Issues Day 2008
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ISSUES DAY 2008 Forty-one speakers address election issues Matt Bettonville kingdom of truth, justice, love and peace,” History teacher Anne Marie Lodholz, Core Staff encouraged openness and the importance of who organized Issues Day, said that the Jesuit orty-one speakers on different topics educating oneself on issues in society. address was intended to “discuss the idea of Faddressed small groups of students on The speakers each shared personal your responsibility as a Catholic Christian last week’s Issues Day, each intending to stories that served as teasers for the topics to participate in the political process.” bring a different perspective on various is- that other speakers would later address. The final Jesuit speaker, Ronald sues. Victor Cancino, S.J., told about his cousin’s O’Dwyer, S.J., challenged students to par- The day began with an address to the immigration from Mexico. He said, “Just ticipate in terms of faith: “If we are created whole student body by St. Louis University imagine what type of criminal acts she in the image and likeness of God, how can economics professor Doug Marcouiller, S.J., engages in. Drugs? Prostitution? No … she we be indifferent? … The opposite of love and three Jesuit novices. The address, based picks Washington apples so that we can have isn’t hate; it’s indifference.” on St. Louis U. High’s mission statement apples in our lunch bags and apple sauce on Following the address, students dis- that “SLUH is a Catholic, Jesuit learning our pork chops! But this is illegal, and she persed throughout the school to attend vari- community dedicated to building Christ’s is a criminal.” see SPEAKERS, 10 PHOTO BY MR. MATT SCUITO PHOTO BY MR. MATT SCUITO PHOTO BY CONNOR BLANQUART Jim Goeke, S.J., Junior Kevin Black- the chaplain for St. burn votes for a Louis University presidential candidate Hospital, lectured and Missouri governor on health care during the mock elec- reform from the tion held by SLUH’s perspective of AP U.S. Government dealing with and Politics class. patients. Sophomore Patrick Smith, sporting his McCain-Palin pin, poses a question to the Presidential debators at the end of Issues Day. McCain wins school’s Entertaining debate presidential election informs student body Luke Chellis Chris Brennan Staff News Editor tudents gathered in homeroom midday last Friday to cast ssues Day concluded with a debate between former head of the Stheir votes for presidential and Missouri gubernatorial candi- IMissouri Democratic National Committee Mike Kelley and dates in St. Louis U. High’s quadrennial mock election. As Presi- Patrick Werner, Chief of Staff for Second District Congressman dent George W. Bush did in SLUH’s 2004 mock election, Senator Todd Akin. The debate provided students with an opportunity to John McCain won the election in both the electoral vote and the listen and ask questions about the upcoming presidential election popular vote. McCain received 54 percent of the electoral votes between senators John McCain and Barack Obama. and 485 student votes, while Obama got 46 percent of electoral The debate began with a speech from President David votes and 440 votes. Ninety-four students’ votes were distributed Laughlin regarding a Catholic perspective on politics, followed by a see ELECTION, 11 see DEBATE, 12 2 News October 31, 2008 Newly added junior White Japanese House retreat cancelled Billiken visits Mike Lumetta retreats with ffty guys max, so we could only take two hundred, leaving sixty plus juniors Reporter without an option,” said Russo. SLUH he White House retreat for St. Louis Gilmore commented, “(Campus minis- Kevin Casey TU. High juniors scheduled for this try) had juniors who wanted to go on retreat Editor past Monday through Wednesday was can- and weren’t able to, especially on Kairos.” t. Louis U. High had four unusual visi- celled due to the lack of students signed According to Stewart, Kairos flls up Stors today, with students focking to up. The decision was made shortly before quickly because of its popularity among the frst-foor middle corridor during Ac- quarter exams, when Director of Campus students. Approximately ten area Catholic tivity Period to rub the feet of one of them. Ministry Matt Stewart, Assistant Director high schools send students on Kairos retreats, Sound strange? Well this may sound even of Campus Ministry Brian Gilmore, and creating a word-of-mouth chain among stu- stranger: the feet belonged to the wooden junior class moderator Mary Russo real- dents. Stewart explained, “There’s just sort statue of a Billiken, who traveled all the ized that, with only sixteen juniors regis- of this built-in advertising network.” way from Osaka, Japan, to get to the U. tered, the retreat would not have enough Hoping to allow more juniors to go on High. participants to cover the costs. either Kairos or the White House retreat this The wooden statue, or Billiken-sann For the past four years, Campus Minis- year, campus ministry added one more of each as many Japanese affectionately refer to try has provided four junior retreats a year, to the retreat schedule. The six retreats could it, was accompanied by Tsutenkaku Tower three of which are White House retreats. take as many as three hundred participants, Vice President Takai Ryuko and reporter Kei The fourth was formerly the only Kairos far more people than the junior class has. Iguchi of the Yomiuri Shimbun (the Daily retreat. A signifcant number of juniors were “We knew going in that it might be hard to Yomiuri), one of Japan’s most widely read unable to attend a retreat because each had fll all six retreats,” said Stewart. newspapers. The two journeyed to the U.S. to a limited number of students that it could Both Kairos retreats were expected to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Billiken, accomodate. fll to capacity, but the White House retreat which was created in 1908 by an American “The big thing was that there were four see 1814, 10 art teacher. The Billiken toy craze swept the nation AP U.S. Government seniors for a few years, eventually making its way over to Japan. Although not for certain, it may have been the mascot for a theme park speak on KMOX radio show in Osaka modeled off of Coney Island in New cool that anybody (outside of SLUH) cared. York City. The Billiken eventually faded into Patrick O’Leary I think it says a lot about the school (and its) oblivion in both countries but was revived Reporter reputation. (I think it’s great that Reardon) at Tsutenkaku Tower in the 1980s. Within ast Friday, KMOX talk show host would allow us to put our students on the several years the statue began to be treated Mark Reardon interviewed fve St. air.” L in an almost godlike manner. Louis U. High seniors and history teacher Moynihan said it was a great opportunity “The nice surprise was I don’t think we Paul Michaelson on the topic of Issues to be on KMOX, which he regards as the fully understood that they were bringing the Day. pinnacle of St. Louis radio. Billiken (statue),” said principal John Moran. After school on Friday, Chris Brennan, Mantia agreed and said that it was cool “We knew they were coming, we knew why John Mantia, Patrick Moynihan, David Jones, to “see how it works.” Mantia noted that they were interested ... but we didn’t really Kevin Wright and Michaelson drove to the he listens to Reardon, who is “normally have any sense that we’d actually have the KMOX studio where they were interviewed conservative but (he) brings in different visit from the Billiken. And that was the best by Reardon. There they talked about Issues opinions.” part.” Day speakers, the Presidential candidates Reardon said that he “thought it was a Iguchi frst contacted theology teacher and the issues most prevalent in our society good experience” and that he thought it was Matt Sciuto about the visit, and Sciuto and (the interview can be found at http://www. “good for his audience to see the perspective Assistant to the President Bob Bannister then kmox.com/pages/15098.php). Reardon said, of younger voters.” About the SLUH seniors, worked together on planning the two men’s “This election will be historic, no matter he said, “They were professional, smart, and stay in St. Louis. Iguchi and Kei left Japan (who wins).” informed.” on Oct. 28 to arrive in St. Louis the afternoon Reardon described being on his own Mantia, Moynihan, and Reardon agreed of Wednesday, Oct. 29. They visited both for information when he was in high school, that they would like to see Issues Days in- SLUH and St. Louis University (SLU) the which is why he admired SLUH’s organizing crease in frequency. Reardon said, “I’d like next day, speaking through Japanese transla- an Issues Day. to see more outside the presidential election, tor Noriko Shinkai. They then attended the Moynihan said of the interview, “It was at the very least every two years.” see OF JAPAN, 13 October 31, 2008 Opinion 3 EDITORIAL Continue Issues Day, embrace civic duty Representatives from the Democratic and Republican parties du- discern carefully which public policies are morally sound.” Ask eled from platform podiums before the entire school community on youself: Why would I vote for Obama? Why would I vote for Mc- Issues Day last Friday. The debate sparked an atmosphere ftting Cain? How will each help the people of this nation? What about for a gymnasium: we cheered for the debaters’ verbal freworks making English the government’s offcial language? Whom does this before holding our breaths for the results of the mock election polls.