The Woods

President Dottie King talked to students twice this week about a federal audit which recommended the school return $42 million dollars in loans and grants. The audit, conducted by the Office of Inspector General and published late March 2012, contends that SMWC was not eligible to participate in the Title IV program because more than 50 percent of its students were participants in what they determined to be “correspondence courses.” The college as well as its accreditation body, the Higher Learning Commission, classify the college’s distance courses as “telecommunication courses.”

“We did nothing wrong,” King told students congregated in Sullivan Lounge on April 3. “This is an issue of classification. No one hid money or anything like that. This was the result of an audit, not an investigation.”

King assured students that the college’s accreditation would not be impacted and that students’ financial aid was not at risk. She emphasized that student life at the Woods would be unaffected. “This is probably going to take a couple more years to sort out, but you probably won’t hear much. There will probably be long periods of no news.”

According to King, she was informed of an impending audit on her face day of the job as College President two years ago. In 2010, officials from the OIG were set up in Guerin Hall, where they looked at a number of documents and spoke to administrators and people on campus.

After the draft of the OIG’s report was made available to the college in August 2011, the school retained an attorney, prepared a response challenging the report, explaining why their distance programs qualify as “telecommunications courses”, and submitted it to the OIG.

The school received word of the publication of the final report last Friday. “But we had the scholarship dinner and Ring Day and I wasn’t about to let anything take away from that,” said King.

King said the college did not go public with the results of the audit before because there was still hope that the OIG would listen to their response and change their recommendation. “But we always knew the likelihood of the OIG taking a balanced, reasonable response was slim to none,” said King.

“My response is, I feel a little bit of anger and disappointment in the process,” said King. “That they would look at little evidence and make such sweeping judgments, that seems unfair to me. When you hear things like “we don’t care about the quality of the program,” that seems unfair to me.”

The report recommends the college return $42 million in federal loans and grants given to students between 2005 and 2009. However, according to King, even if the Department of Education agreed with the OIG’s recommendation, in reality, that figure would be multiplied by the institution’s default rate, which is low. “It would be a fraction of that number,” said King.

According to King, SMWC is not the only school in this situation. Michael Goldstein, the college’s legal council, is representing three other institutions in similar situations.

Throughout this process, the laws classifying distance courses have not changed. It is the interpretation of those laws that has changed, King explained to students.

Because WED students did not always communicate with instructors on a weekly basis, the OIG concluded that their communications could not be considered “regular,” as is required for “telecommunications courses.”

“How do you define ‘regular’? Different people would define it differently. Still, to this day, the word ‘weekly’ isn’t in the law,” said King.

“Our distance program was designed for flexibility; it’s why our students love the program. But it’s also what the Department of Education doesn’t like.”

For  the college’s statement on the audit report, visit http://www.smwc.edu/headlines/woods-online-business-as-usual/

For the full report, including the college’s response, visit http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/fy2012/a05k0012.pdf

Popularity: 26% [?]

Career Opportunity Fair – Feb. 22, 2012
Co-sponsored by Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and Indiana State University career centers. Employers will be seeking interns, as well full-time and part-time employees.
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Health & Human Services Building, North Gym – Indiana State University Campus
Transportation from SMWC provided.
The event is free to attend.

Collegiate Career Expo – Feb. 22, 2012
Presented by the College Career Center Consortium of Indiana. Pre-registration requested.
Time:10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Indiana Convention Center, 500 Ballroom, Indianapolis
Transportation from SMWC provided.
The event is free to attend.

The Mane Event – Feb. 29, 2012
Students will research internship, part-time and post-graduate opportunities with equine-connected organizations. However, the event is not limited to those in the equine industry.
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Le Fer Hall Ballroom, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods campus
Lunch will be provided.

Popularity: 17% [?]

By Amira Jaradat
Interim Editor-in-Chief

Hello, readers! If you’re anything like me, you’re probably wasting the last day of your four-day weekend dreading going back to class tomorrow. Isn’t that always the way? It seems to me that the more time I have off, the more work I have to do the night before class.
I guess life is like a box of chocolates. You eat all of the good ones first and save the weird-looking ones with orange filling for the end when you have no choice but to suffer through them.
For those of you who are still feeling the long weekend and who may have skipped over my name at the top of the page, I regret to inform you that I am not Emma Campbell. Trust me, you’re not the only ones disappointed. I’m nowhere near as awesome as Emma, who did an amazing job editing The Woods newspaper last semester. Unfortunately, she has had to step down as editor-in-chief, leaving me to fill the huge shoes she left behind.
On behalf of The Woods staff, I’d like to thank her for putting up with us for as long as she did. We miss you already, Emma!
Being a member of The Woods has so far been a great learning experience. A few years ago, most of what I knew about journalism came from what I had seen in movies. And I’m not talking classic films like “All the President’s Men” or “The Pelican Brief” – I’m talking romantic comedies.
I watched Richard Gere meet the woman of his dreams in “Runaway Bride” by writing a terrible, inaccurate article on Julia Roberts’s character. In “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,” Kate Hudson lied about her identity and pushed a man to the brink of insanity. Sure, it was unethical, but she still got the guy. The lessons are clear: bad journalism is a valid path to “happily ever after.” And to Matthew McConaughey.
Unfortunately, shirtless men with questionable acting ability are in short supply here at SMWC. Plus, we here at The Woods make a big deal about telling the truth. We do our utmost to get it right the first time, and if we fail, we let you know we’ve made a mistake.
So what do we gain from journalism? Anne Hathaway got a makeover and a new wardrobe for her stint at a fashion magazine in “The Devil Wears Prada,” and she wasn’t even reporting! If there’s nothing in it for us, why should we care about the school paper? And, more importantly, why should you care?
The written word is a powerful thing. It has the ability to make people think, to change minds and to shape policy. Take a look at our mission statement on the bottom-left corner of the page. Newspapers get the conversation going. They keep you informed so that you know how other people’s actions will affect you. The more you know, the better you can protect your own interests.
The Woods is important because it is an expression of student voices. It gives us a chance to report on the issues that matter most to us and to reflect the thoughts and the ideas of the student body back into the outside world.. It’s our opportunity to begin creating our own legacies.
Every once in a while, everyone says something profound or important; but those words are gone in an instant. Those words die. It’s the ones that make it into print that last forever. Well, those and the words we post on Facebook. Personally, I’d prefer I wasn’t rememembered for “OMG this is the worst day ever! I totally just dropped my sandwich. Sadface.”
“Happily ever after” or not, I’m just happy I get to be a part of the process. There’s something intrinsically good about newspapers; the way they look, the crunchy sound they make when you fold them… Forget romantic comedies. If working for a newspaper is good enough for Superman and Spiderman, it’s good enough for me.

Popularity: 23% [?]

By Lacey Henson
Staff Reporter

The National Alumnae Association Board of Directors met Thursday through Sunday on campus for one of its three annual meetings.
The main goals of the meeting were reunion planning and voting on awards, said Chanel Reeder, director of alumnae affairs and annual giving.
“We try to decide how we can help the college and how to get more people involved and have them continue to be involved after graduation,” said Barbara Reder, class of ’64. “Mostly we try to decide what’s happening here, what’s the communication like and what kind of suggestions we might have.”
Among the topics discussed at the meeting were updates about the college from the Enrollment, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Advancement, and Finance offices.
The board also voted on the Frances Murphy Rumely and Saint Mother Theodore Guerin awards. The names of the student award winners will be revealed on Reunion Weekend in May.
Members of the Alumnae Board work with the Office of Advancement and Alumnae Relations. The board itself is made up of three committees – Outreach, Communication and Advancement – each with their own specific duties that serve the college.
During the board meeting, the Outreach Committee, which deals with reaching alums in many locations, proposed information about an outreach alumnae club to connect alums in different geographic locations.
Student Senate Vice President Stephanie Runyon presented the board with feedback from the campus-wide Leadership Summit conference, which was held by the Student Senate in January.
“The conference was successful,” Runyon said, “but we would have liked to have seen more students.”
About 30 total guests attended the Leadership Summit. The Student Senate is looking forward to hosting another Leadership Summit next year.
“The Senate would like to open next year’s conference up to other schools to attend next year,” Runyon said.
Outside of the scheduled meetings on the agenda, some alumnae attended snack on Feb. 16 and lunch in O’Shaughnessy on Feb. 17 to talk with students.
“Members of the Alumnae Board like to hear from students,” Reeder said.
The Alumnae Board meets three times a year: once in October, February, and May. The next meeting in May will be Reunion 2012 weekend.
According to the SMWC website, the Alumnae Board’s overall goal is to advance the college’s mission statement. They aim to do this by enhancing communication between alums and the college, planning activities to increase alums’ involvement with the college, and assisting in the enrollment and marketing efforts of the college.
Reder said she considers the Alumnae Board the spokespeople for the college. Besides writing welcome notes to incoming first year students and congratulatory notes to juniors for Ring Day, the Alumnae Board also communicates with donors and encourages other alumnae to contribute.
“We know it’s tough when you graduate because then you’ve got college loans to pay back, plus your just getting started and you might be starting a family,” said Reder. “We want to get people into that, at least a little bit each year, so that it helps the college and keeps you involved in the college.”

Popularity: 16% [?]

Pomeroy Basketball Schedule

Friday, Feb. 10    at Robert Morris-Springfield @ Springfield, Ill.  7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11     at Lindenwood University @ Belleville, Ill.  2 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 16     Principia College @ SMWC  7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 20     Robert Morris-Springfield @ SMWC   7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25     Oakland City University @ Oakland City, Ind.  2 p.m.

USCAA National Tournament: March 6-10, 2012 @ Uniontown, Penn.
**All times are EST unless otherwise indicated

DIRECTIONS TO CLINTON RECREATION CENTER
Hwy 63 South
Take 63 South to the Hwy 163 intersection in Clinton (at stoplight). Turn left on to 163. Go to the next stoplight (about 1.5 miles) at 9th Street and turn right. Take the next immediate left on Blackman Street. Take this to the stop sign at 4th street. The Center is ahead on the left. Park on the street.

Hwy 41 North
Take 41 North through Terre Haute, to where 63N and 41N split (63N veers left). Go approximately 14 miles to the stoplight in Clinton, Ind. Turn right on Hwy 163. Go to the next stoplight (about 1.5 miles) at 9th Street and turn right. Take the next immediate left on Blackman Street. Take this to the stop sign at 4th street. The Center is ahead on the left. Park on the street.

SMWC launches redesigned website

Dee Reed, executive director of College Relations, announced that the college’s redesigned website will launch today after months of preparation and planning
According to Reed, the redesign will improve the user experience by making it easier to navigate. Administrators also hope the new site will more effectively engage prospective and current students.
A few of the new features include:
• Academics tab designed for easy access
• Admission tab quickly directs prospective students to critical information
• Drop-down menus
• Streamlined design

To see the new site, go to http://www.smwc.edu

Popularity: 17% [?]

By Lacey Henson
Staff Writer

The St. Mary’s Village Church celebrated its 175th anniversary on January 8th, making it the oldest Catholic Church in Vigo County.
The St. Mary’s Village Church is historically significant to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and the surrounding community. Its rich history helped lay a firm foundation of Catholicism in Vigo County and surrounding areas which is still prevalent 175 years later.
The history of Catholicity in Vigo County and the Village Church can be traced back to 1837. The combination of people of faith and a pastor to minister them built the first Catholic faith community on the western side of the Wabash River.
A Joseph Thralls and his family, who practiced Catholicism, acquired a significant piece of land in 1835 west of the Wabash River.
Records show a purchase of land transferring from Joseph and Sarah Thralls to Bishop Simon Brute of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vincennes for a sum of fifteen dollars.
It was there that Bishop Brute built a small frame church in what is now the Village, the first in Vigo County, to establish the site for a permanent place of faith.
In 1840, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin arrived in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods with several companions.
The Thralls family provided housing for Mother Theodore and the sisters.
The Village Church was also where Mother Theodore first had mass after her arrival.
Keeping its values alive are today’s members of the parish, who are planning different activates to celebrate its 175th anniversary.
Read the next issue of The Woods for more about the Church’s historical significance over the past 175 years and coverage of the festivities that will be taking place to celebrate the presence of the St. Mary’s Village Church.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Psychology and Human Services majors are invited to attend a luncheon forum and/or guest lecture presentation featuring
Scott Ripple, MD.
Scott Ripple, MD
Advice about careers in medicine & related fields.
Rooney Library, Faculty Lounge, 3rd floor
Thursday, Jan. 26
12:00 – 12:50 p.m.
Registration deadline:  noon on Monday, Jan. 23
Register:  career@smwc.edu or (812) 535-5188

Popularity: 14% [?]

By Sherry Bube
Student Senate President

True leadership consists of contributing to worthwhile endeavors while enabling and empowering others to do the same. Each of us is called to leadership in its many forms. Be it from spearheading the fundraising committee in a club you are a member of to organizing an activity night for your dorm wing, leadership does not necessarily entail holding an office or being involved in everything. Instead, leadership requires collective collaboration with others, as well as humility to have others help you and to listen to and utilize their ideas.
On Jan. 21, Student Senate hosted a leadership summit entitled Leaders Under Construction. As the governing student body on campus, Senate firmly believes that not only is each one of us an integral part of the Woods community, but we also are important members in helping to lead and shape the world around us. Therefore, a leadership summit that could help hone and cultivate these skills was perceived as a need for the student body.
Because leadership entails many different aspects and at different levels, the summit was based on the idea of providing opportunities for developing and forming essential building blocks of leadership in an interactive way. Sessions ranged from how to run a meeting without stealing the show to what style of leadership one possesses.
Attendees were able to gain and improve necessary skills regardless of the level of leadership one possessed. Leaders from our own Woods community, along with the Terre Haute community, came together to provide this experience.
As a leader in her own field and community, Kimberly LaGrange, from Prime Resources, Inc. of Terre Haute, IN, was the keynote speaker. She shared with us ways to build that strong foundation in order to achieve excellence in leadership. In all, this summit focused on engaging and empowering students of the Woods.
Because leadership is not simply holding a position on a committee or an office, here are a few tips to get involved and become a leader:
Find a cause or group with which you are passionate or interested about or in
Utilize your talents and abilities in an invested role with that cause or in that group
Get others involved – who else is interested in that topic or cause? Think of ways to get them invested as well and how to utilize their abilities in conjunction with your own
Can’t find something? Start it! Find a current club or organization that shares a similar focus or begin something new!
Leadership is leading the way, being the way and showing the way. How are you being a leader today? And how will you be a leader in the future?

Popularity: 10% [?]

By Emma Campbell
Editor-in-Chief

Welcome back to another semester and another issue of The Woods. I am personally very excited to be starting the semester refreshed after a long break. We here at the newspaper are in the process of continuing to improve our content and our connection with the SMWC community.
This semester means several things for the newspaper. Soon we will be selecting the best of our previous year’s content and submitting it to the Indiana Collegiate Press Association for consideration in their annual contest. Winners are invited to attend the ICPA conference, which includes guest speakers, lectures, and an awards luncheon.
Last year was the first in several where The Woods placed in three categories. This is a great honor considering we are in the same division as Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Wabash College, and DePauw University.
This year we are looking forward to choosing from a wide variety of material to submit and are proud of the work our staff members have done. The staff members who went to the conference last year had a great time and we hope to part take in it again.
We are also welcoming two new members to the staff in this new semester. First we welcome Sierra Shepard who will be taking the position as Copy Editor for the Woods. Sierra is a junior and Professional Writing major. Her talent in writing and editing is a huge asset to the paper.
The second position being added is that of a staff writer…with a twist. Ali Mahloch, an Equine Business Management Major, is writing as an Equine Liaison, exclusively covering team events, shows, and other happenings at the barn and in the equine program.
The Equine Liaison position is something I created in an effort to reach out to parts of the campus that we haven’t covered as well as we would have liked in the past. We would like to expand and make similar connections with other areas of campus. If you are in a sport or program who would like to see more or better coverage of in the paper, please contact us so that we can plan how to change that.
Lastly, due to a great influx of suggestions and submission to our three columns, Le Fer Living, Commuter Corner, and our anonymous advice column “Miss Terious”, there is now an email account you can send your questions and comments to; columnsuggestions@gmail.com. You can also email us your letters to the editor and other comments to newsroom@smwc.edu.
We want to continue to hear from the campus community. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Once again, welcome back.

Popularity: 9% [?]

By Beth Allard
Columnist

It’s inevitable: if you have anywhere to get to in a hurry, the elevators in Le Fer are going to stop on every other floor at least twice before letting you on.  Once you do get on, you may find yourself with about 15 seconds to talk to someone.
I make a habit of asking whoever’s in the elevator “Hey, how’s it going?”  And I have gotten every response. “Good.” “Eh.” “Today sucks.” “Why?” (That one’s my favorite.)  Sometimes, I get a core dump from a complete stranger about exactly who or what is making their day miserable.  Strangely, I rarely get the opposite. It’s so much easier to say what is bad about our day, isn’t it?
One of the biggest challenges of dorm life is keeping a positive attitude.  Living in such close quarters with 200+ girls is an exercise in patience, even if you are a seasoned Senior.  Sometimes all it takes in one little glitch in a day to turn even the best of us into grouchy old women. And that old saying “Misery loves company”?  Too true. Spend about five minutes at a lunch table, or a few seconds in an elevator.
We all know how fast conversations can turn to the complaints du jour.   And they don’t go away once we feel better, either. Negativity has a way of sticking around and following us, and if we don’t address it, it becomes a way of life.
You may be wondering what this has to do with dorm life.  Think about your closest friends, classmates, your roommate, that girl across the hall; how do you get along with them? Do you find it hard to get along? Do some of them “annoy” you?
I know from my personal experience that when I am annoyed at people in general, it’s usually because of my own cynical mindset.  When I am holding one to a bad mood, every little thing annoys me, and in a dorm situation, there are a hundred little things to get annoyed at. How many of them are real issues, though?
How many times have you gotten really mad at an empty toilet paper roll, the girls next door’s loud laughter, or your roommate’s music and then wondered the next morning why on earth you were so touchy?
The biggest key to dorm life is perspective, and nothing skews perspective like being negative.  Need some help being positive? Try these simple tricks:
• Stay away from pity parties. (They are not nearly as entertaining as they seem!)
• Don’t be afraid to be the positive person. Sometimes all a conversation needs is someone to say “Hey – today is a good day!”
• Instead of blaring your go-to bad day song, put on some fun dance music.
• Leave little notes or gifts for people anonymously, especially if you know they are having a bad day. You’ll make them smile, and feel pretty good yourself!
• Try and keep perspective. Next time you’re ready to spout off about something, stop and consider whether it’s worth it.
• Be thankful. I know, it’s cliché. But I promise, you have more to be thankful for than you realize!
Don’t let negativity take over your dorm life.  “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Instead of complaining, see what you can to make Le Fer life worth living.

Popularity: 26% [?]