In This Issue
On the paper trail: Senate and Admin face off over printed schedules“I see the Senate as the student voice, really,” said Student Senate president Melissa Heinz when we met to discuss some new changes on campus. “We have a unique student body that’s not represented all the time. A lot of our students are too busy with their jobs or families or other things to take the time to be able to pay attention to what’s happening on campus.” Heinz paused for a second. “And this is affecting a lot of students.” This change that has already been implemented is the end of printed class schedules. Formerly a familiar site in racks at all three campuses, Metropolitan State University will no longer provide printed schedule booklets and is replacing them entirely with an online version, accessible at www.metrostate.edu. The decision is quickly becoming a hotly contested debate between the Student Senate and members of the administration. The Student Senate has taken up arms—in a grassroots sense. They’ve done a survey with a fair sampling of the student population—400—with over seventy percent of respondents saying they have used a hard copy of the course schedule and think it’s a useful resource. On Oct. 17 the Senate passed this referendum, unanimously and unambiguously...
Election night remarks
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference. It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled—Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America...
New student organization to promote “Active Minds”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four adults over 18 years old experience some form of a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. With over 9,000 students enrolled at Metropolitan State University ranging in age between 15 and 71 years old, the campus is long overdue for some focus on mental health. A new student organization is forming to promote just that. The group is called Active Minds and their mission is to promote mental health awareness, education and advocacy on the Metropolitan State campus. The Metropolitan State chapter of Active Minds was started by Madeline Sutherland who is a graduate of Metropolitan State’s Human Services Program and a tutor in the writing center. She was inspired to start the organization by a documentary film called “Depression, Out of the Shadows.” The film tells the stories of real Americans who suffer from depression and how it affects families, workplaces and each individual. It features celebrated scientists describing the latest neurological research and revolutionary new treatments for depression...
SSC Corner - Students for Social Change
At around 9 percent, Minnesota has one of the lowest poverty rates (defined as $10,400 annual income for a single adult or $21,200 for a family of four) in the country—something to be proud of. But our relative success at fighting poverty in no way lessens the enduring hardships of those Minnesotans still suffering.
Many people wrongly stereotype those in poverty to be deliberately unemployed or to be clustered in inner city ghettos. These stereotypes need to be confronted—the vast majority of those in poverty are working (many of them working multiple jobs), and some of the highest poverty rates in Minn. are outside of the Twin Cities metro area (Moorhead at 16.3 percent, Beltrami county at 15.8 percent, and Winona at 17.3 percent). If there is an upside to the current economic downturn...
Individualized B.A. Program
Are you undecided or have a specialized interest?
If you are undecided and/or looking to focus on specialized career interests not offered in the university’s structured degree programs, the individualized Bachelor of Arts degree through First College may be for you. First College offers an individualized and interdisciplinary degree program for students who would like to design their own degree by choosing courses from most of the university’s curriculum and by exploring a variety of creative learning strategies (Priors, SDIS, FDIS and Internships) to meet their educational goals. Students in the individualized degree program complete the four-credit semester course, Perspectives: Educational Philosophy and Planning (Prsp 301), at the beginning of their educational journey. There are numerous sections offered both online and on campus each semester and there are still seats available for you to enroll...
Thaw out and rock out at the Rollerdome
The unavoidable has marked its arrival and, for the next six months, will be thoroughly securing its place of abode within Minnesota’s climate. That’s right, folks, wintertime has entered the building. Our days of breathing in the balmy air, taking Fido for a walk and hosting happy hour on the patio is no longer only numbered, but unwaveringly scrapped. Nevertheless, there’s no need to fret —we Minnesotans are used to the routine and relentlessly make the best of this season with the partaking of winter sports, the ignition of cozy fireplaces and creative ways to emulate summer activities indoors. Case in point: the annual launch of Metrodome’s Rollerdome.Out of 300 days of its working year, the months between November and April summon the reservation of Metrodome’s Rollerblade Rollerdome. Since 1990, the upper and lower concourses of Hubert H. Humprey’s Metrodome houses as many as up to 50,000 inline skaters a year. And it’s not uncommon to witness 1,000 skaters...
GoCrossCampus launches tournaments at hundreds of campuses
After launching popular games at nearly forty colleges and universities in the US and abroad last school year, the popular team-based social gaming platform GoCrossCampus is continuing rapid expansion to hundreds of college campuses this fall, bringing hundreds of thousands of students into the GXC community. “Take a world domination game, multiply it by hundreds or even thousands of players, inject plenty of social interactivity, and set the whole thing on a map of your campus,” explains Matthew O. Brimer (Yale ’09), co-founder of GoCrossCampus...
Is how we read to our children important?
Many studies have shown that parents who read to their children improve the child’s chance of becoming a good reader and enjoying books. We all know that a child who is a good reader has a much greater chance of succeeding in school. However, does how we read to children make a difference? I like to read to children. I have acted like a fool while reading to preschoolers at a child-care center. I wanted to show them these weren’t just words in the books but they were expressions of the characters’ feelings and emotions. I exaggerated to make my point and they loved it. “Read another book, Mrs. S!” they would cry when it was time for me to go. I asked questions. Which character did you like? Were you scared when the old man yelled? Why did the little girl cry? I also asked about the pictures. What are they doing? What do you think is going to happen? Do you see the bunny hiding behind the bush? My goal was to engage the children and make it fun...
New initiative to strengthen workforce
Amidst the nation’s struggling economy, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has launched an initiative to help the state’s businesses and industries improve their productivity and maintain their competitive edge. “Businesses across the state depend on the system’s 32 colleges and universities to prepare the workforce of the future,” said David Olson, chair of the system’s Board of Trustees and president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “The current economic uncertainty makes it imperative that our colleges and universities work harder and smarter to meet the needs of employers so Minnesota remains competitive.” The system’s initiative involves a three-pronged approach that calls for the state colleges and universities to: 1) increase their understanding of businesses’ needs and challenges, 2) raise awareness among businesses about the system’s programs and services, and 3) enhance customer service to meet businesses’ needs...
Metropolitan State welcomes new trustees
Joseph C. Ellis II, Minneapolis, and Bev Turner, Woodbury, are newly-elected trustees to the Metropolitan State University Foundation. Ellis is the vice president and regional sales director of The Private Bank and Affluent Market Segments for the Great Lakes and Eastern Regions of Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management Group. He has been with Wells Fargo for more than 13 years...
Puerto Rico class open to all grad students
Attention all graduate students: combine credits with spring break on Caribbean beaches...without MTV! WRIT 599: Topics in Technical Communication Intercultural Experience in Puerto Rico is open to all graduate students looking to fulfill their international component, or just an amazing elective. The first part of the course involves meeting weekly to discuss research topics, Puerto Rican culture, various techniques and Spanish (don’t be scared—it’s a list of 700 words)...
Travelers awards $260,000 to Metropolitan State
The Travelers Foundation awarded $260,000 to Metropolitan State University. The funds are dedicated to two university projects $150,000 for the Power of YOU and $110,000 for the Travelers Pathways Program, both aiming to increase academic success and career placement for students of color and low-income students. The Travelers Pathways Program started in 2008 with a generous commitment from the Travelers Foundation in 2007. The program includes three main components. Development of a new minor in risk management and insurance within the university’s College of Management...
Minnesota Sinfonia: experience it on Jan. 9
Jay Fishman wants as many kids, families and adults as possible to appreciate old and new classical music. That’s right—new classical music. Hardly a ‘dead’ genre, it is overflowing with material – from the music for the animated film A Bug’s Life to the new “Great Winter Festival Overture,” a recently-completed composition by Stephen Dankner (b.1944). Fishman knows all about Dankner’s overture. After all, he and the Minnesota Sinfonia commissioned this piece and they will premiere it at Metropolitan State University. The concert will take place in the Founders Hall Auditorium on Friday evening, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m...
Metropolitan State chooses new name for Third Floor Gallery
Metropolitan State University is planning to commemoratively name the university’s Third Floor Gallery after the late Gordon Parks, St. Paul son and noted writer, artist, composer, photographer and filmmaker. A celebration centered around the impending name change takes place Thurs., Dec. 4, 4–7 p.m., in the Library and Learning Center, Ecolab Community Room 302 located adjacent to the gallery, 645 East Seventh St., St. Paul. The celebration introduces the university community to the life and legacy of Gordon Parks and offers an opportunity to meet the project’s partner, Parks’ great-niece, Robin Hickman, executive producer of SoulTouch Productions, plus representatives from Gordon Parks High School. The time line for the name change and the beginning of the gallery’s fund-raising campaign is also being addressed...
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Dec. 21
This winter, don’t miss your chance to see the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra perform when the Asian Student Organization (ASO) hosts a special concert on Dec. 21. This is the second annual concert that the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will play on the Metropolitan State University campus. “Last year was [the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s] first year performing at Metropolitan State, and after that experience, [they] wanted to continue coming each year,” says ASO President Mary Xiong. “So this December they will be coming back to perform another concert.” The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is the only full-time professional chamber orchestra in the US, and this year marks the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra performs over 150 concerts and educational programs each year around the world...
Sport Explorations: Indoor Climbing
Final exams. Holiday stress. Stir-crazy feelings from being trapped indoors for days on end by bitter weather. By the end of December, many students are figuratively climbing the walls. So why not do it literally? Wall climbing can be a great stress-reducer and a wonderful physical challenge that doesn’t involve the unpredictability of snow or the risk of frostbite.
My very first climbing experience was a few weeks ago at the 55-foot REI Pinnacle. Surrounded by glass, the structure itself mimics the look and feel of the rock formations in the St. Croix River Valley. It also claims to be the tallest freestanding indoor climbing structure in the Midwest. Inside the huge REI building, I signed a waiver, paid 10 dollars and received a pager. Ten minutes later the pager buzzed: my adventure on the Pinnacle was about to begin!
One of the Pinnacle staff, Kat, competently helped me into a harness, showing me how to put my legs through the loops and tighten the belt around my waist. Her air of assurance impressed me as she explained how safe this experience really was...