CAMP provides support for migrant students

During his high school years, Freshman Ricardo Alvarado did not have the most conventional summer job.

Rather than passing the time working in the fast food or retail industries like many high school students, Alvarado and his family left their home in the small agricultural town of Edcouch, Texas each summer to pick berries on a Utah farm.

While the pay for this work was helpful for the family, it was not enough to secure a college future for Alvarado.

However, the College Assistance Migrant Program at St. Edward’s University offered financial support for this endeavor, and Alvarado said he is grateful for it.

“I wouldn’t have been able to pay to go here, so the CAMP program really helped me out,” Alvarado said. “It got me where I am today.”

CAMP has been providing migrant farm workers and their children with financial support at St. Edward’s for 37 years.

Brought to the university in 1972, the federally funded program provides annual college assistance for roughly 2,000 first year undergraduates nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

St. Edward’s University’s CAMP Coordinator, Linda Valdez said there are 35 freshman CAMP scholars, and approximately 98 upperclassman CAMP scholars currently enrolled at St. Edward’s.

St. Edward's is one of 10 universities in the state providing financial assistance to CAMP students.

This year, St. Edward’s was awarded more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help continue the program. Valdez said the funds are to be dispersed over the next five years, ensuring that more CAMP students will have the opportunity to study at St. Edward’s in the coming years.

While Alvarado said that finding financial support is the largest hurdle in deciding to pursue a college career, CAMP provides a variety of additional support.

Freshman CAMP student Esteban Balboa said he meets with his upperclassman CAMP mentor weekly, and his academic advisor monthly, to talk about his academic progress. All of the CAMP students also get together monthly to discuss these issues as a group.

It is a process that began before the students ever stepped foot in the classroom.

CAMP participants were offered the opportunity to come for a weeklong orientation session over the summer for help with study skills and academic support. Students were able to work with professors one-on-one in order to gauge their preparedness for classes at St. Edward’s. The sessions aimed to educate on a wide scope of collegiate subjects, but were focused heavily on math and the English language.

While Alvarado is proficient in English, he still found the sessions to be extremely helpful. He said that the knowledge he gained over the summer has really helped him in his classes this year.

To further ease the transition to college life, the CAMP students arrived on campus for the start of the school year another week earlier for “enlightenment week” activities.

“It was just for us to get to know each other,” Balboa said. “So that when we started school, we wouldn’t be by ourselves coming into our new environment.”

Balboa’s decision to study at St. Edward’s was twofold. He was first introduced to the university on a school visit during his sophomore year of high school. He liked the small feel of St. Edward’s, but the CAMP program, and the funding it would promise also attracted him.

Balboa grew up in Nebraska, but moved to Mission, Texas shortly before he began high school. However, they still return to Nebraska each summer to work in meat packing facilities. While Balboa has not worked in the plants himself, he has sometimes worked on farms for weeks at a time during the summer months in order to assist friends and earn extra money.

Some of the CAMP students and their parents will continue to work in the agricultural industry during summers and holidays.

While Alvarado’s parents have presently managed to find higher paying jobs in their hometown, he may still return to Utah this summer. Alvarado’s decision is not solely influenced by the work. Rather, he would like to return to spend time with family and friends.

Nestled in the Rio Grande Valley, the Hidalgo County town of Edcouch does not have the infrastructure to support year-round employment for its roughly 4,600 residents.

So, in summer months, when the arid climate grows too warm to support many of the regions crops, residents find temporary homes throughout the country picking seasonal fruits and vegetables. Utah berry farms are a popular choice, and much of Alvarado’s extended family makes the yearly journey there.

And while some CAMP students are content to return to agricultural work during the summers, they know that their degrees, which range across the university’s areas of study, will help them to pursue a variety of careers.

And Balboa said he is thankful for that opportunity and appreciates the program.
“It’s a very good program,” he said. “It helps you a lot, financially, yeah, but it’s also like an extra support system.”

Story # 3 Outline

St. Edward’s University touts its commitment to 100 percent “smart classrooms.” All classrooms are supposed to include: wired and wireless Internet access, a computer and DVD player with an integrated control system, a projector, amplified sound, laptop input accessibility, an 84 inch display screen and a wireless mouse.

For this story I will speak with employees from information technology, faculty and students alike to determine if the university is living up to its commitment. I will attempt to gain the opinions of my interview subjects about how beneficial they find classrooms to be.
To gain a larger sample, I will find out how our technology compares with other universities by questioning faculty about St. Edward’s vs. other institutions they have taught at, speak to transfer students about how SEU compares to their former institutions, and seek outside research through the web and solicit interviews by phone to find out what other universities are doing firsthand.


I will attempt to explore the issue thoroughly, and gain answers to the following questions:
-Where does the technology fee go?
-Is the spread of technology always even?
-Is it reliable?
-Have professors been trained to use it properly?
-How are students being trained to use it properly?
-How do other Universities compare?
-Are students satisfied with the level of technological integration in the classroom?
-What are the amenities like out of the classroom in study rooms, residence halls, etc?
-What are some of the most common malfunctions or concerns?
-How often is the equipment updated?
-How does our Internet service work, and what is the wireless like throughout campus?
-What are some ways that people have taken creative advantage of the amenities?
-In an increasingly technological age, can the students be more knowledgeable about the classroom technology than the instructors?



Multimedia Budget:

Photo; A photo of a professor or a group of students presenting using the classroom amenities.
Video: A video of students on campus engaging with different kinds of technology, integrate commentary from the students about how technology in the classroom fits with the technology they utilize in the outside lives.
Data: An interactive chart comparing St. Edward’s with benchmark schools in terms of the technology available and the amount of money spent through technology fee, etc.

Chronicle news editor speaks of challenges, progress

The news editor of the Austin Chronicle highlighted the history of weekly alternative newspapers in America, and described the challenges they face in both an online era, and a time of economic hardship, when he spoke before an audience at St. Edward’s University Thursday.

Michael King has been at the Chronicle since 2000, and has witnessed the paper’s online evolution firsthand.

He said that nowadays, most people live online, and there is always a push to be fast and first.
But King said that is not his personal mentality.

“I’m old school, I’d rather get it right than get it fast,” King said. “And, I’m afraid I’m a dinosaur for that.”

The Chronicle’s website is updated frequently, and features blogs, breaking news, multimedia and a city guide among its content.

And while the Chronicle has been on the web in at least an infant form since the late 90’s, King said, still, “We’re making this up as we go along.”

The Chronicle has managed to stay afloat since 1981 by operating with a local focus.

King said they do not have the resources to cover all national and international news, so they do not pretend to.

“I tell my writers, “think globally, write locally,” and that’s what we do,” he said.

The Chronicle tends to focus on Austin-Travis county, and some of the outlying towns in central Texas, where it faces little competition in the weekly independent news market.

“The chronicle has the advantage, and the disadvantage, of being the only island in the big sea of Texas,” king said.

He prides himself on providing, “not simply the news, but the news with an edge.”

The explosion of online media is one of the factors that has contributed to the financial hardships of print newspapers, and King said nobody has quite figured out how to make money from online journalism.

Once reliant on classified advertisements to bring in a portion of the paper’s revenue stream, websites like Craigslist have made the area unprofitable.

King said that the Chronicle’s revenue has not decreased across the board, rather it is flat, while expenses keep going up.

“I haven’t had a freelance budget for nearly a year,” he said.

And King does not see this changing anytime in the near future.

“We ride like everybody on the Texas economy,” he said. “Texas went into the recession a little later. We’re probably going to come out of it a little later.”

King said this predicament reminds him of the state of journalism in the late 60’s and early 70’s, when he was editor of “The Spectator,” an underground student newspaper at Indian University.

The alternative, mostly culture-driven publication seemed to make a splash in the community, but was not financially sustainable.

“For the first ten years, they couldn’t make ends meet,” he said.

The paper had trouble with payroll, and the staff was forced to switch printers on a few occasions because the companies did not approve of the publication’s content.

“If you’re going to build institutions, that means your going to have to make money of out of it,” King said.

And the Chronicle, as well as other traditional new outlets, are now struggling to continue doing just that.

Survey suggests college women at risk of sexual assualt

College women are at a greater risk for rape and sexual assault, according to a report released today.

The survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, found that approximately 3 percent of college-aged women experience a completed or attempted rape during a given college year.

The findings suggest that in one school year, on a campus with approximately 10,000 females in the student body, 350 could potentially be raped.

This finding could have serious policy implications for college administrators, and was prompted by the rising fear that colleges are not ivory towers, but rather hotbeds for criminal activity, according to the report's authors.

The majority of attempted rapes, sexual contacts, and threatened victimizations occurred on campus, often in the victim's residency, but the study also showed bars, dance clubs, nightclubs and work settings to be known locations.

According to the research findings, about nine out of ten victims were assaulted by someone they already knew, most often by a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate, friend acquaintance or coworker.

However, some victims, like Smartypants University Junior Jenny Jones, met their assailant in a public place and were coerced or drugged into moving to another location.

Jones met her alleged assailant during her freshmen year, at a bar on Sixth street.

"He seemed like such a great guy," Jones said. "He bought me a beer and we talked about college."

However, her night on the town soon turned into a nightmare.

"I let him give me a ride home and I don't remember much after that," she said. "It feels like one minute we were talking in this bar and then I woke up in his apartment. I realized what happened and I confronted him, but he just laughed."

Though the survey did not gather statistics on how often alcohol is present during attacks, Dr. William Serious, head of health services at Smartypants University, said that there are risks in a situation where alcohol is present, even when amongst friends.

"Young women are vulnerable in bars and other situations where alcohol is flowing," he said.

Serious said that the students should pay particular attention to their surroundings and be careful about accepting drinks from strangers.

Survey results were conducted over the phone. A randomly selected, national sample of more than four thousand women attending both two and four-year colleges were questioned.

The report, titled "The Sexual Victimization of College Women," was federally funded, and was conducted by University of Cincinnati professor Bonnie Fisher, along with her associates Francis Cullen and Micheal Turner.

4Grad Budget

Fourgrad-Developing (Photos)-

St. Edward’s encourages students to graduate within four years, and boasts a 4-year-graduation rate above the state and national average. What are the benefits and disadvantages of graduating within four years for students and the university? Is money the only issue? How does this stack up against other comparable universities? Wallace, Rogers, Weber, Shedd/ Guillett

Multimedia:

Photo: Photo of St. Edward’s graduation ceremony

Video: Compile a video of St. Edward’s students discussing how long they have been at St. Edward’s, when they plan on graduating, if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with this date, and what the contributing factors are.

Data: An interactive chart that compiles graphs of graduation rates, academic information and demographics of St. Edward’s students and students at some of our benchmark universities.

Sources:

-Collegeboard.

www.Collegeboard.com

Contains demographic and academic information for higher education institutes nationwide. The site allows you to contrast and compare various aspects of the schools’ offerings.

-Newsweek article, “Why college shouldn’t take four years”

http://www.newsweek.com/id/218183

An Op-ed in Newsweek that argues for a three-year Bachelors degree.

-Boston Globe article, “The Four-year college myth”

www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/05/31/the_four_year_college_myth

Another Op-ed piece, arguing that the four-year graduation plan is essentially a myth as it is difficult to achieve.

-A project of the American Enterprise Institute, “Diplomas and dropouts” report.

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/06/03/using-college-graduation-rates-for-cost-benefit-analysis/

Contains a roster of enrollment, tuition rates, and graduation rates for hundreds of universities nationwide. This source will be useful for cross-examining rates, and could lead to a correlation between tuition fees and graduation rates.

-The Education Trust, College results online: St. Edward’s University

http://collegeresults.org/search1a.aspx?institutionid=227845

Contains charts of St. Edward’s graduation rates for years 2002-2007. Rates are also broken down by sex, racial demographics, and compared against similar universities.

Zombies: slow vs. fast

Classic films taught us that zombies are supposed to be slow, dumb and persistent. They were usually easy to see coming, but they would take humans down with their relentless nature and unbridled pension for human flesh.

However, newer films such as "Resident Evil," "House of the Dead" and the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead," challenge this notion with strong, stealthy, speedy zombies.

While purists of the genre prefer the classic lumbering zombie, does the outcrop of agile zombie flicks prove this to be a welcome transition?

Perhaps.

In the early days of horror, zombies were not the only slow villains. Classic horror icons were never seen running, yet they always had the uncanny ability of catching up to their winded victims.

Today, aside from remakes, our movie villains tend to move faster. It's a combination of better special effects and a move savvy audience. For zombies and other creatures alike, we can now see them move at the speed of light without awkward, primitive editing to make them appear faster, or worse, relying on the physical limitations of the actors.

Because today's horror films tend to rely much more so on blood, guts, gore and "gotcha" moments, we are conditioned to fear swift attacks. Gone are the days when the fear was in the approach, now, the film victims tend to be dead before they even see their killer coming.


So, you certainly have less hope of escaping a fast zombie. They can be everywhere you can be, and they tend to not be halted by small obstacles.

Classic slow zombies on the other hand, usually cannot break into a well-built structure, and are easier to outrun on a straight-away.

If the viewers correctly identify with the human victims, there is some motivation for preferring the zombies slow. The characters have a better chance of escape, and the audience has that hope.

Many fast zombie movies justify the speed of their creatures by including a back story of some kind of genetic modification. A good move, because otherwise the audience would not be likely to assume that a decomposing corpse is suddenly able to achieve startling feets of speed and strength.

On the other hand, they came back from the dead, didn't they? Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to make assumptions about their physical abilities.

Zomcoms, that is, comedic zombie films, tend to parody the slow zombie. This is because most zomcoms highlight the human character's zombie kills, and it has proven to be far more comical when the opponent is much slower.

For purists, and comedic spoofs, slow zombies will always be the desired foe, but fast zombies still instill fear, in their victims and the audience alike.

Stardom no excuse for Polanski

When we think of criminals fleeing the United States to avoid arrest, we often imagine them living off the grid in some exotic country, keeping a low profile by assuming a new identity.

However, after engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977, filmmaker Roman Polanski fled to France. There, he has continued to live a privileged life, direct high profile films and even receive an Academy Award.

As we know, all of this changed when Polanski was arrested on an outstanding warrant in Zurich, Switzerland, Sept. 26, while visiting the country to accept a lifetime achievement award.

He is currently in custody, awaiting a formal extradition request from the U.S.

The 2008 documentary “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” illuminates the details of the original Polanski case. While photographing then 13-year-old model Samantha Geimer for the French edition of Vogue, Polanski engaged in sexual intercourse with the teen.

After the victim turned him in, Polanski faced a barrage of charges, including rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, a lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.

Polanski pled guilty to the lesser charge of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

While the film begins with a transcript of the victim’s chilling testimony, it soon delves into the narrative of Polanski’s life. He survived the Holocaust, suffered the pain of his pregnant wife’s murder by the Manson Family, was hounded by a relentless press and faced a ruthless judge who played fast and loose with the legal system.

After the initial shock, it’s actually easy to feel sorry for the man. Couple this narrative of perseverance with the fact that he is an award-winning filmmaker, and the Hollywood elite would have you believe this is enough to forget about his crime.

But Polanski is not above the law, and his accomplishments do not make his crime any less heinous or illegal. It’s only prestige that separates him from any other sex offender in the registry.

Yes, it was a different time; Polanski was confined for a 42-day observational sentence in state prison, and the victim is currently preaching forgiveness. But no inconsistency, legal injustice or minor technicality excuses what he did and how he subsequently handled it.

As we await his extradition, the thing that should matter above all else is a fact one wouldn’t think needed arguing: that no amount of wealth, talent or connections makes it all right for a middle-aged man to have sex with a 13-year-old child.

Zombies attack Austin

They are relentless, rotting and hungry.

They are flesh-eating zombies, and they are on the loose in Austin this fall.

While the rest of the country is immersed in a pervasive vampire trend, evident through such pop culture phenomena as the Twilight Saga and True Blood, Austinites will be emulating these brain dead movie monsters this Halloween season.

Numerous zombie-themed events are slated for Halloween evening and throughout the month of October. Some of these events will be occurring for the first time, while others are blossoming into Halloween mainstays.

The University Hills branch of the Austin Public Library is hosting its second annual Zombie Fest, a month long series of programming focused on all things zombie.

This year’s lineup of events includes a zombie video game tournament, book club, art show, survival discussion, numerous film screenings and a Halloween blow-out, complete with costume contest and refreshments.

The program’s coordinator, Billy McConnel, dreamed up the Zombie Fest idea with some of his coworkers, after seeing the zombie film “Resident Evil: Extinction.”

The film opened the doors for numerous zombie attack survival discussions and prompted the group to read “The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead.” As their interest grew, the library staff was inspired to fill their empty October programming slot with a zombie-themed event.

McConnel said that before the 2008 Zombie Fest had even finished, attendees were already interested in if the event would return the following year.

So far, McConnel said, the 2009 Zombie Fest has been even more successful than its predecessor, with some of the events doubling in turnout.

So what is it about the living dead that has people so captivated?

“For me, its the psychological fear that any moment you could turn around and one of these zombies could be someone you know,” McConnel said. “That kind of psychological horror entertains me.”

“I just think zombies are such fun movie monsters,” said April Puente, a junior at St. Edward’s University. “I get scared really easily by horror movies, so what I really like about zombies is that they can be terrifying or they can be really hilarious.”

Comedic zombie films, affectionately known as “ZomComs,” have been around for a while. However, the recent release of “Zombieland,” which took the top slot at the box-office its opening weekend, has perhaps brought further attention to the genre.

The film premiered Sept. 25, weeks prior to its national release, at Austin’s Paramount Theatre as part of Fantastic Fest, Austin’s genre-based film festival.

Adding to the undead ambiance of the event were special effects makeup artists from the Zombie Manor haunted house in Arlington Texas. The artists arrived early to transform members of the audience into full-blown zombies.

This Halloween, those attendees and Austinites alike will have the opportunity to drag their feet on the dance floor at two competing zombie parties.

The Alamo Drafthouse has moved its annual Halloween Zombie Prom to the new Highball venue, a retro bar and diner, outfitted with a dance floor, classic bowling lanes and karaoke rooms.
All attendees are required to arrive in zombie attire.

According to the Drafthouse’s website, “The super strict costume regulations are just the beginning.”

The party will also feature a dance party, zombie video backdrops, a photo booth, costume contest, and “human brains” on special from the kitchen all night. As with any Drafthouse party, the coordinators promise further surprises.

Zombie Prom will have some competition on Halloween. The similarly named Zombie Ball, a party featuring live music and art exhibitions, is making its Austin debut as a two-day event Oct. 30-31. The ball will feature performances from musical acts like T Bird and the Breaks and Spoonfed Tribe.
Instead of asking attendees to arrive in costume, the Zombie Ball coordinators are taking its slogan “Come as you are, but a zombie you will become” to heart. They will be supplying the makeup and costumes to everyone, outfitting their own dance for the dead.

With so many of these events slated for the night of Halloween, Austinites may want to brush up on their zombie attack survival skills. There’s always a chance that festering, blood-hungry zombie coming towards you is not a costume-clad trick-or-treater.

President speaks of university's progress: final

St. Edward’s University President George Martin said the university has prospered despite tough economic times when he addressed a crowd of faculty, staff and students today.

The fall 2009 President’s Meeting commemorated Martin’s 10th anniversary with St. Edward's. Since his inauguration in October 1999, Martin has worked to implement a 10-year plan of improvements. The plan, consisting of seven strategic priorities, aims to make St. Edward’s one of the best small universities in the country.

Martin considers this effort to be a growing success. The university has received several accolades in recent years, including being named among the top five “Up-and-Coming Universities” in the Western region by academic peers, according to a survey conducted by U.S. News and World Report. St. Edward’s also ranked among the top 10 universities in Texas according to Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

In addition to celebrating the progress and accomplishments of the university, Martin spoke of economic challenges.

In preparation for the 2009-2010 school year, Student Financial Services received an influx of queries, and more people used the online financial aid calculator than ever before, he said. But St. Edward’s still welcomed its largest freshman class yet, with 757 students joining the campus community.

While this year’s enrollment rates were not compromised due to financial instability, Martin feels this could change.

“Some people say the year ahead is going to be more difficult than this past year,” he said. “We’re going to see public schools as a bigger threat than ever.”

Martin said he expects financial issues to become more of a deciding factor in college choice next year, because most of this year’s students had already set their minds on St. Edward’s before the economy went into such a steep decline.

Martin said that as financial strain increases, students are likely to become more needy, and he emphasized the critical role that St. Edward’s faculty and staff play.

“Sometimes I think we get so busy doing day-to-day that we forget,” he said. “What I really want you to understand is the impact you have on the lives of students.”

Martin expanded on the university’s partnership with France and the First Year in France program. The program allows French students to come to St. Edward's for their final three years of college. During their first year, they complete intensive American culture and English language classes at Institut Bois-Robert in preparation to study abroad.

Martin also introduced new faculty members, profiled the demographics of the freshmen class, announced technological and facility improvements on campus and discussed recent grants and awards.

“I really enjoyed President Martin’s speech,” Junior Rebecca Rodriguez said. “It was cool to hear about all the changes going on at SEU. I also thought the Topper Turbo ad was a funny addition.”

Topper Turbo, a new St. Edward’s marketed energy drink, was distributed to attendees as they entered the Mabee ballroom. The can design features Topper, the university mascot, and the slogan “It’ll give you hooves.”

The meeting began with a short video clip attributing Martin’s philanthropic achievements to the Topper Turbo drink. Images featured a photoshopped Martin, can in hand, participating in various extreme sports.

In celebration of Martin’s anniversary, university trustees Carolyn Gallagher and Brother Richard Daley commented on his performance and reminisced about their first impressions of him.

Both Gallagher and Daley were on the initial selection committee that hired Martin from his previous position as academic dean of St. Peter’s College in New Jersey.

“We did an intensive nationwide search, but I think it was clear to all of us that George was head and shoulders above everyone else,” Gallagher said.

When Martin was instated as president, he sought advice from the board of trustees, asking what their expectations were for his career with St. Edward’s.

“Take us to the next level,” Daley said.

Like Daley, other staff members said Martin has widely exceeded those expectations.

“Its exciting to see the progress we’ve made over the past 10 years” Residence Director Joseph Andrews said. “And I’m excited to see what the future has in store for the community at St. Edward’s.”

Lede Writing Exercise: Hard News

1. Print: Three to four children in the United States die every day from child abuse or neglect, according to a survey released yesterday by the Child Abuse Prevention Center.
1. Online: Three to four children in the United States die every day from child abuse or neglect, according to a survey released yesterday.

2. Both: Police arrested nearly 150 people for protesting outside of a Milwaukee abortion clinic yesterday.

3. Print: A delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint yesterday when an armed man threatened his life in exchange for the food he was carrying.
3. Online: A delivery driver for was robbed at gunpoint yesterday for the Chinese dishes he was carrying.

4. Print: Smoke and flames woke a homeowner yesterday when a lit cigarette set fire to her Main Street home.
4. Online: A cigarette was responsible for a house fire resulting in $45,ooo in damages.

5. Print: Murders and violent crimes rose during the first three months of the year, according to a report released yesterday by the Texas Bureau of Investigation.
5. Online: Murders in Texas rose by more than half, according to a report released yesterday.

6. Print: A depleting ozone layer could lead to an increase in skin cancer, according to a report released by the United Nations Environment Program yesterday.
6. Online: A depleting ozone layer could lead to an increase in skin cancer, according to a report released yesterday.

7. Both: A woman was charged with attempted murder yesterday when she set fire to her wheelchair bound husband.

8. Print: Broadband users spend more time on the Internet than those with dialup, according to a recent survey released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
8. Online: Broadband users spend more time on the Internet than those with dialup, according to a recent survey.

9. Print: Princeton University is cracking down on grade inflation.
The university initiated a cap on the number of A’s allowed each semester.
Online: Princeton University is fighting grade inflation by limiting the number of A’s.

10. Both: Approximately 70 million Americans have trouble sleeping, according to a recent survey.

President Speaks of University's Progress

St. Edward’s University President George Martin highlighted developments in the university community when he addressed a crowd of faculty, staff and students today.

The fall 2009 President’s Meeting commemorated Martin’s 10th anniversary with St. Edward's. Since his inauguration in October of 1999, Martin has worked to implement a 10-year plan of improvements. The plan, consisting of seven strategic priorities, aims to make St. Edward’s one of the best small universities in the country.

Martin considers this effort to be a growing success. The university has received several accolades in recent years, including being named among the top five “Up-and-Coming Universities” in the Western region by academic peers, according to a survey conducted by U.S. News and World Report. St. Edward’s also ranked among the top 10 universities in Texas according to Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

In addition to celebrating the progress and accomplishments of the university, Martin spoke of economic challenges.

In preparation for the 2009-2010 school year, Student Financial Services received an influx of queries, and more people utilized the online financial aid calculator than ever before. But St. Edward’s still welcomed its largest freshman class yet, with 757 students joining the campus community.

While this year’s enrollment rates were not compromised due to financial instability, Martin feels this could change.

“Some people say the year ahead is going to be more difficult than this past year,” he said. “We’re going to see public schools as a bigger threat than ever.”

Martin said he expects financial issues to become more of a deciding factor in college choice next year, because most of this year’s students had already set their minds on St. Edward’s before the economy went into such a steep decline.

Martin said that as financial strain increases, students are likely to become more needy, and he emphasized the critical role that St. Edward’s faculty and staff play.

“Sometimes I think we get so busy doing day-to-day that we forget,” he said. “What I really want you to understand is the impact you have on the lives of students.”

Martin expanded on the university’s partnership with France and the First Year in France program. According to a St. Edward’s press release, “This program allows students to earn credit during their first year, while studying at Institut Bois-Robert, and preparing for the transition to an American university.” Students come to St. Edward’s for their final three years after taking extensive English and American culture classes at the French institution.

Martin also introduced new faculty members, profiled the demographics of the freshmen class, announced technological and facility improvements on campus and discussed recent grants and awards.

“I really enjoyed President Martin’s speech,” Junior Rebecca Rodriguez said. “It was cool to hear about all the changes going on at SEU. I also thought the Topper Turbo ad was a funny addition.”

Topper Turbo, a new St. Edward’s marketed energy drink, was distributed to attendees as they entered the Mabee ballroom this afternoon. The can design features Topper, the university mascot, and the slogan “It’ll give you hooves.”

The meeting began with a short video clip attributing President Martin’s philanthropic achievements to the Topper Turbo drink. Images featured a photoshopped Martin, can in hand, participating in various extreme sports.

In celebration of Martin’s anniversary, university trustees Carolyn Gallagher and Brother Richard Daley gave their opinions of the president’s progress and reminisced on their first impressions of him.

Both Gallagher and Daley were on the initial selection committee that hired Martin from his previous position as academic dean of St. Peter’s College.

“We did an intensive nationwide search, but I think it was clear to all of us that George was head and shoulders above everyone else—literally,” Gallagher said, taking a playful jab at Martin’s towering height.

When Martin was instated as president, he sought advice from the board of trustees, asking what their expectations were for his career with St. Edward’s.

“Take us to the next level,” Daley said.

Like Daley, other staff members said Martin has widely exceeded those expectations.

“Its exciting to see the progress we’ve made over the past ten years” Residence Director Joseph Andrews said. “And I’m excited to see what the future has in store for the community at St. Edward’s.”

New Blog

This blog will be utilized for online writing as part of the Journalism 2 class at St. Edward's University for the Fall 2009 semester.