This week's stories:
By Mike Trask The search committee to find a new director for The Quick Center for the Arts has been busy since Michael Hill vacated the position on Aug. 9. Hill left to direct a $90 million capital campaign for the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Barbara Racker, chair of the 11-person committee and director of the F. Donald Kenny Museum and art study wing, said it has reviewed 80 resumes, conducted seven telephone interviews and chosen three candidates for possible campus visits. Racker declined to release the candidatesı names, but said they are from San Francisco, New York City and Hudson, Iowa. They all have extensive experience as executive directors of performing arts organizations. Two have worked at university performance arts centers. Racker said the committee hopes to schedule campus visits in October, after conducting reference checks. The committee advertised in The Chronicle for Higher Education and various art magazines to find applicants. Racker said the position remains open and the committee will continue to review applications until it extends an offer. Racker said the programming at the center hasn't been affected by Hill's departure, but said the center's staff has taken on extra responsibilities, especially in fundraising and dealing with arts patrons. ³It's a typical situation, especially in the arts. People leave. It's not a disaster. We're carrying on,² Racker said. She said the person hired could affect the center's programming. However, he or she would have to ³buy in² to the center's mission statement, so the overall aim and direction of the center will not change. On the committee are Barbara Carr, director of major gifts; Michael Chiariello, dean of Clare College; Priscilla Cunningham, chair of the St. Bonaventure University Arts Council; David Ferguson, vice president for marketing and public relations; Sarah Kloos, operations manager for the center; Richard Reilly, first director of the center and current Board of Trustees professor of philosophy; Sam Ross, vice president for university advancement; Leslie Sabina, chair of the department of visual and performing arts; Brenda McGee Snow, vice president for business and finance; and Zoe Walker-Itoh, director of the center's Rigas Family Theater and coordinator of Arts-in-Education Programs at the center.
University bookstore bans backpacks
By Stefanie Gerwitz
Recent shoplifting prompted the university bookstoreıs management to place a sign on its door: ³Please leave all backpacks and bags on the shelves outside the bookstore.² Shelves with 16 cubbyholes now stand outside the bookstore so that students can leave their books and bags in them. Drew Franczak, manager of the bookstore, said the privilege of bringing backpacks into the bookstore had to be taken away because of merchandise being stolen. The policy existed in previous years, but the bookstore did not enforce it, according to Franczak. ³The reason weıve put the shelves up so early is that within the past three weeks there has been a rash of shoplifting, which has been much worse than in previous years,² said Franczak. Franczak said he is alarmed because many items have been stolen even though school only started three weeks ago. He added that no specific product is being stolen, but items taken range from textbooks to religious charms. He was not sure of the amount of money lost due to the variety of items stolen. Franczak added that they would rather not have the shelves, but that itıs better to have them as a precaution. The staff of the bookstore does not want to resort to searching everyone as they leave the store. Students shared Franczakıs concerns about the situation. They seem to be more concerned with the security of their bags and future modifications of how the bookstore could improve the situation. Freshman Kelly Voll said, ³I think that the majority of us that donıt shoplift are being punished because of the few that have shoplifted. Iım not saying that we shouldnıt have the security precaution, but it just sucks to have to be punished for something we didnıt do.² Sophomore Billy Van Damme said, ³Itıs okay for the bookstore to have this policy just for safety precautions.² Sophomore Rahsaan Moore agreed. Itıs a good idea to have safety precautions and checks because it prevents theft from happening in the future,² he said. Sophomore Amie Minderler has another point of view. ³The shelves were there last year but (the policy was) just never enforced and it seems as though in the long run, the items being stolen will have to be replaced and paid for. Then, as a result, the prices at the bookstore will most likely go up,² she said.
No leads or suspects in racist graffiti incident
By Jim Miller
Those who wrote racist graffiti on campus on Sept. 10 or 11 have not been caught, and university officials have no leads to follow, according George Solan, vice president for student life. Slurs were written on a concrete bumper between Devereux Hall, the Butler Gym and the Quick Center for the Arts, Solan said. If caught, the perpetrators face both legal action and university punishments, he said. No witnesses have come forward, and there is no evidence that a member of the St. Bonaventure community wrote the graffiti, Solan said. ³We have not had one lead, not one shred of evidence,² he added. Solan said the slurs were directed against African-Americans, but declined to reveal exactly what was written on the bumper. ³We are not going to enable the behavior,² he said. The graffiti was initially hard to find, Solan said, because the first report sent searchers to the wrong location. Once found, maintenance workers removed it immediately. A meeting was held for Devereux Hall residents on Sept. 11, and other residence halls have since had similar meetings. Nichole Gonzalez, director of residence life, appealed to students for help in catching the perpetrator. Professors have also discussed the graffiti in many classes, Solan said. It is university policy to make such incidents public, he added. No tips have been forthcoming, according to Solan. Police were notified about the graffiti, Solan said, adding that there was little they could do to investigate. Robert Amico, professor of philosophy and chair of the diversity action committee, commends the university administration for its investigative efforts, which he described as ³immediate and thorough.² Solan said he doesnıt feel that a St. Bonaventure community member scrawled the graffiti. ³Itıs just a gut reaction,² he said, adding that similar incidents have occurred in the local community. Racist graffiti appeared twice last year in Shay/Loughlen halls, and earlier this year a disabled St. Bonaventure student was harassed via e-mail, Solan said. He described all of these incidents as ³absolutely unacceptable.² The university solved one of the cases from last year, Solan said, adding that someone from outside of the St. Bonaventure community was responsible. The e-mail harassment originated within the St. Bonaventure community, but has not been traced to a specific person, Solan said. There is no evidence that any of the cases are connected, he added. Two African-American students left St. Bonaventure last year, according to Amico, who called the graffiti ³a strong contributing factor² in their decision to leave. Solan doesnıt feel that racism is a major problem at St. Bonaventure. ³I donıt think itıs simmering and festering at Bonaven-ture,² he said. ³Weıre no better or worse than society at large. Amico disagrees. ³I do think that racism (as well as sexism, heterosexism/homophobia, ableism, ageism, and classism) are systemic problems at SBU and across the country,² he said. ³We must act and stand together² to combat these prejudices, he said. Solan sees education as the key to preventing future problems. ³The best course of action is continuing education — informing the community openly and honestly,² he said.
By Allie Herryman
This summer the university filled the position of Vice President for University Ministries for the fourth time in less than a year. Bob Donius, who began work Aug. 12, said, ³I really believe Iım here for the long haul. For me to do anything of importance requires time.² In addition to serving on the presidentıs cabinet as a vice president, Donius also teaches some sections of Clare 106, Foundational Religious Texts of the Western World, and oversees the work of other university ministers. ³My work is basically to support the work of the rest of the ministers and be of service to the students,² he said. Donius said his goals while at St. Bonaventure include supporting and encouraging the existing ministry programs, as well as creating new ones. ³What I already foresee is a stronger sense of teamwork among ministers. Another (goal) would be to encourage more liturgical involvement of students.² He cited making students feel ³at home² at Sunday night Mass and beginning ³small scripture/faith-based groups in residence halls² as possible routes that could be taken to achieve these goals. ³As more students get to talk about scriptures more personally, that will deepen the spiritual life of the whole campus,² he said. Donius previously worked as University Minister for Alfred State and Alfred University for eight years. He currently lives in Alfred with his wife and four teenage children on an 18-acre farm. ³Thatıs part of the fun in my life,² he said. Before that, he spent three years as a campus minister, liturgical musician, chair and instructor in religious studies and varsity basketball and volleyball coach at St. Peter and Paul High School in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. It was a job he called, ³a great adventure.² ³I encourage you to have an adventure early in your life,² Donius said of the experience. He quoted former Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjold, saying, ³the longest journey is the journey inward,² and added that the St. Bonaventure spirit of the ³good journey² can be internal as well as geographical. He encourages students to take part in service immersion trips and study abroad programs. ³An international experience is very important to existence in the wider world. As many students as possible should do that,² he said. He added, ³the health of the world will be better served if more of us have a tendency to go global. I see us in terms of our spiritual growth that way, too. As we foster spiritual growth, we call people to embrace whatever tradition they find themselves in.² The Rev. Michael Ledoux, O.F.M., held the position as an interim vice president from July 1 until Donius was hired. He replaced Sister Anne Dougherty, O.S.F. Sister Anne left St. Bonaventure in December 2001, only five months after she replaced Sister Kathy Dougherty, O.S.F., who left in May to become director of novices in Philadelphia.
By Annette Boglev
The university is in the process of installing a handicap accessible entrance at the Friedsam Memorial Library after making the priority list for the campus building and grounds committee last winter. Itıs scheduled for completion by the end of October. The entrance, located to the left of the main doors, will consist of a sidewalk allowing disabled people to enter the library at ground level, according to the university Web site. A door will replace a basement window. Phil Winger, director of maintenance, said that a wheelchair lift rising approximately six feet to the first level will also be installed. The lift will consist of a platform with rails and gates surrounding it, preventing anyone from stepping over the edge. The project is expected to cost over $30,000, according to Winger. The money for this project came out of summer project funds, he added. The construction of the handicap accessible entrance was on the campus building and grounds committeeıs to do list for several years. It was also last on the summer maintenance list this year, Winger said. Since the university is a private institution, the law for handicap accessibility only requires upgrades on the occasion of renovation, Winger said. ³In a sense, we are ahead of the requirement because we are not otherwise renovating the library,² he said. The library previously accommodated the handicapped using the rear loading dock entrance, however, this was not satisfactory, according to Winger. He added that maintenance recently installed a handicapped accessible entrance in Hopkins Hall. The university does not currently have any further plans to improve handicap accessibility at other campus buildings. The university hired Duggan and Duggan, a construction company in Allegany, to construct the entrance after making a contract with the company over the summer to complete a series of small projects, according to Winger. ³We have been very pleased with their work for us in the past,² he said. The building of the entrance began Sept. 16. The noisiest work will be conducted from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. in order to minimize distraction to students in the library, according to the university Web site.
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