Binder for sept 17

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Men’s soccer

College cooking

Duhawks shut down No. 2 Wheaton Page 11

Making delicious treats isn’t as complicated as you think Page 7 September 17, 2015 — Vol. 94, Issue 1

Welcome back from President Collins Dear Loras Students,

It is a pleasure to welcome all new Duhawks to the Loras community and it’s fun to have so many returning Duhawks back at Loras, too. As our nation struggles with all sorts of negative rhetoric, shameful behavior and dismissive attitudes related to faith, human dignity and ethics, I’d like for all of you to join me in making our campus community truly live out its slogan of, “Be More. Be Loras.” We have so many reasons for which we ought to be both grateful and proud. Let me highlight just a few: l Loras was one of only 11 Midwest colleges cited by US News as an A+ college for B students l In that same publication, Loras was

Speakers examine pope’s encyclical by broderick hooker| staff writer

A panel of three speakers: Dr. Lammer-Heindel, Fr. Joensen and Dr. Kohlhaas organized an in-depth panel discussion of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, on the evening of Sept. 10. Each of the three gave a brief summary of their opinions and impressions of the encyclical before opening it up to the audience. Dr. Lammer-Heindel, professor of philosophy, began with what he believes to be Francis’ diagnoses of our current environmental crisis. One issue is that it is not so much a lack of faith in God that is our biggest problem but a lack of appreciation for the “Gospel of creation.” A second diagnosis by Pope Francis that he notes is a “technocratic paradigm,” a worldview whose goal is blind economic growth, immune to moral considerations it may implicate. He also cites a tendency where our creation and technology tend to rule us, rather than us ruing them. Lammer-Heindel also gave three takeaways from the encyclical. The first is the need to deconstruct that technocratic paradigm. The second is the imperative to see our world in a new way. The third is to construct a new paradigm that recognizes the relationship between ourselves, God, and the earth. Fr. Joensen’s summary had a slightly different focus. Joensen, dean of Spiritual Life, drew away from it the need to adopt a contemplative posture towards the world. He acknowledged that Pope Francis did not propose specific policy solutions to our ecological issues, but that the Church’s job is not to over-prescribe solutions. A goal laid out in the encyclical is to reclaim a genuine anthropology and an integral ecology. What this means is essentially a better understanding of the relation between ourselves as humans and the environment. The blind worship of progress, in Joensen’s interpretation of Francis, is to be replaced a measured progress. Dr. Kohlhaas, professor of theology, noted the contradictions and paradoxes within Laudato Si. It is both traditional as well as challenging, blending the old and new. It takes inspiration from medieval theologies of God’s presence in nature, as well as modern concerns continued on Page 2

ranked 13th among all Midwest colleges for overall institutional quality. We were ranked 10th best for service to Military Veterans l We have enrolled a first year class that is 5% larger than a year ago. Nationally, first year student enrollment at private colleges is flat or declining l We have achieved the highest first year to sophomore student retention in Loras history – around 83%. The students who leave Loras are almost always asked to leave (academics/behavior). Don’t be that Duhawk. Nationally, this retention statistic hovers between 65-70% l We just landed another national award for our community service work in partnership with the City of Dubuque. This comes

on the heels of last year’s designation as the nation’s first ever President’s Award recipient for Community Service-Interfaith Relations We have completed or are nearing completion with a few facility upgrades: l Science Hall classroom/lab/student lounge renovation l Keane Hall classroom, faculty office renovation l Pub renovation l Einstein’s Bagels/Welcome Center/ Spirit Shop construction l Indoor Baseball practice facility l Attendance at opening liturgies, campus gatherings, athletic events and information sessions have been awesome We have much work to do in an effort

to become even better. Getting better will require all of us working together with a positive, moral and engaged Duhawk spirit. Loras pride is manifested best when wearing purple and gold on the outside and living out the mission on the inside. Loras students have a longstanding tradition of being successful, having fun, making good decisions, wearing the purple & gold and honoring our faith-based and academic mission by serving and representing well at all times. Please join me in being more and making this another great year for our Loras College.

God Bless, President Jim Collins ‘84

Artists showcase creativity at Dubuque exhibit by clarice keis| staff writer

The “Voices 11” exhibit is all about street art this year. Upon arrival, visitors walked around the gallery to look at the art, as one does at an art gallery. Attendees read the descriptions about the artist and their artwork, and took that information into account as they made their own observations. There were seven featured artists, who were on hand to discuss their process and ideas. Mario Gonzales Jr., or how he’s known by his art, “ZORE,” gave some insight into the graffiti world. His parents were graffitists and he started taking his work seriously when he was a teenager. “It’s all about letters, and the evolution of letters. I use it in all of my work,” Gonzales Jr. explained, offering insight into some of his techniques. He also explained that he stays true to his style and does not change his art to please the masses. “I’ve been very successful with my work and have had the opportunity to travel showcasing it. I’ve lived my whole life off graffiti,” he said. He and another artist, known as PYRE, were painting some art, live, on the side of a semi-trailer, and PYRE was available for discussion as well. Beau Thomas got his name for graffiti by flipping through a dictionary. His finger landed on “PYRE” and he liked the shape of the letters, and so made it his name. Alterna-

photos by clarice keis

tive names are generally used in graffiti because of its controversial nature. Thomas became involved in graffiti through skateboarding. He likes the individuality of both. He also said that graffiti is all about lettering and that it is essentially “elaborate signatures.” “It is an act of love, not hate. We [artists] paint trains and bridges, we just want to make areas beautiful in mundane

places,” PYRE said. With all this talk about the importance of letters, a second look around the gallery reveals their renewed significance in the pieces. ZORE and PYRE were right; almost all of the pieces had lettering in them. This was something many visitors overlooked during an initial view, but after a crash course in graffiti from two talented artists, many were able to

pick up the common themes on a second go-around. There were various different types of street art at the exhibit as well. One artist painted portraits, which typically aren’t seen in the graffiti world, but he blended the two styles together to create dynamic pieces. The exhibit overall had many different styles of graffiti and street art, with artists from all backgrounds, but they all had


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