1982-10-22

              The Record

STUDENT PUBLICATION OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

Volume 95

Collegeville, Minnesota, Friday October 22,1982

Number9

Johnnie Rats?

by Bill Twohy

Almost everyone is familiar with the Quad. In the ground level exists the refectory, the first floor-the business offices, and the second and third floors contain multitudes of classrooms. Practically no one, however, is familiar with the function of the fourth floor. Right now Fr. Cyprian Weaver, OSB, is conducting research in

an obscure laboratory on the fourth floor of the Quad which may someday lead to an ultimate cure for diabetes. The seventh major killer among the American population, diabetes afflicts more than 10 million Americans annually, and is affecting five percent of the total population.

Diabetes, in simple terms, is a state of beta cell insufficiency in the pancreas. Normally, these beta cells aid in maintaining an ideal blood-sugar level throughout the body. When a person has an insufficiency of these beta cell units, though, a state of glucose intolerance exists and the person afflicted is a diabetic. In order to maintain an ideal blood-sugar level, a diabetic must have regular injections of insulin to do the work of the damaged beta cells.

Weaver's research procedure has basically been to investigate means by which to regenerate new beta cells in special laboratory rats. He has already witnessed some amazing results. He treated the rat's drinking water with a soybean trypsin inhibitor to stimulate a release of a gut hormone. Through this procedure, beta cells began to regenerate.

Currently,  he is involved  in

transplantation of beta cell islets into the rats. Weaver is the only one in the state doing this type of experimentation. His next major procedure will involve quan-titating the data he has accumulated and applying it to a diabetic model, that is, a rat whose beta cells have been inactivated by an injected chemical called streptazotocin.

Weaver holds graduate degrees from SJU, Univ. of Colorado, and Univ. of Minnesota, School of Medicine. He inherited his research project while attending the U of M. "Diabetic research was part of a longstanding tradition in the graduate program at the University of Minnesota when I was working on my doctorate degree," Weaver reflected, "and I decided to continue in the research here."

The research project is in its fourth year now. "It is quite demanding/' commented Weaver, who is the only full-time researcher on campus. He pointed to hundreds of books and scores of file cabinets filled with scientific data and other information aiding in the research and added, "you have to keep up on all the new literature."

Weaver is aided by three dedicated and hard-working Johnnies. Steve Nelson, a senior natural science major and Dan Danahey, a junior chemistry major, volunteer their full-time services as lab technicians, and a sophomore, Peter Long, does part-time work in the lab.

The diabetic research is funded by the American Diabetes Association, ADA. "Unfortunately, Reagonomics has dealt a severe blow to all biomedical research," Weaver noted. The ADA has experienced a substantial lack of funding due to the budget cuts. "You really feel it here," Weaver added gravely. "Much of the equipment we work with here cannot be purchased from just any chemical retailer; our supplies are very expensive." To illustrate his point, he reached for a ten-gram bottle of the soybean trypsin inhibitor which has a price tag of $100.

In addition to his research project, Weaver is an instructor with Dr. Nelson in the class on Values and Scientific Research. Weaver also teaches human anatomy at the U of M during spring quarter.

Together Forever

The College of St. Benedict and St. John's University have been awarded a $75,000 Northwest Area Foundation grant to coordinate a core curriculum for the two colleges over the next three years.

Although academic programs are closely coordinated, the basic liberal arts requirements of the two schools are different. The grant provides funds to explore the possibility of combining the two core curricula. That could be accomplished by blending the two programs, or by keeping separate the different requirements but developing courses which would enable students to fulfill the required sequence on either campus.

The project will be directed by Br, Justin Lombardo, OSB, assistant professor of theater at St. Ben's, who will work with a 10-member faculty council. Broad faculty involvement will

also be achieved through informal discussions and structured workshops.

Although both colleges have remained single-sex, cooperation has grown since the 1960s. Given the atmosphere of cooperation, there has been concern on the two campuses that the separate core curricula were diminshing the effectiveness of that cooperation. Last year a Northwest Area Foundation planning grant was awarded to study the problem. That study concluded better coordination of the core curricula was possible and desirable, and led to the current grant. Work on the project will begin formally in January 1983.

The Northwest Area Foundation, a private family foundation located in St. Paul, supports projects in education, arts and humanities, sciences, human services, medicine and the social sciences.

Abbot Jerome Theisen {second from left), Fr. Roger Botz (center) and University President Fr. Hilary Thimmesh (second from right) lead visitors in prayer during the dedication ceremonies for the Seton Apartments.

Flynntown Burrows Blessed

by Jim Marschall Photos by Jim Marschall

On Friday afternoon, October 8, as people at SJU began turning their thoughts from classes to Homecoming weekend, a crowd was gathering outside Earth Shelter #3 in Flynntown. Shortly after 4:00 the visitors were called to order to begin a short dedication and blessing service for the new Earth Shelter Apartments.

Presiding   were   St.   John's

President Fr. Hilary Thimmesh, Dean Robert Spaeth, and Abbot Jerome Theisen. As the wind blew the streamers at the corners of the new buildings, the group shared in prayers of blessing and scripture. Following the service the visitors were invited to view the interiors of the apartments which were furnished with refreshments.

The five buildings that make up the Earth Shelter complex were   christened   the   Seton

Apartments, in honor of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the late 18th-toearly 19th-century American saint who was canonized in 1975.

The Earth Homes, opened for students at the beginning of the school year, have a few things to be finished yet before official completion at the end of this month. The dedication activities were planned and hosted by the students living in the apartments and their FR, Fr. Roman Paur.

Br. Greg Eibensteiner puts the finishing touches on a piece of furniture at the University woodshop. (Photo by Jim Marschall.)

Interior Design With Exterior Pine

by John Rosengren

The chairs in the refectory. The bookcases in the dorms. The cabinets in the earth shelters. The desks in the quadrangle. What do all these have in common?

They all used to be trees in the forests of St. John's before they were cut down and transformed into their present state by the carpenters at the campus wood-shop. The woodshop uses from 250-300 trees each year to make nearly all the furniture on campus. Since 1903, the woodshop has been converting the trees on

campus into more practical forms. Where St. Thomas Hall stands, there used to be a mill, until the mid-1950's, that cut the trees into lumber. That process now takes place in nearby Avon, but the remainder of the production is performed on campus.

Inside the woodshop a crew of three monks and two lay carpenters perform all the production with the assistance of four students. Brother Greg Ibensteiner, the head carpenter, feels there is something special about the woodshop. He explains, "I've been other places and tried other things but this

place is the best. I enjoy it very much." Brother Hubert also seems to enjoy his work in the woodshop. "I like it. Otherwise I wouldn't be here," he stated simply. Although he has spent nearly 53 years in the woodshop, Brother Hubert says it is still interesting, continually offering something new and challenging. To provide for the furniture needs of SJU does indeed seem challenging. There also seems to be a symbolic significance in the service that the carpenters provide which resembles the work of a more prominent carpenter of the Christian tradition.