In This Issue

Scholarship funding awry? Questions arise about University funding and student representation
Metropolitan State University’s Student Senate is looking into some unclear decisions made about distribution of scholarship money at the University, as well as a possible violation of Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities system (MnSCU) policy on student representation on university committees. In the meantime, Student Senate members are trying to increase student participation on the University’s Scholarship Committee and help...

Realistic commencement speakers focus on substance, not Seuss
With the commencement ceremony of April 30, 2009, Metropolitan State University saw its alumni number swell to almost 27,000. And I’m pleased to report that the majority of the speeches steered well clear of the trite “oh-the-places-you’ll-go” variety, focusing more on matters of...

Diminishing achievement gap between students one of many pride points for the university
Talk to your classmates at Metropolitan State University and you’ll find that many students balance an array of responsibilities outside of their campus life. Take a look at your classes and it’s easy to see that the student to teacher ratio is intimate, about 13:1. Take a look around campus and you’ll notice that 30 percent of undergraduates are students of color...

SSC Corner: True Service
There is a hidden minority here at Metropolitan State, and I am a part of it. I am an Iraq War Veteran. Currently, veterans of the recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, the first Gulf War, Vietnam, and other conflicts make up 10 percent of the student population here at Metropolitan State University. For the longest time, I felt like the only one of my kind here. You see, I am not simply your average veteran, but I am a veteran who is opposed to...

Job hunting: Don’t get scammed
Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons in the United States has grown by about 5.3 million, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. In the month of March alone, this number increased by 694,000 - reaching a staggering 13.2 million. An accord of anxiety and desperation has become palpable in the online job market. “The current economy is such that there are so many people unemployed and so many families in desperate circumstances that they’re grasping at anything that comes their way,” says David Smitherman of the Birmingham Better Business Bureau...

Student perspectives: Members of the recovery community share their experiences on how they continue to beat the odds and maintain long-term sobriety
I lay in a hospital bed in severe pain. My legs hurt, and the painkillers don’t seem to be doing any good. A doctor explains to me I have basically shattered both ankles and I need surgery if I’m ever going to walk again. I’m scared, probably in shock and my heart is still racing uncontrollably from the cocaine I had used hours before. In a drug and alcohol induced psychosis, I had decided to jump off a 30-foot balcony. Lying in bed, I swear to myself I will never use alcohol or drugs again. But despite multiple attempts with various treatment options, it will be three years before I can finally string together 60 days of sobriety...

The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round...
Taking the bus… whether you don’t have a car, spend too much on gas, prefer to bike, hate commuting, want to go green, want to spend more time outside, or even just like the experience, public transportation has a variety of benefits for everyone. The Twin Cities make it especially convenient for students, with high frequency routes, steep student discounts and routes that drop you off at nearly the front step of all three Metropolitan State locations across the Cities...

Metropolitan State appoints vice president for administration and finance
Murtuza T. Siddiqui, Shoreview, has been appointed vice president for administration and finance by President Sue K. Hammersmith. The appointment was effective April 1. In this position, Siddiqui serves as the university’s chief financial officer and is a member of the president’s senior leadership team. He provides leadership for and overall direction of human resources; capital planning and campus services; budget planning, finance management; and information technology. Siddiqui provides...

Remember the culture
To many, all ethnicities aside, the holiday of Cinco de Mayo represents nothing more and nothing less than a weekend-long (or week-long, if you’re really ambitious) excursion to passionately pursue the highest-quality tequilas, cervezas and tacos in town. And while there’s nothing wrong with hightailing it to the nearest Don Pablo’s to feign your birthday in order to shamelessly adorn your cranium with their undersized sombrero as you sip on margaritas the size of a fishbowl, keep in mind that the significance behind the festivities stretches much deeper than a marathon’s worth of jovial drinking...

High marks for Highland National: The Metropolitan’s tour of public golf courses continues...
When the City of St. Paul reopened Highland National Golf Course in 2005, the “Snoopy”-shaped bunker on the 15th hole became a notable feature, but the course—and its staff—offer so much more than just a tribute in sand to “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles Schulz, who grew up in St. Paul playing and caddying on the original Highland Park course. A First Tee facility, and a place for women Brian Simpson, Franco Zerna and Angie Ause are teaching professionals deeply involved in Highland National’s First Tee programs. The First Tee initiative began nationally in the late 1990s with the help of the PGA of America, PGA TOUR, LPGA, US Golf Association, Tiger Woods Foundation and Augusta National Golf Club, amongst others...

Saib kuv: (Watch me - see the Hmong in me)
Metropolitan State University Third Floor Gallery is pleased to present Saib Kuv (Watch me—See the Hmong in me). The exhibit opened with a reception on Thurs., April 16 and will continue through July 24. This exhibit features a collection of digitally manipulated photographic portraits coupled with poetry and prose by emerging Hmong-American artists. The show was organized by the local nonprofit, In Progress, which provides opportunities for marginalized young people to develop their skills as...

‘Hi’ tea in the afternoon at the Hotel Ivy
Many Americans equate afternoon tea with old ladies or little girls who dress up their stuffed animals in bonnets. While there is something kitschy and old-fashioned about eating finger sandwiches and crumpets, it is a highly underrated tradition. More than a snack, afternoon tea is a relaxing way to reenergize, visit with friends and family, or simply reflect on the day’s events. The Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis is now hosting a daily event in their lobby (3-5 p.m.) that reveals to Minnesotans that tea does not have to be an archaic and stuffy affair. Joan Ida, the new executive chef of the hotel’s restaurant Porter and Frye, has developed a refreshingly global take on the classic British tea menu. For example, in place of the predictable egg salad sandwiches, Ida has invented a Japanese-inspired deviled egg...