Papal Visit Update: University to Close Extra Day

By: Meaghan Byrnes (Tower Staff)

The University will be closed on Wednesday, April 16 at the discretion of the United States Secret Service in anticipation of the Pope’s visit. This is according to the most recent update that University President Rev. David M. O’Connell wrote in a letter to the University on Tuesday.

The University will be open on April 30, which was originally scheduled as a reading day. On Thursday, April 17, the entire University will be closed for the Papal Visit, and on Wednesday, April 16, the University will now be closed due to security precautions.

In the letter sent on Monday, O’Connell touched on many subjects related to the Pope’s visit. One such item is an essay contest. Students registered at the University will be able to write an essay in order to compete for a chance of admittance to the Pope’s speech on Catholic Education at the Pryzbyla Center. The first place winner will personally greet the Pope.

Students have mixed feelings on the cancelation of a reading day before exams. “I think its okay to switch the days because on the reading days people wouldn’t normally read or study, so it’s good to have classes on the reading day and have off for the Pope,” said Caitlin D’Alessandro, freshman.

Others do not feel as positive, “I thought it was pretty unfair to move the day, like our reading day because we really need that before final exams,” said sophomore Jenny Krichbaum.

The Pryzblya Center will be open on April 16 as originally stated, it will close at 10 pm and dining services will be opened and provided to students, said to Victor Nakas, associate vice president of Public Affairs. On April 17 students will receive boxed breakfast and lunches in their dorms and a “special catered dinner” will be available in the Dufour Center after the Pope’s departure, according to O’Connell’s letter.

The school has arranged an alternative to students with parking permits, according to O’Connell, “The University will provide secure parking at another location for resident students who possess permits to park on campus,” said Nakas. More details on this location will be released at a later date. During this time parking even near campus in the neighborhood will be difficult with the attraction of the Pope.

Students expressed concern about their safety on campus and how it will affect them personally. Sophomore Gorman Hatcher shares these concerns. “One thing that I am personally concerned about is safety because I know there are some groups coming in for the Pope,” Hatcher said. “I’d like to see how it will affect my week.”

The Westboro Baptist Church is a fundamentalist religious group that is headed about Fred Phelps. The group protests many different events such as soldier’s funerals and most recently Heath Ledger’s funeral because he played a gay role in Brokeback Mountain.

According to the group’s website, the Westboro Baptist Church does plan to protest on and near the campus. They are protesting the Pope because according to one of their websites, “The Catholic Church is the largest, most well-funded and organized pedophile group in the history of man!” They intend to picket from 4:30-5:30 pm on the 16 at the Basilica, from 12-5pm at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, and from 4-5pm at the University.

Other students have said they want more information regarding the strictness and severity of the security, while some believe that security will be too tight.

“I feel that they need to address the issue that students can get on and off campus the day that the Pope is here because putting us in lockdown when we can’t get off campus when he is here is kind of ridiculous,” said Shannon Franklin, senior. “If were not going to be able to see him and were not going to be able to go to mass, then we should be able to do something.”

O’Connell said there will be a viewing area with a jumbotron on the Law School Lawn for students to watch the Mass at the Nationals Park that morning. The speech he will give at the university later that day. O’Connell said that 4000 tickets will be distributed to be in the viewing area. Those eligible for tickets are University students, staff and faculty. O’Connell also hopes for the University community to sing “Happy Birthday” to the Pope. His birthday is the day before, April 16.

The letter also stated that the University was requesting tickets to the mass at the Nationals Park from the archdiocese for the university community, but knows that they will not have enough to satisfy each request.

“I hope that students actually get tickets to the mass, the fact that they requested them is great and I hope that they actually follow through and actually get us tickets into the mass at the Nat’s stadium,” said Amanda Good, senior. “I think that’s really important.”

Business and Production Manager Ryan J. Reilly contributed to this story.

See the original article here on The Tower Newspaper website.

Students Make Choir for Papal Mass in District

By: Stephanie Calhoun (Tower Staff)

Several Catholic University students will perform at the Mass that Pope Benedict XVI will be giving on April 17 at the Nationals Stadium in Washington D.C. They will be part of the large choir that will sing for the Pope and a global audience.

Only 250 singers were chosen from the 588 who auditioned in several regional auditions that have been held over the past several weeks.

“The goal was to find people with good voices, who could sight read or learn music quickly and adapt to a variety of musical styles,” said Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington.

The short four-minute auditions were open to those older than 16 and who had prior involvement in their parish ministry. They were asked to demonstrate their talent, range and ability to sight read.

Many students from the University auditioned and at least four - Seniors Lindsay Fisher and Katherine Latham, Katherine Deyer, a junior and graduate student Jennifer Seigham - will participate. An exact count was not available.

“We have seven rehearsals beginning on March 10, including a dress rehearsal at the stadium the day before the mass,” said Deyer. Aside from a dress rehearsal, the practices are being held at St. Mark’s Church in Hyattsville, MD. She said the audition process was relatively short and surprisingly calm.

“It seemed that most people were not so nervous, but said that this was an opportunity that they could not give up,” said Dyer.

“I knew that if I made this choir, it could change my life so I decided to audition,” said Deyer. “After that audition I have never wanted to make something so badly in my life.”

The student involvement in this choir is another aspect of Pope Benedict’s visit to Washington D.C. The mass will be held on April 17 at the Nationals Stadium.

“Will be aired live on local television in this region, likely some other cities, and on one or more national cable outlets,” said Gibbs. They are also looking into the possibility of streaming the Mass live online.

Deyer will become the second member of her family to sing before a Pope. She said she is proud to be following in her grandmother’s footsteps.

“I feel so lucky to be a part of this history,” said Deyer. “[I] am honored to be chosen to sing for Pope Benedict when he travels to Washington, D.C.”

See the original article here on The Tower Newspaper website.

Tower Exclusive: O’Connell Departure Subject of Campus Chatter

By: Ryan J. Reilly (Tower Co-Editor)

Rev. David M. O’Connell has been mentioned as a replacement for the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who submitted his resignation when he turned 75 years old last August.

A University student who works at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops confirmed that he has heard a lot of talk since August about O’Connell, president of the University, being appointed a bishop.

The student said he believes that O’Connell will be replacing Bishop John M. D’Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana, which includes Notre Dame University. D’Arcy has served in the position since 1985 and turned 75 years old last August. Once bishops turn that age, they are required to submit their resignation to the pope.

“Notre Dame is failing,” said the student, speaking about the Catholic identity of the school. “D’Arcy has submitted his resignation and the Pope has accepted it. We’re just waiting on the announcement.”

O’Connell has spoken with members of multiple departments about his upcoming departure from the University, according to several students who work in campus offices. One student even said she had overheard O’Connell directly discussing his upcoming departure.

Another student close to the Board of Trustees said O’Connell’s departure was discussed at a meeting in December. An employee of the Archdiocese also told a staff member that O’Connell would be coming to Fort Wayne-South Bend early this semester.

The identities of the sources have been kept confidential by The Tower due to the sensitivity of the issue and to protect the relationships between them and their employers. Discussions about O’Connell’s future have been around since August, and were especially high after the Board of Trustees meeting in December.

“There has been some speculation here and there but nothing is official until it comes from Rome,” said Vince LaBarbera, director of communications for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokesman for the American bishops, declined to speculate on such an appointment.

“It has to be a Vatican decision,” said Victor Nakas, associate vice president of public affairs. “Just because somebody is talking about it doesn’t mean its going to happen.”

O’Connell “has no knowledge of such an appointment” said Nakas. He said that he met with O’Connell on Thursday after an inquiry from The Tower and that O’Connell denied he knew any information on the topic. Through Nakas, O’Connell also declined to be interviewed for this story and a story on his tenure at the University.

O’Connell has been working closely with Rome to coordinate the Papal visit. He has been at the University for nearly a decade, the second longest tenure of a president in Catholic University history.

“I think that the fact that the Pope chose to come to [the University] is indeed a vote of confidence in Father O’Connell and all the good things that have and are happening here,” said Rev. Robert Schlageter.

If he was to choose to make such an announcement in the near-future, Pope Benedict XVI will have several forums available to do so during his visit to Washington this April, including a speech at the Pryzbyla Center on Catholic education.

Editor-at-Large Ben Newell and News Editor Michael Oliva contributed to this story.
Photographs by Chase McAlpine.

Editor’s note: Story corrected to specify that the source was speaking about the Catholic identity of Notre Dame, not the school itself.

See the original article here on The Tower Newspaper website.

Board Releases Student Assoc. Constitution

The Student Representation Board, which has been establishing guidelines for the student government, released the constitution for the first time in this week's issue of The Tower.

The Student Association will consist of 28 student delegates who will be in constant communication with the University's departments. SA will act and serve as a liaison program.

In addition to this, SA's horizontal form of government will cooperate their efforts with Program Board and the Student Fee Allocation Board. Program Board will continue to program student events, but is a separate entity from SA and has its own constitution. SFAB is still in the beginning stages of construction, but will work to regulate the monetary funds provided to student organizations. The representatives in SA will sit on either the Student Life Committee or the Academic Life Committee. These two committees will each be assigned to departments within the University.

Upon the constitution's completion, SRB met with CSA and the senior class to discuss their reactions to the document and provide recommendations before its release.

CSA complimented SRB on their ability to create a new structure of government, but raised concerns about the constitution's policies on student organizations and the SFAB, the representatives on the Board of Trustees and the Student Life Committee and the Academic Life Committee assignments to each academic school of the University.

The revised student allocation fee caused controversy at last week's town hall meeting and became an issue of importance with CSA. CSA proposed "an initial budget and event timeline provided to the SFAB by each student organization and club sport." In response to this, the association suggested a "planning meeting" should be to set into place. This would allow student organizations to "express their planning intentions for the coming academic year in term of events, activities, programming and fundraising," said CSA in a proposal.

CSA added the meetings would coincide with SRB's rolling budgetary process as stated in the constitution and would serve as an aid for all student leaders, provide assistance for the allocation of funds on SFAB and help regulate the usage of funds in student organizations and club sports.

"We fear that basing all financial reserves on traditional programming severely limits student organizations in creating new and different events and programming from which the CUA community could greatly benefit," continued the proposal.

The second issue CSA concentrated on was the representation on the Board of Trustees. CSA said due to the fact SA will have three representatives on the Board, two of which will be from the Student Life Committee and the Academic Committee; they believe the two representatives should sit on their assigned committees. Essentially, the Student Life Committee representative should sit on the Board of Trustee's Student Life Committee and the Academic Life Committee Chair should sit on the Board of Trustee's Academic Life Committee.

CSA reasoned with the idea of how SA's delegates should be assigned to a specific academic school of the University. This would provide for open communication between the students and the departments. In essence, each department would have an assigned SA member.

The senior class of 2008 spoke with SRB in regard to the operation budgets and having merely a "speaker" rather than an actual president. They noted that some organizations will need more starting funds than others.

"The constitution is the result of hours of hard work and a wide range of ideas from a variety of student perspectives from all different backgrounds," said Paula Caruselle, co-chair of SRB. "We've also addressed concerns that were expressed in the town hall meeting and CSA meetings. We're looking forward to seeing this form of representation be implemented and believe it will significantly improve student life at the University."

MTV To Go to College Park For Casting Call for the 21st Season of Real World

The University has tackled getting on American Idol… and now we have bigger fish to fry.

MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions invites anyone from age 18-24 to come to an open casting call for the 21st season of MTV's The Real World this Saturday in College Park, MD.

A show that has changed the face of television as we know it continues to lure college-aged kids who want to live in lavish homes in party-prone cities and get off the hook jobs for five months. Out of the thousands of people that audition, 7 are chosen for each season. Until recently, there has always been one show per year. There are now 2 shows and, consequently, 32 casting calls per year.

One of the factors that contribute to the show's long-running success is the apparent stereotype phenomenon where it seems that there is predictability about the activity of cast of the show. During my interview with casting director Damon Furberg, he stated that these stereotypes happen coincidently. "We don't put a sign on you when you walk in[to the casting call]," he says.

As much as viewers try to classify the cast, the casting directors try to stay away from picking the average 'promiscuous tramp' or 'crazy frat boy.' "Stereotypes are boring; they aren't good TV," says Furberg. "If we've done our job really well, we have a cast where there's a least one person every viewer can identity with; there's one person you can look at and say, 'that could be me'."

The casting calls entail 10 to 15 minute group discussions with a group of 10 people where they are asked to discuss and react to certain topics. Based on these discussions, auditioners will usually be called that night if they are being considered. These people then endure a strenuous amount of interviews.

People can also audition by sending in video tapes or submitting online videos.

Furberg encourages everyone, yes, everyone, to come to the casting call this weekend. "I think what prevents people from coming to the casting call is that they imagine it's like American Idol where there's 100,000 people that show up.it's really not like that," claims Furberg. "We don't know what we're looking for until we find it. It could be you."

The casting call is at Santa Fe Café in College Park, MD from 10 AM to 5 PM.

The Black Jew Dialogues Arrives

This Monday, Program Board presents "The Black Jew Dialogues," which features two men who humorously tackle the background of the racism that exists for, well, Jews and black people.

Actors Ron Jones and Larry Jay Tish put a hilarious twist on the history of the racism that has existed in the past and still exists today through various skits, improve, video and simply speaking about it. They take the audience through all the significant milestones and stereotypes. In this, they accomplish making Bar Mitzvahs and old black women funny.

Check their promo out on Youtube, or go to their website theblackjewdialogues.com to find out more about this hysterical duo.

They are set to perform Wednesday night at the Pryz Food Court at 7 PM. Props to Program Board for setting this up, it's free for students to see a performance normally costing major mulla. Don't miss it!

Students Make Choir for Papal Mass in District

Several Catholic University students will perform at the Mass that Pope Benedict XVI will be giving on April 17 at the Nationals Stadium in Washington D.C. They will be part of the large choir that will sing for the Pope and a global audience.

Only 250 singers were chosen from the 588 who auditioned in several regional auditions that have been held over the past several weeks.

"The goal was to find people with good voices, who could sight read or learn music quickly and adapt to a variety of musical styles," said Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington.

The short four-minute auditions were open to those older than 16 and who had prior involvement in their parish ministry. They were asked to demonstrate their talent, range and ability to sight read.

Many students from the University auditioned and at least four - Seniors Lindsay Fisher and Katherine Latham, Katherine Deyer, a junior and graduate student Jennifer Seigham - will participate. An exact count was not available.

"We have seven rehearsals beginning on March 10, including a dress rehearsal at the stadium the day before the mass," said Deyer. Aside from a dress rehearsal, the practices are being held at St. Mark's Church in Hyattsville, MD. She said the audition process was relatively short and surprisingly calm.

"It seemed that most people were not so nervous, but said that this was an opportunity that they could not give up," said Dyer.

"I knew that if I made this choir, it could change my life so I decided to audition," said Deyer. "After that audition I have never wanted to make something so badly in my life."

The student involvement in this choir is another aspect of Pope Benedict's visit to Washington D.C. The mass will be held on April 17 at the Nationals Stadium.

"Will be aired live on local television in this region, likely some other cities, and on one or more national cable outlets," said Gibbs. They are also looking into the possibility of streaming the Mass live online.

Deyer will become the second member of her family to sing before a Pope. She said she is proud to be following in her grandmother's footsteps.

"I feel so lucky to be a part of this history," said Deyer. "[I] am honored to be chosen to sing for Pope Benedict when he travels to Washington, D.C."

University Students and Faculty Play Roles in 'Pirates of Penzance' for DC's Savoyards

Catholic students, listen closely: there is more to weekend entertainment than Gallery Place, Brothers, or doing homework. At the two year-old Atlas Performing Arts Center the Washington Savoyards are performing Gilbert and Sullivan's beloved operetta Pirates of Penzance. The show boasts eight current CUA students in the ensemble, two alumni, including the lead Stacey Mastsrian as Mabel, and is directed by MFA candidate Carrie Klewin.

First things first, you too can afford a night out to the theater. This young theater is incredibly receptive to the college crowd, most notably featuring a College Night on February 27th, where tickets are only 10$. That's cheaper than both dinner and a movie, more cultural and, by the way, there are pirates. Downside? You do something new and explore a self-described up and coming neighborhood just five minutes from Union Station.

All right, you know you can afford it, but the question now is why go? Well, the show itself is a fantastic draw. A basic premise: Frederic, honor crazed actor has just been released from his mistaken apprenticeship to a rollicking band of merciful-to-a-fault pirates. He is finally free and instantly meets his true love, the earnest Mabel. Conveniently enough, Mabel has a lot of sisters. In fact, the exact same number of sisters as Frederic has pirates. Odd. Never mind that her father is the Modern Major General, who will guard his daughters from these sea-dogs with all in his power, including all the town's policeman. The music flows from overly romantic to shockingly quick, all the while mimicking the entire show's realistic version of itself tempered by its own irony.

The cast, as well as the entire staff, shares the earnest enjoyment of what they are doing. Not one member of the cast or crew was remotely unpleasant. Most went out of their way to ensure that they presented the best show and atmosphere they could during the technical rehearsal I watched on Wednesday night. It was a working run-through but despite the technical material, the cast really shone through. The voices are incredible, the energy manages showy without being campy, and the cast, even Wednesday, were clearly having a good time. Junior Elizabeth Rothschild explains " I think it helps that everyone is having a lot of fun with the show. It's a lot of give-and-take between creative direction and ideas from the actors."

One CUA cast member, senior Joanna Frezzo discusses her favorite scene. "I really enjoy the capture scene where the pirates each capture a daughter, we worked long and hard and actually came up with all of that choreography ourselves in that short capture sequence. So I'd say look for each couple because they'll all be doing different and funny things!"

This rollicking and witty show opens this Saturday at the Atlas Performing Arts Center and runs through March 9th. For more information see www.atlasarts.org.

Student Spotlight on Chris Needham

Chris Needham is a truly inspiring individual. A senior Art history major, interested in 18th century French paintings, Needham manages two minors in architecture and classical civilizations. He's also involved on several on campus activites. Hailing from Jefferson, MD, Needham is our student spotlight of the week.

When he first came here, Needham was an architecture student who grew up in a small town. "I wanted to get out of there, somewhere decently sized and close to home.but not too close," Needham states. He was also allured by the city atmosphere because it was so different.

Concerning his favorite part of CUA, Needham declared, "I love the campus atmosphere. It's people that are studious and interested in academics but also can enjoy themselves. It's a nice balance of the two."

He's involved in a lot of activities on campus. He is serving for the Chair of International Week. Needham is also the president of CUAnime, which is the anime group on campus. Finally, he serves as the treasurer of Pax Cristi CUA . "I'm constantly involved in one or another or all of them at the same time," said Needham.

Currently, Needham is working hard on International week. "I-week is our celebration of international students and international connections we have at Catholic, as well as our place in the world through study abroad programs."

This year, International Week's theme is student involvement, which will help put a spotlight on some of the smaller organizations here at Catholic.

"By allowing some of our foreign students and groups to showcase themselves and what they do, it's a great opportunity for everyone to get involved and see that we have a very diverse and interesting campus," said Needham. "A lot of people think that everyone at Catholic is the same.but we have people from all over the world and all different walks of life on campus."

He does not really have a lot of free time, but Needham enjoys going to concerts. He also does plenty of activities off campus. "I'm involved in different groups dealing with anime in the DC area.It's a lot of fun."

Needham is eager about the Pope's visit. "It's very exciting. As an Art History major I can really appreciate papal history. It will be a great opportunity for the campus and students here." He and his sister have already applied for tickets to see the Pope.

As for his plans after graduation, Needham has already applied to a few graduate schools and is waiting to hear back from them.

"The eventual goal is to get a Doctorate in Art History, work in a museum, curate 18th century art and teach on the side," Needham said, adding that he enjoys the academic outlooks concerning art.

'Bolivia' Shown for International Week Movie Festival

Bolivia is not a movie for the faint of heart. Filled with graphic scenes and abrasive language, it is meant to highlight the difficulties and discriminations that immigrants, especially those who are illegal, face. This film tells the epic and harrowing tale of an illegal immigrant, Freddy (the only Bolivian in the film), who moved from La Paz, Bolivia to Buenos Aires, Argentina to make some money.

Freddy left his wife and three daughters to find work after the 'Yankees' burned the fields where he used to pick coca. He receives work from a stingy café owner who has gone astray and hires illegals to save money. In this café, he has regular interactions with a Paraguayan waitress and the vengeful Argentinean clientele.

Most of the movie takes place in the café, and was filmed over the course of three years, due to a starved budget. The director, Adrian Caetano, wanted the movie to be filmed in black and with a neo-modern feel to portray the prejudice against immigrants as well as the deteriorating society of Argentina.

Character development is flawlessly done, and the film achieves its goal, albeit a little graphically. Complete with a strong cast of nobodies and unique camera work, Bolivia is a foreign film that tells a universal tale of the trials and tribulations of immigrants and it is highly worth seeing.

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