Hello, and welcome to the 2007-2008 academic year! This year marks the 50th anniversary of Lourdes College.  You may have noticed the trivia facts about Lourdes, the Sisters of St. Francis, and the Sylvania area on the top of the LourdesWorld homepage.  They may provide some helpful hints for this week's 50th Anniversary Quiz!

What was the original name intended for Mother Adelaide Hall?

Please submit your answers as comments to this post -- the answer will be revealed next week. 

Hint: check out our 50th anniversary pages and timeline :)

Thursday, September 13, 2007 9:37:16 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [4] | 

The following excerpted responses were composed by the Learning Community students in Gail Conrad’s Writing Strategies course. Students free-wrote to the following prompt in regards to their respective seashells distributed in class.

This seashell appeals to my senses, both in my present and in my past…..

…the tip swirling like a twisty cone from an ice cream store moving down the shell till it reaches quarter size…

-AM

…when I feel the texture of my seashell, it feels kind of rough and edgy in unison with the white brown pattern…

-JB

…it reminds me of the beach in the summer time where I go when it’s too hot to do anything else…

-CS

…when I am at the beach I always remember and think about when he kissed me and that seashell hit my foot…

-EV

…the seashell has a spiral figure on the top, as if putting you in a trance…

-JY

…it has the most unique shape to it because it looks like a torpedo waiting to launch right into the sky…

-LH

…it was my very first time picking it up off the sand. When I looked at it I just smiled at my dad…

-AV

…when I look at the seashell I love seeing the differences…

-KL

…it appeals to my eyes because it looks like the sunrise permanently stuck on the surface of this shell…

-FR

…it also brings me excitement for the next time I’m out laying on the beach listening to the ocean…

-AR

…the smell of the shell reminds me of suntan lotion and ocean water, kinda what my towel smells like after a day at the beach…

-TP

…the colors have stripes of a tiger, white and a slight tint of orange and brown mixed…

-TR

…when I did it smelled like old hockey equipment… that made me remember when I played hockey and my whole family always at the ice rink….

-MB

…it also reminds me of Lake Erie because I used to collect sea shells when we went on a day trip to the beach…

-LL

…I can feel the playful wave smacking against my feet and feeling the cold water sending shivers up my whole body…

-MO

…this cylinder shape seashell has a slit down the side and it goes in like a staircase…

-AJ

…when you rub your fingers across the inner or outer side of the shell, you feel bumps and ridges…

-KM

…I see an opening on the top and that the color has been changed by the wearing away of several layers…

-PC

…but they were all beautiful, messy, and unique much like the shell today…

-SK

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 12:55:54 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

  Some events live in our collective memories forever. Today is the anniversary of one such event. Like the assasination of President Kennedy, the explosion of the Challenger, and the day the dams burst in NOLA, the images of 9/11 are seared into our memories.

  I was born in the Cold War era, so I remember with great clarity the unsettled feeling of fear that we carried with us. Doomsday movies showed nuclear war, and our greatest enemy was the Soviet Union. We practiced ducking under our desks along with our fire drills, just in case the Russians attacked us. It seemed to be a time of fear, especially if you were a child.

  The threat of the Soviets melted away and a whole generation has no clue what that time was like. But unfortunately, a new threat came along and taught us about terror. For one moment in time, we were shaken, frightened, and confused. We came together as a nation after the Towers fell, and for that time, we were all Americans, and more specifically, we were all New Yorkers. Our fear turned into anger and resolve. We put our hearts into recovery.

  We are a strong, proud nation. We may not always be right, but I firmly believe our collective heart is in the right place most of the time. We are a nation of contradictions sometimes, and sometimes our ego gets overblown and we might be a little too strident in our efforts to make the world a better, safer place. But there is still no nation on earth I would rather live than right here, in the United States of America.

  I hope we all take a break from our day to remember the fallen on this sad anniversary, and to send our love and support to the survivors and to the heroes. They deserve our respect and gratitude, this day and every day.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 11:58:02 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I'm horrible horrible horrible!!! Before I continue to spaz, let me just say that Sheena's blog about living in Toledo was a trip down memory lane--great list, by the way!

Ok, now onto the spazzing.  How hard is it to keep up with writing a blog once a week?  That's once every seven days, once every 168 hours, once every 10,080 minutes, ok you get the picture. 

I just can't believe how busy I am this semester and it's only the third week.  Work, clinicals, school, homework, oh my!  How do people with families and full time jobs do it? Do they ever sleep?  I'm getting very used to that, as evidenced by the fact I am writing this at 1:30 in the morning.

I must be a queen at time management suckage because I feel like I have no time to get anything of importance accomplished.  I'm not being lazy, I just have other stuff going on and that other stuff takes precedence over OTHER other stuff...oh boy.  I am not a Prioritizing Princess by any means. 

So what can I do? I want to get a good night's sleep for one.  And for two, I want to stop waking up in the middle of the night in a panic thinking that I'm late for something, or I forgot to do something.  Oh the insanity!

Oh, yeah.  I also want to curl up into the tightest fetal position a big girl can get herself into and cry sometimes.  But I can't. I won't.  I will get through this.  This is my last semester and I refuse to have a full nervous breakdown.  (Although I've had partial ones that were more cathartic than anything...) 

Who hasn't felt this way in their final semester?  Name me one person who has not felt like they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders three months before they complete their college degree.  I don't know anyone who isn't like me right now.  My classmates and I are freaking out.  This is reality setting in, the home stretch of our nine innings...

I can't help but feel all of these emotions--this is what I've been working for for 6 years at Lourdes.  I am so ready, but I am so afraid and overwhelmed. 

Thank goodness for chocolate!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:40:15 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I love peaceful skies !

Monday, September 10, 2007 4:32:56 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I transferred to Lourdes one year ago.  I was at another college for nursing and took one of the required classes.  This class happened to be the only class that was mandatory that be taken there and not transferred in.  I struggled all semester.  I went to all of the reviews with the teacher, I studied by myself, I studied in groups, I even studied with a practicing nurse.  I got so desperate to pass the class I started recording my notes on tape and played them while I was sleeping.  Needless to say I narrowly didn’t pass the class along with two-thirds of the class.  Funny thing though, majority of us passed the national test.  I went to the head of the program, the dean of students, and the vice president of the college and told them everything that had gone on.  They supposedly did an investigation and turned up nothing leaving my options to take the class again or move on.  The stress that I was feeling while at this other college was beyond the limitations that any one person should carry.  For the first time I saw an ad on the television and new that Lourdes was the place for me.  I came out and was “unofficially” admitted to the college that day and received my official acceptance shortly after.  I got a tour of the college and fell in love.  The environment was welcoming and the staff was friendlier than I could have possible imagined (the staff at this other college barely smiled when you walked by).  After my first semester here at Lourdes I knew that I had made the right decision even though only two of my classes transferred and had to repeat several.  I went back to visit some old friends that this other college and wished that I had never gone there in the first place.  I have met so many people here at Lourdes and I truly enjoy the family atmosphere amongst everyone from the president of the college all the way to the incoming freshman.  When someone asks me where I go to school I proudly tell them Lourdes College! (I could care less that I have a degree from this other college).

Monday, September 10, 2007 10:14:21 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

The Lourdes College Self-Study (2007) reported that the percentages of female, African-American, and non-traditional-aged students at Lourdes are higher than at large nearby institutions!

Why is that important? Because greater diversity means a better education for all students. Here are some examples:

·         Diversity broadens students' experiences educationally—intellectually, socially, emotionally, and ethically.

·         Learning in a diverse environment helps to make us competitive professionals in our diverse US society and it positions us to make a difference in the global society.

·         Students who graduate from a college with a diverse student population are better prepared to meet the demands of a diverse workplace and are better able to contribute to the diverse communities in which we live.

·         Diversity in the classroom helps us learn to become more effective leaders. Leaders need to solicit and understand the perspectives of many people, because diverse perspectives are superior to narrower single-group thinking.

Friday, September 07, 2007 3:40:46 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [7] | 

Featuring Dr. Shall Sinha, an in-character presentation

Sunday, September 30, at 3pm.

Doermann Theatre

University of Toledo

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Dr. Shall Sinha is a leading expert on the life and works of Mahatma Ghandi. Through his unique presentation, he delivers Ghandi's message in Ghandi's character. The political and spiritual leader of India was committed to non-violence, championed for human rights, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom around the world.

Friday, September 07, 2007 2:53:53 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Hey!! We’ve got a new name!

Diversity Awareness & Action Committee

The Multicultural Committee is now the Diversity Awareness & Action Committee (DAAC). The DAAC brings students, faculty, and staff together to create awareness about diversity topics through educational events, speakers, and celebrations and take action by developing and supporting institutional diversity initiatives that effect change on campus.

Look for information posted about Fall events, such as:

• Safe Schools Project—October 25, 6:30-8:00, Franciscan Center Rooms A and B. Event is open to students, faculty, and staff of Lourdes College.
• Hispanic Heritage Month—September/October
• Native American Heritage Month—November
• Names Project Quilt—December 1, World AIDS Day

We welcome student input and participation!

• Be a blogger on Diversity Blog at LourdesWorld.

• Come to our meetings:
  • Wednesday Sept. 26^th 1pm - 2pm SCH 142
  • Wednesday Oct. 17^th noon - 1pm  SCH 253
  • Wednesday Nov. 7^th 1pm - 2pm SCH 142
  • Wednesday Nov. 28^th noon- 1pm SCH 142

Want more information?  Have some ideas? Contact Larry Murphy at 419-824-3825 (lmurphy@lourdes.edu) or Therese Hoffman at 419-824-3824 (thoffman@lourdes.edu).

Friday, September 07, 2007 2:44:16 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

As you complete your 2nd week of courses....

Thursday, September 06, 2007 9:14:22 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Once again, Lourdes College has broken its enrollment record. Last year, Lourdes enrolled more than 2,000 students for the first time in the College’s history and this year it has again exceeded that number. 

As of Tuesday, September 4, 2007, there were 2,183 students enrolled, a 7.27% increase from the Fall 2006 record of 2,035.  This is the fourth straight increase in fall semester enrollment.

“It is exciting to begin this 50th anniversary year with yet another record enrollment," says College President Dr. Robert C. Helmer. "The energy on campus this semester is incredible."

The Princeton Review – nationally known for its test preparation and admissions services – has included Lourdes College among the 2008 Best Colleges: Region by Region for the fourth consecutive year.

Lourdes is among only 161 colleges to be included on the nationwide Best Midwestern Colleges list, based on Princeton Review’s criteria of academic excellence and feedback from current students.  Lourdes was one of 28 Ohio colleges included in the Midwest rankings, which comprises 13 different states.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007 4:41:25 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Back in the Saddle

The parenting saddle that is! It has been a hectic summer for our family with funerals, weddings, and court hearings (all of which were out of town). Bill & I have gotten custody of our two grandchildren, Arianna & Will. They are 5 & 6 yrs respectfully. Now, Bill & I have had discussions over the past 2 yrs regarding taking in the kids. We talked about everything from how Bill’s illness is going to affect his being able to care for them to me going crazy taking care of Bill, 2 small kids, & 2 poodles (they’re not just dogs after all), tutoring, & going to grad school. Of course, talking about it is not the same as doing it. On August 16th, we picked up Arianna & Will with all their belongings (we had to rent a trailer) & went back to the hotel in Louisville, KY. As precious as these two kids are I was so happy to get them to sleep that night.

We have fought most of the red tape that one has to tear through when working with different state agencies. That in itself is mind boggling! The kids are both in school (YEAH!) & love it!

My main problem over the last few weeks is poor time management skills. Bill & I have been spoiled as far as being able to what we want when we want as all of our kids are grown up & on their own. To borrow a phrase form T.D. Jakes; “It’s time to get repositioned We’re slowly coming out of this whirlwind of becoming an instant family. Here are a few things I’ve learned so far:

·   I must first walk the poodles in the morning, THEN take a shower, & THEN get the kids up for the day.

·   Oops! I must also pack their lunches before they wake up. This is to avoid them saying. “But, Grams! I want this, & this, & this, & this, & this….in my lunch!”  My immediate answer to this is, “Where’s my darn coffee!”

·   We pick out what we’re going to wear the night before (Yes, even Grams). This saves several minutes of indecision in the mornings.

·   I must work on my papers, assignments, pay bills, etc. either while they’re in school (& I’m not tutoring in TRiO) or in the wee small hours of the morning. Hey, Tom! You’re up & awake then; I’ll call & bug you.

·   Bill & I must find some quiet time alone. At the moment, he wakes me up in the middle of the night because he can’t sleep & just starts talking to me as if I’m wide awake. WHERE IS MY DARN COFFEE!

·   Bill needs to learn to “tune out” the kids. Is this just a mothering instinct? I’ve been able to tune them out when they’re playing, etc. When things get out of hand between them I jump in. After all, one must pick their battles.

·   I’ve learned that Sponge Bob, Veggie Tales, Spiderman, Dora, & Diego are their favorite shows.

·   I’ve learned to ignore, “I want that!” every time a commercial comes on. Do these people think I’m made of money? We’re on a fixed income & I’m a poor grad student after all.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining about raising our grandchildren. I love them so very much. Things will get easier (that is until their teenage years). I find that I have a bit more patience then I did raising my own kids. As with everything Bill & I go threw, we find the humor in it all. You have to in order to remain halfway sane. Here’s to a new & exciting chapter in our lives. As Will would say, “LET’S ROCK & ROLL, BABY!”

  Will & Arianna

 ...& Bill thought that he could sneak out of this picture!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007 9:53:15 AM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

 Like so many Lourdes students, I am 'non-traditional,' which means I have a large gap between high school and college, with a family in tow, a husband, and interests outside of the college scene. About the only thing I don't have is a job, although I am here to tell you, being a Mom is a full time job in itself, and anyone who says any differently doesn't have kids.

 My days are sometimes frantic, sometimes boring, and sometimes somewhere in between. A typical day starts at 7 am, when my husband goes to work and I get up to get my oldest ready for the bus. Shower, make breakfast, convince a sleepy 7 year old to wake up and get dressed, double-check his homework, double-check his lunch money and all the odds and ends of his school day.... Bus shows up at 8:45. Somewhere in there, I also have to deal with my 4 year old and the animals, who all demand breakfast at the same time.

 I volunteer for a Boxer rescue, and I serve on 2 committees, plus serve on the Board of Directors. My morning is spent doing rescue stuff - returning emails, returning phone calls, calling vets and shelters and owners who wish to surrender their dogs and adopters who are having problems.... It's very rewarding, but can be draining at the same time. It's heartbreaking to hear of a Boxer in a shelter, waiting to die in the gas chamber, and not be able to help. It's heartbreaking to hear of an oldster going into a nursing home and having to give up his 10 year old Boxer, who has been his only companion for years. But some days we win some, so I keep at it.

 My 4 year old and I also do our errands in the morning... bank, post office, grocery store. We have lunch and then he goes to pre-school, and I am off to the barn for the horse chores.

 The mini horse needs daily medicine for Cushings Disease, stalls need cleaning, and then my fun starts. I am training to do Extreme Cowboy Racing with my Tennessee Walker, Bourbon. Every day, we practice a skill - we rope fence posts, we walk across tarps, we drag a log, we cross my inlaws' pond. It's a timed event, so we work on our speed as well as doing the obstacles. Bourbon is actually my mother in laws' horse, but in both our hearts, he belongs to me, and I belong to him. We work as a team. Our first race is in 2 weeks.

 Home again, to pick up my 4 year old and get my oldest son off the bus. Snacks are served. Then I shower - I have classes on Tues and Wed nights, so I don't want to smell like a horse. Do my hair, do my make up, maybe run some laundry. Dinner comes around a little early on the nights I have class, so feed the kids and clean the kitchen. Kids to my sister in law, me off to class. 8 pm comes and off I go. Pick up the kids, help my son with homework, run their baths, read bedtime stories. Tuck in the kids, and visit with my husband, should he happen to be home early. Pick up the living room, feed the dogs, clean the catbox, and then do homework. Bedtime is sometimes 11, sometimes midnight, but whatever time it is, I have no trouble collapsing into bed and falling right to sleep.

 Non traditional means having a full schedule in addition to our classes. I know my friends watch me go go go and wonder why I don't drop something - why not quit the rescue, or why not give up the horses. But these things make my life fuller and richer than college alone. To give up anything in my hectic life would mean giving up a piece of myself. I'm sure all the busy, non-traditional students would agree. Life is more than classes, and more than family, and more than hobbies. Life is a blending of all these things. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007 9:49:15 PM (Atlantic Standard Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

I was sitting outside of cafe Lourdes in the nice, cool air conditioning talking with some friends that I haven't seen all summer.  We were talking about all of the various places that we have lived during the course of our lives.  Being a Marine brat, I had the longest list.  However, I have lived in Toledo longer than I have any other place.  We started talking about all of the things that we didn't really know or experience until after we lived in Toledo for a few years.  Feel free to add to our list!

Here is our list of those things were talked about

- You get tired of hearing about Katie Holmes, you know exactly where her parents live, and don't really care.

- You have gotten a speeding ticket in Ottawa Hills.

- President Bush came to your school. The President commented on how bad the streets are yet the potholes don't phase you anymore.

- You refuse to call it Westfield Shopping Center, because we all know it is really Franklin Park Mall. You got confused when they added onto the mall.

- You freeze your butt off walking around The Toledo Zoo because you want to see Christmas lights.  "Everybody's Zooing It" means something to you, and you can sing the song, weird accent and all. You've ridden an elephant, a panda, a buffalo, and a turtle at the zoo.

- Everyone knows how to drive in snow, rain, sleet, and hail, but traffic backs up when it is 80 degrees and sunny outside.  If you see a driver that is driving erratically you automatically check for the Michigan license plate.

- You know what Meijer is. You've been to Meijer's at 2am, just for fun.

- Visiting Cedar Point is a tradition.

- Everyone has a favorite room in The Toledo Art Museum.

- You know who Jamie Farr is.

- COSI was a yearly class field trip for those that grew up here.

- You graduated at the Stranahan.

- You know what Krogering is.

- You know where the nearest Tim Hortons is.

- You know who says 'Turtle'.  You know the exact location of the owner's two stores.

- You remember when Toledo did not have any Wal-Marts.

- You've driven to Gibbs Bridge to try to see the ghost.

- Seeing a giant, neon-colored, plastic frog sitting on the sidewalk is nothing unusual.

- You can drive down any major road and have access to 100 different restaurants within 5 min of travel.  You know where to get the best Mexican/Chinese/Italian/Pizza, but still proclaim Toledo is running out of good restaurants.

- You're so used to driving in construction that you feel odd driving where you can't see orange barrels.

- You know where the original Tony Packo's is at and you know what type of food famous people sign on the walls. You've eaten at Tony Packo's. (Bonus points if you can say it correctly.)

- You've been to a Mud Hens game.  You still have no idea what a Mudhen is, or if you do know, people think you're making it up.

- Your mayor decides to change the fire hydrant color. Your mayor has gotten into almost-fist-fights with people. Your mayor addresses residents' complaints about airport noise by proposing that the city moves all the deaf people near the airport.  You know who Opal Covey is, and want her to run for mayor again just so you can watch the debate.  You know that no Republican will ever win the mayorship of your city.

- You get stopped by a train daily!

- You'd take Beaners over Starbucks any day, and you use your Beaners card religiously.

- You know all the words to the Erie Street Market jingle. 

-  At least one person you know used to work for Jeep.

- You know of two ways to pronounce the street name "Nevada."

-  You think having four all-girls and boys catholic high schools is normal.

- It takes you less than 15 minutes to get to work.

-  You've seen Ferdo