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September 2012 E-Newsletter

Sr. Margaret Carney Addresses the Class of 2016

By Morgan Statt, Class of 2016

St. Bonaventure University President Sr. Margaret Carney, presented her annual address to the freshmen in a packed Dresser Auditorium on Sept. 12. Sr. Margaret drew parallels between the story of Neil White, author of this year’s All Bonaventure Reads book selection “In The Sanctuary of Outcasts,” and soon-to-be saint Marianne Cope. The lives of both White and Cope were greatly impacted by those suffering from Hansen’s disease, formerly referred to as leprosy.

Sr. Margaret began her speech with a quip about a recent loss by the Buffalo Bills.

“If you’re from Buffalo and you’re a Bills fan, I am not your enemy,” she said, drawing a mix of laughter and boos. With a simple comment about a widely favored sports team on campus, she grabbed the attention of every student in the room. As she continued, she highlighted the importance of White and Cope’s involvement with Hansen’s disease patients. Sr. Margaret used a detailed biography of Marianne Cope to highlight the importance of serving others. She also informed the students that after years of servitude and humanitarian work for those with Hansen’s disease, Sr. Marianne will be canonized as a saint on Oct. 21 of this year.

At one point, Sr. Margaret paused to show freshmen a picture of Sr. Marianne Cope in full habit.

“Fifty years ago, I dressed almost exactly like this,” Sr. Margaret quipped. “Except you should know it was very hot.” This statement was received with a loud shout of “Yeah!” from a student in the audience. Quick on her feet, Sr. Margaret added, “Not hot like hottie hot. Warm!” The students roared with laughter.

Afterward, Ali Napoli, a freshman journalism and mass communication major, said, “There were definitely certain points of her speech that I found interesting. I enjoyed the story of Sr. Marianne and learned a lot from it. The fact that she got up and left everything and everyone to go serve those suffering from Hansen’s disease shocked me. Everything she did was out of love and compassion. It was really inspiring.”

Emily Michael, a freshman management major, also enjoyed the address.

“It was eye-opening to see another perspective from people dealing with leprosy patients,” she remarked. “I now look forward to Neil White’s address because of Sr. Margaret’s speech.”

As Neil White stated in his book, “...helping others was more noble than winning awards.” Sr. Margaret’s address to the Class of 2016 encourages us to go out and serve those who are in need, and to never forget the importance of our actions.

Students, family and community members enjoyed Bonagany festivites in Allegany on Saturday, Sept. 22, during Family Weekend.

New Major Adventures Program helps undeclared students

By Ariana Harvin-Mahiques, Class of 2013

Finding and choosing the right college can be a difficult process for any student, but declaring and committing to a particular major can be even more overwhelming.

St. Bonaventure University offers more than 50 undergraduate programs and majors housed in the schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Business and Journalism and Mass Communication.

For students who have not decided on a major, St. Bonaventure University affords them a special program. The program is called MAP (Major Adventures Program). MAP allows incoming students to explore what they are interested in and how those interests can translate into majors.

Dr. Guy Imhoff, director of MAP, explained that this program is to ensure students that they have a place at St. Bonaventure.

“[MAP] allows them to feel that they belong and they have a place on campus,” said Imhoff.

A student can become an undeclared major at any point in time; some students who entered with a declared major can change to undeclared. Students have the option to wait until the end of their second year to decide on a major.

Once a student becomes an undeclared major, he/she will not take classes that are unnecessary or will leave him/her behind in terms of graduation.

Instead students will be able to take classes that will count toward their degrees. “Students can take the time to fulfill their Clare and language requirements,” said Imhoff.

A former undeclared student, Simone Bernstein knew choosing the MAP program was a great decision.

“I chose an undeclared major since I wanted to explore a variety of subject areas before focusing in on one major. I wanted to focus on fulfilling a major in the School of Arts and Sciences, but was unsure of which major to choose,” said Bernstein.

Once she was able to find what really interested her, she was able to create her own major, within the confines of what the university has to offer.

“I never had doubts that I wouldn’t find a particular major. I decided to create my own major to combine my interests in a variety of subjects. My new major is focused on social entrepreneurship and altruism,” said Bernstein.

An interested student should talk to a professor in a particular department and ask questions if he or she is ready to declare a major, said Imhoff.

“I would definitely recommend the undeclared major program for incoming students as it allows you to take a variety of courses before choosing one subject area to focus your studies,” said Bernstein.

Biggerleaves

All Bonaventure Reads author comes to Bona's

By Emily Steves, Class of 2015

St. Bonaventure University paid money for a real, live criminal to speak to its Class of 2016, and with good reason. The 2012 All Bonaventure Reads selection, “In The Sanctuary of Outcasts,” details author Neil White’s sentence at Carville, a leprosarium-turned-prison in Louisiana, where patients with Hansen’s disease (also known as leprosy) shared their home with federal inmates. The freshman class joined in on the former check kiter’s adventures while at Carville by reading his memoir over the summer. (A “check kiter” is someone who writes checks from one account to the other to have money that does not really belong to him.) They joined White again as he addressed the class and the community at the Reilly Center court on Monday, Sept. 24.

White, a successful magazine publisher before he was caught kiting checks, spoke in a relaxed southern drawl of the people he had met at Carville and where they are today.

“I thought that Neil was a marvelous speaker,” said Jean Trevarton Ehman, chair of the All Bonaventure Reads Committee. “He had a personality and was comfortable around the group.”

He showcased his outgoing personality when he made a cellphone call to Pete (known as “Harry” in the memoir, a person with Hansen’s disease, and put the speaker to the microphone for the audience to hear. Applause erupted when White bid goodbye to Pete, saying, “I love you, buddy.”

Mentioned constantly throughout “Sanctuary” is Ella Bounds, a woman affected by Hansen’s disease who White sought for little words of wisdom during his time at Carville.

“Ella was much more important to me than I was to her,” White admitted. “Unfortunately, the very last time I saw Ella, she was beginning an early stage of dementia and I don’t think she remembered who I was.” Ella died at Carville in 1998. “I hope I did her some honor by getting a piece of how wonderful she was on the page.”

White entertained the audience with funny stories about the writing process of the book. He checked with his ex-wife, Linda (who divorced him in the midst of his prison sentence), to be sure she wouldn’t mind if he wrote about their personal lives. “She said, ‘No! I’d be embarrassed if you wrote a bad book!’” said White.

“We couldn’t have done better with what Neil White did,” said Ehman. Not only did White speak in the evening, but he also spent the day visiting two journalism classes, a business class and a Franciscan health studies class. “That kind of hit some of the big themes in this book of being a publisher, the business-ethics part of it (kiting checks) and the Franciscan health care students are our future doctors and so he was able to speak of the science of Hansen’s disease.”

White also had some words of wisdom for the Class of 2016: “You’re going to mess up. You’re going to make huge mistakes. Some of them won’t matter much and others will be devastating in your mind.”

White made a mistake by kiting checks, but his punishment had a silver lining. White found himself at Carville and, with help from Ella Bounds, emerged a better person.

And when somebody asks White if there will be a follow up for “Sanctuary,” his normal response is, “I hope I don’t have this kind of material any time soon.”

“We’re still kind of in the afterglow,” Ehman said of this year’s successful ABR choice.

Biggerleaves

Transfer Evening Away

By Amanda Koneski, Class of 2013

A new semester at St. Bonaventure University means more experiences, fresh leaves, and brand-new Bonnies. This fall, St. Bonaventure University welcomed a new class of freshmen who will soon understand what it means to bleed brown. The University also opened its arms to some 85 transfer students.

Mt. Irenaeus, a Franciscan retreat affiliated with SBU, teamed up with First-Year Experience (FYE) Director Abby Cohen to host an evening away at the Mountain for new and seasoned transfer students.

Br. Kevin Kriso, O.F.M., one of the friars living at the Mountain, relates to these students as he was a transfer student in his college days, and he said he has a special place in his heart for them.

“Coming here is another step in their journeys,” Kriso said. “There’s a meaning behind them being here. They were supposed to be here.”

The theme of the overnight was tied to the idea of journey. Students were encouraged to be thoughtful and reflective as they journey through life. The Mountain staff and volunteers assisted the transfer students in reflections with chapel time, discussions, hiking and cooking. Those students who were new this semester also received advice and comfort from the seasoned transfers during this time.

Kriso said he would encourage traditional students at St. Bonaventure University to reach out and always make new friends with new students, and invite people into the Bona family.

“Being a transfer student can be scary,” he said. “You don’t know anyone, and it takes a lot of courage to go to things like the Mountain when you don’t have friends going.”

From left to right: Kelly Biehler, Amanda Hitchcock-Winchell, Bethany Territo, Katrina Teeter, Kristen Durow, friend of Bethany Territo, Danielle Armfield, Matthew Luckowski, Aaron Weichey, Charlie Guzior, Nicole Madlen, friend of Aaron Weichey, Nicole Baart, BJ Graham, Morgan Clelland and Fr. John Coughlin.

“Students can really learn from transfers,” he said. “They take a big risk.”

This evening away was part of the FYE’s program for transfers called “Welcome to the Wolfpack!” which features events including question-and-answer sessions, an organizational fair, a class on understanding GPAs, and advisement and class registration. Traveling to Mt. Irenaeus also gave transfer students an opportunity to get introduced to a different piece of the culture at the University.

FYE and Mt. Irenaeus plan to host evenings away for transfer students each semester. This will provide opportunities for old and new transfers to better acquaint with one another as well as enjoy a truly delightful experience at the Mountain.

To read more, check out our past communications.