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In this issue:
Men’s Basketball Team goes to NCAA
Joan Benoit Samuelson to be Commencement Speaker
Lasell Village: End of Life Decisions Workshop
Institutional Advancement on the Road
Need Tax Forms ... Click Here
Join the Lasell Walkers
Campus News
InfoTech Briefings
The Connected Learning Corner
Winter Festival Raises $$$$ for Barn
Playground Renovation
Lasell Snow Castle
The only American woman to have won an Olympic gold medal in the marathon
Joan Benoit Samuelson, Acclaimed Women’s Marathoning Pioneer,
to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
at Lasell’s 148th Commencement Ceremony, Sunday, May 18
 Joan Benoit Samuelson, whom Runner's World magazine called "the greatest American marathoner in history,” will share her unique life experiences with graduates, their families, faculty, staff and friends at Lasell’s 148th commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18, at 11 a.m., under the tent, on Taylor Field.
Samuelson, who won the Boston Marathon twice (1979,1983) and captured the gold during the first women's Olympic marathon in the 1984 Games, will be commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree from the College.
Hers is the story of which legends are made -- a story of grace, courage, determination, spirit, and pure athletic talent.
Before 1980, the Olympic games didn’t give women the opportunity to race for longer than a mile. It was when the marathon -- 26.2 miles of pounding physical speed and endurance -- was introduced for women, at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, that the then 26-year-old Benoit Samuelson ran for and won the gold, becoming an instant international celebrity.
But winning wasn’t a new experience for Joan Benoit Samuelson. During the Boston Marathon of 1979, she set an American record and then, in 1983, she bested her competitors and won the world record for women marathons. Inspired by her victories, a new generation of women long-distance runners emerged.
Since then, Joan Benoit Samuelson has worn her mantle of athletic hero and role model with grace. The mother of two children, she has written about her experiences and shared her advice in two books, Running Tide and Running for Women,
and has presided over running clinics, coached women's cross-country and long-distance running, and worked as a sports commentator and a motivational speaker.
Born in Maine in 1957, Joan Benoit Samuelson was the only female student in her high school to run cross-country. In her junior year, as a way of reconditioning herself after she broke her leg in a skiing accident, she began to run more often and at greater distances.
While a senior at Bowdoin College, Benoit entered the 1979 Boston Marathon as a virtual unknown and won, setting that record for American women. Following surgery on her Achilles tendons, she again won the Boston Marathon in 1983. And in May 1984, she won the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon, only 17 days after arthroscopic knee surgery!
Although Norway's Grete Waitz was favored to win the gold medal in 1984, Joan Benoit Samuelson surged ahead only three miles into the race and completed the race one-and-a-half minutes in the lead. In 1996, she qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trials Marathon.
Inducted into the Maine women’s Hall of Fame in March 2000, Joan Benoit Samuelson has been an energetic supporter of charities including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics, Multiple Sclerosis, the Maine Women's Fund, and the Governor's Executive Council on Communities for Children. In 1998 she established a world-class road race in Cape Elizabeth to benefit children's charities in Maine.
JOIN THE LASELL WALKERS!
Tired of this winter? Sick of having to balance around icy patches ? Then join the newly formed Lasell Walkers Club and walk the winter doldrums away along with like-minded faculty, staff, and students.
The Walkers meet Monday through Friday at the Athletic Center’s indoor track between the hours of 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.
Come whenever you can, any time between 12:30 and 1:30 in the afternoon -- for an invigorating 20 to 30 minute walk that is a great and painless way to get fit, stay fit, and rid yourself of some of that stress. Only 16 times around the track is a mile! And if you are gabbing away with an old (or perhaps a new) friend, the time goes by before you know it!
A small (but dedicated) group from the School of Business started this activity a few weeks ago and would welcome any and all. The more, the merrier, and the healthier!
Join us...and bring a friend.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FORUM HIGHLIGHTS SERVICE-LEARNING
 De Witt Hall was crowded with students, faculty, staff, and Villagers at February’s civic engagement forum entitled “Raise Your Voice.” The event was part of a state-wide “Week of Action” as declared in a state proclamation. The forum celebrated and promoted Lasell students’ community involvement through service and service-learning activities and funding was received from Pew Charitable Trust with support from the Massachusetts Campus Compact.
“Our access to education makes us privileged,” said President de Witt, who sponsored the event, “and it is our responsibility to give back. Lasell has long been committed to service-learning and more than half our faculty have incorporated the concept into their programs. We have found that by reaching out to others we learn something about ourselves.”
Director of the Center for Community-Based Learning Sharyn Lowenstein introduced members of a panel whose presenters represented three of the programs that students are currently involved with: The Second Step, America Reads at the Mason Rice Elementary School, and Children’s AIDS Program (CAP).
Lasell intern Tania Cirino ’03 described the mission and some of her responsibilities at The Second Step, a transitional women’s shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Professors Diane Donatio and Linda Bucci proceeded to explain how they had incorporated Second Step into their classes.
“Last fall I had students in my English 102 class read fictional pieces involving the dysfunctional relationships of people. These profiles paralleled The Second Step experiences and the people in them became real to the students. It opened their eyes to the terrible effects that domestic abuse has,” said Professor Donatio.
Students from Professor Bucci’s Criminal Law class are working this semester with The Second Step to put on a conference for battered women concerning various legal issues. In her Domestic Violence class, students have gone to the Family Nurturing Program and served dinner as well as making a trip to the facility to sort out donations.
“My Domestic Violence class also sponsored a fundraising event at the Village where a survivor spoke. Our involvement with The Second Step has fanned out and touched many members of the Lasell community,” said Professor Bucci.
When the students participating in the America Reads program spoke about their experiences at the Mason Rice Elementary School, it quickly became apparent how much it means to them. “I have learned about myself and found out how much giving back to the community means to me. Because of my involvement I have decided to change my major to Human Services,” said
Lee Ann Tkacz ’05.
“I have worked my classes around my America Reads schedule,” said Alexis Polanco ‘05. “If you can’t get to school the students are so disappointed! They’ll say to me, ‘Where were you? You didn’t call.’”
This is the first year that Lasell has had a service-learning residence hall. Last semester the students in Case House planned a holiday party with Children’s AIDS Program (CAP). This prompted another student, Jason Lively ’03, to organize an internship with CAP for the spring semester, while the Case House students are thinking about becoming involved with the Walk for Hunger. “Community service is a passion for us,” explained Kim Orellana ‘04.
At the end of the program, Director Lowenstein asked everyone to visit the 10 agencies that were located at tables throughout de Witt Hall. These included Newton Food Pantry, Walk for Hunger, Newton Girl Scouts, Wellness Community, Springwell, AmeriCorps, Newton Parks and Recreation Department-Therapeutic Programs, Barry Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Newton Office of Volunteer Services, and Green Decade.
“Please take the time to get involved and tell your friends to get involved as well,” said Director Lowenstein. Judging by the crowd that began to filter towards the information tables, this was exactly what was happening.
Making the Connection ...
48% of the full-time faculty are incorporating service learning into at least one course for the ’03 academic year.
 A group of Lasell students from Film and Literature worked with a group of fifth graders from the Williams School last semester. Together they discussed the book Journey to Topaz, a story about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. They then discussed stereotyping in the fifth graders' lives. After the discussions, the Lasell students wrote a script for the fifth graders which the fifth graders performed for the entire class. The script was used to discuss issues of stereotypes and discrimination. The Lasell students videotaped the performance so that the Williams School fifth grade teachers may use it again.
-- Mimi Reddicliffe
Winter Festival Raises $$$
for Barn Playground Renovation
It started last year as a fun day for the families and friends of Barn and Rockwell children to raise some money to renovate the Barn playground. “And this year, on Saturday, March 1, our second annual festival was even better than our first,” says Cindy Baron, director of the Holway Child Study Centers.
“Families from both Centers spent three hours eating, playing, and enjoying each other’s company along with more than 35 Lasell and CES students, who volunteered to staff the Festival along with two Lasell faculty, 13 Barn teachers and 25 Barn parents.
“Many Lasell students participated in the event as part of a service-learning project. Others just wanted to volunteer and be a part of the community. More than 100 children attended and participated in games and crafts. The silent auction at the event raised $3,900 with parents biding on everything from Celtic and Bruins tickets to a hand painted step stool by the Younger Preschool classroom, and ticket sale brought in another $500. Last years event raised $2,400.
“We hope to start planning renovations for the Barn playground this spring and use the money to fund those renovations,” says Cindy.
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President Tom de Witt, Bragdon Campaign Director Cathy Black, and Alumni Director Karen Gill recently returned from Florida where they held a marathon of six alumni gatherings, meeting and greeting alums in Punta Gorda, Sarasota, Naples, Everglades City, Boca Raton, and Melbourne.
Forget the Post Office ...
The Lasell IT Help Desk was implemented last year to provide Lasell faculty, staff, and students with a point of contact for technical questions or problems. You can either call the Help Desk at xHELP or email them at support@lasell.edu. The Help Desk will either forward the issue to the appropriate staff member or outside company/consultant that can solve the issue at hand. In many cases, however, the Help Desk will solve the problem over the phone. Many problems can be dealt with more quickly if we had all the necessary information about the problem. Below is a list of suggestions compiled by Richard Dodds for his Comp 101 class. Reviewing these items before you call the Help Desk will speed up the process of resolving your issue. Try the easy fixes: