Student Spotlight: Philosopher Micah Tillman

Hometown:
Gainesville, Florida
Major:
PhD candidate, Philosophy

PhD candidate and freelance writer Micah Tillman is about to finish his dissertation here at the University. He recently spoke to the Tower about music, philosophy, faith and the intersection of the three.

Q. How did you become interested in Philosophy?
A. It was my mom. I was home schooled and she taught a co-op class for other families that were home schooling. One of the classes she taught was on Philosophy, and she was so engaged in it and taught it so well that I became interested in it and tried to take as many philosophy classes as I could when I was an undergraduate.

Q. What was your interest before philosophy when you went to college?
A. It was music and computers. I was a song writer, a musician and a programmer.  I majored in computer science and minored in music.

Q. In college you played in a band?
A. I was going to school at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania which is just south of the capitol, Harrisburg. It was about a two hour trip home and on weekends and I would often drive home to play shows.

Q. What kind of music did you play?
A. We were a mixture of punk and grunge, which I guess is a kind of a natural mix since Kurt Cobain thought he was a punk artist. We were a Christian grunge-punk band and we played at a lot of churches.

Q. After you graduated you decided you didn’t like computer programming you went back to school?
A. I actually decided I didn’t like it when I was a junior but by then it was too late for me to change. The first two years of the computer science major was heavy in programming and the second two years were not creative at all.  I realized that not only did the major not fit me but I didn’t fit in to the culture of the computer science majors.

Q. Where did you recieve your Master’s in Philosophy?
A. I went to West Chester University in Pennsylvania. I was actually accepted to Catholic University but I turned Catholic down so I could have two more years playing with my band to see if [it] was going anywhere. It was a good experience being at a secular university for a while - being the only Christian in a secular environment taught me to be quick on my feet as a thinker. It was a good experience but I knew I wanted to come to Catholic afterwards.

Q. Was there a teacher here who impacted you in a certain way and had an influence on you?
A. Msgr. Robert Sokolowski has been a big influence on me here, especially on the phenomenology front. One of the reasons I chose Catholic University because it had a strong background in religious philosophy and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get that schooling I went to another University.

Q. What is your dissertation on?
A. It’s on the philosophy of Edmund Husserl and how he deals with presence and absence.

Q. What classes are you teaching?
A. I am teaching two sections of the Classical Mind and I teach Modern Mind in the spring. What I like most about teaching any of the classes is getting to interact with the students. I like to think I help my students.

Q. One of your assignments is to analyze a song and how it relates to the principles of philosophy. Does that have anything to do with you being in a band and because you like music?
A. Every semester I assign my Classical Mind students to take the course topics that we have been learning about and show me how they appear in lyrics in the song of their choice. One of the reasons I like music so much is it that it fills some of the same needs as philosophy.  It helps you cope with life, it helps you think about the world, it shapes the way you look at things and interact with other people. Philosophy’s job is to help you to think more clearly about your life and I want my students to see that philosophy’s ideas actually do apply to there lives if nothing else they apply to the music they are listening to.

Q. You have your own blog. What have you written recently?
A. It’s micahtillman.com.  I write a weekly article for freeliberal.com, which is a libertarian site. On my own blog I do a lot of political commentary.

Q. After your dissertation what are your plans? Do you want to go into teaching philosophy? Do you want to stay in the area?
A. Immediately I would like to stay in the area. I really love Catholic University and the environment here. Even though I am not Catholic myself it is a good place to be, philosophically and religiously. Even as a musician, I felt that my mission was to [help] Christian youth think about their own faith and their lives.

Chapter of Ancient Irish Order to Form for Univ. Community and Brookland

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish-American fraternal organization is hoping to set up a Catholic University and Brookland chapter in the near future.

The organization would be open to all Catholic men of Irish birth or descent who are 16 years of age or older.

“I‘m waiting to hear back right now from the Center for Irish Studies to see if they‘ll sponsor the chapter,” said senior John Doyle, who is leading the efforts to start the chapter on campus.

“The AOH… advocates Irish-American causes and promotes the bond between the Irish Diaspora and the homeland,” said Doyle.

There are more than 80,000 members in 46 states, Canada and Ireland. Currently, there is an AOH serving the District and Maryland counties

AOH also has a connection with the University. “AOH was the organization that started CUA’s Irish Studies program in 1896 by creating the first Gaelic teaching chair in the country,” said Doyle. The University is the only school in America to offer an interdisciplinary master‘s degree in Irish Studies.

Doyle decided to start the AOH on campus because he feels it is a good fit. “We have a large and proud Irish population, maybe even a few Catholics.” Doyle said. “I saw this as an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to student life here at CUA before I graduate.”

The AOH will be promoted with posters and once established, they plan to have events such as Irish Poetry readings.

“This is for anyone for whom being Irish doesn‘t just mean getting drunk and wearing green on St. Patrick‘s Day,” said Doyle. “AOH is doing things in the D.C. area, such as the construction of a memorial to the Great Famine in that triangle-shaped plot of grass across from the Irish Times.”

Author to Address Chastity, Pro-Life Movement at CUA

Students for Life stressed abortion as a “non-negotiable intrinsically evil act” and said that Sen. Barack Obama has supported Roe v. Wade 100 percent at their meeting in Hannan Hall last night.
While Catholics are not single issue voters, they “can’t be lukewarm on this topic,” said Erin Dunne, a member of Students for Life who ran the presentation.

The forum was held to discuss the pro-life movement and the presidential election and was intended to look at the issues from a non-partisan perspective, according to Lauren Roselli, the president of Students for Life.

Most students at the forum said that they could not support Obama because of his stance on abortion, but one student said she was voting for the Democratic candidate because she believes Catholics need to be all encompassing when looking at the issues.

“The Catholic Church places equal importance on all life issues, not just abortion,” said the student. “There are other life issues out there like the death penalty, war and social justice.”
Roselli said the organization is running a table in the Pryzbyla Center to educate people on what is at stake that will run through October, and well hold a novena every night for the election and the new president.

On Oct. 22, Dawn Eden, an agnostic rock journalist turned Catholic social commentator, will deliver a talk on the importance of chaste love in the pro-life movement.
The speech is sponsored by Students for Life, and will take place in the Pryzbyla Center.
Blogger Eden expressed interest in speaking at CUA through a professor at the University, according to Lauren Roselli, president of the student organization.

“Obviously she‘s a pretty well known person, as her book The Thrill of the Chaste has been an international best-seller, so we are all excited to have her speak,“ said Roselli. “She looks at the pro-life movement from a different but also a very important perspective of respecting yourself and respecting others and the idea of pure love and how that is at the heart of the pro-life movement.“
Eden, the author of “The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On,” was born in a Reform Jewish household but had what she described in her book as a “born-again experience” in October 1999.

In January 2005, Eden was fired from her job as a copy editor at the New York Post after she made changes to an article about in-vitro fertilization and, subsequently, editors discovered her blog.
Recently, Eden drew attention when it was discovered that a forgery of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s SAT scores was made from Eden’s scoresheet, which was posted on her blog in January 2004. Lower grades were pasted into the sheet and the image was altered to make it appear to belong to Palin.

“You can kind of see the theme that we have going on - one of prayer, education but most importantly love. We strive to be an ever-loving, ever-present group on campus,“ said Roselli.
She said the organization is sponsoring a Day of Silent Solidarity and a Cemetery of the Innocents planned in the month of October alone, as well as the bi-weekly general meetings.

Campus Ministers Win HoCo King and Queen

Seniors Josh Baum and Liz Madio were named 2008 Homecoming King and Queen during halftime of last Saturday’s Homecoming football game.

The Homecoming court nominees stood on the 50-yard line in their red and black Cardinal spirit clothing and awaited the results of the week-long online voting process. After all the names were read, cheers erupted when Madio and Baum were announced as the winners.

“I was surprised. I thought Nick Berg was going to win,“ said Baum who is a member of the House and also the beat boxer for Redline and an Esto Vir member. “I actually only won by five votes and I voted for myself.“

Madio, a nursing major and resident minister for Millennium South, was also very surprised to be chosen.

“There were so many great candidates this year and to be quite honest, I didn‘t even vote for myself,“ said Madio. “I gave up my vote to someone else because I truly could not decide what to do.“
When asked if he deserved the award, Baum replied he thought of it as just another way to show his CUA pride.

There was also a faculty Homecoming King and Queen election for the first time ever. The King was Ryan McKinney, the area coordinator for Southside and the Queen was Michelle Reinhart, assistant dean of the School of Architecture.

This year, the Homecoming King and Queen selection process was changed from candidates being backed by an organization, to anyone being allowed to fill out a nomination form.

Despite these changes, Campus Ministry still seemed to have a monopoly on the crown, since many, including Madio and Baum, of the Homecoming nominees were a part of Campus Ministry. Judging by the loud cheers they received at the football game, this did not seem to upset students.

Baum said, “In the House, we‘ve been painting the town red and black all year through the events we put on.”

Birds Drop in Round Robin

The Catholic Volleyball team fell to two of their three opponents last weekend at the Landmark Conference Round Robin Tournament.

The Cards first took on Merchant Marine, dominating all three games. Senior Kilah Fox contributed 8 kills and 7 defensive digs, while Michaela Carrol gave 26 set assists, six digs, and two service aces.

On Wednesday, the Cards took court against Mary Washington, losing again in straight sets.

“This season is different from previous ones mainly because we have lost some great players, not only from graduating seniors, but underclassmen as well,” says  senior Kilah Fox.  “It has been a challenge and a learning experience with so many new freshmen, but we continue to improve and work together as a team. I think this season has gone pretty well so far.”

The losses and wins this week put Catholic with a current record of 7-18 and a Landmark record of 2-4. In 2007, the women’s team garnered an overall record of 20-15, and a Landmark Record of 5-1.

CRs and CDs Playing Nice

BY: ALEXANDER CARRION

It’s less than a month from the big Election Day, November 4th, and Barack Obama and John McCain are wasting no man or resource to secure their spot in office come January. The same can be said for both the College Democrats and College Republicans; the chairman of each club we glad to give some of their time to show what they planned to do for the upcoming election on November 4th.

Joseph St. George, Chairman of the CDs, has made it very clear that this year has been “very, very busy.” Since he became Chairman last January, the CD’s quickly went to work supporting their party for the election, even as their two best candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, continued to clash for the nomination. As a result, the CD’s built their support behind both candidates, and common ground issues they both had, such as universal healthcare.

The College Republicans had it much easier, knowing that McCain would be the nominee long before the Democrat primaries were over. CR Chairwoman Daniele Beck explained that though they did not have as much activity last year, they were also free to prepare an easier campaign in support of their candidate in the months to come.

Now, with the beginning of this semester, both the CRs and CDs have pushed their political fronts on all sides both for their candidate and for their party. The CRs have inviting numerous political figures to speak on campus. Earlier this semester, Michael Steele, Chairman of GOPAC and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, came to speak on request of the CRs, and many more are expected to come soon.

The CDs have also poured every resource available into observing the progress of Obama and pushing his candidacy into the White House. According to St. John, “We have done more events in the past 2 months than all of last year,” one of which he recalled included a campaign trip that 30 CDs made to Winchester, Virginia to rally support for Obama.

For the future, the CDs are now planning an Ohio trip during the Columbus Day weekend, where they plan on joining the entire CD federation of Washington DC to campaign for both Obama and Mary Jo Kilroy, Democratic nominee for congresswoman of the 15th district of Ohio and cousin of Erin Kilroy, vice Chairman for the University’s CD.

A similar trip is also being conducted by Beck’s CRs, where their entire federation in Washington DC will be phone banking in support of John McCain. The federation is a partnership between every CR chapter in DC. They also plan on taking trips to the third district of New Jersey and the 11th district of Pennsylvania to both push McCain’s message and to further help the congressional elections of candidates Chris Myers and Lou Barletta, respectively.

The Republicans and Democrats on campus, however, have been eager to work together as well. On Oct 7th, the CR and CD groups will come together to in a joint debate watch between McCain and Obama. They are both also working together to ensure that people on campus get themselves informed on the issues and register to vote. A high priority on both sides is to inform potential voters on how to apply for an absentee ballot for their crate and submit the proper paperwork in time before their state deadlines.

As St. George put it, “Don’t sit this one out. Your busy, you’ve got homework, you’ve got papers. But this election is more than about homework and papers, this is about the future of our country, the next for years.”

5th Column with Emily Ruane

Damn, son. The economy is eating it this week. I feel bad! What do you with your friends when they’re having a really bad week? Bring them brownies? Booze? 27 Dresses? (The latter, for the record, will make anyone feel better, be they man, woman or child. I’m serious.) This isn’t exactly a situation that food and hugs will solve.

Unfortunately, since we’re dealing with a fat, faceless behemoth, I’m sort of at a loss for how to deal with this particular situation.

If this were a more typical scenario, I would sit the economy down and ask it if it felt like talking about how it was feeling. I would plan to listen really carefully, with an ever-so-slightly knitted brow to connote seriousness and contemplation. If the economy was like, “Oh, you don’t want to hear about my problems,” I would insist that the economy’s problems are my problems too. I would remind the economy that sometimes just talking about your problems can make them seem a little less scary.

If the economy got kind of quiet at that point, I would say, “Hey. Whatever you’re feeling is ok right now.” When the economy still didn’t say anything, I would say, “You know, this is a lot for one faceless behemoth to handle on its own.” When the economy remained silent, staring blankly into space at a point that only it could discern, I would say, “You did the best you could. Everyone knows that.”

Then the economy would stand up really suddenly, almost upsetting the cookies and milk that I’d laid out when it arrived. “No I didn’t!” it would shout, its voice thickening. “I’ve - ” It would stop for a moment in an effort to collect itself. (The economy doesn’t like to let anyone see it lose its composure.) “I’ve f-f-failed,” it would mumble, its voice beginning to crack. At that point, I would look the economy in the eye. “It’s not your fault, economy,” I would say. “We pushed you to a breaking point.”

Tears would well up in the economy’s eyes. “I’m not s-s-supposed to break,” it would say. “I’m supposed to be s-s-strong!” it would cry, finally letting go. “America needs me to function!” I would run into the kitchen for some tissues. The economy would sit down on the couch with its head in its hands. “All the other economies must think I’m so stupid. I’m the laughingstock of the world!” it would sob. “How can I ever show my face in the global market again?”

I would pat the economy on the back. “Eggs are f-f-four dollars for a dozen. How are we going to live?” I would hand the economy tissue and it would loudly blow its nose. “I don’t understand how this happened,” the economy would say, its voice shaky. “Everything was going so well. People were buying houses. Thanks to me, the American dream was becoming a reality. Now I’m an embarrassment. A has-been!” The economy would start sobbing again, and I would sit next to it, wishing that I could console it and knowing that I never could. The economy is its own harshest critic, and it’s hard to convince a perfectionist that their failures are not the end of the world. In that sense, the economy is a victim of its own hubris – but you can’t tell the economy that, not when it’s so upset.

I would wait for the economy to calm down. “Look at me,” it would say, blowing its nose again. “I’m such a mess. You must think I’m such a drama queen.” I would shake my head. “No! Of course you’re upset. We’re all a little upset.” The economy’s face would start to crumple again. “Don’t cry,” I would plead. “We’re not mad at you. This is just as much our fault as it is yours, economy.” The economy would sniffle a little. “It takes 300 million to tango, right?” I would say. “I guess, the economy would reply. “It’s just so humiliating.”

I would give the economy a hug. “The only thing we can do now is move on. What’s important is that we learn from our mistakes.” The economy would nod. “You’re right.” It would give me a small smile. “Thanks for making me feel better.” “Of course,” I would say. “We’re all in this together.”

But I since this isn’t a typical scenario, I’m not really sure how to approach it. Any idea? Thoughts? Suggestions?

Notes & Asides: September 26th, 2008

This is action packed weekend for Dining Services. Friday is National Pancake Day, Saturday is National Chocolate Milk Day, and Monday, the Student Restaurant hosts a celebration for September birthdays.

 

Is everyone registered to vote? You can do so in the registrar’s office! November will be upon us shortly, folks. As Scar said: “Be prepared.”

 

Father Bob has been a priest for 25 years. That’s longer than some of us have been alive. Other things that have been around for 25 years: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the New Jersey Transit Police Department, Nintendo (then known at the Family Computer), Microsoft Word, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, and DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).

 

Notes and Asides has a few weekend picks for you. Saturday is Bike DC, a noncompetitive bike ride across the city. From the amount of bikes we’ve seen around campus this semester, we’re guessing this is a popular way to travel. Starting on Pennsylvania Ave., the 17-mile route includes famed spots like Embassy Row, the Naval Observatory, National Cathedral, RFK Stadium, and the Anacostia River. Go to www.bikedc.net for more information. (Registration is required.)

 

We recommend that you head to Adams Morgan on Sunday to check out Crafty Bastards, a renowned craft fair now in its seventh year. Sponsored by the Washington City Paper, it’s one of the weirdest, coolest events that DC has to offer. It takes place at the Marie Reed Learning Center on 18th Street. Shocking news: Adams Morgan during the day is just as much fun as Adams Morgan at night!

 

Page Two is always looking for submissions! Do you want to write the 5th Column, recommend someone for Student Spotlight, or have a Burning Question that you want answered? Send it our way. Help us help you. Pagetwo@cua

CUA Trustee Places Anti-Biden Ads

The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and member of the University’s Board of Trustees, Carl A. Anderson, published an open letter to vice-presidential candidate Senator Joseph Biden in USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Times and the Delaware New Journal on Sept. 19.

In his letter, Anderson attacked Biden’s support for abortion rights and Biden’s belief that the Catholic Church has not been consistent in its teachings on abortion.

“I’m prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception,” said Biden on NBC’s Meet the Press on September 7. “But that is my judgment. For me to impose that judgment on everyone else who is equally and maybe even more devout that I am seems to me is inappropriate in a pluralistic society.”

In his letter, Anderson said, “Statements that suggest that our Church has anything less than a consistent teaching on abortion are not merely incorrect; they may lead Catholic women facing crisis pregnancies to misunderstand the moral gravity of an abortion decision.”

Later in the letter, Anderson likens the denial of an unborn child’s right to life to the denial of civil rights to African Americans before the Civil War. Anderson then references Abraham Lincoln, “He confronted an America in which black Americans were not considered “persons” under the law, and were thus not entitled to fundamental Constitutional rights. Today, children of all races who are fully viable and only minutes from being born are also denied recognition as “persons” because of the Roe v. Wade regime that you so strongly support.”

This statement faced some criticism from the Catholic Democrats, a state-based network of Catholics who advocate for the Democratic Party. The Catholic Democrats told the National Catholic Reporter that Anderson, “grossly mischaracterized Sen. Biden as an advocate of abortion while carelessly ignoring the racial overtones of invoking slavery in attacking the running mate of history’s first black presidential nominee.”

Anderson acknowledges the letter was written on behalf of the 1.28 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families.  However, some Knights of Columbus members have publicly stated their opposition to the letter including Thomas P. O’Neill III, the former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. “As a member of the Knights of Columbus, I want to make it clear that Carl Anderson does not speak for me.”

Anderson, a former Reagan administrator gave the commencement address last May. Anderson along with his wife Dorian Anderson stressed service and the importance of family.

5th Column with Patrick McCormick

I’m one of these skinny types who listen to bands called things like “The Fire Engines,” “Reptile House” and “Hoover.” Like many thin people who listen to obscure bands named after emergency vehicles, zoo exhibits and vacuum cleaner manufacturers, I play in a band myself, and weekly practices require Sunday commutes between Washington and Baltimore, my hometown and the Billy Carter to Washington’s Jimmy. Some of you may be familiar with Baltimore thanks to HBO’s The Wire, others via David DeBoy’s 1981 novelty song “Crabs for Christmas.”

Typically one is best advised to take the MARC train to and from Baltimore. Although light on amenities and a little slow, Maryland’s commuter rail service is nonetheless reliable and comfortable enough. However, the MARC currently does not run on Sundays, requiring an early Metro ride out to Greenbelt to catch a bus to BWI, Baltimore’s commercial airport shared with Washington, and a third trip on the Baltimore light rail. For those of you from places like suburban Milwaukee, a “light rail” is sort of this half-assed trolley. The Metro and WMATA-operated bus run smoothly enough, but the light rail ride and the 40-minute wait for said rapid transit (the term “rapid” is very loosely applied here, as anyone who has ever taken Baltimore’s light rail can tell you), is generally a very close and colorful look at Baltimore’s unique local culture, to say the least.

Case in point: One chilly Sunday last spring, a gentleman was sitting in the light rail waiting area in the airport, loudly experimenting with the sounds on his cell phone. He had settled on this particularly grating key sound which bore a resemblance to the sound magic wands make in old movies. He was a classic Baltimorean; exceedingly overweight and clad head to toe in Baltimore Ravens merchandise. He spoke with a Baltimore accent, and was exactly the type of person you’d expect to log on to CrabsForChristmas.com and shell out $15.95 for a “Crabs for Christmas” CD including the title track, along with 11 other “songs.” A nondescript male companion he was traveling with took note of a wheelchair out on the light rail tracks, resting right in the train’s path. “Don’t worry about it,” muttered the heavy-set man, not even deigning to look up from his cell phone, “someone will go and get it.” How the wheelchair got onto the tracks in the first is another matter all together, one that remains a mystery.

But no one did go to retrieve wheelchair. As the time grew near from the train to arrive, I ventured out and dragged the wheelchair onto the platform, motivated by a weird little hang-up I have about not wanting a train wreck weighing on my conscience. Unfortunately, this type of oversight is typical in the Baltimore metropolitan area. In fact, in 2000 there were not one, but two light rail accidents at the BWI stop less than seven months from one another. In one of these, illicit drug use on the part of the train operator was found to be a factor, while the operator in the second accident suffered from a sleeping disorder.

So the light rail is interesting, to put it plainly. It gets me back to my band mates on Sundays cheaply, and I’ve not had a problem with reliability that I can remember. The ride through Baltimore is fairly intriguing as one gets to see local landmarks like Oriole Park, Maryland Institute College of Art, and, of course, Discount Beeper Warehouse. It’s an option when traveling up to Charm City, but it certainly shouldn’t be one’s first. God help you if someone leaves orthopedic equipment on the tracks.

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