Halloween Walk of Horror tonight cancelled because of rain

WINONA, Minn. — Tonight’s Saint Mary’s University Walk of Horror has been cancelled because of rain. The 13th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30-31 in the SMU bluffs.

Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.

The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, call coach Jen Miller at (507) 457-6923.

SMU, WSU host evening of jazz

The WSU Jazz Band

The SMU Jazz Ensemble

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University and Winona State University will partner up for a free night of jazz at Jefferson Pub and Grill from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The SMU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. John Paulson, and the WSU Jazz Band, directed by Dr. Rich MacDonald, will perform back-to-back during “University Jazz Night.”

SMU big band highlights will include:

• “Smack Dab in the Middle,” a Sammy Nestico original from the Count Basie book, which will feature SMU senior Ryan Ballanger of the Twin Cities on tenor sax.
• “Keep the Stick” by trombonist and University of Minnesota jazz director Dean Sorenson, which features the “plunger” trombone stylings of SMU senior Tom Briese of Rochester.
• “The Nasty Blues” by Mike Carubia, featuring several soloists in the SMU band.
• The band will close on a high-energy note with an arrangement of the jazz standard “Blue Skies” by Mark Taylor.

The WSU set will include:

• “Southeast Sixstep,” a new composition from Eric Richards, which features a 6/4 rhythm that switches between Latin and Swing styles and includes solos by WSU senior Alan Rewitzer of Coon Rapids on trumpet; and freshman Justin Solle of La Crosse, Wis., on tenor saxophone.
• “Bag’s Groove,” a great blues standard recorded by Milt Jackson with the Clayton/Hamilton big band. The WSU rendition features senior Matt Meler of Oconomowoc, Wis., on vibes, as well as solos by freshman Kelly Blau of Burnsville on guitar; sophomore Jase Ginkel of Eden Prairie on trombone; senior Alan Rewitzer of Coon Rapids on trumpet; and freshman Justin Soller of La Crosse on tenor saxophone.
• “Hit the Ground Running,” a new Gordon Goodwin composition from the “Act Your Age” CD, which features the whole band.

For information, call Jefferson Pub and Grill at (507) 452-2718 or Paulson at (507) 457-1596.

Halloween Walk of Horror tonight cancelled because of rain

WINONA, Minn. — Tonight’s Saint Mary’s University Walk of Horror has been cancelled because of rain. The 13th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 24 and 29-31 in the SMU bluffs.

Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.

The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, call coach Jen Miller at (507) 457-6923.

Saint Mary’s University announces Catholic high school scholarship

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has established the Diocese of Winona Catholic High School Scholarship. Beginning this year, each graduate of Cotter High School, Lourdes High School, Loyola High School and Pacelli High School is eligible to receive a $2,000 scholarship to attend SMU.

The scholarship guidelines are:

· The student must attend as a full-time undergraduate on the Saint Mary’s Winona campus.

· The scholarship is renewable for an additional three consecutive years, provided the student remains in good academic and disciplinary status (bringing the total amount awarded over four years to $8,000).

· The scholarship may be used to study at an SMU internship or study abroad site.

· The scholarship may be combined with other SMU merit and need-based grants and scholarships, as well as with governmental grants.

For more information, contact Tony Piscitiello at 1-800-635-5987, Ext. 1700 or tpisciti@smumn.edu.

Clothing drive, music, speakers highlight SMU’s Lasallian Week of Peace

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Office of Campus Ministry has a full slate of activities planned for Lasallian Week of Peace Oct. 19-25. The theme of the week is “solidarity in peace as Lasallians across the globe.” Events — several of which are open to the public — will touch on many contemporary issues including immigration, genocide, war, personal peace and the expression of peace through music. Events will engage several different groups and organizations on the SMU campus.

The Lasallian Week of Peace schedule includes:

Monday, Oct. 19 — Sister Judith Schaefer, OP, Ph.D., university dean for university affairs, will discuss “How to bring peace into your life” at 8:30 p.m. in the President’s Room of the Toner Student Center.

Wednesday, Oct. 21 — Ernesto Velez Bustos of Centro Campesino Inc. will present “Immigration 101: What we know, but don’t understand about immigration,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Presidents Room of the Toner Student Center.

Thursday, Oct. 22 — The Winona Peacemakers will conduct a non-violent civil action from 4 to 5 p.m. on Broadway and Main streets in Winona.

SMU associate professor of interdisciplinary studies Stephen Pattee will discuss “Genocide: Personal & Communal Implications” at 7 p.m. in the Presidents Room of the Toner Student Center.

Friday, Oct. 23 — The Common Threads Clothing Drive kicks off from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room B of the Toner Student Center. Gently used clothing and footwear for men, women, youth and infants will be available. A fashion show, featuring donated clothing, will begin at 4 p.m. The cost is 50 cents per item or $3 per bag, and all proceeds will go to the Dan Corcoran Catholic Worker House.

Carlos Lumbí, a singer/songwriter from Leon, Nicaragua, will perform at 8 p.m. in the Toner Student Center Lounge. His lyrics cover a range of topics, focusing on Central American social and environmental justice issues, and his musical style is folk/trova. Lumbí has also set to music poems by Gioconda Belli, Ernesto Cardenal and Francisco Ruiz Udiel, among others. Along with his own music, Lumbí performs songs by friends from Nicaragua who also sing of a deep desire for social, economic and environmental justice in Nicaragua.

Students will be raising awareness about the millions of people who do not have adequate shelter to sleep during Habitat for Humanity’s Shack-a-thon from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the Plaza. Students will be sleeping outside in cardboard boxes.

Saturday, Oct. 24 — The Common Threads Clothing Drive continues from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Saint Mary’s will be volunteering as part of Make a Difference Day throughout the community from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Make a Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.

Sunday, Oct. 25 — The Common Threads Clothing Drive concludes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room B of the Toner Student Center.

Public invited to free Saint Mary’s faculty recital

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University Music Department faculty members Janet Heukeshoven and Sylva Hanson will present a free recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Heukeshoven, on flute, and Hanson, on clarinet, will perform pieces by Bach, Enesco, von Weber, Sutermeister and Brahms, showcasing compositions from Baroque music to 20th century pieces.

Jan Matson will assist on piano, and guest soprano Maureen Sherman will contribute vocals.

Page Series presents puppet show about water Oct. 23 at Saint Mary’s

WINONA, Minn. — Large, colorful puppets will explore and explain the world’s water issues at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Saint Mary’s University’s Page Theatre.

Since 1973, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT) has been using water, flour, newspaper, paint and unlimited imagination to tell stories that explore the struggles and celebrations of human existence.

Drawing inspiration from the world’s traditions of puppet and mask theatre and its lively roots in transformative ritual and street theatre, HOBT creates vital, poetic theater for all ages and backgrounds.

“Beneath The Surface” is a splashy celebration and investigation of our everyday drinking water. This enlightening and entertaining production features live performances, music and video. A “What You Can Do!” carnival will engage and inspire all ages. Using fun, energy and imagination, children will be introduced to the issues that face our world about water.

Come to the theatre lobby early and take a blind taste test of drinking waters.

Tickets for this Page Series performance are $12 for adults and $5 for seniors and students and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Halloween Fun Night is Oct. 26 at Saint Mary’s

WINONA, Minn. — Elementary and preschool children from the Winona area are invited to attend the tenth annual Saint Mary’s University Halloween Fun Night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.

Participants should stop at the guard booth at the main entrance of the Winona campus for directions on where to park.

Young trick-or-treaters should start out the evening at the Hall of Fame Room, located in the Toner Student Center, where tattoos and stickers, a coloring station, and other fun games will be offered, and the Cardinal mascot will greet pint-sized ghosts and goblins.

From there, SMU students will lead groups of trick-or-treaters through the residence halls of the university, where they can go door to door for candy.

Last year more than 700 youth participated in this free, safe and fun event, sponsored by the Office of Residence Life of Saint Mary’s.

Get set to scream at annual Saint Mary's Walk of Horror

WINONA, Minn. — This year’s Saint Mary’s University Walk of Horror is again guaranteed to give you goosebumps. New scares are planned around every corner.

The 13th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 23-24 and 29-31 in the SMU bluffs. Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.

The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate.

SMU head fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller said the event is fun for all ages. The scare level is toned down for younger children and turned up for groups bold enough to face their fears. Last year more than 1,100 brave souls took SMU’s Walk of Horror.

Proceeds from this event will be used for the softball team’s travel expenses.

For more information, contact Miller at (507) 457-6923.

Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona announces application dates, major program change

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona program has announced that it is setting age requirements for applicants this year.

Because of the economy, a record number of individuals are expected to apply this year. The Winona Food Shelf is reporting a 21 percent increase in families using its services. (Eight hundred families are using the food shelf per month.) With more families asking for help and a smaller number of people who are in a position to donate, the program is being adapted this year. The program’s main priority is to provide gifts to children 18 years of age and younger and individuals 60 years of age and older. Families will only be able to report gift requests for family members in these age ranges.

The annual gift-giving program — in its eighth year — helps more than 1,800 people have a much happier holiday season. The program has grown significantly each year.

Families may pick up an application form through one of the human service agencies that they work with (Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Project FINE, Semcac, Winona County Department of Human Services, Winona Senior Advocacy Program, Winona Volunteer Services, Winona Red Cross or Women’s Resource Center).

Completed application forms must be returned to Winona Volunteer Services (402 E. 2nd St.) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Oct. 23 or 30, or 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 24 or 31. SMU student volunteers will be available for assistance on these dates.

This program exists through the generosity of the Winona community, as well as the work of other community partners including: Winona Volunteer Services, Winona Radio and the Winona Post.

SMU welcomes students from Chicago San Miguel

San Miguel student Elizabeth Leon and Saint Mary’s University student Cindy Nava grab lunch during a welcome reception on the Winona campus. Twenty-three San Miguel students are visiting SMU this week to get a taste of college life.

WINONA, Minn. — Sixth-graders from the San Miguel School in Chicago are visiting the Winona campus of Saint Mary’s University through Thursday, Oct. 8. San Miguel is a Christian Brother’s mission school, part of a nationwide network of schools dedicated to teaching underserved populations of urban and rural school children. The Chicago school, located in a Mexican-American immigrant neighborhood, serves primarily children whose first language is Spanish, but they are also fluent in English.

The goals of the four-day visit are to acquaint these children with college life and begin to inspire them to consider post-secondary education. Saint Mary’s students – particularly education students – also receive the opportunity to work with urban children from another culture.

While in Winona, these students stay with Saint Mary’s host families. Saint Mary's and San Miguel maintain a close relationship. Many Saint Mary’s alums work or volunteer in the San Miguel Schools.

Students celebrate National Chemistry Week during Saint Mary's Chemistry Nights

WINONA, Minn. — Many area high school juniors and seniors (and their teachers) will learn how the elements are an important part of everyday life via hands-on experiments during upcoming Chemistry Nights at Saint Mary’s University. Area classes are invited onto campus from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 22 and 29.

Chemistry Night, sponsored by the SMU Department of Chemistry and the La Crosse-Winona local section of the American Chemical Society, is an annual event designed to help students explore the discipline of chemistry and appreciate the positive role that chemistry plays in our everyday world.

Each year students solve a challenging but fun chemical problem, based on the National Chemistry Week (Oct. 18-24) theme; this year’s theme is “Chemistry—It’s Elemental!”

Students will work in small teams, using wet chemistry and working with chemical instrumentation in the SMU Department of Chemistry, under the guidance of SMU chemistry majors.

Prizes will be awarded to the teams that have the greatest success in solving the chemical problems. Prizes will include SMU scholarships of $2,000 and $1,000.

The event is free, and there are still openings. Students who are interested should have their high school science teachers contact Dr. Roger Kugel at (507) 457-1556.

Saint Mary’s theatre majors to perform in London

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University theatre majors will stage the bittersweet comedy “Vanities,” a show that chronicles the lives, loves, disappointments and dreams of three best friends, in London Oct. 13-17.

Written by Jack Heifner, the plot revolves around three women as they mature during tumultuous times in American history — the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the height of the Vietnam War and the women’s movement. Over the course of 10 years, the women mature from starry-eyed cheerleaders to disillusioned adults, too self-absorbed to see the world changing around them. Although written in the ’70s, “Vanities” focuses on the timeless question all women ask themselves, “Can we have it all?” The play is directed by Gary Diomandes, professor of theatre and dance at Saint Mary’s.

Qualified theatre majors at Saint Mary's are studying theatre in London this semester through the Stefannié Valéncia Kierlin Theatre in London Program. Under the guidance of Saint Mary’s faculty, the program includes a variety of classes in theatre, as well as courses focusing on broader enrichment. Students will have the unique opportunity to attend numerous performances at London’s West End, Off-West End and Fringe theatres.