Regis University
Honorable News Volume 7, Issue 3
Greetings From Africa! —Kellynn Gates, Class of 2009
2-3-2012
“I learn as much about my community as possible, so when I start projects they will keep going long after I am gone.”
Inside this issue: Fair Winter Winds
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Justice: We’ll Know It When We See It
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Director’s Note
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Announcements 4
Above: Dan and Kellynn make Neem Cream
As my Regis education drew to a close, I decided to do a couple of crazy things. First, I got married. Then we joined the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Peace Corps prides itself on promoting sustainable development throughout the world. I work as a DABA (Developing Aptitudes in Business and Agriculture) volunteer, trying to help my association and community earn a living wage in both environmentally and economically sustainable ways. I have only been in country for 100 days, so my pri-
mary goals are to learn Moore, the local language, and to get to know my community. This beginning phase of service, known as the Etude de Milue, makes Peace Corps the amazing organization it is. I learn as much about my community as possible, so when I start projects they will keep going long after I am gone. I am already planning to do some things, like make Neem Cream with my women’s group, but other things will take lots of planning and community participation, like starting a library with Moore books. My time at Regis taught
me to serve, to be a member of a global community committed to doing all we can to make life better for everyone. I hope that is what I will achieve here. But right now I spend my days being humbled by the incredible community of people around me. The Burkinabe welcomed us with open arms, teaching us how to strap 20 liter bottles on our bikes, as well as how and where to buy food. Through it all, we both listen carefully and reach across language barriers. In the fields of America, the engine keeps agriculture going, but here the heart is the engine, and we’re blessed to be surrounded by such hardworking people. We struggle to properly frappe a single bowl of shea butter while the women beside us produce twice as much. I learn so much every day, and I am so thankful to the people of this country for helping me learn. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime… Good luck in your classes and with your theses and defenses!
Fair Winter Winds —Chiara Gonzales, class of 2015
“I found myself, along with several others, having Zen moments”
It’s that time of year again! After struggling through finals and the temptation of sleeping all day, we find ourselves back for the Spring semester. The campus is once again abuzz with excitement – the confusion of new schedules, the end of a (generally accepted) long break, and the reunion with our beloved friends and professors. Once again, the whirlwind of promised academics has come to sweep us off our feet, and this time with two brand new faces. With rather large shoes to fill, Doctors Dimovitz and DiSanto have arrived to pick up where Doctors Bowie, Palmer, and Bruhn left off. After the charged atmosphere of our first semester, it would be dishonest of me to say that I didn’t have my doubts. With an impression and dynamic like theirs, the loss of our own Three Musketeers seemed to leave an incredible void for me. But I find now that I had made a hasty judgment of our new professors. Drs. Dimovitz and DiSanto have brought their own incredible dynamic riding in on the wind. From the very first class, Drs. D & D sent the class into a flurry of thought, discussion, and argument. I found myself, along with
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Above: Doctors Dimovitz and DiSanto discuss the meaning and existence of a concrete reality.
several others, having Zen moments – moments wherein so much whizzed around in our heads, we scarcely had the lead or speed to jot it all down. Being part of that class meant we were to break down the very foundations of what it meant to be human and to have meaning; to follow a man of three faces in City of Glass, to pit philosophers and classmates against one another (in a friendly manner, of course) to define the Self, and to play with the concept of humanity really living in The Matrix or Plato’s Cave. Even with everything offered before us in class, the dynamic duo makes it a point not to stop within the boundaries of a classroom. A quick trip to Carroll Hall can lead to a lengthy and enlightening stay. Whether
it’s a friendly conversation on morality in Doctor Who with Drs. Dimovitz, Reitmeyer, and Palmer or a one-on-one discussion on Sartre, Doctors Dimovitz and DiSanto make sure we have full access to the entire Regis community. Bonds of incredible strength are built within the campus, both inside and out of the classroom; the emphasis on interand intra-personal growth, on the unity of heart and mind, is simply fantastic. As the Three Musketeers gave to us last semester, Doctors Dimovitz and DiSanto give to us now. They offer to us the quintessence of the Regis education and community. These fair winter winds hint at an amazing semester to come.
Honorable News
Justice: We’ll Know When We See It —Jeff Hassebrock, Class of 2013
One of the most famous phrases ever uttered by a Supreme Court justice consisted of the explanation, “I know it when I see it.” Now, while Justice Potter may have uttered these words in response to a rather scandalous case, his logic is all too familiar in the junior honors seminar. How do we know what is just? Is justice intrinsic in the nature of
things, or merely a situational construct? How do we collectively enforce justice? All these questions and more are being explored thoroughly under the ever-watchful eyes of Drs. Bowie and Howe. It is no small undertaking to guide 20+ honors students into examining the structures of their individual beliefs surrounding justice. These
two professors make the course come alive, and provide support and structure to the gains made. Dr. Howe makes it clear that trying to pin down “justice” is like writing, and Dr. Bowie reminds us that writing is hard work. It takes consistent effort to prevent returning to Justice Potter’s explanation, “I just know,” and yet the dynamic is such that our
efforts seem to find reward. We are by no measure close to truly defining the concept of justice, but we are closer to cultivating an idea of where our concepts of justice come from. For now we must be content that maybe, just maybe, this understanding will be crucial to understanding the deeper question of life: how we ought to live.
Director’s Note —Dr. Bowie, Honors Program Director
Happy New Year, Lovers of Learning. I hope your semester is off to a good start. It’s always encouraging to hear wonderful things about you from the honors faculty. Every semester, of course, brings its own journey, and I hope yours is well under way. I thought we might turn briefly to Annie Dillard for some advice as we begin this one. In the epigraph to For the Time Being she suggests: “the legend of the Traveler appears in every civilization, perpetually assuming new forms, afflictions, powers, and symbols. Through every age he walks in utter solitude toward penance and redemption.” As we wander through this semester, Dillard invites us to join the traveler, perhaps even to become the traveler, Volume 7, Issue 3
walking with each other, yet in utter solitude, seeking penance and redemption. Perhaps you’re a senior doing “penance” as you wrap up your thesis or your final courses, or perhaps you find yourself as a junior, mired in the “utter solitude” of trying to sketch a thesis proposal that will capture your unwavering interest for the next 16 months. Or perhaps you’re lost in the “afflictions” of chaos, desperately seeking order, or tracing the “power and symbols” of tradition through time. With Valentine's Day still in the air, you're surrounded with countless images of romance and love, all that appear so easy to access. But when you really love someone or something, the ups come
with downs, the joys share time with sadness, and the phrases “for better and worse, in sickness and health” often accompany the truly lasting relationships. Love of learning embraces these complexities too, and anything worth truly loving will make demands upon you. So no matter where you find yourself, welcome to the journey! As evidence that good times often follow tough ones, soon the honors seniors will be welcoming you to share in the celebration of their thesis research during their presentations (which begin the week following spring break). Finally, before you know it we’ll be in the midst of registration for the fall semester. Once again, we have a wonderful selection of
“So no matter where you find yourself, welcome to the journey!”
honors classes to choose from. Come join us at Spring Spree (Thursday, March 15th, 6:00, Main Hall 333) for more information about upcoming classes and activities. As always, be sure to stop by and let me know how your journey is going when your travels next take you through Carroll Hall.
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Regis University Honors Program Address: Carroll Hall 121 3333 Regis Blvd H-16 Denver Colorado 80221 PHONE: 303-458-4360 E-MAIL: honors@regis.edu WEBSITE: www.regis.edu/honors
We’re on Facebook!! “Honors Program Students”
Reaching New Heights... The Honors Program at Regis is an alternative way of fulfilling the liberal arts core requirements which are an essential part of the Regis College degree. Students in the Honors Program enjoy courses designed especially for them by faculty from all divisions of the college. The program stresses interdisciplinary study, small group interaction, and individual student initiative. Although it overlaps the standard core in several respects (number of credit hours required to complete the honors core is essentially the same as the standard core), the Honors Program is an excitingly different way to experience the broader education of a liberal arts college.”
Attention Honors Students!!! (Things to know for this spring semester)
Honors Luncheon Monday, February 20th Spring Spree Thursday, March 15th, 6:00, Main Hall 333
Newsletter requests, ideas, submissions? Contact Jeff Hassebrock at hasse940@regis.edu or James Persichetti at jpersichetti@regis.edu for further information.