Saint Mary's Newsroom

Vanessa Zolton, co-host of the podcast “Harry Potter and the Sacred Text,” will visit Saint Mary’s to speak on Courage and Community Care: Treating the Secular as Sacred on Thursday, April 11, at 7 p.m. in the Science and Learning Center Room 200.

CEO of Not Sorry Productions, host of Hot & Bothered, and founder of Common Ground pilgrimages, Zoltan is a research assistant and proctor at Harvard University. She has her B.A. in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis, her M.S. in Nonprofit Management from the University of Pennsylvania, and her M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School.

In February 2017, the Trump administration directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (Assistant Secretary) to revise the definition of Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS). The definition is used to determine which streams, rivers, lakes, coastlines, and wetlands are protected from draining and filling under the Clean Water Act. Due to a combination of subsequent rule makings and court challenges, two definitions are currently used in the United States. The EPA and Department of Army published their proposed rule with a new definition of WOTUS in December 2018 to replace both of the currently used definitions. The new proposed rule would remove many waters and wetlands from Clean Water Act protection. There was a clear need for analytical materials, such as a digital map of different watersheds in the U.S. that shows which waters and wetlands are protected and which are not protected under these three scenarios. Such a resource could help elected officials, policy makers, and the public understand which waters are currently protected, as well as the extent and impact of the proposed changes, so they can comment on the proposed rule and plan for potential future changes in the extent of waters protected under the Clean Water Act.

With grant funding from the Hewlett Foundation, GeoSpatial Services (GSS) created a geospatial model that predicts the spatial extent of federally protected wetlands and waterways under three different protection scenarios. The methods and communication of results were guided by a project advisory committee made up of science and legal professionals. The results of the analyses show that narrowing the scope of federally protected waters would significantly reduce the number of streams, wetlands, and wetland acreage protected by the Clean Water Act, leading to a potential loss of benefits provided by wetlands that would no longer be protected under the Clean Water Act. These benefits include water quality protection, floodwater attenuation, fish habitat, and wildlife habitat. The methods and results of this work can be found in a final report and in a story map developed with Esri technology.

In celebration of its heritage, Saint Mary’s University presented awards to the leader of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, as well as one faculty member, one staff member, and two outstanding seniors at its annual Founders’ Day celebration March 12 on the Winona Campus. Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, Superior General of the De La Salle Christian Brothers received an honorary doctorate of educational leadership. Saint Mary’s also recognized the dedication and outstanding service of two faculty and staff members who have advanced our mission consistently over time with the Brother Charles H. Severin, FSC, Award (Dr. Tricia Klosky) and the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award (Alisa Macksey).

Each year, Saint Mary’s recognizes outstanding undergraduate male and female seniors who have demonstrated the ideals of scholarship, character, leadership, and service. The Outstanding Male and Female Senior awards were presented to Max Champa, son of Bill and Marykaye Champa of Bloomington, Minn., and Bailey O’Hare, daughter of Tim and Brenda O’Hare of Rushford, Minn. Congratulations to these students and the other finalists: Aldontae Guess, Tatiana Jones, Marissa Kinzer, Zechariah Kitzhaber, Erin McCoy, Bailey Melz, Laura Sonday, and Nathan Young.

Photo caption: Max Champa and Bailey O’Hare were named this year’s Outstanding Male and Female Seniors.

Saint Mary’s University has surpassed its goal of raising $20,000 for this year’s Taylor Richmond Benefit recipient Joseph Row of Winona. Joseph is the 11-year-old son of Darren Row who teaches at Saint Mary’s University. Darren and his wife, Jill (Arens) Row, are also alumni of Saint Mary’s. Joseph was diagnosed with leukemia in July 2018 and faces a three-year course of treatments. Proceeds from the dance and a silent auction are assisting the Row family with medical expenses and travel costs. The benefit has become an annual student tradition since its start in 2001 in honor of Taylor Richmond, son of Saint Mary’s staff member Nikki Richmond. Each year this event benefits someone in need who has ties to the university community.

Photo caption: Joseph Row, this year’s Taylor Richmond Benefit recipient at Saint Mary’s, was able to attend to enjoy Super Joseph’s World.

The Saint Mary’s University Concert Band presented the world-premiere performance of the composition “Nigun Prophecy” at their spring concert March 10. “Nigun Prophecy” was written by award-winning American composer David Avshalomov as part of the Kaplan Commission Project at Saint Mary’s. The Helen and Sam Kaplan Foundation gave Saint Mary’s a significant financial gift 20 years ago for the purpose of building a Jewish-Christian dialogue and providing means for students to directly interact with Jewish religion and culture. Commissioned work is typically based on Jewish melodic material, either folk or religious sources. The concert also featured works from different musical traditions, including French, Irish, Italian, Russian, and American, which fit the theme of Music In Our Schools Month of All Music All People. Check out a video of their performance.