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SPRING HAS SPRUNG! It might be raining and cloudy, but your mood doesn’t have to be,
With a new season comes a new coach, Page 11
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The votes Duhawks nosh on donuts are in! during food-oriented 5K April 21, 2016 — Vol. 94, Issue 14
Day, Kavanaugh, Lewis, and Kirchner will lead Loras next year by BRODERICK HOOKER| staff writer
On Friday, April 15, a coalition of aspiring Loras leaders were elected to the Loras Student Union executive board. Emily Day was elected as the Student Body President, Michelle Kavanaugh as Vice President, Jonathan Lewis as Director of Finance and Abigail Kirchner as the Director of Processes and Communication. These four on the ticket, calling themselves the “Senior Citizens” because they are all soon to be seniors and good citizens of Loras, ran unopposed. “A little over 100 people voted for the election. This was decent considering it was an uncontested election,” said President elect, Emily Day. The campaign season in Loras Student Union elections are quite short. The group spent the week or so previous to the election canvassing, promoting themselves on campus, as well as on social media. Michelle Kavanaugh and Emily Day are both political veterans at Loras, both having served previously on the executive board. “I think campaigning while running unopposed was really helpful in interacting with the student body. I think that students were more connected to the election because they did know who was running and that it was election time. Our campaign, “The Senior Citizens,” was a fun way for us to work together with the student body and encourage not only their vote, but also their communication with the Student Unions,” said Vice President elect Michelle Kavanaugh. The Executive Board works with the student Senate and help to allocate funds and make decisions on campus policies. One such decision was keeping the student Nightrider on the Jule, which provides safe transportation for students at night. One controversial aspect of this decision was that these funds otherwise went to the yearbook. The new executive board is excited about their new positions and the year to come. “I’d like the students of Loras to feel empowered to take action and for them to feel like their voices and their concerns are being heard by the administration,” said Day. The 2016-17 school year will hopefully be a productive time for both the Loras Community and the Student Union.
by CASSANDRA BUSCH| executive editor
Saturday morning proved to be the perfect day for the Loras Triathlon Club’s first Donut 5K Race at Heritage Trail in Dubuque. The race began on Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m. The race garnered a total of 72 participants, of all ages and walks of life. The race was put on as a fundraiser by the Triathlon Club in order to raise money for bikes for club members. The inclusion of donuts made this no ordinary 5k race. There were 400 donuts for participants to nosh on during and after the race, which were donated by Donut Boy. For every donut eaten, participants received a sticker from the race volunteers. There were four donut stations providing donuts and water for those that wanted them, both on the way out and on the way back from the turnaround point. If a participant wanted a donut, they had to stop and eat the donut in front of volunteers to prove they finished it. Upon finishing it they received their sticker and were allowed to move on. A “Chucky rule” stated that if a participant were to vomit at any point, they would lose all of their stickers. Each donut eaten took time off of the participant’s overall race time. The co-presidents of the Triathlon Club, sophomore Chris Stoker and junior Paul Conway, were pleased with how the race turned out. “We weren’t expecting this many people,” Stoker said. Four members of the Triathlon Club will be traveling to Clemson, SC next week to participate in the USA Triathlon Collegiate Club Nationals on April 22-23. Over 120 clubs are expected to represent. On May 4, the majority of members will participate in a triathlon race at Wartburg College. Distributed to the winners were handmade metal plaques in the shapes of donuts and painted in purple and gold, created by one of the Triathlon members. There were two categories of winners, one with donuts factored in and one without. There was one male winner and one female winner in each of these categories. The top male in the unfactored category was Loras first-year Franz Becker, with a time of 22:26. The top female was Dubuquer Jen Schweigert with a time of 23:19. The top male in the factored category was Loras seminarian Christopher
photos by CASSANDRA BUSCH
Above: Participants begin the race early Saturday morning. Bottom Left: Two Duhawks pose with donuts donated by Donut Boy. Bottom Right: Participants register to walk and run in the 5K.
Grow, with a time of 19:04 with his eight donuts eaten factored in. The top female was a Dubuque community member with a time of 24:21, who ate two donuts. The top donut eater was senior Michael Okas, who ate 9 donuts. The event was not only successful in the fact that it included so many participants, but also in that it brought Loras and Dubuque community members together to
enjoy the weather while improving their health. “The Donut 5K was super fun and a really interesting way to eat donuts and not feel guilty,” junior and participant Joshua VanBesien said. “It was awesome getting to support the Loras College Triathlon Club in a way that wasn’t just donating money. Anytime you can combine sweets and exercise is a good time for me.”
President Collins speaks at final HSBB by AVA LALOR| executive copy editor
On Friday, April 15, the Campus Ministry CORE Team presented their second installment of Holy Spirits and Biblical Brew for the semester featuring President Collins. “This is my life story,” Collins said as he began his talk. “Feel free to sleep, laugh, cry.” This was met by many laughs. Throughout his life, Collins has struggled against his introversion while living an extremely public life. He realized that any challenges he has faced were always temporary and have resulted in making him stronger. Finally, he recognized how he has never doubted his faith though he acknowledged that practicing it has not always been consistent. These three themes were present throughout his presentation. Collins separated his life into five eras: his first 18 years, young adult years, next 18 years, early career, and most recent 18 years. Collins grew up as the oldest of six chil-
dren in Huntley and Crystal Lake, IL. As a child, he was always the “nice kid”, meaning he was always invited to the birthday parties in middle school and was a strict rule follower. However, because of his introversion, he never felt good enough. Part of this feeling was based on the economic situation of his family. His clothes were always second hand, his lunch was not always fully packed, and he and his siblings were always dropped off at school in a taxi because their mother could not drive. At the same time, Collins looks back at these years as fortunate because of his education at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School in Crystal Lake. With the great examples from the priests and religious sisters who taught at the school, his faith was a huge blessing throughout his grade school years. He then attended Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, IL. These years were primarily lonely. It wasn’t until later in his high school career than he found
photo by AVA LALOR
solid friendships. He wanted to be the cool kid, and he admitted that his role model at the time was Greg Brady. At the same time, he worked at a factory where he was made fun of daily. This brought him to vow that he would never treat anyone as poorly as he had
been treated if he ever was given a position of authority. Next, Collins went to college at Loras. There he made three great friends who encouraged him to run as a class officer. Looking back, this was one of the greatest decisions he made during college. This position helped Collins learn how to act in a small position of authority, and it also brought him into a more social group. However, his faith life was on autopilot because his life became so social. Through an unexpected friendship, Collins was encouraged to go on an Antioch retreat. “Other people looked out for me, took a lead,” Collins reflected. “In ways that you can’t imagine, it changed my Loras experience.” The years after graduation were filled with many struggles and blessings. Through God’s providence, he was offered an Continued on page 2