THE HONORABLE MENTION
April 15, 2015
2014-15 Vol. VII
Honors Council meets Wednesdays in Laurel
Hall 201
Dates to Remember
4/17 - The War on Poverty
Dodd Center, Konover Auditorium 1:30-5:00
4/20 - Spring Fling 11-2 on Fairfield Way
4/21 - Honors Forum
4/23 - Dinner and a show for A
Midsummer Night’s Dream
4/25 - Fresh Check Day
A photo from the Survivor’s Lap
Relay For Life Comes to
UCONN
By Ellie Lauri, HM Editor
The Honors Relay For Life team
turned out in force last Friday,
April 10th to support the fight
against cancer. In conjunction
with another 39 teams, the event
raised over 25,000 dollars for the
American Cancer Society. Honors had one of the largest teams
at the event, and contributed
over $1200 to the cause.
Relay For Life began in 1985
with an individual participant,
Dr. Gordy Klatt. Since then it
has grown into an international
movement, with participants in
dozens of countries throughout
the globe. Since it’s inception,
Relay has raised almost 5 billion
dollars to aid in the fight against
one of the most prevalent and
varied diseases we face today.
groups, dance-themed organizations, and Rock Ensemble. Later
on in the evening was the LumiIn accordance with tradition, this naria Ceremony, in which cusyears Relay For Life started out tomized bags are illuminated
with a moving opening ceremo- around the event to honor all
ny that included stories from sur- those who have been affected by
vivors. The event then kicked off cancer.
with a Survivor’s Lap, in which
survivors and virtual survivors
The weather for the event was
standing in for those who could not the best, but we are very
not make it, were cheered on as proud of all of the participants
they took a lap to celebrate their who braved the mud and the rain
personal struggles. Then the
in order to give back to a cause
Caregivers were asked to take a that affects all of us in some
lap to honor those who have ded- way. An honorable mention goes
icated so much of themselves to out to our entire team, and espehelp others. Finally all the partic- cially Lauren Biernacki who
ipants joined in in order to begin served as the Community Serthe marathon walking that is the vice Chairperson this year, and
hallmark of a Relay event.
made sure Honors Council was
both dedicated and tenacious in
Throughout the evening there
giving back to the community.
were games and musical performances, from various a capella
The Warnings of the Lorax
Colby Buehler, HM Staff Writer
On Saturday, April 11th, the Environmental Committee held a Lorax movie night in the Shippee
Pequot room. The purpose of the event was to get
people thinking about how the movie can be applied to our lives. Originally written as a children’s book by Dr. Seuss, The Lorax explores the
problem of corporate interest in our environment. In the movie, O’Hare, the villain, sells bottled air to the citizens of Thneedville. After the
destruction of the local environment due to heavy
production of a wonderful all-in-one product
called a thneed the air quality deteriorated as no
more trees were left to purify the air. Without
natural processes to filter air, O’Hare Industries
was able to profit on the need for clean air and
ended up controlling the town.
The Lorax standing up for nature.
Dr. Seuss considered The Lorax as his “personal favorite” according to Lisa Lebduska’s article,
"Rethinking Human Need: Seuss's The Lorax". For someone who was largely known for entertaining
children novels, he also made an impact educating the youth about environmental issues. When asked
about The Lorax he said that he “was out to attack what [he thought] are evil things and let the chips
fall where they might” . As seen in the movie, as soon as the wall of the town falls the people can truly see the importance of nature and are disgusted by what they see. In his 1971 novel, Dr. Seuss set
out to try to break down the wall inside a whole generation of children and get them interested in environmental conservation.
In the discussion about the movie on Saturday several topics were covered. One topic of discussion
was about what was arguably the most influential quote of the movie and the book:
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
When asked about how we can bring action to this quote, answers included being a knowledgeable
consumer, recycling, and doing the little things in our lives that will add up to a lifetime of conservation. Discussion continued about things in the movie that are analogous to modern society. The movie is very upfront in the references to the bottled water and the food industry. The bottled air is wasteful and unnecessary for Thneedville yet the town is completely run by the corporation selling it, getting the viewer to question whether bottled water is really needed as much as we think. A cereal
brand named “Empty-O’s” pokes at the poor quality of food that is marketed to kids from corporations
as well. To end, I’ll leave with my favorite quote of the movie.
“A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax