In This Issue
With new president at the helm, Metropolitan State forges onward
Fall 2008 will see the beginning of a new academic year, the election of a new president, and-in a more local sense-the first semester of Metropolitan State University's newly appointed president, Dr. Sue K. Hammersmith.
"As your new President, I'm thrilled to be here and to have the opportunity to work with all of you,"Hammersmith said in her opening remarks at the Fall Convocation. "As I have learned more about the institution, I've become more and more proud to be affiliated with Metropolitan State University."
Hammersmith has called Metropolitan State a "pioneer"in its endeavors ...
Join the Student Senate
The Student Senate is now accepting applications from students interested in filling vacant Student Senate seats, and those who would like to serve on the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC). Applications for each are due by Sept. 15, 2008. There are currently two Student Senate seats available. To be eligible to fill a vacancy, a student must be in good academic standing and...
Haute Dish
Greetings, students of Metropolitan State University, and welcome to fall semester! We, the staff at Haute Dish, The Arts and Literature Magazine of Metropolitan State University, are excited to have you back. Some of you may know a bit about our sweet little online magazine and some of you may be asking yourselves, “Haute Dish who?” Well, Haute Dish is a place where Metropolitan State students can express themselves in many creative and imaginative ways. ...
Help fight for fair wages and safe working conditions around the world—right here on campus!
Interested in having a sweatshop-free campus?
If you are, we are looking to start an on-campus task force that will focus on moving towards a sweatshop-free campus and environment. We must insist upon safe, decent working conditions for those who manufacture the things we wear and use every day—including the licensed merchandise sold in our campus bookstore. If you are passionate about human rights and creating change in your community...
SSC Corner
As we dive into the new semester, Students for Social Change (SSC) would like to extend a warm welcome to all new and returning Metropolitan State University students, faculty and staff.
The fall of 2008 is sure to be a semester unlike any other with the Republican National Convention taking place in our ‘backyard’ and the excitement of the political season upon us through the November elections.?SSC would like to use this space this month to discuss several ways in which the Metropolitan State community can approach the new school year with an eye toward environmental consciousness on campus. Here are four suggestions...
The real 10 percent
Though I am relatively new in the field of law enforcement, I have handled some pretty tough calls already. Granted being in the Air Force as a military police patrolman, I don’t see the same volume of calls as a civilian police officer. But I still think about a few that happened while on assignment in the Air Force in Colorado.
My Air Force tech training had minimal coverage on handling attempted suicides. Mainly, they showed us some pictures of completed suicides. There wasn’t much training when I got to my base as well.
So, it was trial by fire when I was in Colorado where I responded to five attempted suicides and ...
Cultural differences: making lifestyle changes while studying abroad
In December 2007, Metropolitan State University posted an announcement for a 2008 study abroad program. With deadlines and deposits fast approaching, students quickly enrolled for a sunny summer in Perugia, Italy. With a bit of determination and support from loved ones, each participant worked through common obstacles.
“I wish I would have done that when I was in college,” my coworker said to me when I announced my five-week leave at a monthly team meeting. It was a very common response...
Bob Barr signs petition for academic sports freedom
Former Georgia Republican Congressman Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate, has signed the College Sports Council’s petition calling for “straightforward and common-sense” reform of Title IX. On the 36th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the CSC launched an online petition calling for reform of the unfair and inflexible regulations that govern Title IX.
“I am pleased to join the thousands of Americans including athletes, coaches, parents and Olympic Greats who are calling for an end to Title IX’s gender quota system that has devastated ...
Metropolitan State University hosts special events for election year
With excitement at a fever pitch over the upcoming elections, Metropolitan State has begun Metro State Votes ’08. It is a bold series of activities and programs to inform, engage and involve the community as well as students, staff and faculty in civic action.
Taking place throughout this fall, Metro State Votes ’08 includes multiple events featuring everything from faculty teach-ins and expert ...
Former Vice President Mondale launches Obama Campaign for Change “Seniors Talking to Seniors”
After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the creation of Social Security 73 years ago, former Vice President Walter Mondale, long-time Minnesota human-rights advocate Dr. Josie Johnson and Obama for Minnesota State Director Jeff Blodgett kicked off a groundbreaking new “Seniors Talking to Seniors” program at Sen. Obama’s Minnesota Campaign for Change headquarters...
The great Republican get-together
As the dog days of summer come to an end, we Minnesotans eagerly await the State Fair. OnSept. 1, as the sun sets and we munch on the last of our Sweet Martha’s cookies, a different kind of fair will just be getting started in the heart of downtown St. Paul: the 2008 Republication National Convention...
Groove your way to this year’s FallFest
Metropolitan State University’s jam-packed FallFest Celebration begins on Sept. 2 and runs through Sept. 27. The entire Metropolitan State community is encouraged to attend, especially freshmen and transfer students, as the celebration will showcase student organizations, university resources and will be a great place to meet new people...
Two new grants to help students succeed
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Foundation has been awarded two grants totaling $425,000 for initiatives to help high school and college students prepare for and succeed in college.
The Blandin Foundation in Grand Rapids awarded the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system’s foundation $225,000 for the northern Minnesota College Readiness Partnership pilot project. The Otto Bremer Foundation gave the system foundation $200,000 to support the Higher Education Anti-Racism Team initiative...
Mill City 101
Let’s play a round of the name game. I say, “Minneapolis.” You (presumably, people!) retort with: “busy;” “large;” “traffic;” “restaurants;” “downtown;” … The game could go on for eons, or, at least, for a few hours. But in all seriousness, we’re all quite aware of the amenities, activities and businesses equipped with Minneapolis as it governs the largest proximity of our great state. But have you ever sat and pondered how the pieces of the metropolis puzzle came together and formed a whole? I just moved to Minneapolis and as I travel the city more abundantly to grow accustomed, my fascination with it increasingly grows as do my thoughts of its origin. What better way to learn where the roots of Minneapolis derived from, than a field trip...
Sport Explorations: Kayaking
“Boofing? What on earth is boofing?” I wondered aloud. The more I read about kayaking, the more intimidating the sport sounded. After the article on boofing techniques, I stumbled into several pages of tips on “high bracing” and “low bracing.”
Finally, I tripped over a headline titled “Complex Trajectories” and decided to call it quits. All I’d wanted was a little information on how to start kayaking, not enough technical detail to launch and land a space shuttle.
Luckily for me, the kayaking trip I took in July wasn’t nearly so complicated...