Ech Channa becomes first Muslim to receive Opus Prize

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Aïcha Ech Channa, founder and president of a Casablanca, Morocco, organization that provides services for unmarried women with children, won the $1 million 2009 Opus Prize. St. Thomas and the Opus Prize Foundation of Minnetonka presented the award Wednesday night in Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall. The other two finalists – Sister Valeriana García-Martín of Bogotá, Colombia, and the Rev. Hans Stapel of Guaratinguetá, Brazil – each received $100,000 awards.

Student who collapsed in Scooter’s back on his feet

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After going into cardiac arrest during a dance performance Oct. 16 in Scooter’s, freshman Gauthier Biyanga Mubwa has resumed attending St. Thomas.

Since his Oct. 23 release from Regions Hospital, Mubwa has returned to the hospital for checkups and will attend biweekly heart rehabilitation therapy sessions.

“I was really surprised [to collapse],” Mubwa said. “It’s never happened to anyone in my family.”

Voter turnout far below last year’s numbers

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Last year on Election Day, a line wrapped around outside of McNeely Hall as voters waited for their turn. This year, election judges sat and waited for voters to file in.

At McNeely Hall, where 4th ward, 6th precinct St. Paul elections were held, 219 people voted. Of the voters, 18 people were new registered voters. Eighty-five to 90 percent of new registered voters were students, said registration judge Richard Simmer.

But in last year’s election, 2,101 people voted at McNeely Hall and 845 people were registered on Election Day.

Counseling center: depression cases rise this time of year

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Lindsey Bitter spent the first few weeks of her freshman year at St. Thomas lying in bed, trying to summon the energy to get up and meet other students. She had dreamed of going to St. Thomas since she was young, but depression almost took that dream away.

“I was really excited when I first got to St. Thomas. But when my parents left me, I began to cry hysterically,” Bitter said. “I would go to my room and just lay in bed crying.”

Up ’til Dawn extends registration deadline

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Up ‘til Dawn has extended its registration deadline to Nov. 6 as 419 students were signed up by the original Oct. 29 deadline.

Last year, St. Thomas raised $88,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. That total was good enough for fifth out of more than 300 competing schools and as a result Up ’til Dawn awarded St. Thomas the top recruiting award for its efforts.

“We’re a pretty small school,” said senior Annie Donnellan, St. Thomas’ Up ’til Dawn executive director. “We did really well for our size.”