In This Issue:

Tuition Meltdown heats up university students

Tuition costs have hit crisis levels in Minnesota and some students have had enough. On Jan. 25, Metropolitan State University’s student senate and the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) set out to educate students about tuition hikes and how to do something about them...

University journalist gains national attention
Student Spotlight: Abdi Aynte

Abdirahman Aynte has been fascinated with writing and journalism since he was a child in his home county Somalia. Aynte, a senior, transferred from the University of Minnesota to Metropolitan State University for a more flexible schedule...

"Meet the Pros" - Network with professional communicators in the Twin Cities

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Minnesota will be hosting a communications seminar, "Meet the Pros," on Thursday, March 8 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Students will hear communications professionals speak about external marketing communications, how to get an internship, blogging to get a job, media relations with an agency and on your own, coordinating internal communications, and working in sports communications...

More to offer than books

Metropolitan State University’s bookstore offers a variety of goods and services in addition to all the required and recommended books for courses at the university. The bookstore has almost every kind of book, from reading books and children’s books to nursing references and general references; but they also offer general school supplies, backpacks, computer software and peripherals, electronics and clothing...

Domestic abuse shelter
Cornerstone helps victims

Cornerstone, a domestic abuse shelter in the city of Bloomington, is offering its first annual conference called, "The Three Faces of Domestic Violence: Perpetrator, Victim and Youth" on Feb. 6. The conference’s goals are to explore the interconnectedness of relationships affected by domestic violence, to create synergy within the domestic violence field and to gain new ideas for providing services to clients at shelters...

Star Tribune editor comments on the state of newspapers

Newspaper journalists are between a rock and a hard place these days. A turbulent industry, due to the increasing popularity of the Internet and other forms of visual media, has resulted in consistently decreasing circulation and revenues. An avalanche of newspaper sales has taken place across the country, including our own hometown giant the Star Tribune. These events caused many print journalists to question the direction of newspapers and if they will even survive. Not Tim O'Brien...

My "Hollywood" moment

The red carpet, the stars, the gowns, the critics, the fashion police—from the day the nominees are announced to the night the awards are handed out, it’s a media frenzy of prognostications on which actors and movies will win an Oscar. We mortals must be content with watching from the sidelines; few of us will ever have our time in the spotlight, but some have come close...

Student involvment missing
Cultural Diversity Meeting yields more questions

More questions than answers came out of the Feb. 1 Student Senate-sponsored Cultural Diversity Meeting. The meeting to discuss the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ Strategic Diversity Plan took place in Founders Hall and was chaired by LeRoyce Walker-Fields, peer ambassador and cultural diversity representative of the student senate...

Campus-area rapes raise concerns

In the early morning of Jan. 1, a 57-year-old female was brutally raped and assaulted behind the Salvation Army at the intersection of Payne and Lawson Avenues in St. Paul. A second rape was reported one week later on Jan. 8 by a 13-year-old girl who had been on her way to school in the Phalen Lake area. As these areas are only a few blocks from Metropolitan State University’s St. Paul Campus, many female students have voiced concern about their safety, as it’s possible that the two rapists may be roaming the area...

Expo offered for graduation preparation

Metropolitan State University will offer Grad Expo for students planning to participate in the May 3 commencement ceremony. Grad Expo will allow students to prepare for graduation in about 20 minutes. The Alumni Association, Career Services and the Registrar’s Office will join forces with Collegiate Cap and Gown Company to offer Grad Expo, which will take place on Saturday, March 3 from 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in New Main’s Great Hall, St. Paul Campus...

Invitation to free play

Partners for Violence Prevention, the Saint Paul Police Department, Pangea World Theater and The Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights invite the community to a free production of the play, Journey to Safety. The performance will take place on Monday, March 5 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at Metropolitan State University Auditorium on the St. Paul Campus....

The power of a dream

The crowd of about 180 waited in anticipation for the Mixed Blood Theater’s presentation of Dr. King’s Dream on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Founders Hall Auditorium, St. Paul Campus. The nearly naked stage had three set pieces made of matching cherry-colored wood: A pedestal table, a podium and a chair...

University theater opens spring play March 30

Metropolitan State University Theater is producing its spring play entitled, Cat’s Paw, written by William Mastrosimone. The play will open on Friday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m., at the Whitney Stagedoor Theater, Minneapolis Campus...

A catalyst for action in Darfur

From Jan. 24–29, the Guthrie Theater presented a staged reading of In Darfur, a play by Winter Miller. The reading was presented along with a slide show depicting images of the crisis, and was followed by a panel discussion...

The World In Film - Defending human rights with film

As part of their Traveling Film Festival, Human Rights Watch (HRW), one of the larger human rights organizations in the United States, showcases highlight-titles from its annual film festivals. HRW created its International Film Festival (HRWIFF) nearly 17 years ago to showcase films that thematically address current and past human rights issues from across the globe; the organization said it had recognized film’s power to not only persuade but to educate and rouse viewers...

Sporting the Twin Cities

There’s nothing like thought-provoking sports television to liven up your day in the middle of winter. Professional football fans who tuned-in to Super Bowl XLI on Sunday, Feb. 4 probably got more than they bargained for. Many profound questions were asked, such as does performing a "manly" act of self-mutilation mean you’re not gay? Could therapy have saved the robot’s "life"? Are Doritos® really a turn-on..?