Dash for Disabled Veterans

They gave for us. Let’s give back.

Registering and check-in starts at 8am and starting at 9am on Saturday, Nov 22 at Starcke Park people from all walks of life will gather to walk, or run, a 5K to help raise funds for the Disabled American Veterans’ Chapter 61 in Seguin, Texas.

It is not too late to participate in this event. By paying $30 the day of, one can still help the Disabled American Veterans.

·         Awards will be given in the following age groups: 1-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50+

·         Register your dog for $5.00. Registered dogs will receive a bandana.

·         The first registered dog to cross the finish line wins a prize.

·         Dogs on leashes, registered or not, are welcome to participate.

This event was organized by the TLU Honors FREX 134 students, in partnership with Disabled American Veterans’ Chapter 61.

More information can be found at SEGUINRESPECT.ORG/DASH or call 830.372.8160

Empty Bowls Fill Empty Stomachs

Sunday afternoon on Nov 9 various campus organizations and local restaurants brought gallons of soup to the Party Barn to take part in a localized international event to combat hunger. From 11am to 2pm people came to the location and purchased soup from a wide array of options.

The funds raised at Empty Bowls fund a mobile pantry. It fights hunger not only in Seguin but in surrounding areas. The food bank serves 16 counties in south Texas. This is the 4th year TLU has hosted this event. So far TLU has raised more than $25,000 since 2011. To date, more than 200,000 pounds of food has been handed out to families, children, and seniors because of this event.

Ashlie Ford, TLU marketing department, media relations, and senior staff writer, stated: “The whole message of empty bowls is to be reminded of all of the empty bowls in the world. I am very proud to be a part of it. I think it is definitely something that represents TLU and our mission. It goes with our tag line to learn boldly and live to inspire.”

Empty bowls is an international project to fight hunger. TLU has localized it and partnered with the San Antonio food bank and Walt Glass pottery in San Antonio to make the bowls. The local artisans and ceramicists make the bowls, people buy the bowls and soup, and the funds feed the hungry. The heart of the whole event is the hunger relief project. People made a difference by purchasing a simple bowl of soup and bread. This community event brought people together for a common cause to relieve hunger and share in the feeling of thankfulness for food.

Miranda Taylor, Reporter

Fun with Physics

Thursday, November 6^th, 2014 was an exciting night for the Physics department at TLU. The evening’s festivities began at five with a lecture by Christopher Rogan, a particle physicist from Harvard University. He is ranked in the top 30 under the age of 30 innovators, and has worked on the ATLAS project at the CERN supercollider for several years. He covered how new particles were being discovered using the high-powered supercollider and the ATLAS detector. He also talked about the discovery of the Higgs-Boson using the amazing detectors in Switzerland. Dr. Rogan was a great speaker and gave a wonderful lecture that was very well thought out and easy for everyone, even the non-particle physicists, to understand. If you are interested in learning more, the lecture is available to stream on the portal.

After the lecture, the Society of Physics students hosted Family Physics night in the Jackson party barn. This event was designed to show kids, and the inner kid in us, how fun physics can be. Experiments included a Rube Goldberg machine, explanations of why the sky is blue, a cloud chamber, and a splash pool of non-Newtonian fluid, which have properties of both solids and liquids.  They also showed a cool wave-pendulum device of simple oscillators, as wells as ferro-fluids, which are fun to play with!

They also hosted lessons to teach students about the physics of sound, polarizing vs. ordinary light, and induced electromagnetic fields. SPS also hosted large demonstrations at different times during the evening. They threw boiling water into liquid nitrogen, making a big boom, and put shaving cream in a vacuum chamber. The audience was constantly amazed, and it was fun to see the looks of delight on the children’s faces.

Erin Scanlon, physics instructor at TLU, said, “We are really excited about the turnout at this event. It is a great opportunity to bring together TLU and the surrounding community.”

The President of SPS, Stephen Bratz, a senior physics major, also talked about how important the community involvement was, to making this event successful. He states, “This is a great opportunity for the community to come together and gain knowledge about physics. It is also a great opportunity to highlight the talents of the TLU students.

Overall, the events were a great success, and the students of SPS hope to see an even bigger crowd at next year’s events

Organization Spotlight: Center for Servant Leadership

Here at TLU, we have a resource on campus that provides students with numerous opportunities to serve the Seguin community we live in. The Center For Servant Leadership, located in Hahn, has been working hard in preparation for this year and is full of ways for you to get involved serving others.

Jessica Anderson and Tim Barr sat down to speak with me about some important upcoming events and service opportunities. In October the CSL, partnered with Dr. Rodrick Shao’s module class, presented the Watoto Kickball Tournament on October 22. The tournament, in its second year, aims to raise funds and awareness for orphaned children in Tanzania. Anderson invited students to get involved saying, “you can support a great cause and play some great kickball.”

The CSL offers numerous other events throughout the year. The Dash for Disabled, a 5K that benefits disabled American veterans of Guadalupe County Vets, kicks off in late November. Also in its second year, this is an event where students can volunteer their time and services for a cause that benefits TLU and the greater Seguin community.

Both Barr and Anderson explained their collective goal when planning for this year. They seek “to deepen our relationships with our students and our community” and hope to accomplish this by continuing some of the same work they have begun in past years.

Barr stated, “it’s important that we continue to deepen what we are doing and follow through on commitments like the Watoto Project or the Dash for Disabled Vets, because it shows a level of commitment on our part that helps our partner organizations.” But it is through the commitment of students and faculty at TLU that these events continue and grow each year.

Anderson wished to convey to students that the CSL is here and committed to connecting TLU students and the Seguin community. They hope that in the coming year, students will see their office as a resource that will allow them to find opportunities to better a community and grow as individuals.

“We are here to help students explore themselves and explore this community,” said Anderson.

Students and faculty can check out service opportunities and find new and exciting ways to make a difference through the TLU portal. Simply look under the ‘TLU Info’ tab and find the CSL page to see their current service opportunities and student philanthropies listed for volunteers.

Jaime Ohm, Reporter

WE CAN DO IT! Women’s Empowerment Series

This coming week Xi Tau Sorority, well known for their philanthropies championing women empowerment, is hosting the annual Women’s Empowerment Series. This was an event created in the attempt to help the women of Xi Tau to facilitate an event were students in the Texas Lutheran University community can hear the inspiring stories of Women.

“We should all be aware of the power that women hold,” states Emily Lyssy, the Xi Tau member who put together the series for the 2014 year. Lyssy also states, “This year’s series is very moving, and it shows the fault of our society today.” There are three for this series: 

November 9, 2014:

Where:Dunne Conference Room (downstairs TSCH)

When: 6-8pm

What: Movie (Miss Representation)

Description: A movie discussing women’s portrayal in the media.

November 11, 2014:

Where: Valero Room (upstairs TSCH)

When: 9:45-10:20 (convo hour)

What: Speaker, Julie Hardin

Description: She will be sharing her testimony, and her journey on how she became an empowered woman.

November 13, 2014:

Where: Valero Room (upstairs TSCH)

When: 9:45-10:20 (convo hour)

What: Speaker, Nicole Douglass

Description: She is the Crime Victims Liaison for the Seguin Police Department. She will be elaborating on the statement “No means NO.”

Xi Tau sorority invites all students to this event. “This isn’t just for women; it is for everyone,” states Lyssy. So come on out and spend some time with some empowered women this coming week. If you have any further questions about the Series you can contact the President of Xi Tau Sorority, Chelsea Wissner.

Chaney Hill, Reporter

Family physics night

Come join the society of physics students for a fun filled evening of science this Thursday from 5 to 9pm. There will be a lecture on the CERN super collider from 5 to 6 in moody 101. This will be given by Dr. Christopher Rogan, a member of the Harvard ATLAS group. He will speak about the ways the CERN super collider is being used to create new particles, as well as how it can be used to discover new phenomena and forces.

After the lecture, the society of physics students will be hosting Family Physics Night in the Jackson barn from 6:30 to 9. Families will get a chance to see some really fun demonstrations, as well as experience physics in hands on experiments!

Rhaya Johnson, Reporter

Empty Bowls: Buy a Bowl to End Hunger

Come to Jackson Park Sunday, Nov 9, from 11am to 2pm for the annual Empty Bowls event. Empty Bowls is an international event to fight hunger where guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. By purchasing a beautiful, handmade bowl for $15, guests are asked to be reminded of all the empty bowls in the world.

The funds raised at TLU Empty Bowls support the San Antonio Food Bank mobile pantries we have every month. To date, TLU has helped distribute more than 200,000 pounds of food to families and seniors in the area.

Various campus organizations will be serving a wide array of soups. Come and make a full impact against hunger at empty bowls!

Miranda Taylor, Reporter