Administrative assistant on life’s many responsibilities

Saint Louis University students, let us introduce you to the mother you didn’t realize you had: Alicia Holman. An employee at SLU since 2010, Holman brings a humorous charisma and a multitude of talents to the University, and she says the students are what keep her at SLU and why she enjoys her work.

“You guys have made me feel like I have a whole other set of children that have just grown up and are going to be so great,” said Holman. She said she has made some of the greatest friends since being at the University.

Holman first started as a foodservice worker in Griesedieck Hall before going to the medical campus and working as a barista for two years. She then worked in the finance office for a year as a finance administrative assistant and is now working with Aramark as an administrative assistant.

“I’m a floater, so to speak, because I just float from location to location — ‘cause I can do it all,” Holman said. “I’m just the best floater there is known to mankind.”

Holman’s responsibilities vary each day, as she interacts with all of the different food locations on campus. From helping with food preparations and making sure each location is stocked, to delegating staff responsibilities and interacting with students, Holman’s job is anything but monotonous.

“I’ve got like a million different hats … I can make smoothies and I can balance a cash drawer all at one time,” she said. “I don’t have to be the same person all day.”

Holman has three children of her own, ages 5, 6 and 8, and says that once the work day is over, she is just a mom – but when she comes to work, she is a million different people. “It’s fun, it’s different and it actually makes me appreciate just being one person.”

This difference in lifestyle gives a nice balance to Holman’s schedule, and she says she learns more now by interacting with the different job positions. She was recently sent to California to go through training for SLU’s new Jamba Juice location.

Holman assures that her job isn’t without challenges though, and she has found the most difficult aspect to be “adapting to all of the different attitudes and going with the flow.”

“As a mom, you set the flow…but coming to work, it’s a whole different flow – you’re not the mom,” Holman said.

When she is the mom, though, Holman is invincible.

“Growing up, I always knew I was going to be a pretty cool person … never thought I was going to be the president or anything like that, but I was like, I’ll be cool,” Holman said.

She remarked on her kids making her feel great, as if the sky is the limit in her life. Her favorite part about being a mom is “having someone cheer you on when you didn’t even think you would be in the game.”

Holman loves having themed movie nights with her kids, where they match their cuisine to their movie of choice. She also loves to cook and uses this as a stress reliever. She says she can talk all day and always tries to face her fears.

“It’s better to face fear than to think about regret,” said Holman. She encourages students to do the same and to never give up.

“No matter what it looks like, no matter how things seem, keep going.”

Non-profit founder on the betterment of humanity

A man of his word: Sheen brought his promise-keeping movement to SLU.
Ryan Quinn/ Photo Editor

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go viral?”

Alex Sheen, founder of social movement and nonprofit ‘Because I said I would,’ posed this question to the Saint Louis University community during his presentation on Wed., Nov. 6. Over the past two years, Sheen has experienced worldwide recognition for his organization and knows what it feels like to become famous overnight.

‘Because I said I would’ is a social movement dedicated to the betterment of humanity through the making, and keeping, of promises. Sheen started the organization after his father passed away from small-cell lung cancer in 2012 as a way to remember him and the promises that he kept.

“My father was an average man,” said Sheen, “[but] there was one thing that he did exceptionally well – and that was keep his promises.”

Sheen wants to help others to remember their commitments and hopes to inspire others to make promises that better humanity. He said that about 80 percent of people do not fulfill their New Year’s resolutions, and he encouraged the audience to start small and not wait. Sheen himself had difficulty with his own advice when it came to quitting his job at age 27. He was the youngest manager at an enterprise software company that was voted a ‘Fortune 100 Best Place to Work’ and earned six figures a year.

Through ‘Because I said I would,’ Sheen began to see the harsh realities that some people faced and decided that he wanted to do more in life, so he left his job and life of comfort to help others. “You begin to think that maybe this dollar isn’t so all-mighty,” said Sheen. He told the audience, “You have to weigh and measure what really matters to you.”

‘Because I said I would’ uses promise cards to help people remember the importance of their promises. The organization sends these cards to whomever requests them, anywhere in the world, at no cost. People are then supposed to use these cards to write down a promise and give it to whomever the promise is addressed, as a way to stay motivated to stick to their commitments. Thus far, the organization has distributed over 2.1 million promise cards in 24 months to over 105 different countries.

“The only people who change this world are those that are committed,” Sheen said. “Reflect on the promises that will make you better…and commit.”

At the end of his presentation, Sheen distributed ten promise cards to each audience member to encourage their participation in the movement. He told the audience to not only care about their promises, but also to act on them, and reminded people that it’s not going to be easy – but to remember why they made that promise.

Diwali: Hindu priest leads prayer ceremony to celebrate the New Year.
Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor

Last week marked a new year in the Hindu calendar, as people celebrated the five-day festival of Diwali. From Oct. 21-25, religious participants around the world hosted family gatherings, prayed, reflected on the year and partook in many religious traditions that observed the overarching theme of good triumphing evil. During this time, Saint Louis University’s Hindu Student Community (HSC) engaged students and faculty with religious festivities, including its annual Diwali Puja celebration.

“To me, Diwali is the time of reflection on the year that has passed,” said senior Shivani Thakkar. “The lights that are lit everywhere are a reminder that the New Year brings happiness and joy. Having Diwali Puja at SLU provides me with the opportunity to feel as if I am home with my family, praying for a prosperous New Year.”

Diwali is known as the “Festival of Lights” and translates to mean “rows of lighted lamps.” People light these lamps to help the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, find her way into their homes. The lights reflect on the hope for a positive new year and happy successful lives.

“It involves lighting up not only your home with candles, creating a path for God, but also lighting up your life,” said senior Mumtu Lalla. “I think that the celebration of Diwali is also a time of introspection, opening up your heart to making yourself a better person.”

HSC’s Diwali Puja event was Oct. 26 and reflected over a month’s work of planning, spearheaded by sophomore Shradha Mehta. The group decorated the Sinquefield Stateroom for the event and made Indian food arrangements for the dinner that followed the ceremony. They also collaborated with the Hindu Temple of St. Louis in order to have a priest perform the event rituals.

The event began with prayers to Lord Ganesh, the remover of all obstacles, and Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth. This reflected gratuity for the previous year and asked for knowledge, luck and success in the New Year. Participants washed a symbolic image of the goddess with droplets of water to represent giving her a shower, and followed by offering her clothes and ornaments of flower petals and rice. Her name was then recited throughout the prayer that continued throughout the ceremony.

Diwali is not solely celebrated within Hinduism, but rather is an important holiday to Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists as well.

“Because Diwali is celebrated all over India and the world, there are many different types of traditions associated with Diwali,” said Lalla. “Overall, during Diwali everywhere, everything is illuminated with electric lights, candles and oil lamps. The celebration brings in the New Year, and thus people wear new clothes, eat lots of good Indian food and light firecrackers. HSC thus hosts Diwali Puja incorporating the general Hindu traditions.”

Over 150 people of different background and religious affiliations attended this year’s celebration, making it the most successful one yet. HSC plans to host another Diwali Puja event next year.

“HSC is open to students of all faiths attending all of its events,” said Lalla. “We love being able to communicate the traditions of Hinduism and hearing other perspectives of faith from students of other faiths.”

Worshipping together: A SLU student prays during the Divali celebration in DuBorg Hall.
Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor

Protest brings racial injustice to the forefront

“Educate, organize and empower.”

That was the goal of the “Occupy SLU” event held by civil rights organization Tribe X at Saint Louis University from Oct. 13-18. This “revolutionary act,” as the group called it, came about after the group’s eight members discussed ways to target institutional racism in light of the recent deaths of Michael Brown and Vonderrit Myers. It ended after negotiations were made between Tribe X, SLU administration and Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion and Equity (M-SLICE).

“Tribe X’s decision for the action to occur at SLU was due to the SLU mission – ‘pursuit of truth,’” said Tribe X member and SLU student Jonathan Pulphus. “Often, systematic racism operates here at SLU without challenge…Tribe X’s initial goal was to pop [the ‘SLU bubble’] and bleed out the bigotry, arrogance, and ignorance.”

The event, one of several demonstrations that spoke out against police brutality and racial injustice, began Sunday evening as over 1,000 peaceful protestors marched from the Shaw neighborhood, near the scene of Myers’ shooting, toward Saint Louis University. Once on campus, participants gathered around the campus clock tower and the protest continued until early morning, when it evolved into a sit-in. Tribe X members and a few other individuals that were still left in the morning built an encampment at the clock tower, where they remained until Saturday. The protestors spent the week engaging with the SLU community through dialogue on racial injustice.

“[Students need] to realize that being a SLU student means that you’re also a St. Louis community member,” said Tribe X member and SLU student Alisha Sonnier. “Being a man and a woman for others means that you cannot isolate yourself from what’s going on around you.”

Sonnier commented on the protest being “revolutionary” and like nothing SLU has ever seen before. She also remarked that, in allowing the protestors to remain on campus, the University showed that it “is an institution that lives up to its mission.”

Another Tribe X member, Dhoruba Shakur, wanted the protest to serve as encouragement for students who similarly want their voices to be heard.

“Don’t be scared to push the boundaries on your college campus for things that you want – don’t go overboard with it – but…don’t be afraid to push the limit, if it’s a positive thing and if it’s something that’s going to empower people,” said Shakur. “And don’t be afraid to talk about the issues that a lot of people shy away from.”

The “Occupy SLU” event was met with both positive and negative responses from the SLU community, and while disagreements varied in nature, group dialogues allowed individuals to voice their opinions.

“Last Monday, I stood up against the crowds clamoring for what they call ‘justice’ for Michael Brown,” said SLU student Eric Ober. “I spoke my mind in front of hundreds of my peers. Many students there agreed with me.”

The University also had social media platforms through which people could express their opinions or concerns and a webcam set up for those who wished to view the clock tower events as they occurred. Many who were in opposition to the protestors being on campus commented about feeling unsafe – or about concern for their children’s safety. The Billiken Parent Association (BPA) addressed many of these apprehensions during the week.

“This protest represented a good learning opportunity for the SLU community and its students,” said BPA Co-Chair Mark Schwendeman. “We encouraged BPA Executive Board parents to trust that the University handled the potential of danger, and we as parents had the opportunity to grow and learn from this protest.”

After Saturday’s negotiations, the encampment was “voluntarily and permanently removed”, according to President Pestello, and Pulphus said he felt “content – for now.” Agreements between the group and SLU include an increase in funding towards black student retention, a larger budget for the University’s African American Studies Program, and the creation of a bridge program for future Billikens living in the Shaw and Normandy neighborhoods.

“What I hope people realize is that when your community improves, when St. Louis improves, Saint Louis University improves,” said Sonnier.

Friday, Oct. 3 marked a celebratory occasion in Saint Louis University’s history, as the school installed its 33rd president, Dr. Fred Pestello. The new president was formally initiated at an inauguration ceremony held in Chaifetz Arena, which included a variety of speakers and performers to welcome Pestello as the University’s new leader.

The event was SLU’s first inauguration ceremony since 1987. It began with a formal prelude by the St. Louis Metropolitan Ensemble and an academic procession of various stakeholders and speakers, including the Inaugural Committee, Pestello, Interim President Bill Kauffman and SLU’s Board of Trustees.

“Today, I get to be an active participant in making history at this university as we inaugurate Saint Louis University’s first permanent lay president, Dr. Fred Pestello,” said Joe Adorjan, chairman of SLU’s Board of Trustees.

Adorjan was the last of many stakeholders to speak at the ceremony before the official investiture and inaugural address of Pestello. He presented Pestello with two symbolic items on behalf of the University: the Chain of Office, to represent the president’s leadership position, and the University Mace, to represent SLU’s independence from external influence. The acceptance of these symbols was followed by the address, which Pestello began by humbly and tearfully thanking his family.

“One lesson I learned long ago is that little of significance is ever accomplished alone,” said Pestello in addressing his wife, Fran, and her support. He also comically remarked on enjoying the attentiveness he was receiving from his two children, Vitina and Freddie, during his speech.

Pestello’s address touched on the many positive and inspiring aspects that a university exemplifies and the extraordinary achievements that can occur at an educational institution.

“Our unquenchable thirst for truth, our deep longing to understand, causes us to ponder, speculate, and wonder,” said Pestello. “This stirring within our minds and hearts is what it means to be human … The university is a place where this unceasing quest is rigorously and systematically pursued.”

Speaking to SLU’s Jesuit identity, Pestello addressed the University’s faith-based mission and the history of the Jesuit education’s focus on justice. He quoted the school’s mission statement, saying that the result of the education that SLU provides is one that allows students to not only be successful in their careers but to also lead more meaningful and purposeful lives.

“In the Jesuit tradition, our work is directly linked to the world in which we live and learn,” Pestello stated. “Thus, we who are Saint Louis University forge a path that serves a higher purpose by contributing to the greater good.”

The new president discussed SLU’s history, from its establishment by Bishop DuBourg in the 1800s, to its encounters with anti-Catholicism mobs, to its international expansion and campus development in Madrid. Pestello also touched on the University’s historical development of the first lay board of trustees at a Catholic institution and the school’s many educational expansions and advancements.

Pestello then touched on the future of the University and what must be addressed in order for the school to successfully move forward. He said that the community needs to address the questions of what the university must become, how it can remain affordable while improving educational quality, and how it can do more for and with its neighbors. Pestello said he seeks to find answers to these questions with the University in the weeks to come.

“Our next step forward begins today,” said Pestello. “Higher purpose. Greater good.”

Pestello: SLU’s new president gave an inaugural
address at the ceremony after being formally initiated.
Javier Muro de Nadal / Stafff Photographer

This December, Saint Louis University will welcome a new chairman to its Board of Trustees, according to a news statement released on Saturday, Sept. 27. At that time, current chairman Joe Adorjan will step down from his position and become Chairman Emeritus, while Board member Joseph Conran will acquire the title of chairman.

Conran is a SLU alumnus, having received an undergraduate and law degree from the University. He has been a member of the Board since 2012 and is enthusiastic about his future transition to the chairman position.

“I am honored to be elected to this prestigious position … and I look forward to working with [the Board] and everyone in the SLU community in the years ahead,” said Conran in the press release.

After stepping down in December, Adorjan will have served three terms as chairman and will have led the effort in selecting Pestello as president. He will remain an active member of the Board and will oversee Pestello’s formal inauguration

Courtesy of Yuan Gao

CGC Program Coordinator Speaks on Increasing Diversity

She may still be learning the ropes at Saint Louis University, but Yuan Gao has already immersed herself in efforts to enhance SLU’s diversity and inclusion. The new Program Coordinator for Multicultural Education, Gao was welcomed by the University in June and has since been proactive at her first full-time job.

“I really like the University’s emphasis on service and being men and women of others,” said Gao. Taking this aspect of SLU’s mission to heart, the program coordinator has devoted her education and career path towards helping students to feel welcomed at their school. Through her involvement with the Intergroup Dialogue course and her position as advisor on many student organizations, such as Hispanic American Leadership Association (HALO), Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) and Asian American Association (AAA), Gao has already started work in bettering this inclusion aspect of SLU’s mission.

“I really enjoy working with the student organizations,” said Gao. “It’s a really rewarding experience to learn with them and grow with them and to help the students develop their leadership skills.”

Gao began her studies in Beijing, receiving an undergraduate degree in international relations. She then went on to study public policy and political science at the University of Missouri, where she is currently still enrolled as a Ph.D. student, and she will receive her doctorate degree in December. Gao has always been interested in such communicative, international studies and hopes to soon be recognized as an expert in her field.

“I guess I was always interested in making connections,” Gao said, “reaching out to other nations and seeking collaborations – regional and international.”

While studying at the University of Missouri, she came upon a dialogue series that inspired her to help promote diversity and inclusion. She then turned her focus on developing and implementing such diversity programs, raising awareness on diversity issues and empowering others to affect positive social change.

“Slowly I realized that that was my passion and my long-term career interest and goal,” she said. Gao is very hopeful for her involvement in such diversity programs this year, and has thus far helped to plan panel discussions for the fall semester that address race and sexual orientation.

“I really wanted to make a difference and develop some programs like this to raise awareness about some really important social issues on campus,” Gao stated. The program coordinator looks to be an official Intergroup Dialogue instructor in the spring, and is helping with efforts to expand the program.

Thus far, Gao has found her favorite aspect of her job to be the collaboration between the different departments. She enjoys focusing on the interpersonal relationships and working with faculty and students. When she’s not busy building relationships and working towards social justice, Gao finds herself exploring the St. Louis area for museums, good coffee shops, and great eateries.

“I’m an aspiring foodie,” said Gao. She wants to try all of the exceptional food places around the city – and in the meantime has become a regular at SLU’s nearby coffee shop Cafe Ventana.

Saint Louis University celebrated its entrance back into U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of the top 100 national universities. The news magazine released its 2015 rankings on Tuesday, Sept. 9 and simultaneously welcomed SLU back into the upper echelon of its prestigious list.

Last year, SLU had fallen just shy of the cut and was given a position at 101 – as opposed to its more comfortable placing at 92 in 2013. This year, the university must be improving in some manner and accepts its 99th position alongside three other schools: University of Missouri, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and University of New Hampshire.

“We are always pleased when the University receives recognition for our outstanding academic programs and successful students,” said Jay Goff, vice president of enrollment and retention management.

Jean Gilman, dean of admission, also commented on this achievement and what it could mean for SLU in the future.

“I think this latest recognition for our academic programs will be yet another factor that will help future students see the value of a SLU education,” said Gilman.