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March 19, 2009=20

University=20 to conduct disaster drill March 25=20
Piccioli=20 honored with Anniversary Medal
ROTC=20 Seneca Battalion to induct 12th class of nominees into Hall of = Fame=20
SBU=20 finance professor to discuss current recession=20
Phi=20 Rho Hut-A-Thon set for this weekend=20
SBU=20 Web class produces weekly online chat=20
Artmobile=20 dedicated; schools to benefit
Acclaimed=20 pianist Leon Bates to perform at St. Bonaventure's Quick Center=20
Pre-eminent=20 Thomas Merton scholar to explore Merton's 'mature spirituality'=20
Beate=20 Gordon, aide to Gen. MacArthur and author of women's rights = clause in=20 Japan's post-war constitution, to talk at SBU=20
Newsmakers=20 for Spring 2009=20
Friday=20 Forum

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University to = conduct=20 disaster drill March 25

An emergency drill = will shut=20 down the St. Bonaventure University campus for three hours on = Wednesday,=20 March 25.

From = approximately 9=20 a.m. until noon, the campus community will go into lockdown as = officers=20 from local and state police agencies arrive on campus to deal with = a=20 =93shooter scenario=94 disaster drill. University officials have = been working=20 on more detailed emergency planning and preparedness plans since = the=20 tragedy at Virginia Tech two years ago.

=93We=92ve = invested=20 hundreds and hundreds of man-hours to working on a plan,=94 said = Rick=20 Trietley, vice provost for student life and head of SBU=92s = Emergency=20 Management Team, a group of key university officials assigned to = make=20 critical decisions at the onset of and during an = emergency.

Two = additional=20 committees =97 Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response, made = up of=20 representatives from every office and department on campus =97 = have been=20 working for more than a year on preparing for a wide range of = potential=20 emergencies, from dangerous weather to pandemic = disease.

=93Ultimately, we felt=20 we had to conduct an emergency drill to get a sense of how = effective our=20 planning has been,=94 Trietley said. =93We wouldn=92t have been = able to do this=20 without the full cooperation of the campus community, as well as = local law=20 enforcement agencies.=94

Emergency = planners=20 have conducted both in-person and Web-based training to prepare = students,=20 faculty and staff for the drill. An independent evaluation team = will=20 monitor the drill and share their findings with SBU emergency = planners on=20 Thursday, March 26.

Police = officers will=20 be stationed at all entrances to campus during the drill, making = campus=20 inaccessible to entry or exit until the drill is complete. (People = with=20 urgent need to get off or on campus during the drill will need to = call=20 campus security at 375-2525.)

=93We = recognize that=20 this will be somewhat of an inconvenience to people both on campus = and=20 off, but this exercise is so important to conduct =97 for us = internally, but=20 just as much for emergency responders who might not be as familiar = with=20 our campus as we=92d like them to be,=94 Trietley said.

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Piccioli=20 honored with Anniversary Medal

At the March 13 Board of Trustees dinner on campus, = Mary=20 Piccioli, who has been part of the fabric of St. Bonaventure = University=20 for more than 25 years, was honored with a 150th Anniversary = Medallion.=20 Mur is leaving Bona's for a new career opportunity March=20 31.

Below is = the text of=20 the citation Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president, = read=20 before presenting Mur with the medal:

Mary = Piccioli has=20 served St. Bonaventure University since 1983 with extraordinary = dedication=20 and competence. In the twenty-six years of her employment, her = skills have=20 been employed in the provision of financial aid to thousands of = students,=20 directing the admissions department, anchoring institutional = research and=20 serving as a principal advisor to the senior administration of the = University.

Countless=20 testimonials in her record give evidence of the high regard in = which she=20 is held by colleagues on the campus and her peers in higher = education both=20 in the Empire State and beyond. A woman truly imbued with the = Franciscan=20 ethos of this place, she consistently extended herself to = strengthen=20 alumni bonds, assist Mount Irenaeus in its development, serve as = advocacy=20 officer and mentor young admissions staff members. She pioneered = the=20 development of the First Year Experience program, an effort which = is=20 already paying rich dividends in student growth and retention and = our=20 growing participation in the National Survey of Student=20 Engagement.

In service = to the=20 ever present multitude of committees, she has always been fully = present,=20 productive and a voice of wisdom and moderation.Throughout the = years she=20 has supported by her work and by her personal generosity multiple=20 initiatives of the university, particularly the growth of = scholarship=20 funds so crucial to meeting the needs of future = students.

During this = Anniversary year, we have intentionally connected the legacy of = the=20 Franciscan founders to the present generation of leaders on this = campus.=20 When Francis sent his companions out to find new fields of work, = he sent=20 them with clear instructions to start each new relationship with a = greeting of peace. We send Mary Piccioli forth to share her gifts = with=20 many other institutions of higher education. We send her with our = wish=20 that she go in the peace of knowing that her service here has = helped=20 fulfill the dream of President Tom Plassmann to =93build a better=20 Bonaventure.=94 We send her to share this Franciscan vision of a = good world=20 at peace with others to whom she is now called as a servant=20 leader.

Therefore, = this Board=20 of Trustees resolves that in recognition of her contributions to = the=20 welfare of St. Bonaventure University, Mary Piccioli be awarded = the St.=20 Bonaventure Anniversary Medal as a sign of our gratitude and = pledge of=20 enduring friendship.=20

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ROTC Seneca Battalion = to induct=20 12th class of nominees into Hall of Fame

St. = Bonaventure=20 University=92s Army Reserve Officers=92 Training Corps Seneca = Battalion will=20 induct three new members Saturday into its Hall of Fame, which was = established during the spring of 1998.

The = induction was=20 part of the annual Awards Ceremony for ROTC Seneca Battalion = cadets, who=20 were honored for their achievements.

The new = inductees=20 include Lt. Col. Michael R. Czaja, retired, =9282; Lt. Col. Robert = F.=20 Danner, retired; and Lt. Col. Richard C. Trietley Jr., = =9286.

=93The = three=20 outstanding soldiers we induct today join an impressive group of = men and=20 women in the Seneca Battalion Hall of Fame,=94 said Jim DiRisio, = the=20 University=92s director of admissions and member of the ROTC = Affinity Group.=20 =93Each understands the importance of selfless service and that = freedom is=20 never free.=94

Michael R. = Czaja=20 graduated from Paonia High School in Colorado and enrolled at St.=20 Bonaventure University, graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts = in=20 social science. His military service began in the Military Police = branch,=20 and after completing the officer basic course, he excelled in = numerous=20 assignments as an officer at Fort Riley, Kan., and in Germany, = where, in=20 addition to serving as a staff officer, he commanded the 554th = Military=20 Police Company.

In 1989, = Czaja=20 completed the Civil Affairs and Regional Studies Courses at the = U.S. Army=20 J.F.K. Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C., and = was=20 deployed extensively throughout Latin America, where he was = responsible=20 for diverse civil military operations. He also received additional = intensive language training in Guatemala.

After = serving in a=20 key staff assignment in the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation = Command at=20 Fort Belvoir, Va., Czaja returned to the special operations = community as a=20 civil affairs staff officer and branch chief at United States = Special=20 Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. = He was=20 promoted to lieutenant colonel and coordinated a program to = support the=20 U.S. government=92s humanitarian mine action initiative, served as = the=20 primary civil affairs planner for Operation Joint Guardian in = Kosovo and=20 was a guest lecturer on civil military operations at the Canadian = Forces=20 College Command and Staff Course.

Czaja=92s = next=20 assignment was as the cadet battalion commander/professor of = military=20 science at the University of Houston, after which he returned to = MacDill=20 Air Force Base as the current operations officer for information=20 operations and the information operations branch chief at United = State=20 Central Command (USCENTCOM). He played a key role in the = coordination of=20 information operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom and = developed plans=20 to re-establish the Iraqi media infrastructure. He also led the=20 theater-level planning of USCENTCOM=92s psychological operations, = electronic=20 warfare, computer network operations, operations security and = military=20 deception. Retiring from active duty in 2004, he worked in several = key=20 assignments at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and the Command = and=20 General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. In August 2008, he = entered a=20 Ph.D. program at Colorado State University.

Czaja is a = graduate=20 of numerous military schools, including Command and General Staff = College=20 and Joint and Combined Staff Officer School, and earned a Master = of=20 Science in international relations from Troy University. His = military=20 awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service = Medal,=20 Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), Joint Service Commendation = Medal,=20 Army Commendation Medal (3 awards), Joint Service Achievement = Medal, Army=20 Achievement Medal (3 awards), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, = Global War=20 on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal (2 = awards),=20 Parachutist Badge, Honduran Parachutist Badge and numerous other=20 individual and unit awards.

A graduate = of Gallia=20 Academy High School in Gallipolis, Ohio, Robert F. Danner earned a = bachelor=92s degree in music education from Wheaton College in = Illinois and=20 was commissioned as an Infantry lieutenant through the Army ROTC = program=20 in 1960. He served as a platoon leader at Fort Benning, Ga., = before being=20 assigned to a several positions at Fort Gordon, Ga., as part of = the=20 response to the Berlin/Cuban crises. After joining the Adjutant = General=20 Corps as a Regular Army officer in 1964, he served in the = headquarters of=20 Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy, before returning = to the=20 United States for additional education. He deployed to Vietnam, = where he=20 served in Long Binh for one year as a personnel staff officer in=20 Headquarters, G1, U.S. Army Vietnam. He was the primary personnel = staff=20 officer for an advisory program aimed at strengthening the = Vietnamese=20 Regional and Popular Forces.

He was = assigned to=20 the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as the deputy adjutant = general,=20 and then completed the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College = in=20 1971. Danner joined the Department of the Army Staff in June 1971 = and=20 served in several billets with the Military Personnel = Center.

He = graduated from an=20 Army-sponsored full-time degree program at the George Washington=20 University School of Education in May 1974 with a Master of Arts = in=20 College Student Personnel Administration before being assigned for = a=20 second time to West Point. Danner was associate director of = admission and=20 chief of the admission division at the U.S. Military Academy from = June=20 1974 until July 1979. During that time, he was promoted to = lieutenant=20 colonel, and oversaw the admission programs that allowed for the = admission=20 of women to West Point in 1976. Upon completion of the assignment, = he was=20 ordered to Fort Knox, Ky., where he served his final Army = assignment as=20 adjutant general of the U.S. Army Armor Center. Although selected = for=20 promotion to colonel, he retired on July 31, 1981.

Danner = immediately=20 was appointed vice president for student life at Houghton College, = where=20 he began a career that would last more than 25 years. In addition = to=20 having responsibility for several areas that contributed greatly = to=20 students=92 safety, health and development, he was the Army ROTC = adviser and=20 member of the 29th Congressional District=92s Military Service = Academy=20 Selection Committee for 20 years. Danner continues to serve the = college as=20 coordinator of faculty recruiting and is highly active in his = community.=20 His professional, community and church involvement honors include = the=20 Boender Award from the Association of Christians in Student = Development,=20 three terms as a member, including one as chair, of the Houghton = Wesleyan=20 Church Board of Elders and several positions with the town of=20 Caneadea.

A graduate = of the=20 Army War College, his military awards include the Bronze Star = Medal,=20 Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (3 awards), = National=20 Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Commendation = Medal,=20 Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry With Palm, two Overseas Service Bars = and the=20 Expert Infantryman and Parachutist Badges.

Richard C. = Trietley=20 Jr. graduated from Olean High School and enrolled as an Army ROTC=20 scholarship student at St. Bonaventure University. He was a = distinguished=20 Military Graduate when he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and=20 commission as an Infantry second lieutenant in education in 1986. = After=20 completing initial military schooling, he served as the leader of = two=20 platoons in the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry, 82nd = Airborne=20 Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. He deployed with his platoon to = Honduras=20 during Operation Golden Pheasant in 1988 and later was selected as = aide de=20 camp to the commanding general of First Region Army = ROTC.

After = additional=20 military education, he was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division = in Fort=20 Wainright, Ala., where he was a battalion adjutant and rifle = company=20 commander. He served as assistant S3 of 2nd Brigade, 6th Infantry=20 Division, before being selected as the brigade=92s S3/Operations = Officer. In=20 that capacity, he was responsible for the planning, coordination = and=20 execution of the unit=92s deployments to the Joint Readiness = Training Center=20 and an exercise in Thailand.

Trietley = returned to=20 St. Bonaventure in 1993 to serve as an assistant professor of = military=20 science and in 1996 was selected as First Region=92s Instructor of = the Year=20 before being assigned to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., as the senior = program=20 manager for a Department of Defense program that trained and = educated=20 foreign military officers from 70 nations. He completed Command = and=20 General Staff College and returned to Fort Bragg, where he was = assigned to=20 several positions, including a key assignment as secretary to the = general=20 staff of the 82nd Airborne Division. He served as executive = officer of the=20 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and oversaw its 2002 = deployment to=20 Afghanistan. Serving in Afghanistan for five months, he was the = first=20 soldier to send a message with the Blue Force Tracker system = during combat=20 operations.

Trietley = accepted the=20 assignment to become St. Bonaventure University=92s professor of = military=20 science and returned to his hometown and alma mater in 2003. = During a=20 command that lasted five years, he commissioned 62 second = lieutenants and=20 in 2008 was inducted into the Commission of Independent Colleges = and=20 Universities Hall of Distinction and the Who=92s Who of American = College and=20 University Professors. In February, Trietley was named vice = provost of=20 Student Life at St. Bonaventure.

Trietley is = a=20 graduate of numerous military schools and earned a Master of Arts = in=20 teaching from Webster University. He is a member of the Order of = Saint=20 Maurice (Centurion), an honor bestowed upon him by the National = Infantry=20 Association and the Chief of Infantry of the United States Army. = His=20 military decorations and awards include the Bronze Star Medal, = Meritorious=20 Service Medal (4 awards), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2 = awards),=20 Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, = National=20 Defense Service Medal with Service Star, Army Service Ribbon, = Overseas=20 Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman=92s Badge, Expert = Infantryman=92s Badge,=20 Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist=92s Wings, Air Assault Badge and = Honduran=20 Parachutist Badge.

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SBU finance professor to = discuss=20 current recession

Dr. Jeffrey = Peterson,=20 professor of finance, will discuss the current economic crisis = during an=20 upcoming program at St. Bonaventure University.

The lecture = is titled=20 =93Living in Interesting Times: An Examination of Economic = Performance in=20 2008-2009=94 and will be held at 4:30 p.m. March 26 in Dresser = Auditorium of=20 the John J. Murphy Professional Building.

The = presentation will=20 look into the factors of the current economic crisis, while = critically=20 examining the government=92s response policy.

=93Particular attention=20 is focused on the evolving recognition of systemic risk as = motivation for=20 government intervention in financial markets,=94 said = Peterson.

The lecture = will end=20 with the identification of economic and financial metrics that can = be used=20 to evaluate and monitor the progress of the economic recovery and=20 process.

This event = is free=20 and open to the public.

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Phi Rho = Hut-A-Thon set=20 for this weekend

To raise awareness = about the=20 connection between homelessness and mental illness, Phi Rho will = be=20 hosting this year=92s Hut-a-Thon fundraiser this = weekend.

The event = will be=20 held in the parking lot in front of University Ministries from = 5:30 p.m.=20 on Friday, March 20, through 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March = 22.

Donations = will be=20 collected as pledges for those who wish to sit in or stand around = a =93hut,=94=20 getting a feel for what it is like to be without a home. = Participants will=20 ask friends, family members, co-workers and teachers to pledge = money for=20 the period that they sign up for. Participants are asked to sign = up for at=20 least a two-hour period. Prizes will be awarded on the final day = to the=20 individual, organization or group that raises the most = money.

Proceeds = from the=20 event will be given to the Olean Genesis House, a homeless = shelter; St.=20 Bonaventure=92s School of Education Counseling Clinic, which = provides=20 affordable mental health and academic services for Cattaraugus,=20 Chautauqua, Allegany, Erie and McKean counties; and Phi Rho, the = St.=20 Bonaventure chapter of the Chi Sigma Iota National Counseling = Honor=20 Society.

Group = participants,=20 such as organizations and school clubs, are encouraged to make = signs or=20 banners that have both their school/group name on them as well as = facts=20 and statistics about homelessness. Participating groups need to = designate=20 a contact person to collect money from students.

University = Ministries=20 will be open for the duration of the event providing hot = chocolate,=20 coffee, and water for participants. Restroom facilities at = University=20 Ministries will also be available.

Checks can = be made=20 out to =93Phi Rho=94 with =93Hut-A-Thon=94 on the memo line. All = donations need to=20 be made by March 30. To set up at time for the money collection or = to=20 request further information on the Hut-a-Thon, contact Dr. Mary = Adekson at=20 madekson@sbu.edu.

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SBU Web class produces = weekly online=20 chat

Ever wonder what = news might be=20 like if newspapers became nonexistent? This semester=92s Web = Communication=20 class at St. Bonaventure University interactively explores what = might lie=20 ahead.

Christopher = Mackowski, associate professor of journalism and mass = communication, is=20 teaching such a class. In conjunction with Buffalo.com, the class = produces=20 a live online chat called =93IMportant People=94 every Wednesday = from noon=20 until 1 p.m.

=93I = decided that doing=20 Web communication would be more beneficial than teaching it,=94 = Mackowski=20 said.

The = real-world=20 newsroom offers the students hands on experience for their = resumes. The=20 chat allows anyone to submit questions to the Western New York = guest of=20 the week. While this is not the first time the class has been = offered, it=20 has been revamped to be current with today=92s Internet = use.

=93It=92s = about the=20 community, for the community, by the community,=94 Mackowski=20 explains.

The class = is designed=20 so that all the tasks are rotated weekly, including finding the = guest,=20 guest research, posting videos and pictures, conducting polls and=20 moderating the chat itself. The moderators receive the incoming = questions,=20 approve them for release and keep the conversation = going.

As another = of the=20 class=92s projects, students are working with the Webmaster at=20 Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in = central=20 Virginia to overhaul a part of the park=92s Web site. Students are = gathering=20 information, writing text, placing photos, and creating new=20 pages.

Ruth = Harper, a junior=20 journalism and mass communications major, took this class because = she=20 =93hadn=92t had much experience with online news and I wanted to = learn more=20 about the Internet in conjunction with J/MC.=94

The = Buffalo.com=20 guests have included Dan Barry, a Bonaventure graduate and New = York Times=20 columnist; the Buffalo Chips, an a cappella group; Dr. Phil Payne, = a SBU=20 professor and presidential biographer; and Louis Ramey from Last = Comic=20 Standing.

On Mondays, = the class=20 researches the next guest and discusses the previous week=92s = chat, weighing=20 in on the positive and negative. Another requirement is that = students=20 submit entries in an online blog account discussing the = class.

Emily = Dillon, a=20 senior journalism and mass communication major and women=92s = studies minor,=20 said the class has given her the =93opportunity to see how chats = work and=20 what topics can be considered newsworthy.=94

On = Wednesdays at noon=20 grab your lunch and log on to www.buffalo.com to see what = IMportant People=20 are saying.

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Artmobile = dedicated;=20 schools to benefit

Financially = strapped=20 schools unable to send a bus loaded with kids to St. = Bonaventure=92s arts=20 center can now ask for a bus loaded with art to visit = them.

The = university Friday=20 formally dedicated its new Artmobile, a mobile arts education bus = that=20 will target K-12 schoolchildren in the region whose districts = often don=92t=20 have the resources to send them to the museum.

State Sen. = Catharine=20 Young (R-Olean) helped secure the $50,000 state grant used to = purchase and=20 equip the vehicle. She spoke at the dedication ceremony inside the = Regina=20 A. Quick Center for the Arts.

=93This = means a lot to=20 me personally,=94 Sen. Young said. =93I had the good fortune of = growing up on=20 a dairy farm in Livingston County =85 but my mom was a teacher and = she=20 always made sure that we had opportunities to see the philharmonic = in=20 Rochester, or go see a play or an art exhibit.

=93Those = experiences=20 helped shape the person I am, and I want to make sure that our = young=20 people have those chances to enrich themselves culturally. We all = know how=20 important this exposure is to the education process.=94

Sen. Young = was=20 approached about the Artmobile concept two years ago by Joseph = LoSchiavo,=20 Quick Center executive director; Michael Kramer from University = Relations;=20 and Marianne Laine, chair of the Guild for The Regina A. Quick = Center for=20 the Arts.

=93They = were so=20 enthusiastic and had such a great vision that it was hard not to = feel=20 excited about the idea,=94 Sen. Young said. =93These are the types = of grants=20 that make a real difference in our communities.=94

Laine = applauded Sen.=20 Young=92s support of the Artmobile, which was blessed with holy = water by Fr.=20 Leo J. Gallina Jr. of St. Bernard=92s Catholic Church in Bradford, = Pa.

=93I = can=92t express=20 enough how grateful we are for Sen. Young making this part of the = vision=20 such a wonderful reality,=94 Laine said.

LoSchiavo = said that=20 33 schools and more than 2,300 children have already benefited = from visits=20 by the Artmobile, which began making trips in the fall.

The = exposure to those=20 underserved children bolsters the educational mission of the Quick = Center,=20 which hosted more than 3,000 schoolchildren in 2008 for tours and=20 performances.

=93The = numbers just=20 keep climbing,=94 said LoSchiavo, who reported that more than 800 = children=20 visited the Quick Center this week alone, including a number of = children=20 Friday from Ivers J. Norton Elementary in Olean.

More than = 50 school=20 districts make up the center=92s six-county service area, = including 43 in=20 New York state alone. The impetus for the Artmobile came as Quick = Center=20 staff watched the closing and consolidation of several area = schools in the=20 past several years, and the loss of funding for school field=20 trips.

School = districts=20 interested in an Artmobile visit can contact museum educator = Evelyn Sabina=20 at 375-2088 or esabina@sbu.edu.

The Regina = A. Quick=20 Center for the Arts opened its doors January 1995 to consolidate = the=20 artistic activities of the campus, while creating a regional = outlet for=20 culture and expression for Western New York.

The Quick = Center=20 offers a number of resources for the education and entertainment = of its=20 varied audiences. The center is made up of four exhibition = galleries, the=20 321-seat Rigas Family Theater, the F. Donald Kenney Museum & = Art Study=20 Wing, art storage areas, and instructional spaces for the visual = and=20 performing arts.

Information = about the=20 Quick Center=92s hours and exhibits is available at=20 www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.

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Acclaimed pianist Leon = Bates to=20 perform at St. Bonaventure's Quick Center

Acclaimed pianist = Leon Bates=20 will perform his =93American Originals=94 program at 7:30 p.m. = Friday, March=20 20, at St. Bonaventure University=92s Regina A. Quick Center for = the=20 Arts.

The = performance is=20 being presented by Friends of Good Music in association with The = Quick=20 Center.

Bates, = regarded in=20 Europe as =93one of America=92s best,=94 and who remains an = audience favorite=20 across the United States, was hailed by The New York Times as = =93an elegant=20 player with a keen ear for color and a flair for = poetry.=94

=93Leon = Bates is one of=20 the greatest American pianists of his generation,=94 said Joseph = A.=20 LoSchiavo, executive director of The Quick Center. =93I had the = honor of=20 presenting him in many recitals and chamber music concerts in New = York=20 City and it is a privilege to welcome Mr. Bates to St. Bonaventure = and the=20 Olean community.=94

Bates has = performed=20 in major concert halls on five continents. He appeared with Lorin = Maazel=20 and Orchstre National de France in Paris, with the Vienna = Symphony, the=20 Sinfonica di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Strasbourg Symphony in = France,=20 Czech National Symphony in Prague, and the Quebec Symphony. He = recently=20 returned to Europe for performances in Germany and = Italy.

Some = highlights of=20 his career include his recital debut at Carnegie Hall, a televised = performance at La Scala Opera House in Milan, and appearing as = soloist=20 with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in Rome=92s Olympic Stadium = before an=20 audience of 20,000 as a tribute to Christopher = Columbus.

Bates = created the=20 program =93American Originals=94 to recognize the achievements of=20 extraordinary African-American composers of the 20th century. The = first=20 half of the program concentrates on two works in traditional forms = by two=20 living composers, =93Piano Sonata No. 1=94 by Pulitzer = Prize-winning composer=20 George Walker and =93Two Etudes=94 by Ohio-born composer Leslie = Adams.=20 Following intermission, Bates turns to rags and dances from the = South=20 including =93The Entertainer=94 by Scott Joplin. He finishes the = evening with=20 favorites by Duke Ellington.

The program = guides=20 the audience through the richness of American music for the piano, = offering =93an evening everyone will enjoy,=94 said = LoSchiavo.

Tickets are = $18 at=20 full price, $15 for St. Bonaventure staff and senior citizens, and = $5 for=20 students. For tickets and information, call the The Quick Center = at (716)=20 375-2494.

This = performance is=20 partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts = on Tour,=20 a program developed and funded by the Vira I. Heinz Endowment; the = William=20 Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state = agency; and=20 The Pew Charitable Trusts. The grant is administered by Mid = Atlantic Arts=20 Foundation.

The Friends = of Good=20 Music series at the Quick Center for the Arts is made possible in = part=20 with public funds from the New York State Council on the = Arts.

For all = Friends of=20 Good Music performances, the museum galleries open one hour before = the=20 start of the performance and remain open throughout the = intermission.=20 Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday = and noon=20 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The museum is open to the public = year=20 round at no cost. For more information, visit=20 www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.

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Pre-eminent Thomas = Merton scholar to=20 explore Merton's 'mature spirituality'

A = pre-eminent=20 Thomas Merton scholar will discuss =93Wisdom and Prophecy: The Two = Poles of=20 Merton=92s Mature Spirituality=94 at an upcoming lecture at St. = Bonaventure=20 University. Dr. Patrick O=92 Connell, a founding member and former = president=20 of the International Thomas Merton Society, will speak at 7 p.m. = on=20 Tuesday, March 31, in the auditorium of the William F. Walsh = Science=20 Center.

The lecture = will be=20 about the creative tension in Merton=92s notion of =93wisdom=94 = consciousness,=20 through which one responds to the world not as a detached observer = but=20 with a particular awareness of the =93hidden wholeness=94 of=20 things.

Topics to = be covered=20 include Merton=92s prophetic attentiveness to the ruptured bonds = between=20 creation and creator, the alienation and isolation caused by the = rejection=20 of wisdom, and the violation of the divine image through prejudice = and=20 exploitation. In exploring these themes it will be shown how = Merton=92s life=20 and writings make him a model for spiritual awareness in the 21st=20 century.

O=92Connell=92s lecture=20 is part of this spring=92s Thomas Merton Series. St. Bonaventure = is=20 celebrating the life of the Catholic writer and Trappist monk with = a=20 series of lectures and other special programs this semester. = Merton=20 (1915-1968) taught English at what was then St. Bonaventure = College from=20 1940-1941. He had been visiting the area since the summer of 1968 = with his=20 friend Robert Lax, a native of Olean and classmate of Merton=92s = at Columbia=20 University.

O=92Connell = teaches in=20 the departments of English and theology at Gannon University, = Erie, Pa. He=20 holds doctorates in English literature from Yale University and in = historical theology from Fordham University. He also edits The = Merton=20 Seasonal, the ITMS quarterly publication.

O=92Connell = is=20 co-author of The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia (2002), which received = the=20 award for best reference work by the Catholic Press Association. = The CPA=20 called the volume =93a comprehensive and authoritative resource on = one of=20 the most important spiritual guides of the 20th century.=94 = O=92Connell was=20 also the editor of The Vision of Thomas Merton (2003) and of the = first two=20 volumes of Merton=92s novitiate conferences, Cassian and the = Fathers (2005)=20 and Pre-Benedictine Monasticism (2006). O=92Connell has spoken = about Merton=20 throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Great Britain = and=20 Ireland.

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Beate Gordon, aide = to Gen.=20 MacArthur and author of women's rights clause in Japan's post-war=20 constitution, to talk at SBU

Beate = Sirota Gordon,=20 who played a key role in writing a women=92s rights clause into = the new=20 Constitution of Japan following World War II, will give a talk at = 5 p.m.=20 Monday, March 30, at The Regina A. Quick Center for The = Arts.

Gordon=92s talk,=20 =93The Only Woman in the Room,=94 which takes its title from her = memoir=20 published in 2001, is free and open to the public.

Gordon = was 22 in=20 1946 when she was enlisted by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, supreme = commander of=20 Allied Powers in Japan, to serve on a small task force charged = with=20 drafting a new constitution for the occupied nation. She achieved = enduring=20 fame in Japan for her insistence that this document contain a = women=92s=20 right clause, which she drafted.

Gordon=20 participated in the famous secret session between American and = Japanese=20 officials that determined the articles to be included in the final = document. This extraordinary document, unchanged to this day, = guarantees=20 women equal rights with men and ensures the nation=92s peaceful = role in=20 world affairs.

Born in = Vienna,=20 Austria, Gordon arrived in Japan in 1929 when her father, the=20 world-renowned pianist Leo Sirota, accepted an invitation to = become a=20 professor at the Imperial Academy of Music in Tokyo. The family = would=20 remain in Japan for 16 years. Gordon studied ballet, modern dance, = ethnic=20 and folk dance, as well as piano and drama in Tokyo, and later at = Mills=20 College in California.

=93It = has been my=20 privilege to know Mrs. Gordon for many years in the context of her = notable=20 career as a pioneer in the presenting of international performing = arts,=94=20 said Joseph A. LoSchiavo, executive director of The Quick Center. = =93The day=20 she told me the astonishing story of her wartime experience is = forever=20 engraved in my memory. It is a great honor to be able to welcome = her to=20 SBU. This will be a most fascinating lecture for anyone interested = in=20 World War II politics, women=92s rights and human rights in = general, and a=20 rare chance to meet the gracious woman behind it = all.=94

For = almost half a=20 century, Gordon did not speak publicly about her contribution to = the=20 Constitution of Japan. But since 1995, for a variety of reasons = that are=20 revealed in her lectures, she has spoken in Japan scores of times, = at=20 colleges and universities, and to women=92s groups and various = clubs,=20 sharing her story with more than 75,000 people.

Many = thousands=20 more Japanese have learned of her contributions through her book, = =93The=20 Only Woman in the Room,=94 a bestseller in Japan, and through = newspaper=20 articles, radio, television and documentary film programs, and a = play=20 written about her story, which tours Japan annually.

In the = United=20 States, Gordon has been invited to speak at Columbia, Cornell and = Harvard=20 universities, the University of California at Berkeley, the = University of=20 Michigan and to numerous women=92s organizations. She was featured = on ABC=20 Television=92s =93Nightline=94 program with Ted Koppel, and on = =93The Diane Rehm=20 Show=94 on National Public Radio.

Feminist and=20 political activist Gloria Steinem once said of Gordon: =93Her = personal story=20 will enlighten all those who question the importance of women=92s = presence=20 in the corridors of power.=94

For = more=20 information, call The Quick Center at (716) = 375-2494.

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Newsmakers for Spring=20 2009

Dr. Xavier = Seubert,=20 O.F.M., director of the Art History Program, will be the = chair of=20 the Mendicant Art History Group at the Renaissance Society of = America=20 conference in Los Angeles, Calif. The conference is scheduled for=20 Thursday, March 19, through Saturday, March 21, 2009.

Visiting = journalism=20 professor Breea Willingham will present a paper = April 3,=20 2009, at the Southern Sociological Society annual meeting in New = Orleans.=20 Her paper is titled =93We Don=92t See Color: Teaching Racism and = other=20 Diversity Issues to Students Who Don=92t Believe Racism Exists.=94 = Willingham=92s paper was inspired by a few of her students who = said young=20 people don=92t see color and racism will go away when the =93older = generation=94=20 dies.

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Friday Forum=20

All SBU = faculty, staff=20 and
administrators are welcome to Friday = Forums.
Date:=20 March 20, 2009
Speaker: Lindsay = Pohlman,=20 Pauline Hoffman, Zachary Rodriguez
Time: 12:20 = to 1:30=20 p.m.
Place: University=20 Club
Topic: Embrace It Africa: How microloans = and=20 community involvement improve life for those in poverty in = southern=20 Uganda
Abstract: The speakers will present a = look at=20 the SIFE-sponsored student trip to rural Uganda in May of 2008. = The=20 presentation will include videos and photos of life in Uganda and = detail=20 what their fundraising efforts support.
Cost:=20 $3

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