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.

Orientation Leaders Take Training to New Heights

When new students move to campus on Thursday, the first upperclassmen they will meet are orientation leaders. OLs, as they are called, will unpack the cars driven by anxious parents, answer the questions of nervous students, and tirelessly offer directions. To prepare for the incoming students, the orientation leaders spent Tuesday afternoon at a local ropes course. Read more

Ten Years Later, Annual Road for Hope Looks to Top $200,000

Thirty seven Saint Anselm College students are taking the scenic route back to campus this fall — and with very good reason. Starting in Lewiston, Maine, on Saturday morning, August 22, and finishing outside Saint Anselm’s stone face a week later, they are walking the 10th annual, 130-mile Road for Hope. Read more

Saint Anselm Students Dig for History in Italy

About 75 miles northwest of Rome, a group of 20 Saint Anselm College students and faculty are braving heat and snakes to excavate what they believe is an Etruscan religious sanctuary. Read more

Student Commencement Speaker Reflects on Being a Muslim at a Catholic College

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.

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