January 1, 2012 Paging Paige Pollak ’14 fans (mokena-patch.com) Nursing student and golfer Paige Pollak ‘14 has grabbed the attention of her hometown news. The Mokena, Illinois native is part of the College’s golf team that made it to the NCAA Women's Division III National Championship Tournament in Angola, Indiana May 8-11. January 1, 2012 Students Host Bold Beauty Conference On Tuesday, May 1, students at the all-women’s Saint Mary’s College will host the 4th annual Bold Beauty Conference, an event that challenges societal standards of beauty. This year’s conference will also focus on issues women face in the workplace. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Student Center. January 1, 2012 Weighing the Ethics of International Surrogacy (Our Sunday Visitor) Indian women are carrying Westerners' babies and the result is a $500 million industry. It's a practice that is fraught with moral and ethical problems, from the very nature of surrogate pregnancy to the potential for exploitation of the women who are willing to offer their bodies for money. “Even if both parties walk away with exactly what they want, that doesn’t make it right," said religious studies professor Joseph Incandela, pointing to Catholic Church teaching. January 1, 2012 New Tests Rapidly Identify Counterfeit Medications (Voice of America) Saint Mary’s College's first U.S. patent could result in a very meaningful product for developing countries. With the aid of researchers at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s researchers developed a paper-based tool that can screen for counterfeit medications. The tool, known as a paper analytical device or PAD, is the size of a business card. January 1, 2012 ‘Holy Cross Harvest’ Food Drive to Help Local Food Bank While area farmers ended their harvest months ago, another “harvest” is about to get underway and winter weather won’t slow it down. The Holy Cross institutions of Saint Mary's College, Holy Cross College, and the University of Notre Dame will hold their second Holy Cross Harvest together, “harvesting” food and monetary donations for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. Food insecurity remains high in northern Indiana due to the still struggling U.S. economy. The Holy Cross Harvest will run between January 23-February 14. January 1, 2012 Professor: Politics Ruining Real Friendships in Virtual World (Fox 28) The debates are getting personal and it’s not the barbs between candidates at issue. Facebook friends are offending each other as they use the platform as a soapbox to express political views. It’s leading to people to “unfriend” each other, sometimes bleeding into real life. “It used to be that three topics were taboo in conversation: politics, religion and money. Some on Facebook think you can’t see me so I have a free pass,” Jenny Armentrout, visiting assistant professor of communication studies, told Fox 28. January 1, 2012 Seniors Intern at Hannah and Friends (The Observer) Two Saint Mary's seniors interned with Hannah and Friends over the summer. The local non-profit for children and adults with special needs was established by former Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis and his wife Maura in honor of their daughter Hannah. Student Body President Maureen Parsons '13 and Kari McClowry completed the internships and share their experiences with The Observer. January 1, 2012 Belles Tie Scarlet Hawks CHICAGO, Ill. - The Saint Mary's soccer team played to a double overtime 0-0 tie at Illinois Institute of Technology on Sunday afternoon. January 1, 2012 Gender pay gap issues complicated (South Bend Tribune) We heard the statistic frequently last month when Equal Pay Day took place: For every dollar that a man makes, a women makes, on average, 77 cents. But that number is a bit misleading, and the subject of equal pay between genders is much more complex, according to Richard Measell, assistant professor of economics.