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Show The Thunderbird Monday , February 13, 1984 Page 3 Stories portray lifes importance by Lanai Greenhalgh The power of a story lies within the heart of the one who hears it, and those within touching distance of that story are ultimately changed by it according to Cynthia Orr, SUSCs fifth Convocation speaker. Orr believes that images a story creates stay with us and effect the decisions we make. During the performance, she set out to capture attention, create a mood, and leave a lasting impression, all with the strength of prose. Dressed in a colorful tunic, Orr began her presentation with a fish story that drew a bit of laughter from the SUSC audience. Through additional stories involving poor and lonely characters to foolish and prosperous ones, she created what she described as a cure and satisfaction to a hunger many of us have. Orr has been a professional storyteller for eight years, and has appeared on 150 television and radio programs, including the Today Shout. She has written and published many prose pieces, has traveled around the world, and has involved herself in such things as diamond cutting and bull fighting. She began telling stories early in life at the request of a friend. A friend said tell me a story, so I made up a story. Orr explained, And then I made up another, and then another. Then I began - and just may, in fact, tell Cynthia Orr stories to liSTohe spoke at SUSCs Convocation Thursday, as tvell as at the Taking Charge of Your Life series. telling my stories to other people. Orr feels that stories have a great healing power. Stories speak with a different part of you. Listen with your heart. I guarantee you will be enriched, she said. The performer worked her stories to fit a range in audience from young school children to elderly community people. Using a combination of facial expressions, vocal tones and body gestures, she drew stories from within herself and opened the audience to a type of communication they rarely experience. Storytelling doesnt fit into a predominantly reading society, Orr explained. Thats why it is so important. It has to come from your guts, not from a page. You have to draw images from your mind, not look at pictures in a book. Orr obtains the stories she doesnt create herself by reading old tales and listening to other storytellers. She interprets their meanings by looking at them on many different levels. Stories touch us at some of the deepest levels, she said. In some cultures the interpretation of a story will be different than in others. I like thinking about it, spending time with it, and looking at it from all angles. Not all stories are told by Orr the same way. She said she loves creating a mood the audience can feel powered by. Sometimes I even change the sex of a character, she admitted. Storytellers lore is therapeutic tool, Orr tells audience by Kelly White Back in the days when kings ruled the lands, there were storytellers. Jesters were among the most widely known in that field of imagination. Not only were their stories filled with humor and inventiveness, but also with wise meanings. Cynthia Orr, a storyteller of today, says, Jesters were some of the wisest men in those days. Their stories held messages concerning the problems and happenings of that time. Orr spoke Wednesday to a group of 35 students at the science building as part of the lecture series Taking Charge of Your Life. Orr is a professional storyteller. Storytelling has been her career for eight years and she says, it will be my career for 50 more. Orr says she first thought of storytelling as a profession when a friend once asked her to tell a story. She says, I realized then that 1 had something to say that people want to hear. According to Orr, stories are soothing and relaxing. She has classes for therapists to help them learn and understand how storytelling can be an asset in therapy, Stories are very helpful in therapeutic work, Orr says, they can be courage stones, something to hold on to in times of grief and hardship. During her lecture Orr talked a lot about the stories she calls courage stones. These types of stories, she says, put across messages of strengh and hope. Messages in Orrs stories deal with ideas like listening to yourself, finding out how to overcome habits you dont like and finding your inner strengths. Not all stories have a morals included in them, says Orr. Most people, though, assume that stories are supposed to, or should, teach us something. For examples, Orr gave some of her turnaround stories. These stories start out in such a way that it seems as if they are going to end like any other story with a message in it, but turnaround stories dont. They end totally opposite of what the listener expects to hear. It makes an interesting difference in the pattern of Orrs lecture. Interesting stories are more than just telling a tale. To make a story interesting to all types of audiences, Orr says, You have to give it all youve got. Your whole body needs to help with the story. Body actions seem to work well for Orr. Her stories are alive with the enthusiasm and the vitality she puts into her movements. Facial expressions are another important factor to telling a interesting story. Eye contact, voice inflections and mouth movements, says Orr, hlp the .story become more realistic. Through the years the art of storytelling has demonstrated effectiveness in the way it helps to show how strength, courage and character can affect life and living. Holding a courage stone, as Orr says, can be a solace during times of grief and hardship. Senate discusses elections, amends campaign rules by Ethel Lyman Members of the ASSUSC Senate unanimously amended campaign rules for elected student offices for the 1984-8- 5 school year Wednesday. Campaign rule number one was amended to read: The displaying of campaign posters or any active campaigning is prohibited prior to Wednesday, Feb. 15, 1984, 4:00 p.m. Rule number fifteen was amended to read: Discretion should be used on the placement of posters, do not use glass doors, painted surfaces, outside of buildings, benches or pillars, etc. Applications for elected student offices for the next school year are available in the Student Center office and need to be turned in by 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 14. Included in the applications ate campaign rules, an elections calendar, a fine schedule, as well as an outline of the newly elected officers duties. The nominations assembly for interested parties will be held Feb. 15 at 3:00 p.m. in the Large Ballroom of the Student Center. According to Senate President Jeff Maxwell, an elections committee for the upcoming election has been formed. The committee will head up everything concerning the elections, said Maxwcil.This will include conducting the nominations assembly, policing of campaign rules and parties, publicity and advertising, arranging for ballot booths and vote counting, he added. Maxwell noted that on Feb. 1, the senate received a spring increase of $3,150, with more money yet to be given. This is a little more than I expected, but we still have more coming later on. This money only covers fall and winter quarters, said Maxwell. The senate was given a budget of $19,425 this year to allocate to various clubs and organizations on campus. Maxwell said the figure of $19,425 was figured on a minimum number of 1,850 students per quarter each contributing $3 to the senate through student fees. The actual number of students attending SUSC during fall, winter and spring quarters was greater than 1,850. This difference is figured ioto an increase and given to the senate in the spring. Maxwell said only one minor problem was incurred at the polls last i' Monday when students voted on the proposal that would restructure the ASSUSC student government. A student lodged a complaint to the senate claiming that the wording on the ballots was biased and could have influenced students feelings toward the proposal and swung students votes in favor of the proposal. Senate members heard, debated and voted on the complaint. The student appealed the senates decision to the high court. ASSUSC Chief Justice Dave Burr said, We didnt see enough bias in the wording of the ballots to warrant further concern. We felt the wording was fair enough and the ballots will stand as stated. It was proposed to the senate that the SUSC Admissions office be allocated $500 to subsidize this years Youth Leadership Conference for 1984 winter quarter. The bill will be posted for one week to allow for scrutiny by senate committee A. According to the request submitted to the senate, the proposed allocation will be used to help pay for transportation and various activities to be held during the conference. This program is helpful to SUSC because it brings in fine students from all over Utah, said Brooks Washburn, leadership conference director. Also on the senate agenda were an open meeting on Feb. 9, 7:00 p.m. to be held in the Thorley Recital Hall concerning proposed land exchange near the college cabin, and ground breaking ceremonies for the Centrum (SUSC Special Events Center) to be March 10 at 2:00 p.m. Senators were encouraged to attend both of these events. |
