Students Bid on Meals With Professors

The NOLA (New Orleans, La.) Immersion Team held a dinner auction fundraiser on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7:00 p.m. in McPhail's. Students were able to bid on meals with professors and administrators at Providence College, and all profits went toward funding the group's service trip to New Orleans in Jan. 2009.

Jenn Heinemann '09, member of NOLA, said that the group has been planning the trip since the end of last semester, with guidance from campus minister Meghan Griffiths.

"We're very nervous because we're setting the precedent for future NOLA trips, but we're also very excited," said Heinemann.

According to Heinemann, the program has been primarily student-run.

"We've all had a lot of responsibility," said Heinemann. "The students made all of the executive decisions."

Lindsay Kennedy '09, another NOLA member, said that the event served as the group's main fundraiser so that the group of 13 students could go to New Orleans in January 2009 to help rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina. According to Kennedy, it will cost about $600 for each student, and with 13 students, the cost would be about $7800 in total.

"This is our big event for fundraising," said Kennedy. "We are also doing a postcard campaign, but this auction is our main fundraiser."

Lily Lueck '11 said that the group's postcard campaign will involve sending out letters to family members, with the intent to raise some more money for the trip.

In addition to bidding on the dinners, students could also purchase raffle tickets for $1 each or three for $5. Among the items that were raffled off was a book of faces and post-Katrina narrations from people who lived in New Orleans or volunteered there after the hurricane, according to Heinemann. There were also gift certificates to Andrea's, LaSalle Pizza, Panera Bread, and Squire's Salon.

In addition, there was a cross on the raffle table that Lueck said was recovered from a house marked with an "X" after Katrina. According to Lueck, the National Guard passed through the area and marked off houses based on such factors as number of bodies found inside and floodwater toxicity.

"A lot of the houses are now painted over," she said.

Heinemann said that the cause is especially important for Griffiths, who used to live in New Orleans and has started a nonprofit organization in the post-Katrina years.

"Meg [Griffiths] used to be a tour guide in New Orleans," said Heinemann. "It will be really helpful when we go there because she will be educating the group."

As for the raffle itself, NOLA members had asked 36 professors and administrators at PC from a wide variety of departments to participate by offering a meal for a given number of students to bid on. Teachers were invited but not required to attend the auction, according to Heinemann.

Dr. Jay Pike, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said that he decided to participate primarily for NOLA's cause.

"First and foremost, I wanted to help those students compelled to dedicate their time to help neighborhoods destroyed by Katrina," said Pike. "Second, I thought this would be a golden opportunity for more social participation to show a 'real' side of me as their professor and not just somebody that lectures to them and forces them to learn difficult material."

Dr. Christopher Arroyo, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, said that he was asked to participate by one of his students, agreeing to take three students out for a sushi dinner for the auction.

"I think service and service learning are essential parts of a complete college education," said Arroyo. "I have been involved with service programs at other schools, and I want to continue to do so here."

Dr. Carol Crafts, associate dean and associate professor in the Department of Biology, said that after being approached by Brett Beaulieu '10, a member of NOLA, she offered to host up to six students at her house in Jamestown. The winning bidders will be able to join Crafts, her husband Dr. Richard Murphy, assistant professor in the Department of English, and their two dogs Maggie and Tess for a walk on the beach, an island sunset, and dinner in front of the fireplace.

"Not only did the project seem like a good idea, my husband and I always enjoy seeing students outside of the classroom and the College," said Crafts.

The dinners, auctioned off alphabetically by the host faculty members' last names, began at $10. Winners had to pay in cash or check in full once their final winning bid was confirmed. Michelle Palermino '09 introduced the event, noting that the set dates for the New Orleans trip are Jan. 10 through Jan. 17, 2009. Then, members of the Rejects on the Rise comedy group began to take bids.

During the intermission, the raffle prizes were awarded. Lauren Femminello '09 won $41 in the raffle but decided to donate the money to NOLA.

"It's a good cause and I wanted to support them," said Femminello.

Zach Odachowski '11 won dinner with Rev. Brian Shanley, O.P., and Rev. Kenneth Sicard, O.P.

"I thought it would be really interesting to hear his ideas on how things are going at this school and maybe sneak in a few ideas," said Odachowski. "I just thought it would be nice to get to know the guy who runs our school."

By the end of the night, the highest bid was $65 per bidder for one dinner, and a total of $2,500 was raised for NOLA's trip.