Fifth Column November 7, 2008

Where do I even begin? I’m privileged to have the school community’s ear this week. A duty that has been admittedly challenging over the course of the semester is a blessing in light of the monumental moment that occurred on Tuesday. I am overwhelmed with ideas to touch on, all encapsulated by the election of President Barack Obama.

So I have a new challenge now – an embarrassment of riches. How to best paint this juncture in American history? Do I focus on the humor of the last few days? The moment on Tuesday night when my companions and I, sitting in my apartment, muted Obama’s televised speech to listen to my upstairs neigbor cry out “We can do it! 45 years! We can do it!” to no one in particular? Being high-fived by complete strangers as I walked down the street at 1:00 AM Wednesday morning? Listening to a woman crying out “My uterus is mine!” as she pranced down U Street?

Should I talk about how great it feels to be in DC right now? Over 90 percent of us voted for Obama on Tuesday, so the mayhem that ensued that night was exciting not only for its power but also for its uniformity – it’s rare to have such a consensus in any given population, especially one as divided as DC can be. I’ve lived in this city for a long time, and I’ve been to my share of political demonstrations in the last four years – all of which were responses to a perceived injustice or bonehead move on the part of the political system: the election of George W. Bush, the war in Iraq, and so on.     Tuesday’s demonstrations were intoxicating for their scale, their longevity, and their unadulterated positivity. All of the tropes of a large-scale protest were present – the energized throngs, the yelling and chanting, the politically-themed accessories, the makeshift musical stylings of people armed with buckets and vocal chords. The only thing missing was the anger and disappointment that usually mark such gatherings in D.C. Strangers hugged, people boogied from atop bus stop shelters, and car horns blared endlessly as drivers expressed their joy, for once, at being stuck in D.C traffic.

Should I get, like, kind of emo? This is the first time in my adult life that I have known a president that I actively like. As a person. He seems nice! His wife is fashionable! His children are well-behaved! (I’m easy to please.) Will he be a great president? Will he “fix” America? Well, I’m neither a political junkie nor a soosthsayer, so I’m not really qualified to make that call. There’s  no telling how the next four years is going to play out – there’s only so much we can predict based on what any leader promises us, and I think we’d be hard-pressed to come to any sort of universal conclusion about how Obama is going to run the country. It’s almost irrelevant. What is relevant is his obvious intelligence and reassuringly positive attitude towards our nation’s potential. The best part? These attributes are going to represent the United States in the political Miss Universe pageant for the next four years. How awesome is that?

I know this probably sounds like a blasphemous dumbing-down of “our nation’s highest office,” but within that turn of phrase lies the rub – along with this altitude comes a global, mediated prominence that many of us felt that George W. Bush did not deserve. Yes, I do have faith that Obama’s grace and diplomacy will guide us as successfully as any president reasonably can through what’s sure to be four sticky years, but I am mostly beyond pumped that his personal attributes will be representing me during that period! (A selfish concern for appearances - how typically American is that?)

Pope Passes VP’s Pad

The papal parade path drew thousands of spectators who lined streets from the White House to the papal nuncio’s residence in Northwest.

Bill Fehrmann and his five siblings took the day off school to go up and see the Holy Father.

A student at Mt. St. Mary’s in Maryland, Fehrmann spent the day clutching the Vatican’s yellow flag, which he had fastened to a large fishing pole.

“We’re pilgrims here,” said Michelle Fehrmann, his mother. “I was telling the kids how hard this would have been in old times, walking around in sandals instead of riding in an air conditioned car.”

The Fehrmann’s chose to stake out near the Naval Observatory, Vice President Cheney’s residence. Their flag waved opposite the Italian embassy in Normanstone Park, NW Washington, DC.

The pope’s speed, and poor timing caused Geirdre McCandliss to miss the waving Pontiff. A Lithuanian Catholic Immigrant, McCandliss remembers seeing Pope John Paul II on the national Mall in 1979 before he conducted a huge celebration of the mass. “He was on the corner standing out of his car for five minutes…you could have talked to him for a while, if it wasn’t so loud.” McCandliss resolved to beat the pope back to Catholic University and catch him before he entered the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Benedict stormed by in his trademark Mercedes Benz, doing about 20 miles an hour. Viewers were left stunned, unable to absorb the Holy Fathers presence before he disappeared down the street.

-Benjamin Newell, Co-Editor in Chief

Where in the World is Osama? See it On April 18

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden takes an interesting and unique look at the current conflict in the Middle East. Never before have I seen such a humorous, yet profound take on the world's most wanted man.

The movie starts out with Morgan Spurlock, the creator of "Super Size Me," talking about his unborn child and pregnant wife. Because he is about to bring a kid into the world, Spurlock sets out to make the planet safer by setting the goal of catching Bin Laden.

Traveling to places such as the West Bank, Pakistan, Jordan and many other dangerous areas in the region, Spurlock analyzes both the achievements and failures of the current administration in regards to the War on Terrorism.

Spurlock visited and talked with citizens of the countries he went to, bringing a sense of optimism to the subject of the film by showing that people are not as bad as they are sometimes made out to be. In the end, he tries to portray Middle Easterners as typical Westerners, just wanting to make ends meet and to support their families.

Despite an occasional biased anti-war comment and his humor, Spurlock manages to take a fair and balanced look at the problems we as a civilization face with the current threat of terrorism and Islamic fascism in a serious manner.

"Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" will open in theatres on April 18.

Michael Oliva Rates This:

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Pope's CUA Speech Highly Anticipated

Thursday will mark a historic event for the Church and Catholic schools from across the nation when Pope Benedict XVI gives a landmark speech on Catholic education at the University. This will be the first papal visit to the United States since the 1999 trip to St. Louis by Pope John Paul II, who also visited the school in 1979.

He plans "to make a speech to the Church in our country about one of the most important elements of the Church's life and experience and that is Catholic education," said Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of the University, in an interview with the Tower last month.

Presidents of more than 200 Catholic colleges and universities, as well as superintendents and representatives of Catholic schools from all 195 dioceses will be in attendance during the speech at the Pryzbyla Center.

"Pope Benedict XVI will address with both groups the importance of Catholic education to the Church, presently and in the future," said John Convey, a professor at the University and was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Benedict XVI in 2005, the same year the Pope was elected to the papacy.

While no one knows the specifics of what His Holiness will address during the speech, many in the academic and religious disciplines have begun speculating.

Convey believes that the Pope will focus on the value of "dialogue between faith and reason" and will request college and university presidents to promote more open discussions of the two on their campuses.

"Given the Pope's reputation and experience as a scholar, and the recurring theme of hope throughout his writings since assuming the papacy, I expect that his speech on Catholic Education will be extremely thoughtful, positive and visionary to the future," said James Brennan, provost of the University.

"He will also stress the importance of maintaining and enhancing the university's Catholic identity," said Convey. "I believe he will acknowledge the progress made over the past ten years in implementing the principles contained in the Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Education Ex Corde Ecclesiae. thank the college presidents for their efforts to implement these principles and urge even more attention to them in the future."

Benedict XVI, once known as a strict enforcer of orthodoxy, may also touch on the lack of Catholic identity at many Catholic institutions of higher learning.

"Most of the secular media is trained on what Benedict will say about the Iraq War, but in the life of the Church in this country, the real action will come on Thursday, April 17, when the Holy Father meets at the Catholic University of America with the college presidents," said Deal W. Hudson, director of Inside Catholic in an online column yesterday. What he will say to those who safeguard institutionalized dissent will not change anything overnight, but it will send a forceful message to the laity to demand their institutions reaffirm their true Catholic identity.

"The Pope is presenting a challenge to all of us in Catholic higher education to be authentic and faithful to what we say we are and what we say we do," said O'Connell in a Washington Post letter to the editor on March 17. "No one should fear such a challenge or paint the call to authenticity as some sort of public reprimand."

Leonard DeFiore, a professor at the University and former president of the National Catholic Educational Association, shares many of the same thoughts as Convey and Brennan on what the primary emphasis of the speech will be.

"The Holy Father is likely to have two basic messages for Catholic educators. The first is likely to be a combination of gratitude for our work to date and encouragement for the future," said DeFiore. "Second, he will ask us in so many words to faithful to the dual mission of Catholic education: academic excellence and faith formation. He will likely emphasize the latter both because of its centrality to the mission of the Church but also because Christianity provides answers about the nature of our existence and our ultimate destiny."

Expected to run 45 minutes in length, the Vatican has said the address will be followed by a presentation of gifts between O'Connell and the Pope, according to Victor Nakas, associate vice president for Public Affairs.

"In conversations with the media, it's apparent that many of them see the Holy Father's address at CUA as one of the most important aspects of his trip to the United States," said Nakas.

Preceding his trip to the United States, Benedict XVI has released a video statement to Catholics and the American people.

"Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition," said Benedict XVI. "It is God who saves us; he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life."

Woman Ran into Spellman Claiming She Was Raped

Early Saturday morning Department of Public Safety officers and the Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report a of sexual assault, and spent two hours in the parking lot of Spellman Hall.

A woman who was later identified as a prostitute, ran into the lobby of Spellman Hall claiming she was raped.

Five DPS vehicles were on the scene. The woman apparently ran from a car where she said she was raped. The driver of the vehicle offered her a ride home, and apparently tried to rape her, the woman told DPS.

Despite the large presence by DPS officers, the incident was not in the DPS crime report blog.

DPS officer initially removed the male driver from the car and detained him until MPD arrived on the scene. Once arriving MPD detained both the woman and the male driver for around an hour before letting both of them go under their own recognizance.

According to MPD officers, neither the male nor female was arrested. The female was identified as a prostitute. Instead of charging both suspects, they were both released after about 45 minutes.

After the incident a MPD officer spoke to Spellman residents who watched the events unfold and cautioned a group of students, who were outside watching events, that they should not take home girls that they don't know. The officer also said they should make sure they know who their picking up.

Spellman Hall resident, Charlie O'Neill, who witnessed the event, said, "I think Campus Police did a phenomenal job and MPD handled it successfully and that we should be proud of DPS and MPD for doing a phenomenal job."

Student Spotlight on Sarah Delaney

Sarah Delaney is a survivor, in the fullest sense of the word. A cancer survivor, Delaney is active in Relay for Life, serving as the Event Chair. Hailing from Syracuse, NY, Delaney is our Spotlight of the week.

Delaney, a senior, transferred to Catholic after spending two years at Loyola College in Maryland. "I chose to come to CUA because it was still on the east coast and it had the Spanish for International Service program."

However, Delaney is truly unique in that she is cancer survivor. She is active in Relay for Life here at CUA to share her past experiences with cancer and to speak about Relay's importance in her life. "I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Stage III when I was 21 during what was meant to be my senior year of college."

Delaney then moved back home to receive 7 months of chemotherapy and immunetherapy to help her fight the cancer. It was during this time she was introduced to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, at both her sister's college and then at her boyfriend's college. Both had been team captains, and were heavily involved with the event.

While at the events, Delaney took part in the survivor lap at both, and was highly inspired by both the event and the cause. "I felt so much support when I was at Relay, it made such a difference in my mindset while battling cancer. It was the one time during my whole experience, that I didn't feel I was being stared at for being bald, but instead being recognized for what I had beaten."

After her experiences with these Relay for Life events, Delaney found herself very curious as to why CUA did not have a Relay for Life on campus. With determination, she planned to change that when she was able to return to school, which she did.

After she graduates in May, Delaney has an interview with the Dana Farber Institute in Boston, which is a leading oncology hospital. "I am hoping to work with them to increase cancer prevention and work to advocate for cancer patients and their families."

In light of next week's Relay for Life, Delaney has some words of advice of wisdom from a cancer survivor.

"Cancer can happen to anyone when you least expect it, I never thought it would happen to me, my grandmother had beaten cancer when I was a child, but I never believed it happened to people my age. I was wrong, I am proud to say that cancer changed my life, I will never say it was a gift, but it truly opened my eyes to a cause that I feel deeply for, I know that I can make a difference in the world by helping to prevent and find a cure for cancer."

If you are interested in donating to the American Cancer Society, or forming/joining a team, e-mail Delaney at

cuarfl@gmail.com.

Get Yourself Juiced up for The Cure at Alex's Lemonade Stand; On Campus Today

When you are busy trying to avoid the prospective freshman this Friday, Erin Dwyer and the Student Nurse's Association (SNA) have something productive you can do with your time. Today from 11am to 3pm the SNA will be sponsoring the popular cancer fundraising project Alex's Lemonade Stand.

Named for Alex Scott, the Alex's Lemonade Foundation raises money for and contributes to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Alex Scott was just four years old when she held her first stand in her front yard to help her doctors raise money to find a cure. For four more years she held an annual stand, and quickly many people across the country followed her example. Alex died in 2004, at the age of eight, but the foundation continues to raise money to help find a cure.

Erin Dwyer, senior nursing student, has experienced firsthand the effect Alex has had on the world. "I worked at CHOP [Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where Alex received treatment] last summer on the oncology floor, and so many of the nurses I worked with knew Alex and her family and were very involved in the Alex's Lemonade Stands that CHOP hosts each year," Dwyer said.

Erin brought this idea back to the Student Nurse's Association and the University community. Through the nurses, random volunteers, and Rita's Water Ice, who will be donating water ice, the stand is set to be open to the CUA community, prospective students and their families.

So, how does it work? According to Erin, donations will be accepted in return for water ice, baked goods, and of course lemonade. The profits go directly to Alex's Lemonade Stand, Dwyer explains: "They then distribute the funds to many various organizations such as children's' hospitals involved in research, etc. They also fund research grants for doctors and nurses." You can find out more by visiting alexslemonade.org.

So stop by Alex's Lemonade stand this Friday and see what it is all about. After all, as it says on Alex's website, "The lesson that children and adults everywhere learn from holding their own lemonade stands is simple but powerful - every person can make a difference in the world."

Four Mission Trips Planned

Dozens of University students will be traveling to four different countries to conduct mission trips this summer. About 65 students this year will be traveling to Jamaica, Belize, Tanzania and Honduras. Since a small group of students petitioned Campus Ministry to begin running mission trips to Guatamela in 2001, the program has grown dramatically.

This is also the first year students will be traveling to Africa. They will be led by junior psychology major Kevin Bein. The Tanzania trip is in its trial year due to the expensive cost of traveling, according to Emmjolee Mendoza Waters, associate campus minister. They will be working with the winner of the Opus Prize, Rev. John Adams, president of SOME.

The funding for these trips comes directly from the students are each required to raise $1000 per trip, in addition to campus fundraising.

With 15 to 20 students attending each trip, the cost is high, but so are the goals for the attendees of these programs.

"They do whatever the need of the community is: build churches, manual labor, tutoring, working in the school, ministry of presence to the elderly, help in clinics," said Waters.

Students are chosen through an application and interview process where both the team and the community are heavily taken into consideration, said Waters.

Kelsey Flynn and Hannah O'Sullivan will lead Mission Belize and Anthony Buatti will lead Mission Jamaica.

When asked about his most memorable experience in Jamaica during last year's trip, Buatti recalled a story of a young boy, surrounded by dire poverty, who was able to show with pride the area where he and his friends swam. The boy talked about the importance of being careful because a week earlier his friend had been killed by an alligator in the very same spot. Buatti recalls that the boy's response was simply, "That's life in Riverton."

Flynn, a sophomore nursing major, said she helped build a church and taught at a local school in Belize. They will build a church in another village and reach out to the local schools and communities again this year.

"I hope to grow closer to the community as well as my team," said Flynn. "I hope to make more of a dent in the problem of poverty in Belize. I wish to make a difference, no matter how small, whether it be making a child smile or putting the roof on a church."

The Cherry Blossom Charity Ball on April 11 and Annual Red Line Invitational on April 18 will both benefit the mission programs.

Forum Cartoon: Popestock

Student Association Elects Speaker

Afifeh Alaween will be the first speaker of the General Assembly of the Student Association. She was internally elected by the GA at their first meeting on Tuesday.

Alaween will essentially lead the GA in efforts to advocate for the student body.

"The speaker along with the director of the Student Fee Allocation Board [Betsy Homan] and President of Program Board [Andee Fisher] will prove to be in constant communication with each other as well as the administration as to keep both their individual and combined efforts focused on the interest and needs of CUA students and the entire CUA community," said Paula Carsuelle, co-chair of the Student Representation Board, which was responsible for drafting the constitution of SA.

SA will serve as the new student government for the University next fall and plans to develop relationships with the students and the departments on campus.

According to members of SRB, these relationships will not only benefit students, but will also provide guidance to the University departments in order to reach their audiences by being in constant communication with the students.

"A lot of issues on campus need to be addressed; a lot of student life issues and a lot of academic issues," said Alaween.

Along with Alaween, freshman Ryan Winn was elected as student life chair and Dan Slick, a junior, was elected as academic chair.

"I do not want to walk in there and tell people what we should discuss," said Alaween in regards to her election as speaker. "I want them to tell me what they want to discuss and then I'll give my input."

"You guys [GA] need to be proactive in your efforts," said Joe Berger, a senior and co-chair of SRB. "You need to seek people out and with the liaison program, go to your department contact as often as you can. Find out what is going on in that department so you know if there is any changes going on that you can communicate to the student body. You guys need to advocate for students' problems."

The constitution, which has already been made public to the student body, was reviewed, as well as the bylaws outlining all the rules and policies for the association. Whether or not the bylaws will be made public has yet to be decided.

"The Student Association General Assembly elections are 100 percent accurate as per the online voting software created by CPIT," said Steve Kreider, program coordinator for University Center, Student Programs and Events in a letter written to the GA.

SA will have a total of 28 representatives; currently, 21 students sit on the board and seven freshmen will be added after elections in the fall.

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