In this issue
Variety
Dorm room
recipes
(Pg• 6)
Sports
Women's
basketball go
to semifinals
(Pg• 9)
Forum
Political God
(Pg• 3)
Misleading
labels
(Pg• 3)
Young recovery
BY TONY RAAP
MIRROR CO -EDITOR
Karl Madsen's therapist has rea-son
to hope.
Judging by the progress she has
seen, Karen Mahan, associate pro-fessor
of communication disorders
at Augusutana, hopes that her
patient might make a full recovery.
But she cautioned that it is still too
early to predict.
Karl, three-year-old son of Dr.
Anna Madsen, suffered significant
brain damage in a car accident last
summer. Tests show that he suffered
global damage, or damage all
throughout his brain.
"And so that would lead us to
think that there wouldn't be as com-plete
a recovery," said Mahan, who
works with Karl regularly on his
speech. But she also said the brain
is "a truly, truly amazing thing."
There have been cases where a
part of the brain that is not typically
involved with language miraculous-ly
takes on language abilities,
according to Mahan. Similarly, a
part of the brain not involved with
motor skills might take on motor
skill abilities.
Though rare, such events are
more likely to occur in younger
Photo by Andy Eckart
Karl Madsen goes to weekly thera-py
sessions to regain basic lan-guage
skills and walking abilities.
brains, such as Karl's, rather than
the fully developed brain of some-one
older.
"And so I don't know that any-body
could predict for sure, 100 per-cent
what [Karl's] recovery will be,"
Mahan said. "I won't predict either
[that he won't fully recover or that
he will]."
(see Recovery- Page ii)
Volume 93
Issue 14 SS. • :•35>
Friday, March 4, 2005
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Professor returns to work
despite recent car wreck
• •-•.4:, ••••••;i:-.,. :f".7
Dr. Anna Madsen holds
Karl. Madsen and her family were the victims of a car acci-dent
last summer in Regensburger, Germany that killed her
husband and caused her son global brain damage.
Photo by Andy Eckart
her daughter Else (left) and son
BY TONY RAAP
MIRROR CO - EDITOR
Few expected to find Dr. Anna
Madsen in front of a classroom
this semester.
Last summer, a tragic acci-dent
killed Madsen's husband
and disabled her three-year-old
son. The college suggested that
she take the year off. But today,
at her own insistence, Madsen
is teaching.
" What I've found is that I also
need to be nourished," she said.
"Being able to come here and
work, [to] teach people about the
very promise that I need to hear is
critical for me."
According to Madsen, the trag-ic
experience has affected who
she is as professor of theology.
"I can talk about [my faith]
much more deeply, and perhaps
more persuasively because I've
been through the fire," she said.
On June 19, 2004, Madsen's
husband, the Rev. Bill Coning,
was killed in a car accident near
Regensburger, Germany.
Madsen's son Karl suffered glob-al
brain damage in the accident
and is having to relearn basic
skills such as how to walk.
"Although I selfishly and per-haps
arrogantly think that I can be
Karl's best therapist, I also have
to let go and trust that others can
do it and do it as well [as I can],"
Madsen said. "Meanwhile, I get a
little bit of balance in my life,
which is important."
Karl is undergoing physical,
occupational and speech thera-py.
Much of it is outpatient,
Madsen said, and is usually
done at the Children's Care
Hospital & School.
He also goes swimming once a
week at the CCHS pool. Tuesday
through Thursday, he attends pre-school
at Terry Redlin Early
Childhood and Elementary.
Karen Mahan, assistant profes-sor
of communication disorders at
Augustana, works regularly with
Karl on his speech.
"I can see him making gains,"
Mahan said. Karl's motor skills
have progressed, and he is
answering questions more quick-
Photo by Andy Eckart
Madsen's 16-month-old daughter
Else laughs after a messy meal.
ly, according to Mahan.
"I pray for nothing less than his
complete healing," Madsen said.
"Why ask for anything less? I
believe in God's power to heal. I
know he will heal my son."
Madsen also has "a 16-month-old
daughter, Else. Madsen's
mother Marge cares for Else
(see Madsen- Page
Planning committee
to address concerns
BY LAURA HIBMA
MIRROR STAFF WRITER
The Augustana Board of Trustees has requested the
organization of a strategic planning committee to address
the future needs of the college.
The committee is still in the development phase. But
President Bruce Halverson has placed Dr. Michael
Mullin, associate professor of history, in charge of
organizing its objectives.
"The committee has been tasked with identifying five or
six reasonable objectives for the college," said Mullin,
adding that it is striving to make
global improvements intended to
better the college as a whole rather
than focus on specific departments.
With roughly 30 members, it
will be difficult for the planning
committee to agree on anything,
Mullin said. So, his first step was
to organize an Issues Defining
Task Force, which will make rec-ommendations
to the committee.
The IDTF will be composed of 11
Mullin staff/faculty members plus two
student representatives.
"This is an exciting time for the college to re-eval-uate
what issues exist, establish goals for those parts of
Augie that need to be upgraded and look ahead to a specific
time when we want our goals to be accomplished," said
senior Angie Hummel, task force member.
(see Task Force- Page 12)