The Kentucky Derby is one of Kentucky’s most prized traditions. Every year thousands of people head to Churchill Down to watch the “greatest two minutes in sports.” This is a great sport, but there is one thing the horseracing is missing and that is women. For many years, men have dominating the sport of horseracing, but that is changing. This year alone in the Kentucky Derby, we can find Julie Koenig as the vice president of communications. She has done a great job at helping Churchill Downs Incorporated move to the next level. Also not, just in the office but on the racetrack is the trainer Jamie Sanders. She is the only female trainer and believes that woman have always been able to work a major role in horseracing; we (women) just have not been given a chance. Sanders not only trainees the horse but will ride them during working out. This is not the usual thing for trainers. This year she is the trainer for Teuflesberg who is entered in the big race. Time will only tell but one thing for sure is the face of racing is changing to adding on women to the group of an elite few.

If You Can't Speak It, Sing It Out!

Sometime words just can't explain life, and in songs we can live it. This is a list of songs about our world to day, and the changes that need to be made. I think that songs say what is often not said or forgotten. Enjoy!

Every student at Bellarmine University has to take an IDC (interdisplinary course). These courses are designed to have a classroom setting where there can be open conversations about tough subjects such as race, war, and also topics that are fun like pop culture or just life. The main purpose for the class at Bellarmine University is to advance the writing skills of the students. I have had Pat Carver for both my freshmen and sophomore IDC. The classes have been about social justice and multiculturalism. The students in my African American Experience sophomore IDC decided that we were going to use the final exam to try to make a real change on campus. Our efforts would take the place of taking a test or written exam. We decided to present a proposal to the board of dean's that a multiculturalism class be added to the core curriculum. This class would be taken during a student's first year at Bellarmine and would be a required course. Our class has spent the past two months doing surveys of students and staff, researching such courses at other universities and working on a letter and presentation for the board. We as a class believe that Bellarmine University students need this type of course, where there is open conversation about issues like race, sexism, sexual orientation, religion, disabilities, social injustices, etc. Our class feels passionately about bringing social justice to Bellarmine University. Our proposal was well accepted by the board of deans, and we have brought the issue to the attention of the people in power at Bellarmine University. They are willing to make this course not just a idea, but a course that will advance Bellarmine towards 20/20 vision.

Bye to Dr. Brown

Dr. Brown is leaving Bellarmine University at the end of the spring 2007 semester. Brown has been a visiting professor for several years. He was asked by President Joseph J. McGowan to come to the Bellarmine campus to teach about diversity. Brown has had a significant influence on our campus in the view of the students. He has helped to open the minds of students, testing their narrow-minded views. Students in his classes have learned about racism, diversity, and "whiteness". "Whiteness" is what Dr. Brown believes to be the issue at hand. This is not about white person or people causing racism, but instead, it is the concept of "white" that is the problem. This idea is power, privilege and wealth, which are controlled by the systems that keep others down. The systems are the government, religion, the corporate world, etc. Brown believes that there has to be a change in the systems, not just ideas exchanged among people, to make a true difference in our modern world. Brown is educating the next generation of leaders here at Bellarmine to not to just placidly fall in step with the systems that are in place, but instead to stand up for social justice. To celebrate Dr. Brown's time and teaching on our campus, Bellarmine had a "Get Down with Dr. Brown" party on Thursday, April 26 at 6:00 p.m. in Frasier. All were welcome to come and celebrate his contribution towards social justice on the Bellarmine campus. Dr. Brown will always be remember on Bellarmine's campus.

The Experience of a Lifetime

Many college students have experience moving away, leaving their families, and gaining independence. Even with these freedoms, most of the time mom and dad are only a call away. For exchange and international students, this is another story. These students are experiencing moving away, leaving their families and friends, and are in a new environment all at once. The main difference is mom and dad are not a phone call away.
Exchange and international students are taking a chance by studying in another country to have an experience of a lifetime. These students have to go to class and work like other students, but also have to learn the culture and be apart of a culture different for their own. Caroline Berger and Michaela Gutl are exchange students from Austria and this is a little about their experience studying at in the US at Bellarmine University.
"I have loved having a chance to study in the US, even if I came with pre-judgements of the country, but I have gotten to understand the culture and why and how things happen here. It was hard at first coming here on my own, but I have made great friends and have grown so much. It is a lot of fun here and I have met really great people. I am happy I made the choice to be here, I took a chance and have loved every minute of it," said Gutl.
"Studying in the United States has always been one of my biggest dreams and for me it came true. In the beginning I missed my family and my friends a lot, but I met so many lovely people here at Bellarmine with whom I had the best time of my life! I am so happy that I came here to Louisville, I would have missed out on a lot!" said Berger.
The step may have been harder for them to come to another country to study, but the experience is one in a lifetime.

Bellarmine University has many opportunity to study aboard for more information to go:

http://www.bellarmine.edu/cas/foreignlanguages/studya.asp

Music crossing international borders

In today’s pop culture, more and more artists are making the transition between entertainment in other countries and in America. A prime example of this is Shakira, who started out in Spanish pop culture and has become such a hit in America that she received seven nominations for her video “Hips don’t lie” in this years MTV music awards. Fifty years ago, American culture would not have allowed a singer from another country to become so popular, because of the prejudices against a culturally differing entertainer. However, it’s amazing to see how many artists today, in all facets of entertainment, have crossed the line, many times bringing a new perspective of their differing culture to American televisions. These revolutionaries include Carlos Mencia, Wanda Sykes, Kiefer Sutherland, Penelope Cruz, Russell Crowe, Gloria Estefan, and Nia Vardalos. Comedians like Carlos Mencia and Wanda Sykes have both brought their own flavor to their late night television shows; actors and actresses such as Russell Crowe and Nia Vardalos have given us spectacular performances; and the music created by such artists like Gloria Estefan and Shakira demonstrate that America (at least in the entertainment industry) has grown as a country and continues to welcome others and open its arms wider and wider with each passing year.

WHY?

Why do we let injustice happen?

Because we don't even see it in our country. We are blind.