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CMU Student Volunteers Work with MDS in Tennessee

MDS Service Trip Reminds Students They Can’t Take Life for Granted

As recent events in Japan have shown, for many in our world, natural disasters can shake our lives to the core. Such was the experience in May 2010 for the people in Lyles, TN, when their town was decimated by flooding and three tornadoes. The events of that day killed dozens of people and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes.

During CMU Reading Week 2011, nine CMU students under the leadership of CMU staff member, Rick Unger, put homework and rest behind them to participate instead in a Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) trip to Lyles. CMU student volunteers in Tennessee were David Attema, Raya Cornelsen, Raquel Epp, Karen Jantzen, Christina Janzen, Esther Klassen, Brittany Kroeker, Brad Muller, and Nia Rogers.

“The purpose of the trip,” said Sandra Loeppky, CMU Coordinator of Commuter, Disability and International Programs, “was to expose students to MDS as a volunteering option, to serve where there is a need, and to network and meet people from all over Canada and the United States.”

MDS Volunteer Nia Rogers

Their time spent dry-walling, siding, and insulating honed their construction skills and their sense of service, and allowed them to get to know people from the area.  But it was a rewarding experience for many more reasons.

According to Nia Rogers, the MDS trip taught her that “life is fragile; you can’t take anything for granted.  You never know when things can get ripped out from under you,” she said.

For Brad Muller, intergenerational communication was a benefit of the MDS trip. “There were predominantly retired people working there.  We learned that young people don’t always have to stay with young people. That was a huge realization,” he said.

Finally, for Unger, who had participated in last year’s reading week MDS service trip to Dulzura, CA, going to Tennessee was important as a way “to get out there and see the world outside of CMU, the greater community.”

He also enjoyed getting to know the students whom he sees on a regular basis but doesn’t generally get the chance to spend time with. Unger was thrilled that the student participants gave up their reading week break in order to pay money and work hard all week long as MDS volunteers.

Loeppky agrees and believes that “unique things happen when you travel and serve with a group of people.”

All students asked would undoubtedly go on another MDS service trip.

 

Front, l-r: Rick Unger, Nia Rogers, Karen Jantzen, Brittany Kroeker, Esther Klassen. Back l-r: Raya Cornelsen, Brad Muller, David Attema, Christina Janzen, Raquel Epp

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees in arts and science, with courses and programs in such disciplines as disaster recovery studies, business and organizational administration, communications and media, peace and conflict resolution studies, music and music therapy, theology, and church ministries. CMU offers graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian ministry. CMU is a Member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

For further information, contact:
Nadine Kampen
Communications and Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300   Toll free 877.231.4570
Canadian Mennonite University, 500 Shaftesbury Blvd.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P 2N2
www.cmu.ca

 

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General News

First Disaster Recovery Grad Inspired to Alleviate Suffering

David Barker Completes Disaster Recovery Studies at CMU

DRS Graduate David Barker with CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt and Instructors Lois Nickel (DRS) and Kenton Lobe (IDS)

Three years ago, in the middle of reading Roméo Dallaire’s traumatic first-hand account of the Rwanda genocide, David Barker decided his future would be in disaster response.

“It was the first time I read something about the actual suffering going on in the world,” says Barker, recalling his profound emotional response to Dallaire’s book, Shake Hands with the Devil.

This spring, Barker became the first student to graduate from Canadian Mennonite University’s fledgling Disaster Recovery Studies (DRS) program. Barker received his diploma on April 17 with a major in Peace and Conflict Studies and two minors, one in International Development and the other in Disaster Recovery.

If CMU had offered a major in disaster recovery, he would have taken it, Barker says. When he enrolled, CMU was just getting the 18-credit-hour program off the ground.

CMU developed its Disaster Recovery Studies program through a partnership with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), a faith-based agency with more than fifty years of experience responding to disasters in Canada and the U.S.A.
The emphasis of CMU’s program is on the longer-term phases of individual, family, and community rebuilding following disasters. A key part of the program is a series of two terms of fieldwork, eight to ten weeks each, fulfilling CMU’s practicum requirement.

“The first term is spent serving with MDS. The second may be either with MDS or with another agency that does disaster recovery work in North America or internationally,” says DRS Instructor Lois Nickel, Program and Region Director with MDS. “Through these service terms, students like David Barker receive hands-on and leadership experience in the rebuilding of disaster-affected, often vulnerable communities. DRS helps students understand the nature of disasters, their aftermath, and the best ways to help people and communities recover physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually.”

Ever since reading Dallaire’s book, Barker has felt called to help alleviate suffering in the world caused by disaster and conflict. He feels his classes and hands-on fieldwork over the past three years have helped equip him to begin that work.

In the summer of 2009, Barker completed his first practicum helping rebuild homes destroyed by California wildfires. “It was a very valuable experience,” he says. “We actually got to interact with the people who had been in the disaster and hear their stories – to talk to them about how they grew spiritually and mentally.”

For his second practicum, Barker worked with the Red Cross in Winnipeg helping develop a tool to assess the province’s ability to respond to disasters such as floods, heat waves, tornados, forest fires, or blizzards. In the classroom Barker studied the theory behind disaster response and the phases of recovery.

Barker’s long-term goal is to get a job working for an organization like the Red Cross, World Vision, or the UN. He says he’s willing to live in whatever part of the world he’s needed. “I’d find that interesting and rewarding,” Barker says.

But to get that kind of job, Barker needs more volunteer experience on his resumé. That’s why, the day after graduation, he started volunteering with the Manitoba government’s Emergency Measures Organization coordinating responses to the annual spring flood.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is an accredited Christian university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts, music, music therapy, theology, and church ministries, and master degrees in theological studies and Christian ministry. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Located in Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through Outtatown, CMU’s adventure and discipleship program.

For information, contact:
Nadine Kampen, Communications and Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca     Tel. 204.487.3300   Toll free 877.231.4570
Canadian Mennonite University    500 Shaftesbury Blvd.   Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P 2N2

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Gerald Gerbrandt Announces Inaugural Winners of the CMU President’s Gold Medal Awards

Erin Weaver, Rebecca Reesor Recognized as Outstanding CMU Graduates

Canadian Mennonite University at its April 17, 2011 Convocation made the inaugural presentation of the President’s Gold Medal for Scholarship, Leadership, and Service to two outstanding CMU graduates from the Class of 2011.

“CMU is bestowing its new award to honour students whom the University considers to have best exemplified the vision of CMU for scholarship, leadership, and service during their time here as students,” says CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt. “The recipients of the President’s Gold Medals in 2011 are Erin Elizabeth Weaver and Rebecca Ann Reesor.”

“Approved by CMU Senate in March 2011, the President’s Gold Medal award process identifies graduating students who have achieved a grade point average of 4.0 or more,” notes Registrar Wesley Toews.  Members of Faculty and Student Life then submitted nominations from this list of exceptional students and a selection committee comprised of representatives from CMU Faculty, Student Life, and the CMU Awards Committee made the final choices.

CMU President’s Gold Medal winners Erin Weaver (at left) and Rebecca Reesor with President Gerald Gerbrandt

“We have amazing students and the new President’s award is a great way to feature them,” says Peters Kliewer. “The candidates for the award were all great students – bright, competent, caring people.  They will make a valuable contribution and be effective in their home communities and in the world.”

CMU 2011 President’s Gold Medal Award Winners

Erin Elizabeth Weaver (CMU ’11)
Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (4-Yr.) in International Development Studies with a minor in Biblical and Theological Studies, Erin Weaver has been very involved in student leadership at CMU.  A member of the CMU Student Council for the past two years, Weaver was Vice President of Student Relations in 2010-’11, and in the prior year, served as the chair of the Peace and Social Awareness Committee.

Demonstrating a passion for those in need, Weaver took an active role in helping students on campus but also reached out beyond the campus to the inner city, where she took a particular interest in addressing homelessness.  Generous with her time and in using her gifts to serve those around her, Weaver organized and coordinated such events as the CMU Pearson Challenge, Tuition Freedom Day, and Blood Donor Clinics.

Weaver, who comes from Red Lake, Ontario, lived on campus at CMU. While completing her CMU practicum requirement, she also lived for several months in Uganda.

Rebecca Ann Reesor (CMU ’11)
Rebecca Reesor graduated with a Bachelor of Music, with concentrations in Performance and Music Ministry.  An exceptional pianist, Reesor recently won first place in the CMU 2011 Verna Mae Janzen competition.

Beyond her music and academic work, Reesor was also able to share of herself in other ways within the CMU community and through committee work. Reesor, who lived in residence, was highly engaged in campus life. She participated in CMU ensembles; led and participated in Wednesday night worship services and student chapels; was a hard-working member of our Peace-It-Together (PIT) worship committee; and was a planning member for a ministers’ worship conference. She was also in the CMU sports program in earlier years, playing for the Blazer Women’s Soccer team.

Reesor completed her practicum in her home church in Bluevale, Ontario and is using skills she learned at CMU with Winnipeg’s Fort Gary Mennonite Brethren Church, where she currently works in a music role.

Reesor and Weaver were among 82 graduates who received CMU Shaftesbury Bachelor or Master degrees at the 2011 Convocation, where guest speaker Rudy Wiebe (MBBC ’61) shared an inspirational message. Also celebrating that same day were 62 students, returning days earlier from Guatemala and South Africa, who completed the CMU Outtatown program.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is an accredited Christian university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts, music, music therapy, theology, and church ministries, and master degrees in theological studies and Christian ministry. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Located in Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through Outtatown, CMU’s adventure and discipleship program.

For information, contact:
Nadine Kampen,
Communications and Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300   Toll free 877.231.4570
Canadian Mennonite University,   500 Shaftesbury Blvd.   Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P 2N2

Categories
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CMU Announces Appointment of Dr. Paul Doerksen in Humanities Faculty

Assistant Professor in Biblical & Theological Studies Assumes Role July 2011

CMU logo
CMU logo


 President Gerald Gerbrandt is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Paul Doerksen as Assistant Professor in the Biblical & Theological Studies Department at Canadian Mennonite University, beginning July 1, 2011.

Dr. Earl Davey, Vice-President Academic, says of Doerksen’s appointment, “Paul’s rich teaching experience, his scholarly depth, and his profound understanding of the role of theological reflection in the university and the church will strengthen CMU’s profile significantly, and will provide students with a remarkable mentor.”

According to Dean of Humanities Gordon Matties, “Not only does Paul understand well the public role of the university as it serves the larger Canadian and international community, he is also sensitive to CMU’s mission to serve and shape the church even as it remains open and vulnerable to being shaped by the church.”

“Good education,” Doerksen says, “cultivates openness to the world, to ideas, to being formed, and forming others in significant ways, and lets us know that we are not alone.”

Doerksen will have teaching responsibilities in Theology and Ethics, History of Christianity, and Anabaptist Studies. His areas of interest are wide ranging, including political theology, emerging church theology, peace theology, human rights, and theological ethics.

He holds a PhD from McMaster University (Hamilton, ON), a Master of Theological Studies from Conrad Grebel University College (Waterloo, ON), Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from The University of Winnipeg, and a Bachelor of Religious Education from Briercrest Bible College.

Doerksen is a published scholar, having written Beyond Suspicion: Post-Christendom Protestant Political Theology in John Howard Yoder and Oliver O’Donovan (Paternoster Press, 2009) as well as articles in books and journals. He is currently working on a book on the notion of moral patience.

Since 2007 he has led the popular Continuing Education venture called Take and Read: A Theology Book Discussion Group, which will continue as he makes the transition to CMU.

Doerksen comes to CMU from years of experience in high school teaching at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute (Winnipeg, MB) and teaching university courses in various contexts. As a member of the Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church, he is also the Manitoba representative on the denomination’s national Board of Faith and Life. He also serves on the board of L’Arche Winnipeg.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is an accredited Christian university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts, music, music therapy, theology, and church ministries, and master degrees in theological studies and Christian ministry. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) . Located in Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through Outtatown, CMU’s adventure and discipleship program.

For information contact:
Nadine Kampen, Communications and Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300, Toll free 877.231.4570
Canadian Mennonite University, 500 Shaftesbury Blvd.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P 2N2

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Talented CMU Choirs on the Road in April

CMU Chamber Choir, CMU Singers Performing on Tour

Choral music lovers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, and parts of the United States have an opportunity this April to participate in worship concerts provided by Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) talented choir ensembles during year-end performance tours.

During its April 2011 tour, the 18-voice CMU Chamber Choir, under the direction of CMU Assistant Professor of Music Janet Brenneman, will visit churches and schools in North Dakota, Minnesota, Ontario, and Manitoba.  CMU’s Cheryl Pauls, Associate Professor of Music, will accompany the tour as a guest speaker.

The CMU Singers, a 37-voice choir under the direction of CMU Associate Professor of Music Rudy Schellenberg, will visit schools and churches in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Guest speaker, CMU Vice-President (External) Terry Schellenberg, is travelling with the Singers.

“Martin Luther’s statement, that ‘next to theology there is no art which is the equal of music,’ frames the discipline and art of music-making at CMU,” says CMU Dean of Music Dietrich Bartel. “It is with great delight that we are able to send two of our choirs on the road, giving us an opportunity to share some aspects of CMU’s art of music-making with the broader community.”

Bartel notes that approximately a quarter of CMU students, though coming from a wide variety of disciplines and degree programs, are involved in one or another form of musical activity at CMU: singing in one of CMU’s five choirs, playing in instrumental ensembles, participating in music dramas, being involved in worship bands, or taking individual applied lessons.

The CMU Choirs are auditioned, mixed ensembles whose members are selected for their high levels of vocal proficiency.  Each year, CMU choirs study and perform a challenging body of choral repertoire chosen from a variety of genres and styles, providing opportunity for advanced students to strengthen and increase their musicianship. CMU choirs perform regularly in concert and in worship throughout Manitoba and on yearly tours across Canada and Northern U.S.A.

In addition to tour performances, CMU choirs collaborate and perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at its internationally recognized New Music Festival, most recently performing the Canadian premiere of The Seven Gates of Jerusalem by the contemporary Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki.

Chamber Choir Conductor Janet Brenneman, a native of Ontario, holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Michigan State University.  Brenneman has conducted choirs at all levels in Ontario, Michigan, and in Manitoba, and is also a conductor for Pembina Trails Voices, where she works extensively with boys’ choirs.

CMU Singers Conductor Rudy Schellenberg teaches in the areas of choral music, conducting, and church music.  In addition to choral and orchestral study and conducting at Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie, Detmold, Germany, Schellenberg did his doctoral studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati.  He also co-conducts the 100-voice Mennonite Festival Chorus that performs regularly with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Since opening in 2000, CMU has continued to build on the venerable musical legacy of two of its founding colleges, Concord College (MBBC) and Canadian Mennonite Bible College. In addition to continuing those strong programs in choral music, music performance, and music ministry, CMU’s music education program is attracting an ever increasing number of students, as is the unique CMU Music Therapy program. Through all of these activities and programs, lives of students are being transformed through and with music, as they are being nurtured to transform the lives of others through this gift of God.

Chamber Choir Tour

Monday, April 18 | 7 PM
Lakeview Mennonite Church
4635 78th St • Wolford, ND

Tuesday, April 19 | 7 PM
Strawberry Lake Mennonite Church
33068 County Highway 34 • Ogema, MN

Wednesday, April 20 | 7 PM
Rainy River Evangelical Covenant Church
303 Broadway Ave • Rainy River, ON

Thursday, April 21 | 7 PM
Maundy Thursday Service
First United Church
23 Van Horne Ave • Dryden, ON

Friday, April 22 | 7 PM
Red Lake Mennonite Church
100 Hammell Rd. • Red Lake, ON

Saturday, April 23 | 7 PM
Grace Mennonite Church
430 Third St  • Steinbach, MB

Sunday, April 24 | 10:30 AM
River East MB Church
755 McLeod Ave  • Winnipeg, MB

CMU Singers Tour

Monday, April 18 | 7 PM
Brandon, MB
Grace Mennonite Church

Tuesday, April 19 | 7:30 PM
Joint concert with Rosthern Junior College
Osler, SK
Osler Mennonite Church

Wednesday, April 20 | 7 PM
Coaldale, AB
Coaldale MB Church

Thursday, April 21 | 7 PM
Lethbridge, AB
Lethbridge Mennonite Church

Friday, April 22 | 10 AM
Calgary, AB
Bethany Chapel

Saturday, April 23 | 10 AM
Edmonton, AB
Lendrum MB Church

Saturday, April 23 | 7 PM
Edmonton, AB
First Mennonite Church

Sunday, April 24 | 10:30 AM
Edmonton, AB
Lendrum MB Church

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees in arts and science, business and organizational administration, communications and media, peace and conflict resolution studies, music and music therapy, theology, and church ministries, as well as graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian Ministry.  Located in Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a Member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

For information, contact:
Nadine Kampen
Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 621

Categories
General News News Releases

CMU Holds 3rd Annual Canadian School of Peacebuilding

CSOP Welcomes World Peacemakers in June 2011

In order to foster a dream of a more peaceful world, CMU is hosting some of the world’s foremost peacebuilding practitioners and teachers for its 3rd annual Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP) in Winnipeg from June 6-24.

According to Valerie Smith and Jarem Sawatzky, co-directors of CSOP, it is a natural progression of CMU’s faith-based peace tradition.

“We want to create a space where people from different backgrounds and perspectives can connect in positive and respectful ways—learning together, supporting each other and creating networks of engaged peacebuilders,” says Smith.

Participants of CSOP can take the available courses for personal or professional development or for academic credit.

CSOP will host mediators, teachers, authors, relief workers, and founders of various organizations.

“We are very excited about the lineup of instructors,” says Sawatsky, who is also Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies at CMU.

March Burch, an author, educator and group facilitator will be instructing on the topic of voluntary simplicity.

Cross-cultural conflict transformation will be the focus of a course by Michelle LeBaron, the Director of the University of British Columbia’s Program on Dispute Resolution. Myla Leguro of Catholic Relief Services, one of the 1000 women nominated collectively for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, will be discussing different international methods and experiences.

Other instructors include Paul Dekar, David Dyck, George Lakey, Richard McCutcheon, Stan McKay, Kay Pranis, and Mohammed Ali Shomali.

CSOP is supported by two major collaborating partners, including Mennonite Central Committee Canada, (MCC Canada), which does relief, development and peace work around the world; and Resolution Skills Centre, a training division for Mediation Services Canada.

It provides 50 peacebuilding courses for three levels of government, not for profits, schools, and the private business sector.

CSOP is grateful to the sponsors who provide channels between Canadian School of Peacebuilders and existing networks of peacebuilders.  This year’s sponsors are Africa Peace and Conflict Network; Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace (Peace Café); Canadian Foodgrains Bank; CAUSE Canada; Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; Rutgers University; Centre de resources sur la non-violence; Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute Inc; Conscience Canada; Council of Canadians: Acting for Social Justice; Fellowship of Reconciliation; Hope and Action for Africa; CMU’s Institute for Community Peacebuilding; CMU’s Institute for Theology and the Church; La Maison de l’Amitié Student Residence; Mediation Northern Ireland; Peace Research: The Canadian Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies; Peace and Justice Studies Association, Physicians for Global Survival; Project Peacemakers; The Transitional Foundation for Peace and Future Research; Social Justice Committee; World Peace Prayer Society; and World without Wars and Violence.

CSOP is enriched and its impact broadened through its partnerships with various academic programs, including: The Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University; The Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR); The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center, Bluffton University; Marquette University Center for Peacemaking; The Martin Luther King Institute for Research and Social Action, the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua (UPOLI); Peace and Conflict Studies, Bluffton University; Peace and Conflict Studies Program, University of Colorado at Boulder; Peace and Justice Studies Program, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary; The and The Peace Studies Program, University of New England, New South Wales, Australia.

Canadian Mennonite University, through Menno Simons College (CMU’s campus at The University of Winnipeg) and through its south Winnipeg Shaftesbury campus, offers one of the most comprehensive undergraduate programs in peace and conflict studies in the world.  CMU has over 1,700 students at its two Winnipeg campuses and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

Visit www.cmu.ca/csop

For CSOP information, contact:
CSOP Co-director Valerie Smith
vsmith@cmu.ca; Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 315

Canadian School of Peacebuilding at CMU     500 Shaftesbury Blvd.  Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

For CMU information, contact:
CMU Comm. & Marketing Director Nadine Kampen
nkampen@cmu.ca; Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 621

Categories
General News

Student Athletes Honoured for Scholastic Achievements

Fr. row, l-r.: Scholar-Athletes Bethany Abrahamson, Nina Schroeder, Jaime Semchuk, Josh Ewert; back row l.-r., Jacob Miller, Holly Goossen, David Epp, Josh Krueger, Graeme Leaver. Missing Justin Rempel & Erin Sawatsky.

72% of Athletes Earn “Scholar –Athlete” Title
Members of the CMU varsity athletics teams recently gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of 2010-2011 – a year that saw the Blazers achieve some new personal bests. At a banquet held March 20 to recognize annual athletic achievements, most worthy of note was the academic performance of the current team of CMU athletes.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see our current group of student-athletes achieve an even higher academic performance than last year,” raved CMU Director of Athletics Russell Willms. “In 2010, we recognized 69% of our team members for achieving the title of “Scholar-Athlete” as instituted by the MCAC for student-athletes that achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. We led the conference last year with that total, and I would hasten to guess that we will do the same in 2011.”

This year, 54 of 75 CMU student athletes achieved Scholar-Athlete recognition, improving to 72%. “This statistic is very worthy of recognition,” said Willms, who informed guests that the national average of scholar athletes recognized by colleges and universities across Canada is approximately 24%. “This shows that CMU student-athletes are applying themselves whole-heartedly to their studies and finding success in the classroom. It is something that we are truly proud of.”

The Blazers formally recognized 11 student-athletes that achieved a GPA of 4.0 or higher – a true standard of academic excellence.

Other major award winners were Evelyn Kampen and Todd Reimer, who were recognized as the female and male Athletes of the Year for their outstanding performances on the CMU volleyball teams.

Carrera Lamoureux and Wyatt Anders were honoured as female and male Rookies of the Year, for their contributions to the CMU basketball teams in their first seasons. Nina Schroeder of the women’s basketball teams was recognized for a second-consecutive year with the Trailblazer Award, recognizing excellence in team leadership and community service.

Competing in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference , CMU plays in a league comprised of nine universities and colleges in Manitoba and Minnesota. CMU is also a member of the Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA). CMU Blazer teams compete in soccer, volleyball, and basketball from September to March, playing MCAC league games as well as a number of tournaments with universities and colleges in Canada and the US.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is an accredited Christian university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts, music, music therapy, theology, and church ministries, and master degrees in theological studies and Christian ministry. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) . Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through Outtatown, CMU’s adventure and discipleship program.

Visit www.cmu.ca/blazers

For Blazer information, contact:

Athletics Director Russell Willms – rwillms@cmu.ca

For CMU information and photographs, contact:
Communications and Marketing Director Nadine Kampen – nkampen@cmu.ca

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Events

Verna Mae Janzen Competition Features Outstanding Musical Talent

Becky Reesor, Pianist, Wins Top Prize
This year’s Verna Mae Janzen music competition at CMU welcomed both vocalists and musicians to the stage. Previously a competition for vocalists only, this year the steering committee headed up by Henriette Schellenberg, Assistant Professor of Music at CMU, opened the competition to those with majors in instruments or voice.

Competitors in this year’s finals were Ashley Fredette, soprano; Joel Peters, organ; Courtney Dugan, mezzo soprano; Theo Dyck, baritone; Chelsea Froese, mezzo-soprano; Becky Reesor, piano; and Rebecca Hill, soprano.

l. to r.: Joel Peters, Becky Reesor, Peter Janzen, Rebecca Hill

Reesor won first place honours, claiming a prize of $700, while competition jurors William Baerg and Irmgard Baerg, deciding that Hill and Peters deserved to share the second-place honours, awarded Peters and Hill each $400.
The response from the audience to this year’s expanded program was positive, Schellenberg said. “They really loved the variety, especially this year because of the different instruments.”

One thing that has not changed from previous competitions is the excellent performances of the competitors, especially those who reach the competition finals.

Said Schellenberg, who was pleased with the high calibre performances from CMU students and proud of the efforts that went into preparing, “The Verna Mae Janzen competition helps students prepare for all aspects of their public performances.”

The Verna Mae Janzen Competition sponsor and donor of the prizes, Mr. Peter Janzen from Deep River, Ontario, again travelled to Winnipeg for the three-day competition, as he has been doing for all six years that the competition has been held.  Janzen established the competition in memory of his wife, Verna Mae, who died of cancer in 1989 at age 53 and who shared the joy of singing with her husband.

“We are so pleased to have Mr. Janzen as founder here to attend these competitions,” says Schellenberg. “I know that he particularly enjoys seeing the students, their parents, CMU faculty, and friends and relatives who come out to support this project.”

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees in arts and science, business and organizational administration, communications and media, peace and conflict resolution studies, music and music therapy, theology, and church ministries, as well as graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian Ministry. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship school. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)

For information, contact:
Nadine Kampen, Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300  Ext. 621
www.cmu.ca

Categories
Events

Performance of The Mikado Transported Audiences

Far Off Destination Brought to Life on Stage

In the past, attendants of CMU Opera Workshop productions have been transported to the streets of New York to witness a gang war in West Side Story and have visited many other places through various performances.  This year, they were transported to Japan for the CMU student production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado: The Town of Titipu, performed March 3-6 in CMU’s Laudamus Auditorium.

The Mikado is a comic-opera about a minstrel, Nanki-Poo, who had banished himself from the town of Titipu because of his love for the already engaged maiden, Yum-Yum. Nanki-Poo returns when he learns that Yum-Yum’s fiance has been sentenced to death for the capital crime of flirting, and hilarity ensues upon his return.

According to David Klassen, the producer and director of the production, the process of transforming CMU into a Japanese courtyard and the students of Opera Workshop into executioners, maidens, elderly women, and leaders of towns involves a great deal of research.

Says Becky Hill, who played Pitti-Sing, “It’s been a really fun process to learn all that and then putting it all together with the make-up and the hair and the wardrobe – you suddenly feel as if you are the character,” she said.

For Nathan Thorpe, a CMU student and an audience member at The Mikado for one of the performances, it was difficult to remember that some of the cast members were his friends, not actually executioners and leaders of Asian towns.

“I caught myself thinking, ‘Wow, these actors are really good! Oh, wait… These are people I know,’” he said.

Though the process of transforming CMU into a Japanese town and its students into elaborately dressed Japanese characters was difficult, it was worth it, Klassen said.

“It’s quick and it’s a lot of hard work for everyone involved, but at the end of the day, when you have a production like this that the students can be equally as proud as I am, it’s highly gratifying,” he said.

Article by Rachel Bergen, CMU Communications & Media Student

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university offering undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences, business, communications and media, peace and conflict resolution studies, music, music therapy, theology, and church ministries, as well as graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian ministry. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

For information and photographs, contact:
Nadine Kampen, Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300  Ext. 621
www.cmu.ca

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General News News Releases

MSC students recognized for Making a Difference

Two Menno Simons College (MSC) students have been recognized for their part in making the world a better place. During International Development Week, which had as its theme “I am Making a Difference,” the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) named eight youth as Young Global Citizens, including MSC’s Tyler Morden of Morden, MB and Zoe Gross from Barisford, MB.

“We’re very pleased to see these students being recognized for their efforts by MCIC for giving their time and energy in ways that promote international cooperation,” says MSC Dean Richard McCutcheon.

In recognizing these students, MCIC conducted video interviews in which Morden and Gross reflected on how they are contributing in positive ways in their communities and abroad.

Tyler Morden
Tyler Morden

Morden, who works for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), believes that international work is important, even if it is in one’s own city and country.

“I am making a difference through the work I do supporting newcomer children and youth with their settlement in Winnipeg,” says Morden in his video interview. “There are a lot of challenges and barriers that face [the children and youth that I work with]; anything from language barriers to learning our laws and customs, and the work that I do is to help children and youth learn these things so they can be active members of our community.”

For Gross, spending eight months in Kenya working with a national women’s organization helped her learn that women’s concerns in Kenya are similar to concerns of women in Canada.

“We need to work together and support one another in these endeavours,” says Gross.

Zoe Gross

Gross believes that international development is important because the world is so interconnected, and many don’t recognize this.
“One of the things that people don’t realize about international development… is that the issues are really intimately connected.  Just because you are working in the inner city of Winnipeg doesn’t mean those issues are any different than the slums or ghettos of Nairobi, for example,” Gross says.

Along with Morden and Gross, MCIV recognized six other Manitobans for the work that they are doing, helping to demonstrate how everyone has the potential to contribute.

To view MCIC videos of MSC students, visit:
http://mcic.ca/makingadifference/video/tyler-morden
http://mcic.ca/makingadifference/video/zoe-gross/

MSC provides education flowing from Anabaptist Mennonite understandings of faith, peace, and justice while engaging other religious traditions and intellectual perspectives. A College of CMU, and affiliated with UWinnipeg, MSC fosters a learning community that prepares students from diverse backgrounds for participation and leadership in local and global communities. Considered a pioneer in International Development Studies and Conflict Resolution Studies, MSC offers a wide range of courses and experienced faculty in these areas that are unparalleled in Canada. Programs at MSC also include practicum opportunities and supporting scholarships.

CMU is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury campus, MSC campus, and in the Outtatown program.  A member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), CMU operates a number of schools and institutes, including The School of Writing at CMU and the Canadian School of Peacebuilding.

For MSC information, contact:
Ruth Taronno:  r.taronno@uwinnipeg.ca; tel. 204.953.3846
www.cmu.ca www.mscollege.ca

For CMU information, contact:
Nadine Kampen CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2
www.cmu.ca