Lloyd Carr Travels to Siena Heights Campus

The Siena Heights football team had a special guest this fall when former University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr visited practice (left). Carr, who guided the Wolverines to a national championship in 1997, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last year. Carr was able to provide some feedback to the SHU coaching staff as well as visit with longtime friend, SHU head coach Jim Lyall. Carr finished his visit by talking to the team before the Saints’ first game against Robert Morris.

Saints Second in WHAC Directors Cup standings

The Saints finished 32nd in the final NAIA Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings. The cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each school’s finish in up to 12 sports—six women’s and six men’s. Siena Heights earned the second highest score in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, with Indiana Tech finishing 22nd overall.

Track and Field

Women: Lenzey Stidham (right) won the women’s pole vault at the NAIA national championships with a vault of 12 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Brianna Nordby was seventh in the javelin with a distance of 140-7 to also earn All-American honors. Phoenix Duncan, just a freshman, was second in the women’s high jump to earn All-American honors. She was also second in the indoor national meet and is the school record holder. Stidham (pole vault) and Duncan (high jump), each won events and Taylor Byron set a school record in the shot put as the women placed second at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference outdoor championships. Byron was also named the meet’s Most Valuable Performer after scoring 24 points. She recorded a throw of 43 feet, 7.75 inches in the shot put and was third in the discus. Stidham took the pole vault (11-11.75) and Duncan the high jump (5-7.75). Cassie Keeping, a junior, and seniors Lyndsay Payne and Morgan Choszczyk were each named Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

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Graduates Sometimes Take an Unorthodox Road to a Career Path

By Doug Goodnough

Many institutions of higher education claim that their students “can do anything with a college degree.”

Over the years, Siena Heights University graduates have put that statement to the test. Reflections Magazine interviewed a few these graduates who have used their education to carve out interesting—if not unorthodox—career paths. Success indeed does come in many forms, and these students have a good answer when asked:

“You did what with your Siena Heights degree?”

On the Move

When Chloe Whiting Stevenson ’08 completed her degree in theater/speech communication at Siena Heights University, her education was far from over. In fact, it took another two years of graduate school at Illinois State University before she finally figured out what she wanted to do with her degree.

“I dediced that I wanted to study physical theatre, which is a somewhat new term within the theatre realm.”

In fact, there were only two Master of Fine Arts programs in the world—and only one with American accreditation. She enrolled at the Accademia Dell’Arte program in Italy, which is accredited through the University of Mississippi for Women in the U.S.

The program is two-and-a-half years long and includes a variety of classes, including voice, movement, mask work, dance, acting, music, acrobatics, philosophy and circus. Yes, circus. This past summer Stevenson attended an intensive five-week workshop with a circus school in Torino, Italy. She trained in acrobatics, tightrope, silks, Chinese pole and the trapeze.

“I was personally drawn to the silks,” she said. At workshop’s end she was part of an hour-long circus performance. She had a solo and participated in several ensemble numbers.

“Several of our instructors were individuals who in the past have trained Italians competing in the Olympics,” Stevenson said. “It was wonderful that they trained us in similar styles. … I feel like the circus training that we did allowed me to truly see what my body was capable of as well as giving me a clear idea of what people who pursue circus as a career must do every day.”

The program will also allow her to travel and study in different parts of Europe over the next year.

“I knew that I wanted to see the world and study theatre and movement,” Stevenson said. “This program allows me to do both, for which I am truly grateful.”

Stevenson said the study of movement includes things like everyday motions such as walking or sitting to ballroom dancing, acrobatics and athletics. And it is also “exploring the world and staying aware of what is occurring around you,” Stevenson said.

She said she is particularly interested in the Japanese dance form of butoh, which she studied while at Siena Heights.

“This dance form truly explores how to connect with the earth and your own body,” Stevenson said.

Adjusting to the Italian lifestyle has taken some time, but Steven-son said now that she has a better grasp on the language (all the classes are taught in Italian), things have been better. She said walking and the train are the primary means of transportation, and the absence of some of her favorite foods—tacos, peanut butter and hummus—is mostly offset by the “amazing” Italian cuisine.

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