2003 Fall Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention Fall The newsletter of the Honors Program at Westminster College 2003 Honors Students Get Ready For Grad School Panel of Experts Gives Honors Students the Skinny at Pizza with Profs Honors students at Westminster are learning the critical thinking skills that will help them flourish in graduate school. Many of us are planning to go to graduate school, but who really knows what goes on there? Well, thanks to a fantastic panel at the pizza with profs discussion on November 14, about a dozen Honors students now know a lot about law school, med school, and graduate programs in the Humanities. Dr. Fatima Mujcinovic, an Assistant Professor in English at Westminster; Dr. Eric Gilbert, an emergency room physician at Alta View and Cottonwood hospitals; and Sharrieff Shah, a litigator with Parsons Behle & Latimer composed the panel of grad school veterans. Mujcinovic laid out the nuts and bolts of applying to graduate school. She advises students to start the application process about a year early. This will leave plenty of time to contact schools and choose which ones to which you want to apply, take your admissions exams, collect reference letters from your professors, and put together a really solid personal statement and writing sample. Of all these factors, she says, the reference letters probably carry the most weight with admissions committees. Students should cultivate a good relationship with professors so they can write a really personal and meaningful recommendation. While a lot of students stress out about their tests scores, Mujcinovic says the GRE is not as important as some think it is. “Of course (your score) should be good,” she says, but she adds that most schools recognize that it is not always an accurate indicator of your intellectual ability. After you submit your application materials and get accepted Mujcinovic and Gilbert share their advice with Honors students. Anita Lui, Heather Brown, and Michael Accord enjoy the free pizza. to all your first choice schools, then the colleges will have to compete for you; “that’s the best part,” Mujcinovic jokes. When making the final decision, all three panelists urged students to seriously consider the financial packages each school offers. “Money is very important,” Mujcinovic says. When you’re a graduate student you won’t have time to work a lot of outside jobs to pay your tuition. In the interest of making your life easier, you continued on page 2 The Office of Fellowship Advising: Your Future, Made Easy On the second floor of Bamberger Hall, across from the President’s office and between the Office of Advancement and the Registrar’s Office, there is a small office near the break room. In this office there is a window overlooking the roof of Nightingale, a bookshelf, a file cabinet, a desk with a computer, three chairs, and one woman who can help you secure your educational future. Marilyn Campbell’s official title is Coordinator of Fellowship Advising, but it could also just as properly be Counselor of Life Planning. Her job is to assist talented students who have their sights set on graduate school by supplying them with information on distinguished, prestigious, merit-based scholarships, and to help with the application process. Campbell’s position was created last March by President Michael Bassis as a way to help the students of Westminster College pursue all different types of fellowships, or competitive awards available for undergraduate and graduate study. The process of applying for fellowships and to graduate school can be very intimidating, said Campbell. Many schools, such as Harvard continued on page 2 News Pizza, Cont’d Office of Fellowship Advising, Cont’d should look for schools that will give you TA positions, grants, etc. If you’re heading off to law school, location should be another important factor in your decision. Shah stressed that unless you will be going to a top tier law school (like Stanford or Harvard) you should try to go to a school in the community in which you want to practice law because in law school and through your clerkships you will build networks of lawyers, researchers, and even judges that will be invaluable to your success as a lawyer. Dr. Richard Badenhausen, director of the Honors program, chimed in that in the professional world, “prestige isn’t everything,” and networks can be important. Business leaders in Colorado who all got their MBAs at the University of Colorado may be able to relate better to U of C alumni than a Harvard graduate. This goes along with advice from Gilbert who stressed that graduate students, medical students in particular, should try to decide as early on as possible what they want to do with their degrees. That way they can tailor their education to that speciality and will be more competitive for internships and residencies in their particular field. Honors students who attended this discussion are certainly better equipped to handle the stressful process of applying to graduate school. The pizza with profs grad school panel is an annual event, so Honors students who missed this discussion will have a chance to redeem themselves next fall. If you need to know more about graduate school before then, Dr. Badenhausen is an excellent resource for more information and he can also put you in contact with any of the panelists from this event. -Pepper Hayes and Yale, have had large offices to help their students secure prestigious scholarships and the like for years, making students more apt to apply. Having someone at the school helps to eliminate the fear some may feel when going through the application process alone. Westminster is just catching up. To help her get the information needed to do the best job for Westminster students, Campbell attended the National Association of Fellowship Advisors National Conference in September. This association is only 3 years old, but, according to Campbell, a representative from every major fellowship foundation attended the meeting. “Each of them stood up and told us exactly what they were looking for” in applicants, Campbell said. “I took notes diligently!” Even though Campbell has a working knowledge of the major fellowships being offered, doing some research as a student won’t hurt. “The first step is to check out the website and find the scholarships you are interested in,” she said. There are fellowship opportunities all over this country, and all over the world. Some fellowships pay for part or all of a student’s education, while still others offer stipends for living expenses in addition to full rides. If nothing is of interest on the website, Campbell encourages students to research scholarships on their own or come in and she will be able to find a scholarship to meet the needs of each individual. After finding a scholarship to apply for, call Campbell or come to her office to talk. “This is when we brainstorm ideas for your personal statement and discuss the recommended list of activities and awards,” said Campbell. Repeated visits will most likely take place, talking about interests, guiding additional research and revising the proposal of study and the personal statement. Campbell stresses the importance of looking into the scholarships early, “at least a semester before the due date. The application process is lengthy.” Most graduate fellowships are in the fall, and most undergraduate fellowships are in the spring, says Campbell. Additionally, some fellowships require an institutional endorsement, so it is necessary to plan ahead. According to Campbell, the faculty have been a great resource for finding students who would be interested in scholarships, and guiding them into her office. She works in conjunction with faculty, including the director of the Honors program. “Getting to know your professors is important in order to get recommendations,” Campbell said. Furthermore, Campbell advises those who are planning to apply for these fellowships to “participate in everything, get involved in leadership and community service projects, and keep your grades up, as academics are a big component.” As far as Honors students are concerned, Campbell feels students in Honors would benefit greatly from visiting her office. “Students in the Honors program are usually interested in graduate school and advanced studies,” she said. Moreover, Honors students usually have high grade point averages, and their classes are harder, so the grades they do receive look even better compared with others. If you are interested in applying for a fellowship or to graduate school, Marilyn Campbell is more than happy to help you out. Visit her in Bamberger 217, or call her at x2754. -Teresa Elias Welcome Freshmen! This year’s incoming Honors class consists of 36 freshmen with an average ACT score of 29 (1300 SAT equivalent) and an average high school GPA of 3.91. The class has 6 high school valedictorians and 19% of its students come from out of state. Applications to the program were up 72% from the previous year. Current Honors students interested in working with next year’s incoming Honors class should look for announcements on the listserv and in future editions of Honorable Mention about new orientation and peer mentoring programs for first-year Honors students. page 2 News Student Honors Council in Chicago for NCHC What do limousine rides, Thai food, and really delicious chocolate have to do with Honors? Well, not a whole lot, except that they’re all examples of good times that Westminster’s Student Honors Council had while visiting Chicago for the National Collegiate Honors Council conference. We had a fabulous time experiencing Chicago, but trust me: we did get down to business, too. The SHC attended numerous sessions and listened to talks on new ideas and research, especially regarding improving our Honors program at Westminster. The two keynote speakers were former U.S. Senator Paul Simon and Sally Boyson, a chimpanzee speech specialist from Ohio State University. The theme of the conference was “Building Common Ground,” and the SHC came back from Chicago full of ideas on how to build and strengthen community in our program. On Monday, November 24th the SHC held an open forum to discuss the new changes that they hope to bring to Members of the Student Honors Council take a minute to pose in front of their limo in Chicago. Westminster’s program. The potential changes include adding a special Honors orientation to the already existing freshmen orientation, creating freshmen mentoring to help students through their first year in Honors, and adding a “common text” program in which freshmen will read a book over the summer before they come to orientation. Attending an Honors conference is an amazing way to make the most of your Honors experience. It’s a great opportu- nity to learn new ideas from students and faculty around the country, as well as to explore fascinating cities. Conferences also offer the valuable chance to share your own research, which is especially important now that presenting research is required for the Honors degree. If you would like more information on how to get involved in a conference, don’t hesitate to ask Richard Badenhausen or one of the Student Honors Council members. -Lauren Stephan Honors Program Secures New Grant Money to Support Independent Summer Research Projects by Students The Honors program is pleased to announce the institution of three annual grants in the amount of $2,300 each to support independent summer research by Honors students. These grants will be awarded each spring on a competitive basis through an application process administered by the Honors Council. According to Richard Badenhausen, Director of the Honors Program, these grants have a number of purposes. “They fit perfectly with the mission and curriculum of our program,” he explained, “which emphasize intensive research, academic writing, and educational achievement.” Students in the program have increasingly engaged in research projects that have lead to presentations at regional and national conferences in the past few years; and this initiative will offer another way to help facilitate that development. Although these grants are dedicated to supporting independent summer research by students, the Honors Council expects that the projects will typically grow out of the strong mentor relationships that Honors students have cultivated with their professors. While a sponsoring professor will help guide the initial proposal and certify its completion, students are expected to be able to conduct most of their work independently. The awards are open to Honors students majoring in all programs at Westminster. The Honors Council is currently completing discussions about the criteria it will use to evaluate projects and it is putting the finishing touches on the application forms, which will be available on the Honors program website and in the office of the Honors director at the start of the spring term. Applications will most likely be due in March, so that the selected students will know by April that this substantial support will be available to them during the summer months. Badenhausen pointed out that one of the purposes of the grant program is to allow students the financial security to concentrate on their research projects, since they will not need to seek fulltime summer jobs. The Honors Council will require students to submit a detailed project description and timeline, letters of support from both the sponsoring professor and a teacher who knows the student’s work well, and assurances that the student will not be working full-time (and therefore has the freedom to concentrate on the project). Expected criteria for evaluation will include the feasibility of the project, its intellectual merit, and the level of preparation of the student, among others. With an increasing number of Honors students also applying to graduate school and competing for prestigious national fellowships like the Rhodes, Fulbright, and Truman, such grant support will provide Honors students with yet another opportunity to build a record of achievement in their specific academic areas. page 3 People Student News & Notes The following Honors students have been invited to join Phi Sigma Tau, the international honors society for undergraduates in philosophy: Stewart Anderson, Nicole Blair, Pepper Hayes, Teresa Knight, Ali Owens, Tyler Smith, and Elisia Taylor. ghg Chris Averill interned this summer at IdahoTechnology where he conducted research and general production work for a new pathogen identification device called the RAZOR. He is currently researching an unidentified halophilic strain of bacteria and plans to get married this summer. Congratulations Chris! ghg Libby Biittner has been ski racing with the Snowbird Ski Team for nine years. Last year she was the Women’s Overall Combined winner at the Western Region Junior Olympics and the junior women’s champion at the US Freeskiing Nationals. ghg Honors students Mary Dirks and Nicki Blair have been named Westminster College Presidential Ambassadors for 2003-04, and Stewart Anderson and Eric Glissmeyer continue in that role from last year, which means that Honors students make up a third of the current ambassador class. ghg Over the summer Jessie Gravatt was an intern at Legal Aid Society, a non-profit law firm that specializes in Salt Lake County’s family law cases, where she oversaw the development of their first newsletter. ghg Ashley Jorgensen is writing her senior thesis on Paganism. She will be teaching World Religions in December and presenting a professional poster as well. ghg Ali Owens received an invitation to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship at the state level. Good luck Ali! ghg Lauren Stephen is doing psychology research on adolescents, sleep patterns, selective attention, and depression. ghg Over the summer Michael Wallstedt worked with a team to build a robotic platform. The team achieved basic functionality of motor control, sonar, CMUCam and networking systems. page 4 Heather Brown Student Profile Being an English and Psychology major and being in the Honors program makes sophomore Heather Brown quite busy. But nobody will find her complaining. She enjoys challenging herself and finds “Honors classes more stimulating.” Brown is originally from Virginia, but moved to Bountiful when she was about 13. She took Honors courses while in high school because she loved learning and reading; she decided to continue challenging herself by entering the Honors program upon her arrival at Westminster. “The humanities course has been my favorite class here at Westminster,” she said. “I loved the books we read and discussed.” Brown is not only involved in the Honors program as a student, but also helps out Richard Badenhausen as a work-study in his office. She helps with projects for the program and is usually in the office when he is teaching. Brown said that if any student ever needs help and Badenhausen is gone, she is always willing to lend a hand. She is not taking any Honors courses this semester and says she actually misses her Honors classes. “I am willing to help any students on a personal level.” Brown’s advice for any freshman struggling in their work is to talk with the professors. They are there to help. Ask questions, take in drafts, or just ask for some advice. So if you see Heather around feel free to say hi. She is a great person to talk to and more than willing to help students. -Jessica Shurtleff Faculty Profile Richard Badenhausen Richard Badenhausen is more than just the director of the Honors program; he is an abundant resource for the students at Westminster. Before he moved to Salt Lake City in 2001, Badenhausen taught at Marshall University for eleven years, four of which he spent as the director of that institution’s Honors program. Part of the reason he chose to come to Westminster was the incredible support the administration gives to Honors and because of the excellent faculty and students. In addition to directing the program and holding the Kim T. Adamson chair, Badenhausen team-teaches the two-course humanities sequence with Nick More and periodically offers a variety of other classes, including “The Literature of World War One,” “The Literature and Film of the Fantastic,” and “Reading and Writing Salt Lake City.” Badenhausen said his favorite class to teach is Humanities. He enjoys working with incoming freshman because Humanities offers them their first experience in the college atmosphere and the class focuses upon skills that will benefit students for the rest of their academic careers. He also loves team-teaching with Dr. More, who he calls one of the best professors he has taught with in over a decade of Honors team-teaching. Badenhausen is always available to help out Honors students if they ever have any questions. He likes to keep his students updated on upcoming events and opportunities in the community and he often takes students to academic conferences and off-campus events. If any student is struggling, his door is always open. -Jessica Shurtleff Student Honors Council Hello Honors Students! Beyond sharing the fascinating tales of quirky Honors boys dancing so hard their Starry Night neckties tangled about their heads, the members of the Student Honors Council can offer a wealth of information regarding the Honors experience. We would love for every student to come to us with questions and concerns, comments and stories. This is a resource that should not remain untapped. Council members have the inside-scoop on all the happenings of the program. As a new student, I remember wondering, “How is the program, really?” Council members can tell you. Everything. Above all else, remember this: just as we are a resource for you all, you all are a resource for us. We need your input and participation to create a sense of community and improve the program. And if you’re curious about the dancing boys, please ask me about it. It’s a really good story… Ali Owens, SHC Co-Chair A Sushi Shindig to Remember The convergence of brilliant minds to share lives, ideas, and food. How can this go wrong? It can not and did not thanks to the dazzling coordinating skills of our own Ali Owens, co-chair of the Student Honors Council. A good time was had by all and the stunning ability of those in the throes of Honors to entertain themselves rendered the trivial pursuit portion of the evening unnecessary, one could even say trivial. Prominent faces among the crowd were our fearless leader Richard Badenhausen, our awe inspiring Nick More, old friends, new friends, and of course my own voluptuous visage! I was impressed by the ability of those in attendance to converse with one another on intellectual matters as well as daily concerns. It was a wonderful opportunity to take a breath, catch up with old friends, uncover the not-somysterious-after-all details of professors’ lives, pummel the newbies with a myriad of questions and introductions, and partake of sushi, sandwich, and soda. A great event for a great beginning. Now, onward and upward into the best year this Student Honors Council has ever seen! -Nicki Blair Ask the Council: What has been your favorite Honors course so far and why? “In Humanities I discovered my love of philosophy and was reminded of my interests in history and literature. However, I learned more than history and philosophy in those classes, I learned how to apply myself. I think that you will all agree with me when I say that after the Humanities course, no college course thereafter will feel insurmountable. It was also my favorite because it was where I made my first friends in the Honors progran.” Nicki Blair, SHC Co-Chair “I’d have to say Humanities has been my favorite class. Monads were new to us, the class was full of quirky kids with wit, and Dr. More’s Platonic wolverine example still makes me chuckle. I learned even more than I thought.” Ali Owens, SHC Co-Chair “I loved my May Term SLC as Text class. It brought the city to life in ways that I’d never thought possible. Who knew there was so much depth to Salt Lake? It was a very eye-opening class.” Mary Dirks, SHC Secretary Honors students Anita Lui, Lauren Stephan, Ali Owens, Heather Brown, Teresa Elias, and Michael Accord enjoy eating sushi and making new friends at the sushi social in October. “My favorite Honors class so far was the second half of Humanities. I really felt myself grow and it made me think in new ways. I started really enjoying philosophy.” Lauren Stephan, SHC Treasurer page 5 Perspectives Describe your dream Honors course, in a perfect world. faculty response student responses Susan Cottler Professor of History Ryan Bissegger Senior, majoring in International Business The Honors course that truly rocks. I had an experience somewhat like this as an undergraduate and it was wonderful. We studied the Cuban revolution for a semester—we read a book a week and met at the Newman center (Catholic student center) so we had wine and treats with the professor. We had to agree to take the class pass/ fail or we could not get in. I would broaden it both subject wise and experientially. My dream course aspires to immerse students in great, lasting important literary works and the cultures that gave them birth. This requires that both students and professor(s) totally dedicate themselves to learning in a creative, original and occasionally traditional way. I imagine it as a learning community with many points of view, sources of inspiration and creative thinking, and FUN. (These are not mutually exclusive.) Hist 499: Great Books, Great Ideas and Great Experiences. This course would meet on Friday nights from 6-? The professor (doc c) would create a syllabus that reflected her teaching strengths such as 19th c Russia, modern American culture, Revolution, Race Relations – NO END IN SIGHT. HAVE SOOO MANY INTERESTS. SO, LIKE, HERE’S AN ITINERARY—OOPS! I mean silly bus (syllabus): The first two weeks we read War and Peace. We study the world of Tolstoy, and the reality of the Napoleonic invasion of Russia. I lecture, find some background reading, and we discuss. We see and analyze a Russian film. We learn about Russian cuisine and then we make a meal, complete with music and beverage (as a class). We pretend that we’re living at the time the work was published, and have the appropriate discussion regarding the issues of the day. The next couple of weeks could be devoted, for example, to Gabriel Garcia Marques, Love in the Time of Cholera. We do the same type of thing, except maybe we’ll go to a Spanish speaking film and theatre—or maybe we’ll eat at a Latin American restaurant—or, the guys will cook and the women will smoke cigars and discuss politics! And so it goes. The requirements for this course are: attendance—every skipped block of time is worth half a grade. In addition, each person in the class has to create a perfect evening (on paper) and research the life, time and culture of the great read he/she chooses. Big paper. No help on how to write a paper. Prerequisite: any student (senior) who would like to take this “capstone” would have to apply for it by writing a short essay explaining why, and then have a short interview with me. Getting accepted for participation in this course will be as difficult as staying it and passing it. Maximum enrollment: eight students. Okay, if you beg, ten. Credit hours: 4-5 I would probably like the class to be less philosophy based and on a topic we don’t learn a lot about as Honors students: business. It would consist of about 25 students in the class, with students from all the different schools at Westminster College. Other students that are not Honors students would be allowed to take this class. Shannon Bellamy would be the professor of this course because he is very knowledgeable about business and he speaks to students on an equal level. We would read about current events that are taking place in the business world today. There would also be a slight emphasis on philosophical ethics. Then we would write and discuss prominent themes found in the current events. The majority of the articles chosen would consist of ethical issues taking place in the business world, since business ethics seems to be forgotten. The class would be graded on the quality of students’ responses, not the quantity of students’ responses. Deadlines for the writings on the articles will be loose to allow students the ability to achieve the most thought-out responses. Prominent business leaders from the local community would be guest speakers. It would be an Honors course because it would have a tie-in with philosophy, even though that would not be the major theme of the class. page 6 Adam Haverkost Senior, majoring in Aviation The subject would be more History based, preferably about the wars in movies, with small philosophical insights. The class would most likely contain 15 – 20 students from all the schools at the college. Students that are not in the Honors program would not be permitted to take this course because the subject matter will be of a high standard. The course would be team taught by Dr. Jeff Nichols and Dr. Susan Cottler. These two would be ideal for this course because of their extensive knowledge of history and their realistic and creative insights into teaching the material. There would be one book for this course containing 50 – 100 pages. There would be one paper consisting of two pages, double-spaced with Arial font. Most of the grading from the class would be attendance based. Therefore, coming to class would be the most important aspect. It would be terrific if a high ranking officer/film director/movie critic would come and speak to the class. Punch and pie will, of course, follow this lecture. This course would be team taught, which is exclusive to the Honors program, and it would be listed as an HONORS course in the course catalog. Academia Acting in the Face of Indifference: Suffering and Social Justice in the Modern World by Ali Owens The following is an excerpt of a paper from Dr. Michael Popich’s Honors seminar on Justice and Violence. This paper explores the problem of indifference and bystandership in twentieth century affairs such as the Holocaust. If you do not come to the aid of others who are under grave assault, in acute danger or crying need, you cannot reasonably expect others to come to your aid in similar emergency; you cannot consider them so obligated to you. (28) When Norman Geras wrote of the contract of mutual indifference, he was not describing an abstract moral world for the sake of theorizing. In the wake of the Holocaust, and the twentieth century in general, this contract is “a model of our world. The state of affairs described . . . is close enough to the actual state of affairs in our world as to portray accurately the relations generally prevailing between most of the people in it”(29). When one takes into account the atrocities of the last century, it is not difficult to agree with this assessment. Passive bystandership has always been a problem facing systems of justice, but after witnessing the effects of collective indifference on a grand scale, we have found it especially important to address these problems explicitly. Bystandership is now recognizable in all facets of our social lives. And as Geras hints, our moral systems fail to address the problem of bystandership because they are predicated on an account of human nature that does not recognize our propensity to care less for those who do not seemingly concern us directly. Constructing a political philosophy after the Holocaust demanded a reevaluation of our state of affairs. Any attempt at rationalizing the horrific treatment humans are capable of exercising and witnessing toward their fellow man is reduced to reformulating the human condition—it becomes the only way to make sense of our actions, or within the context of this paper, our inaction. Critiques of modern liberalism lend themselves nicely to the discussion of indifference. In general, it has been argued that liberalism fragments society by stressing individualism. Liberalism abandons the idea of community as the foundation for social action. Once this emphasis shifts to the individual, it seems we feel morally comfortable simply if we know we are not actively harming others. Nothing is said of the passive spectator who is not explicitly violating the rights of others. Within the liberalist tradition, it is difficult to demand concern for society when individual rights are underscored to such a high degree. How can there be social justice when the emphasis is not social, but individual? Geras recognizes this apparent gap between social justice and individual rights, and sees capitalism as the mechanism by which the individual loses concern for the community. The system, in effect, “underwrites” a contract of mutual indifference. Geras concedes that capitalist values are not responsible for all evil, but that they contribute “their massive share to it” (169). The desertion of social values is the first step in creating a collection of bystanders. But forsaken concern for society demands more than individualism. Alastair MacIntyre suggests another component of the abandonment of communitarian values very much related to excessive individualism: we have come to believe ourselves to be completely independent of one another. The atomic individual is a forever self-sufficient and invincible (by his own rationality) being. After forgetting his dependency on his fellow man, even though “it is most often to others that we owe our survival,” he is hard-pressed to find the value in helping others (1). MacIntyre notes that there has never been a serious discussion about human vulnerability and the connection between that and our dependence on others. If they are mentioned, it is for the purpose of separating oneself from the dependency that afflicts others. This separation is another necessary component within the bystander phenomenon. As Zygmunt Bauman recognized, “moral inhibitions do not act at a distance” (192). The gap created by excessive individualism and our denial of dependence reduces feelings of moral culpability with regard to the suffering of the “other.” MacIntyre also notes that humans will act according their own self-interest; both he and Geras attempt to show that allowing the suffering of others will ultimately be self-defeating. Our own vulnerability demands that self-interested individuals hold communitarian values. Social justice is a concern all individuals should hold, even if only for their own protection. By appealing to our rational self-interest, we should be convinced on rational grounds alone to “care” for the well-being of others. Although we have recognized our atomic selfishness, we will not be convinced on these grounds to act on behalf of others. It is as proofs for the existence of God; atheists, upon reading Pascal’s wager, are scarcely convinced to take that bet and begin believing. The wager denies the fundamental component of belief—Faith. In the same way, acting in such a way as to prevent the harm of another cannot be a calculated selfish act. While accepting our vulnerability and dependence is a valuable way to begin the discourse on eliminating our capacity to bystand, something more is needed. We must embrace others’ dependence on us, each individual one of us. Apathy and passive indifference need not afflict us if we embrace the notion that others are dependent on us, as individuals. Many of the excuses bystanders give for their non-action could be refuted in light of this. Everyone has a moral duty to help those suffering. In this way, social justice would be the moral responsibility of every individual. Accepting the burden cannot be based on rational self-interest alone, but rather on a deeply felt connection and recognized interdependence with the other individuals of society. Works Cited: Geras, Norman. The Contract of Mutual Indifference: Political Philosophy After the Holocaust. Verso. New York: 1998. MacIntyre, Alasdair. Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues. Open Court. Chicago: 1999. page 7 Musings From Your Editors... As the semester ends, Honors students are typically overwhelmed with final papers and final exams. It is at this time of the year, more than any other, that we may tend to isolate ourselves and view our education as an individual endeavor with our brains as our only resource. In our opinion this is the worst mistake an Honors student can make. The Honors program is a community and as such we can help each other make the most of our education. Not only do we have information at our fingertips through the Honors website and resource library, but through the listserv each fellow Honors student becomes a potential untapped resource. In a learning community we are all in this together. You can achieve your goals while helping others achieve their goals, and vice versa. Next time you need help try talking to other students in your class. This will help you see other perspectives on the material presented in class. Your neighbor may have taken better notes in class lectures and you may have really grasped the key concepts in your reading. Together you will be an unstoppable force. Underclassmen in the Honors program should recognize upperclassmen as their most valuable resources. While there is no formal mentoring program in place yet, most upperclassmen are willing and able to take a look at your papers or help you brainstorm ideas. Sometimes just talking to someone who has been through what you are experiencing can make you feel better about the work you are accomplishing. The resources available to you don’t limit themselves to help with course work. For example, in this issue of the Honorable Mention we have pointed out several resources at your disposal through the Honors program. If you are interested in going to graduate school, be sure to read the article on the new Office of Fellowship Advising and the piece on the Honors annual grad school panel. You might also be interested in the money the program recently allocated to fund student research – check it out on page three. By far, your fellow Honors students are the most abundant and diverse resource available to you 24 hours a day. (Most of us are awake in the middle of the night studying anyway – or getting a head start on our dissertation.) If you’re looking for some contacts check out all of the fabulous students who are in the pages of this publication or introduce yourself to everyone by writing a message to the Honors listserv. After all, we’re a community. Peace, Pepper Hayes and Teresa Elias co-editors of Honorable Mention Honors Program Westminster College 1840 S. 1300 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84105 www.westminstercollege.edu/honors email: [e-mail] [e-mail]