith alongside of others. Currently, the core team for this initiative is training and preparing for the program’s official launch next semester.

Student B

Another student respondent, who is active in Campus Ministry activities, also wishes to remain anonymous. This student offered a different angle regarding the level of participation among Catholic students. He surmises that if Mass attendance is included, 80 percent of students are involved in some type of religious activity, saying that “there is an overwhelmingly strong base of participation.”

This student also sees an adequate amount of catechesis amongst Catholic students, asserting that “many people know the basics of their Catholic faith and have their own way of living it.” Adding, however, that “there is a lot of misunderstanding on the Church’s teachings regarding human sexuality, particularly contraception, and I think it would be beneficial to have a program about that…without any bias against the Church.”

On the subject of ecumenism, Student B feels that the University does a good job of this, and that many retreats and activities sponsored by Campus Ministry do an excellent job of involving those of other faith backgrounds. He adds that Marquette has especially excellent opportunities for service, but cautions as Student A did, that a “very small number of people often forget that the service, justice and peace which we promote is centered on our faith and need to re-realize that no difference in the world can be made without the grace of God.” For suggestions on how to improve the shortcomings he perceives, Student B notes that Campus Ministry is doing a great job of making improvements, citing the addition of Catholicism 101 programs. In addition, he proposes tapping into other aspects of Ignatian spirituality in order to “help develop the spirituality of our campus and help keep our service faith-oriented.”

Actively involved alumnus

To obtain an entirely different perspective on these questions a Marquette alumnus who is still heavily involved in campus activities was chosen. This gentleman wished to remain anonymous, but was able to contribute several interesting thoughts to this conversation.

Like Schumacher, this alumnus noted the complexity of having to pinpoint who qualifies as a Catholic, but believes that among those who identify themselves as such there is a high level of involvement with various faith-based activities on campus.

Addressing the level of catechesis among students, the alumnus said that from his perspective the level of knowledge of Catholic teaching varies greatly by subject area and that it is rare to find students that will know everything about everything.

He indicated that he believes the level of prayerful experiences at Marquette is relatively high, saying “I think it’s a gift” that so many students engage in formal and informal prayer.
He also mentioned that the level of service at Marquette is very positive, although noted that it may be advantageous to “renew the emphasis on the inherent connection between community service and faith.”

On top of this he added that it is essential for the University to continue strengthening and maintaining the overall culture of faith so that it permeates the culture on campus.

Liturgical Director

To provide yet a different angle on the state of Catholicism on campus, The Warrior turned to Gretchen Baumgardt, the Director of Liturgy in Campus Ministry. From her position she sees a lot of students, “who are very committed to participating in Campus Ministry-sponsored activities,” but admits that the there is a struggle “with getting beyond the choir of folks that tend to participate in everything, and finding ways to encourage new people to get involved as well.”

On the subject of catechesis, Baumgardt believes that there is always room for improvement, noting that, “there is so much to learn and discover about the Catholic faith that isn’t elaborated upon fully in the Catechism of the Catholic Church or in one’s experience of a theology course.”

However, despite this, Catholics at Marquette still place a big emphasis on liturgical prayer but, Baumgardt adds that during her time as a hospital chaplain she was reminded that prayer is a “very intimate experience for people and is something that is difficult to evaluate.”

She concludes by pointing out that Campus Ministry is currently working on addressing the catechetical needs of students through new faith formation opportunities and reflection groups.

The GPA of Catholicism on campus

In addition to interviewing a select group of involved people, The Warrior also surveyed twenty Catholic students, faculty and staff to obtain a grade for Marquette’s Catholic culture. The categories stipulated were Sunday Mass attendance, attendance of weekly faith activities, knowledge of Catholic doctrine, involvement in social justice and service work, orthodoxy of student body and participation at liturgy. The grades gathered average out to:

Sunday Mass attendance: B
Participation at Liturgy: AB
Attendance of weekly faith activities, including weekly Mass: B
Knowledge of Catholic doctrine: C
Involvement in social justice and service: AB
Orthodoxy: BC

From these few interviews and surveys it can be seen that opinions on the state of Catholicism are diverse, and depending on one’s perspective, the way the University improves the culture of faith on campus changes. As mentioned before, the questions we asked are very complex and intricate questions. In no way was this exposition of perspectives intended to be a scientific analysis of Catholic students. Its sole purpose is to provoke thought and dialogue on the issues and questions addressed. The people interviewed and surveyed, including those whose names have been withheld, are all involved in areas of spirituality on campus that give them the ability to observe the state of Catholicism at Marquette. Their views are valuable, and varied.

Hopefully, the perspectives offered here cause readers to pause and reflect on what it means to be a Catholic and Jesuit university, what form that identity should take and where each individual fits within that bigger picture.

Popularity: 24% [?]

What a long and strange race it has been.

The past year we have watched a wide array of candidates vie for the chance to be our forty-fourth president until it finally came down to the two major contenders for the office, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. Both ran aggressive and well-funded campaigns, with the candidates together raising over $1 billion for the first time in history. Furthermore, a huge percentage of Obama’s funds were donated by individuals, with a significant number of small contributions coming from people who were giving to a political campaign for the first time.

Obama’s success overall can be to a great extent attributed to the huge number of first-time voters, contributors and volunteers that came out in support. Americans were inspired and moved to action more than ever before.

Election Day itself seemed to go smoothly, certainly more so than the tempestuous races of recent years. Across the entire country voters cast their ballots yesterday, electing Barack Obama by margins unseen by a Democratic candidate in decades.

Jason Rae, Chair of Wisconsin College Democrats, remarked, “I think we saw Americans wanting change, wanting to believe again in their government and in their country. Tonight’s result showed that the American people believe Senator Obama and his vision for America.”

But what does this vision entail? President-Elect Barack Obama has laid out extensive plans for his administration, which include tackling the current economic crisis as well as taking on key issues which require widespread reform. Addressing the present state of the economy will clearly be top priority for the president elect. Obama has stated he will attend to the housing crisis as one of his first acts, providing incentives for banks to refinance or buy outstanding mortgages. He also plans to change bankruptcy laws to empower judges to modify families’ mortgages, allowing more Americans to remain in their homes.

To jumpstart the economy overall, Obama has pledged to pursue another goal of his, creating a large number of new jobs in the alternative energy sector. Additionally, he has proposed a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, which will allow Congress to sell permits for burning fossil fuels. The money from this endeavor will then go to tax credits for green companies, energy research grants, and loans for improving the efficiency of plaguing industries such as car manufacturing.

Other major goals for the Obama administration include the improvement of our health care and education systems. As often discussed throughout the campaign, Obama plans to require employers to cover their employees’ health insurance and will lower costs to each family by $2500. He further will work to require health insurance for all children, with the eventual goal of universal coverage.

Great importance has also been placed on education reform and retooling No Child Left Behind to reduce its emphasis on testing and the penalizing of underperforming schools. Opposed to school vouchers, Obama instead supports increased funding allocated to charter schools and an expansion of early-childhood programs. Ultimately, Obama’s goal is to make a college education a realistic possibility for all.

Another main point laid out in Obama’s plan for America addresses the current military situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Long holding the position that a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq is necessary, Obama hopes to have half of all U.S. troops out of the country by May of 2010. He further believes that our focus and resources should presently be switching toward Afghanistan to fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

In addition to simply increasing troop levels, Obama believes in the necessity of better training Afghan forces and providing assistance to Afghan civilians, giving them alternative means of making a living apart from poppy-farming. Finally, his administration will pursue means of securing Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan and reducing corruption in the area. With a solid Democratic majority, these challenging goals can viably be achieved in the years to come.

While Barack Obama has accomplished a number of impressive feats in the past months, he most notably has managed to inspire a feeling of faith in the direction our country is now headed. He has pledged to make every effort to bring Americans together, no matter their party affiliation, with the goal of improving the quality of life for everyone.

Marecca Vertin, a member of the Marquette Obama team and poll monitor, agreed that “decent health care, a decent education, and general accountability from government are not actually divisive issues for most Americans.” She added, “The huge increase in voter turnout for Obama proves that this campaign made it clear that we can get real work done together without being radically left- or right-wing but by… acting in the generally moderate interests of the American people.”

After a long and hard-hitting campaign from both candidates, cooperation will now be the key to moving forward to achieve the change Americans desire.

Matt Dambach, chair of Students for McCain at Marquette, is of the same opinion. “At the end of the day both Republicans and Democrats have the same goal of doing what is best for our nation,” he says.

Both sides can further agree that with voter turnout at incredible highs this year, the increased political dialogue among American citizens can only have positive results. Dambach commented that “one of the great positives from this election cycle is the involvement of millions of new voters; involvement which will only make our country better in years to come.” Barack Obama, now the face of our country and representative of millions of Americans, will lead this country in a new direction.

That direction is one which will bring supporters of both parties together, moving forward and making this great nation even stronger as we work together for change.

Popularity: 14% [?]

“Am I going to be a Hall of Fame coach? No. Am I going to write a book? No. What I’m going to do is work hard today, and then wake up and do it again tomorrow.” -Buzz Williams, Head Coach Marquette Men’s Basketball

When Marquette University hired Tom Crean’s assistant coach, Brent “Buzz” Williams, to be the Men’s Basketball head coach, a lot of people thought that the athletic department had taken the easy way out. But little did the Marquette community know that Williams himself does anything but take the easy way out. From the players to the practices, Williams has overhauled the entire men’s basketball program.

“We want to be the hardest-working, most competitive program in the country,” Williams said. And he has been making every effort to make it so, showing that Marquette might have picked the right coach after all.

Young Men First, Students Second and Players Third

In Williams’ first press conference as the Marquette Men’s Basketball head coach, he stated:
“The players in the program will not be judged always in accordance with their skill set or their talent. They will always be judged as people: as young men first, as students second and as players third. And the priorities in our program, the responsibilities within our program, will always be reflective of those things.”

The academic responsibilities for the basketball players are strictly enforced to ensure that these priorities are met.
Williams is “not going to give you any leeway,” according to Liam McMorrow, the sophomore transfer from Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario, who is redshirted this season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer rules.

Each player has a personal, color-coded schedule from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. every day of the week detailing class, study hall hours, tutoring, basketball practice and weightlifting among other things. The graduate student coaching assistants and coaching staff escort the players to class to make sure that they are on time and that they do not leave class early.

“He really cares about our academics,” said David Cubillan, one of three juniors on the team. And so far, it has been paying off.
“I think I speak for everyone. Everyone, as far as academically is concerned, is doing much better… he’s definitely a help,” said Robert Frozena, the only walk-on of this year’s team, about the educational push the members of the team have received from Williams.

“They’re always accountable for each facet of their responsibilities,” Williams said, and according to Williams, the reason they can be held accountable is because “their character is very, very high.”

Athletic Hunger

Four man groups, individual practice, team practice, and boot camp are only a few of the strategies that Williams has been using to prepare the team for the coming season. Yes, boot camp.

“Boot camp was seven or eight days. That was the longest seven or eight days of my life. But it was good,” said Lazar Hayward, returning junior forward. Boot camp was a series of intense practices where, Williams said, “our team is formed.” Every drill that was done had to be done correctly by each member of the team. If someone could not finish, everybody had to do it over again. Every single teammate was accountable for every other teammate. As Williams said, “Everyone has to pull their own weight… and [we have to] communicate as a team.”
Somehow, everyone got through it.

“They were blowing it out every day,” Williams said. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

Not only has their stamina and teamwork been tested, but Williams has the team “doing defensive drills day in and day out,” according to Dominic James, returning senior guard. Concerns over the short height of the team have sparked the emphasis put on the defensive side of the ball.

“We are little. We’re short. That’s not going to change… we’re going to have to be extraordinary good rebounders… I don’t think we’re going to struggle offensively. I think we can score enough points to win games. The question will be: How can we prevent our size from being a detriment to us defensively?” Williams said.

Jerel McNeal, returning senior guard, who has always been known as a defensive player, is excited for this change of focus. “We get everybody else to play at a high level defensively, then [that will] make things a lot easier for everybody.”

Williams has confidence that his players will do everything in their power to keep their height from affecting how they perform. “I think they’re hungry. I think they like to play from behind,” he said.

The players also receive personal coaching from Williams as part of his efforts to know his players well.

Wesley Matthews, one-third of Marquette’s “Big 3” along with Dominic James and Jerel McNeal, described how Williams wants him to play. “I’ve got to be a beast. I have to be everywhere. He wants me to basically let loose, just play the way I play, lead the way I lead, and just help.”

Joseph Fulce, a new sophomore recruit from Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, said, “He’s always trying to find a way to help us get better.”

As an extra impetus to becoming the best, Williams has let them know that their every effort has to be put on the court when the time comes. “If we don’t play hard, they’re not going to play… every single minute counts. Every single minute in a game counts,” Williams said.

All About God and Family

These new academic priorities and athletic strategies would not work if the team did not respect their coach. But they do.
“He’s one of the most hardest workers I’ve met in my life. I don’t think he sleeps,” Fulce said.

His commitment stands out, and not just his commitment to the men’s basketball team.

“He’s dedicated… he’s all about his God and his family,” said Dwight Burke, the only senior forward on the team. And now his family has expanded to include the basketball team.

“The thing that I really pay attention to is those 13 young men… what they’re doing off the court, what they’re doing in the classroom and what they’re doing on the court,” Williams said.

Some of the lessons he has been teaching his players have clearly sunk in.

“The most important thing that Buzz has taught us, is that every day is a work day, and if you’re not going to work every day, then you shouldn’t be here,” said Patrick Hazel, a sophomore forward.

Message to the Marquette Student Body

Although Williams admits that he has not done a good job connecting with the students, he knows how important the Marquette Fanatics are to the success of his team.

“The teams that have elite success have a major home court advantage, and the teams that have a major home court advantage [have it] because it’s derived from their student population. Our students have to continue what they’ve always been, because that changes what the atmosphere and the ambience is like at the Bradley Center,” Williams said.

Popularity: 23% [?]

This past Friday afternoon, President Bush set a historic precedent when he signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The bill, referred to by many as the “bailout bill”, is the culmination of two weeks of bipartisan work in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It allows the federal government to purchase up to 700 billion dollars worth of troubled assets, specifically mortgaged-backed securities, in hopes of stabilizing the economy and improving investor confidence. Ultimately, the government hopes to resell the purchased assets at a profit ensuring, according to President Bush, that “the cost to taxpayers will be far less than the initial outlay.”

But what exactly is “far less” than $700 billion? And as a Marquette student, who does not own a home nor have significant amounts of money invested in freefalling stocks, you may ask yourself, why am I being asked to pay to stabilize a situation in which I seem to have so little invested?

Many students at Marquette recognize the transient nature of their residence in Milwaukee, so they rent apartments, rather than purchase homes. They take on demanding course loads, which leaves few students time enough to maintain full-time employment. The lack of a full-time job certainly leaves most students without an excessive amount of disposable income, but it also means that they don’t have life savings, our future children’s college funds or our own retirement funds tied up in plummeting stocks.

So, as someone who is not watching their home value decline or their life savings evaporate, as someone who could have very well continued on with daily life oblivious to any sort of fluctuation in the stock market, turning on the television and hearing President Bush proclaim that America was in an economic “crisis” seemed a bit dramatic. Few Marquette students, if any, were glued to the television as the bailout bill was debated in the Senate and the House of Representatives, and very few singled out the bill as their sole topic of conversation. Blame what some students and faculty refer to as the ‘Marquette bubble’, but around campus, there did not seem to be an extreme amount of concern for recent economic events, and certainly nothing approaching panic.

However, the contents of this bill and the precedents its passage has set are of grave importance for all Americans. Never before have taxpayers been asked to become so deeply involved in the events of Wall Street. To many Americans, intense government participation in the private business sector seems fundamentally against the principles of capitalism upon which this country’s economic system are founded. Yet this bill forces all Americans to become invested, through their tax dollars, in the fates of private businesses, and in doing so sets a dangerous precedent for future levels of government involvement in the private business sector.

Most Marquette students are at the mere dawn of their tax-paying careers; for many, their investment in the federal government will only increase. With the federal government long operating in the red, the passage of an additional $700 billion bill adds further burden to the already unenviable position of young American taxpayers. However, the real issue is not the $700 billion check that Congress just forced taxpayers to sign. Unfortunately, this piece of legislature is a mere symptom of some fundamental problems in this country’s economic system.
According to Dr. Abdur R. Chowdhury, professor of economics in Marquette’s College of Business Administration, the current economic problems were created by inadequate regulation of private businesses. “It started with the housing market. Lenders gave out mortgage loans without looking at buyers income or wealth.” And although there were laws that regulated the actions of these lenders, “…they were never effectively enforced.” Thus many Americans were approved for loans on homes that they could not really afford. The lack of oversight allowed lenders to make these risky loans, which lead to an increase in demand for mortgages and an apparent increase in property value.

However, most lenders knew and chose to ignore the fact that the recipients of their loans would not be able to pay them back. These lenders accumulated millions of risky mortgages and used falsely inflated property values to back up the assets of many non-housing related companies. Many unqualified buyers soon began to default on their loans, increasing the number of foreclosures. Property values began to decline as more and more homes became available, leaving many homeowners owing more on their mortgage than their house was actually worth.
Furthermore, the investments backed by these mortgages began to collapse and affect assets of non-housing related companies, such as Lehman Brothers and AIG. The decline of mortgage-backed assets has drastically decreased these firms’ capital and liquidity. Across the country, banks have become wary of lending money and often impose extremely high interest rates on the loans that they do grant. The recent sudden withdrawal of credit has paralyzed businesses that rely on daily credit use, and driven many into bankruptcy. The entire financial institution is currently taking the hit for the reckless business strategies of mortgage lenders. The federal government has tried to remedy the situation by buying up the mortgage-basked assets from banks. This will release banks from their ties to these impaired assets and hopefully encourage further lending between banks to eventually stabilize the financial market. Ultimately, the sheer enormity of the $700 billion bailout bill is indicative of just how grave America’s economic troubles have become. To Americans heavily invested in the fate of the market system, the bill still does little to soothe the well-founded fears about their investments. To every American, the passage of this bill should drive home the message that this country’s future economic security is far from guaranteed.

Though many Marquette students are not part of the group that is heavily invested in the fate of the market, we will still see the effects of the current economic situation in many different areas. Marquette students nearing graduation will enter a job market drastically different from just five or ten years ago.

According to Chowdhury, “Business firms have been affected by the lack of liquidity. Firms will take on a waiting attitude; they will not invest, expand, hire.” Indeed, a government report issued last Friday reveals that September was the ninth straight month of job loss in the United States, and the largest monthly job decline in the past five years. This means that unemployment rates, already at 6.1%, will likely continue to rise. For companies looking to scale down their budgets, paid internships are usually the first things to get cut. That means many of the jobs Marquette students held last summer might not be available come this May, or might not be paid positions. Marquette seniors graduating this year will likely find themselves entering a job market with fewer opportunities and far more competition. This trend will also affect graduates applying to graduate school; as fewer people are able to find jobs, more and more will choose to go back to school, increasing competition for entry into the school, for scholarships and for grants.

One of the more immediate and most relevant concerns for many Marquette students will center on student loans. Recently, there has been a drastic decrease in the market’s liquidity. This means that banks are unable to or are extremely cautious about lending money, which is typical behavior in a recession. As credit institutions become increasingly wary of lending money, the opportunities for funding student loans diminishes. Students receive either federal loans, such as a Stafford or a Perkins Loan, or private loans, from private banks or companies such as Astrive Student Loans and Sallie Mae. Of the two, private loan institutions are the first to be affected by changes in the market. The federal government does not guarantee these private loans, so banks run the risk of students defaulting on their loans. Companies like Sallie Mae, which grants both private and federally backed loans, grant private loans by borrowing money from other investors and lend that money out to students. The companies make a profit when students pay back their loans plus interest.

However, with less money available for lending, there is widespread fear that the initial rate at which these companies borrow money will be higher than what they will earn from lending this money out to students. Investors in these private companies are becoming increasingly unconvinced that companies like Sallie Mae will be able to turn a profit, and thus increasingly unwilling to invest in them. Indeed, Sallie Mae reported over 1.5 billion dollars in losses at the end of last year and, despite a stronger performance this year, has still watched its market value plummet over 50 percent in the past four months. To address these investors’ fears and the financial losses these companies have experienced over the past months, many companies such as Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have made large cuts in the number of student loans they grant, or have stopped making private student loans entirely. The companies that continue to grant students private loans are raising interest rates and tightening restrictions on which applicants receive loans, decisions that will no doubt affect Marquette students who rely on private loans.

However, even Marquette students who rely on federal, not private, loans to assist them in paying for tuition may eventually feel the effects of the nation’s economic situation. These federal loans are far more common than private loans. In some cases, the loans that Marquette students receive passes directly from the federal government to the university and then to the student. In 75 percent of cases, students receiving a federal student loan receive a second type of loan, one that is funded by private capital and made available through private companies such as JP Morgan Chase or Citibank. However, the federal government guarantees these loans, so banks assume no risk of student default. Furthermore, the federal government guarantees the interest rate on these loans, so any change in the rate would require a change in federal law. This further removes their interest rates from influence of the market, and makes it less likely that student with federal loans will see increased rates. Last year, Congress approved legislation to secure money for federal student loans through the 2009-2010 academic year, so students relying on these loans appear to be safe for now. However, if the national trend of decreased capital availability continues, even federal loan lenders could find themselves unable to secure money for student loans. For Marquette students with federal loans who will not graduate before July 2010, the fate of the federal loan program remains an issue.

The recession will undoubtedly be felt right here on campus as well. Many states are already trimming down educational costs by cutting courses, programs and other student activities. As a private university, many of these government cuts will not have an effect on Marquette. However, that does not mean the university will not be influenced by market changes. On the contrary, Marquette’s status as a private university requires that it rely heavily on private donations. Though many of the large donations that we hear about—the $25 million and $50 million donations to the engineering college this past year, for example—are made in anonymity, it is important to remember that these donors are not just nameless entities, infinitely wealthy and impervious to economic changes. They are real people, Marquette alumni and friends, and their gifts create the experiences that all current Marquette students share. Their donations cover the 38 percent of the cost of education not covered by yearly tuition. They have created and continue to sustain scholarships like the Raynor and Ignatius Scholarship, as well as Marquette’s student-athlete scholarships. These donations also contribute to campus safety programs and access to and improvement of student computer labs, as well as sustain numerous extracurricular activities.

From just that brief, incomplete overview of how donations benefit the lives of Marquette students, it is obvious that the extent upon which the university relies on the generosity of these donors cannot be overstated. As the country’s economic situation continues to decline, these donations will unquestionably drop. Speaking at the MUSG-sponsored forum on September 30, Father Wild acknowledged the donors’ vital role in maintaining and developing the university, and admitted that the “environment for fundraising is a lot tougher than it’s been.” To the many Marquette students who benefit from the university’s current donor-sponsored programs, that is an extremely concerning statement. Obviously, the university will have to respond to the decrease in donations, and how they address the situation will assuredly impact the lives of students However, Marquette University has weathered troubled economic times before, and for all those students anxious about how the university will address the problems of the coming recession, it is reasonable to examine how the university handled itself in a previous financial crises.

In 1931, the university was set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding. Father William Magee, president of the university since 1928, was in the midst of planning a large celebration and a fundraising drive when October 24, the infamous black Thursday, came and sent the country spiraling into what is now known as the Great Depression. Federal student loans as most Marquette students know them had not yet been created, and as more Americans fell upon hard times, many families could not afford full tuition. Thus the number of full-time Marquette students decreased. The rise in unemployment also meant increased competition for any work, and the part-time jobs once available to students became scarce. As private donations used to fund undergraduate scholarships decreased, the awards and the students who relied on them disappeared from campus.

The decrease in students put further financial strain on the private, tuition-dependant university. Aside from canceling both the celebration and the drive for funds, Father Magee was forced to take other actions to keep the University from closing. Cuts were first made in the arts; the College of Music was officially closed in the summer of 1930 and the radio station disappeared in 1934. Student publications, including the Marquette Tribune, the Hilltop and the Marquette Journal were more than once threatened by a lack of funding, and all were forced to significantly reduce their size. Periodical subscriptions and the amount of new book purchases in the library were slashed, as were faculty salaries. As the budget grew increasingly tight, Marquette began to hire more and more Jesuit priests to save money on faculty salaries.

Since the nature of Marquette University as a private, tuition-dependant institution has not changed, previous responses to an increasingly tight budget are still relevant to students today; if the University falls upon hard times again, students can expect to see the same sort of actions taken in the past. Ultimately, it seems increasingly unlikely that students and the university will remain unaffected by the current economic troubles. Certainly those poised to graduate and move beyond the Marquette campus will be forced to address those troubles sooner than some other students. However, this recession will eventually have profound affects on all of us, and the university, as well as each individual student, must be prepared to address what are sure to be difficult times ahead.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Adele, Lois and Eileen remember when Marquette students were Warriors. They remember when the GIs from World War II returned to campus. They even remember when the student Union consisted of a broken-down couch, some books and a Nesco roaster.

Much has changed since these ladies attended Marquette a few years back, but the Jesuit ideal of lifelong learning remains, and is the inspiration behind the College of Arts and Sciences’ Alumni in the Classroom program.

Currently in its tenth year, Alumni in the Classroom allows alumni who have graduated before 1964 to return to Marquette and audit classes for free. This semester there are 27 alumni taking a total of 32 classes, Tim Simmons, Chief Alumni Relations Director for Marquette’s Alumni Association said.

Participants are expected to regularly attend class and complete readings, but are not required to take tests or turn in homework. According to the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association, alumni earn no credit through the program and participants must be Arts and Sciences graduates, be comfortable with the use of computers, have a desire to learn and have an open mind.

Simmons said the program was originally a suggestion of some Arts and Sciences alumni and is unique in allowing alumni to connect with current Marquette students.
“Alumni have fond memories of their days as students,” Simmons said. “They want programs that help recreate those experiences. More importantly, they wanted a program that promotes lifelong learning, a very Jesuit concept.”

The office of Alumni Relations works directly with the College of Arts and Sciences to promote the program, register alumni for classes and conduct orientation. Participants can choose from a list of English, Foreign Language and Literature, Political Science, History and Theology courses which have extra space.
Simmons says the program has no plans for expansion.

TECHNOLOGY, WAR AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AT MARQUETTE

Although Simmons says that while adjustments need to occasionally be made for participants, overall feedback from the program has been positive.

“We have received comments from faculty and students that it is good to have their perspective in classroom discussions… the experience of having older alumni in the classroom has been rewarding.,” said Simmons.  “Alumni do realize that their student counterparts are in pursuit of their degrees, and are respectful to add to, and not detract from this experience.”

 Although there have not been any major program set backs, Simmons said many alumni do find the technological adjustment challenging.
“Technology is definitely the biggest change,” Eileen Johannsen said. “Everything is so much more interactive.”

Johannsen is a 1960 graduate who studied Latin and German. Johanssen earned her Masters in 1962 and then taught high school for 23 years before starting her own software business at 50.

Johannsen said she notices how the opportunities for women have expanded on campus, and is impressed with level of awareness of students in her class.
“Students today are much more with it than I ever felt with my peers,” Johannsen said. “They’re exposed to so much more in their young lives.”
Adele Hanson agrees and is continually impressed by students’ multi-tasking abilities.

“I could never begin to be able to do what students do now. When I hear and see what they learn and produce, I’m astonished,” Hanson said.
During a time when women mostly majored in nursing or education, Hanson stood out as a female engineering student in the 1940s.
“I felt very out of place taking classes in engineering,” Hanson said. “There were only three other girls taking classes with me.”

A history course on World War II might be interesting to Hanson, as she lived through the conflict and attended Marquette when the GIs returned to classes.
Hanson said she remembers taking classes in temporary government buildings that were put up to provide room for returning GIs, who were gladly welcomed back to campus by female students.

“After going through the war years with no boys, it was fun to have them back,” Hanson said.
To help returning students complete their education quicker, Hanson said a tedious trimester system was put in place so former GIs could get their degrees in three years.
“Men coming back were serious about getting their education, and were impatient to finish,” Hanson said.

The Jesuits played an important role as spiritual and academic mentors to students after the war—and went out of their way to help the GIs new to Marquette.
“Jesuits were extremely helpful to these guys. They bent over backward to help them get through,” said Johannsen. “GIs returning often had little high school preparation, and the Jesuits really worked with them to help them finish in three years.”

A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC

Both students and professors say alumni offer unparalleled perspectives and bring a unique dynamic to class discussion.
Dr. Barrett McCormick currently hosts alumni in his Chinese Politics class and said their presence makes class discussions richer and more interesting.
“Getting students involved in a conversation about the material is an important part of my teaching strategy,” McCormick said. “Alums have had experiences that the rest of us have not yet had and might not ever have. I think we all feel fortunate to have the chance to learn a little of their wisdom.”

Arts and Sciences junior Carlos Angeles said having perspectives from older classmates set an interesting dynamic for the political science course he took last year.
“I feel that his perspective was very valuable and gave the class discussion more depth,” Angeles said. “Their opinions matter because their experience and wisdom doesn’t come by very often, which gives students more conviction to participate in class… it’s exciting to see our own Marquette alumni still engaged in the Marquette community and still interested in academia.”

GREAT REVIEWS

Alumni in the Classroom gets a 10 all around for Lois Wakeman, a 1948 English graduate, who was a member of the first class to graduate with an elementary education focus. Wakeman has been involved with the program every semester since its inception, making this her tenth semester.

“It gets a 10 exponentially,” Wakeman said. “It’s wonderful not only to keep learning but to be back on campus. We feel very welcome here.”
Wakeman said she enjoys the variety of courses for alumni, and has taken a broad range of classes while in the program.

“Sometimes I want to learn more about a topic and other times I want to take a class on something I’ve never studied before,” Wakeman said.
The ladies said they have enjoyed every aspect of the program so far, and were surprised that the Alumni in the Classroom is relatively unknown to the Marquette community.
“I absolutely love it and plan my social calendar around class,” said Johannsen. “It’s amazing how well we’re received.”

Lois Wakeman agrees, but would like to see the program expanded to other colleges at Marquette.
“People who thought of the program deserve a pat on the back,” said Wakeman. “We wish other colleges would open up to expand so other alumni can enjoy what we’re enjoying.”
Hanson said she knows other alumni from other colleges who would participate if the program were expanded.
“It would be good for people to be able to come back and see what’s new in their fields,” Hanson said.

Tim Simmons said the relationship current students build with former ones in the classroom is a key component to the program, and encourages students to be open to interactions with their alumni counterparts.

“They [alumni] are appreciative of the opportunity and truly view our current-day students as a key element in the experience,” Simmons said.  “They like to hear the contemporary points of view, and share in the learning experience.”

Angeles said the program is something he would be interested in as an alumnus as well.
“Hopefully when I’m older, I’ll have some free time to return and take classes as well. Marquette really shows us that you’re never too old to learn.”

Popularity: 16% [?]

As this fall’s political gramophone endlessly plays the “Change” track on both sides of the aisle, Marquette’s political groups march along—in more ways than one.

This election’s favorite buzzword is more than a platform policy—it’s a new approach to campaigning that both the McCain and Obama campaigns have embraced. Both parties have utilized unprecedented technology to reach voters, and despite that similarity, the national Obama and McCain campaign counterparts at Marquette have taken very different approaches to reach students.

CHANGING METHODS: PROGRESSIVE CAMPAIGNING ON CAMPUS

ON RED…

On the right, Students for McCain is focused primarily on attending off-campus events to spread McCain’s message to Marquette, and the surrounding Milwaukee community. “Campaigning is our main priority this year,” said Matt Dambach, Arts and Sciences senior and chair of Students for McCain at Marquette. “We distribute campaign literature, and hold weekly gatherings making phone calls at the McCain Victory Center in West Allis.”

Students for McCain has yet to bring speakers to campus or host election events at Marquette, but Dambach says he doesn’t think the group is lacking in presence. “It’s nice to have speakers, but especially in the next two months we think it’s a more beneficial use of time to reach voters, there will always be an opportunity to bring speakers in. We think it’s better to just go out and support McCain,” Dambach said.

Instead of looking to counter or compete with Students for Obama, Dambach said his group plans to solely focus on McCain. The organization currently works closely with Marquette College Republicans, and College Republicans chair Justin Phillips said the relationship between the two is evolving. “Right now there is a mix between the groups, though we hope that the roles of both organizations will be more distinct in the near future,” said Phillips. “One of the things we’ve talked about for the organizations was MUCRs handling off campus events and volunteer activities while Students for McCain handles more on campus things.”

Phillips said finding volunteers is one of the biggest challenges for the conservative cause at Marquette. “I have no doubt that MUCRs will be able to get people to volunteer once they find out that it is more fun than they realize,” said Phillips. “The other problem is the fact that being in both an urban setting and in a college campus, we’re fighting an uphill battle.”

The technological progressiveness of the national Obama campaign is also a challenge for those with the McCain camp locally. Dambach admits that the McCain campaign is behind technologically, but says it is debatable how many more young voters McCain could get with a more technologically based campaign. “I think it is well known that the Obama campaign was and still is aggressive with new technologies,” Dambach said. “However it should be noted that technological campaigning works well with younger voters and it is commonly known that younger voters tend to be more liberal.”

Dambach said that Facebook is one of his biggest tools, but he feels the most effective campaign results from a balance between technology and personal interaction. “Obviously campaigns are becoming more technologically based and as a result it is my job to make sure that Students for McCain keeps up with that,” said Dambach. “One of the key tools of this is Facebook and it is used, but at the same time I feel the most effective campaign tactics are face to face or at least over the phone where you can actually hear a human voice.”

ON BLUE…

Bringing an excitement to the election and registering students to vote is the main concern for Marquette’s College Democrats. Former chair of Marquette’s College Democrats and now State chair of Wisconsin College Democrats, Arts and Sciences senior Jason Rae says that because political involvement is often weaker with students, campaigning at Marquette can be a challenge. “We want to show that students can make a difference,” Rae said. “ The more students who vote, the more votes go to Barack Obama because of his message of hope and issues related to education, healthcare and many others that so widely affect students.”

Like their political counterparts, Marquette’s College Democrats also work closely with Students for Obama, however both groups are committed to maintaining a distinct focus in each respective organization.

“I work very hard, as does the chair of Students for Obama to ensure that campaign issues do not get muddled in with issues being addressed by College Democrats alone,” said Rae. “We understand that not everyone wants to be 100 percentfocused on the campaign all the time. Therefore, we are organizing some events unrelated to the election, such as issue forums and volunteer opportunities.”

Current chair of Marquette’s College Democrats, Arts and Sciences senior Kirsten Jones, said the election is the organization’s main concern this year, with special attention given to registering students to vote—as seen with the group’s registration rally with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, U.S. Representative Gwen Moore and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett last week. “Democrats at Marquette are going to be taking an important, active role this fall in registering new voters and educating them about the important issues at stake in this election,” Jones said. “The person we are voting for in November is not simply going to be deciding policy for the next four years, but will be deciding policy for the next two or three decades. As such, it is so important for students to see the difference.”

CHANGING MINDS: REACHING THE POLITICALLY UNAWARE STUDENT

Reaching the middle of the road and politically unaware students remain a challenge for both campus political groups. Despite a larger youth voter turnout in recent elections, Marquette Students for McCain and Students for Obama are working to reach even the most disinterested students. “We are working to extend our base of support to students who may have never been politically active before,” Jason Rae said. “We are simply building on that message by raising awareness of the issues, having guest speakers who students can get excited about (such as Howard Dean last week), and encouraging students to get out the vote.”

The fact that students typically tend to be liberal doesn’t frustrate Phillips, who said that CR’s could do a good job of having a strong campus presence. “The only reason Obama is the nominee is because he won urban areas and college campuses. We need to make people realize that the only candidate that will bring positive change to this country is John McCain,” Phillips said. “We’re specifically focusing on volunteer opportunities like phone banks and lit drops that get students out into communities for various candidates.”

Despite efforts to expand to students not involved in politics, Arts and Sciences junior Catie Uggeri said she never sees advertisements for political events and doesn’t feel informed about the political atmosphere on campus. “I never see posters for political events where I take classes in the Chemistry building,” Uggeri said. “ I think they [College Republicans and College Democrats] do a very poor job of bringing in uninformed students who don’t know a lot about politics.”

Uggeri said those who don’t have a basic framework of political knowledge find it difficult to get involved. “Maybe I should go and experience a meeting or political event, but I have this notion that it would be way over my head and I wouldn’t be able to follow it,” she said. “Unless it affects you directly or unless you can see how it affects you, I just lose interest, because it no longer pertains to me or what I spend my time doing.”

Popularity: 14% [?]

You have checked and double checked, packed and repacked. You have been school shopping, grocery shopping and clothes shopping. You might even have a list that you will check again (that makes twice) before you take off for school. You’re all set. Except for when those pesky classes start and you actually have to learn.

Fortunately, all the information you will need for your classes has been conveniently bound into one location: textbooks. You are already paying an arm and a leg or two for tuition, and many find themselves surrendering both arms in the aftermath of textbook shopping. There’s no doubt that textbooks are expensive, but you can save yourself a little bit of money if you know what all your options are, and are willing to do a little leg work – assuming you still have both after paying tuition. Once you have all the information, you can decide what works best for you.
BookMarq is the university owned and operated bookstore located just north of the Annex on 16th Street, the same street that McCormick Hall is on. Textbooks are always in abundance, and the convenience of being able to order your books online is very appealing to many students. Bookmarq’s central location makes them very accessible to students on campus and if you order your books online, you can have them shipped to your home or pick them up at the store. The academic sections and books are well marked and easy to find.

BookMarq does not provide this level of convenience and ease for free; prices tend to be slightly higher than the alternatives. Students who choose the campus bookstore generally do so for convenience. “When I have to take my business to a campus bookstore, I take it to BookMarq because I can use my Marquette Cash there,” said Amanda Wolff, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. BookMarq’s number is (414) 288-7317.

Sweeney’s: If students are not willing to pay for that level of convenience, but do not want to look off campus, they generally head to Sweeney’s. Located on the corner of Wisconsin and 17th streets, Sweeney’s is campus’s independently owned bookstore. Prices are generally cheaper, but books are harder to find and not always readily available.

Sweeney’s tries to make their main customer the student and not the University, as they argue BookMarq does. Sweeney’s will be relocating after the fall semester to 14th and Wells streets, a location that used to be a Chinese restaurant, if any of you were curious about the pagoda over the front door. Their store hours for August are Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information about Sweeney’s or to order books online, click here.

Online Options: Many students are beginning to explore alternatives to campus bookstores. Online textbook shopping has exploded in the past couple of years, with more and more students trying to save any amount of money they can. Some popular sites include Amazon.com, half.com, textbooks.com, barnesandnoble.com and chegg.com to name a few. “[Chegg.com] has definitely become my favorite,” said Wolff. Chegg.com is a book rental site that rents books to students for the semester, then takes the books back with no return shipping charged. Many students, however, are weary to try online options because of the security risk involved; students are afraid that books will never be shipped or they might receive the wrong edition.

Whether you buy at BookMarq or Sweeney’s, Barnes and Noble or Amazon, almost everyone suggests shopping around a little bit before pulling the trigger. “Wait until after the first day of classes to buy your books,” said Andrew Schueller, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “A few times a ‘required’ book wasn’t needed at all, so wait until your teacher personally hands you a book list and then buy those.”

So no matter where you buy from, it is important to explore all your options first, and hopefully buying books doesn’t have to be too painful.

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