Author: Neil Schoenherr

Frank K. Flinn, Ph.D., adjunct professor of religious studies in Arts & Sciences and author of The Encyclopedia of Catholicism (2007) comments on the damage the pedophilia scandal has caused the church and claims the Vatican’s own laws are responsible.

The dark clouds of volcanic ash that have closed airports and stranded travelers for days on end may have a silver lining, suggests an expert on human creativity from Washington University in St. Louis. Like it or note, stranded travelers around the globe are suddenly finding themselves with a lot of unscheduled time on their hands, and idle time is a key ingredient to becoming more creative in your personal and professional lives.

More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the annual Thurtene Carnival Friday through Sunday, April 23-25. The event, which features carnival rides, games, food, theater, dance and music, is the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the United States.

More than 200 people participated in the Take Steps for Kids 5k run/walk April 17 to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. Hosted by the Wash U Undergraduate Running Club, the race began and ended in Brookings Quadrangle. All proceeds from the race were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri.

Six outstanding individuals will receive the 2010 Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, in the Knight Center. Founded during the Sesquicentennial year in 2003-04, the Ethic of Service award annually recognizes select members of the university community who exemplify a character of service and giving to the St. Louis region.

The Locks of Love hair donation and haircut event will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, April 12, in the Fun Room of the Danforth University Center. Members of the WUSTL community who attend can donate 10 inches of hair to receive a free professional haircut or get a professional cut for a $20 donation.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton dons a Metro bus costume and participates with students in a March 31 walking dance improvisation outside the Danforth University Center to raise awareness for Proposition A and mass transit. Proposition A, on next Tuesday’s April 6 ballot in St. Louis County, is a one-half cent sales tax increase to support the operation and expansion of the Metro bus and rail system.

Fox News political analyst Juan Williams will present “The Capacity of America to Address Its Most Pressing Domestic Issues” for the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy’s annual dinner at 8 p.m. Monday, April 4, in the main dining room of the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center.

Participants in the annual Relay For Life, held March 20 and 21 in the Athletic Complex, pause to observe luminaria, each bearing the name of a person who has battled cancer. More than 1,500 people took part in the 12-hour event that raised more than $182,000 for the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research, advocacy, patient services and education.

A new chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society and largest foreign-language honor society in the world, opened on campus with an induction ceremony March 22 in the Danforth University Center.