Over the last month, an iPad and money have been reported stolen from Clemens Library. The community of St. Joseph also experienced crime last week with the robbery at the Coborn’s Pharmacy.

On Monday, Feb. 6, approximately $50 was stolen from a librarian’s purse in her office. The librarian left her purse unattended in her office twice during the day. She assumes that the theft occurred while she stepped out.

Kathy Parker, Director of Library and Media Services, felt that the recent cases of theft have a negative impact on campus.

“There is really a culture here of sharing and trust amongst individuals that we’ll let you borrow something and you’ll bring it back,” Parker said. “That somebody thought, ‘I’m just going to take it,’ feels like it’s really working against the values that we try to perpetuate.”

Another incident of theft happened during the end of winter break. An iPad that was owned by the library but not available for students to check out, went missing.

“I am actually quite hopeful that these are isolated incidents, that it’s someone whose conscience may catch up with them, and we’ve seen the end of it,” Parker said.

Both thefts are ongoing investigations.

CSB Director of Security Darren Swanson believes that the CSB community is safe, despite the recent occurrences.

“We don’t have an epidemic of thefts on campus,” Swanson said. “What we have is thefts of opportunity. If you don’t lock up an item or secure your room, you make it much more easy for a person to (steal).”

Reports of thefts have fluctuated over the years. According to the CSB Campus Crime Statistics, 24 cases of burglary were reported in 2008 on campus and in residential buildings, seven cases in 2009 and 11 cases in 2010. Swanson predicts that 2012 will be even lower.

The numbers of burglaries at SJU are similar to St. Ben’s. According to the SJU Campus Crime Statistics, Life Safety received 21 reports of burglary on campus and residential in 2008, 14 cases in 2009 and 13 cases in 2010.

CSB and SJU crime rates are lower than the nearby St. Cloud State University. SCSU’s most recent crime statistics is from 2008 indicate that SCSU security received a total 133 reports of theft.

Swanson noted that cases of theft, such as bikes, often result in finding the item that was just borrowed.

“We really have very little issues,” Swanson said. “However, because of that, we tend to live in a bubble.”

Swanson recommends taking precaution from theft by taking inventory of belongings, turning on GPS on smartphones, securing items, locking doors and bikes and putting items out of sight.

Library workers suggest wiping rented iPads of personal information, especially credit card numbers and passwords.

The larger community of St. Joseph also recently experienced crime-related behavior. Around 8 p.m. on Feb. 6, a robbery occurred at Coborn’s Pharmacy. The person demanded and obtained drugs, according to the police report.

The police are still searching for the person.

“This doesn’t affect the overall (safety) of the community,” Chief of Police Peter Jansky said.

Likewise, the librarians at Clemens feel that the library is still a safe space, but recommend that students should exercise caution when leaving valuables unattended.

“I do feel saddened by it, but I can’t walk through the library and say, ‘I couldn’t trust any of these people.’” Parker said. “This is my family, and I still feel that way.”

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the McCarthy Center hosted Yurek whose speech, “Compromise in Washington: Yes, it still exists!,” was the latest installment in the Mark Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series.

“Compromise is a necessary component of democracy; it needs to be,” Yurek said.

Yurek’s lecture focused on the importance of compromise and collaboration.

“Manufacturers have a strong sense of capitalism and self-regulation, and in the past have fought every type of regulation,” Yurek said. “Being against everything doesn’t work out. We need to figure out how to change and become more proactive, become a solution instead of a barrier.”

With his lecture, Yurek also hoped to highlight the importance of diversity.

“(Without diversity,) you never have a chance to grow…We all have the same goal, just different paths to getting there,” Yurek said. “It’s important not to make politics personal. If you keep it based on issues, without attacking or degrading, you’ll have a better opportunity to come to a compromise.” Yurek’s lecture was an opportunity for students to learn and hear from one of the country’s leading experts in energy efficiency policy.

“He’s a practitioner,” Lindstrom said. “It’s one thing to read about issues, but getting the chance to hear from someone who’s in that field every day brings a new level of awareness and raises the enthusiasm for getting involved.”

Yurek graduated from SJU with a major in Chemistry in 1984. He went on to obtain a law degree and is a member of the Bar in both Minnesota and Virginia. He places a high value on his CSB/SJU education in preparing him for his future careers.

“The liberal arts allow you to do whatever you want. You’re able to adapt to and facilitate change,” Yurek said.

Yurek is currently the President and CEO of Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration (AHRI), one of the nation’s largest trade associations.

Yurek represents his industry in Washington and around the world. One of his most important jobs is to help his organization prepare for future changes and it often takes several years for changes to be approved and put into effect.

“With business, the biggest thing is predictability,” Yurek said.

“One of (Yurek’s) key successes is creating partnerships with environmental organizations to create policy ideal for energy efficiency,” Lindstrom said. “Amidst the noise of Washington D.C., he’s been able to strike deals and work at the table with organizations who have previously been sidestepped or viewed as opponents.”

Yurek believes that today, political cooperation seems like a thing of the past.

“There’s not a lot of opportunity to talk about compromise. It’s good to have events with a consensus-building approach,” student coordinator for the McCarthy Center Britt Werner said.

“Compromise has been made a bad word in Washington,” Yurek said. “Demonizing compromise has prevented us from solving issues we need to. If we don’t talk to each other, we’re not going to be successful.”

The goal of the McCarthy Center is to provide students (through mentorship, speakers, and summer scholarship programs) with the opportunity to develop their education and career skills associated with public affairs and civic engagement.

The Mark Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series in particular, “provides an emphasis on economic freedom and public policy issues,” said Professor Matt Lindstrom, the Director of the McCarthy Center.

By hosting Yurek’s lecture, the McCarthy Center shows its support not only for compromise, but healthy civic dialogue and involvement as well.

“Steve’s work reflects a perfect liberal arts background,” Lindstrom said. “He’s a dynamic figure that will hopefully inspire students to get more involved in public policy issues and civil engagement.”

During their campus visit, the finalists will give a presentation about themselves as an introduction to the St. John’s community.

“These are great opportunities for students to be involved in the selection process and get answers for their specific questions,” said St. John’s Senate President junior Kyle Glynn. “Not only will we get to see the candidates’ preparation in their final presentations, but we can also see their views on a wide variety of issues that affect our students.”

All students are welcome to attend this event along with faculty, alumni, cabinets and other campus constituents and will be notified when this visit is to occur. Chair of the Presidential Search Committee Kenneth Roering encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity to meet the final candidates.

“Essentially any individual who wants the opportunity to ask (the candidates) questions should come,” Roering said. “We want to have an idea of how the various constituents react to the candidates.”

St. John’s junior and Sustainability Intern Carlos Dabu plans on attending the candidates’ presentations, agreeing that students should take advantage of the opportunity.

“Being a student at this university, it is very important to me to know who our future president will be,” Dabu said. “I am big on relationships and believe that getting a chance to get to know these candidates would be a good foundation for the future so we can all be on the same page.”

After meeting the candidates, students will have the opportunity to give their thoughts and feedback to the search committee which will be taken into consideration when determining who will become the next SJU president.

“I think this process will aid the next president greatly,” Glynn said. “By having students involved during the selection, the candidates know what the student needs are and can be more effective as a president, especially early in their term.”

The Search Committee’s main goal is to find the best possible candidate for the job, a goal that is only achievable with student involvement.

“The only way a new president will succeed is if the community is involved and invested in the selection process,” Roering said. “That way, not only will the new president be of high quality but (he or she) will be an incredible leader and representation of the community itself.”

Glynn believes the Search Committee has been doing an excellent job in keeping the students informed about the ongoing search. Dabu, however, feels differently.

“Sending an email out to update the campus community is just only one piece to the puzzle,” Dabu said. “With the growth of social media, I feel like it could have easily been a lot bigger and more involved from a students perspective.”

For the first time, the search for the next president has been opened up to candidates outside the monastery. This decision to open up the search was made at the request of the Abbey.

“The Abbey wanted to open up the search to have the best possible president for the school,” Roering said. “They didn’t want there to be any restrictions for applicants to ensure a wide selection of highly qualified candidates.”

In order to guarantee the selection of the most qualified candidate, the committee itself was selected by the board of regents for their extensive knowledge on how a university is operated and what is necessary to be the leader of SJU. The committee was also selected to ensure the broad representation of faculty, students, monastery, alumni and other aspects that create the unique atmosphere of the St. John’s community.

“In my personal opinion, I believe that a candidate’s ability to adapt is the most vital,” Glynn said. “As society progresses and changes, we need a president who can shape the university to be competitive, not only across the state, but the nation. In doing so, I believe the candidate needs to incorporate the Benedictine values.”

Along with academic qualifications, the Search Committee is looking for a candidate who understands the unique partnership between SJU, CSB and the monastery.

“They need to have strong Benedictine values and not only understand but appreciate the relationship between CSB and SJU to strengthen and maintain that relationship,” Roering said. “The next president also needs to be able to nurture the unique and wonderful relationship with the monastery.”

The presidential search has increasingly intensified throughout the selection process as each candidate has been thoroughly examined by the Search Committee. Throughout the process, six reference checks were completed for each candidate, each application reviewed in great detail to make sure there were no distortions and background checks were also performed.

“The presidential search was done with a great deal of respect,” Roering said. “Each candidate (has been) treated fairly and equally throughout the entire process.”

Confidentiality has been essential to the presidential search to protect the integrity of the candidates and their current positions.

“Some candidates don’t want to jeopardize their standing at the universities they work at,” Roering said. “We want to protect the individuals by keeping their names and information confidential because it is critical to protect their integrity.”

Roering understands that bringing the final candidates onto campus may threaten the level of confidentiality upheld so far during the search but believes it is important for the SJU community to be involved in the selection of the next president.

“(The Search Committee) hopes to be able to maintain confidentiality after the candidates visit the campus,” Roering said. “However, we are determined to choose the most qualified candidate possible and the only way to do that is to keep the community involved and invested in the process.”

Both projects are nearing completion, with Centennial Commons to be completed by the beginning of the 2012 fall semester and the IT Services Headquarters to be mostly completed by the end of this month.

Unused space in the basement of Lottie Hall is being turned into the new IT Services Headquarters and will move into the new area this March. An IT Services presence will be maintained on both campuses.

The construction of the new housing is taking place on College Ave. and Callaway St., near the Renner House. Sand Companies; Inc., a local company based in Sartell, is handling the construction. All construction on the campus has a “project shepherd,” who ensures that the original intent of the project is not lost in its construction. This week, the walls went up on building A, with the roofing to be completed soon.

“This period is always very exciting; then it gets into long periods of nothing happening,” Executive Director of Facilities Brad Sinn said.

The new upperclass housing at CSB will fulfill the goal of establishing housing on the CSB campus for full four-year on-campus student residencies. The housing complexes were designed based on student input, student need and sustainability. The entire area will feature five buildings, one of which will be a community commons with a workout facility, community kitchen and computer lab.

“We went into it knowing what we wanted to decide,” CSB Dean of Students Jody Terhaar said. “It is going to be different than any other housing on campus, there will be a strong community feel built in to it.”

The Centennial Commons, named such because of the upcoming centennial of CSB, will have eight townhouses. Each townhouse will be have two stories, with two bedrooms and bathrooms on each story. There will also be a kitchen, laundry area and upper lounge in each townhouse. There will also be porches for the individual townhouses, as well as fire pits near the buildings for fostering community bonding.

Aside from the physical layout, the housing development was also designed to provide a beneficial transitional experience for upperclass students, who are closer to graduation and the “real world.” Each townhouse is fitted with its own utility meters, and fake “bills” will be given to students to help them realize how much they use and how much that use costs. Terhaar expects the winter to be especially shocking for students in terms of their utility bills.

Making students aware of their resource use also fits in with the intended sustainability aspect of the housing. All buildings on the CSB campus must be LEED Silver Certified, which means that buildings must fulfill certain environmentally friendly conditions. These may include the type of material used, whether that material was locally produced and the water use of the building. For example, water use in Centennial Commons is designed to also provide irrigation.

“We are not just building for points on the certification,” CSB Director of Sustainability Judy Purman said. “We are taking a well-rounded approach on sustainability, keeping in mind what we can do in the budget.”

“I am really excited about the intentionality of the project,” Terhaar said.

The planning of the housing goes back to 2006, when the school decided to move to a four year residency plan. From there, student and professional input was gathered, along with budgeting provisions, to make the plan into a reality.

Student input was gathered both formally and informally, through surveys, events and focus groups. One such event had students place stickers on pictures of housing set-ups that they preferred.

The eight CSB students are of Hispanic heritage, and are working as part of a community outreach program that travels to Melrose once a week in hopes of leaving a lasting impression on the lives of Melrose’s young Hispanic women. The CSB students emphasize the importance of education.

They meet and mentor young individuals to help illustrate the importance of completing high school and explain the benefits of a college-level education.

Led by senior Jackie Corral and junior Thelma Gonzalez, the outreach program is in its first year of operation. So far, Corral has high hopes for the program.

“We hope to be able to sustain meetings of five to 10 girls between the ages of 14 and 17,” Corral said.

Corral believes that the group of Hispanic student mentors will connect well with the young women of Melrose. She imagines that if she and the other mentors spend time and make strong connections, the Melrose teens will be able to see higher education as a real possibility – something most of these women do not see as being practical.

“Education has not always been most important to them. They need to see what a real student of their background looks like,” Corral said.

The Melrose community outreach program came together very quickly. It all started when CSB/SJU’s Gender Studies Chair Patricia Bolanos was contacted by Dawn Carrillo, the Hispanic Ministry coordinator from Melrose’s Church of St. Mary’s.

Carrillo requested aid in educational guidance for several Hispanic women of her community. Bolanos in turn, emailed all CSB Gender Studies majors in search of anyone interested in starting such an outreach program. Not much later, Bolanos was pleased to see people were interested, and soon a group was formed.

“We’ve had a really strong turnout for something that was created so quickly,” Bolanos said.

Bolanos has high hopes for the future of the program and looks forward with plans in mind. One plan is to provide mentees with a campus tour. This would help them visualize the college lifestyle and day to day routine of a student.

“At some point in the future, we want to create a scholarship that can be offered to one of our mentored students,” Bolanos said.

The group anticipates a successful future. Visiting schedules have already been created and a documentable action plan is underway. The program will be creating progress plans for the individuals with whom they work. This will help them measure their successes.

“Jackie (Corral) has been very strategic in identifying with the community and setting goals to be able to track progress and complete goals,” Bolanos said.

Currently, about 2,200 students work on campus. The Student Employment office works to connect as many students as possible to on-campus jobs. However, there are not enough job positions for all students who apply for jobs.

For those students who plan on returning to their job next fall, filling out a Notification of Hiring form, which is due Monday, April 2, is a requirement. Those who wish to apply for a different job may search on the Student Employment website for new jobs. Angie Mareck, Director of CSB/SJU Student Employment, said that the demand for jobs, or the ratio of the number of available jobs to the number of students who want to work on campus, has remained fairly steady over the past few years.

“Right now there are some jobs available and most of them have specific timeframes that need to be filled,” Mareck said in an email. “Sometimes the trick is finding students who can work at the time that the department needs them.”

Mareck encourages students to apply to as many jobs as possible and not rule out any options.

“Many students don’t want to work in custodial, culinary or dining services,” said Mareck. “But if you stay with these jobs, you can be promoted to a number of positions.”

Junior Nick Tinucci began working as a Refectory Dining Service Associate, part of the “Blue Crew,” as a first-year. He was promoted to Student Supervisor during his sophomore year.

“I knew I could apply to higher positions and make more money if I stuck with (the Ref.),” Tinucci said.

Despite many opportunities within Dining Services, the most competitive jobs on campus are office jobs.

Abe Lauer works as a Teagle Research Scholar in the Office of Academic Review and Curricular Advancement (OARCA) and applied through the Student Employment page. He agreed that looking for a job can be difficult.

“I would say it must be pretty competitive,” Lauer said. “I applied to a bunch of different jobs and did not get accepted to any but OARCA.”

CSB/SJU offers more student employment jobs than most other colleges.

“I would say our program is one of the top programs out there,” Mareck said.

Many of the skills learned through student jobs are transferable to other areas, such as school and future employment after college. The Student Employment office also receives a number of job verification calls because many former students list their on-campus jobs on their resumes.

Mareck said that CSB/SJU students are given much more responsibility in their jobs than at other schools, such as answering phones and working at the front desk.

“Many schools put their student employees behind the scenes,” Mareck said. “We like to look at you as employees, not just student employees. We trust you.”

SJS will host its next meeting in Brother Willie’s Pub at 9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20. The meeting will explore the Bill of Rights, communicate any updates for the semester’s goals and hear any comments from students and faculty. There will be free pizza, refreshments and drinks available to those of age.

Senators will also be available to address any questions or concerns and explain the function of SJS on campus.

The Senate heard proposals from the SJU ultimate frisbee team and the I-ECO Sustainability Project. The ultimate frisbee team sought to cover $5,500 of expenses for its upcoming tournament in Georgia, and I-ECO asked for $2,885 for its new recycling project.

SJS approved the full expense for The ultimate frisbee team. After considering a motion to amend to give $794, the SJS agreed to allocate $1,580.80 to the I-ECO Project.

The Senate approved a motion to create an exploratory task force examining the possibility of a campus-wide I.D. debit system.

On March 22, students are welcome to join the SJS in attending “Day at the Capital.”

“You can meet with your legislators and lobby for what you want,” Senator Tanner Peterson said.

The next SJS meeting will be at 9:20 p.m., Monday, Feb. 20 in Sexton 200.

The club asked for spontaneous funding to compete in the High Tides Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Georgia.

“We don’t get a whole lot of outside playing time, and so this makes up the first half of our spring season which gets us ready for sections,” captain of the CSB ultimate frisbee team Erin Woitte said. “The tournament is taken seriously by other teams and other states.”

The team was hoping to get $1,980 of spontaneous funding. They are a joint club, but since the tournament fee wasn’t in their original budget, it couldn’t be heard at the co-funding board level, and so costs per person were allocated to the student senate.

The Saint John’s Senate allocated $5,500 for the male attendees.

Trustee Andrea Driscoll supported consideration of funding,

“I think it would be a good idea for the club to go and represent St. Ben’s to the best of their ability,” Driscoll said.

Driscoll reminded the Senators that it would sound prestigious to attend a world frisbee tournament, and this opportunity is a great way to represent CSB.

Typically, the Senate does not fund any trips over Spring Break, particularly as funding pertains to transportation. However, the Senate allocated the requested amount to the ultimate frisbee club.

The senate also discussed upcoming events such as Bennie Bowl, Day at the Capitol and Feast of St. Benedict Celebration.

The Senate still has $26,000 left to allocate for the semester.

The next SBS meeting will be at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Gorecki 200.

More than 50 distinct ethnic groups contribute to Uganda’s culture and many are represented in the show. Some of the songs and dances that will be presented are rooted in individual societies, while others are attached to specific rituals, ceremonies and occasions. The rest of the performance represents the everyday activities or express the joys, hopes and sorrows of life and love.

Brian Jose, the Executive Director of Fine Arts Programming, has seen the show before and is excited for its debut at CSB/SJU.

“It’s a one of a kind experience; the children exude joy on stage, despite the hardships that they have endured. It makes for a truly uplifting and captivating show,” Jose said. “You experience a different culture, but it simultaneously shows how small the world is through the shared universal joy and the commonality between profound and powerful human experiences.”

On Friday morning, students from Talahi Elementary in St. Cloud will be attending the show, meeting with the performers and touring both CSB and SJU. The students will be able to view dorms, food services, academic departments and athletic facilities.

Wade Powers, a senior nutrition major, will be one of the tour guides on the SJU campus.

“My goal is to show these kids what college is all about, that it is something to look forward to and how rewarding and achievable it can be,” Powers said.

Megan Girgen, a junior music and history major, will be giving a tour of CSB.

“This is one of the best things I have seen Fine Arts Programming do, allowing these local kids to see how great CSB/SJU can be while also inspiring them, and at the same time, showing the students empowered and successful children,” Girgen said.

This show is produced by Empower African Children, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of African children by giving them the resources and tools to succeed.

This performance offers an opportunity to share the dual messages of hope and awareness while dancing in your seat. This is a FAE approved event and tickets are $10.

A social work major originally from Mankato, Minn., Woitas works as a full-time program specialist with the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys. However, her dream job was to be a part-time member of the Timberwolves dance team.

A dream many years in the making

“I’ve been dancing since I was in fifth grade,” Woitas said.

She danced competitively for eight years and was a member of the St. Ben’s Platinum Dance Team during her junior and senior years at CSB.

“I was actually scouted by the coach my senior year at St. Ben’s,” Woitas said as she got involved with the Timberwolves.

At first, Woitas turned down the opportunity because she knew it was something that just wouldn’t fit into her schedule as a student. But after talking to a friend who had been a Timberwolves dancer for two years, she decided to attend some prep classes to get a feel for the team.

“A big part of the reason I would choose to be on this team is I have to like the coach,” Woitas said.

After participating in a few classes, Woitas felt the team would be a good fit. She auditioned in August and was selected as a member of the 2011-2012 Timberwolves dance team.

“One of my favorite things about being a Timberwolves dancer is I am one of 12 girls who gets to experience this,” Woitas said. “I see that as a true blessing.”

Dancing through life’s balancing act

Woitas’s two jobs keep her constantly on the move. Her day starts early as she heads from her Minnetonka home to her job with the Girl Scouts by 9 a.m. At 4:30 p.m., she is off to practice or the Target Center for a game by 5 p.m.

“My work schedule is very flexible. It really accommodates the Timberwolves,” Woitas said.

On game nights, the team starts practice by marking their dances on the court and performing a few run-throughs, all while dodging players and loose basketballs.

“You are literally feet away from professional basketball players,” Woitas said.

The dancers greet and take picture with fans before joining the team on the court for the national anthem, introductions and the first dance performance of the night. After a quick costume change, Woitas and her team are back on the court for their first quarter dance.

“We learn a new routine for each game,” Woitas said. “Any time there is a timeout, it’s our time to go out on the floor.”

She also loves that she has been able to reconnect with people she hasn’t seen in years on Facebook after they see her at games.

“You never know who you are performing for every day,” Woitas said.

Returning to “roots of success”

While at St. Ben’s, Woitas worked as a Team Aerobics instructor and is excited to return to CSB on Monday, Feb. 20, to work with current instructors, as well as teach one of her favorite classes, Hip Hop Cardio.

Woitas is currently working on a new routine for the class and encourages all students to attend at 5 p.m. in Alumnae Hall %u2014 no dance experience is necessary.

“I don’t want people to be intimidated,” Woitas said. “These classes are for everyone, and we appreciate anyone who can come out and give it a try.”

Woitas attributes much of her success to lessons learned both inside and outside the classrooms at CSB/SJU. After having no post-college plans at graduation, she realized she underestimated just how far she could go when everything fell into place only a few months later.

“St. Ben’s was the roots of my success,” she said. “One of the most important things I learned throughout my experiences at St. Ben’s is how to reflect. Being able to recognize how outside surroundings and circumstances affect you internally is absolutely essential in regards to being able to maintain balance.”