By Molly Grosskreutz
Arts and Entertainment Editor

     Five minutes.
Five minutes are being tacked onto the end of each class at Viterbo starting this fall, and many of us returning to campus are wary those five minutes are going to feel like forever (fortunately for you, freshmen, you won’t know the difference).
At least as the year begins, I’m sure my eyes will wander to the clock expectantly at the 50-minute mark, and my mind will wander elsewhere.
Probably to my memories of my recent trip to France, where I spent five weeks for a summer research project and to visited some friends.
During my time there, I learned some valuable lessons: Notably, that time is conceptualized and utilized so differently than it is here in America.   For us, five minutes is pocket change (outside of the classroom, where those same minutes seem to drag on). They add up to a Youtube video, a song on our iPods or a few whacks of the snooze button.
For French people, five minutes are much more valuable, and yield many more life-enriching results. With five minutes, French college students…

1)     Get dressed in the morning. They peel off their sweatpants and hoodies and attend even morning classes in flattering jeans, well-tailored, tucked-in shirts and blouses, belts, blazers and nice shoes.

2)     Not just consume, but enjoy their food. If I were in a relationship with food, our Facebook relationship status would be “it’s complicated.” The past three years I’ve been a college student, I’ve done a significant amount of “cooking” (meaning microwaved meals) for myself, but I don’t enjoy it. My developed palate consists of what I can prepare the fastest and tastes the least crappy (I highly recommend Lean Cuisine chicken alfredo) because, like all other college students, I have other things I need to be doing. Like homework or being on Facebook.  I scarf down my mac ‘n cheese then continue my important work of watching cute cat videos on Youtube.

In France, food matters. One pays a great deal of attention to what enters his or her mouth, and one’s entire day is structured around very rigid mealtimes.

3)     Tighten their relationships in person by greeting each of their peers in the room one-on-one.  Every time two people meet, whether they know one another or not, they either shake hands or “air-kiss” one anothers’ cheeks.  This can take just a few seconds if the group is small but can take up to five minutes if there are many people in the room.
Experts say it takes approximately 40 days to permanently establish a new habit. I was in France for 35 days, which is pretty darn close. That being said, I became quite used to spending a little more time getting myself dressed, enjoying my food, and connecting with people one-on-one. I found that doing each of those things significantly improved my confidence, my tranquility and my mood.
I’m not saying we need to completely alter the way we dress, eat and greet people, but if we spent our time a little more carefully, it would improve our hectic lives as the semester begins.

By Janelle Mathews
Lumen Editor in Chief

Salutations Lumen readers,
I hope you all have had a fun and restful summer and are geared up for the beginning of the school year. I know I am excited to be back in Wisconsin, see all my friends and live in Clare apartments, just to name a few. I’m also very thrilled about the Lumen staff members this year!  We have a few familiar names returning along with a bunch of new ones. Moreover, we have the biggest staff in well…forever!
Jessica Schurmann, assistant editor, is a senior studio art major with a psychology minor from Mauston, Wis. who spent last summer studying abroad in Florence, Italy. She also is a VU After Dark programming assistant, so she will be flitting around campus setting up fun-filled events, such as Minute to Win It. After Viterbo University, Jessica hopes to pursue student affairs even further and eventually work in a university setting as a study abroad coordinator.
Kelsey Pruitt is the Lumen business manager for the 2012-2013 school year on top of her many other pursuits; she is one of two Peer Advisors for Clare apartments and is in her senior year of nursing classes. Kelsey calls Chippewa Falls, Wis. her home, but she can do a great Minnesotan accent.
Sam Gobler from Eau Claire, Wis. is a senior visual communications major who will be graduating this December to go out into the “real world.” She is one of the returning Lumen staff members and has been on staff for the past three years as our graphic designer.
Molly Grosskreutz, arts and entertainment editor, is another returning staff member from right here in La Crosse, Wis. She studied abroad this summer in Lorraine, France. She is a senior liberal studies major with emphases in English writing and French. The summer before going to France, Molly was in Los Angeles as an intern for Escape Artists Entertainment reading scripts. After college, Molly hopes to become a screenwriter.
Valerie Groeber is the arts and entertainment assistant editor for the upcoming school year. She is a sophomore English major from Minneapolis, Minn. She is new to the Lumen team and devotes her free time to traveling.
Joycelyn Fish from Reedsburg, Wis. is the new campus life editor having previously been on staff as the online editor. She is entering her senior year at Viterbo University, and her major is organizational communication. Joycelyn, like Jessica and Molly, studied abroad, only she spent her time in Limerick, Ireland. She had an internship this summer with Lutheran Special School and Education Services in Milwaukee, Wis.
One of our assistant campus life editors will be Jessica Hartling who is from Waukesha, Wis. She is a junior biochemistry major who really enjoys Disney World, having gone there seven times. Moreover, she loves Harry Potter and even wants to get a Harry Potter-related tattoo.
Jordan Weiker is the other assistant campus life editor who is from Cashton, Wis. He is a sophomore English major who completed beauty school before deciding that the hair industry was not what he expected.
Dani Templin is the sports editor for Lumen from Richland Center, Wis. She is majoring in visual communications with an emphasis in digital media, but her true love is sports. She is a senior on Viterbo women’s basketball team and aspires to work in the sports broadcasting field after college.
Melissa Freund works alongside Dani as the assistant sports editor this year. She is a junior English education major joining Lumen for the first time from Marshfield, Wis. She has an artistic side, loving to draw and paint. Last year, she ate over nine jars of peanut butter.
After brief stints in the biochemistry, theatre and education departments, Tim Metzler from Onalaska, Wis. diverted his interests towards the humanities and has been an English major with a writing emphasis since his sophomore year. He participates in many on-campus groups and organizations, including being a Resident Assistant and columnist for Lumen. He aspires to attend comedy school and earn his MBA in the years that follow his undergraduate career.
Elizabeth Otto is the online news editor for Lumen. She is a sophomore psychology major from Siren, Wis. who enjoys listening to music.
And I am Janelle Mathews, a senior English literature major with minors in Spanish and environmental studies. I am the editor-in-chief of this year’s Lumen staff. I hail from Boscobel, Wis., and I spent my summer in Kansas as an editorial intern for MOTHER EARTH NEWS where I learned a lot about the magazine industry. I recently got hired as an agate sports clerk for Lee Enterprises which puts out many newspapers including the La Crosse Tribune and the Winona Daily News.
I hope that you, readers, will enjoy this year’s Lumen as much as the staff members like writing for it, so sit back, drink your coffee and read the Lumen.

Greetings,
On behalf of my Viterbo colleagues, I welcome new and returning students.  Thank you for investing your time and resources at Viterbo.  You have many choices for higher education and we are grateful and proud you have chosen this Catholic Franciscan university.
Many new and exciting changes have taken place that are designed to enhance the living and learning environment at our university.  Perhaps the most visible change is the opening of Clare Apartments at the corner of Market and Eight Streets.  This beautiful building houses 118 students in 4 bedroom, 2 bedroom and studio apartment configurations.  There are 33 enclosed parking spaces.  All the rooms are occupied and all the parking spaces have been reserved.  The building is named for St. Clare of Assisi and was funded by university reserves.
Across the street from Clare Apartments, contractors were busy completing renovations to the third and fourth floors of Bonaventure Hall.  Floors five and six were renovated during the summer of 2011 and improvements to the first and second floors will be completed in 2013.
When the magnificent new building for the School of Nursing opened last fall, the Dahl School of Business moved from Murphy Center into Brophy Center.  Modest renovations began in the summer of 2011 to repurpose Brophy from a facility dedicated to nursing and dietetics to one more conducive to business education.  This summer, Phase II was completed.  The stunning improvements include a new front entrance and vestibule, a new student lounge and patio, technology upgrades, refurbishment of the auditorium, replacement of existing windows, new wall coverings, flooring, and other aesthetic improvements.  I’m confident that students enrolled in programs in the Dahl School of Business will truly enjoy their new surroundings.  This million dollar project was funded primarily by gifts from benefactors.
Thanks to the Student Government Association (SGA), you’ll find a pleasingly quiet place to hang out or study in the ground level of the Reinhart Center.  Space in the Reinhart Commons area has been remodeled into a study lounge – it might become one of your favorite places for study and contemplation.  This project was conceived and funded by SGA.
After wear and tear of 40 years, we replaced the seats in the Main Theatre of the Fine Arts Center.  The seat color is similar but I assure you that no seat will collapse on you, as one did on me during a performance last year!  As with the above projects, no tuition funds were used for this renovation.  A $1 ticket surcharge provides funds for such facility improvements.
Next time you are in downtown La Crosse, check out the progress on the new La Crosse Performing Arts Center, located on the river just north of the Courtyard by Marriott.  The beautiful new mid-size, 450 seat performing arts center is a collaboration between Viterbo and the La Crosse Community Theatre.  This project will provide more performance space for our growing programs in theatre and music theatre.  The center will be complete in December.  Viterbo’s first production will be A Chorus Line, scheduled for April.  Tickets for this show are on sale at the Fine Arts Center box office and online.  I anticipate sell-out performances so buy your tickets soon.
I hope this brief compilation of major physical plant projects offers evidence of the university’s commitment to enhance your educational opportunities at Viterbo.  These facility projects, together with the new building for the School of Nursing, represent investments of more than $25 million.  While making these investments, we have maintained a tuition rate that is lower than almost all private colleges in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.
We can all be proud of our beautiful campus and new facilities.  Most importantly, though, the benefits of an education at Viterbo will always be the lasting relationships you forge with people – classmates, professors, advisors, coaches, work supervisors, and staff.  We cherish the opportunity to be with you on your educational journey.  Have a terrific year!
Peace and All Good,
Rick Artman
President

Dear Editor of Lumen,

Imagine a world with no violence or hatred. A worldwide organiza­tion, Peace One Day, is commit­ted to making that image a reality. Peace One Day was founded in 1999 by Jeremy Gilley to establish the world’s first ever global ceasefire and non-violence day, Sept. 21.

Jeremy’s mission was affirmed when the United Nations unani­mously adopted the date as the world’s day of peace in 2001. As a result, countries across the world came together on Sept. 21, planned events, and passed legislation to rec­ognize the global truce.

In 2007, 4.5 million children in Afghanistan received polio vaccina­tion because of peace talks agreed upon by all parties in the region in­cluding the Taliban.

In 2008, the United Nations re­ported the nation of Afghanistan saw a 70% reduction in violence on Peace Day.

As president of Viterbo’s Student Government Association, I was se­lected as the student ambassador for Peace One Day in North America.

On Feb. 27, nine students from around the world met at the student launch event for the Global Truce 2012 movement in London. At this event, representatives discussed how to gain student commitment to Peace One Day.

Student leaders across the world are being asked to join Peace One Day’s Global Truce 2012 campaign.

The Global Truce 2012 campaign’s goals are to see the largest recorded reduction of global violence, both domestically and internationally, as well as the largest ever gather­ing of individuals in the name of peace. Our campaign will focus on bringing a greater awareness to the prevention of domestic violence and bullying in our local schools.

Viterbo and the greater La Crosse community will play a vital role in this process because on Sept. 21, La Crosse will host a large event mark­ing Peace Day. La Crosse is the per­fect community to make this move­ment a reality. It’s my hope that our community leaders stand behind us to help execute our goals

If students would like to be a part of the North American Peace One Day campaign, I encourage them to contact me at

peaceonedaystu­dents@gmail.com.

-Josh Kohnhorst

Senior business education major from Tomah, Wis.

By Missy Katner

Lumen Assistant Editor

Death. It can evoke images of gruesome violence and feelings of immense sorrow. But for some, it brings forth a sense of serenity and returning to nature. Sister Sharon Berger organized the Franciscan Sisters of Pertual Adoration (FSPA) natural cemetery three years ago in St. Joseph’s Ridge, Wis. It is located behind the Villa, the FSPA assisted living facility.

What is natural burial? And why is it important? In an interview with Lumen, Berger shared her thoughts on the topic.

Berger was part of the leadership team and liaison to the FSPA Villa from 2002 to 2010. In that time, she got to know the sisters there and at­tended many funerals.

“You realize that when people are ready to die, there’s a certain level of peace that tells them, this is part of the cycle of life,” Berger said. “We don’t like to think about it and talk about it, but we see it in nature all the time.”

Natural cemeteries allow people to be buried in a simple biodegrad­able container without embalming and without a concrete grave liner. The first natural cemetery was es­tablished in South Carolina in the mid 90’s.

Some feel that this alternative is necessary to protect the envi­ronment. Every year in the United States, 800,000 gallons of embalm­ing fluid, two million tons of metal and concrete, and 30 million feet of hardwoods are put in the ground to accompany bodies. These materials slow the natural decaying process, but cannot prevent it.

A Wisconsin green energy fair sparked Berger’s interest in natural burial in 2007. At that time, a group was trying to start a public natural cemetery near Madison.

Helen Gohres was the first sister at the Villa to express a wish to be buried naturally.

“Sister Helen just wanted to be wrapped in a sheet and laid in the ground,” Berger explained. “I start­ed exploring whether that was pos­sible.

It took Berger two years to get a Special Use Permit, have a county hearing, and acquire all the appro­priate documentation.

Most people were very open to the project and helpful. “But it was always ‘Oh, this is something new,’” Berger said.

In 2009, an acre of land behind the FSPA Villa was approved to be­come a natural cemetery. Sister Hel­en lived until the following fall and was the first to be buried there.

Berger told Lumen that some sis­ters thought it was great and others thought it was awful.

“This is a choice,” Berger said. “Nobody is asked to do this. Some sisters thought they all were going to have to buried that way. No that’s not it.”

Now, four sisters have been bur­ied naturally and 31 have filled out documentation for it.

The embalming process became popular in the United States during the Civil War. In order to ship sol­diers who were killed in battle back home, their bodies needed to be pre­served for traveling.

Because there is no embalming in natural burial, bodies must be buried no longer than 36 hours after death.

There are other difficulties. Since there are no grave liners, plots can­not be lined up right next to each other as in regular cemeteries. They must be spread out, sometimes in a circular formation.

“You may be taking more space, but what you’re not doing is destroy­ing the natural contour and makeup of the land,” Berger said. “So it stays a preserve and it will grow wild. It’s not meant to be a manicured place.

Natural burial is widely thought to be illegal in most places. Berger said she came across more opposi­tion from older generations than from younger ones.

Berger explained, “Death is not that imminent to people [in their twenties]. It’s as you get older that you really start thinking about what does all that mean.”

People tend to change their at­titudes, as many have with crema­tion. But there are several precon­ceived notions about natural burial. Some believe that grave liners are necessary to prevent the spread of disease, but most viruses and bacte­ria cannot survive more than a few hours in a dead body.

“We have these concepts,” Berger said. “That is one of the stipulations the county put on us. If a sister was to die of an infectious disease, we wouldn’t be able to bury her there if she wasn’t embalmed.”

Will there be a public natural cem­etery in La Crosse? Berger said there have been initial conversations, but it depends on the interest of the local community.

“Part of the interest is returning to the natural state, but also, why we are spending all this money on all these materials just to put them into the ground,” Berger said.

People often ask Berger if it is gruesome to be talking about this. She explained, “I don’t find it that way.” Sister Helen Gohres told Berger why green burial mattered to her: “This earth has nourished me all these years and now it’s my turn to feed the worms.”