The Woods

By Lacey Henson
Staff Writer

From a very early age, Dottie King knew she wanted to be a teacher.
When she was in third grade, she knew she would be a third grade teacher.  When she was in eighth grade, she wanted to be an eighth grade teacher.
“Whatever grade I was in at the time was the grade I wanted to teach,” King said.
She never would have dreamed that she would one day teach math.
“It was my least favorite subject in elementary school,” King said.
But as she got older, she grew to love math.
King wore many hats in her high school. When she wasn’t practicing her math skills, she was a cheerleader and member of the marching band. But she always made time for her math competitions, which were held at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
“The girls would compete at Saint Mary’s while the boys would compete at Rose-Hulman,” King said.
Her love of math and teaching were instrumental to bringing King to The Woods.
Unknowingly, she was connected to the college long before her presidency.

The Demands of Life
King’s life is a juggling act of motherhood responsibilities and presidential duties.
On a typical day she wakes up and takes on the duties of motherhood first. She has six children – two daughters and four sons – who range in age from 16 to 30. The fun and chaotic life of a big family requires a sense of balance and excellent time management skills.
King’s role as a mother has led her to volunteer with Clay County schools’ Parent Teacher Organizations and Band Boosters. She was even president of the football parents’ group.
“I am not a first-time president,” King laughed.
But being made president of the football parents cannot compare with the honor of a day of Inauguration ceremonies in front of hundreds of people on the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College campus.
The celebration began Friday morning at The Church of the Immaculate Conception, where a Mass was performed to mark King’s installation as president of the college.

Photo by Colleen Daum/ The Woods

That afternoon, King spoke at Cecilian Auditorium to the campus community – faculty, administrators, students, alumnae and others with ties to SMWC.
King has worked diligently to reach the top position, while being light hearted and always keeping a smile on her face.
“Dottie is very grounded and down to earth,” Vice President for Student Life Vicki Kosowsky said.  “She does not see herself on a higher level than anyone else.”
King is the biggest Colt’s fanatic in her household.
All of the TV’s have to be turned on to the game when the Colts are playing and she gets very into the game, sometimes yelling at the TV.
Unfortunately, King has been struggling through this NFL season due to the loss of Colt’s quarterback Peyton Manning.
“I have been saying a lot of prayers for Peyton,” she said.

From Humble Beginnings
Born and raised in Terre Haute, King became very close to her mother and sister when her father passed away when she was very young.
King attended elementary and junior high school in Vigo County. Her family then moved to Clay County, where she attended and graduated from Van Buren High School.
School was also where King met her husband.
“We began liking each other when I was 13 and he was 14,” she said.
They developed a strong friendship while still maintaining their school activities. Their friendship continued to evolve and they soon married after high school. She was 19.
Her marriage and growing family did not stop her from furthering her education.
She attended Indiana State University and received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in mathematics. King also holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction/educational leadership, also from ISU.
King did earn her dream job. From 1985-2002, she served as an instructor of mathematics at Indiana State University.
A co-worker at Indiana State suggested that King apply for a position at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods as assistant professor of mathematics.
Through a series of promotions, King held several positions at The Woods, including associate professor of mathematics, chair of the Sciences and Mathematics Department, assistant dean for undergraduate and international programs, interim vice president for academic affairs, vice president for academic affairs and interim president.

Photo by Nancy Hernandez/ The Woods

“She did not go seeking the role of president,” Kosowsky said.  “But being the face of the college comes naturally for her.”
King credits either providence or a series of coincidences as to why she was led to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
Her former positions have helped her develop friendships with co-workers, which she says allows for equal connection and communication from the different offices of the college.
“She is an incredibly good listener and wants to be collaborative; she creates an environment where people feel free to express opinions, even if they are not the same as hers,” Kosowsky said.
As inauguration approached, King experienced mixed, but excited feelings.
She was very busy with not only inauguration but Board of Trustee meetings as well.
Her overall goal is to make the students more marketable when they graduate by enhancing the curriculum of each course.
Promoting and encouraging women to persist the study of mathematics, science and technology is also a passion and something that King will continue doing as president.
“Dottie is able to listen and articulate,” Kosowsky said.

‘Advancing Our Legacy’
King said she is excited to move forward with the college as its new president. She wants to enhance the enrollment rate and promote SMWC by making use of what the students tell her.
“She wants to make the college better known, give it a brand and get its name out there,” Kosowsky said.
If King could put her duties as president on hold for a day, she would be back in the classroom, teaching and promoting mathematics.
“Her presidency is forthcoming,” Kosowsky said.  “She is the right person at the right time.”

Popularity: 24% [?]

By Amira Jaradat
Staff Writer

On Oct. 11, the junior class of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College received some bad news.
The new prices for Woods rings were out and they were much higher than most students had anticipated. Due to the rise of the price of gold worldwide, students planning on buying Woods rings this year will be paying significantly more than students who have done so in years past.
“I was shocked over how much the price of the rings has gone up.” said Alyssa Flynn, junior. “I know two years ago the most expensive gold ring was a little under $1,000 and now the least expensive gold ring is that price.”
The most expensive Woods Ring for sale this year is the 18-karat gold, going for $1,939.91; this same ring was sold for $971.56 in 2010 and 2011.
The 14-karat gold ring has gone up almost 70 percent, with a current price of $1,385.65, and the 10-karat gold ring now costs $952.30.
The price of the sterling silver ring has also gone up more than a hundred dollars, now costing $449.40.
“The new prices reflect what the gold prices are at this moment in time per ounce,” said Vicki Kosowsky, vice president for student life. The prices of the rings are determined by the manufacturer and the rings themselves are distributed by the bookstore. “The college does not make any money off of the rings at all.”
In the past, SMWC has signed a contract resetting the prices of the rings with the company responsible for manufacturing them every two years.
“This year, they came to us and said ‘We cannot lock in a price for you,’” said Kosowsky.  “The price of gold has been so volatile over the last eight months that it was changing daily by hundreds of dollars….they did not know from one day to the next, much less a week in advance or a month in advance, what they were going to have to pay for gold.”

Graphic by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

In an effort to provide what Kosowsky describes as “a more affordable but still quality ring,” two new ring options have been introduced this year.
The White Aztec is an alloy containing no gold, while the Gold Aztec ring contains a small amount of gold.
Ashtynn Masterson, who was glad that the college is planning on offering more reasonably priced options, still plans on purchasing a gold ring.
“To me, getting a ring is such a big honor that it’s something that I’m willing to spend that type of money on,” said Masterson.  “It’s something I will wear for the rest of my life. If you spend $900 now, but you wear it every day for the rest of your life, it kind of evens out.”
While some students may go for the less expensive options, others plan to apply for legacy rings, which are Woods rings donated by alumnae or their families.
“I’ve always thought it would be really neat to get a ring that has been passed down through history,” said Lauren Sutton, who has planned to apply for one since before the change in pricing.  “I liked the idea of being able to donate that same ring back to school to continue the tradition.”
Sutton suspects that more people may apply for the legacy ring this year for the simple reason that they are free.
But besides the fact that the number of donated rings available is always limited, another issue with legacy rings is the sizing.
“Many of the older alums that have given back rings to the institution are giving back incredibly small rings. Really small,” added Kosowsky.
She stated that some rings may be too small for any students to wear.
For students such as Emilie Blythe, a senior who decided her budget would not allow her to buy a Woods Ring last year, the ring is an important symbol, but not a vital one.
“There are more important things than silver and gold and onyx,” said Blythe.  “Like the people I’ve met and will treasure in my heart forever.”

Graphic by Shauna Lampley/ The Woods

Andrea Thompson, who plans on applying for a legacy ring, says the rings are currently priced outside of her budget. However, if she is not chosen for a legacy ring, she will save up her money so she can purchase a Woods Ring of her own next year.
“It’s such a big part of Woodsie tradition,” said Thompson.  “There’s no way that I’m going to graduate without one.”
Although Kosowsky does not expect that the ring prices will change again this year, she describes the current price list as a “somewhat floating scale” and cannot guarantee that the prices will not change again next year, either for better or for worse.
It all depends on the state of the market.
“We’ve never been confronted with this dramatic of a change,” said Kosowsky. “There’s always been some ups and downs over the years, but never anything as dramatic as this.”

Popularity: 19% [?]

By Anna Spydell &
Lacey Henson
Staff Writers

Freshman Alexis Dawson received a spooky welcome shortly after moving in to her room, number 247 in Le Fer Hall.
“I was on Skype and a picture that was on the wall went flying across the room,” Dawson recalled. “And one day I was in the shower and I heard people in my room moving things around. When I got out, I couldn’t find my laptop or tennis shoes.”
Suspecting that a friend had dropped by her room while she was in the shower, Dawson went to the door to ask if anyone had seen her things.
“I realized that my door had been locked the entire time and there had been no way to get into my room,” Dawson said.
As fall approaches, colors of orange, crimson and yellow paint the leaves of the trees surrounding the beautiful campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
But with stories about the faceless nun, a bloodstained room, footsteps throughout Le Fer, mysterious piano playing in the Conservatory and underground tunnels, it seems that the SMWC campus has a dark, underlying history.
With all of the startling stories, myths, and folklores that trace back to the SMWC campus, why travel to a haunted house this year to get your spook on?
The SMWC campus has plenty of its own spooks to offer that might make your blood run cold.
Take, for example, the legend of the Faceless Nun.
Possibly the most famous of the Woods ghosts, her notoriety has landed SMWC in ghost hunting books, such as Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses by Elizabeth Tucker, published by University Press of Mississippi in 2007.
While stories concerning her identity conflict with each other, they do seem to agree on the long gone Foley Hall as the site of her haunting.
Foley Hall was razed in 1989, leaving no physical place to visit to investigate the ghost.
“A fire burned it out on the inside, and after that it was just torn down,” said SMWC security guard, Albert Heramb.
Formerly located between the Conservatory and O’Shaughnessy, Foley Hall housed art classrooms on its upper levels.
It is to those classrooms that the Faceless Nun is most popularly attached.
Her tales vary; she is alternately described as a terrifying faceless entity who would wail along Foley’s halls and as a realistic looking-figure who would always appear between the viewer and the light, the glare obscuring her face.

Photo by Jade Scott/ The Woods

These tales, many of which are recounted on the Sisters of Providence’s website, describe her as so realistic that people would believe her to be one of the flesh and blood Sisters.  They would speak to her, never suspecting her ghostly nature until she would simply vanish.
Immediately next door to the former site of Foley Hall stands the Conservatory.
Housing both the Theater department and the Music department, the Conservatory has both the auditorium and the practice rooms.
Some of those rooms are equipped with pianos for the music students to work in.
“Back when I first started at this job, I was patrolling the Conservatory and getting ready to lock up,” Heramb said. “All of a sudden, I heard piano music.”
Thinking perhaps a music student was having a late night practice session, Heramb made his way upstairs to inform the student that he was about to lock up for the night.
“But when I reached the second floor, the music stopped,” he said.  “I looked around, and no one was there.”
Not knowing what to make of it, Heramb returned to the ground floor.
“As soon as I left the second floor, the music began again,” he said.
Heramb then radioed for another security guard to meet him at the Conservatory and, together, they combed the Conservatory for any trace of their piano-playing quarry.
“We never found anyone,” said Heramb.
The intrigue doesn’t stop at the above-ground area of the Conservatory. Beneath lies a large basement, filled with furniture, props, and one of the several entryways to SMWC’s network of underground tunnels.
The underground tunnels are no myth. There are tunnels that run under the ground that connect all of the buildings on the campus side as well as the sisters’ side. Most campuses have underground tunnels and even many buildings in Terre Haute.
“They are used for maintenance purposes,” Utilities Manager for the Sisters of Providence, Bob Flesher, said.

Photo by Jade Scott/ The Woods

The tunnels run steam to Le Fer for hot water and to also heat other buildings. Electrical lines and cables are also run in some tunnels to the library for IT usage.
“They keep lines accessible and allow for easy repair,” Flesher said.
Standing six by four feet, most are walkable. However, some are so small that a person would have to crawl through. Some have been closed off and are not in use.
The tunnels are lighted but still have an eerie feel.
“Some of the guys have seen shadows while in the tunnels,” Flesher said. “You can tell that they are a little spooked, even though they don’t like to admit it.”
Students have reported experiencing unexplainable activity in the Le Fer Hall dormitories.
Freshman Jessica Rodriguez has seen some pretty strange things since moving in to the second floor of the south wing of Le Fer.
Rodriguez said, “Every night, between twelve and four, if you’re really quiet, you will see a shadow moving from end to end of the hallway.”
From mysterious piano music in the Conservatory, to strange noises in Le Fer, students and staff alike have reported strange incidents across the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
While there remains no evidence beyond personal accounts to confirm any unknown presences on campus, it is likely that ghost stories concerning SMWC will continue to be handed down from Woodsie to Woodsie.

Popularity: 25% [?]

By Jade Scott
Managing Editor
jscott@smwc.edu

“The church!” Sister St. Theodore wrote.  “…No tabernacle, no altar, for can the name of altar be given to three planks forming a table forty inches long, supported by two stakes driven into the ground?”  -Mother Theodore Guerin, A Woman for all Time by Penny Blaker Mitchell
The location of the first church that Saint Mother Theodore Guerin found when she arrived has been vacant since 1853, when the cabin was torn down.
All that is left is a large rock with a plaque stating, “The first mass at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods was offered on this spot by Bishop Brute, first Bishop of Vincennes, Jan. 6, 1837.  In the log hut dwelling of Father Buteaux who was on that date installed here as Pastor.”
“Mother Theodore Guerin got here and expected to find a convent and a church,” said Sister Mary Ryan, archivist for the Sisters of Providence.  “What she found was a log cabin 14 by 12 feet that served as their church and home.”
That empty location saw a change several weeks ago when construction of a foundation for a replica cabin began just feet from that rock.
Dave Cox, media relations manager for the Sisters of Providence, and David Patterson, executive director of the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau began talking about the possibility of a replica cabin during the time that Mother Theodore Guerin’s canonization was celebrated in 2006.
“David and I have been involved since the beginning. Not too long after the first conversation, we talked with Keith Ruble, who is the superintendent of the Vigo County Park and Recreation Department,” Cox said.  “He educated us about how to go about our research and what to look for.”

Photo by Jade Scott/ The Woods

Ruble, who Cox says has “worked with cabins for many years,” was able to give them the information they needed to begin looking for an appropriate historical cabin that would match the description of the original cabin that stood when Saint Mother Theodore Guerin came to Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods.
The search continued for five years until Ruble met David Masterson of Owensville at a pioneer-like festival, the Rendezvous Festival, in Vincennes last Memorial Day weekend.
Masterson’s wife, Faye, is a photographer who loves taking pictures of old structures.  She came across a barn that contained two 1800-style cabins.
The two cabins were bought and removed with one going to the Sisters of Providence.
The cabin was broken down in to pieces and transferred to Vigo County.
“Some of the timbers had decayed, so we had to replace them,” Cox said.  “The Visitors Bureau is providing financial support for replacement timbers, stones for the fireplace and sidewalk, the foundation, roofing other items that are necessary to bring this project to life.”
The work, which is being done entirely by volunteers, is a slow process and cannot be expected to be done immediately.
“It is really neat to have something like this being done,” said Earl Rodgers, one of the volunteers working on the cabin.  “We really have to work around schedules and it is mostly on weekends we can get work done.”
The original plan was to have the cabin rebuilt and restored by the weekend of Oct. 21 for the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Festival.
Due to problems such as finding the right parts, the work has been delayed.  They now project that it should be completed by the middle of November before the winter weather can set in.
This addition to The Woods will help visitors get a glimpse of the past.
“The cabin project is a very tangible opportunity to see a replica of what Mother Theodore and her companions saw soon after they arrived,” Cox said.
The replica cabin is as close to a match to the original cabin as possible.
The cabin will be slightly larger than the original and will also have to accommodate safety features, but it will include original details such as the wooden plank altar and even the primitive cot the priest would have used.
“They are really trying to make this cabin look as close as possible to the original cabin for authenticity,” Ryan said.  “There will be two windows on the back side of the cabin for natural light but they should not be very noticeable.”
People from all fifty states have traveled to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to visit Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s relics since she was canonized.  Those who are a part of this project believe that this replica cabin will be an essential piece for those that come to visit.
“It’s a small example of what life may have been like at the time,” said Cox.  “Also, in a very practical way, it gives visitors one more reason to come to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods …it is another place where they can share Mother Theodore’s spirituality and presence.”
With the help of the Sisters of Providence, Cox, the Masterson’s, Ruble, and each and every volunteer helping to rebuild the cabin, it will be a place for understanding the past, educating, and a special place to visit.

Popularity: 19% [?]

The Moon

By: Lauren Sutton

The man’s face
settles into peace
as he sees his children

The man’s face
sighs in happiness
as he watches them sleep

The man’s face
sighs miserably
as he sees them wakening

The Moon by Lauren Sutton is a poem broken down in to seven parts.  Each part tells the story of the different cycles of the moon.  Part one is the turmoil between the moon and the sun when the sun is setting and the moon is just rising.  In the following parts the moon gets higher and higher in the night sky only to come to a climatic end of the sun rising and ending the cycle of the moon for another night.

Chronicles of Arcanland:  The Skeleton Key

By: Emilie Blythe

Arowen was tired of trudging behind Vulcan, and even the dragons – whose thick penguin-like feathers made them impenetrable to harsh weather – were beginning to complain. Arowen had them by leash, and had to give a tiny yank every once in a while to remind them she was alive and worth following.
“How much farther?” she asked, trying not to moan.
“Ah…” he said, squinting at all the white.
“If my calculations are correct, we should be standing
on top of it.”
Arowen blinked.
“You mean it’s under the snow?”
Vulcan chuckled, but it was not encouraging. “No, no. Whole stations don’t just get swallowed up like that.”

Chronicles of Arcanland: The Skeleton Key by Emilie Blyth is a young adult science fiction novel that follows the main characters through their journey in Antartica.  They stumble upon a hidden civilization and become trapped within.  The king of this civilization is supossed to have control over the borders of their land; no one in, no one out.  Most of the habitants are happy to remain hidden, while their are some that wish to leave.  Outsiders are not supposed to come in, insiders are not supossed to go out.

Author in our midst

By Jade Scott
Managing Editor
jscott@smwc.edu

Emilie Blythe has been writing from a young age.
At the age of 14 she finished her first novel that is hundreds of pages long.  Since she finished her science fiction novel, Chronicles of Arcanland: The Skeleton Key, she has been trying to get it published.
“My first submission was when I was 16,” Blythe said.  “When I was 21, I submitted my story to TangleWood Press which is a local publisher.”
She has yet to get her story published but she has gotten great feedback and ways to make her work even better.
She is now targeting the young adults genre and may even put it in the category of religion as well.
“I wouldn’t say that my book has a lot of religion in it, but there are parts of prayer and talking about it,” Blythe said.
Since her submission to Tangle Wood Press she has been picked up by Writer’s Edge which is equalvilent to a writers agent.  This website is a screening service that will pick up writers and put them on their list for publishers to find.
Blythe was put on that list on Oct. 1 and her name was sent out to 75 publishers.  Now she just has to wait.

Popularity: 17% [?]

By Jade Scott
Managing Editor
jscott@smwc.edu

Month two:  This is about the time that life gets in the way of my workout program, or I just quit.
Just that thought makes me want to finish even more.
I had just started my first week of month two the last time I wrote this column.  The week after that I got sick.  That right there normally would have thrown a wrench in everything and I would have given up.
But this time I just played it safe.  Instead of trying to push through that week and half-heartedly do my workouts while ill, I took that week off.
I reworked everything so that I would just pick up the following week where I left off.  So yes, I am a little behind than where I originally thought I was going to be at this point, but it is worth it.
Now I do not feel guilty that I only went through the motions of the workouts nor do I feel like I am behind because I skipped certain workouts that I have to squeeze in at a later date.
I wish I would have figured this out two years ago and then maybe I would have finished the first time.
But I must admit, after taking that week off it has not been easy starting up, all guns blazing the next week.  As I am writing this I have no motivation to stick to either my intense workout plan or my eating plan.
The lack of motivation also comes from the fact that I feel stuck.
I have a great combination of cardio and strength training in my workout program but I feel as if now the muscles are there but you just can’t see them.  I continue to do ab-workouts getting stronger and stronger core muscles but my stomach doesn’t feel or look any flatter than before.
Do I need more cardio or do I need to just continue what I’m doing and finish out the program?
I have decided that when, not if but when I do finish my 90 days with this workout program I do plan to do the actual Insanity workout program over Christmas break.  I feel like by that time I will be over strength training and just want the cardio.
All I really know is that I need to get my motivation back.  I need that drive again to know I will make it through the week completing all of my workouts and completing them well.
I guess that by the time I read this in the paper on Monday I will either have found that drive again, or will need it forced in to me.

Popularity: 37% [?]

By Grace Dubrowski
Staff Writer

If you’re even slightly familiar with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College athletics, you’re probably aware of the long-standing rivalry between the SMWC Pomeroys and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Fighting Engineers.
Games between the two teams are always high stakes, high energy, and highly competitive.
The game between SMWC’s and RHIT’s women’s soccer team on Oct. 5 was no exception.
Although the game resulted in a 4-1 loss for SMWC, the outpouring of support for breast cancer awareness through the  Pomeroy team was a definite win.
However, this game was special for another reason as well.  It marked the first annual SMWC Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
To show their support for breast cancer awareness, the Pomeroys sported pink jerseys, bows, and socks, rather than their usual blue or white uniforms.
The driving force behind the creation of the Breast Cancer Awareness Game was Kayla Leuthold, senior at SMWC and four year veteran on the soccer team.
“Being at a women’s college, breast cancer awareness is very important,” Kayla Leuthold said. “We hope for this to become an annual event at The Woods.”
Her sister, Paige Leuthold, also believed that it was important to bring the awareness of breast cancer to The Woods.
“Breast cancer is a major issue that we obviously need to raise funds and to try and find a cure for,” Paige Leuthold said.  “So many people have been affected by it; both people that we know and people that we don’t.”

Photo by Shauna Lampley/The Woods

Paige added a personal touch that hit close to home.
“My mom’s best friend just finished her rounds of chemo for her own breast cancer,” she said. “I’m going to rock her initials on my bow for her!”
The Leutholds, however, aren’t the only Pomeroy soccer players that are passionate about breast cancer awareness.
“I’m a cause-freak in general,” says Samantha Morrison, sophomore. “Our game is going toward a good cause and it’s important.”
Amanda Payton, freshmen goalkeeper for the Woods, has also been previously involved in breast cancer awareness.
“Participating in Breast Cancer Awareness games is something I’ve done since sophomore year of high school,” Payton says. “It’s something that will most likely affect me or women that I’m close to in the future, so it’s a great organization to raise money and awareness for.”
Information packets about breast cancer and the Susan G. Komen Foundation were given to spectators as they arrived.
During halftime, both Rose-Hulman and SMWC spectators were encouraged to pay $1 to take a penalty shot on goal in attempts to win t-shirts that had been attached to the net.
Many spectators took multiple shots in their attempts to earn a shirt, raising additional money for the local Komen chapter.

Popularity: 31% [?]

By Grace Dubrowski
Staff Writer

As a “Woodsie,” you may think that you know everything there is to know about the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
Elizabeth Wright, current senior and Resident Assistant at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, thought she did too… until she took a step back and took time to think about it.
“I realized that there were so many places on campus I had never visited, and vowed to change that for my final year,” Wright says. “After thinking it over, I realized this may be the case for several others, and decided to share my exploration with others.”
And how did she decide to do just that?
By creating the “Explore the Woods” series, a brand new Campus Life event this academic year.
“Explore the Woods” aims to give campus students opportunities to explore areas of campus that they might not be entirely familiar with.
The list of places to explore this year includes, but is not limited to: the barn, Guerin Hall, the Conservatory, and possibly a two- or three-part series on “The Sister’s Side” and The Church of the Immaculate Conception.
The first installment of the “Explore the Woods” series was co-hosted by Wright and Erika Stanley, SMWC sophomore and Resident Assistant. The destination: the Mari Hulman George School of Equine Studies, more commonly known to SMWC students as “the barn”.
The 40-plus students who attended the event were met at the back of Le Fer hall by Stanley and other equine majors, who gave the group a hayride over to the barn.
Upon their arrival, the crowd was escorted into the indoor arena. There, they were seated on bleachers and were greeted by five riders, already mounted on their horses in the arena.
Whitney Mahloch, a senior, centered herself in the ring and kicked off the evening by giving the group a rundown of the differences between Western and Huntseat riding.
Both Mahloch and the other riders gave demonstrations of basic showing skills; they even gave the group a mock “horse show,” modeling techniques seen  during a horse show.
“I think for many people, they don’t like coming to the shows because they don’t know what is going on,” Mahloch says. “Hopefully this gives them a little more of an idea of what we do, and that this will encourage more school support at our home shows.”
While the show was going on, Wright was busy making warm apple cider and delivering it to the group of SMWC students on the bleachers.
After the mock show, the group was given a tour of the barn by the group of equine majors who had come to the event. The students were taken all around the area, observing the stables, arenas, and pastures. They also got the opportunity to interact with the horses themselves.
Amanda Payton, an admissions ambassador at SMWC, was surprised at how much new information she learned.
“As an Ambassador, we’re given a basic outline of the barn,” Payton says. “But being shown the barn by equine majors during ‘Explore the Woods’ gave me much more personal and interesting information to share on my tours.”
Wright said the feedback she received from residents was positive.
“They were glad to have a chance to see the girls in action and love on the horses for a little bit,” Wright says.
It was a worthwhile experience for those that already knew the barn, as well.
“I really enjoyed teaching Woodsies about the barn and basics of showing,” Mahloch says. “Many of the students had never been down to the barn, or had even seen the barn. I don’t think that many students have a good knowledge about what we do at the barn all day. Many think we just ride the ponies, but in reality, we do much more.”

Popularity: 17% [?]

By Dottie King
SMWC President

I recently participated in the Wabash Valley United Way Hunger Challenge. According to the rules of this challenge, participants needed to eat for one week only the food that could be purchased for $32. I knew that it would take some careful planning for each day and that I would miss some of the treats that I am accustomed to enjoying but I was not prepared for the depth of emotions that I experienced as the week unfolded.
Several members of the United Way Board and associated agencies participated in the challenge. On Monday morning of the first day, I began receiving e-mails from participants containing photos of the food that they purchased for the week.
Since I was purchasing my food one day at a time, I was very interested in the choices that were made by others. I chuckled aloud at the sight of one weekly allotment; it consisted of a case of water, two 2-liter bottles of Diet Mountain Dew, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, two packages of fruit cups and eight packets of tuna!
The ensuing emails that the group shared were a mixture of encouragement, light-hearted teasing and concern. As the week progressed the tone of the e-mails gradually became less trivial. Individually and as a group, we were changed by the experience. It is one thing to empathize with the circumstances of others and quite another to experience them.
“Food insecurity” is a term that is known to the agencies that provide food resources to needy families. It is a phrase that did not have very much real meaning for me until I experienced the Hunger Challenge. Planning to purchase food that would be nutritious and filling on a very limited budget was truly a challenge but the insecurity came from the worry about whether it would last for the entire seven days.
On day seven, we received a photograph from a participant depicting his remaining food supply. He had bread, peanut butter and one packet of tuna for the entire day. As we shared our experiences of hunger through the week, we found that we all experienced difficulty in sleeping at night and in concentrating during the day. We wondered how the parents of children in this situation feel knowing that their children, while not starving, are going to sleep every night without feeling full.
We were all eager for the week to end and discussed the things that we were going to eat on Monday; we were also fully cognizant that Monday never comes for some families. They live in a continuous state of food insecurity.
I am changed by my participation in the Hunger Challenge. I looked up the definition of the word “challenge” in a dictionary and found that it is a call or summons to engage in an activity. I like that and I would like to challenge the students, faculty and staff of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College to involve themselves in service to our community.
There are so many places where we can make a difference! Whether you choose a local church, Catholic Charities, Saint Ann’s Clinic, Big Brothers/Big Sisters or some other agency, I encourage you to find some time and do something to help others. It will benefit you far more than those whom you serve!

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By Anna Spydell
Staff Writer

They’re almost a school mascot.
You’ve probably seen them around campus: bounding alongside the equine majors on their walk out to the barn; hanging around the entrances to Hulman, hoping for a pat; sprawled at the feet of President Dottie King as she gives an interview to the local news on the front porch of Guerin.
Assistant Director of Campus Life Elizabeth Coley had an unexpected office visit from one of the canines over the summer.
“I was working in my office, and I kept thinking, ‘What is that noise?’”, Coley recalled with a laugh. “I walked around, and Bo was lying there in front of my desk! I was like ‘Okay, I enjoy the company, but you can’t be here!’”
The “Woods dogs” seem to be a warm, friendly, floppy presence on campus and beloved by students and faculty alike.
Freshman equine major Paige Harvey spoke fondly of the dogs, saying, “I love having the dogs around because I miss my dog from home a lot. It’s comforting when they’re around because you get your dog time.”
“Bo is the yellow one with the curly tail, and he has an owner that lives right across the street”, said Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and Sisters of Providence security guard, George Pizzola. “This is his second home.”
But that isn’t the story with all the dogs.
“Some of them may be strays,” said Pizzola.
A few weeks ago, a rumor circulated campus that security would be removing the dogs, news that upset many students.
When asked about the rumors, Pizzola confirmed that security had thought about it concerning one dog.
“There was an older female dog hanging around, and we considered removing her. But the last I heard one of the students was talking about taking her home. I don’t know if that ended up working out or not,” reported Pizzola.
Paige Harvey was able to confirm that particular dog’s fate.
“The old girl that I called Princess was taken home by Caitlin Thompson. All of the horse girls loved her and she had water and whatever food we could find for her there. The dogs don’t bother the horses and I haven’t seen any bad reactions from either of the animals, which I was scared about at first.”
It seems clear that most of the student body feels affectionately towards the animals.
“It’s mostly people who come here for wedding receptions and things like that who see them and get scared,” said Pizzola, adding. “And ultimately, we work for the Sisters of Providence. Our paychecks come from them. So we have to do what the Sisters want us to do about the dogs.”
When asked where the dogs would be taken should removal become necessary, Pizzola said.
“Taking the dogs to the pound would be the last plan of action. We’d probably take them to the Vermillion Humane Society to increase their chances of being adopted.”

Popularity: 18% [?]