Newsletter: June 2008

From the desk of Carol Brunelli, Director of Enrollment and Services
During discussions about reviving the alumni newsletter, it was decided that a new name should be given to the newsletter. Word went out for suggestions. Many were submitted. Carol’s was selected: Green Chi. Descriptive, inventive and original, yet, at the same time, most fitting! That too, describes Carol Brunelli.

Carol truly enjoys working at BCMT. She feels that this is a very auspicious time for the college and the beginning of a new era. In her capacity as Director of Enrollment and Services, Carol enjoys working with a team that includes the Admissions Department (Jack, Jessica, Becky and Sherry) and the Enrollment team (Judy and Kira).

Carol describes them as “exceptional caring people who are passionate about massage therapy and are dedicated to student success”. On a personal note, Carol derives great satisfaction from her interactions with both prospective and enrolled students. During these interactions, Carol discovers interesting backgrounds in each person with whom she comes into contact.

Carol speaks fluent Spanish. She and her husband lived in Spain for three years while Carol studied and performed modern dance. Given Carol’s background in dance and as an instructor of a dance fitness class, “Soul Sweat”, her creative side emerges at BCMT in interesting and out-of-the-ordinary ways. In addition to her submission and selection of Green Chi, Carol is currently working with BCMT's Marketing Coordinator, Jessica Gumkowski, on a massage for peace t-shirt, which will be a fundraiser for BCMT and the Global Mala Project. Carol has also been the driving force behind an opportunity for students to participate in a week’s study abroad in Mexico in 2009. Carol’s job allows her the ability to come up with ideas and incentives to make a student’s journey through the learning process not only educational but enjoyable as well.

Carol has explored another avenue of creativity with the release of her new book, Climbing Mountains In Stilettos, which she describes as a “self-help book for fun, feisty women”.

Currently, Carol and her husband, a Jazz and Brazilian musician, just recently added to their family, adopting a 3-year old dachshund, Quita, from Coast-to-Coast Dachshund Rescue.

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Massage for Peace
Have you ever wondered what would happen if everyone in the world received massage? We have asked ourselves this question many times. For us, the answer is always the same. Peace. There is no doubt in our minds that the effects of massage would very well produce a more peaceful world.

We've decided to put our hopes into action and are very excited to announce our Massage for Peace campaign. BCMT has partnered with Tees For Change to produce custom designed eco-friendly t-shirts. The shirts will be available for sale in the BCMT bookstore next month. They will also be for sale through Tees For Change at the Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park this fall. Mens and womens sizes will be available for $30 each. Proceeds of every sale will go to BCMT's internship/community service program and the Global Mala Project. We thank you for your support in helping us spread the healing effects of massage.

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New and Improved 'Find A BCMT Therapist' and Alumni Profile Program
As announced in the last issue of Green Chi we have launched our updated 'Find a BCMT Therapist'. Our intention is that this program will be user friendly for our alumni, site visitors and staff as well as provide a consistent, clean look throughout. For instructions on completing the membership process click here.

If you are not a member of the association let us remind you of the great benefits for a mere $40/year:

	Course Discounts -discounts on all Continuing Education course registration fees
	Referral Service - listing on BCMT's Find-A-Therapist page on the website and verbal referrals to potential clients across the country who call the school requesting a massage therapist
	Job Hotline - access to over 60 local, national, and international employment listings
	Massage Chairs - ability to borrow massage chairs at no charge
	Massage Table Discounts - save 5% on table purchases
	Student Clinic Discount - $10 discount on sessions in the student clinic

For more information about membership please contact Penny at alumni@bcmt.org.

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Editorial by Maria August: Update on the situation in Tibet
Bhod rangzen! Free Tibet! What does it mean? For years I let those two words pass by me. Just like anyone living in Boulder, I saw the bumper stickers and the tee shirts. I never thought of a place called Tibet. I never thought about their freedom or lack of it. The words touched my eyes, but they never touched my heart. It wasn’t until visiting Dharamsala, India where I met and lived among Tibetans in exile that I began to understand. Free Tibet. Yes. And why hadn’t it happened already? Because, just like me, the whole world has been ignoring the signs. We follow the news and the latest headlines, the current “tragedy du jour”, but the Tibetan struggle has overstayed its welcome. Fifty years of invasion, oppression, genocide, torture, pillage, famine, and human rights abuses. It doesn’t stay news. It just becomes “the way things are”.

The way things are for Tibetans challenges concepts we take for granted as Americans or westerners. Passport…….Citizenship…….Home….. Freedom of movement……. Speech……. Body……Religion…….Mind. Everyone knows the Dalai Lama. But have we thought about the fact that he hasn’t been home since 1959? That he is a refugee? That neither he nor anyone else could have a Tibetan passport. That to practice his religion in his home country, the Dalai Lama would have to denounce himself as monks and nuns are forced to do for entry into monasteries and nunneries?

From my small room in Dharamsala, I studied and absorbed the current state of affairs. I went to talks by former political prisoners;watched every documentary on Tibet,;read historical accounts of torture and escape. I asked my new friends to tell stories about Tibet, about the Chinese government in their towns, about their brave walks over the Himalayas to live in exile. I vowed to take action, to help in whatever small way I could. I decided to become an activist, and to stop ignoring the signs.

What a sort of twisted delight it has been to find the Tibet story on the front page of newspapers this past spring. To have this long-ignored struggle back in the limelight. We have the auspicious opportunity to do something this year….today….. …..this very moment. Here is my three-part suggestion of ways to help Tibet:
1. Become aware of the situation
2. Boycott products Made in China as much as possible
3. Sign up for action accounts on activist websites

Becoming aware is the first step to change. It is easy to learn from movies and books. The story is compelling and it motivates us to action. Start a bookclub and have discussion groups. Invite a group of friends over for movie night. I have a website with lists of books and movies – www.tibetactiongroup.com. The most famous book of imprisonment and torture is by Palden Gyatso. A great book describing the effects of Chairman Mao is “Wild Swans”. The most famous documentary is “Cry of the Snow Lion”. Get them. Witness. Share.

Boycotting products made in China is an easy step towards a solution. I made the commitment to boycott after hearing the story of an ex-political prisoner. He was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured for hanging signs in Lhasa saying “Long live the Dalai Lama. Free Tibet.” The prisons are factories and he was forced to manufacture products that find their way to the shelves of American stores. Many of the products you buy from China were produced in such prison-factories. You are innocently touching some shoe or watch or shirt that was made by the feeble, undernourished hands of a political prisoner who works ten to twelve hours a day, lives in an over-crowded cell and sleeps on the hard ground. It somehow makes “Made in China” less appealing.

In this busy, modern life, it is a challenge to find time to be an activist. Which is why I love the action accounts from www.savetibet.org and www.studentsforafreetibet.org. They keep me updated on the current events in Tibet, and with one click I can send a letter to a politician or world leader. It is simple, fast, and effective.

The history between China and Tibet is long and varied. Here is the shortest short version: In 1950, the communist Chinese military invaded Tibet, taking forceful control of the people, the land, and the culture. Since this time, Tibetans have endured tyrannical oppression, torture, famine, genocide, and persecution of every type - continuing up to this very moment. Their religion, ecology, society, language, and traditions lie at the mercy of the Chinese leaders. An illegal population transfer of Chinese immigrants has rendered Tibetans the minority in their own country. Rich in natural, spiritual, and cultural resources, Tibet warrants the attention of the world.

As you read the current events on Tibet, take a moment to reflect on the real people in the stories. Someone’s mother, brother, uncle. Just like you. It isn’t about being anti-Chinese. It is about being pro-humanity. As the Olympics approach this August, it is our duty to reflect on the spirit of the games. They are not just a televised event for mass marketing. They represent a tradition. We must ask ourselves if China has earned the title Host. I think not. But you’ll have to decide for yourself. For me, I know my Tibetan friends are tired and they want to go home.

Maria August is a graduate of BCMT and was our Alumni Spotlight in the February 2008 issue of Green Chi.

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Continuing Education Courses: July - September 2008
100-Hour Spa Elements Certificate Program
Module 1: Hydrotherapy – July 19 & 20 (register by 7/5)
Module 2: Stone Massage – September 12 – 14 (register by 8/29)

100-Hour The Art of Zen Certificate Program
Module 1: Foundational Techniques and Theory: Prone Position – September 5 – 7 (register by 8/22)

125-Hour Prenatal, Labor, Postpartum Certificate Program
Module 1: Massage for Healthy Pregnancies – August 9 & 10 (register by 7/26) Module 2: Massage for New Mothers – September 6 & 7 (register by 8/23)

150-Hour Orthopedic and Sports Massage Certificate Program
Core Techniques and Foundations of Orthopedic & Sports Massage – July 11 – 13 (register by 6/27) Management of Inflammation: The Acute Phase through Rehabilitation – August 8 – 10 (register by 7/25) Neurovascular Compression Syndromes of the Upper & Lower Extremities – September 12 – 14 (register by 8/29)

Additional Continuing Education Courses
Therapeutic Movement in Bodywork: August 9 & 10 (register by 7/26)
Natural Energy Flows: August 9 (register by 7/26)
Pediatric Massage: September 6 & 7 (register by 8/23)

For further information or to receive a continuing education course catalog, please contact:
Judy Stattine @ 303.530.2100 or 1.800.442.5131 or visit our website @ www.bcmt.org

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