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OCT. 31, 2007 EDITION

PRINT EDITION KEY HEADLINES: Happy Halloween from The Candor! In this special edition, read about the peace activist speaker on campus, China Institute, Koinonia retreat, scary stuff in science labs, movie review on "30 Days of Night," Washington, D.C. convention trip, Halloween opinions, volleyball and football farewells.

PHOTO GALLERY

The Candor covers Washington, D.C.: Four editors of Benedictine University's newspaper attended the fall national convention of the Associated Collegiate Press from Oct. 24-28, 2007 in rainy Washington, D.C. They learned a lot about college newspaper production from the numerous training workshops and critique sessions. They also networked with other student and professional journalists. Faculty adviser Dr. Edna Bautista was inducted into the Community College Hall of Fame for her commitment to journalism education and college media advising. Photos by Fadi Shihadeh, Heather Nelson, Jennifer Stoker and Andy Schultz

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NEWS

Lewis gives insight on 13th century Persian poet

By Kit Alvear
Liberal Arts Writer

“I made a far journey/Earth’s fair cities to view/but like to love’s city/City none I knew” proclaimed 13th century Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi in a poem titled “Descent.”

On Oct. 25, Franklin Lewis spoke to Benedictine students, staff and the community about the mystical poet Jalal al-Din Rumi in the Krasa presentation room. His talk titled “In Search of the Historical Rumi: Beyond Icon and Idol” focused on the poetry written by the 13th century Persian poet. The presentation coincided with ENSCO’s declaration of 2007 as the year of Rumi, in celebration of the 800th anniversary of his birth.

Lewis, an associate professor of Persian Literature at the University of Chicago has published two books on Rumi including: Rumi: Past and Present, East and West and Rumi: Swallowing the Sun. These books contain Rumi’s poems as well as translations of the poems by Lewis. Throughout Lewis’ presentation he quoted Rumi and read his own translations of the poems in English, as well as read Rumi’s poems in the tradtional Persian language.

Rumi is said to be the “best selling poet in the United States… [but] if you get past the hype the things he’s said are phenomenal,” said Lewis. Rumi has had a “modern impact on spirituality and poetry,” Lewis continued. The impact of Rumi was apparent to the audience during the presentation.

Junior political science student Phil Mathew came to the presentation for extra credit, but left feeling enlightened. “I’ve never heard of Rumi, but I would have come to this presentation regardless of the extra credit,” said Matthew.

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FEATURES

"The Ripple Effect"...continued from page 7 of The Candor

By Katherine Braun
Guest Writer

No one ever figured it out. Everyone believed Peter’s explanation that the knife had fallen from a high shelf when Alice had reached for it. And now, forty years later, the secret was still between just him and that long buried corpse in the small, dreary cemetery on the other side of town.

But what about the dream? Peter slowly lowered his aching muscles back down on to the soft as cotton candy mattress and hesitantly tried to close his bloodshot eyes. “Clang… clang…” His eyes flew open faster than a hummingbird can beat its wings. He could have sworn he heard something in the kitchen. Something metal… something like clashing silverware… something like grinding knives… But the house resonated in silence now. Not a fringe on the pastel blue curtains, hand picked by Alice, moved. After ten more minutes of straining his ears to pick up the minutest sound wave, he laid back down for the second time. I must be imagining things, the old man reasoned.

“Creek… creek…” No, that definitely wasn’t imagination at work: there was someone on the steps. Each creek was increasing in intensity. It was coming closer. Peter was as immobile as a boulder. His bedroom door was sliding silently open. Then, eyes widening to the size of quarters, he witnessed a pearly white, nearly transparent, hand poke into the partially open slit in the doorway. Its fingers were clenched around a sparkling knife blade full of shining blood.

“It's amazing,” a glass smooth, icy voice began, “how ripples start so small but then spread until one small ripple-one small choice-engulfs everything else.”

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