In Context: Prof. Jonathan Acuff on the Comparison of the War in Afghanistan with Vietnam
July 31, 2009
Many analysts have worried that Iraq would become a quagmire for the United States similar to the Vietnam War. Jonathan Acuff, assistant professor of politics, however, thinks Afghanistan, where the U.S. is committing more troops, is the better analogy with Vietnam. In this In Context interview, Professor Acuff explains why Afghan history, geography and population characteristics – as well as the troop strength of America and its allies – makes him think that way.
Prof. Acuff recently appeared on New Hampshire Public Radio's The Exchange, where he discussed the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. To listen to the replay of this program, visit http://www.nhpr.org/node/26200.
Student Commencement Speaker Reflects on Being a Muslim at a Catholic College
May 20, 2009
When Waqarun Rashid '09 came to Saint Anselm College, she found she had something in common with the Benedictine monks on campus.
Both express their faith in what they wear.
The monks dress in traditional black monastic habits. Rashid, a practicing Muslim, wears a headscarf and modest clothing.
“We represent our faith physically, but the true representation happens in the way you speak, in how you respect others, in how you act,” Rashid said. “I always felt that I was with other believers because they are so humble, so devout in their faith.”
Rashid, a senior biochemistry major from Salem, N.H., spoke about her experiences at Saint Anselm College’s May 16 commencement. Her talk focused on the struggle to bring social justice to the world – reflecting a value she says Islam and Christianity share.
Rashid is the only Muslim in her class, and one of five at Saint Anselm. As a senior, she was president of the Muslim Student Association, which formed in 2004. This year, the association had 13 members drawing non-Muslim students who wanted to learn more about Islam.
In the classroom her Muslim background became an opportunity to challenge what her peers thought and believed, especially in the two-year humanities program, known as Portaits in Human Greatness, that is mandatory for all students.
“I always felt like I was odd man out,” Rashid said. “There were these students who… raised in Catholic schools. I’ve always been one to be questioning, to try to get them to think more outside of the box.”
Her studies also helped her understand how her faith related to her chosen profession – medicine. During a humanities unit on Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Rashid examined Victorian-era debates about religion and science. She concluded the two are more compatible than not.
“One needs science and religion, she said. “Science needs religion and religion needs science.” Those two things – science and religion – will come together in her career. This fall Rashid will enter the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, N.Y., where she will pursue two degrees: a Doctor of Medicine and a doctorate in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology. Rashid will be a scientist, but it is her faith and what her faith teaches about social justice and caring for others that motivates her to help those who are sick.
Rashid wants to focus on diabetes and obesity-related diseases.
A toy doctor’s kit her parents gave her first stirred her interest in the field, but it was her visit to Pakistan, where her parents were born, that confirmed her interest in being a doctor. In Pakistan, Rashid remembers seeing people suffering from illnesses that could be easily treated back in the United States.
Once she finishes her graduate studies, she wants to return to the southeast Asian country.
“That’s one of my hopes and dreams – is to get back to Pakistan and give back to the people who need help,” she said.
Rashid will miss Saint Anselm College where she said she always felt accepted and at home.
“I never had any hate crimes or anything negative done to me,” she said. “I respected what it meant for them to be Catholic and they respected what it meant for me to be a Muslim.”
This story originally appeared in the May 15, 2009 issue of the Union Leader and is reprinted with permission. An audio recording of Waqarun Rashid's remarks to the Class of 2009 is available below. The text of her speech can be found here.
Prof. David George and Matthew Gonzales in History Channel Series, "Battles BC"
March 5, 2009
David George, classics professor and chair, will be a regular face on the History Channel for eight weeks beginning Monday, March 9, when he offers historic perspective in the series, Battles BC.
Starting with “Hannibal the Annihilator,” the series will use cutting edge, computer graphics to explore towering feats of battle that scholars and students of war continue to study today. “David: Giant Slayer” will be the second episode, launched Monday, March 16. Read more
Saint Anselm Students Seek a Spring Break Alternative
February 27, 2009
Beginning Friday, Feb. 27, Saint Anselm College students will board vans and planes bound for sites across the United States and Central America, and will spend their spring break rehabilitating homes, working with children, and serving the elderly and the homeless.
In all, 216 students will fan out over 15 sites to perform a week of service. Locations range from Appalachia to Maine, two Indian Reservations, and Costa Rica and Honduras.
Originating in 1991 when 20 students volunteered at a community in Orland, Maine, the program is this year sponsoring the largest number of participants ever.
They will work with the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging in Costa Rica, and help inner city youth at St. Benedict Preparatory School, in Newark, N.J. They will tutor students at St. Joan of Arc School in New Orleans and The Benedictine School for Exceptional Children in Maryland. And they will serve the homeless and disadvantaged in three cities: Boston, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia
Students will learn, as well as serve. In Arizona and South Dakota, students will live on the Navajo and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations for a week of cultural immersion. Tribal delegates will offer lessons in Native American history and culture.
Each group will set aside time for group reflection, as well as to experience cultural opportunities. Prior to departure, many trips invite program alumni or faculty experts to discuss issues of history, language or economics.
Although many trips never see a tangible final product from their service, the week is about much more says Joycelin Tremblay, Campus Minister of Faith and Justice Initiatives, who manages the SBA program.
“Doing service is so much more than helping someone else,” she said. “It gives our students a better understanding of themselves, their peers, and the world around them. Our students enter into a community, offer themselves in service, build meaningful relationships, and come home with a better understanding of what it means to truly live.”
Update: Read post reflecting on Spring Break Alternative experience
Bishop's Fund Grants $5,000 to English for New Americans
February 24, 2009
The Bishop’s Charitable Assistance Fund is supporting English language instruction for immigrants and refugees in the Manchester area with a $5,000 donation to the English for New Americans program coordinated by Saint Anselm College.
Since 2003, the program has been managed by the college’s Meelia Center for Community Service, with the help of faculty, staff and student volunteers. It has familiarized 1,200 immigrants and refugees in the Manchester area with the language and culture of their new home. In the last academic year, a record 446 people attended classes, which are divided into four levels of instruction and are held at the First Congregational Church.
“Bishop McCormack and the directors of the Bishop’s Charitable Assistance Fund are deeply concerned about helping new people become active members of their new communities,” said Patrick F. McGee, director of planning and development for the diocese. “The English for New Americans program not only offers language classes, but it also helps new Americans understand our culture and how to adapt to life in New Hampshire.”
Dan Forbes, director of the Meelia Center, said the donation comes at a critical time for the program. Federal funding has been cut dramatically, but the need for assistance is strong and growing.
A profile completed by the Casey Institute in the spring of 2008 found that more than 4,000 refugees resettled in New Hampshire between 1997 and 2006, with about three-fourths settling in Manchester. Statistics indicate that half the 10,000 immigrants living in Manchester today have arrived since 1980. Refugees in the Granite State represent more than 30 different countries of origin.
“This is a critical need, a key to the refugee’s future,” said Forbes. “We have a clear need, a basic need to provide this service, and this generous donation will help us continue to do so.”
The Bishop’s Charitable Assistance Fund makes grants to tax-exempt organizations without regard to religious affiliation for projects that help people in New Hampshire meet their basic needs. The fund is operated by volunteer lay men and women who serve as directors and who make recommendations to the Bishop of Manchester for grants to any organization in New Hampshire whose mission is consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The fund raises money through solicitation of individuals, businesses and philanthropic organizations. An annual accounting of funds raised and disbursements is available by request.
CBS News Interviews Students About Youth Vote
October 16, 2008
The CBS Evening News looked to Saint Anselm students when preparing a segment on the youth vote in New Hampshire. Read more
