Oswego Resident Spends One Night Homeless, Inspired to Help

Chelsea Chandler, an Aurora University sophomore, participated in the AU Sleep Out on the Quad to raise awareness for homelessness. Her experience prompted her to collect over 700 items for Hesed House and more.

One night of sleeping outside in freezing temperatures motivated Chelsea Chandler to take action and help the homeless. Her efforts resulted in the donation of nearly 700 items. Chandler, 20, is a sophomore studying Special Education at Aurora University (AU). Last October, Chandler joined fellow AU students and staff in Sleep Out on the Quad to raise awareness for homelessness. Chandler said that more than 100 students participated in the Sleep Out, with a low temperature that night of 36 degrees. The night included talks led by homeless individuals and a simulated experience of begging for food.  “The next day I had a heavy heart and so much compassion. I kept thinking that I really wanted to help,” Chandler recalled. Chandler said her …

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Snapshot: Oswego Resident Participates in Youth Batting Camp

Area youth head to Aurora University for its annual post-Christmas batting camp.

Batting Camp--Oswego resident Ryan Widmer, 10, left, was among area youth who honed baseball hitting skills at Aurora University's annual post-Christmas batting camp in Thornton Gymnasium Dec. 26-29. Alex Perez (middle) and Josh Grimes (right) are team members of Widmer, who all play for the Oswego Predators 11-U travel baseball team.  The entire team participated in the week-long camp. Right is instructor Corey Landers, Elburn, AU sophjomore and baseball student-athlete. The camp included workouts in a batting cage and small-group instruction by AU coaches and players. Special thanks to Al Benson for the photograph and information.

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Snapshot: Oswego High Graduate Helps Advance Aurora University's Soccer Team

Lisa Bajkowski helps lead AU to a victory over Dominican University.

Aurora University's  Lisa Bajkowski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego H.S.), 22, heads the ball in the Spartans' 2-0 win over Dominican University at Vago Field in Aurora Wednesday,  Oct. 17. With the win, AU claims a share of the regular season Northern Athletics Conference women's soccer championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NAC tournament opening Oct. 27. Aurora improved to 16-0-1 overall and 11-0 in the NAC. 

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Snapshot: Oswego Resident Flips Wounded Warrior Commemorative Coin at AU Football Fundraiser

The Aurora University Spartans held a fundraiser for Kyle Moser, an injured Oswego Marine.

Oswegoan Natalie Zander, center, flipped a Wounded Warrior commemorative coin at midfield to open the Aurora University-Alma College football game at Vago Field in Aurora Sept. 15. Flanking her were Mark Walsh of Oswego, left, AU head football coach; and referee Ralph Carey. The AU football Spartans held a fundraiser at the game for Natalie's brother, Kyle, a 20-year-old Oswego soldier who lost both legs while serving with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The fundraiser was sponsored by AU veterans and Military Service Association. AU won the game 24-21. Special thanks to Al Benson for the release and photo.

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Snapshot: Oswego Resident Takes Over as AU Football Coach

Home debut for Aurora University will be September 15.

Oswego resident Mark Walsh, Aurora University athletic director, took over as AU football coach when the 2012 Spartans opened fall workouts on Sunday, Aug. 12. Aurora University kicks off the curent campaign at Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington on Sept. 1. The Spartans' home debut will host Alma College at 1 p.m. on Sept. 15 at Vago Field in Aurora.

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AU Partnership School Gets $2.55 Million in New Grants

Substantial grants from the Dunham Fund and the Tellabs Foundation will put the school, which will serve kids from four area districts, closer to becoming a reality.

Support for the proposed partnership school at Aurora University continues to grow. On Thursday, two more substantial donations – these totaling $2.55 million – were given to the school, which, when built, will serve students in the Oswego, East Aurora, West Aurora and Indian Prairie school districts. Thursday’s grants came from the Tellabs Foundation, a new donor, and the Aurora-based Dunham Fund, which has supported the project from the beginning. The Dunham Fund presented AU with a $2.35 million capital grant, according to Aurora University officials. That grant joins the $500,000 the fund has already given to the project, partially through its Challenge for Change program. AU officials announced that the new school, when constructed (…

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Exelon Foundation Gives $500,000 to Partnership School

Along with Aurora's Dunham Fund, Exelon is the first major donor to the proposal, which would bring students and teachers from four school districts together at Aurora University, focusing on science and math.

Thanks to gifts from the Exelon Foundation and the Dunham Fund, Aurora University is now $650,000 closer to realizing the dream of a new partnership school. At a press conference on Tuesday, university officials announced the grants, which will be put towards the creation of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) school that will bring together students and teachers from four districts: Oswego, Indian Prairie, and East and West Aurora. The new donations—$500,000 from the Exelon Foundation, a nonprofit organization funded by the Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, and a matching $150,000 from Aurora’s Dunham Fund—bring the total cash on hand to $1 million. The Dunham Fund had previously provided $350,000 in seed money for …

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AU Students Brave Cold to Raise Awareness, Help Homeless

About 200 Aurora University students spent the night outside on Friday, to call attention to the homelessness problem in the Fox Valley.

Aurora University students walking past the quad on Friday night were greeted by a strange sight – about 200 of their fellow students sleeping outside. They brought tents and sleeping bags, and some erected cardboard structures to keep the chill night air out. But they weren’t there for fun. Participants in the first-ever Sleep Out in the Quad were hoping to call attention to the homelessness problem in the Fox Valley, and help out Hesed House, an organization doing a lot to combat that problem. The Sleep Out was shepherded by Kristin Johnson and Jonathan Dean, fellows with the university’s Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action. But Johnson said the idea—and the weeks of planning that followed—came mainly from the students themselves. …

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Douglas Brinkley Talks Reagan at Aurora University

The renowned historian spoke Monday night about the life and politics of our 40th president, calling him the most influential man in the white house since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

It’s unlikely we’ll ever see more presidential faces added to Mount Rushmore. But should the chance ever arise, historian Douglas Brinkley believes Americans could get behind two nominees: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. Bold statement? Possibly, but Brinkley has the credentials to back it up. A professor of history at Rice University and a fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Brinkley is a history commentator for CBS News, and has written books about Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt and John Kerry, among others. He has also edited a collection of Reagan’s diaries. Brinkley received a doctorate in U.S. diplomatic history from Georgetown University, and served as director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for…

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Snapshot: Oswego Woman Retires From Aurora University

Janice Penn started and ended her career at AU on the same date—July 15.

Oswego resident Janice Penn (left), sheds tears at her retirement reception marking 20 years at Aurora University July 15. Heather McKane, dean of student financial services, recalled Penn's service as a financial aid assistant and presented a ceremonial rocking chair.  Penn, 69, joined and left AU on the same day--July 15. She said future plans include travel, spending time with family and friends and tending to her roses.

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