“Reading Lolita in Tehran:”
SCU prepares for acclaimed
Republicans
enter popularity
contest
• Gallup lists possible 2012
GOP candidates
By Rachel Armstrong
associate editor
Although it is only the spring of 2011, the
2012 election campaign season is already
heating up. The Gallup Poll recently announced
potential Republican contenders for the
2012 presidency. The Gallup Poll, which
has been around for more than 70 years, is a
respected measure of public opinion, based
on a statistically relevant sample.
According to its website, Gallup Poll read a
list of possible Republican primary contenders
to those willing to be surveyed. After all the
names were read, Gallup Poll asked which of
the possible candidates participants would
most likely support for the Republican
nomination for president in 2012.
Top candidates include former Arkansas
Gover nor, Mike Huckab e e; for mer
Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney;
former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin; former
Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich; Texas
News in brief
• Updates on headlines from
around town and around the
globe
By Alexa
Chihos
assistant
editor
Biden discusses guidelines about campus
sex crimes:
Vice President Joe Biden has advised
the United States’ schools, colleges, and
universities to do more on their campuses
to prevent sexual violence.  Biden visited
the University of New Hampshire on April
4 as part of President Barack Obama’s
administrative efforts to advocate against
sexual violence occurring on school campuses.  on Eric Clapton’s song “Tears of the Sun,”
After a 26-page complaint against such
crimes at Yale University was received
by the Office of Civil Rights, the U.S.
Department of Education issued guidance
to all educational institutions that receive
federal money.  It stressed that once a school
See page 4
congressman, Ron Paul; and Minnesota
congresswoman, Michelle Bachmann.
Because it is so early, the top candidates
tend to be the best known political figures
to the average voter.
“At this point candidates may not yet
have achieved name recognition so people
may not have an opinion about them,” St.
Catherine University (SCU) Political Science
professor, Mary Smith said.
For Smith, it is too early to speculate
who may get the Republican nomination.
“There is a grueling primary season in
which contenders must compete for votes
in the primaries or caucuses in the various
states,” Smith said. “Crucial contests are the
Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary.
Candidates spend much time and effort in
these states as they are the first contests. If
[they] are successful in these races [they] are
able to raise more money and get additional
support and momentum. Often, candidates
who do not do well [in Iowa and New
Hampshire] drop out after these contests.”
The implications of the Gallup Poll remain
to be seen; however, it is clear that there is
no early front-runner. According to Gallup’s
website, “This is a departure from what
Gallup has found for the GOP nomination
since 1972.”
In previous election cycles, excepting
2008, front-runners in the Gallup Poll have
See REPUBLICANS, pg. 2
knows of potential sexual violence, it must
act to protect those who have reported it
and investigate what was reported.  
Marquette to offer DP benefits:
Catholic educational institution Marquette
University will offer domestic partner
(DP) benefits to employees’ beginning in
2012.  University employees’ same-sex partners
will be eligible for the medical, vision, and
dental insurance that is currently offered to
spouses of heterosexual employees.  In order
to obtain domestic partnership benefits,
the partners must share a residence and
be in a registered domestic partnership.
HealthPartners pulls ads off of KDWB:
Minnesota-based company HealthPartners
recently removed its ads from the popular
Twin Cities radio station KDWB after a
lyrical parody aired on the station about
Hmong culture. The parody was based
and included jokes about Hmong families
crowding into homes and young Hmong
girls getting pregnant early and often.  In
response to complaints about the parody,
KDWB wrote an apology on their Facebook
page.   Cloud Cult’s management and hoped for
author’s upcoming visit. ›› pg. 3 & 6
April 11, 2011 - Volume 78, Issue 12
St. Catherine University student newspaper
The Pulse gets a new
beat
•Managers inject life into
upcoming schedule
By Devon Arndt
senior staff writer
Extended hours in the Pulse, as well as
improved entertainment, have been well
received by the St. Catherine University
Students gather in The Pulse for a late-night snack. Photo by Heather Kolnick.
(SCU) community. In addition to monthly
movies, the Pulse has brought in local music
groups to perform.
“In past years, we showcased quite a few
out-of-state groups, but we have started to
bring in more local groups because there
are a lot of talented musicians and bands
in the Twin Cities,” junior Pulse co-manager,
Maret Tindal, said.
In addition to bringing in local bands,
the Pulse staff has also been working to
diversify performers.
“Students may have noticed our “Unplugged”
series has begun showcasing artists of a wide
variety of genres. [Tindal] has done a great
job this year finding and booking some
amazing bands, including Cloud Cult,” Pulse
co-manager Cayenne Dupay said.
Cloud Cult’s free concert on campus was
a long time coming.
“The event with Cloud Cult is really
exciting for us and it has been a long planning
process. We wanted to bring a well-known
local band [to] campus, so we contacted
the best,” Tindal said.
This newspaper, like many other things, is recyclable.
thewheel-scu.tumblr.com
Photo by Jessica Jones.
Twin Cities indie rock band Cloud Cult
performed at SCU on April 5 to a packed
Rauenhorst Ballroom.
In addition to Cloud Cult, the Pulse will be
hosting performers throughout the rest of the
academic year. In May, Minneapolis-based
pop/rock group Giravves will be performing
on campus.
“I think it is great that the Pulse has made
an effort to provide students with different
forms of entertainment,” first-year Hilary
Stein said.
The Pulse’s Saturday Cinema has also
begun to cater to a wider audience by offering
films from a variety of genres. “Dinner for
Schmucks,” starring Steve Carell and Paul
Rudd, will play in May.
“We really want to create a fun and
comfortable space for students to come
to,” Dupay said.
This has included changes to the Pulse’s
atmosphere as well. Dupay and Tindal
have been working with Dining Services on
upgrading the Pulse’s appearance.
“We are working on re-upholstering
the furniture as well as re-doing the game
room,” Dupay said.
Earlier this year, students had an
opportunity to vote for the new upholstery
and seating options at a polling station in
the Coeur de Catheirne.
“It will be fun to watch it transform
over the next few years,” first-year Jennifer
Griebel said.
Devon can be reached at
dvarndt@stkate.edu.
2 | The Wheel NEWS & OPINION April 11, 2011

Letter to the Editor: REPUBLICANS continued...
generally won the Republican nomination.
Although it is still early, President Barack
Corrections to previous MPIRG letter Obama’s announcement that he will seek
reelection will likely move potential Republican
contenders to join the race sooner rather
Dear Wheel Editorial Staff, than later.
“I haven’t made a decision yet as to
As the co-leader of MPIRG’s (the Minnesota Public Research Interest Group) Green what we’re going to do. That decision will
be made sometime down the road, but I
Initiatives Taskforce, I would like to make a few corrections to a letter that was published can tell you that I’m very drawn to the fact
that this country needs someone who has
in the last issue of the Wheel. First of all, the Green Initiatives Taskforce is working on the
private sector experience because this
campaign to end the sale of bottled water on campus due to the environmental impacts economy is troubled,” Romney announced
on “Good Morning America,” after Gallup
associated with the production of bottled water. We would like to make it known that Poll released their numbers.
Huckabee similarly announced he would
we are supporting a campaign that was created, and is being lead by, the Student Senate, make his decision before the end of the
summer.
especially the Senate Environmental Taskforce. It has been making great progress in getting
“I’m thinking very carefully. I’m very
seriously considering making a run for it,”
Huckabee said on “Good Morning America.”
Palin has also not announced her intentions.
“I’m looking at the lay of the land now,
and...trying to figure that out, if it’s a good
thing for the country, for the discourse, for
my family,” Palin told Barbara Walters last
November.
To date, no potential Republican candidates
have announced that they will seek their
party’s nomination in 2012.
“This is somewhat late in the season,”
Smith said. “Most candidates say they will
make a decision between now and summer.”
Rachel can be reached at
rmarmstrong@stkate.edu.

bottled water off of campus, including testing the water on campus to make sure it is safe

for everyday use. Among the many options Senate is currently exploring, it is considering Editorial:
a plan to provide every SCU student with a reusable water bottle once bottled water is no Meet me on
longer available on campus. These reusable water bottles should also not be mistaken with

the reusable bottles that Sodexo is selling in the cafeteria and marketplace. In addition,
the quad
while we appreciate the efforts of Sodexo to be more environmentally friendly, the MPIRG By Tréza Rosado
editor-in-chief
Green Initiatives Taskforce was not involved in its decision to sell reusable water bottles.

We also hope that Sodexo is supporting this campaign, as they have been supportive of
past environmental initiatives on campus. However, MPIRG’s Green Initiatives Taskforce
is aware that this is an important decision that cannot be made without the consent of
SCU students and have made efforts to inform students of this issue, including collecting
pledges signed by students who do not want to purchase bottled water (in solidarity with
Senate’s efforts).
The MPIRG Green Initiatives Taskforce has a history of supporting environmental
initiatives on campus as well as working alongside other campus groups who share a
common purpose. For this reason, we would like to extend an apology to Senate for the
false information contained in the previous letter and want them to know that they have
our continued support on this issue.
Olivia Dains
ocdains@stkate.edu
Minnesota Public Interest Research Group
Green Initiatives Taskforce Co-Leader
ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY WHEEL STAFF
Volume 78, Issue 12
Editor-in-Chief: TREZA ROSADO
Layout Designer: SARAH WENTE
Associate Editor: RACHEL ARMSTRONG
Assistant Editors: BECKY DOUCETTE, ALEXA CHIHOS
Copy Editor: DANA BLOOMQUIST
Photo Editors: JESSICA JONES, HEATHER KOLNICK
Photographer: ANGELA LOCKWOOD
Adviser: SHEILA ELDRED
Senior Staff Writers: CLAIRE DAVIDSON, DANA BLOOMQUIST, JORDYN
ARNDT, DEVON ARNDT
Staff Writers: RITA CHAKRABARTI
If you would like to write for The Wheel, please contact us at
wheel@stkate.edu.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Wheel aspires to reflect the diversity and unique atmosphere that
comprises St. Catherine University. We strive to provide an inclusive
newspaper primarily for the students and by the students. The Wheel
promotes the vision of empowering women to lead and influence
as well as an understanding of the university community inside and
outside of the gates. As a staff we aim to meet the highest journal-
istic standards and stand in accordance with the 1st Amendment of
the Constitution of the United States of America and policies of prior
restraint. The Wheel is not a public relations vehicle for any SCU indi-
vidual, group, department or for the college as a whole. We welcome
feedback and encourage an open discourse. The Wheel is supported by
student funds and is distributed free of charge.
Sometimes, when I think over my last four years at St. Kate’s, I am certain that my
college experience has been...abnormal. I talk to my friends at their institutions, with
their Greek life and their football teams and their 400-student lecture classes; I think of
my seven-student senior seminar and I’m incredibly grateful for the endearing oddity that
is the St. Kate’s bubble.
However, sometimes, I worry that I’ve missed something more intrinsic to college life
than rushing for a sorority or ignoring frat antics on a co-ed quad. I worry that I’ve spent
four years engaged in certain club communities but generally alienated from a larger
campus community. As a college, as a university, we require very little of our students in
terms of all-campus convocation opportunities or on-campus residential requirements.
From the moment first-year students complete orientation, they’re largely on their own.
Our cohorts are, seemingly, the women we shared TRW with but, in reality, our TRW peers
can be largely forgotten by second semester.
Instead, students are left to find themselves in a sea of 3,000 undergraduates; when that
seems impossible to navigate, they tend to head home for the weekend...every weekend.
As an out-of-state student, I learned quickly what the phrase “suitcase campus” meant—it
meant the caf would only be open during obscure hours on the weekends, St. Mary Hall
would be largely vacant, and there would be plenty of available parking in the overnight
lot for a change.
At the time, I couldn’t decide if the problem began with a lack of reasons for students
to stay on campus or a lack of students on campus to justify weekend activities. However,
I did figure out to get my groceries and library books ahead of the weekend so as to avoid
the empty CdC entirely once Friday afternoon hit.
Four years later, the situation doesn’t seem much better to me. We still don’t have any
kind of opening address from our President or mandated convocation to bring the campus
together at the beginning of the academic year. Or in the middle of the year. Or at all,
really. Instead, we have speakers throughout the year from a variety of fields, with a variety
of lived experiences, leading wonderful discussions that students aren’t required to attend;
nor are they offered any incentive (beyond class credit) to do so.
Clubs struggle to fill positions, raise money, and raise their profile; resident advisers
continue to offer activities that fewer and fewer students choose to attend. There hasn’t
been a truly competitive Student Senate vote since I arrived on campus. The campus
still empties each weekend; the library still has weekend evening hours that are largely
irrelevant to college students’ schedules. There’s a reason students take to St. Thomas
during midterms and finals—they have a library staffed until two a.m. and a coffee shop
that keeps the same hours.
What’s lacking at St. Kate’s is a feeling of campus unity—a feeling documented in photos
and stories from decades ago but hard to pinpoint these days. We are a campus of almost
damaging fluidity, a university that is similar in size to Macalester but, unfortunately,
similar in feel to St. Thomas.
As we continue to predominantly court nursing students and pre-professional students, it’s
imperative that we build into their curriculum the same communal values so prized in the
liberal arts: the same passion for activism, for action, for engagement with this school and
this community. As we continue to grow our population of non-traditional and commuter
students, we have to find strategies to connect those students to the resident population
in a more profound way than small group discussions in class or SKAT Day-Brighteners.
Maybe it’s springtime, maybe it’s nostalgia, but I’m so ready for this college to be alive
and not just present from 9-4 on weekdays. In the spirit of renewal and rebirth and the
return of green things, I encourage the administration to engage us beyond Student Worker
Appreciation Week and I encourage students to congregate on the quad for more than just
a shortcut to class.
Tréza can be reached at tjrosado@stkate.edu.
April 11, 2011 NEWS & OPINION The Wheel | 3

Breaking down walls: U.S. war on the people of Afghanistan has caused thousands of deaths since it began in
2001. U.S. foreign policy in these two countries is a serious problem. On one occasion,
after employing as much charm and bargaining strategy as possible, I was able to obtain
Separating people four grams of saffron for five AED ($1.36) per gram. Near the end of the transaction, the
shopkeeper asked the inevitable question: “Where are you from?”  The response, “The

from policy United States,” was often met with a grim smile and no response. After receiving this
reaction several times, I created a blanket response that would allow me to show them that
I did not represent U.S. foreign policy:
“I am from the United States but I do not agree with U.S. foreign policy in your country.
I apologize for the negative stereotypes that are projected in the United States of both your
By Jordyn Arndt religion and your country.  [Insert deep breath] All Americans do not ascribe to these views
and some of us are trying to work towards positive change in order to build a more suitable,
international columnist equitable future, so please do not judge me based on my nationality. Thank you. [Insert reassuring
smile]”
I recently returned from an international student conference called Education Without However, I
Borders: Innovative Solutions to Global Challenges in the United Arab Emirates.  While realized that
at the conference, I had the opportunity to interact with students of over 129 different forcing this
nationalities.  Additionally, I had the opportunity to engage in brief dialogue with shopkeepers, statement out
taxi drivers, and hotel personnel from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Iraq, and during a brief
Afghanistan. interaction
With 82% of the Emirate population foreign-born, the highest percentage in the world, would se em
the question “Where are you from?” was often exchanged among both travelers and people odd.  Thus, I
living in the United Arab Emirates.  This allowed an interesting cross-cultural dialogue to was left with
take place, ranging from dynamic and positive to forced and uncomfortable.  I had many the feeble hope
conversations with people from various backgrounds that helped me, and hopefully others, that during
realize that it is important to separate people from their country’s foreign policy. my positive,
One area in which I had little success in promoting a positive image of the United States albeit br ief,
was with my interactions with Iranian and Afghani shopkeepers in the spices market. interaction
Iranians still remember the U.S. support for the Shah’s pre-revolutionary dictatorship with the
which the subsequent revolution overthrew. To make matters worse, the Islamic revolution shopkeepers,
in Iran resulted in a governmental structure that the U.S. does not support. The current I could at least
demonstrate
that Americans
could be good,
kindhear ted Students from Ghana, Kenya, the US, and Russia stand in front
individuals of the Education Without Borders conference banner in Dubai.
(with solid
bargaining skills) even if their foreign policy was in need of adjustment.
Some of the best conversations I had with student delegates at the conference were
about these controversial issues. I sat down with a Pakistani friend and discussed the
Raymond Davis case in which an American was charged with killing two Pakistanis and
then claimed diplomatic immunity which was disputed among both countries.  My friend
told me what he knew about this case from Pakistani news sources and I shared what I
knew from independent English news sources.  Discussing the different versions of the
story brought us somewhat closer to the potential truth of the situation and the underlying
issues fueling the heated debate.  
While presenting at the conference was beneficial on many levels, the aspect that made
the greatest impact on me was the opportunity to speak with people from around the
world.  In an international realm, we were not divided into “us” and “them;” rather, we
were unified by our common vision for creating a better future.  I realized, as did many
others at the conference, that people are for the most part good, regardless of what their
governments do.  Thus, it is the responsibility of good, kindhearted individuals the world
over to come together and combat oppressive policies that affect both national and
international populations in order to ensure that other good, kindhearted individuals
everywhere can live a safe, decent life.
Students from the United States, Pakistan, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates,
Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya pose for a photograph in the Shaikh Zayed Bin
Jordyn can be reached at jearndt@stkate.edu.
Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Photos courtesy of Jordyn Arndt.

“Reading Lolita” at St. Kate’s

• Acclaimed memoir
provokes lively debate
By Rita Chakrabarti
staff writer
The St. Catherine University (SCU)
community gathered last week to discuss
“Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in
Books,” the memoir by Azar Nafisi, as well
as the classic novel “Lolita” itself. Jennifer
Illuzzi, assistant professor of history, geography,
and political science at SCU, organized the
group in preparation for Nafisi’s visit to
SCU toward the end of the month.
Nafisi’s memoir is a personal account of
the book club the author formed while living
in Iran. She invited a handful of carefully
selected former students, who are all women,
to come to her house to discuss great works
of literature. The story is as much about the
lives and experiences of the women in the
group as it is about the escape their varied
and inspired reading allows.
The circumstances surrounding the
book club are significant. The majority of
books they read are banned in the Islamic
Republic of Iran. Restrictions placed upon
women abound. Women are scrutinized
for the company they keep and the activities
they participate in; women are not to keep
company with men who are not related
to them.
The book proved to be a lightning rod
for discussion at SCU.
“I wanted to get a deeper
understanding of [Nafisi’s] work,
so that I could ask better questions
when she actually came to campus,
and I thought the best way to do
that would be to get a group of
students, alumnae, and faculty
together to offer their different
perspectives on her book, and
the book she references in her
title,” Illuzzi said.
The meeting invited engaging,
insightful, and ultimately
challenging perspectives on the
memoir.
“We had some interesting
discussion in ways I haven’t
necessarily thought of before,”
first-year Katie Maniates said.
T h e b o o k p rove d to b e
controversial, eliciting many
different opinions.
“I do think [“Reading Lolita in
Teheran”] is controversial because
it’s hard not to be controversial
when you’re coming from the
location [Nafisi’s] coming from
into American culture. The
relationship between us and
Iran is so fraught,” professor of
English and women’s studies
Cecilia Konchar-Farr said.
The tension between our perceptions
versus the reality of the lives of women living
in Islamic societies sparked many questions
from the group.
“The book comes as sort of an intervention
the whole story of women’s lives, but it does
appeal to our sense of cultural superiority
or pity for that poor country; that’s where
I think it’s a problem.”
Nafisi’s memoir emphasizes having the
courage to question things around one’s
self, and this is exactly what the lively book
discussion accomplished. Questions raised
during the meeting included what the author’s
intent in writing this memoir was, its accuracy,
and the message it sends its readers about the
lived experience of women in Iran.
“I feel that Americans reading [the book]
might reinforce some negative stereotypes
we have about Islam, but even in our own
club, we had that discussion—and that’s a
triumph in and of itself,” Illuzzi said.
Nafisi’s visit to campus gives members of
the SCU community a rare opportunity to
ask her questions about her book directly.
“I do think it is a good book for St.Kate’s
students to read—the climate is such that we
can have an open and useful debate about
the book and the controversies surrounding
it—and I hope when Dr.Nafisi is here, that’s
exactly what happens,” Illuzzi said.
Nafisi’s memoir offers up many interesting
and, at times, contradictory ideas.
The discussion about these various issues
gave the SCU book club the opportunity to
share, challenge and learn from one another,
much like the members of Nafisi’s own club.
Photo courtesy of www.goodreads.com. Rita can be reached at
rchakrabarti@stkate.edu.
in American culture to tell us about Iran, [and]
the ways that it confirms our stereotypes,
because there are a lot of stereotypes,” For student reviews of
Konchar-Farr said. “That’s what makes it “Reading Lolita in Tehran,”
difficult for me, the confirming of women’s see page 6.
limited role in Iran, which I don’t think is
4 | The Wheel
Cloud Cult
MN collective rocks the Rauenhorst
Last week, the Wheel had the chance to sit down with the critically
acclaimed Minnesota indie rock band, Cloud Cult. We met with the
band two hours before their performance in the Rauenhorst Ballroom
and spent the better part of an hour talking about their new material,
their experiences on tour, and how they found themselves at a small
women’s college in the Midwest.
The Wheel: You guys are by far the coolest
band we’ve ever had at St. Kate’s. We were
kind of collectively really surprised we had
somehow scored Cloud Cult. Why are you
guys playing at this tiny, women’s liberal
arts college?
Craig Minowa (singer/guitarist): We had
kind of a down phase over the winter. We
got a new cellist, [Daniel Zamzow], and we
were working on new songs and stuff. The
opportunity came up so why the heck not!
Shawn Neary (bass/trombone): We’re
doing the Seven Sisters tour next so, you
know, we’ve gotta get ready.
The Wheel: You guys just released the
album“Light Chasers,” which came out last
year. But you’re already working on new
material; how is that coming along?
Craig: Kind of new, old material--revisiting
some of the older albums. We have a really
neat opportunity with Orchestra Hall this
Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps
performed as the opening act for Cloud Cult.
summer that can lead to doing a tour of
orchestra halls. We’re really trying to put
together a bigger storyline of orchestrated
stuff. We’re digging into old albums; we’re
playing some old songs we’ve never done on-
stage, songs that would be a really important
part of that show.
Wheel: Going back to “Light Chasers,” I
feel like that was an album that really put
you guys on the map in a lot of ways. What
went into that album? How was it a little
bit of a departure from previous albums
you’d released?
Craig: It was a really more thoroughly
orchestrated album. There was a lot more
downtime spent on writing it. We had just
had our baby and, leading up to having the
baby, there was a lot of introspective time,
grieving stuff.
Wheel: What has touring that album been
like for you so far? How [has] it gone for
you and your fans?
Craig: I felt like the “Light Chasers” tour
FEATURES
By Tréza Rosado editor-in-chief
was our best tour ever. We really turned a
corner as far as letting go of some grieving
baggage and really looking for the new
answers. [There was] just a lot of really
positive energy, especially with the group
of people we travel together with.
Shannon Frid (violin): I feel like since
there’s so much more orchestration on this
album, while playing on stage you really have
to listen a lot more carefully because there’s
french horn and trombone and more cello.
Shawn: Increasingly more trombone.
Sarah Elhardt (french horn/keyboard):
It does feel like a chamber ensemble within
a rock band. It’s really challenging but also
so rewarding when we really nail it.
Wheel: What’s it like to have so many
of you, so much energy on stage and in the
recording studio? Is that contentious or do
you guys do pretty well?
Sarah: I think it’s fun because
you can get energy from so many
different people, so many different
sources on stage. You can catch
an eye from anyone and that’s the
moment you’re connected.
Shawn: The one point there was
any difficulty at all was a TV studio
in Chicago where they were just
like, “We can’t get everybody in the
frame.” Otherwise it’s a piece of
cake--really good cake.
Wheel: In my mind, it’s kind of
like one of you was the Pied Piper
and walked through Minnesota
and then the rest of you just joined.
How did you guys actually find each
other and start growing as this rock
collective?
Sarah: [points at Craig] Pied
piper! That’s exactly what it is.
Craig: It’s a gradual and constant
evolution. It took awhile to find all
the right people to be able to really
take the songs and give them a life that they
didn’t have on the albums instead of just
sounding like you’re trying to cover yourself.
Wheel: Wh a t’s i t
been like growing out
of the Minnesota scene,
Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Shawn: There’s no
shortage of bands to ask
to play shows with. We
were able to tour with
Fort Wilson Riot the last
time out and that was
fantastic; they’re such a
great band. There are a
lot of other bands that
are just phenomenal; it’s
just a great city.
Wheel: Do you guys
have a favorite venue in
the Twin Cities?
Shannon: First Avenue Touring artists join the band on stage, interacting with the musicians to create paintings. These
for sure. works are later auctioned off at their shows.
April 11, 2011
Cr aig: T h e experience because I was out touring with
Varsity [Theatre] another band and we were on the East Coast;
was really a great I flew from New York to Los Angeles to meet
place too. You everybody. I got picked up by a studio car,
go to a lot of big which was nuts, and then went back to the
cities around the airport, flew back to Philadelphia to meet
country and it’s my band. I rode the train; I was looking for
amazing how places to buy tickets for the train and they
some of those didn’t have any--they didn’t accept credit cards.
cities just don’t They only took cash and I didn’t have cash.
have venues So I went on the train and I hadn’t slept or
that shoot for showered for a couple days. So, you know,
ambiance and they came around and were like, “Tickets
good quality please,” and I didn’t have one so they kicked
sound systems; me off. It was like [going from] this highest
this area’s got of high to being totally indigent and looking
multiple venues for a cash machine.
so it’s pretty nice.
Scott: I thought being on the [Carson
Wheel: Where Daly] show was a unique experience. I had
do you guys see to do a painting in two songs. That was like
yourselves going four or five minutes to complete the painting
after “Light Chasers?” How is this new [which] was a challenge in itself. And the
material evolving from what you did with audience they had there was not really our
Light Chasers, especially given how incredibly typical type of fans.
popular and acclaimed that album was?
Wheel: Scott, will you be painting tonight?
Craig: The new, old material is really
collaborative;
it’s the most
collaborative
that this band’s
ever been. When
we were in the
studio, everyone
was throwing
ideas into the pot
and the ultimate
final meal is
something
unexpected but
super yummy.
Sarah: A
lot more
trombone in the
collaboration.
Shawn: A lot
more.
Arlen Peiffer drums next to a painting completed during the show.
W h e e l :
Increasingly more trombone... Scott: Both Conni [Minowa] and I.
Arlen Peiffer (drums): That’s the headline Wheel: What happens with the paintings
of the story! when you’re done with them?
Shawn: “Cloud Cult using more trombone” Scott: At the end of the show, the painting
is complete and at the merchandise table
Wheel: That could be the headline; let’s we have bid sheets and people can bid on
not mock that--we’re notoriously poor at the paintings throughout the show. Maybe
headlines. What’s been your craziest tour twenty minutes after the show, we’ll be doing
experience or your weirdest tour experience? a kind of silent auction; the highest bid gets
to take the painting home. The concept is
Shannon: I think a weird one was playing that we’re working with visual instruments
in Los Angeles. We had a show at the Roxy and so people get to take a piece of the show
and we met Josh Radnor. He’s in “How I home with them and then the show kind
Met Your Mother.” He came backstage; that of lives on.
was pretty surreal.
Wheel: So the Wheel needs to pool their
Sarah: Josh used our music in a movie [the stipends and bid for a painting for our
just-released “happythankyoumoreplease”]. really drab office that we’ve been trying to
That was really weird; we’re like, “You like redecorate!
us and know us?”
Shawn: The weirdest mix of the two Tréza can be reached at
[experiences] was a couple of years ago when tjrosado@stkate.edu.
we played Carson Daly. I had a different
Photos by Jessica Jones.
April 11, 2011 FEATURES The Wheel | 5

Listen local: “What are you

On cloud nine wearing?”
with Cloud Cult • A look at St. Kate’s most fearless and fashionable
Compiled by Jessica Jones
By Claire Davidson
music columnist

As students and friends filled the Rauenhorst Ballroom last Tuesday night, a delicate
vibration hummed hopefully from the strings arranged in front of them. Minnesota
natives Cloud Cult had taken the stage, and their musical synergy could be felt even
before they began their powerful, hour-long set. Opening the show with the apropos
“There’s So Much Energy In Us,” Craig Minowa and the rest of his ensemble enveloped
the audience with the song’s slow-building, psychedelic orchestration. As each band
member gracefully contributed to the song’s momentum with violins, keyboards, drums,
and vocal harmonies, painters Connie Minowa and Scott West added colorful splashes
of paint to two massive, spinning canvases hung in the background.
What started out as obscure shapes and colors rotating frantically back and forth soon
became masterpieces of unpredictable excellence, created in time to the music. My
first time seeing the band live, I was surprised by their overwhelming unity; it became
apparent that each member of Cloud Cult is as necessary as each limb of a person: all
are essential, none are disconnected. As Minowa and West spun the canvases, looking
at their creations from every conceivable angle, one couldn’t help but feel this outlook
is what lives at the heart of Cloud Cult’s philosophy: that nothing in life can be so
narrowly defined, that we are all more complex and beautiful than we allow ourselves
to believe. The multi-dimensional compositions and string arrangements which were
presented in each song reminded me of this concept, and that the energy in all of us
is connected, pertinent, and authentic.
Continuing the momentum from their opening track all the way to the end, Cloud Cult
delivered an astounding display of synergy, connectedness, and musical fearlessness.
Including songs off of “Light Chasers,” “Feel Good Ghosts,” and “The Meaning of 8,” Cloud
Cult preformed each track as a piece of their larger philosophical journey: an ideology
displayed in their poignant, honest lyricism. “Tell me what are your weaknesses?/I don’t
know myself and I’m afraid of you, I’m happiest on chemicals/The goings come and the
comings go/Forgive me I’m just an animal,” Craig sang on “Purpose.”
Similarly, on another favorite track, “No One Said It Would Be Easy,” Cloud Cult’s poetic
curiosity and musical ingenuity were beautifully transparent. “You came up from the ground
from a million little pieces/You’re a pretty human being, yeah you’re a pretty human being/
When it all comes crashing down, try to understand your meaning/No one said it would
be easy.” Combining media and delving to the depths of our unique human experience,
Cloud Cult delivered a collective, creative experience unlike any other.

Claire can be reached at cedavidson@stkate.edu.

Edith Sanchez Hillary Glueckstein

SCU gets ‘Top Secret’
• Documentary explores
women mathematicians in
WWII
By Becky Doucette
assistant editor
The documentary “Top Secret Rosies”
captures how college-aged women in 1942
aided the U.S. military during World War
II (WWII). These women mathematicians
worked as human computers, making
calculations that helped win the war and
usher in the computer age. St. Catherine
University (SCU) will show “Top Secret
Rosies,” and host a question-and-answer
session with director Leann Ericson.
SCU will screen the film on Friday, April 15
at 7:00 p.m. in the Jeanne d’Arc auditorium.
Ericson came across the inspiration for
the documentary completely by accident.
“In 2003 I was finishing up a documentary
project titled “Neighbor Ladies”…two of my
subjects were twin sisters Doris Polsky and
Shirley Melvin. They randomly mentioned
that they had worked as teenagers for the army
during WWII doing ballistics calculations,”
Ericson said.
When the United States went to war,
multiple, timely ballistics calculations needed
to be made.
“Groups of people might be enlisted to
complete complicated mathematical problems
in tandem. These people were known as
‘computers’.  Over the decades, many of these
people were women,” Ericson said. “With
any able-bodied man drafted into military
service, the army sought to recruit women
to do this secret mathematical work.  They
sent out letters to math organizations and
Philadelphia High Schools looking for any
woman with math skills to work on the unit.”
The women who performed as ballistics
experts were highly devoted to the program
and even toward the end of the war many
faced overt sexism.
“The army desperately needed scores of
women to do this mathematical work, yet
the Moore School of Engineering at [the
University of Pennsylvania] would not
‘allow’ the women to take math classes in
their building- the women had to go across
campus to take math classes,” Ericson said.
Some women would take on two or
three shifts at once, 24-hour work days full
of number crunching and data collection.
Their efforts led to the first multi-use
electronic computer. These women, using the
experiences gained working for the military,
were able to move on to prestigious careers
in computing.
“Unfortunately, as the job of computer
programmer became more highly skilled
and respected, women were pushed out of
the profession,” Ericson said.
Ericson believes this documentary is
especially important for SCU’s community.
“I feel that one of the best aspects of an all-
women’s university is that the female students
in a program will never be intimidated in class
due to thoughts that they are less qualified
than a man to do any job out there,” Ericson
said. “‘Top Secret Rosies’ proves that, when
asked, women can do anything and with
this story, they did do something amazing.”
Ericson hopes her documentary will add
to the history of WWII.
“They always say history is written by
the winners and American history has long
neglected stories involving women and
minorities,” Ericson said. “Adding this story
to the ‘history’ of WWII broadens people’s
perspectives and expands women’s ideas
of what is possible.”
Becky can be reached at
rjdoucette@stkate.edu.
First -year
What are you wearing and where
First-year
What are you wearing and where
is it from? is it from?
Hat from wet seal; romper from The dress and the flip-flops are from
Forever 21; cardigan from Marshalls; Target and a bikini from Victoria’s
and boots are Charlotte Russe. Secret.
Did you get any deals?
Did you get any deals? Well the flip-flops were $2 and
Yes on everything! The boots on my bikini was $20. I only shop sales.
sale for $20, cardigan for $3 and
romper for $5. What’s your favorite place to shop?
My favorite places to shop would
be any thrift store, especially the
What’s your favorite place to shop? Goodwill, Forever 21, and my sister
Forever 21. Zoe’s closet.
What inspires your fashion sense?
What inspires your fashion sense? I love vintage clothing, especially
My personality inspires me. I just clothes from the ‘60s and ‘70s. I try
want to express myself. to add something vintage or unique
to my outfits. I always wear my great-
grandma’s jewelry, it’s gorgeous and
What is one thing you would never has sentimental value.
wear?
I would never wear booty shorts! What is one thing you would never
I would not wear slippers outside in wear?
the public. I would never wear a mini-skirt
over jeans; it’s so ugly!
Think your department or major has some
exceptionally stylish students or professors? Let
us know and your department may be featured
in a future fashion article. Contact wheel@stkate.
edu with suggestions.
6 | The Wheel
Let’s agree to disagree
“Reading
Lolita” out
of context
By Jordyn Arndt
international columnist
I’ve spent nearly a year of my undergraduate
education in predominantly Muslim countries
(Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, and the United
Arab Emirates); I’m a frequent viewer of
independent media with an emphasis on
Middle Eastern politics; I’m an advocate of fair
and unbiased representation of this region
of the world in the media. That said, I am
severely disturbed by the manner in which
“Reading Lolita in Tehran” (RLT) provides no
historical or cultural context for a largely
uninformed audience, projects a uniquely
positive view of the West, and promotes
a stereotypical image of Muslim women.
RLT depicts a very specific moment in a
time during which Iran was in transition
from a revolution.  Any country that is
transitioning from a revolutionary period is
going to encounter challenges, and yet RLT
fails to set the scene for this struggle. Author
Azar Nafisi does not acknowledge the role
of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in
ousting the former democratically elected
premier and instating the Shah of Iran,
who favored Western policies. The Shah’s
tyrannical rule fostered dissent among some
groups of Iranians which led to violence and
unrest during the his reign.
A reader without any prior knowledge of
Iranian politics could easily read RLT and
presume that Iran was a wonderful place
prior to the revolution when, in reality, it
was not.  Furthermore, it would be easy for
a Western reader with little or no knowledge
of the present situation in Iran to assume that
the situation of Iranian women immediately
post-revolution, as depicted in RLT, is
consistent with their current struggle—a
gross overgeneralization.
Due to the fact that RLT is designed for
a Western market, Nafisi needs to take
responsibility to inform her audience of
the context of her memoir.  To write a book
that fails to provide specific historical and
cultural cues allows Americans and other
Western readers to become swept up in
Aria serves
tea for two
As a child, I grew up in a tea-drinking
household. My family drank tea on a daily
basis and made a habit of visiting tea parlors
whenever we traveled. Yet no matter how
many different varieties of tea I tasted, I
could not find one that I truly enjoyed until
I came to St. Catherine University (SCU).
Once I began classes at SCU, I discovered
the importance of caffeine, especially early
in the morning. As you can imagine, when I
heard about the newest tea bar in St. Paul,
I was eager to see what it had to offer.   about their work. They offered me
Owner Chau Vong began planning to open
Aria Tea Bar years ago. Vong developed an
interest in tea after serving it to her family
in Vietnam.
“When I came to the United States, I saw
the majority of Americans drinking coffee...I
wanted to make tea more accessible to them
because I knew the health benefits of it,”
Vong said.
By offering a selection of over sixty
varieties of loose-leaf tea, bubble tea, chai
tea, smoothies, coffee, and baked goods,
customers will have no difficulty finding
FEATURES
the novel without critically analyzing the
particular context in which the narrative takes
place.  The book’s widespread popularity is
illustrative of the fact that Western audiences
are willing to accept the message of this book
unquestioningly.
RLT promotes a stereotypical image
of Muslim women as oppressed and
submissive.  The image on the cover of the
novel is a case in point (see page 3).  The
image depicts two women covered in head
scarves looking down. In reality, this image
was taken from a newspaper photograph of
two young women reading parliamentary
election results in a newspaper.  These women
appear to be covertly reading a forbidden
piece of literature when in reality they are
remaining informed of political activity in
their country.  This image exemplifies the
manner in which RLT is promoting an exotic
image of Muslim women and aligning itself
with problematic literature that relies upon
damaging stereotypes.
Furthermore, Nafisi is strongly affiliated
with prominent neoconservatives such as
Paul Wolfowitz (former Deputy Secretary
of Defense and major architect of President
Bush’s Iraq policy) and Bernard Lewis (Middle
Eastern scholar, influential in shaping the
Bush administration’s policies in the region).
Critics cite Nafisi’s affiliations as evidence of
her efforts to foster anti-Iranian propaganda
in the United States, serving to fuel both
negative views of Iran and the Middle East
and justification for war in the region.   in our most private and secret moments, in
I read this book due to its widespread
popularity and then subsequently read the
various critiques available online. Readers
who are interested in reading RLT are
encouraged to consider it as one of many
voices addressing Iran.   taken away from us.”
Several critiques have been made of the book
including those by Women Against Military
Madness (WAMM), a nonviolent feminist
grassroots group based in Minneapolis; Hamid
Dabashi, an Iranian-American Professor at
Columbia University; Fatemeh Keshavarz,
a professor at Washington University; and
Seyed Mohammed Marandi, a professor at
the University of Tehran’s Institute of North
American and European Studies.  Their
critiques can be found online and can provide
an understanding of how Iran, Muslim women,
and Islam are portrayed in widely accepted
forms of communication in the West.
Jordyn can be reached at
jearndt@stkate.edu.
• Tea bar offers more than the
Queen’s drink
By Devon Arndt
senior staff writer
something suitable. Aria also offers non-
dairy creamers and soy milk for customers
with dietary restrictions.
Vong’s commitment to creating an accessible
and pleasant environment is evident.
“I am very particular about the quality
of the products. I personally select every
product we sell—from the coffee beans
to the fresh fruit we use in our smoothies,”
Vong said.
The baristas at Aria are equally passionate
recommendations and allowed me to sample
multiple products before I settled on an iced
chai latte. A friend, who selflessly offered to
accompany me, ordered a mango chai latte.
We were so impressed with the quality of our
drinks that we returned later that evening
to try additional products. My favorite was
the almond chai latte made with soy milk.
Apparently, customers have noticed the
quality as well. Although Aria has only been
open since February, it has already established
regulars. Its close proximity to Macalester
College and the University of St. Thomas
Imagination
and the
great escape
By Rita Chakrabarti
staff writer
Imagination. Love of literature. Subversion.
Escape. These are all dominant themes
woven through Azar Nafisi’s beautifully
rendered memoir, “Reading Lolita in Tehran”
(RLT). Her story remembers a time in her life
when, having resigned from her teaching
post, she decided to start a book club with
several of her most serious former students.
Nafisi and her students met to discuss great
books, the relationship between reality
and fiction, and contemplate what exactly
reading allows a person to do.
This was never going to be an ordinary
book club, in large part because it takes place
in Iran, where personal liberties and freedoms
had been curtailed, if not eliminated, under
the revolutionary regime.
As Nafisi writes, “Against the tyranny of
time and politics, imagine us the way we
sometimes didn’t dare to imagine ourselves:
the extraordinarily ordinary instances of life,
listening to music, falling in love, walking
down the shady streets or reading ‘Lolita’
in Tehran. And then imagine us again with
all of this confiscated, driven underground,
Nafisi’s perspective on Iran, the Revolution,
and “her girls,” as she likes to refer to her
all-women’s club, is personal, complex, and
ironic. Nafisi does a striking job presenting
the day-to-day reality she and her girls
struggle to endure and make sense of. Under
the revolutionary regime, these women are
constantly at odds between their desires to
be autonomous individuals, capable of free
expression while living in an oppressive,
tyrannical system.
To think that Nafisi is making a blanket
statement that is anti-Islamic, or to think
that Nafisi is speaking on behalf of all women
living in the Islamic Republic of Iran would
be a mistake. Instead, what Nafisi succeeds at
pointing out is how problematic life becomes
when a particular ideology is imposed on a
society against its will.
has likely helped.
“Many students and professors come
to drink our caffeinated beverages before
class. Others come to study,” Aria’s Assistant
Manager, Maya said.
“I love Aria. The atmosphere of the tea
bar is inviting and the drinks are delectable,”
SCU first-year Rebecca Bjorke said.
The fair prices and monthly deals are
undoubtedly another draw for customers.  Aria
regularly offers discounts on select products
and students will receive an additional ten
percent discount on their purchase beginning
May 1.  For the month of April, Aria is offering
a fifty-percent discount on drinks after the
Photo by Devon Arndt.
April 11, 2011
She uses literary allusions to Vladimir
Nabokov’s literary work “Lolita” to emphasize
her point. In “Lolita” we witness the dangers of
an individual, Humbert Humbert, attempting
to make his dream a reality by usurping the
life of a 12-year-old girl.
As Nafisi writes, “We rediscovered that we
were also living, breathing human beings;
and no matter how repressive the state
became, no matter how intimidated and
frightened we were, like Lolita, we tried to
escape and create our own little pockets
of freedom.”
Nafisi shows us an Iran that is filled with
complexities and irony. She tells us about a
blind censor, the person appointed by the
revolution to censor films and theater, who
has no faculty of sight. She tells us about the
deeply significant gesture of wearing the veil
for one of her girls, and how that practice
became meaningless under a regime that
required all women to cover their heads,
regardless of their beliefs. She gives these
examples to allow the reader to make up
his or her own mind on what sense to make
from these restrictions.
The most meaningful and persistent thread
throughout this memoir is the power of
literature and the imagination: their combined
ability to connect people to one another, to
allow transport into other worlds, to allow
escape, and to transcend tyranny. Ultimately,
this is what this memoir is about.
“That is really the main theme of the
book—imagination’s role in opening spaces,
in resisting tyrannies of both politics and time.
That was the first purpose, and the second
was to address the question of breaking down
boundaries. So that was the purpose of the
book. Politics and political transformation
are secondary to it,” Nafisi says in an interview
at the end of her book.
I believe this memior is brave, thought-
provoking, paradoxical, and intricately
nuanced. It reminds me of why I love to read,
and how powerful literature and imagination
can be. After all, it is through reading this
book that I could picture her girls, sipping
Turkish coffee in a living room, reading and
discussing “Lolita” in Teheran.
Rita can be reached at
rchakrabarti@stkate.edu.
Hear Azar Nafisi deliver her speech,
“The Republic of the Imagination”
at the launch of the University’s School of
Humanities, Arts and Sciences.
April 19, 7:00 p.m. in the O’Shaughnessy.
purchase of one beverage.
Vong sees this as an opportunity for
customers to try different products. While
her favorite is the jasmine pearl tea “our
most popular items are our taro [milk] teas,
chai lattes, and Oreo smoothies,” she said.
Regardless of what you choose to order,
remember: if you are easily affected by
caffeine order decaf or you may find yourself
unable to fall asleep at 4:00 a.m. like I did
after my visit.
Devon can be reached at
dvarndt@stkate.edu.
Aria Tea Bar Co.
1669 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
Phone: (651) 690-0099
April 11, 2011 HEALTH The Wheel | 7

The Melting Point:

Engineering change The Wheel
on and off campus
needs you!
By Dana Bloomquist
copy editor

How are new things designed? Who designs them? Well, lots of people from lots of
walks of life do, but they are all engineers. Engineers are people who have been trained If you have
to integrate scientific, technological, and social expertise to create useful products that
we use every day.
Yvonne Ng, an assisstant professor of mathematics at St. Catherine University (SCU),
experience with or
has been an integral part of the University’s Centers of Excellence, heading up the Center
for Women, Science and Technology. Her degree: aerospace engineering.
So why has she stayed at an institution without an engineering program? Last Friday,
are interested in:
Ng spoke at the Abigail Q. McCarthy Center for Women as part of the Women’s Studies
and Critical Studies of Race and Ethnicity Bag Lunch Discussion Series. The equation
writing,
she put up for the talk was simple and compelling:

Modern Changemakers = Women + Liberal Arts + Engineering.

photography,
Ng sees engineering, as a process, science, and business, as integrally related to women or graphic design...
and intrinsically connected to the liberal arts tradition.
To illustrate her point, Ng explained that while women have less than half of the
money in the United States (because of unequal pay between men and women, or
because less women than men are in high-paying professions), they still control 80
percent of spending–that is, while women in male-breadwinner households may Only 2 more issues
left to get involved!
not be making as much money as their male counterparts, they decide how most of
the money is spent. It’s the women who tend to decide which car the family should
purchase; it’s the women who shop for groceries and furniture and school supplies.
With this in mind, why aren’t products designed by and for women if they are the ones
who buy them in the end? Increasingly, women are participating in more and more Contact tjrosado
ways in society, sliding by in systems—and using products—designed by and for men.
For example, a company called the Femme Den states that 75 percent of the people
in hospital operating rooms are women, but hospital scrubs were designed for men’s
@stkate.edu for
bodies. Ng suggests it’s about time things like that change. This is part of why she stays
at SCU: because engineering is not just about engineering; it is about how to take into
consideration people who have been at the outskirts of innovation. It is about asking
more information
people who haven’t yet been asked what they want and need.
The idea of a liberal arts education also fits snugly under the engineering umbrella,
according to Ng. Liberal arts students learn how to collaborate, how to integrate, and

Ask
it smell more.  Eating beets can turn your
how to think critically. These are all traits that are important for designing something pee light red! (If your urine is red and you
new. You have to first understand a problem well before you think about a solution and didn’t eat beets, there may be blood in your
urine, which is a serious problem,  Contact

Katie!
once you start formulating one, you have to be ready to fail and keep trying. A liberal
arts foundation can help enable people to be prepared for this process.
Furthermore, the SCU commitment to social justice is one of the most compelling
reasons to have an engineer around. Over the course of her talk, Ng defined engineering
in multiple ways; one of these was fulfilling a need. This could be how to get clean water
• The Ask Katie! peer health
to people who need it, how to get high-quality prosthetics for amputees, or how to get
advisers answer your health-
temperamental vaccines to remote areas. Increasingly, Ng mentioned, engineering is related questions
being connected to the people who benefit from it. Why might this be? Ng suggests
Compiled by Dana Bloomquist
that maybe it’s because more women, like those from SCU, are getting interested in If your urine is a deep yellow color what
it. Women tend to be the ones who can connect engineering skills to real-life human are you lacking?
Most of the time, our urine is a light yellow
rights needs; SCU has a long tradition of seeing needs in the community and enacting color.  Sometimes, though, it can become
social change to address them. lighter or darker.  One common cause of
changes in urine color is how much water
Finally, Ng is here to give the rest of us a call to action and words of encouragement,
we have been drinking.  If you have been
all in one. How is anything new created? By doing what has yet to be done; by being drinking lots of water, your urine may be very
light; if you are dehydrated, your urine may
willing to take on or even ignore the possible risks or roadblocks to your vision. We
be dark.  The Mayo Clinic recommends that
have seen over and over again, in the engineering world and the world at large, that we each drink roughly 8 or 9 cups or water
risk aversion—paying attention to and abiding by the status quo—cannot deliver or non-caffeinated liquid every day.  This
recommendation comes from the finding
innovation. It’s time to be prepared to fail the first time and be willing to get up again.
that each of us pees an average of about 6
It’s time to be like an engineer. ½ cups of urine every day, so that plus the
water we lose through sweating, breathing,
and pooping should be equal to the amount
Dana can be reached at dlbloomquist@stkate.edu. we take in.  Check out mayoclinic.com/
health/water for more information on this
recommendation.
Places to learn more: Dark urine, however, isn’t always caused
Femmeden, femmeden.com only by your liquid intake.  Other factors are
Engineers without Borders, ewb-usa.org food, medications, and illnesses.  For example,
Engineering for Change, engineeringforchange.org eating asparagus can cause your urine to turn
dark yellow or even green, and can make
a health professional immediately if this is
the case.) Eating blackberries can also turn
your pee reddish or even brownish.
Other causes of coloring of your urine
are medications.  If you notice that your
pee is darker than normal, make a list of all
medications you are taking and ask your doctor
if this is to be expected.  Taking multivitamins
can sometimes make your urine darker too:
some of these multivitamins actually contain
too much of the nutrients than your body
can absorb, so they are flushed in your pee.
Finally, some diseases can change your
urine.  Bladder infections, urinary tract
infections, and kidney infections can all
sometimes cause blood to enter your urine,
or can make your urine cloudy.  If you have
bloody or cloudy urine, and especially if
it hurts when you pee, you should see a
doctor to find out what the problem is. 
All this information and more can be found
if you visit urinecolors.com.
Please note that the Ask Katie! advisers
are not trained medical professionals;
contact your health care provider with
immediate questions or concerns. AskKatie!
should not be used in place of professional
consultation.
If you still have unanswered questions,
don’t forget to go to the Ask Katie! stall in
your residence hall and write a question
on the anonymous notepad. If you live off
campus, email questions to healthwellness@
stkate.edu.
8 | The Wheel
Swing and
a miss
• Softball team struggles to find its footing in
conference standings, hopes for stronger finish
By Rachel Armstrong
associate editor
The St. Catherine University (SCU) softball
team, entering the second half of their
season, continues to compete against
difficult conference teams. Although the
team’s record reflects no wins, their games
so far this season have been close.
“We have been battling in every single
game. All but one have been one- or two-run
[differences in scores],” Associate Athletic
Director and head softball coach, Madge
Makowske, said. “We have unfortunately
lost all of them.”
The team recently returned from the Tuscon
Invitational Tournament in Ariz., where
they traveled over spring break. The team
competed in 10 games over a six-day period.
“Our spring break trip is a very competitive
opportunity for us to prepare for our season.
Many of [the teams that we play] are nationally
ranked, which provides a very good setting for
us to prepare for our conference, because our
conference is very competitive,” Makowske said.
The Tuscon tournament was
also the first chance the Wildcats
have had to play outdoors this
season. Due to the weather, prior
to the tournament the team was
practicing in the Fontbonne Hall
gym and the Butler Center gym.
Once a week they were able to
practice on artificial turf at the
Academy of Holy Angel’s dome.
For Makowske, seeing the team in
action on a real field was important.
“It would be like a swimming
team having to get up on land
and practice their strokes before
they get in the water. It’s a very
different atmosphere,” Makowske
said. “It provided us a lot of learning
opportunities and gave me an
opportunity to play everyone on the
team. So when we started conference
play, which is our most important,
we [knew] who our starters were.”
Sophomore Ashley Matthys agrees.
“It was our first time out of the
gym this year and we were able to
break the rust. We battled hard
against our opponents and it was
a great learning opportunity for
everyone on the team,” she said.
For junior team member Heidi
Sande, the team’s potential needs
to be translated to conference play.
“We need to work on the
consistency of our play, because
when we play up to our potential
Track looks
up and ‘out’
• Successful indoor season
gives way to spring outdoors
By Alexa Chihos
assistant editor
After an impressive indoor season in early
2011, the St. Catherine University (SCU) track
& field team is ready to begin the outdoor
season. The beginning of the 2011 track &
field season also signified the start of new
athletes and coaches on the SCU team. New
to this year’s team are sprints and hurdles
coach Shannon Houlihan and pole vault
coach Michelle Leggat. The SCU team also
has room for new athletes to join the squad,
since many of last year’s members graduated.
SPORTS
we are a very strong
team. We just need to
come out and show that
every game,” Sande said.
Makowske agrees,
“I’m looking forward
to continuing to see the
team growth and the
wins that we’re going
to start putting up on
the board. We’re neck-
and-neck with many
of these teams.”
Although the team is
young, with only two
seniors, for Makowske,
it’s still a team with a
lot of motivation.
“ This is a g reat
team to work with,”
Makowske said. “It’s
been one of the best
During the indoor season, which ran from
Jan. 21 to March 5, the team performed well
enough for recognition in a variey of ways.
Multiple athletes performed well enough
to add their names to the top 10 lists; in the
indoor Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) Championship meet,
three Wildcats earned all-conference honors
and two SCU school records were broken.
Head coach Mike Henderson thinks that
the new coaches will continue their indoor
season success into the outdoor season.
“They have done fantastic work with the
team during the indoor track season and I
am sure that will continue throughout the
outdoor season,” Henderson said.
Henderson also considers the young
athletes a chance for the coaching staff to get
them better acquainted with the collegiate
athletic experience.
“We have a much younger team this year.
So for us coaches is it is little bit of a getting
back to the basics and teaching the younger
athletes the way we do things and how college
athletics are different from their high school
experience,” Henderson said.
April 11, 2011
teams I’ve had as far as work ethic overall.”
Makowske encourages SCU community members to attend the
Wildcats’ upcoming games.
“The games are a good battle, always back and forth. It’s not a
lopsided game to see. A lot of scoring, good diving plays. I think the
young ladies put a lot of work in practice that people don’t necessarily
see, behind the scenes and stuff. It’s just a lot of time commitment, and
so for them to be both good on the field and good in the classroom
is something that should be recognized,” Makowske said.
Rachel can be reached at
rmarmstrong@stkate.edu.
Above: An SCU softball player takes to the plate.
Left: Softball players practice bunting.
Photos Angela Lockwood.
Junior Brianna Ludtke considers the unique, but very amazing women. Our team
accomplishments of the indoor season to is always cheering for one another whether at
be an important factor for the continued practice or at meets,” Engel said. “Sometimes
success in the outdoor season. supportive teammates may be the only thing
“I think that the team is in a great position that can get you through a hard work out or
to put up some good times after the indoor race. We as a team are very blessed to have
season and some records could be taken down such a great team and coaching staff.”
as well,” Ludtke said. “We have a great team Henderson feels that the success of the
dynamic and hard work ethic that I think team in the outdoor season cannot be
will express itself after we have a few meets determined because the season is weighed on
under our belts.” both how many points the team scores and
Senior captain Kimberly Engel feels that the measured outcomes of setting personal
every meet during the outdoor season is and school records.
important for the SCU team because success “Our [first] goal is always to find ways to
can give the team a competitive edge. make ourselves better each and every day.
“Every track meet is important for St. Kate’s If we do that, tangible results will follow, so
because it allows us to show the MIAC how that’s where we put our focus,” Henderson
competitive we are as a team and school. Our said. “On any given day, amazing things can
team has definitely improved throughout the happen if you’ve been working hard and
years and it feels great to know that other enjoy what you are doing there is no telling
teams notice,” Engel said. what the limits of the team are.”
Engel also stressed the importance of The team’s next meet is on Saturday in
having the support of the entire team Northfield at 10:00 a.m.
during meet events and the team dynamic
of this year’s track and field team. Alexa can be reached at
“Our track team consists of a group of very anchihos@stkate.edu.