The Gadfly “To persuade and reproach” - Socrates, The Apology
Vol. XV, Iss. I September 12, 2011
What Not to Talk about at Franciscan University – A Welcome Note One Franny to Another, I write this note of welcome to all of you new and returning students. Perhaps many of you do not know the gist about what goes on here at FUS, and some of you, may not remember. Once in a while, a generous and kind man, like me, decides to point a fellow Franny in the right direction about things, and right now, I think I will lay down a few topics about what not to talk about here at Franciscan. This is a very important issue, because, well, you want to be liked right? Certainly, you want people to think you are part of the Franciscan family 100%, lest be-
coming a heretic. So you want to make sure, you either a) do not say the wrong things or, b) do not decide to take the wrong stance on certain issues or lastly, c) do not criticize/ question various people or ideas. Going to Franciscan, can be related to perhaps, taking someone out on a date for the first time in the secular world. You have to be very delicate, and must at times pretend to be someone you are not. Let’s get started… Politics, broadly speaking, is something that you may not want to bring up at Franciscan University if you do not want to
be disliked, nor be labeled as someone who does not love your country, nor be deemed a schismatic. Politics is a sensitive issue here. Some questions you may want to ask yourself when thinking about bringing up politics are: 1) Do you love the poor? 2) Do all people deserve an opportunity to support their family through hard work? 3) Are you okay with giving up some of your excess in order to “help a brother out?” 4) Do you find wars that are not justifiable with the Just War doctrine that our Church has as not okay? 5) Is the environment something we should take care of? 6) Is the death penalty, in the fashion Continued on page 5
An Appeal to the Dear Men of Franciscan University: Over the summer, I traveled to Italy and Madrid, Spain, for World Youth Day. It was my first time overseas in Europe and while there, I was overwhelmed with beauty. By nature, I seek truth and tend to be a little suspicious of beauty; glitter is often deceptive, hiding falsehood under an attractive veil. I knew intellectually that beauty is also able to reveal and express truth—I simply haven’t experienced much truthful beauty.
In Europe, however, I encountered Beauty everywhere—the landscapes, the languages, the food, the drink, the churches, the artwork—they all played their part in the symphony. Yet I experienced beauty in a place I did not expect. To put it bluntly, there are a lot of good-looking men over there. I gave up counting at the airport. The total, after one hour of ogling, was 36 handsome men. By the way, it wasn’t just
me who noticed these men. In Assisi, I was visiting with a group of girls around the dinner table. We were just getting to know each other and asking the typical questions about school, interests, etc. I turned to one of the girls and asked causally, “So what’s your favorite thing about Assisi?” She gestured over to our waiter and declared enthusiastically, “He is!” Another time, we were all getting into Continued on page 4
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St. Moses the Black, pray for us!
Staff: Keith Michael Estrada (K.M.E.) Maria Cecilia Rocha (M.C.R.) Jeremiah Hahn (J.H.) Alexander S. Pyles (A.S.P.) Angelina Pierotti (A.P.)
Layout Editor: Anna Schiedermayer (A.S.)
Editor in Chief: Daniel Romeyn Davis (D.R.D.)
** Please note that the views held in the individual articles do not necessarily express the views of the whole staff. **
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~Mission Statement~ The Gadfly is an attempt to “bite the sleeping horse” in the spirit of Socrates. It is a student publication whose purpose is to facilitate discussion concerning campus and cultural issues as they pertain to students of Franciscan University. It aims to be a forum for open, well-thought out, and honest discussion towards the end of knowing and loving truth in its most robust sense.
From the Editor’s Desk For all the incoming freshman to Franciscan University I bid you a warm welcome, and to all the returning students, welcome back to another lifechanging semester at Franciscan! Franciscan University is a university unlike any other that I have seen. Furthermore, Frannies (or Frannys, there is no uniform spelling, as evidenced by my authors in their articles below) are a unique breed of students when compared to the rest of American college students. This place and its students compose the fabric of what makes Franciscan University a great place of higher education in the United States. And we should celebrate this. However, this does imply that FUS is somehow a “shinning city upon a hill” as Puritan John Winthrop famously stated (about the Massachusetts Bay Colony) in 1630 A.D., which implies that FUS is set above and sacrosanct from the stains
of the world. This is most certainly not the case. FUS is a human institution and its students are likewise, human (go figure). Despite this, there is room for celebration insofar as FUS is populated by a student body that universally proclaims the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is in this hope present in the Passion of Jesus Christ that we can fully understand and celebrate our humanity that unites us all together. In conclusion, I would like to welcome you all again back to Franciscan University for this Fall 2011 semester. I would propose to you all that just as Pope Benedict XVI dedicated all of the participants of World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that we here at Franciscan could dedicate our Fall semester to the unbounded love manifest in the Sacré-Cœur de Jésus-Christ. In Christ, D.R.D.
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St. Felicity, pray for us!
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Ytá{|ÉÇtuÄç YÜtÇv|ávtÇ ;YY < Anyone who knows Franciscan knows that its fashion consists of flip flops, the color brown, which generally looks good on everyone, a household sweatshirt or two, and accessories including a rosary, scapular, and a consecration chain. It’s too Franciscan to be missed! And then there are the other accessories which are de rigueur: Frisbees make their debut the first night of class and guitars follow soon after. But seriously, even though all these items can define a Franciscan student and are almost traditional, it’s possible to be fashionable in the modern sense and still retain that Franciscan feel. I direct this particularly to young women on our campus. Oftentimes we can fall into one of two extremes. For one, in an effort to be both warm and modest, many of us will don long skirts with hems just above the ankle, big sneakers and over sized sweaters. Although these fashion statements sometimes don’t look attractive, they somewhat serve a purpose on chilly Steubenville days. On the other hand, in an effort to look fashionable, girls on campus can go too far and step out in skirts that are too short and necklines that would make their grandmothers blush! Honestly, it can be almost comical to see the lengths (or heights as the case may be) we will go to in order to look modest and fashionable. But all is not lost! It is very possible to find a happy median that is altogether Franciscan,
But first I should mention an important point. Franciscan University prides itself on having students who understand and appreciate the virtues of modesty and purity. Sometimes, however, the definitions can get warped or misunderstood when it concerns fashion. And so I wish to offer one such definition. We
know as Catholics that we carry Christ in our hearts every time we receive Communion at Mass, and we should want our hearts to be pure and spotless for when we receive Him. So what has this got to do with fashion? Well, in a nutshell, when we dress modestly, we are preserving our purity of heart (and that of others) and therefore we are preparing our hearts to receive our dear Lord and God! So the next time you go through your closet for clothes, think
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Now let's take inventory! Most of the stuff piled in our closets is in some way useful, feminine and fashionable. Being a fashionable Franciscan student is not hard. Just think of it as taking today’s fashions, tweaking for modesty and then adding some Franciscan flair to make a lovely outfit. For instance, shirts that have a low neckline can be easily fixed with a pretty camisole or tank top underneath, and if that doesn’t work, try sewing (it’s not that hard!) a bit of lace to the top to make it more feminine--and then top it off with a medal of your Mama! Lace and bright colors are very in this Fall. Both are about as feminine as it gets, so girls, we should wear as much as we want! FF tip: Franciscan brown should be in your wardrobe somewhere but make sure to add some bright jewelry or a scarf to keep the brown from looking
What about those household shirts? There can’t be anything more Franciscan than that household apparel. I love wearing mine, but sometimes it’s hard to make it part of an outfit that I like. T-shirts in general have a rigid, almost masculine cut, which doesn’t help the situation. FF tip: if you pair it with a skirt of complementary color but tuck Continued on page 4
Professor Quotes of the Week:
Dr. Bergsma’s Four Steps for Handling a Metaphysical Crisis: 1. Scream 2. Be Depressed 3. Grow cynical and disillusioned 4. Apply for grad school
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our bus when our driver announced that his nephew, Francesco, would be joining us. Upon seeing his gorgeous Italian face, we girls spontaneously broke into applause and one girl let out a heartfelt, “Ow-Owww!” The joke we girls held in common was that God sure knows how to build His temples. There are volumes written on the beauty of women, but I wonder if the beauty of men is sometimes underappreciated, often by men themselves. The power you men hold in your bodies is staggering and majestic. Now, that may not be what you think of yourself when you look in the mirror each morning—you may think nothing, or that you need to hit the gym more, but men, your appearance really can reveal God to us ladies. Another thing I saw in Europe is that the women there actually dress very much like the women here. Not so with the men. They wore slacks, kakis, nice jeans, polos, graphic tees, dress shirts…
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the shirt in to create a soft line between the two pieces and add a thin belt, that would be both Frannie and feminine. Cardigans, likewise, never go out of style. They can work for almost any outfit and are useful when the weather can’t make up its mind. Every Franciscan woman has to have at least one, and they do show up quite a bit at those Household
If you haven’t noticed yet that Franciscan girls sport skirts
St. Etheldreda, pray for us!
all sorts of eye candy, especially for a detail oriented girl like myself. Once I saw a group of men dressed in dresstail coats, vests, and silk shirts! Beautiful! No one has a perfect body, but beauty can be found not only in just the body, but in one’s overall appearance. There were plenty of older or imperfect men that I counted as beautiful simply because they presented themselves well. It is said that women desire first and foremost to know that they are loved, while men desire to know that they are respected. In society, people accredit others respect based, at least at first glance, on appearance. Why else do we dress up for a job interview? Clothing can be a source of narcissism, but it can also be a sacramental. How we dress helps reveal who we are. We identify religious sisters by their habits, priests by their collars, soldiers their uniforms, the list can go on. I would love
to see more men on this campus dress like the sons of God that they are. It pained me when I was back in the States to see so many men, young and old, dressed in ratty shirts, sweatpants, and gym shorts. Hopefully, it’s obvious I’m making generalizations. Sweatpants and gym shorts have their time and place, nor are all T-shirts ratty. They’re all really comfortable! Yet when that is the norm for our appearance I think men do themselves an injustice. Overall, these do not communicate your God-given beauty of masculinity. Rather, these garments have the possibility to convey men’s vices— laziness, passivity, apathy. Dear brothers in Christ, this is not what you are called to! You are called to be pillars of strength, of leadership, warriors for Christ.
around here, then you will. We like our skirts! A-line skirts are coming back. Some Retro trends are making an appearance too. Specific patterns include polka dots and plaids. Generally, anything shorter than your knee is a nono. But when you’re rummaging through your closet and find that cute skirt you want that’s a bit short, try some leggings underneath. But whatever you do, please don’t wear
So have fun dressing up and looking Fashionably Franciscan! Lift up souls with your beauty and always thank God for creating you a woman! (All of the above opinions are expressly those of the author and may not represent those of the Gadfly staff as a whole.)
A.P.
Anne Tulloch
St. Felicity, pray for us!
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that it is permissible in the United States of America, somewhat contrary to our view as Christians? And lastly, 7) Do people deserve to be truly happy? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, you certainly do not want to consider bringing up politics any longer, as views here are contrary to your own, they are, however, very greedy, idealistic, neo-Marxist, Republican, Conservative, or whatever the advocates would like to call it. Next thing you may not want to bring up is the upcoming Presidential re-election…especially if you are aware of poor wounds the Republican Party suffered after the “Debate,” that took place and the speech our Commander in Chief gave shortly after. You don’t want to bring up the reelection because it will remind many students here of the unfortunate circumstances they face. The Republican Party has no real candidates that are suitable to run for President, have no options that are up to par with Church teaching and her various stances on social issues, and to put it frankly, if you really want to hold fast to the teachings of the Church and the Fathers, you may consider encouraging your fellow students to not vote for any Republican at
all next Fall, but that might be offensive, because not many of them will be as wise as you… so perhaps, you might not want to bring up the Presidential reelection at all. My friends, being new to Franciscan, you may notice that several people do not live on campus. This is both, possibly a good and a bad thing, for various reasons, that I shall highlight. If you are one of the many who actually do live on campus and haven’t explored the surrounding area, I highly suggest that you take a look around some day, when the sun is still out, and while you are with other people, in a car, with the doors locked, and your speed dial for Steubenville police ready at hand. You would think that the Mecca of Charismatic Conservative Universities would be set on a hill surrounded by UpperMiddle Class neighborhoods, shopping districts and more! Safe and sound, left away from all that would not be ideal for placement on brochures or the school’s website. The fact of the matter is, various systems that are highly valued here, like Capitalism, went wrong in numerous cities and regions throughout the USA, Steubenville being one of them. Away from the few main roads in this
city, you find pollution, violence, drug trafficking, abuse, neglect, poverty, though what has the worst stench of all, is the lingering smell of despair, accompanied of course, by a fake smile and resolution to do anything to help by the strong, smart, caring, and prestigious school we attend. The point is, Steubenville is a city that has been hung out to dry, and FUS pretends to care only enough to get you to come here, charge you tuition, and let you think that they are reaching out and improving this city. If you want to be liked, do not bring up the schools involvement in the community, or rather, lack thereof. Reading Acts 4:32-35 might help on this topic. I sincerely hope that I have given you a sufficient amount of tips on how to be liked and how to start off on the right foot here at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Do know this, I truly care about you and want you to be wise in your decision-making. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead you, I hope, one step closer to the truth. I hope other authors, like Alexander S. Pyles, will participate in your enlightenment. God bless you, my fellow Franny! K.M.E.
The Classics?! "He would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the Devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the whole race of witches put together, and that was -- a woman. '" The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving
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St. Idisdore the Farmer, pray for us!
Lending A Sympathetic Ear There are plenty of times during which we never quite wish to listen to an opposing party, if at all. And yet, looking at a different point can sometimes prove to be more useful in revealing the entire Truth. For instance, when solving a puzzle, two eyes looking at the various pieces may prove to be beneficial, since one perspective may catch the shape better than the other. This coming together of seemingly divided views or opinions actually constructs a far better vision. So, it must be at Franciscan, since anything that may go against the popular opinion is immediately labeled heresy, or worse. For example, in Philosophy, we constantly stop listening to other students, take for example my friend Keith Michael Estrada, if he mentions that he ‘is fond of Kant’ or if he prefers an Augustinian view of reality rather than Aquanis’. These are just highly generalized views that I have come across in my experience here on campus and to some degree I find it slightly disturbing. I know we are Catholics, so maybe sometimes we fall into
the attitude that we are the ‘Truth’ and the ‘Light’ of the world, which we most certainly are. The Light, though, is becoming clouded if we cannot see one another beyond our differing perspectives that are conditioned for ourselves for finding Truth. I am not saying now that we utterly forsake our foundation as Catholics, yet with the embodiment of Love that Christ calls us to hold for our brothers and sisters, trying to understand or listening to them is what we are called to do. Again from my own experience, some of the most rewarding conversations I have had have been with those that disagree with me, in which we discuss, and by the end of the dialogue may have come to some sort of agreement. Yet, the problem is that our pride often has us fall into our own inhibition of wanting to triumph and be correct in our own perspective of reality. I can vouch for being the first to fall into this flaw of humanity, and can vouch for how hard it can be at times to admit that I am wrong. Yet, virtue builds from this does it not? And that is something we can praise God for! Though, at the same moment we must realize that we may be One Body in Christ, each of us are all unrepeatable, unique individuals that hold to dif-
Are you experienced? As a writer, that is.
ferent preferences and pleasures and likings. That is what makes the Catholic Church so incredibly rich at the start! St. Bonaventure and St. Aquinas didn’t agree with one another all the time, since their different philosophies emphasized different things that each Church Father thought was more important. So, in that mind why cannot we at Franciscan share an equal footing among each other and at least provide and objectively listen for the various thought patterns and theories that are available. The ideas of such a free exchange could prove to be highly beneficial, at least for the individuals involved in the discussion. The smattering of thoughts and dialogues could build into something greater, rather than the consistent tear down that exists among people that disagree and are unwilling to come to a better conclusion or at the very least compromise. That sort of neglectful use of dialogue can inevitably lead to why we have such divisive division within the schools population, since it can be seen throughout the whole of society as well. All it would take was a little more listening and slightly more understanding in order to have the sympathetic ear released and give the campus a more beneficial movement and unity. A.S.P.
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Hippie Joe and Holy Jane Advice Column Are you new to the life on the hill? Or are you at times perplexed by this Frannie culture? From dating relationships, to how to take notes, to food in the café, Hippie Joe and Holy Jane have all the answers to your questions. (Well most of them, if not the Holy Spirit can enlighten us!) Question 1: Dear Hippie Joe and Holy Jane, So yesterday at the JC, I held open the first of the double doors for this cute girl. She walked through and I gave her my best smile. I followed her in, figuring she would’ve given the second door a little push as I walked in. As it turned out she had not, and my face smacked into the door. I know that guys should hold doors open for girls, but shouldn’t the girls contribute a little?
Dear Scarred by Door Imprint to Face Hippie Joe: Dude I totally agree. It’s a man’s job to pursue, hold open the door and cherish and all that jazz. But girls could contribute just a bit. It’s kind of like in movies when the hero is fighting the bad guy and the girl is standing there screaming and she doesn’t do anything. As for how you should deal with doors slamming in your face, I am afraid you are just going to have to let it go with a smile and keep silent. We are called to give and serve and not ask for anything in return. Holy Jane: In Frannie eyes, it’s a big sin if a man does not open a door for the crown of God’s creation. On the flip side, however the girl is not expected to do anything. When I am with my “galfriends,” I always pause and pop the second door back
to give them a chance to grab the door before it slams shut. I think this act of service that we provided to each other should be extended to the men. One, Mary as the crown of God’s creation lived a life of service. Two, as a beautiful woman, a nice look over the shoulder while giving the second door an extra gentle push is a great way to meet that future husband and impress him with your beauty and your kindness. Remember the course of true love never did run smooth, Hippie Joe and Holy Jane
If you have any quibbles, comments, or questions about anything we have written please feel free to express your opinion to the Gadfly or email us @ askjoeandjane@gmail.com.
Pop Culture Seminar Quote: A friend is someone who will bail you out of jail. A best friend is the one sitting next to you saying "boy was that fun." - The Maugles
j|Çx? j|à tÇw jtzzxÜç Memoires of a Homeschooler Homeschoolers stick out; you can spot ‘em a mile away, especially if you were homeschooled yourself. There is a special bond between homeschoolers: memories of homeschool groups (when once a month you defied the homeschool stereotype of being anti-social), finishing school work by noon (poor public school kids), screaming children while you tried to write a paper (known as “family quality time”)… ah, the good ol’ days. There is another special bond that exists between homeschoolers, even if you’ve only just met each other: hatred of Saxon math books. It doesn’t matter if you’re inclined to math or not. If you loved math, Saxon was too repetitive; if you hated math, then you just hate whatever book memory calls to mind. It didn’t matter which curriculum you used—Seton, Mother of Divine Grace, whatever your mother made up—they all used Saxon. There are lots of different kinds of homeschoolers. If you were like me, I laughed at the public school kids as I heard the bus pull up to our street—I was still cozy in bed. Then there were the other kind of homeschoolers who were up at 5am, 6am Mass, 7am breakfast, and doing math by 8. I laughed at you too. My mother did not have the natural talent for organization. I have many memories of sunny days spent in the park, dropping school and call-
ing it a “field trip.” We even had handy “nature journals” in which we doodled bugs. Once, we observed a mother black widow spider being eaten by her children. It was a very enriching time of my life. To this day, I am still fond of entomology, much to the discomfort of my friends, who endure my childlike glee as I shove the subject in question near their eye. See, I’m not anti-social. Then there are homeschooling mothers. You can spot them too, like a reflex. However, they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them look like they haven’t had a modern hair style since the 1970’s. I think they are waiting for it to come back in style. Some obviously had military backgrounds, and carefully prepared their children for life with an attitude any drill sergeant would be proud of. (I have several friends who are now finishing up Marine bootcamp and considered it vacation). Others have a quiet demeanor with an underlying firmness. Some are retired hippies. When homeschooling mothers came together, they were a force to be reckoned with. As kids, we were sure that they had a secret stash of Kimberly Hahn and child rearing books that the Marquis De Sade would be jealous of. For homeschoolers, the average family size comes in the low double digits. Never, ever did you hear mention of the concept of a maid. Child labor laws? Forget it. That’s why they had so many of you. If ever a whimper broke in the ranks, the common refrain was “Offer it up.” If a child became seriously unruly,
the kiss of death was “I’m to going to talk very seriously with your father about this.” The absolute worst threat however was, “We could send you to public school y’know.” And sometimes you would be okay with that—you were sure it would be easier. There is a close kinship that exists between these women which is found nowhere else. If one mother caught you doing something, she treated you as her own…and your mother was OK with that. They would discuss normal mother things—cooking, cleaning, punishment techniques, and appropriate teenage girl dress. There was always a slant to it though—what was the proper length and color for chapel veils? I would mention all the birth stories and discussions on labor and child delivery, but I only have one page. Let’s just say I’m not eating my placenta anytime soon. Now, there is the phenomenon of homeschooling kids going rouge once they hit college. Don’t do that. As a life long homeschooler (yep, 1st-12th grade) and a junior here at Franciscan, I’ll warn you—you could always go to public school. A.P.
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