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St. Bonaventure University Arts = & Sciences=20 students will display their work at the 6th Annual Student = Research &=20 Creative Endeavors Exposition Wednesday, April 28, until Friday, = April 30,=20 in the Robert R. Jones Board of Trustees Room in Doyle Hall. = Students=20 display their projects on posters and will answer any questions = about=20 their work during a reception Friday, April 30, from 12:30 until 2 = p.m.=20

Dr. Stephen Stahl, School of Arts = &=20 Sciences professor, brought the Expo to St. Bonaventure in 2000 = when he=20 served as dean of the school.

=93The exposition was created as a = means to=20 celebrate student scholarly work,=94 Stahl said. =93Also it was to = encourage=20 more students to pursue original projects under the guidance of = faculty=20 mentors.=94 After its first year, assistant professor of = Mathematics Dr.=20 Christopher Hill took the reigns of the Expo from Stahl.

The Expo has grown every year and = 2010 will be=20 the biggest thus far with 39 projects on display. Hill carefully = picks=20 which students will be invited to exhibit their projects at the = Expo.

=93Early in the spring semester, I = ask Arts &=20 Sciences faculty to invite students to the Expo who they have = mentored on=20 a substantial project,=94 Hill stated. =93The work must have = occurred during=20 the current academic year or previous summer, the work must be=20 meritorious, and the work should be summarized on a poster.=94 =

Students and faculty are invited to = visit the=20 Expo throughout the week and attend the reception on Friday.

The St. Bonaventure University = men=92s rugby team=20 has become one of the fastest growing and most respected college = rugby=20 teams in the country. The team=92s recent success, however, would = not be=20 possible without the courage and determination of SBU students 35 = years=20 ago and the efforts of rugby alumni through the years. Alumni and = current=20 members of the rugby program come together every Spring Weekend to = celebrate the Robert Peraza Rugby Alumni Weekend.

This Spring Weekend, alumni and = undergrads will=20 also celebrate the 35th anniversary of the rugby program with a = series of=20 planned events. The plans for the weekend include a pub crawl = through=20 Allegany on Friday afternoon, a battle for the Gringo Cup between = alumni=20 and current Rugby players Saturday at 1 p.m., and a BBQ at an = off-campus=20 house later on Saturday. There will also be a prayer service at = the 9/11=20 memorial in front of Plassmann Hall for former rugby player and = graduate=20 of the class of 1994 Rob Peraza, who was killed during the 9/11 = attacks.=20

The Robert David Peraza Rugby = Scholarship is=20 named in his honor and given to an incoming freshman rugby player = every=20 four years. Some of the program=92s success can be attributed to = the 40 or=20 so students who started the rugby program in the fall of 1975. The = group=20 was led by Frank Dooley, a freshman from Long Island, who learned = how to=20 play rugby in high school. Even though the university didn=92t = fund the=20 program it allowed the team to set up a rugby field and the = program was=20 born.

Tom Ren, a graduate of the class of = 1978 and=20 one of the original members of the rugby team, explains the first = year of=20 the team and how he got involved. =93I saw a poster on campus = advertising=20 the start-up of a rugby team and thought that could be fun, so I = started=20 getting in shape by running in the old Butler Gym elevated short = track,=94=20 said Ren.

=93The first year was a little = hectic, with only=20 one experienced player, trying to teach the game to a bunch of = mostly high=20 school football players.=94

Dooley acted as head coach and put = the team to=20 work. After just four weeks of serious practice the team played = its first=20 ever game against the Brockport State =93B=92s=94 and lost 28-0. = Ren said that=20 the first couple months were rough but the players on the team = dedicated=20 themselves to being better.

=93We hung in there, learned mostly = by experience=20 in our early games, and then made a huge commitment to = training,=94 said=20 Ren. =93We all felt that that would be the easiest way to make us=20 competitive, which eventually it did.=94 In the fall of 1976 Al = Silliker=20 became the first head coach and helped the team to its first win = against=20 the Genesee County Creamers. Silliker=92s experience and knowledge = of the=20 game and increased interest and support across campus helped the = team=20 progress through the years.

Since that first win in 1976, the = men=92s rugby=20 program has enjoyed even greater success, winning New York State = Rugby=20 Championships in 1993, 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2008. The team=92s = recent=20 success has also allowed the program to become recognized and = respected as=20 a rugby powerhouse across the Northeast. The team has been ranked = in a=20 number of national rugby polls several times over the past couple = years=20 and also earned the right to compete at the Division I level in = 2009 by=20 winning the New York State Rugby Conference Title in 2008. With = all of the=20 recent success, Ren feels proud to have been part of the beginning = of the=20 program.

=93I can now look back at being an = original=20 member and be truly proud to have been part of what got it all = started,=94=20 said Ren.

=93When I look back upon 35 years = of rugby at St.=20 Bona=92s it=92s humbling to see how the program has evolved over = time. The=20 time, energy and commitment by many has been amazing.=94

The SBU Rugby Alumni gatherings = have been going=20 on for years. They started in the late 1980=92s, according to = class of 1981=20 graduate Mark Fitzgerald, and started picking up steam just = recently in=20 the 2000=92s. One of the many things that keep alumni coming back = for the=20 Spring Weekends is the bonds and friendships they have formed and = look to=20 form with other rugby alumni and current players. There is = undoubtedly a=20 special bond between St. Bonaventure rugby players past and = present.

Some of the friendships that have = been made can=20 be attributed to former rugby players, such as class of 1995 = graduate=20 Billy Kelly and class of 1983 graduate Bob Sims who helped = organize the=20 SBU Rugby Alumni Association. The SBURAA has over 200 active = members with=20 a 19 member board of directors.

According to the team=92s Web site, = sburfc.com,=20 the SBURAA provides the current undergraduate team with additional = equipment, travel expenses, facility planning, scholarship = opportunities=20 for prospective students, and assistance with internship and job = placement=20 for all current and graduating students.

The alumni also host a golf outing = every summer=20 for undergraduate students, alumni and current friends and family. = All of=20 the proceeds from the tournament go to the Robert Peraza = Scholarship Fund.=20 It is events like the golf outing and the annual Spring Weekend=20 festivities that help strengthen the bond between alumni = =93ruggers=94 and=20 current members of the team. Sims described the bonds he formed = while=20 playing rugby at St. Bonaventure and the bonds he continues to = form with=20 alumni and current players as a brotherhood.

=93It is a brutal game and these = are your mates,=20 band of rugby brothers for life,=94 said Sims. =93I have great = friends from=20 this experience from =9275 year grads to every player on the team = today. You=20 have to play and live it to really understand it.=94

For Sims, the experience of playing = rugby at=20 Bona=92s is one that he will cherish the rest of his life. =93I = would not=20 trade my SBU rugby experience for anything,=94 said Sims. = =93You=92re a member=20 of the SBURFC for life. It depends on each alumni what that means = for=20 them. I try to give back to the club every day.=94 A similar tone = was echoed=20 by Ren about his experience.

=93I would have to say that playing = rugby has led=20 me to where I am today, starting a team and having a successful = wealth=20 management and financial planning practice,=94 said Ren. =93I = wouldn=92t trade=20 my experience for anything in the world and the same could be said = for the=20 four years I attended St. Bonaventure as a student also.=94

Senior art=20 show to kick off two-day celebration of the arts in San=20 Damiano

The St. Bonaventure Visual and Performing Arts Department will = present=20 the 2010 Senior Visual Art Exhibit =935 & 12=94 on May 7 and = 8, opening=20 two days of arts-centered festivities in the San Damiano = Room.

The=20 exhibit will feature a selection from four years of work from = Katherine=20 Danahy of Buffalo, and Byron Morgan of Sandusky, near = Arcade.

The=20 exhibit is free and open to the public. A gallery talk will be = held at 4=20 p.m. on May 7, with a reception to follow. The exhibit is open = from 4 to=20 6:30 p.m. each day. The San Damiano Room is in Francis Hall, = located on=20 the east side of campus.

The exhibit can also be viewed in = the=20 Front Gallery of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts from May = 9-15.=20 Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and = Sunday=20 from noon to 4 p.m.

Danahy, an art major, grew up in = Buffalo and=20 attended Mount Mercy Academy. After graduating, she continued her = art=20 studies at St. Bonaventure University. Her main focus is painting = florals=20 and objects found in nature.

=93The art displayed in my = show=20 represents my progression through the past four years as an = artist. I am=20 thankful for the guidance given to me by my professors at SBU and = believe=20 that they have helped me to succeed as an artist,=94 Danahy=20 said.

Morgan attended Pioneer Central High School where he = majored=20 in visual arts. Morgan majors in journalism and mass communication = at St.=20 Bonaventure. He works in mixed media, collage, acrylic paintings = and found=20 object art.

=93I really enjoy working with Moleskins brand=20 notebooks,=94 Morgan said. =93Each notebook is basically a story = that shows=20 how I have grown as an artist. Every notebook is filled with = pieces that=20 all work together to show intense movement and rhythm that I have = not been=20 able to accomplish in any other medium.=94

=935 & 12=94 = is the first=20 senior art exhibit to allow a non-visual arts major to take part = in the=20 exhibition.

On May 8, the Department of Visual and = Performing Arts=20 will present a multidisciplinary celebration of its work from 4 to = 6:30=20 p.m. in the San Damiano Room.

Senior visual artists will = present=20 their works of art and offer gallery talks at 4:30 p.m. The visual = art=20 program will display undergraduate works created in one of the = many studio=20 art classes, under the tutelage of Prof. Constance Pierce, offered = in=20 Francis Hall.

The event will be enhanced by performances of = various=20 university music ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Leslie = Sabina, and=20 selections from the theater program, under the direction of Dr. = Ed.=20 Simone.

Danahy and Morgan designed the spaces in the San = Damiano=20 Room with the assistance of theater students who built the = portable=20 display walls, making the celebration of sister arts possible. A = reception=20 follows immediately after the program.

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SBU tops $875,000 in tax refunds = for=20 low-income workers through VITA program

St. Bonaventure accounting students have helped = local=20 taxpayers earn close to $900,000 in tax refunds this year, more = than=20 $125,000 higher than the 2009 record. Forty-seven volunteers (41 = of them=20 SBU students) logged 2,000 hours to save Cattaraugus County = taxpayers=20 $877,000.

By comparison, 180 University at Buffalo students = spent=20 2,200 hours to save taxpayers $992,000 =97 in a county and at a = university=20 10 times the size. The Bonaventure Accounting Association formed = the=20 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in 2004. Since then, VITA = has=20 helped low- and moderate-income workers earn $3.3 million in tax = refunds,=20 often through federal and state Earned Income Tax Credits. That = total=20 includes two service trips to Houston.

=93Our tax preparers and partners did an = incredible job this=20 year,=94 said Dr. Susan Anders, professor of accounting and = adviser of the=20 VITA program. =93For the two months that we were in operation, we = generated=20 as much business as a medium-sized accounting firm.=94

For every hour the volunteers contribute, whether = in=20 training or in hands-on service, $300 in tax refunds is generated = for=20 Cattaraugus County, Anders said. It=92s estimated that in = tax-preparation=20 savings alone VITA puts $825,000 back into the local economy, in = addition=20 to the tax refunds generated.

Most colleges only dedicate a couple of weekends = to VITA,=20 Anders said, but St. Bonaventure spends 10 weeks, acting as a = commercial=20 tax preparation firm operating out of a storefront in the Olean = Center=20 Mall. VITA tax preparers must attend training and pass rigorous = IRS exams,=20 she said. Over 80 percent of the 46 tax preparers were certified = at the=20 advanced level in 2010. During the current tax season, VITA = program=20 operations were reviewed positively by the IRS and New York state. =

The university joins forces each year with the = United Way of=20 Cattaraugus County and the Department of Social Services to make = VITA a=20 vital asset to the local economy.

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) at St. = Bonaventure assist=20 in the marketing of the tax-preparation program. The United Way = sets up a=20 site at the mall and provides advertising, the Department of = Social=20 Services provides resources to the students, and St. Bonaventure = provides=20 the manpower and accounting knowledge.

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CEO of toy giant to speak Monday at = SBU=20

Gerald L. Storch, chairman and CEO of = Toys=93R=94Us, will=20 discuss creating a successful business at 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 3, = at St.=20 Bonaventure University. The presentation will be held on campus in = Dresser=20 Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building. The talk = is a part=20 of the School of Business=92s Visiting Executive Series and is = free and open=20 to the public. Storch=92s brother, Dr. Henry Storch, M.D., is a=20 cardiovascular disease physician at Olean General Hospital.

=93We are pleased to welcome Mr. Storch to St. = Bonaventure and=20 look forward to learning about the business strategy he has = established to=20 position the company for success over the long term, as well as = the key=20 initiatives he and his team have implemented over the last few = years to=20 achieve business growth,=94 said Dr. John Watson, dean of the = School of=20 Business.

Storch joined Toys=93R=94Us Inc. as chairman and = CEO in 2006 and=20 has been responsible for leveraging the strength of the brand and=20 positioning the global franchise for growth over the long term. = During his=20 tenure at the company, Storch has developed and led his team to = execute an=20 overall business strategy to maintain and enhance the company=92s = position=20 as the leading toy and baby products authority, gain market share = and=20 create a differentiated shopping experience.

Part of Storch=92s strategy has included the = creation and=20 openings of new store formats, including the =93R=94 Superstore = and=20 side-by-side concepts, which combine Toys=93R=94Us and = Babies=93R=94Us under one=20 roof. In addition, in 2009, he initiated and oversaw the = successful=20 acquisitions of other leading brands in the toy industry, = including the=20 legendary FAO Schwarz, eToys.com, KB Toys, babyuniverse.com and = Toys.com.=20

A retail veteran with more than 20 years=92 = experience, Storch=20 joined Toys=93R=94Us from Target Corp., where he served as vice = chairman. In=20 his 12 years at Target, he was instrumental in the development and = growth=20 of the SuperTarget grocery strategy and target.com. He holds = bachelor=92s,=20 law and MBA degrees from Harvard University and was a partner at = McKinsey=20 & Company, specializing in retail and financial services = before=20 beginning at Target in 1993.

Toys=93R=94Us Inc. sells merchandise in more than = 1,550 stores,=20 including 849 Toys=93R=94Us and Babies=93R=94Us stores in the = United States, and=20 more than 700 international stores in 33 countries, consisting of = both=20 licensed and franchised stores. Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., = Toys=93R=94Us=20 employs approximately 70,000 associates worldwide.

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April 30

The Robert R. Jones = Board of=20 Trustees Room in Doyle Hall
12:30-2 p.m.

Event: =93Student Research & Creative = Endeavors=20 Exposition 2010: Reception=94

All SBU faculty, staff and administrators are = invited to=20 view posters, paintings and drawings summarizing the superb = projects of=20 students in the School of Arts and Sciences. The projects will be=20 displayed in the Robert R. Jones Board of Trustees Room in Doyle = Hall from=20 Wednesday, April 28, to Friday, April 30.

The students will be present to answer questions = about=20 their projects during the reception in the Trustees Room on = Friday, April=20 30, 12:30=962 p.m. During the reception, hors d'oeuvres and = beverages will=20 be served.

The Expo is a once-a-year opportunity to see the = astonishing quality and variety of work by Arts and Sciences = students.=20

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Newsmakers

Dr. Ed. = Simone,=20 chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and director = of the=20 Theater Program, is hosting his 11th season of Music from = Chautauqua,=20 heard over public radio stations in the United States and Canada = and=20 streamed worldwide on the Internet. Simone is also one of two = writers for=20 the series. Music from Chautauqua airs in this region for 13 weeks = during=20 the summer and into the fall on Classical 94.5 WNED-FM, 94.5 HD1, = and 89.7=20 FM.

Simone will also host four live = broadcasts of=20 the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra from the historic amphitheatre = at the=20 Chautauqua Institution on July 2, July 10, July 31 and Aug. 21. =

Two graduating seniors from the = Department of=20 Sociology presented their Senior Seminar projects during the = Undergraduate=20 Poster Session at the Eastern Sociological Society=92 Annual = Meeting. The=20 meeting was held March 18-21, 2010, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel = &=20 Towers in Boston, Mass. Timothy Butler presented =93Volunteer = Firefighters=20 and Emergency Medical Services Personnel and Stress: Coping = Methods=94 and=20 Joshua Mattern=92s project was titled =93Prison Towns: The = Challenging Climate=20 and Consequences to the Community."