By Candice L. Caballero
Criterion staff writer

Using glue guns and steady hands, Motoko Koromogawa, Moses Chambi, Kimberly Puen and Kathy Khoo, La Sierra students, place tiny rocks and trees on a table model of Path of the Just.

In 1995, the death of Jonas Salk won him a 20-second blip in the news.

When actress Eva Gabor died a week later, features on her behalf aired for three weeks! Salk developed the polio vaccine; Gabor cultivated the voice of Miss Bianca from the animated movies The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under.

This fact infuriated Dr. Charles Teel, professor of religion and director of the Stahl Center for World Service. The result: Path of the Just!

An uneven path stretches from one side of the campus mall to the other. It connects two polar plazas -- one located near Calkins, the other by Angwin. The path winds its way through six continental patios set among trees, granite boulders, plantings, tiles, and slabs for sitting. Over 100 students and alumni brainstormed for design ideas in the fall of 1998. Thanks to a daylong charrette, landscape architect Cheryl Nickel finalized plans, but actual construction work has just recently started.

First on the list are the nodes. That's what those big boulders half-buried on campus are for. During this summer and next school year's fall quarter, the walkway from the blue mailbox to the flagpole takes top priority. This gateway signifies a link between our campus and the community. Secluded patios and olive trees commemorating local southern California honorees will line the sides.

Once a sculpture and a fountain flowing out of a split rock down this community gateway are incorporated, final work will be done on the continental patios. And those tiles collecting dust in front of the Commons? They will eventually find their way in arrangements scattered across the patios.

According to Lawrence T. Geraty, president of La Sierra University, completion of the Path of the Just is set for the summer of 2002.

So what can students do now to help out? Plenty of bibliography research is needed concerning the text inscribed on the continents' walls. Ana and Fernando Stahl, Harry Miller, Art Pick, Elie Wiesel, John Weidner, Desmond Tutu, Linda and Millard Fuller, and Mother Teresa are the Path's initial honorees. Quotes on their commitment to human rights, individual empowerment, and religious toleration wait to be collected. How about starting a small student committee geared to get fellow students involved? Opportunities to spread gravel, cut out the patterns for the continents, help feed volunteers, assist with child care, and fund-raising also guarantee ways to get one's hands dirty!

Shouldn't we take care of our blemishes before we think of applying concealer?

The Path of the Just doesn't cover up, but places emphasis on LSU's identity. Its aesthetic design and spiritual message balances the practical work Angwin Hall has already received and the refurbishing that Calkins Hall is undergoing. Once this signature piece is finished, students and the community can take great pride in such an accomplishment, knowing they've participated in its creation.

By honoring people who have captured the essence of our university's aim, the Path provides worthy models for its students. It promises LSU's campus mall a much-needed face-lift and gives altruistic individuals the awareness they deserve. That's much better than the 20-second blip the media gave Jonas Salk.