In addition to a one-year tenure at Binz Refectory, he also has been a prominent accompanist for the Music Department, a versatile linguist in the Modern and Classical Languages Department, and older undergrads may remember him as the organist from Sunday evening Masses.

But perhaps most notably he has served as a cook and supervisor at Scooter’s restaurant – always instantly recognizable by his black-and-white bandana.

This Sunday, Feb. 12, Tessman will say “goodbye” to Scooter’s. As a gesture of departure, he will serve a special egg scrambler that reflects his insatiable love of breakfast foods. Topped with a homemade hollandaise sauce, this colorful menu item will consist of seasoned hash browns made from baby red potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, two over-easy eggs and a choice of sausage or ham.

This special will be available from noon to 9 p.m. or until supplies run out, this Sunday only. Cost is $5.50.

Guidelines

• Papers submitted must have been written for an ENGL 121 class during the 2011-12 academic year.
• Submissions must respond to literature in some way and should not consist entirely of narrative without reflection.
• Submissions must include a rough draft that demonstrates substantial revision.
• No more than two submissions are permitted per student.

A panel of three English Department faculty members will judge the essays.

Format for submission

Essays should be typed, double-spaced, and include a title. Paperclip the formal essay pages together – do not staple – and attach your rough draft to the back. Since it will be judged blindly, do not include your name on the essay itself. Finally, submit a cover sheet that includes your name, the essay title, your instructor’s name, and your UST email address.You have the option of discussing your essay submission with your instructor for revisions and suitability. Submitted essays will not be returned.

The deadline for submission is 3 p.m., Thursday, March 15. Essays can be delivered to the English Department in Room 333, John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts.

Questions about the contest can be referred to the English Department, (651) 962-5600. Contest criteria and rules also are available on the English Department website.

All of the performances are free and open to the public, and will be held on the university’s St. Paul campus.

• Student Recital: Stefan Wolf, voice
  Sunday, Feb. 12 – 2 p.m.
  Brady Educational Center auditorium

• Student Recital: Tom Reusz and Catherine Ratelle, voice
  Saturday, Feb. 25 – 6 p.m.
  Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas

• Concert Choir Pops Concert
  Saturday, Feb. 25 – 7 p.m.
  Brady Educational Center auditorium

For more information call (651) 962-5850 or visit the St. Thomas Music Department website.

Meeting topics will include music and appropriate airplay, contracts and time slots for prospective shows. Free pizza and drinks will be available at the meeting.

For more information on becoming a DJ, email kust@stthomas.edu, view the KUST website, or check out KUST on Facebook.

The musical performance is free and open to the public and runs from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, in Woulfe Alumni Hall in the Anderson Student Center on the university’s St. Paul campus.

The evening includes a 5:30 p.m. panel discussion on the early warning signs of mental illness, and a 6:30 p.m. reception with refreshments.

“Fidgety Fair Tales” will feature stories about Goldilocks (obsessive compulsive disorder); Boyd, Who Cried Wolf (Tourette syndrome); and CinderEdward (bipolar disorder).

“Fidgety Fairy Tales” is a project of the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health. The program will be of interest to those connected with youth, mental health issues, and devoted to the education of children and adolescents.

More details are available by calling the School of Education, (651) 962-4441. 

Classes will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 450, Terrence Murphy Hall. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring a mat or towel.

Learn to relax the body and mind through the stretching and breathing activities of Hatha yoga, a gentle practice that provides rest and rejuvenation. Increased energy, improved flexibility, reduced stress and more restful sleep are typical benefits of Hatha yoga.

The cost is $65 for all of the remaining nine sessions, $52 for six sessions, or $10 for a drop-in session. Payment is due on the first day of class; cash or checks are accepted. Make checks payable to Nikki Baker.

For more information or to confirm attendance, email Baker or call (651) 962-4380.

An oratory is a community of Catholic priests and brothers.  Oratories often have a chief mission, which could be teaching, parish work or campus ministry.

The Oratory of St. Philip Neri was founded in the 16^th century in Rome, and today has more than 70 oratories, with some 500 priests, around the world.

The first oratory in the Unites States was founded in South Carolina in 1934. In addition to the Pittsburgh Oratory, where Morgan is provost, they also are located in California, New York and New Jersey.

When Newman became a Catholic, he brought the Oratory of St. Philip Neri to the English-speaking world. Morgan’s Feb. 13 lecture at St. Thomas will examine how the oratory became the context for Newman’s vision of the evangelization of culture.

The lecture is sponsored by St. Thomas’ Center for Catholic Studies. Refreshments will be served.

Purple Coffee Bené mug sleeves will be given to the first 100 customers, and the Show’d Up Band, a traditional music ensemble, will perform over the noon hour. Free sugar cookies, coffee coupons, and a chance to win something cool from the prize wheel await you.

Get your picture taken with the Coffee Mug mascot and receive a coupon for a free drink. Look for  Tommie mascot, too!

The club will host a speaker, Dr. Nathaniel Nelson of St. Thomas’ Graduate School of Professional Psychology, who will speak on neuropsychological outcomes of the blast concussion research he is conducting through the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis. 

The club also will discuss volunteer opportunities. Lunch will be provided.

 Program

With globally located teams on the increase and travel budgets on the decrease, the need for virtual conferences is greater than ever. A panel of experts will share their experiences in setting up and hosting virtual conferences in their organizations.

Information to be covered

• Why host a virtual event?
• Who are the providers available?
• What goes into the event?
• Main entry
• Auditorium and speakers
• Booths
• Social networking connections
• Related content to download into an attendees “briefcase”

How virtual events are being used

• LarsonAllen
• UnitedHealth Group
• Wells Fargo

Best practices for hosting a virtual event

• Lessons learned

Q-and-A

Presenters

Hird leads the LarsonAllen Learning and Development Team as it develops, plans and implements learning initiatives that support the firm’s strategic direction. Additionally she is responsible for the overall strategy and direction for Learning and Development and Human Resources to ensure that people and career development initiatives support LarsonAllen’s strategies for people, leadership and culture. Hird is known as a leader for getting things done while working with and through others. She has a passion for helping others develop their talents and leadership capabilities. She enjoys working with leaders who are looking to build their business areas, implement new ideas, and develop their staff and succession plans.

Shields was the learning and development manager for technical learning at Wells Fargo for the past nine years. She led the first virtual conference within Wells Fargo to give team members access to possibilities for the technology environment of the next five to 10 years. She also incorporated information shared by the leading technology companies that participated in the exhibitor booths and studied their vision of the future of technology. Shields has a background in IT and learning, and she has worked in the educational publishing and financial services industries. She lives in Bloomington, Minn., and enjoys traveling and collecting wine.

Weedman leads Talent Development Infrastructure at UnitedHealth Group, where the mission is to Help People Live Healthier Lives. She has a passion for career and leadership development, mentoring and performance consulting. She recently launched “UMentor” where all 90,000 employees at UHG have access to mentor-mentee relationships via an online tool – a highlight of UHG’s “Career Development Week.” Weedman’s background is in IT and human capital in manufacturing, transportation and the retail industries. She lives in Minneapolis near the lakes and loves cooking and spending time with her husband and three kids.

 Sponsors

The Digital Learning Forum’s monthly presentation and discussion is sponsored by the Master of Arts in Technology for Learning, Development and Change, and the Graduate Certificate in E-Learning program in the Department of Organization Learning and Development at the University of St. Thomas.

Susan Stabile

Participants will meet from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays (listed below) in Room 458, School of Law, Minneapolis campus. A light lunch will be served.

The retreat will focus on personal prayer and the experience of God in prayer and daily life. Through personal prayer participants will enter experientially into the mind and heart of Jesus in his passion, death and resurrection.

Participants commit themselves to a half-hour of prayer each day and go about their daily lives as usual. Prayer material relating to the theme of the retreat is provided for each day of the retreat.

In addition to a daily period of personal prayer, the weekly meetings will include:

• A period where participants can share their experience of prayer in small groups
• A talk on the theme for that week
• Instruction on some of the dynamics of this type of retreat experience

The retreat will run for six Tuesdays (note: no session on March 20 – spring break):

• Feb. 21
• Feb. 28
• March 6
• March 13
• March 27
• April 3

The retreat is sponsored by the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. Since lunch will be served, register via email to Bethany Fletcher.

Bring a partner to the class on Monday, Feb. 20, in Room 155, Murray-Herrick Campus Center. The class is free to all students; light refreshments will be offered before the class begins at 4:30 p.m. Register here.

For more information visit the Wellness Center website or call the center, (651) 962-6128.

Meetings take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the O’Shaughnessy (“leather”) Room (108), O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center. Each week a professor from a different department gives a brief presentation on:

• His or her discipline.
• What attracts him or her to that field.
• Why the larger UST community should care.

Dr. William Junker

Junker’s talk is titled “Why Does Literature Matter?” The meeting will begin with a 15-minute introduction to Junker’s discipline and area of expertise, followed by a discussion and conversation among students and faculty. All students are invited to participate in the dialogue today and every Thursday. Cookies and juice will be provided.

Junker’s primary focus is literary criticism and theory, as well as Renaissance poetry and drama. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Dallas, and he completed his master’s in philosophy and English at the University of Notre Dame and Chicago, respectively. His Ph.D. focused on social thought and English, at the University of Chicago. His education is a testament to an integrated university experience.

For more information visit The Telos Project Facebook group or email the Telos Project.

Stop by for a treat and to register for door prizes.

The lecture is sponsored by St. Thomas’ College of Arts and Sciences and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Deborah Tannen

Tannen’s talk is the third in the university’s annual Public Discourse Lecture Series and one of several St. Thomas initiatives to address the widespread lack of civility in discourse in U.S. society.

Called “the world’s most famous linguist” by The Washingtonian, Tannen is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs and has written extensively about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. She is the author of four New York –Times best-sellers, including You Were Always Mom’s Favorite and You Just Don’t Understand, which spent four years on the Times’ best-seller list, including eight months as number one.

Her 1999 The Argument Culture: Stopping America’s War of Words won a Common Ground Book Award and is unique among her books because it focuses on public discourse – in the press, politics, the law and education.

“Our society has become overwhelmingly adversarial, with consequences not only in our ability to solve problems but also in our personal relationships,” Tannen writes on her website.  “The war on drugs, the battle of the sexes, politicians’ turf battles – war metaphors pervade our talk and shape our thinking, urging us to approach anything we need to accomplish as a fight between two opposing sides.

“It’s all part of what I call the argument culture, which rests on the assumption that opposition is the best way to get anything done. … What I’m questioning is the ubiquity, the knee-jerk nature of approaching almost any issue, problem or public person in an adversarial way.”

The author of 22 books, Tannen holds a doctorate in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and has received five honorary doctorates. She also taught at Princeton University and was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, Calif.

St. Thomas’ lecture series and other initiatives, explained Dr. Terence Langan, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, strives to promote discussion of important ideas without the aggression, anger and obstinacy that often cloud such matters in today’s world.

“From its beginning, a guiding principle of the series has been to promote the concept of civil discourse,” Langan said. “From negative newspaper ads, to disrupted city council meetings, to disrespectful treatment of invited speakers, our society has witnessed locally and nationally a breakdown of civility surrounding contentious moral and political issues.”

The idea for the lecture series was developed by the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisers and, in part, grew out of St. Thomas’ experiences in recent years with controversies that have involved speakers, films, books and policies.

In addition to the lecture series, St. Thomas is raising funds to establish an Endowed Chair in Civil Discourse, and College and Arts and Sciences faculty continue to look for opportunities to incorporate principles of civil discourse in their curriculum.

The theme for the Senior Retreat is “The future is as bright as the promises of God!”

Cost is $15. Register by Sunday, Feb. 26, on Campus Ministry’s Retreat Calendar website.

Questions? Contact Vanessa Walsh, (651) 962-6562.

To win, find the laminated heart and return it to the Wellness Center to receive an autographed copy of What Happy Couples Do, written by Professor Carol Bruess, and other “Happy Couples” merchandise, a $25 gift card to Coffee Bené, and a $100 gift card to Axel’s Bonfire restaurant.

Clues will be given out daily – published in Bulletin Today, and posted on the Wellness Center website, Facebook and Twitter. Clue No. 3 and a healthy relationship tip (as well as earlier clues and relationship tips) are listed below:

*  *  *

 Clue No. 3: Don’t sit down on the job.

Have a healthy relationships with yourself: A healthy relationship with another begins long before the first date or the first kiss. It begins with you. Accepting yourself. Loving yourself. Respecting yourself. You need to be able to take care of yourself and be kind to yourself before you can provide these things for someone else.

(From: College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University, Healthy Relationships.)

*  *  *

Clue No. 2: A breathtaking view marks the spot.

Fighting fairly: A major stumbling block in any relationship is settling disagreements, which often are reduced to emotional shouting matches rather than caring problem-solving. Basic ground rules for effectively facing conflict in a relationship include:

1. Maintain a spirit of good will – remember: you care about this person.
2. Avoid attacking one another – discuss behavior, not personalities.
3. Share your feelings – explore and discuss them.
4. Focus on the present – past disappointments cannot be changed. Concentrate on the here and now.

(From: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Relationships)

*  *  *

Clue No. 1: Find the heart at the center of campus.

Healthy relationship tip: Keep expectations realistic. No one can be everything we might want him or her to be. Sometimes people disappoint us. It’s not all-or-nothing, though. Healthy relationships mean accepting people as they are and not trying to change them!

(From: Kansas State University, Healthy Relationships.)

The session is geared to students who are seeking top scores and will include a comprehensive review of all content tested on the LSAT. To reserve a seat (recommended but not required), register at PrincetonReview.com.

For more information email Lauren Trout.

To win, find the laminated heart and return it to the Wellness Center to receive an autographed copy of What Happy Couples Do, written by Professor Carol Bruess, and other “Happy Couples” merchandise, a $25 gift card to Coffee Bené, and a $100 gift card to Axel’s Bonfire restaurant.

Clues will be given out daily – published in Bulletin Today, and posted on the Wellness Center website, Facebook and Twitter. Clue No. 2 and a healthy relationship tip (as well as yesterday’s clue and relationship tip) are listed below:

*  *  *

Clue No. 2: A breathtaking view marks the spot.

Fighting fairly: A major stumbling block in any relationship is settling disagreements, which often are reduced to emotional shouting matches rather than caring problem-solving. Basic ground rules for effectively facing conflict in a relationship include:

1. Maintain a spirit of good will – remember: you care about this person.
2. Avoid attacking one another – discuss behavior, not personalities.
3. Share your feelings – explore and discuss them.
4. Focus on the present – past disappointments cannot be changed. Concentrate on the here and now.

(From: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Relationships)

*  *  *

Clue No. 1: Find the heart at the center of campus.

Healthy relationship tip: Keep expectations realistic. No one can be everything we might want him or her to be. Sometimes people disappoint us. It’s not all-or-nothing, though. Healthy relationships mean accepting people as they are and not trying to change them!

(From: Kansas State University, Healthy Relationships.)

ECA works with local schools to host campus visits and give off-site presentations to help demystify the college experience for students in fourth through eighth grade. Most visiting youth will eventually be the first in their families to attend college and are from diverse and low-income backgrounds.

One hands-on activity of the Early College Awareness program looks at sensory persception.

The ECA program staff and student coordinators will create developmentally appropriate hands-on activities such as College Jeopardy, College Mad Libs, and a college simulation to show the youth what college is all about. A typical visit includes a general college introductory activity, a mock class or college simulation, lunch and a mini tour of campus.

While ECA student coordinators work behind the scenes with staff to develop and run the program, volunteers are needed to help lead activities, hang out with the youth at lunch and lead mini-tours of campus. Each volunteer is guaranteed 10 hours of community service by helping at three visits. (There is an option to choose to help at more visits.) These hours can count toward club requirements, Business 200, and other requirements.

Requirements

• Be available for at least two hours between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (convo hour is not enough by itself) on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Attend Training on Sunday, Feb. 19; Reflection on Thursday, March 29; and Final Celebration on Friday, May 11
• Be excited about working with the community and talking to kids about college and your experiences

To apply, fill out an application and turn it in at the CILCE Center by Monday, Feb. 13. An application is available online here, and for pickup at three locations:

1. CILCE in Room 153, Murray-Herrick Campus Center
2. Diversity and Inclusion Services in Room 224, Anderson Student Center
3. Dean of Students office in Room 241, Anderson Student Center

For more information email ECA or call program director Katie Hunt, (651) 962-6801.

On Friday, Feb. 10, the AARC will hold free 45-minute demo sessions of several of the fitness classes offered this spring semester. Demo Day sessions will be taught by the AARC’s professional fitness instructors and are open to all UST undergraduate students and current AARC members.

Demo sessions will begin promptly at the following times, and each session will run approximately 45 minutes. (Click on the hyperlink to view a description about each class.)

Demo Day sessions

• 8 a.m. – TRX
• 11 a.m. – Spinning
• Noon - Sculpt
• 1 p.m. – Yoga
• 4:45 p.m. – Zumba

Demo Day sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. To participate in Demo Day, come to the AARC 20 to 25 minutes before the beginning of the session and swipe your ID at the front desk. All Demo Day sessions will take place in the AARC’s aerobics rooms (Room 112 or 113). A Demo Day representative will be present to greet you outside of the room. All participants must be current AARC members and present a valid UST ID to be admitted to the AARC.

For more information about Demo Day email arcfitnessclass@stthomas.edu.

The presentation features insights from their research and book of the same name. Learn the five communication behaviors to avoid in a relationship, how to handle conflict and create rituals of emotional connection.

The lecture begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium. Cost is $15, but students with a UST ID are welcome to attend at no charge.

For more information visit the Learning for Life Series website

Jessica (Honeyman) Nelson

St. Thomas students, faculty and staff are invited to hear her talk from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. (following noon Mass) tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Room 238, School of Law. Lunch will be provided through Dean Thomas Mengler’s office.

Prior to joining Felhaber, Nelson was an associate at Dorsey and Whitney and a law clerk to Chief Judge James M. Rosenbaum of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. She was part of the second class at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, graduating summa cum laude in 2005 and having her first child just two weeks after taking the bar exam. She now has four children between the ages of 6 and 1. She is an active member of her church community and dedicates a portion of her practice to pro bono work, including serving on the Board of St. Paul’s Outreach. Nelson and her husband, Jesse, live in West St. Paul.

Alumni Reflections presents St. Thomas alumni who discuss how they integrate faith, reason and service into their personal and professional lives. This speaker series is a joint offering of the University of St. Thomas School of Law and the university’s Alumni Association. The series has presented an alumni speaker in the School of Law during the daily worship break once each semester since its inception in 2005.

For more information call Pam Christensen, Alumni and Constituent Relations, (651) 962-6445.

Dr. Amir Hussain

The speaker will be Dr. Amir Hussain, editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion and a professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit university in Los Angeles, where he teaches courses on world religions.

The program, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the university’s Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center and Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning. For more information call the center, (651) 962-5822, or email mcdc@stthomas.edu.

A Canadian Muslim who specializes in the study of Islam, Hussain is the author of Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God, an introduction to Islam and Muslim-Christian dialogue, and more than two dozen book chapters and scholarly articles.

A fellow of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, he has appeared on the History Channel and has been interviewed by major newspapers in the United States and Canada.

These groups pray and reflect together on faith and life, growing together in love of God and supporting one another in living out a life of faith. Journey in Faith Reflection groups are not a Bible study, but Scripture will be used in discussion and sharing. The groups are an active response to the call of the Gospel.

Journey in Faith Reflection also will be held:

• March 12
• April 6
• May 7

Sign-up for a group here. For more information contact Molly Bird, Peer Ministry coordinator, (651) 962-6488.