VSA

Artwork from Iowans with disabilities is currently being displayed at St. Ambrose University’s O’Keefe Library. The exhibit is on display from March 24 until April 30 and features between 10 and 15 artists.

The artists use different mediums such as poetry pottery and painting to express themselves and their ideas.

“It’s always been within me this need to create. If I feel stifled, my pottery is a great release for me,” says Alan Kinsey, according to his biography.

While some have degrees and some are self-taught, the artists all have different disabilities. Yet, these artists clearly do not let their disabilities keep them from doing what they love.

“My disability is many, not one. And not one can hole me back from creating what I feel is a part of me,” Rebecca Scholl says in her biography.

Each artist has their biography set out so visitors can learn something about the people who created the pieces they see before them.

The display is part of a traveling exhibit from the VSA arts of Iowa program. The exhibit travels across Iowa helping to promote the work of these talented individuals. It came to SAU after being seen by Kathy Byers, Administrative Assistant to the Director of O’Keefe Library.

“I thought there work was amazing. It encourages everyone to try things they think they couldn’t do.”

Most of the items on display can be purchased and a list of prices is available. If someone is interested in purchasing an item they can speak to Mary Heinzman, Director of O’Keefe Library. The piece would remain on display until the end of April and then would become be turned over to the purchaser.

Byers went on to tell about one of the paintings on display. There is a painting of a watercolor set that was created by a 16-year-old boy. He had never had art lessons and never had been given the opportunity to paint.

“If it’s not his first picture its one of his first,” says Byers.

Cast out to the Deep

In the Bible, Luke Chapter 5 is a story of a group of fisherman who are convinced by Jesus to “cast out into the deep” after they have given up. The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan used this story as his basis for lecture “Cast Out to the Deep: The Call for Confidence and Holiness in Today’s Church,” he gave on April 11.

Over the course of the almost one hour speech Dolan outlined three main problems and three main solutions for today’s Catholic Church.

“The major point of my speech is that the Catholic Church of the United States is afflicted with the loss of nerve and confidence and that has quasi-paralyzed us,” Dolan said.

Dolan then went on to list his three reasons for the fatigue felt by the church.

1. Pervasive Fear – “We are scared that culture is against us, but Jesus said ‘Be not afraid.”
2. Anger – “This has lead to the subsequent division of our church. Either or has replaced both and.”
3. Lack of Joy – “There are no fish, but there certainly a lot of crabs.”

To these problems Dolan offered three solutions.

1. Return to the person of Jesus – “It all starts with a friendship with Jesus. It is the church’s job to show Jesus.”
2. Characterized Evangelical Simplicity – “We need more reliance on the basis of the Gospel.”
3. Recovery of Primacy of the Spiritual – “We need to preach, present and connect hearts to Jesus.”

During the question and answer period, the question was asked about young people’s return to the church.

“They are a brilliant light. Young people are actually calling us to renewal and they are free of ideological tags that were set on my generation as children,” Dolan said.

He then went on to tell a story of a young woman who was told by someone that she was “Pre-Vatican II”.

“She asked me ‘What’s Vatican II? I just love Jesus and want to follow his teachings,’” Dolan told the crowd.

What can a student do who wants to “Cast out into the Deep?”

“First things first,” Dolan says. “Listen to Jesus. Know him. Love him. Talk to him. Confide in him. Everything else will flow after that. From there it will be contagious.”

Throughout the speech Dolan mixed humor and enthusiasm to make his points. Before he began his speech he commented on the event being held in the next room.

“They are holding an etiquette dinner next door and it would be impolite for you to snore through this lecture,” Dolan joked.

There were only a handful of students in the crowd of roughly 150. One of the other attendees was St. Ambrose University President Dr. Ed Rogalski.

“I thought Archbishop Dolan gave a wonderful presentation. He brought the church back to base. It all comes back to our basic faith and he delivered it very well.”

National Library Week comes to St. Ambrose

O’Keefe Library will host its National Library Week celebration April 15-21. Events will be held throughout the week to help highlight the library’s uniqueness.

“National Library week is designed to draw attention to what kinds of things that a library can do,” says Mary Heinzman, library director.

Evening reference librarian Syl Rex agrees.

“My favorite part of library week is the spotlight it shines on libraries and their importance.”

Rex goes on to tell about that importance.

“Libraries are a repository for a body of knowledge. They are the access point to wisdom.”

Library week will feature old favorites and new offerings. Traditions that will return include cookie day and the paper airplane contest.

New features will include a hip hop dance performance by the SAU Hip Hop Club and the new “READ” posters. Another new addition will be an “add-a-line poem” that will be started by the library and each person that comes in can add a line to.

The week will kick off with the annual cookie day. Cookies, trail mix and candy will be available to anyone who visits the library on Monday. Wednesday will bring the fourth annual paper airplane contest. And Friday will close the week with prizes being drawn after people have registered all week.

“Prizes will be awarded for the airplane that stays in the air the longest. The one that flies the longest distance, the most creative and we will have a judge’s choice category,” Heinzman said. “The first year we had 3 people participate. Last year we had 25 to 30 entrants, and we are expecting an even bigger turnout this year.” The contest is slated to start at 2:30 p.m.

The new “READ” posters will be unveiled also during National Library Week. While the actual people on the posters won’t be revealed until the unveiling Heinzman did provide some small hints.

“There will be six faculty/staff members. There will be six students individually and then two more groups of students.”

There will be a contest for students to find all of the “READ” posters on campus. Anyone wanting to play can pick up and entry form in the library. Then they can fill out the forms and return it.

One of the things library week does is allowing libraries to highlight services that are overlooked or underused, such as Media Services.

“A lot of people don’t know we have it and the best part of it is that it is free,” tells Heinzman.

Prizes to be given away include SAU T-shirts, bookstore and coffee shop gift certificates, and a basket containing various books. Smaller prizes such as SAU socks and hats will also be given away. The drawing will be held at noon.

National Library week runs for one week every April, usually around midmonth.

Don't do it.

Don’t do it.

I know what you’re thinking.

Don’t do it.

I know how you feel. You’re sick and tired of being here. You constantly ask yourself “Is it over yet?”

Trust me if you don’t want to do it now; you really won’t want to do it five, 10, 15 years from now.

Of course I am talking about school. I was young once too. At 18 I knew it all and where I was going from there. I had it all mapped out. The day I graduated high school I knew what I was doing and where I was going.

Boy was I wrong.

Somewhere between the day I graduated Moline High School and the day I registered at Black Hawk College I got some crazy idea in my head that I was Donald Trump. I was tired of school anyway and was looking for the easiest path out. So I ditched my dreams in Lot 3 and signed up for a degree in business management.

Twelve years later I’m still kicking myself.

I’m now a student here at St. Ambrose and reviving the dream I left for dead so long ago. My wife is the one who told me to go back. You may not be so lucky as to have someone who will not only support you, but tell you “You’re an idiot if you don’t go.”

If you think it will be easy to come back after some time off, it won’t. I told my mom that I was going to take a year off to work and save money to go back. Well one turned into two and two became two kids and a wife. Now I have to work 40 hours a week, study for class, do homework, pay bills, give attention to my family, go to all of their functions and catch up to a generation who didn’t leave their dreams. I wasn’t a social butterfly to start with, but the fun times are few and far between now.

Scheduling and time-management have become my new buzzwords. I live out of my planner. There is no spontaneity at all. A night out with my friends always has to include a two-week notice.

I finished my associates and I am still stuck in a dead-end job with no benefits and live paycheck to paycheck. Being the assistant manager at Hot Topic may seem cool now, but it won’t seem that way later. Someone once told me the difference between a job and a career was that you can explain your career in one word, doctor, teacher, engineer, etc. A job was what you have when you need extra cash at Christmas.

Employers are looking more and more for someone who definitely has more than a high school education, and many time are seeking a candidate with a bachelors or higher.

And there is no guarantee that this opportunity will come your way again. Sure, schools will be here down the road, but life can take so many twists and turns you can’t be sure that you will cross this bridge again.

I was lucky. You may not be.

So please, stick it out. Learn from my mistakes. You won’t regret it.