Students Celebrate Citizenship Week

This week, Saint Anselm students celebrated the 222nd anniversary of the ratification of the United States Constitution with "Citizenship Week," led by the New Hampshire Institute of Poltics' (NHIOP) student ambassadors.

Citizenship Week centers around September 17, the newest federal observance established by Congress and now known as Citizenship or Constitution Day.

The Ambassadors, with the help of organizer Becky Damon '11, sponsored an array of events for all Saint Anselm students, faculty, and staff to commemorate citizenship.

The first event encouraged students to get involved and exercise their rights as citizens. On Sunday, the ambassadors teamed up with resident assistants from freshmen dorms to help Saint Anselm's newest students register to vote.

Ambassador Sarah Stever '11, in charge of the voter registration drive, enthusiastically reported that 25 freshmen are now successfully registered to vote. "It was a great experience for everyone involved, especially the new 18 year olds who can now exercise their rights as United States citizens," said Stever.

The list of events to remind students of citizenship continued on Monday, as a discussion was held, led by Damon, about what citizenship means to students and faculty. Other events throughout the week included an American history trivia night at the Pub and a showing of the movie, "An Empire of Reason," at the NHIOP. The week concluded with a celebration of citizenship on the Quad that included patriotic prizes and American flag cake and vanilla ice cream.

In addition, on Thursday, Constitution and Citizenship Day, was celebrated with a very special event as the NHIOP hosted a Naturalization ceremony, sponsored by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Director of the Manchester Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services led the naturalization ceremony, swearing in 51 new citizens of the United States.

Damon, who attended the event said it reminded her of how fortunate she is to be a United States citizen. "It was, for me, touching and emotional to see people so excited to become American citizens. It was an amazing thing to witness as a lifelong citizen of America."

The celebration of citizenship continues, on Tuesday, September 22, with a lecture by historian, Gordon Wood, on "The Origins of American Constitutionalism."

Saint Anselm Freshmen Participate in Day of Service

Saint Anselm freshman continued their transition to becoming true Anselmians as they participated in the Brian McGuire Day of Service on Saturday, August 29. As part of the morning session of orientation 2009, freshmen completed community service at over 20 different sites in the greater Manchester area.

The day of service is a one of the highlight's of Saint Anselm's orientation program. It is named after the late Brian McGuire, a former Saint Anselm student.

"This day is named after Brian because he wanted to give back to the community," said Erica Mawbe '10, Assistant Director of the Meelia Center. According to Mawbe, Brian's parents, along with Dan Forbes in the Meelia Center for Community Service, came up with the idea for the day of service to not only honor their son, but in hopes of promoting community involvement with the incoming class.

During the day of service, freshmen volunteered their time at sites all around Manchester and Goffstown, participating in a variety of projects. At Saint Raphael Parish in Manchester, students cleaned stained glass windows, hung flags, and more, all while learning about the history of the first Benedictine parish in New England.

Right outside the boundaries of campus, at Girls Inc., students helped in the renovation and organization of playrooms to prepare the site for the upcoming school year.

Meanwhile, at the Villa Augustina School in Goffstown, students wrote letters to pre-k and kindergarten children, relating to them about the concerns about starting school for the first time.

"I feel like this is a really good bonding activity", said orientation leader Marina Alberti '12. "They now have things they can relate to, which helps them get closer to each other. I also think this part of orientation really shows what Saint Anselm is all about."

The orientation leaders look fondly on this part of orientation, for many reasons. For some, it is an opportunity to teach their group members about the value of service. For others, it's a time to remember Brian and his family.

"This day is in homage to the person and family who has lost so much and sacrificed so much to keep us mindful of the value of life" said Orientation Leader Scott Campbell '10.

For photos of the Brian McGuire Day of Service and other Orientation events, check out our Flickr page at   http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=day+of+service&w=91351997%40N00&z=m.

Saint Anselm Athletes Return for Preseason 2009

Summer vacation has come to a close for many Saint Anselm college athletes. All of our fall teams have moved into their dorms and apartments, as preseason 2009 has begun.

Starting in the beginning of August, each one of the fall teams moved in for their preseason activities. The first team, Cross Country, began their training at One Hundred Acres-a property owned by Saint Anselm in New Boston, N.H. The team spent their week  running through paths in the woods, on the beach, and through the back roads of New Hampshire.

"One Hundred Acres is all about building the culture of the team and establishing a running base," said Assistant Coach Michelle Massmann said. The team has now moved preseason back to Saint Anselm, and can be seen running and stretching all over campus.

The football team followed close behind–their preseason also began in early August. Nearly 50 freshmen showed up for tryouts this year, bringing the team roster to a total of 74 players. The early start was prompted by the August 29th home opener against Kutztown; the team has been training hard, and like all of our athletes, braving the sweltering heat.

The field hockey and soccer teams moved in just as the only heat wave of the summer overtook N.H. In addition to sweating through sprint workouts and drills, the teams were able to participate in fun activities outside the practice field. The women's soccer team enjoyed a few morning yoga sessions, while the field hockey team had a scavenger hunt and then made a trip to "Blake's" for ice cream.

Men's soccer has also been practicing hard this preseason. Their first game is August 29th against Dominican and like their fellow athletes have been working through the heat to hopefully bring a win home for the Hawks.

Although they have to suffer through grueling workouts and climbing temperatures, the athletes understand the importance of the preseason preparation.

Field hockey captain, Sara Griffin, cites the ability to focus solely on field hockey as one of the highlights. "I'm excited to be back on campus for preseason. I think it helps ease into the year better and I am able to build relationships with my teammates without any distractions."

To see photos of each of the fall teams at preseason, check out the Saint Anselm College Flickr photostream.

The Great Depression and Today’s Financial Crisis

On March 11, a panel consisting of professors Andrew Moore (history), James Mahoney (philosophy), Jonathan Acuff (politics), and John Romps (economics and business) discussed the Great Depression relative to our country’s current economic crisis.

Professor Romps, the event’s organizer, dispelled common misconceptions about the Great Depression, explaining that it was actually a downturn beginning in early 1929, not just a reaction to the stock market crash. He discussed the belief that everyone in America was destitute; in actuality, while many suffered (27%-30% unemployment), about 70% of Americans still had jobs. About 60% of Americans never lost their jobs for the whole span of the 1930s. He described the common debate of the 1930s–recovery vs. reform–a debate that resurfaced throughout the event.

Professor Moore focused on the New Deal and the Roosevelt Administration. The New Deal, he argued, did not end the Depression, and its primary importance was to change the relationship between government and the people. FDR thought government should help individuals by promoting economic stability and security, and believed the best way to resolve the crisis was to provide a sort of safety net. Another focus of the New Deal was to help businesses by eliminating competition and encouraging cooperation with legislation like the National Industry Recovery Act. FDR wanted people to look to the government for help instead of charities or churches, especially because those resources were depleted by the time he took office.

Professor Acuff discussed international politics, stating that the first global economic decline since 1945 was in fact 2009. Many of the causes were similar, such as enormous overheating of the economy because of problems with housing and Wall Street. A few more similarities he discussed were both events saw major pressures on the capitalist structure, Europe waited for the United States to act, and there were worldwide feelings of political instability. Acuff noted differences as well; the level of global trade is much higher now than in the 1930s, and this interdependence is brought on by many more international organizations than politicians could have imagined. The tools are better now, Acuff stated, and we now know more about the problems at hand.

Professor Mahoney discussed the relevance of philosophy in the Great Depression, reflecting specifically on what is happening in philosophy as a theoretical discipline. The sense of fear that emerged during the 1930s produced a distrust of reason. He said this idea of “giving up on reason” forced humans to seek stability and security. Mahoney cited novels, movies, and documentaries from the period that really explain the incredible fear people had during The Great Depression. He closed by describing 1930s philosopher John Dewey, who gave hope to people who worried about the collapsing economy; Dewey believed if one used scientific reasoning and applied the ideas in a systematic way, there was a chance one could have new visions of what constitutes reason.

In the questions that followed, the themes of government intervention and the global economy continued to resurface. Professor Romps believes the current situation is beyond the point where America can’t expect the government not to step in. “It is so dangerous that to expect the government not to intervene is preposterous. They have to.” Professor Acuff said that the United States’ recovery impacts global recovery. He stressed that although there were some positive results of a bad global economy (better relations with foreign nations, more interdependence), today’s problems in the United States create an accidental ripple effect. Acuff and Romps agreed that if the United States doesn’t recover, the world doesn’t recover.

Photo credit: Depression era bread and milk line

Time's Mark Halperin Meets With Students and Lectures at NHIOP

On February 23, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) welcomed Time editor-at-large and political analyst Mark Halperin to campus for a full day of activities and an evening lecture.

Halperin began his day meeting with a small group of Student Ambassadors and members of the college faculty to discuss program ideas and political journalism. After an afternoon writing articles for Time in the NHIOP Research Center, Halperin met with a group of students and staff to discuss possible future civic education initiatives. He then participated in a video interview with Jennifer Donahue in the NHIOP Studio on President Obama’s first 100 days and then a dinner  hosted by President Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., with guests from the campus community.

In Halperin's evening lecture, entitled “The Obama Administration—The Story So Far,” he discussed both the successes and challenges confronting the Obama administration. He also used the opportunity to discuss his thoughts concerning the New Hampshire primary for 2012. While Halperin hesitated from making any predictions, citing past experiences of predicting Hillary Clinton would not be the choice for Secretary of State, he enjoyed the prospect of discussing politics with people who “were not only interested in politics, but who understand [it] well.”

He began his lecture discussing the positives that have emerged from the Obama administration. He believes that a great strength of President Obama is that he is well suited for pressure and never overreacts. Halperin described Obama as “even,” never overreacting when things are bad, but also never getting too excited when things are good. Obama, in Halperin’s view, has not been overwhelmed by the job and has not displayed any visible sense of panic. He argued that this personality type is extremely beneficial, especially during times of crisis.

Halperin also thought that Obama had made very good choices for his appointments, calling the members of his cabinet “impressive.” He described Obama as a great boss, managing his administration well and never displaying favoritism as many past Presidents have done.

On the flip side, Halperin discussed the Obama administration's negatives so far. While he cited a few examples, he believed the biggest issue was the concern of Democrats on maintaining their majority rather than solving the economic crisis in a more bipartisan fashion. He discussed the idea that Obama has allowed Republicans to say he is not being bipartisan, and thus creating tension on Capitol Hill. “Problems can’t be solved with party line votes,” says Halperin, congressional representatives need buy in both Washington and around the country, and this will not come without working across party lines. He was surprised Obama had let it get to this point so soon, and compared the process Obama was using to that of former President Geoge W. Bush — going to Nancy Pelosi and asking how to get members of the other party’s votes. Halperin believed this move came at the great expense of bipartisanship.

As for the New Hampshire Primary, Halperin argued that even if Obama were to be unsuccessful as president, he would likely not face any democratic opposition should he decide to run for a second term. Proposing that Obama will raise close to a billion dollars for the campaign, Halperin suggested that the large sum of money and the popularity of the President will deter both Democrats and Republicans from running. Halperin finished his lecture with some great news for New Hampshire. As the primary will most likely focus on the Republicans, there will be less chance that New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation status will be encroached upon, as the debate has risen historically from the Democratic Party.

Event Photos on Flickr

Politico.com’s Jonathan Martin Offers Insight on Changes in the Republican Party

On February 11, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) hosted a lecture by online political journalist Jonathan Martin. Martin is senior political director and White House correspondent for Politico.com. A podcast of his talk is available on the Saint Anselm College Blog.

In his lecture, “The GOP is Changing Too – The Republican Response,” he discussed the hesitance of the Republicans to outwardly oppose President Obama and yet vote against Democratic legislation. Before beginning his remarks, Martin complimented the political vigor of New Hampshire, calling the state a “neat place that holds a special place in the hearts of people in my business.”

Martin recounted a story of his recent travels on Air Force One.  He told of a recent flight where members of Congress (both Republican and Democrat) seemed star struck of the President; some were even spotted taking photographs next to Air Force One,  a scene Martin had never witnessed in his years of political journalism.

He argues that Republicans are flattered by Obama’s outreach; they enjoyed the lunch with Obama shortly after inauguration and were surprised by his early visit to Capitol Hill. Martin believes that many Republicans are anxious to see if these gestures are genuine, and while they will not oppose President Obama in public, they are more than willing to oppose the legislation he and his party created.

Besides discussing the current actions of the Republican party, Martin speculated where the party might go next. He believes the 2012 race will greatly depend on the economy and the popularity of President Obama. He projected America will see more issue-oriented candidates than the GOP has had in the past, and possibly a focus on governors as candidates like in the post-Clinton era (Martin cited names like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindall, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Gov. Sarah Palin, and former governors, including Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

In order to succeed, Martin believes the GOP must become more issue oriented, and come up with conservative solutions to problems of the 21st century.

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