Fall/Winter 2018 Upon Reflection “We will not promise you happiness. We will not wish you security. For we remember that ‘security is mortal’s chiefest enemy.’ And we know that you can be secure only when you can stand everything that can happen to you. If your school has prepared you for this, it has been a good school.” – Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, CSC This quote from Sister Madeleva comes to mind when it seems like there is so much darkness in our world. Natural disasters on the coasts have cost people of everything, their homes and their belongings. Fires and hurricanes have destroyed towns and taken lives. The Catholic Church is facing a crisis of its own with the release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report in August and reports of clergy sexual abuse surfacing. With the allegations, questions of what it means to be Catholic pervades media and our own interior lives. These crises have me wondering, what is next? Facing the unknown is never easy. We’ve seen this firsthand on our campus with Former President Jan Cervelli’s resignation and our leadership transition in October. It caused concern and fear among those who know and love Saint Mary’s. But in the months since Nancy Nekvasil has assumed the interim presidency, our community has come together in ways unforeseen. Students have organized town hall sessions with administration to discuss their concerns. Faculty and administrators have re-envisioned and implemented a new academic services structure to better serve our students. True to our mission, we are responding to the needs of the time. I am reminded that God calls us into community and it is in His presence, in communion with others, that we find strength. I am inspired by the legacy of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, whose only certainty was their faith as they journeyed from France 175 years ago. They listened to the needs of their community and began teaching and caring for orphans in Bertrand, Michigan. Community is at the core of who we are. Although things may sometimes seem dark, we move forward in solidarity with others facing tragedy and loss. We are never alone. This issue of Courier highlights the ways we, rooted in faith and community, respond to the needs of our world. We have hope in the Class of 2022. Four hundred and three Belles joined our family in 2018 and, we see in them the same promise we saw in each of you. But we know that we are not strengthened when we stay in our bubble, which is why we continue to bring speakers to campus to broaden our world perspective. For example, Tracy K. Smith, poet laureate, visited campus in September and shared her message of speaking at lower decibels in a climate that seems to want to shout instead of listen. As we begin this new year, I am reminded that Christ is our light in the darkness. That light guides our community forward.Though we are not comfortable with the unknown, Sister Madeleva reminds us it is not in comfort that we grow. 2019 marks a year of celebration for our 175th anniversary, and we look to our history for inspiration. We will soon begin a year-long celebration of the founding of the College, the incredible Saint Mary’s women, faculty, staff, and the accomplishments of a lasting legacy. Sincerely, Shari Rodriguez Vice President of College Relations Courier 2 | Fall/Winter 2017 18-356 Courier Upon Reflection.indd All Pages 1/2/19 2:10 PM Upon Reflection “We will not promise you happiness. We will not wish you security. For we remember that ‘security is mortal’s chiefest enemy.’ And we know that you can be secure only when you can stand everything that can happen to you. If your school has prepared you for this, it has been a good school.” – Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, CSC This quote from Sister Madeleva comes to mind when it seems like there is so much darkness in our world. Natural disasters on the coasts have cost people of everything, their homes and their belongings. Fires and hurricanes have destroyed towns and taken lives. The Catholic Church is facing a crisis of its own with the release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report in August and reports of clergy sexual abuse surfacing. With the allegations, questions of what it means to be Catholic pervades media and our own interior lives. These crises have me wondering, what is next? Facing the unknown is never easy. We’ve seen this firsthand on our campus with Former President Jan Cervelli’s resignation and our leadership transition in October. It caused concern and fear among those who know and love Saint Mary’s. But in the months since Nancy Nekvasil has assumed the interim presidency, our community has come together in ways unforeseen. Students have organized town hall sessions with administration to discuss their concerns. Faculty and administrators have re-envisioned and implemented a new academic services structure to better serve our students. True to our mission, we are responding to the needs of the time. I am reminded that God calls us into community and it is in His presence, in communion with others, that we find strength. I am inspired by the legacy of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, whose only certainty was their faith as they journeyed from France 175 years ago. They listened to the needs of their community and began teaching and caring for orphans in Bertrand, Michigan. Community is at the core of who we are. Although things may sometimes seem dark, we move forward in solidarity with others facing tragedy and loss. We are never alone. This issue of Courier highlights the ways we, rooted in faith and community, respond to the needs of our world. We have hope in the Class of 2022. Four hundred and three Belles joined our family in 2018 and, we see in them the same promise we saw in each of you. But we know that we are not strengthened when we stay in our bubble, which is why we continue to bring speakers to campus to broaden our world perspective. For example, Tracy K. Smith, poet laureate, visited campus in September and shared her message of speaking at lower decibels in a climate that seems to want to shout instead of listen. As we begin this new year, I am reminded that Christ is our light in the darkness. That light guides our community forward.Though we are not comfortable with the unknown, Sister Madeleva reminds us it is not in comfort that we grow. 2019 marks a year of celebration for our 175th anniversary, and we look to our history for inspiration. We will soon begin a year-long celebration of the founding of the College, the incredible Saint Mary’s women, faculty, staff, and the accomplishments of a lasting legacy. Sincerely, Shari Rodriguez Vice President of College Relations Courier 2 | Fall/Winter 2017 18-356 Courier Upon Reflection.indd All Pages 1/2/19 2:10 PM TABLE of CONTENTS volume 93, number 3 | fall/winter 2018 8 10 The Saint Mary’s College Courier Courier Staff Contributors Alumnae Relations Staff About Saint Mary’s College is published three times a year Donna Fischman Kathe Brunton Kara M. O’Leary ’89 Founded in 1844 by the by Saint Mary’s College. Editor Kaitlin Emmett ’20 Executive Director of Alumnae and Sisters of the Holy Cross, Nonprofit postage paid [email protected] Gina Twardosz ’20 College Relations Saint Mary’s College is [email protected] rooted in its mission to at the Post Office Haleigh Ehmsen ’16 at Notre Dame, IN 46556 and at Photographers prepare women to make a Assistant Editor difference in the world. A additional mailing offices. Peter Ringenberg Class News Art Wager pioneer in the education of Send alumnae class news to: POSTMASTER: Creative Director women, Saint Mary’s is a Send address changes to Alumnae News Editor four-year, Catholic, residential, Alumnae Relations, Mary Meehan Firtl 110 Le Mans Hall liberal arts college in Notre Saint Mary’s College, Art Director Saint Mary’s College Dame, Ind. The College is an Notre Dame, IN 46556-5001 or 110 Le Mans Hall, Curt Sochocki academic community offering [email protected] Notre Dame, IN 46556-5001 Senior Graphic Designer bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 major areas of study, Copyright 2018 Saint Mary’s Traci Foster Letters including business, nursing, College, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Staff Writer Reproduction in whole or part Send letters to the editor to: education, biology, social work, is prohibited without written Courier Editor and English. Saint Mary’s also permission. Saint Mary’s College offers co-educational master’s 303 Haggar College Center degrees in data science, The opinions expressed are Notre Dame, IN 46556 or speech language pathology, those of the authors or their [email protected] and autism studies, and a subjects and are not necessarily Doctorate of Nursing Practice. shared by the College or editor. Shari Rodriguez Vice President for College Relations [email protected] Joanna Collins ’19 welcomes the class of 2022. 17 By Traci Foster 4 Dare to Dream There’s no question that art enriches everyday life. Our favorite Do what you love 14 cities, restaurants, hotels, and hangouts are often influenced by architecture, furniture, and artwork. Works of art not only capture Although parents want to see their children chase their dreams, your attention, but evoke emotion, and even allow you to draw concerns about what’s realistic and thoughts about immediate new meaning from your surroundings.