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f o r wa r d ➡ l e a d i n g ➡ s p i r i t SACRED HEART v o l u m e 1, i s s u e 1 19 UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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PHOTO CREDIT HERE v o l u m e 1, i s s u e 1 | fa l l 2019 l e t t e r SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY WHERE TO START

eginnings don’t always MAGAZINE begin when we think they do. Beginnings are often small and go unnoticed. What we think of Sacred Heart University B 5151 Park Avenue when we think of a beginning is Fairfield, CT 06825-1000 usually in truth just the moment [email protected] when we started paying attention. You hold in your hands Volume 1, Issue 1 ISSN 1547-6219 of Sacred Heart University Magazine. The Copyright ©2019 Sacred Heart University numbers would imply a beginning, though calling it a “rebirth” might be more accurate— MAGAZINE STAFF there was a SHU Magazine for a time, first Creative Director Deborah Chute in print and more recently online. In either Art Director Tim Oliver case, someday years from now someone may Executive Editor Deborah Noack somewhere say, “The school began publishing Tim Deenihan Editor Sacred Heart University Magazine in October of 2019,” MEGAN LYNCH may only be 5’5”, but you’ll probably and while that sentence would be physically correct, it be craning your neck to see her. The SHU junior from Contributing Illustrators Tobias Hall, Sara Hanson, Mark Hooper, Jim Luft would also be woefully incomplete. Rockville, MD, is both an exercise science major Of course there is the time and effort that went into and the women’s bouldering 2018 World University Contributing Photographers the creation of this first issue which, frankly, would Champion. For our cover, Megan was kind enough to Geissy Bitencourt, Mark F. Conrad, make a decent story in itself. Our work on underage take a break from her studies and give us a tour of the Tracy Deer-Mirek, Getty Images, Sean vaping was originally intended to be something of an climbing wall at the new Bobby Valentine Health & Kaschak, Mario Morgado, Al Sweeting exposé on both a hidden trend and its worrying rami- Recreation Center (feature, page 28). fications. Then summer happened and we found our- Contributing Writers Meredith Guinness, selves writing, rewriting and ultimately re-rewriting the Somewhere in there, an identity began to form. An in- Kimberly Swartz and Melissa Zarik piece to stay current with news breaking on a weekly or stitution christened with the purpose of giving working- even daily basis. There was our story on Professor Deir- class and first-generation Americans access to higher edu- POSTMASTER dre Yeater’s work with dolphins off the coast of Bimini cation and opportunity never let aspiration get in the way Send address changes to: and our concern for her friends and colleagues there in of empathy, so that even now, as campus continues to University Advancement the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. The announcement stretch south down Park Avenue and west to the former Sacred Heart University Magazine Sacred Heart University of our promotion by the Carnegie Institute needed world headquarters of GE—not to mention to campuses 5151 Park Avenue a last-minute update to include our elevated ranking in Dingle and Luxembourg and service opportunities Fairfield, CT 06825-1000 by U.S. News & World Report. In the digital age where worldwide—even now there remains the understanding breaking news hits your phone several times a day, that our personal missions are merely part of a bigger ON THE COVER building a semiannual print publication that is current picture. Even now the kids on campus will often go to Megan Lynch: Exercise science major, and relevant is a daunting task to say the least. gymnastic lengths just to hold the door open for you. world bouldering champion, SHU Pioneer. But if we say that this magazine begins here for you This magazine is not a newsletter. It is not a history Photograph by Sean Kaschak. and some six or nine or 12 months ago for us, the truth lesson. Nor is it a catalogue of all things great and won- is it has its origins in something much earlier, deeper derful at SHU. This magazine is (we hope, we intend) Sacred Heart University Magazine is and bigger than either of us are recognizing. Because nothing more than reflection of who we’ve become— published by the Division of Marketing and this publication is the product of a small Catholic and nothing less than a statement of who we aspire to Communications. Every effort has been made commuter college that has, in just over five decades, be. And as such, I suppose, it is something of a begin- to ensure its accuracy and completeness. grown to become a nationally ranked university with ning. Because while any adventure must first require the Locations of towns and cities are indicated more than 44,000 living alumni residing in all 50 planning and the preparation, and while everything we except for those in Connecticut. states and at least as many countries around the are is the sum of everything we have been, no journey Opinions expressed in this publication may world. An initial faculty of nine has grown to can be called a journey until you take your first step. not necessarily reflect those of Sacred Heart roughly 800. An inaugural class of 173 students is And so, here we go. University, its faculty or administration. now a student body of 9,000. If your memories of Sacred Heart’s campus are still housed in the structure of a would-be diocesan high twitter school, well, we have news for you. @sacredheartuniv And somewhere between those origins and these words there lies a beginning. tim deenihan, editor facebook facebook.com/SacredHeartUniversity

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1 SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | FALL 2019 c o n t e n t s sacred heart university magazine • fall 2019 THE DINGLE COAST, COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND, HOME TO THE JOHN MORIARTY INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY, HOUSED AT THE SHU CAMPUS IN DINGLE.

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FORWARD LEADING CAUSE AND ALL THE KIDS SOUND BODY, BLESSED THE WORD THIS IS NOT SPIRIT FROM THE Fulfilling SHU’s Assuming our EFFECT ARE DOING IT SOUND MIND ARE THE IS KAIROS THE STORY YOU Turning our values ARCHIVE mission in the responsibilities to Brian Hamilton’s The silent (and SHU’s new Bobby PEACEMAKERS Professor Michael THINK IT IS into action. The year is 1986 liberal arts. the communities mission to extend now deadly) Valentine Health & Adyel Duran ‘17 Higgins makes Professor Deirdre and Sacred Heart we serve. Main Street to rise of vaping. Recreation Center is Sacred Heart’s the case for Yeater and the wins the national every community. helps students latest Fulbright nothing less than Dolphin Cognition championship. keep work and life Scholar, bringing a foundational Project. in balance. peace to the restructuring of Balkans through the Church. poetry.

FALL 2019 | SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE 2 3 SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | FALL 2019 f o r w a r d “THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THE MARKETPLACE DEMANDS IS SOMEONE MORE HUMAN, CONNECTED, AND MATURE.” — SETH GODIN

IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?

sacred heart university faculty, staff and graduate students immersed themselves in the world of augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) at the University’s three-day Faculty Institute in May 2019. “We all came together to share examples of and ideas about how this technology can transform our students’ educational experiences,” said Shanshan Wang, assistant professor in the School of Communication, Media & the Arts, who organized the event with SHU’s Center for SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY’S Excellence and Innovation in Teaching. Wang will be heading the University’s AR/VR Lab, which is set to open in the GREAT RIVER GOLF CLUB spring. The Institute came in the wake of a similar event held in April that focused on artificial intelligence.shu SPECIAL ALUMNI VALUES One visit to Sacred Heart’s Great River Golf Club and a tour of the facility will clearly demonstrate its friendly yet refined atmosphere of comfortable elegance and first-class amenities. You will witness firsthand how our professional staff takes great pride and responsibility in ensuring the finest hospitality service with a genuine commitment to member and client satisfaction.

What will also become surprisingly evident is the remarkable savings our golf membership plans offer to members of the Sacred Heart University community. Graduates of SHU are eligible for unlimited golf memberships as well as discounts when booking weddings. Sacred Heart University’s Great River is a source of pride for alumni looking for a unique and memorable experience at one of the best courses and most magnificent venues in the area.

ALUMNI MEMBER PRIVILEGES Golf Membership: Wedding Packages Available: Monty’s River Grille: Unlimited rounds of golf and 10% discount Award-winning restaurant use of the practice facilities Personal bridal concierge Fresh seasonal menus Individual: $3,000 ($1,000 serves Stunning background for photos/ Specialty nights as a donation to SHU) access to waterfall on second hole Picturesque views overlooking Family: $6,000 ($1,000 serves One wedding at a time the golf course as a donation to SHU) No initiation fee or assessments

A personal introduction to current membership opportunities and a private tour are easily arranged with our club manager or membership representative. Call Karin Attolino, Membership & Outing Sales Director, at (203) 876-8051 x111, [email protected].

For weddings, call Gail Hunt, Social & Corporate Event Sales Manager, (203) 876-8051 x132, [email protected]. 5 SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | FALL 2019 f o r wa r d f o r wa r d

Percentage of SHU nursing students in 2018 who passed the 99 NCLEX-RN, the National Council Licensure Exam for nurses.

THE ART OF THE SCIENCE OF HEALING

ary alice donius does not that sentence. Nursing, it would seem, is a equivocate. “The future of tapestry where no single thread will do the primary care is in the hands of job alone. For Donius, the conjunction of nurse practitioners,” says the that definition with the Catholic intellec- M dean of Sacred Heart’s College tual tradition, which is the core/hallmark of Nursing. “If we are going to of every Sacred Heart undergraduate prepare the workforce of the future, then education, is essential to a nurse’s prepa- we need to be on the cutting edge. We ration. It means that the formation of the cannot just prepare nurses for entry-level educated person, grounded in the liberal jobs. We need to position them for life- arts and sciences, provides the context for long careers.” the formation of the educated professional For Donius, responding to that differ- with an understanding of and apprecia- entiation, cultivating not only practical skill tion for the human condition and a sense but also professional outlook, is key to what of purpose for the practice of nursing. makes the nursing program at Sacred Heart “Our students transition incredibly so unique—and so uniquely successful. well to employment after graduation,” The results are indisputable. says Michelle Cole, assistant professor in SHU’s graduating nursing class of the College of Nursing. “Their profession- 2018 achieved a stunning 99 percent al demeanor is applauded by local agencies first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN, and hospitals, and they are also praised for the National Council Licensure Exam for being well prepared for clinical practice.” nurses. As a matter of comparison, the “Our reputation precedes us,” Donius national average is not even 90 percent. says. “Our alumni are threading the Thus, SHU’s near-perfect performance needle so that our students are finding on the exam positions it not only as the themselves recruited because of the quality highest pass rate in the state, but among of the work and the way in which [Sacred the top performers in the nation. Heart nurses] do nursing.” But while proving one’s knowledge Thus, once again, it’s that foundational is obviously vital to licensure, the test ethos of the University, the whole that maketh not the nurse. is greater than the sum of its parts, that “Caring is the ethical imperative of Donius graciously credits for her College’s nursing,” explains Donius. “At SHU, evident success. “When you take caring nursing is defined as caring with compas- with the intention of healing,” she says, sion, empathy, altruism with the intention “and put it in the context of the Catholic of healing body, mind, spirit.” She’s care- intellectual tradition, then it becomes ful to point out that there is no “and” in something exponential.” shu

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taught in the lower grades. “I went to a (NOT NECESSARILY) Catholic high school,” says senior Kiera Lehr, an accounting major and Catholic studies minor, “but I’m the only one of LOSING MY RELIGION my friends still active in the faith. Every- one else is like, ‘I had my confession. I did Dan Rober’s class looks to the my time. I’m done.’” At a Catholic university, however, careers of cultural icons and the Rober argues that not only do we have a history of our own University to reason to face these questions, but “it’s a help understand Catholicism’s responsibility.” Junior Kathleen Sullivan, a social role in a changing world. work major, was particularly affected by the journey of Dolores Hart, a successful actress with a promising career who left the business in 1963 (the same year SHU was founded) to join the convent. Hart has written extensively about her journey. In one passage, she describes the challenges of exchanging the freedom of the arts for the order of an Order—until one particular priest encouraged her to bring her theatrical experience to bear on her vow to serve God. The message was clear: our back- grounds, whatever they are, are a signifi- cant part of our identities; to deny them is to deny a fundamental part of who we are. For Sullivan, that acceptance and inclusiv- ity is not only a defining characteristic of her faith as a Catholic; it’s the very heart others, such as the “openly gay, closeted of SHU. shu Catholic” Andy Warhol and the nun- turned-artist Corita Kent began essentially The suburbs were becoming the place in tandem with our own University, which to be. Emboldened by the presence of one affords a terrific opportunity to study of their own in the White House, Catho- Catholicism’s trajectory over the last 60 lics throughout America found themselves years in Dan Rober’s class, “Springsteen, daring to dream the traditional American Scorsese and SHU.” Dream. Even the working classes were “A great number of our students come realistically aspiring to see their children from families that identify as Catholic,” THE CHALLENGES OF through college. In 1963, Sacred Heart explains Rober, “but their understanding CATHOLICISM ARE University was founded as a small of ‘faith’ or what it means to be CENTRAL TO THE commuter campus answering a ‘practicing Catholic’ is very CREATIVE WORK OF those Catholic working-class different from how those ideas SOME OF THE LATE hat the ’60s were a time of aspirations. were understood even one 20TH CENTURY’S MOST change by practically every In 1964, a 15-year-old generation ago.” INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS: measure should be a revelation Catholic kid in New Jersey Today’s students are very BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, T to no one. But the ways and the named Bruce Springsteen practical-minded, he says. So ABOVE; MARTIN extent to which the Catholic watched the Beatles on the Ed for them to see these house- SCORSESE, LEFT; AND Church played a part in that Sullivan show and (so the leg- hold names wrestling with ANDY WARHOL, BELOW. change may come as a surprise. end goes) was inspired to buy his the influence of Catholicism The decade opened with the election of first guitar. That same year, Martin in their own lives and upon the the first and only Catholic president of the Scorsese was accepting his undergraduate world around them connects the students United States. JFK moved into the White degree, and the young Catholic-Italian to a reality of the faith many had never House in January of ’61. In ’62, Pope from Little Italy was turning his own considered as Catholic. THE CAREERS OF THESE CULTURAL ICONS AND OTHERS, SUCH AS THE John XXIII opened the Second Vatican dreams toward filmmaking. The idea that to practice Catholicism “OPENLY GAY, CLOSETED CATHOLIC” ANDY WARHOL ... BEGAN ESSENTIALLY Council. Norms were on the move. The careers of these cultural icons and is to challenge assumed beliefs is rarely IN TANDEM WITH OUR OWN UNIVERSITY.

FALL 2019 | SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE 8 9 SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | FALL 2019 f o r wa r d l e a d i n g he problem is not unique—which is a significant part of the problem. “We don’t “IF THE HIGHEST AIM OF A CAPTAIN WERE TO PRESERVE HIS SHIP, HE WOULD KEEP IT IN PORT FOREVER.” have a particularly active student body,” — THOMAS AQUINAS admits Connor Hartgraves, assistant to SHU T President John Petillo. That said, very few college campuses do. According to a 2017 Newsweek report, just 49 percent of millennials voted in FINDING A VOICE– 2016, compared with 69 percent of eligible baby boomers.1 It’s numbers MAKING IT HEARD like these that are driving PioneerVote, a student-led initiative designed to get SHU has seen the data on student voter turnout— students more involved and, ideally, serve as a model for other schools. and the students are doing something about it. At the helm of the project are Mere- dith Kennedy, a political science major, and Carlos Ruiz, a marketing major. The two will bring their talents in both politics and public relations to bear while working closely with Hartgraves, ensuring PioneerVote has the full backing of the administration. Kennedy said a nationwide lack of education on the importance of voting “is a big reason why our genera- tion” is underrepresented at the polls. She was intro- duced to PioneerVote during one of her classes with Gary L. Rose, professor and chair in the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies. The idea of leading the effort resonated with her because “people in our age group don’t realize the power they have when they exercise their right to vote.” Ruiz said he welcomed the chance to join when the concept was floated before the Interfraternity Council, of which he is vice president of public relations. Employing social media—from a University-hosted website (www.sacredheart.edu/pioneervote) to Instagram to a video distributed to students–Ruiz hopes to provide his peers with insight on issues and candidates at the local, state and federal levels, as well as how and where to register. Kennedy also emphasized that PioneerVote is a strictly nonpartisan endeavor: “This is about the impor- tance of recognizing the power involved in voting.” Asked how many students they hope to register, Ken- nedy, Ruiz and Hartgraves all said, “As many as possible.” “We had 5,974 undergraduates as of fall 2018,” Hartgraves noted, “so if we can get 2,000 to 3,000 regis- tered, then I’ll be happy.” shu RISE UP! the carnegie classification of Institutions of Higher Education has reclassified Sacred Heart University to its Doctoral/Professional Universities category in recognition of SHU’s doctorate degrees in nursing practice, Percentage of eligible millenials who RISE UP! physical therapy, finance and educational leadership. Additionally, just last 49 voted in 2016 presidential election. month Sacred Heart was elevated to the national listing of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges. Rupendra Paliwal, provost and vice president for academic affairs, notes the University has been investing strategically in Percentage of eligible baby boomers graduate and doctoral programs for years. The classification, he says, “reflects who voted in 2016 presidential election. 69 our aspirations of becoming a nationally recognized university known for excellence and the relevance of its curriculum.” shu

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But things change. However quaintly small-town and endearing the Fairfield Community Theatre may have been, it simply could not compete with the multi- screen cineplexes that have come to dominate the movie-going experience. By 2001, the cinema was operating as a nonprofit, showing second-run and art-house films and staffed by a team of local volunteers, mostly high school students. It was a valiant attempt to keep the venerable establishment in business, but after 10 years of mounting debts and failing infrastructure, the marquee went dark. End Act One. Now, after an extended intermission, the lights are set to rise on Act Two when the space reopens in 2020—just in time for the building’s 100th anniversary—as the Sacred Heart Community Theater, following the signing of a 10-year lease with Kleban Properties to turn the space into a premier arts and education site. Preliminary plans call for a full-scale renovation including at least 400 seats. The refurbished venue will provide a range of offerings, including high-profile lectures, author talks, unique films, concerts and performances not only for University students, staff and faculty, but—true to its name—open to the entire community. “This project is another example of how a university gives back to the community where it resides,” said SHU President John FROM THE OLD MARQUEE J. Petillo. “We plan to turn this into a After a nine-year intermission at the Fairfield ON THE POST ROAD AT contemporary venue for the University and Community Theater, a new partnership with LEFT TO A REIMAGINED the community while maintaining many of SHU has the curtain set to rise on … THEATER-FRONT the classical features that have been part of MARQUEE ABOVE, THE downtown Fairfield for 100 years. That we COMMUNITY THEATER can breathe new life into this building after HAS BEEN A LANDMARK years of dormancy is truly exciting.” IN DOWNTOWN FAIRFIELD Kleban will renovate the theater to FOR NEARLY A CENTURY. Sacred Heart’s specifications, providing a ACT TWO state-of-the-art space for academic explo- ration and experiential learning in the t opened in 1920 on the corner of Post and Un- arts and humanities. Students will also be quowa roads, at the heart of the Fairfield community, involved in the management of the site, which, of course, would give it its name. The first gaining vital experience in operating an arts I film to be shown there was the 1921 Jackie Coogan venue. film,Peck’s Bad Boy. Over the years, it has seen its “The Community Theater ... has long fair share of renovations and remodelings—balconies been an iconic landmark in our town,” said added, lounges removed, an organ rising from the basement, Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau. “I the single auditorium split into two screens. Its marquee has, at am thrilled it will finally be reopened.” some time or another, boasted nearly every movie title worth Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seeing in the 20th century. seats ... shu

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CHRISTIAN CARTER gram (which will pair Noyce scholars in AND SABRINA IMAGINATION their junior year with a STEM teacher in GARONE BEHIND a high-need school district) and targeted THE SCENES AT STEM education workshops. WSHU; ON THE MIC, IGNITION As a result, the scholars will be better NATALIE CIOFFARI prepared to help their elementary students SHU responds to a critical shortage of STEM-qualified teachers understand and solve problems holistical- ly, integrating the various STEM perspec- in underperforming school districts. tives. This will especially aid students in multicultural and high-need classrooms who may need multiple perspectives and reinforcement to improve math and wo years ago The Connecticut STEM elementary (K-5) teachers in local, science skills. Mirror reported that “hundreds high-need areas through a revised edu- “This opportunity helps SHU continue of teaching positions go un- cation curriculum as well as engagement to grow a sustained vision and inter- filled each year because school in service learning and inquiry-based disciplinary culture for teaching and T districts can’t find qualified research experiences. The program will leading in STEM education,” says Kristin candidates.” At the heart of the recruit prospective first-year and transfer Rainville, associate professor and director matter is a shortage of teachers familiar students, as well as matriculated first- and of the Center for Excellence and Inno- with Common Core math and Next Gen- second-year students, with an emphasis vation in Teaching at SHU. The Univer- eration Science Standards, both of which on underrepresented minority students, sity’s response to the growing need for are critical to the evolution of STEM— first-generation college students, low- STEM-prepared teachers, incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering and er-income students and veterans. Scholars an interdisciplinary approach from the Math—subjects. As a result, “thousands earning their Bachelor of Science degree Isabelle Farrington College of Education, of students are being taught by long-term in interdisciplinary STEM and a Master the College of Arts and Sciences and at any time in memory—may raise a few eyebrows. substitutes—most of them in the state’s of Arts in teaching will receive financial the School of Computer Sciences and “Wellll …” Carter has heard the challenge before. lowest-performing districts.” aid and student support that includes a Engineering in the Jack Welch College of LIVE AND DIRECT “‘Media’ is a pretty big umbrella,” he says, meaning (to It’s easy to see how hobbling underper- nine-month graduate teacher internship, Business, represents, as Rainville says, “the mix metaphors) we shouldn’t throw out the baby with forming districts with unqualified teachers faculty advising, a master’s mentoring pro- best of SHU.” shu A shared fellowship between WSHU and Sacred Heart gives the bathwater. only perpetuates an educational crisis. “The criticism of agenda-driven media in the main- In response, Sacred Heart University has master’s candidates an invaluable opportunity. stream is valid,” says Sabrina Garone, SHU ’18 and the partnered with the Norwalk, Bridgeport third fellow added to the team. “It’s scary.” and Stratford school districts to devel- “We’re putting a real burden on the consumer,” says op SISTEMEC—Scholars Integrating Joe Alicastro, director of the master of broadcast jour- Science Tech Engineering and Math in ometimes you get lucky. Sometimes like nalism & media production program at Sacred Heart. Elementary Classrooms. With the help attracts like. Sometimes you find a shared “Too many sources are inaccurate or fake.” As such, of a $1.2 million grant from the National sense of purpose in your own backyard. reliable, factual journalism is perhaps more important Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teach- “What I love most,” says Terry Sheridan, now than ever before. er Scholarship Program, SISTEMEC will S news director at WSHU, “What really excites To get there, says WSHU’s Sheridan, “You need to prepare 18 scholars over a five-year period me, is the way both institutions are driven by approach each story with a curious mind, so that you to teach STEM in high-need, multicultur- a sense of mission.” are fair to the evidence first.” al elementary schools. The institutions in question are Sacred Heart Univer- That sort of example of journalistic integrity is exact- “Improving teachers’ abilities to teach sity and NPR, National Public Radio, or more specifi- ly the kind of experience Alicastro’s budding media pro- STEM disciplines and make connections cally WSHU, the NPR affiliate situated on campus at fessionals need. Meanwhile, Sheridan is quick to point between STEM subjects will provide stu- Sacred Heart. Their intersection occurs in the form of out that the benefits of the fellowship go both ways. As dents with the skills necessary to tackle the three two-year-long fellowships at the station for candi- the fellows begin filing actual stories for broadcast, “It’s ever-changing scientific and technological dates in Sacred Heart’s master of broadcast journalism & important that they don’t pretend to be anything they’re world that lies ahead,” said Mark Beekey, media production program. not. They’re young—they should sound young. If they chair and professor of biology at SHU. The mission? A humble empathy, a tenacious curiosity have an accent, they shouldn’t hide it. People want An interdisciplinary project from and a commitment to serving the greater good that is at authenticity. This gives us the opportunity to find voices SHU, SISTEMEC will increase the the heart of both WSHU and Sacred Heart. as diverse as the community we serve.” number and effectiveness of qualified “I love learning,” says Christian Carter, who That sense of service resonates deeply with pioneered the fellowship along with fellow SHU Cioffari. ’17 grad Natalie Cioffari. “As a reporter, “As a journalist, you take an oath to represent HARNESSING CHILDREN’S I learn and the public learns as well.” the people factually,” she says. “To do that, you NATURAL CURIOSITY AND That said, entering the media profession at a have to be a little bit of everyone. You’re a detec- PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS time when the media faces such intense scrutiny tive and a scientist, a student and a teacher. IS CENTRAL TO SUCCESSFUL and blanket castigation—arguably more so than “Most of all,” she says, “you’re a human.” shu STEM TEACHING.

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THE RUINED REMAINS c o n n e c t i n g t h e d o t s OF AN EARLY GAELIC MONASTERY ON SKELLIG MICHAEL. THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE,

returning to the Christianity of his youth, THE POWER OF THE PRESS but rather “Christian for the first time.” Unsurprisingly, Moriarty’s faith was far WHERE IS Additionally, the Courant from conventional. As Michael Hig- DINGLE? is able to place the issues gins, distinguished professor of Catholic Dingle is a in the context of current thought at Sacred Heart and executive small port town events, DeNardis points out, director of the John Moriarty Institute, on southwest particularly in the state legis- explains, Moriarty engaged himself “in a Ireland’s Dingle lature and executive branch, larger task than simply recovering from a Peninsula, in order to help understand breakdown—he was rethinking dogma, known for its how public opinion factors constructing a creative alignment of cre- rugged scenery, into policy decisions in real ation and redemption, finding an answer trails and sandy “There’s a lot of noise out time. For example, a SHU to the legacy of Darwin’s Origins that had beaches. there,” says Andrew Julien, Policy Poll conducted in May unsettled his universe when a teenager.” editor-in-chief of The Hart- by GreatBlue Research of The result is a body of work—notes, ford Courant, the nation’s Glastonbury provided insight books, poems, interviews and lectures— For further oldest continuously published on the public’s thoughts on weaving a tapestry of faith, science and information newspaper. “It’s up to us as a electronic tolls, quality of life, philosophy that fearlessly embraces the on the John newspaper to be able to cut the governor’s job approval possibilities inherent in unanswered Moriarty through that noise and get to and legalizing marijuana. But, questions and demands a commitment to Institute, the actual facts and data that as DeNardis says, “Disem- stewardship as a means of actively appreci- visit https:// drive the issues.” bodied data points do not ating the spiritual in the physical. shuindingle.com/ To that end, this past advance the discussion.” So, The John Moriarty Institute of Ecology john-moriarty- spring, the paper entered in the week following the and Spirituality, housed at the SHU institute/ into a yearlong partnership release of the findings of that JOHN MORIARTY: campus in Dingle, was established by with the Institute for Public poll, The Hartford Courant versity College, Dublin—Moriarty refused the University, recognizing the mission it Policy at Sacred Heart and, ran a series of four consecu- WANDERER AND to be bound by anything like a traditional shares with Moriarty’s legacy—cultivating more specifically, the SHU tive stories, allowing them to path. a thoughtful union of spirituality and Policy Poll that conducts a go deeper into the discus- He taught and lectured at such insti- reason, treasuring creation with an en- new poll of Connecticut resi- sion, engaging readers and WONDERER tutions as Leeds University, the University lightened stewardship and lived wisdom, dents roughly every quarter. stimulating conversation. of Galway, the University of Manitoba, inspiring the courage to truly make one’s The Institute is an indepen- “What the Courant does shu SHU launches the John Moriarty Institute from MIT and a Catholic boys’ boarding school life an expression of one’s faith. dent, nonpartisan organiza- that we could never do on in Staffordshire, England. He also lived tion whose mission expressly our own is to widely publicize its campus in Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland. homeless for a time—by choice—sleep- challenges them to inform and disseminate poll results,” ing rough in Hyde Park, London, and public policy debate and DeNardis says. “The poll is spending his days reading in the British foster constructive discourse only good insofar as citizens Library. While still young, Darwin’s On on pressing issues facing and policymakers are aware dds are you’ve never heard of the Origin of Species taught him that the Connecticut through survey of it.” It is that aspect of the John Moriarty. Among those “universe ... seemed infinitely indifferent, research and public opinion partnership—giving Con- who knew him, or know of even hostile” to his purposes. As a grown polls. As such, there is what necticut residents a means O him, it has been said that the man, he seemed to test—or perhaps taunt Lesley DeNardis, director of to connect the dots between Irish philosopher, poet, amateur —this notion by walking purposefully and the Institute, calls a “signifi- public opinion, poll results scientist, mystic, visionary reli- perilously out into the heart of a Manito- cant commonality of interest.” and the policy process in gious thinker and all-around intellectual ba blizzard. “The Institute’s core Hartford—that is central to eclectic outlier was not only “not under- If there was a constant in Moriarty’s mission to conduct academic the core values and mission stood in his lifetime; he was not even life, it seems to have been a persisting research on pressing public of both institutions. misunderstood.” distrust of the trappings of comfort. He policy issues in Connecticut “We get to provide mean- Such is the cost of being ahead of left Winnipeg to discover his “bush soul” and the Courant’s position as ingful content informing key one’s time. as a hermit in the wilds of Connemara; but the paper of record for state political conversations to both However traditionally his education even there the weight of thought, the para- government seemed like a policymakers and the public might have begun—born in 1938 in dox of learning, the knowledge of darkness natural fit,” she says. they serve,” says Julien. Moyvane, County Kerry, Moriarty studied overwhelmed him. It was at this point, by “This really adds a ‘voice And in these noisy times, locally at St Michael’s College, Listowel, his own account “ruined beyond remedy of the people’ to the pro- what could be better than before heading off the big city and Uni- and repair,” that he found himself not cess,” says Julien. that? shu

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Too often ‘opportunity’ is exclusively synonymous with privilege. CAUSE AND EFFECT Brian Hamilton is determined to change that.

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BRIAN HAMILTON DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO.

He’s a man of action, certainly. The 1987 Sacred Heart alum, entrepreneur, philanthropist and former University trustee has been working essentially every day of his adult life, and then some. With humble Bridgeport beginnings, Hamilton has recalled in oth- er interviews selling soap and Christmas wrapping door-to-door as a young boy. An undergraduate in the early days of the school, when Sacred Heart was still a commuter college and most of the students had a least some side hustle, Hamilton started a landscap- ing business to make ends meet and would carry his earnings in cash to the bursar’s office to pay his tui- tion. He went on to grad school, earning his MBA at Duke and eventually becoming a professor there in addition to serving as the minority business consul- tant for the North Carolina SBA. Expanding his work into volunteerism, Hamil- ton joined his friend, the Reverend Robert Harris, in his prison ministry, helping convicts find gain- ful legal employment on the outside. Their work led the two to launch Inmates to Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit aimed at helping the incarcerated learn the skills necessary to start their own busi-

WORKING WITH INMATES AT THE GASTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, NORTH CAROLINA, AS PART OF INMATES TO ENTREPRENEURS.

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nesses once they are released from prison. At the “What that school has managed to achieve,” he neurs was rebranded as the Brian Hamilton Founda- same time, Hamilton and a student of his at Duke, adds, “represents America to me.” It’s the belief that tion, seeking to help not only the formerly incarcer- computer programmer Sarah Tourville, cofounded cause and effect can be more powerful than circum- ated but all socioeconomic outliers, like minorities, Sageworks, the nation’s first financial technology stance, that there is a sense of order that ties hard veterans and those lacking education—anyone “with company. Over the next 20 years, Hamilton grew work to reward. You know: the American Dream. the odds stacked against them” as its website states— Sageworks to employ more than 400 people and What Hamilton did not realize until well into his people much like those working-class and first- and become the largest provider of software to financial 40s was that the order he’d always assumed was nat- second-generation Americans who were the founda- institutions across the U.S. ural was, in fact, learned from experience. Growing tion of Sacred Heart. So you can say he’s kept himself busy. up, the Hamilton family may not have been born “There is intellectual property people have that But in 2018, Hamilton sold Sageworks and his with silver spoons in their mouths, but Brian’s father, they don’t know they have,” Hamilton says. “Expe- interest in it to the private equity firm Accel-KKR. the former Marine, certainly understood the benefits riences and resourcefulness that they don’t realize are And so now, as one might say, “unemployed” for of perseverance and determination: if you want to relevant. We want to change that. We want to rede- essentially the first time in his life, Brian Hamilton play the game, you practice; if you want to pass the fine the advantage.” admits, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” test, you study; if you want to earn the money, you To do that, Hamilton again turns to his experi- There’s a tell in that sentence, however. He doesn’t work. It always seemed obvious. ences at SHU. wonder what to do; he wonders what he is going to do. Like most things, however, it’s only obvious if it’s “The best course I had was a class called Religious The difference is subtle, but important. Both phrases eponymous personification of the what you know. But what if, for whatever reason, and Philosophical History.” That, Hamilton says, address uncertainty. But the first—wondering what to Establishment. What that picture you’ve never known it? What if you’ve never expe- was the class that opened him up to thinking about do—implies bewilderment, befuddlement, a sense doesn’t tell you is that Hamilton is “IN PRISON, rienced that relationship between effort Thinking. “More than anything, the liberal arts teach of being overtaken to the extent that there even also the first of his family to go to and result? Then the world would seem a you how to think. They exercise that capacity to crit- exists the option of doing nothing. The second college, that his father didn’t even THEY CAN cruelly random place. ically analyze. And I remember in that class realizing phrase, however, the phrase Hamilton actually uses— complete high school (opting in- SNIFF OUT “MORE THAN In a public school system where local that everything, from theological beliefs to economic casually, instinctively, it should be noted—takes stead for the Marines, the elder A PHONY IN taxes support local schools, “Education is models to assembly lines, all of it can be broken down a different path. It assumes not only action but Hamilton later did earn his GED). ANYTHING, fundamentally skewed against the poor and studied as systems.” That realization not only be- personal responsibility for that action in one breath. So when he walks into a prison, 10 SECONDS.” THE LIBERAL and minorities,” Hamilton notes. “Four came the foundation for his own vocation as an en- Such is the mind of an entrepreneur. Circum- as he has done these last 27 (and ARTS TEACH out of five people in the U.S. cannot read trepreneur, but it informs everything the Foundation stances are data points: some are advantageous, counting) years, seeking to help at grade level.” How can individuals be does to improve the lives of their clients. some are not; some you can control, some you convicts (arguably the most anti of YOU HOW TO held fully responsible for their decisions “We teach them the technical stuff,” he says. “The cannot. Sometimes there is uncertainty. See it all, anti-Establishment) not only find a way back into THINK.” when those decisions—fundamentally— nuts and bolts of how to start a business.” But those recognize it for what it is and act, never allowing society, but to become some of its most valuable cannot be fully informed? nuts and bolts foundationally change their clients’ yourself to become distracted from the fact that members—Main Street business owners and en- And so it was that Inmates to Entrepre- thought processes. They build connections and give your actions are your own. trepreneurs—Hamilton brings with him the one them practice at critical, lateral thinking, showing So Brian Hamilton doesn’t know what he’s going thing that cannot be denied: the grit of experience. ABOVE them multiple effects from any single cause, giving to do; but something will be done, and he will be “In prison, they can sniff out a phony in 10 sec- THE BRIAN HAMILTON them options so that obstacles are no longer the end the one doing it. onds,” Hamilton says, “so you focus on the content. FOUNDATION HELPED of the road but rather merely circumstances to be ACQUIRE MORE THAN “When you’re in Brian’s presence, you’re in the pres- How do you start a lawn service? How are you going 500 LAPTOPS FOR considered, assessed and managed—as they would ence of a top-flight CEO,” says Professor Gary Rose. to mow your first lawn? UNDERPRIVILEGED be for any entrepreneur. Rose taught Hamilton as a freshman, coached him as “We all have dreams,” he continues. “Let’s not STUDENTS. Indeed, as they would be for Hamilton himself, a college debater and remains a friend still. “There are get wrapped up in expectations. Let’s focus on the whose current circumstance is that uncertainty with just some people who are very directional, very goal content and help people where they are.” which we began. Between speaking engagements, oriented. There was never any sense of entitlement His mission, many have noted (including Hamil- AT RIGHT the Foundation and his family, there is certainly “HAPPINESS IS A BANK with Brian. He’s not a man with aristocratic tenden- ton himself), bears a striking resemblance to that of SHOT,” HAMILTON TOLD plenty to keep the man busy. But for someone like cies. Success has always been about performance. It his alma mater. “It started as a working-class school, SHU’S CLASS OF 2019. Brian Hamilton, “busy” is not enough. doesn’t surprise me that he can work with inmates.” one hundred percent,” he says. “Sacred Heart was “YOU DON’T GET HAPPY “I want to add value,” he says, looking at the world Indeed, Hamilton works very well with in- founded to give people a chance who might not DIRECTLY. YOU GET around him, assessing it and his place in it with the HAPPY BY GIVING TO mates: something of a feat, given that the tall, trim, [otherwise] have it. It was started by strivers, and OTHER PEOPLE. I THINK systems he knows best. “I’m just not sure how yet. So well-spoken, gray-haired white gentleman of a cer- they gave a culture to the University so that even as THAT’S THE WAY WE’RE I go day by day and I make a list. tain age is the absolute picture of The Man, that the University changes, that culture remains. CONSTRUCTED.” “I don’t know any other way.” shu

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ALL THE KIDS ARE DOING

BUT IS VAPING JUST BIG TOBACCO’S LATEST SMOKE-AND-MIRRORST TRICK?

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it or not, her generation was jeweling’s guin- ca Samuolis, ran a survey of undergraduates It’s worth noting that e-cigarette manu- KNOW BEFORE ucts—including e-cigarettes and their par- ea pigs. Morgan noted the slang as strange, funded by a grant from Southern Con- facturers don’t deny any of this; they simply YOU VAPE: aphernalia—to 21 throughout the state. but conversation moved on. Whatever they necticut State University. With responses argue that vaping is less harmful than smok- WHAT’S INSIDE At Sacred Heart, existing restrictions were talking about, it was clear most of the from more than a quarter of the student ing. One might think that’s a pretty low AN E-CIG regarding public tobacco use on campus students anticipated negative health out- body, the professors learned that more than bar to get over, but even so, public health are being rewritten to include vaping in comes, and yet all seemed oddly resigned. two thirds of students had used e-cigarettes officials are quick to point out there is no NICOTINE an attempt to reduce visibility and to curb Morgan googled the word, but only got at some point. Of that group, only one in reliable evidence to support such a claim. Highly addictive. Linked to the normalization of the practice. At the developmental problems in images of diamonds and rubies and the like. five could say he or she had quit the prac- “The product is just too new for there to adolescent and developing same time, an aggressive education cam- She approached her colleague and friend, tice, leaving well over half the total number be any long-term studies on the effect of brains—issues such as attention, paign—“know the risks. know the re- Anna Greer, director of the master of public of students surveyed to describe themselves its use,” Greer explains, a problem further learning, mood and impulse sources. kNOw vape.”—was spearheaded control. Also, changes the way health program, but Greer, too, had no idea as either active or occasional users of vap- compounded by the fact that in 2017 the synapses are formed in the by Gabrielle Diaz, a graduate assistant in what this new slang was. “We even searched ing products and e-cigarettes. FDA decided to allow e-cigarettes to re- brain as new memories and the master of public health program, while ‘drooling’ in case I was hearing them wrong,” But what was more worrying was the main on the market until 2022 without its skills are learned. Also, linked to a Tobacco Cessation Network has been es- Morgan admits, amused in hindsight at her shocking level of ignorance surrounding review. When public health groups sued the a higher likelihood of addiction tablished on campus to assist any student to other drugs later in life. naiveté. Frustrated, the professors came the risks of the habit. Health science kids agency earlier this year—and won—U.S. or faculty member interested in quitting back to the students themselves. are the sort of consumers who bother to Judge Paul Grimm called the FDA’s delay smoking or vaping with free, one-on-one “And they were like, ‘Duh! JUUL!’” read the label. Not so, the rest of the pop- “so extreme as to amount to an abdication AEROSOL meetings with tobacco cessation specialists Greer recalls. ulation, as the survey bore out. For a start, of its statutory responsibilities.” Creates the vapor which the from the master of public health, health user inhales in lieu of cigarette And the professors’ ignorance turned to most respondents believed they were inhal- Even as regards vaping’s advertised use— smoke. Contains ultrafine science and psychology departments. incredulity. ing harmless water vapor. But the vapor, smoking cessation—the optics aren’t good. particles, volatile organic com- All of this because just two years ago, JUUL is a brand of e-cigarette, an elec- as noted above, is actually an aerosol, of- Tobacco giant Altria recently paid $13 bil- pounds and heavy metals such two public health professors were flum- tronic device roughly the size of a large pen ten containing such heavy metals as lead, lion for a 35 percent stake in JUUL, an odd as nickel, tin and lead—all of moxed by the conversations they were hear- which are inhaled into the lungs or a USB memory stick. It heats a “pod” nickel and tin—all significantly damaging move until one learns that multiple studies and bloodstream. ing and decided to start asking questions. of “juice,” a pleasantly flavored liquid that to brain development. Also, those sweetly indicate that non-smokers who start vaping This summer’s developments, such as the almost always contains some level of nico- enticing flavors like “Waterberry Crush” have a significantly increased likelihood of hospitalizations and deaths related to vap- DIACETYL tine—e-cigarettes were initially developed and “Cotton Candy Fluff” are made using transitioning to combustible cigarettes over Used to provide vaping prod- ing, make those professors’ efforts seem all as a tool to assist with smoking cessation. diacetyl—a chemical harmless when eaten, time. In other words, Big Tobacco is betting ucts with their array of sweet the more prescient. That heated juice becomes an aerosol va- but which, when heated and inhaled, is e-cigarettes will get people to start smoking. flavors. Initially used to give “This is absolutely worth my time,” por users inhale (as they would tobacco known to cause a serious breakdown in the And who better to hook than the kids? microwave popcorn its buttery Greer says, explaining her decision to re- flavor, diacetyl is harmless when smoke from a traditional cigarette) to get a lungs called bronchiolitis obliterans, more With flavors like mint and mango and eaten. However, when heated direct time and attention away from her “rip” of nicotine. Generically, the practice commonly known as “popcorn lung.” banana cream pie, the highest uptake in and inhaled, diacetyl is known diet and exercise research and focus on is called “vaping,” but JUUL dominates Then of course there’s the nicotine, often vaping—by far—is the adolescent and un- to be linked to bronchiolitis ob- what the CDC has identified as a growing literans, also known as “popcorn an alarming rise in illesses—and even the market to such an extent that its name compared to heroin for the strength of its der-25 crowd. “It’s not unreasonable to as- epidemic. And certainly, with Big Tobacco lung.” The condition obstructs some deaths—connected to the use of elec- has become verbified, and “juuling”—the hold on the addict, known to hinder brain sume they’re targeting a younger audience,” the smallest airways of the lungs backing the vaping industry with such a tronic cigarettes has garnered an increasing word the professors were hearing—is now development in adolescents and linked to a says Connecticut State Representative through inflammation, causing a sizeable investment, this is a fight that has amount of media attention over the last synonymous with vaping. litany of issues such as poor cognition, anxi- Cristin McCarthy Vahey. “Even Walmart dry cough, wheezing, shortness only just begun. A of breath and fatigue. several months. So much so, it may be hard Their incredulity stemmed from the ety, depression, a tendency toward drug use won’t sell the stuff,” she says, referring to But Greer’s not backing down. “If we to recall that prior to the summer of 2019 idea that a practice developed (as far as they and an increased likelihood of addiction the chain’s decision to pull fruit-flavored had fought sugar or tobacco properly,” she the practice of “vaping” hardly gathered were aware) for smoking cessation would later in life. The vast majority of e-cigarettes e-cigarette products from its shelves in says, “at the beginning and with every- mainstream media attention at all. become a social trend itself. These weren’t and pod juices contain at least some level of May of this year over concerns the prod- thing we had, who knows what we might But such was the case in the fall of 2017 kids looking to quit smoking. They were nicotine—even many of those claiming to ucts were actively marketed to youth. have accomplished?” when Kerry Morgan, clinical assistant pro- kids who had started vaping—and quite a be nicotine-free2—and some, like JUUL, With no federal oversight, many state, Now, with Greer and Morgan, Mc- fessor in health sciences, was moderating lot of them. “To hear the students tell it, proudly boast that a single pod contains as local and private communities are taking Carthy Vahey and Diaz, businesses like an in-class discussion among her students. ‘everyone’ was juuling,” recalls Greer. much nicotine as a full pack of tradition- matters into their own hands. Thanks to Walmart, states like Connecticut and One student was expressing concern over Anecdotal data isn’t data, however, so al cigarettes. Yet the majority of survey re- the Tobacco21 bill sponsored by McCar- schools like Sacred Heart all rolling up how easy it was for his 14-year-old sister to Morgan and Greer, along with their col- spondents were unaware that e-cigarettes thy Vahey, Connecticut recently raised the their sleeves for the fight, we may just get get a jewel. Another commented that, like league in the psychology department, Jessi- contained any nicotine at all. age limit to buy any tobacco-related prod- to find out. shu

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“show me your recreation and fitness center ...” It’s a common request on campus tours nationwide. Students are asking about rec programs and what they HEALTHY HISTORY offer, says Kevin Herrick, AIA, the higher-ed practice 3 W leader and a principal at The S/L/A/M Collaborative that ergoglio Hall’s CrossFit gym and the designed Sacred Heart’s new Bobby Valentine Health & Center for Healthcare Education’s Recreation Center. “It’s not just about physical fitness Balance Kitchen dining facility are either,” he notes, “but about whether they can get on Btwo strong examples of how Sacred Heart Managed three an intramural team or meet people outside their major.” promotes student health and wellness. teams in the E The investment in facilities that address the non-aca- “As far as I know, we’re the only college Major Leagues demic side of campus life is a longtime trend for colleges, in the Northeast that has an official CrossFit — the Texas driven in part by a focus on the well-being of the whole affiliate on campus,” says Vidal. Over 200 Rangers, New student, notes Athletic Business magazine in a 2015 sur- sophomore and freshman students reside at vey of what students want from campus recreation facility the hall, but any student with an interest in A space. A 2018 article in the same publication observes that being healthier can use the facility. campus rec centers are evolving to offer a broad array of Vidal gets a lot of questions from in- fitness needs, rather than just those of athletes and exercise coming students at open houses. “They’ll 5 enthusiasts. email me, wanting to know more about Healthy Campus 2020, an American College Health CrossFit,” he says. R Association initiative inspired by the nationwide Healthy Meanwhile, every campus dining People 2020 objectives, is another indication of higher facility offers healthy meal options. Yet education’s focus on student health and wellness. The Balance Kitchen, at the new Center for effort challenges colleges to create social and physical Healthcare Education, is unique. The E environments that promote good health through collab- state-of-the-art open kitchen venue oration between offices managing health care, academics goes “all in” on promoting a healthy and student affairs, as well as top administration. and sustainable lifestyle through better At Sacred Heart, the focus on helping students lead food choices, education, information, healthy lifestyles has been evident in its academic pro- technology and incentives. A grams for health professionals, its food service choices “It’s really cool to see that,” says Vidal, 53 and its fitness centers within residence halls, such as adding that since CrossFit is very metabol- the CrossFit facility at Bergoglio Hall. As Channing ically demanding, he’s a health food nut. Holds state C. Vidal, director of student conduct and head coach And, of course, Balance Kitchen’s offer- record for career at that facility, puts it, “Health plays into our Catholic ings match the interests of most students touchdowns L mission to develop the best overall humans that we can.” pursuing careers in fields such as exercise in high school. “For decades, we have made a commitment to health,” science and public health or who dream Played at says James M. Barquinero, senior vice president for enroll- of becoming physician assistants, nurses, ment, student affairs and athletics. “It’s not a fad for us. It’s athletic trainers or physical therapists. L part of our value set. And it resonates nicely ... with par- ents and their sons or daughters who are visiting institu- tions as part of their search process. [They are] impressed with this commitment to recreation and staying fit.” THOMAS LAWLESS ‘21 That encompasses both physical and mental health as PREVIOUS PAGES AND MEGAN LYNCH SCALE THE CLIMBING WALL well as a large selection of Division I athletic programs, IN THE NEW BOBBY VALENTINE HEALTH & I club sports, intramurals and recreation sports. RECREATION CENTER. Now, the addition of the $21.8 million Bobby Valen- ABOVE AND RIGHT THE SCHOOL OF NURSING’S tine Health & Recreation Center to campus this summer BALANCE KITCHEN STOCKS ONLY HEALTHY OPTIONS N. takes the support of healthy lifestyles to a new level. TO HELP KEEP DIET, LIFE AND EXERCISE IN HARMONY.

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HEALTHY FUTURE

he new Health & Recreation importance of physical fitness as a part of LONG AFTER THE POMP Center is sure to become the place the whole person, and certainly offers that AND CIRCUMSTANCE OF for students to see and be seen WOW factor for visitors—whether they ITS GALA OPENING, THE BOBBY VALENTINE HEALTH Tthis fall and beyond. are guests of the president looking out of & RECREATION CENTER “It’s transparent, visible—no more the end zone on game day or prospective WILL SERVE THE FITNESS $21.8 going down into the basement for students and families as they tour cam- AND WELL-BEING OF THE weight rooms. Floor-to-ceiling windows pus. Most importantly, however, Herrick SHU COMMUNITY. look out to the football field or the expects it will house “a tremendous INVESTMENT softball field or a beautiful forested area,” amount of vibrancy” for SHU students. $21.8 million says Herrick. “And as you walk in, you’re One might even say that it will be the greeted by this great volume of space students who give the building its Heart. shu that is floor-to-ceiling glass.” The entry’s 40-foot climbing wall serves as a landmark that makes the building 57K unmistakable from across campus. Look up and there’s the fitness area and running BUILDING track weaving through it. “You’ll see all 57,400 sq. feet kinds of activity above,” Herrick says, adding that the second and third levels are dedicated to all sorts of recreation. The rec gym, for example, can accommodate basketball, indoor soccer and floor hockey. 7K The third floor houses a juice bar. The lower level, with a separate FITNESS entrance, is geared toward athletes and CENTER their training. Besides coach offices, ath- 7,000 sq. feet letic team rooms and an athlete laundry facility, it features offices and training areas for club sports. Then there’s a golf simulation area that can be used by anyone during 5K off-season or by the golf team during inclement weather. “It’s blurring that BOWLING line—serving double duty between ath- CENTER letics and recreation,” notes Herrick. 5,000 sq. feet In a similar vein, the bowling center, complete with LED widescreen moni- tors, is for both the women’s Division I bowling team’s competitions and for the general student body’s evening entertain- 40 ment. “At the flip of a switch, it turns to school colors and becomes a competitive CLIMBING WALL environment,” says Herrick. 40 feet high Overall, the Bobby Valentine Health & Recreation Center celebrates the

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borders have been drawn and spoke. With a quiet wisdom beyond his vice, Duran was developing something of years, Duran knew “there are things you a reputation. His empathy, that willing- redrawn throughout the cen- really can’t learn in a classroom. Whatever ness to value the Other—at home and on turies, often with little regard the subject, nothing is better than learn- their terms—was becoming his way of ing from the people who experienced it.” bringing the world together, and he want- for the people who actually live there ... and sometimes pur- And so, taking the term “global studies” to ed more time in the Balkans for his work. posely in spite of them. National identity is more a matter heart, Duran had already made multiple He applied for an extension of service service trips to Guatemala and Bangladesh within the Peace Corps. of family and faction than any geographic fact. Grudges are while still an undergrad, as well as spend- But if two years in Kosovo taught him passed down like inheritances. Wounded trust bleeds for gen- ing time living with the Lakota Sioux anything, it is to remember that every along the Cheyenne River. Three months Other has an Other of its own. For Koso- erations. In this part of the world, history has long fingers. In after graduation, he was off again—this vars, that’s the Serbs—and vice versa— these parts, history is very much present. time to Kosovo as part of the Peace Corps, even as both nations share not only a rich teaching English and working in commu- culture and history prior to their separa- Kosovo—formerly a territory of Serbia, itself formerly a state nity development programs there. tion but a rich language still. of Yugoslavia—was recognized by the West as an independent But when distrust is the default, develop- Which gave Duran an idea. ing “community” can be an uphill struggle. He applied to Fulbright. If, he rea- nation some 20 years ago at the end of the Kosovo War. That “So many people here thought I was soned, he could take his experience in war, of course, came on the heels of the Bosnian War and the a spy,” Duran says. “They just couldn’t Kosovo and share it in Serbia, while at the understand why someone from America same time introducing the outside world greater hodgepodge of separate but related Yugoslav Wars. To would come all this way to volunteer.” to the rich culture and history of both na- this day, Serbians resist recognizing Kosovo’s independence. His response was both simple and pro- tions, the result just might help remind all found—and typical of the humility that parties of the humanity we share. Kosovo is something of a sacred region to the Serbs, and there guides Duran in practically all he does. Fulbright agreed. is a deep distrust for the West—and America in particular— “We never really studied Yugoslavia in the This fall, Duran resumes his duties as States,” he says, “and I wanted to know: a teacher of English, though now with for having helped take the country away from them. what hadn’t I learned?” So, though osten- college students who already have some Committee. “But what Adyel’s been able known with typical calm. “I just don’t feel sibly there as a teacher of English, Duran command of the language and—most to do is leverage his experience in Koso- like I’m done yet. There are so many more made it his mission to learn Serbian—and significantly—across the border in Ser- vo over the last few years to inform his stories to be heard.” then to perfect his Serbian—so that he bia. With his students, Duran will build mission in Serbia.” Ironically, the biggest And it’s this final comment, offhand could learn the history in the language it a website translating poetry into and out hurdle Duran faced when arriving in the and unprepared, that says more about was lived, earning trust by offering respect. of both Serbian and English, but avoiding region may prove to be his greatest asset: Adyel Duran than anything else to this It’s an injury that runs deeper than land He often seems to be living the Prayer literal translations whenever possible. In- now, as a trusted outsider, he can appreci- point. In three sentences he casually sums or politics or borders. “There are houses of Saint Francis, line by line. Of course stead, Duran hopes to focus on universal ate the burden of history without carrying up faith, uncertainty and his role as the here older than the United States,” says Duran would be the one to make a gift experiential and emotional markers, using its weight personally. servant of something larger than himself. Adyel Duran via a patchy Skype connec- of learning when assigned the role of humanity’s shared experience to heal cul- “He’s doing amazing things,” adds Pro- Without using the words exactly, he knows tion from his host family’s home in south- teacher—Grant that I may never seek ... tural differences. With his award, Duran fessor Robin Danzak who, as faculty fellow he is the channel of a greater peace. What eastern Kosovo. He’s not talking of gran- so much to be understood as to understand. becomes the eighth member of the Sacred for internationalization at SHU, advised he does not realize, what he is too humble diose manors and mansions. He’s talking But that’s the nature of this old soul in Heart family in only 11 years to win Ful- Duran on his application process and who to recognize, is how this makes him exact- about the houses in the villages. The a young man’s clothing. Repeatedly (and bright’s recognition for the school—and is, like McCloud, herself a former Ful- ly the ambassador we need. Undaunted homes people live in. The wood and stone often in the most subtle, unintentional the sixth (of those eight) to be focusing bright recipient. “He really captured the by the fears that surround him, inspired and glass, the gardens and the cobbles that ways), he reveals a desire to be the bring- their work in the Balkans. Fulbright spirit of wanting to develop a by the humanity we share, Duran is com- breathe the stories of generations. er of peace rather than its recipient. But “There are grudges in that region go- genuine exchange of culture,” she says. fortable with the uncomfortable work of Duran, Sacred Heart’s first global stud- more on that later. ing back hundreds of years,” says Bob Mc- “I don’t know what it will lead to,” serving not himself—open armed, open ies major, had just graduated when last we In Kosovo, during his two years of ser- Cloud, chair of Sacred Heart’s Fulbright Duran says, looking forward into the un- hearted and ready. shu

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By Michael W. Higgins, Ph.D. DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF CATHOLIC THOUGHT, SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY

catholics are notoriously unaware of their history. Nicholas of Cusa, Desiderius Erasmus, to name but As a consequence, we are often inclined to see cur- a few. We have managed to surface the leaders and rent upheavals, both institutional and personal— models we need in times that cry out not for renew- clerical sex abuse, episcopal malfeasance, disclosures al, but for reform. In the past, those who came for- in the Vatican of a particularly unseemly nature— ward to lead reform were monks, nuns, bishops, etc. as unique to our time. It can seem as though it will Now it will be the laity. The idea is neither new nor never end. Will we ever break out of the darkness revolutionary. But its implementation is long overdue. that envelops us? John Henry Newman—priest, cardinal, convert The short answer is no. from Anglicanism and newly canonized saint (a Or rather, not without first shining a light into moment auspicious, welcoming and providential in that darkness and seeing what lies therein; finding our its own right)—wrote in his seminal work of 1859, bearings, as it were; determining honestly where we are On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine, of and recognizing with candor the challenges we face. several instances in church history where the laity Institutional dysfunction and a moral corrosion we actually saved the church from error. They pressured haven’t seen for centuries are compromising Catholi- their teachers and overseers on matters specific to cism’s integrity as a vessel of the Gospel, diluting its worship, but also on Eucharistic doctrine. Newman authority and squandering the faith of millions. This reminds us, pointedly, that the Church would look is not a church in transition. It is no exaggeration to not only diminished but foolish without the laity. call it a church in crisis. Indeed, we must recognize it In the third edition of his work, The Arians of the as such so that we may respond appropriately. Fourth Century, Newman is especially forthright in The celebrated monk-poet and Catholic savant, underscoring the indispensable role of the laity at Thomas Merton, wrote in Seeds of Destruction of the the Council of Nicaea when “the Catholic people civil rights movement and the special heroism it elic- in the length and breadth of Christendom were ited from the Afro-American community as a kairos the obstinate champions of Catholic truth, and the time (the Hour of the Lord) when a critical moment bishops were not.” emerges demanding decisions of a radical nature. We With Newman soon to be our canonized cham- now face such a time in global Catholicism. pion, our validating authority, it is a propitious mo- It is likewise important to note that such a time is ment to ask: what changes, what reforms, do the not without precedent. Catholic reformers may not laity want in our church governance, our ministry be legion, but their numbers are impressive: Bernard and pastoral priorities in a time of dissolution and of Clairvaux, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, remaking, in this kairos juncture?

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Lay Catholics are not asking for a new Christo- priestly ministry with their Priest Worker Move- proverbial plague. He saw himself simply as a pastor logical or Mariological dogmatic definition; they are ment. The episcopate recognized that the working called to witness to the saving power of God’s uncondi- not asking for a revision of the Code of Canon Law; classes were long lost to the church and that a bold tional love, centered on Jesus, the unique embodiment and they are not asking for a reconfiguration of pa- evangelizing initiative needed to begin, whereby of that love. His Christocentrism did not restrict the pal appointments and episcopal elevations. What priests were situated within the context of the work- appeal his writings had for many outside Catholicism they are asking for—and this is universal and not THE TIME FOR TINKERING AND ers and their lives—both on the industrial floor and and indeed Christianity; he remained immensely pop- parochial in its nature and scope—is for a scouring in the apartments. ular in his life, and his books have sold in the millions. of the rot, a cleaning of house, a restoring of pas- RENEWAL IS OVER. THE TIME FOR Yet, as is often the case, a creative response to The style and substance of Nouwen’s priesthood toral credibility to a beleaguered church leadership, SUBSTANTIVE REFORM IS UPON US. a challenging cultural shift resulted in a hunkering provide precisely the kind of Christian depth and reinstituting trust and comity with local clergy. The down by ecclesiastical authorities. Eventually Rome maturity the church needs right now. His personal laity want a responsible clergy—attentive, given suppressed the Movement and much, as a conse- ministry as a priest serves as a marker for a rejuvenat- to prayer and mercy as the primary pastoral strat- quence, has been lost. The laity must not let this ed and meaningful ministry in these tremulous, frag- egy, transparent in their dealings with the people happen again: too much is at stake. mented, yet (as they must remain) hope-filled times. of God, formed in a way that nurtures their psy- It’s time to change the way we do things; time Let me suggest one way forward. It is not enough to bewail our fractious church; cho-sexual maturity and prepares them to function to change the way we educate priest candidates for The second decade of the 21st century is a dif- we are called to heal it. Newman provides us with as sacramental ministers with spiritual integrity. effective ministry; time to find new models for pres- ferent world than 1940s France. It is time to res- a foundation and Nouwen with an example of how Just as turning to the laity for directional guid- byterial leadership that can begin the arduous but urrect this model of priestly living, and no better we can proceed with our efforts at reform. Ecclesia ance in church matters is not a new thing in Catholic creative task of reforming the priesthood. exemplar can be found than the life and ministry of semper reformanda—the church always reforming— Christianity, neither would be a systematic reform of As Newman has indicated, the laity have consid- the Dutch priest-psychologist and spiritual writer, remains a rallying summons for our time as it was the clergy. Abuses such as simony (the selling of pas- erable power to effect change—even more so when Henri J. M. Nouwen. in the past. toral offices) and Nicolaism (clerical concubinage) lay students study graduate theology for accredita- A prolific writer—39 books to his name in By undertaking the task of reforming the priest- were once widespread. The introduction of seminar- tion as well as for enrichment in far greater numbers addition to thousands of letters and countless re- hood, the laity are engaged in the work of the Lord’s ies as a means of dealing with clerical illiteracy and than seminarians, when lay people hold positions treats and public lectures—Nouwen was variously Hour. Asking the clergy to reform themselves is a consolidating teaching in such a way as to counter as diocesan chancellors, when they teach in divinity a professor (Yale and Harvard), an aspirant for the self-defeating strategy. The laity need to assert their the Reformation made perfect sense—for its era. faculties, when they serve on various tribunals and monastic life (the Trappist monastery of Our Lady rights—well articulated in the 1983 updating of the But now we have a new era, and the curse or sin commissions and when, in some cases, they actually of the Genesee in upstate New York), a liberation Code of Canon Law—and be as persuasive as they of clericalism—denounced at the Second Vatican function as “pastor in residence” sans the conven- theologian (working in the slums of Peru) and an have been in times past in correcting this church, Council and most vigorously by recent popes—has tional canonical legitimacy. Necessity is indeed the assistant and chaplain for the disabled (Daybreak, a the Barque of Peter. The newly sainted John Hen- spread widely and deeply in the structures of the mother of invention. L’Arche home in Ontario). ry Cardinal Newman reminds us of that truth and church. We can name it for what it is—entitlement, So it is not outside the realm of possibility that He was not your typical diocesan priest. He had inspires us to take our share in the important enter- exaggerated sacral status, unaccountability, sexual the laity can advocate for radically new ways to been freed by his various Archbishops of Utrecht (he prise of reform. predation and venality. We have seen the magiste- prepare priests for ministry. Such new ways would had four of them by the time of his death in 1996) Much needs to be done. We can be easily dispir- rium or senior church leadership struggle with ways include the abolition of the now atrophying sem- to engage in his universal ministry and to do it out- ited by the myriad crises around us, but panic is of dealing with the toxins and aftershocks of cleri- inary system; employing alternative channels of side his native country and in the English tongue. not an option. Nor is looking backward with a con- calism. Still, the scandals continue to fester. theological education, including emulating Protes- Nouwen happily obliged. He spent nearly his entire soling sense of nostalgia. Time only moves forward. Failure to appropriately address the systemic tant schools of divinity; the creation of internships life as a priest in the United States and Canada. That is the direction we must face, recognizing causes of clericalism—clerical sex abuse scandals, for so that priests-to-be are grounded in parochial min- He avoided ecclesiastical controversies like the kairos when it is upon us and embracing the change example—compounds the crisis of credibility. The istry long before they receive formal assignments; it—and our church—requires. shu predatory behavior of priests and religious toward in- extensive exposure to lay people throughout the nocent children and vulnerable adults; the persistent entire training period; and the involvement of ap- ● ● ● sexual abuse of nuns by priests, principally in Africa; propriate laity as consultants and co-discerners of a DR. HIGGINS is an award-winning biographer of the cynical stratagems adopted by episcopal advisers candidate’s worthiness and maturity. Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and Jean Vanier, and counsel to diminish financial culpability; and the In addition, this kairos moment can also serve as as well as the author and co-author of numerous prioritizing of the church’s reputation over the pro- a fortuitous occasion to rethink the nature of voca- ASKING THE CLERGY TO books on Catholicism, including the titles tection of the preyed-upon by church leaders—all tion itself and to begin the fecund or generative task The Jesuit Mystiqueand Suffer the Children unto these cry out to heaven for reparation and justice. of distinguishing between a calling and a career. REFORM THEMSELVES IS A SELF- Me: An Open Inquiry into the Clerical Sex Abuse The time for tinkering and renewal is over. The There is precedent. In the 1940s, the French DEFEATING STRATEGY. Scandal, as well as the national bestseller Power time for substantive reform is upon us. Church ushered in a startlingly original exercise in and Peril: the Catholic Church at the Crossroads.

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You think this is a story about communing with the dolphins. You think it’s about a new Doctor Doolittle, reimagined as a young, female Navy veteran and marine scientist, talking with the dolphins and manta rays and sharks in the sun-drenched waters off Bimini. You think it’s about students strapping on fins and masks and snorkels and diving into once-in-a-lifetime underwater field research experiences in the tropics. You think it’s about the photo ops. And if we’re honest, the photo ops are what grabbed our attention, too. THIS IS NOT THE STORY YOU THINK IT IS. But they’re not the story. The story is about an intersection of various, seemingly unrelated sciences that, in toto, are trying to inform a road to environmental sustainability, and about one Sacred Heart University psychology professor and her guiding mission to move humans toward a healthier relationship between us and the world we inhabit.

ABOVE: KELLY MELILLO SWEETING, THE DOLPHIN COMMUNICATION PROJECT’S BIMINI RESEARCH MANAGER.

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NOT ALL FUN IN THE SUN YEATER, HER STUDENTS AND, AT RIGHT, THEIR SUBJECTS AT THE DOLPHIN COGNITION PROJECT IN THE BAHAMAS. As a young girl in upstate New York, Deirdre Yeater was fascinated by the un- dersea explorations of French naval offi- to care for themselves and disrupting the cer, filmmaker and conservationist Jacques balance of Life (with a capital “L”—from Cousteau. She turned a fourth-grade shoe- the smallest marine microorganisms right box diorama into a scene of deep sea marine through to us humans ourselves) completely. life and, later, went on a whale watching ex- So this is no grown-up field trip to the pedition with her dad. She joined the envi- petting zoo. “This isn’t eco-tourism,” Yeater ronmental clubs in high school and studied stresses. This is work challenging her stu- marine environmental science in college. dents out onto the knife’s edge between After graduating, she worked in marine observation and interaction, between in- science for four years. It was exactly the tentionally witnessing and inadvertently work she had trained for, and yet a nagging impacting, constantly weighing the bene- feeling persisted. Something was missing fits of the one against the myriad of poten- from the picture. tial unintended consequences of the other. Then, while attending a professional And it’s vitally important, both to her conference, Yeater sat in on a session dis- own specialty of comparative psychology cussing marine mammal cognition and and to the larger body of work known as various human traits observed in other an- conservation psychology. imals, particularly dolphins. Humans have Regarding the former, for example, com- long had the inclination to imbue animals paring the behavior of dolphins in the wild with human characteristics like emotions to those in the controlled settings of man- and self-awareness, but true, empirical evi- aged care can offer insight into the thought dence had always been thin on the ground. processes of an animal with whom we Yet here Yeater was, listening to serious would otherwise never be able to communi- scientists presenting serious research into cate. Plainly there is no common language things like mirror self-recognition and shared between dolphins and humans. But self-awareness in marine mammals. then, neither is there between adult humans A fire was lit. Passion suddenly had a and infants and toddlers who are as yet un- purpose. able to speak, let alone explain themselves. Heading back to school, Yeater refocused So Yeater has based some research on tests her work, turning from marine science in already used with nonverbal infants studied general to comparative psychology, studying by her SHU colleague, Dawn Melzer. The the thought processes of marine mammals, pair plan to see how their results compare comparing their similarities and differences and might be extrapolated, both to better to each other and, of course, to humans. understand and engage with animals and to Now a full professor in SHU’s psychol- more accurately gauge things such as intel- ogy department, Yeater takes a team of stu- social and sociable these animals may seem, ligence and creativity in children who have dents every year to the Bahamas for a week they are wild. Any interaction at all runs what appear to be developmental delays. at the Dolphin Communication Project’s the risk of altering not only their behavior It’s all work with unquestionable merit Bimini Field School, observing and docu- but their entire ecosystem. A simple touch in its own right. However, there remains menting dolphins living in the waters off could potentially transfer catastrophic dis- that larger purpose to which Yeater’s work Bimini Island. Regarding which, it’s vitally ease. Less dramatically—but no less cata- makes an important contribution. important for the scientists and their stu- strophically—it could begin the domestica- Humans have undeniably had an enor- dents to remember: however endearing, tion of a wild species, ruining their capacity mous impact on the planet, the life it

FALL 2019 | SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE 44 PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK HOPPER 37 SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | FALL 2019 d o l p h i n communication s p i r i t supports and its capacity to continue do- Yet now, in the Pacific Northwest, it is turn- plex issue? How do you inspire them to ing so. While it requires contributions ing huge swaths of formerly lush pine forest take a first step toward sustainability (ban- “WE SHALL ALWAYS PLACE EDUCATION SIDE BY SIDE WITH INSTRUCTION; THE MIND WILL NOT BE CULTIVATED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE HEART.” — BLESSED BASIL MOREAU from every field of science to understand into naked arboreal bone yards, leaving the ning plastic straws, for example) so that exactly what that impact looks like—its flora and fauna beneath unprotected so that second and third steps (like dealing with many causes and effects, potential means the whole region is turning to grassland at the effects of commercial fishing) seem less of mitigating damage, etc.—none of it an alarming rate—which in turn leaves it daunting and become possible? matters without the human will to act. prone to fire, mudslide, poor air quality and Responding to that challenge is conser- But humans are historically inept at re- failing agriculture and makes it unsafe for vation psychology. “Psychologists can help sponding to complex challenges. We’re great development. One bug does that. with the human dimension of conserva- at fight-or-flight when it comes to a lion in Yet going after the bug is like treating tion,” Yeater explains. “Social psychology the tall grass or a burglar in the house. The the headaches of a brain tumor with aspi- techniques help work toward empathy, complexities of ecological interdependence, rin. The bug is a symptom. It’s the rising social capital and social cohesion. Outside however, not so much. Consider, for exam- temperature that’s the disease. environmental activists and scientists who ple, the lowly pine beetle. A half-a-degree But how do you get people to feel em- come into an area, telling the local people rise in temperature (which, frankly, hu- powered to act in the face of such a com- what to do ... that doesn’t work so well. mans can’t even feel) allows the pine beetle But helping people to gain an understand- to migrate north to a region where it has no A KEY ELEMENT OF THE STUDENTS’ ing of the impacts may.” natural predators and where, until now, it CONTRIBUTION IS THE IDENTIFICATION OF Yet the act of making those connec- has always been held in check by the cold. INDIVIDUAL DOLPHINS BY THEIR SPOTS. tions, as Yeater points out, presents its own ethical conundrum. The same risks of unintended consequences exist for the eco-tourist as for the scientist, and the professor is constantly challenging her students to weigh the benefits of shifting public attitudes against the potential risks of well-intended-but-poorly-executed in- teraction between the public and the wild. Petting wild dolphins, for example. To combat those risks, you inform and inspire. And in this sense, Yeater seems to have taken a note directly from her child- hood hero. “When one man, for whatev- er reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life,” Jacques Cousteau once said, “he has no right to keep it to himself.” “You are the future,” Yeater tells her students. “The science—this planet—this is what you get. And we have a mission here.” shu HEART if the sacred heart family is known for stepping up when it comes to ● ● ● helping others, then 2019 has seen that taken to a whole new level. While editor’s note: This article was written engineering professor Tolga Kaya was running the Boston Marathon to raise prior to Hurricane Dorian devastating AND SOLE money for SHU’s general scholarship fund, SHU in Dingle exercise science much of The Bahamas. We are relieved instructor Shane Finn (above) was busy crossing the continent on foot and by to report that Dr. Yeater’s colleagues at bike in support of those living with spina bifida. Then there was senior nurs- the DCP, the dolphins they study and the ing major Ryan Litwin running sea to shining sea relay-style to benefit young facility itself all came through the storm cancer patients and their families. But these Pioneers are just three examples with no serious injuries or damage. of how heart is at the center of SHU … ➜

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Students and faculty take it to the streets.

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

olga kaya has been campaigning for students’ rights since the days he was a student himself. As an undergrad in Turkey, he took to T the streets to protest rising student tuition. It was then that one of his professors threw down a challenge. “He told me, ‘If you really want to help students, you should become faculty.’” He took the advice to heart. As Professor Kaya, that young activist is now director of engineering programs at Sacred Heart University—and remains just as pas- sionate about the economic challenges facing students. So in April, Kaya took to the streets ABOVE again, this time running the Boston Marathon and raising PROFESSOR over $8,000 for SHU’s general scholarship fund. TOLGA KAYA $8K Approximately two thirds of the money came from CROSSES within the Pioneer family as Sacred Heart students, THE FINISH faculty, staff and alumni contributed to the cause of LINE OF THE Amount looking after their own. Meanwhile, Kaya’s students reg- 2019 BOSTON of money ularly showed up to run and train with their professor as MARATHON. Professor Tolga a sign of their gratitude, solidarity and support. Kaya raised As for Kaya himself, he’s looking forward to return- LEFT for SHU by ing to his event of choice—triathlons—with the goal of SHANE FINN running Boston someday making the Ironman in Hawaii. Perhaps an- CONQUERS Marathon. other fundraising opportunity looms on the horizon ... MOUNTAINS For Shane Finn, exercise science instructor at SHU AND MORE. in Dingle, the decision to cross North America entirely under his own power was a matter of snatching victory Far from considering the challenge a sacrifice, Finn Instead, “People are so generous,” he says. “Doing this WITH NOT from the jaws of defeat. speaks of the experience with gratitude. “I’m very lucky run, crossing the country on foot, you get to connect so A TOWN 24 In 2017, Finn ran 24 marathons in 24 days in 24 to be able to do what I do,” he says. many different communities together.” IN SIGHT, counties of Ireland. The numbers were a tribute to the Bad weather in the Rockies knocked him off schedule The entire journey is supported through planned RYAN LITWIN nearly constant pain (24 hours a day) experienced by his early, and it wasn’t until day 35, running the penultimate volunteerism, from the food they eat to the places they WAITS FOR Number of cousin Mary, who was born with spina bifida. With his leg that would bring him in to Sacred Heart’s campus for rest at night. But it’s the impromptu generosity that RUNNERS TO marathons entrepreneurial spirit and hustle and some major corpo- his final night before finishing, that he was finally back really leaves an impact. He tells the story of one such ARRIVE AND Shane Finn, SHU rate donations, Finn was able to raise over $140,000 for Sacred Heart and Fairfield when he learned his charity’s on track. encounter in Ohio. HIS TURN TO instructor, ran in the charity Spina Bifida Ireland. funding had been cut by $50,000. “That’s a big blow to a That’s also when he met Ryan Litwin, the softly With the heat index over 100 degrees, the team RUN IN THEIR 24 days in 2017. But two and a half months later, Finn was visiting small charity like ours,” Finn recalls. spoken senior nursing major and cancer survivor who had paused alongside the road at a relay point when RELAY ACROSS Standing on Fairfield Beach, absorbing the news, this summer crossed America as part of 4k for Cancer, some locals stopped to make sure they were okay. After AMERICA. looking out to the east—back toward Ireland and home a coast-to-coast charity run completed by a team of explaining what they were doing, the team found them- and with the entire North American continent behind runners rotating relay-style through the responsibilities selves invited to a family reunion at a nearby swimming him—Finn was struck by an idea and committed to it of support crew, community service and outreach, and hole. Soon they were escaping the heat with a dip in the on the spot. “I’ve got to run America,” he thought. good, old-fashioned pavement pounding. pond, refueling on proper Midwest barbecue and sharing “YOU GET TO CONNECT And so he did. On March 29 of this year, Finn set out Diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer stories with lifelong friends they’d only just met. from the Golden Gate Bridge and, for the next 36 days, the summer before his junior year of high school, Litwin “You hear all the bad stories in the news,” Litwin SO MANY DIFFERENT followed Highway 50 more or less all the way to the is familiar with keeping a cool head, facing his challenges says, “It’s important to remember: people are really so Brooklyn Bridge. To make it on time, he would run 35 with a quiet peace and uncommon perspective. generous. It’s inspiring.” COMMUNITIES TOGETHER.” miles a day for two days, then bike 150 miles a day for He doesn’t talk about the miles. He mentions no Indeed, they are. — Ryan Litwin four, in rotation. blisters. There’s no hint of aches or pains. And indeed, it is. shu

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IMAM GAZMEND AGA, equipment that may not even be sized FR. ANTHONY CIORRA AND WHERE correctly. Nor are they afforded any time RABBI MARCELO KORMIS LEAD to practice with their new “teammate” and PRAYER AND DISCUSSION gear beforehand. “You’re really improvising AT THE FOURTH HEART HORSEPLAY as you go,” Hajdasz says. CHALLENGES HATE LECTURE, Additionally, she adds, “Many people “RELIGION: PART OF THE don’t realize … equestrian is an all-season PROBLEM OR A REMEDY FOR IS HARD sport.” There is no preseason, Hajdasz ex- HATE?” plains. Equestrian practice begins as soon as students come back to campus in the fall. WORK The team started practicing at Silver- has a critical responsibility to mine Farm in Norwalk in August after respond to the culture of hatred, With a top-10 national ranking, outgrowing their former facility. The pas- bigotry and violence with the Pioneer equestrian team takes toral farm is situated on 10 acres of land knowledge, reason, faith and in the historic Silvermine community on dialogue,” said Michelle Loris, winning in stride. the New Canaan/Norwalk line. It features much for the current team and positioned associate dean of the College of two outdoor rings and an attached indoor them where they are now,” she says. It was Arts & Sciences and Catholic ring with a heated viewing lounge. The only four years ago that the team was able studies chair. “We have a critical partnership will allow the team to add to provide scholarships to its riders. This role to play in sustaining a ine years ago, Tiffany additional horses to their program. marks the first year freshmen will receive democratic society in which we Hajdasz became coach of Sacred Hajdasz, who’s been riding since she some of that aid. “That’s another mile- maintain the open flow of ideas, Heart’s equestrian team. She was 9 years old, credits much of the team’s stone for us.” the rule of law, the acceptance never once focused on winning. success to its alumnae. “They sacrificed so Whatever the team’s success, Hajdasz of diversity and, most especially, N “The focus was always on keeps her focus on a positive team culture. respect for human dignity and team culture,” she says. “And Winning, it would seem, is the product the common good.” our administration allowed that. They of belonging—and not the other way Hate is learned behavior, supported us. This led to success, and our around. So though not all the riders on explained psychology professor focus still hasn’t changed.” the team were able to compete at nation- Christina Taylor during the If winning wasn’t the point, it certainly als, Hajdasz believes it was important that first discussion. Still, she insists, people have the ability became the product. The team (that now in- everyone went. They had all contributed to choose between good and evil. In the second talk, cludes nearly 40 riders and a support coach- to the team in some way, she insists. delving into the rhetoric of hate, media literacy pro- ing staff) is ranked 10th in the nation by the “And I think they all understand FIGHTING THE fessor Bill Yousman stressed the importance of calling Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. that, too,” she says. “They all knew they out hate speech directly, whether in person or through Individual student-athletes had com- belonged there.” shu more formal and coordinated protests such as letter peted at the national level in the past, but DARK WITH LIGHT, writing or boycotting advertisers who employ or endorse the 2018‒19 season marked the first time such divisiveness. At the third discussion, professors the team as a whole went to nationals. Gary Rose and Jennifer McLaughlin discussed how the The key was making it to second place in CHALLENGING HATE First Amendment allows for free speech—even speech a qualifying zone competition. “I didn’t that may be difficult to digest—but does not allow for realize how difficult it would be to break WITH HEART speech that leads to violent or hateful action. into that level,” Hajdasz says. Year after year The fourth lecture—“Religion: Part of the Problem the team came in third place, often missing SHU’s latest lecture series confronts a divided world head-on or a Remedy for Hate?”—was especially hard-hitting that qualifying position by mere points. as it occurred just three days after the Easter Sunday Much like in tennis, student-athletes tragedy in Sri Lanka where churches and hotels in compete individually. However, unlike the Colombo region were bombed, killing more than tennis, where players come to matches 200. Fr. Anthony Ciorra, vice president for Mission with their favorite racket and worn-in gear, n an increasingly divided world, Sacred and Catholic Identity, was joined by campus chaplains equestrian athletes ride the horses provided Heart has chosen to address the root of that Imam Gazmend Aga and Rabbi Marcelo Kormis. All by the host school at competitions. They divisiveness with a lecture series called Heart three view religion as a remedy to hate, particularly also ride in the host school’s equipment. Challenges Hate. Talks on the psychology and (as Kormis reminded the audience) if one accepts the This means student-athletes are competing I rhetoric of hate, as well as hate in the context doctrine that all people are created in the image and with a horse they’ve never met and using of the First Amendment and religion, allowed likeness of God. SHU students and the larger community to express their The University plans to keep the timely, eye-opening feelings while asking tough questions in a safe space. series around for the coming school year as a way to THE STABLES AT “A university, especially a Catholic university like maintain thoughtful conversation and to inform the SILVERMINE FARM, ours, whose mission is rooted in the Catholic intellectual community. Loris said the new dialogues will focus NEW HOME TO tradition and whose core values focus on the dignity of more specifically on one group at a time, with such like- THE PIONEER each person and the importance of the common good, ly discussion topics as racism and women’s rights. shu EQUESTRIAN TEAM.

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LIZ-ANN AND BABY STEPHEN TODAY.

further evaluation. By Sunday—just one week after the baby first present- ed symptoms—it was clear Liz-Ann howard white was a perfect match and would be ’88 celebrates the donor. Sacred Heart’s For numerous reasons, however, winning the 1986 hospitals prefer to keep a donor’s NCAA Division- identity anonymous. So when II national Stephen was called that Sunday as he championship. was leaving Mass, and told there was With an overall a donor and that the baby would be season record prepped for surgery the next morn- of 30-4, the ing, he had no idea his son’s life was road to the about to be saved by the woman who championship had been sitting next to him in the began with choir for the last hour. a nail-biting What followed for them both was 76-74 double- something of a blur. overtime win Even as the surgery was a success, over Springfield it was two months before the hospi- in the regional tal hosted a reveal where the Bailens could finally meet semifinals. the person who had saved their son. Seeing Liz-Ann as From there, they walked through the door, the Bailens were all but the Pioneers WE ARE ONE BODY speechless. “We were running late and I’d been rehears- dispatched ing apologies in my head the whole way,” Stephen recalls. Southern New When Stephen Bailen learned his son needed a liver transplant, “And then we walked in and saw her and the only thing I Hampshire, could say was, ‘Really?’” Norfolk State he never could have imagined how close he was to salvation. This story goes further than one woman’s actions and Florida saving the life of a single child, however. When the Southern before call went out that the Bailens were in urgent need of taking down a living liver donor, the response was so great that the Southeast t began February 3, a Sunday. Liz-Ann doctors not only matched Liz-Ann to baby Stephen, Missouri State St. Onge was sitting with the choir at St. but were able to make three other donor/recipient 93-87 at the Mary’s in Newington when a fellow choir 114K matches as well. In all, four lives were saved. Springfield I member, Stephen Bailen, quietly slipped For both Liz-Ann and the Bailens, it’s all just Civic Center in into the seat next to her. He couldn’t stay for evidence of God’s providence. The mysterious balance Massachusetts Mass—his infant son was looking jaundiced, of life’s trials and tribulations, and the ways we are all to clinch the and doctors wanted the boy brought to the hospital. 114,927 called to be, as Liz-Ann says, quoting a song from her national title. Stephen simply wanted to be sure to pay Liz-Ann for patients are on parish choir, “one body in Christ.” shu her husband’s snow plowing the week before. the transplant What followed for the Bailens was something of a blur. waiting list, of Within days, the doctors confirmed that the baby which 95% need was experiencing liver failure and, only a few days after a kidney or liver. that, confirmed he needed a transplant. The Bailens were told: “Get the word out. Call everyone you know.” From her office as SHU’s associate controller, Liz- Ann forwarded the Bailens’ request that willing donors FROM contact Yale New Haven to present themselves for 468K testing. Then she picked up the phone herself. “There was something driving me to call,” she says. “I can’t put THE it any other way. I felt compelled to act.” She left her Number of contact details but didn’t hear back that night. She tried Americans on ARCHIVE again the next day. dialysis. What followed for Liz-Ann was something of a blur. She gave a sample of blood for testing and that very 1986 National Champions night was called back to the hospital to be admitted for

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It’s one thing to read a magazine. It’s another to walk the campus, visit the chapel, take in a game or a show, maybe catch up with a former professor or an old friend. Or just marvel at how we’ve grown.

Come back to SHU. We’d love to see you.

Plan your visit to campus by contacting Todd Gibbs, executive director of development & alumni engagement, at 203.365.4526 or emailing [email protected].

We are Pioneers.

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