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Candidates: Don't let WSU subsume cityWINONA, Minn., Oct. 29, 2004 -- The love-hate relationship between the city and Winona State University reared its head in a debate between Third Ward City Council candidates. "It would not be Winona without WSU," said Deb Salyards, who also said that the university's growth should be capped. "I don't want to see the inner core of the city totally gutted for WSU expansion," said Salyards. Chris Arnold, the Third Ward incumbent, made the same point. If Winona State enrolls 1,000 more students, it could seriously damage the core of Winona because of new rental housing that would be needed, he said. Over about 20 years the university has doubled enrollment to 9,000, according to a two-semester annual head count. Also the campus has expanded north, south and east into old residential areas. The campus is in the Third Ward, which is bounded by Huff and Hamilton streets.
Salyards called for a moratorium in dorm construction until parking needs are addressed. Salyards promised to work toward more parking but wasn't specific. In a separate interview, she expressed doubts about one-way streets. Arnold, however, suggested one-way streets around the campus, which he said would allow for on-street parking.
Arnold urged students to vote for the School District 861 levy on the ballot Tuesday: "The levy is well justified and important to support because we received a good education, and it needs to be passed on to the children." Salyards was less supportive of the levy, saying that previous referendums did not make the schools better. "When the new superintendent took over he began talking about passing a referendum without looking into a new alternative," Salyards said. Already, she said, Superintendent Paul Durand is talking about needing money in addition to the proposed levy, despite the fact that this referendum hasn't even been voted on. "When will enough be enough?" she said.
Arnold and Salyards, addressing a campus audience of 40, agreed that Winona needs to become more attractive for Winona college students to stay after graduation. "I'd like to see more opportunities for students being able to stay in Winona," said Arnold.
As for Winona State and the city working together, Arnold said both have done an "excellent job." Salyards said if elected, she will be working toward more parking in Winona. Noting that the university is Winona's largest employer, Salyards said it was to advocate strong communication between the campus and city.
Reporters: Lauren Elizondo and
Jessica Myers
Background: Races campus people are tracking
QUICK
SPORTS
OCT. 29, 2004 |
SWIMMING (MEN'S): Macalester 99, SMU 40.
SWIMMING (WOMEN'S): Macalester 128, SMU 89.
VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN'S): Southwest Minnesota State 3, WSU 0.
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WSU SECURITY
REPORT
OCT. 29, 2004 |
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| INCIDENT NO. 1: A staff member reported at 9:30 a.m. that she struck a vehicle in the Minne parking lot and caused minor damage.
INCIDENT NO. 2: Guards received several complaints of a strong odor of marijuana on the fourth floor of the Prentiss dorm at 6:24 p.m.
INCIDENT NO. 3: Several students were cited for having alcohol in the Lourdes dorm parking lot at 9:30 p.m.
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Lourdes bathroom fire extinguishedWINONA, Minn., Oct. 28, 2004 -- A fire in a fourth floor men's room at the Winona State University Lourdes dorm was extinguished even before firefighters arrived. The fire was discovered by guards about 5 a.m. The fire was confined to a easte basket.
Pelowski, Ridge spar over tuitionWINONA, Minn., Oct. 28, 2004 -- Republicans in the Legislature are putting the burden of the state budget deficit on the backs of college students, State Rep. Gene Pelwoski, D-Winona, who is seeking re-election, said in a debate at Winona State University. Pelowski charged that Republicans want a 15 percent increase on tuition every year, just as the last two years, rather than asking citizens to fund more of the costs of higher education. Pelowski said he favors raising funds for higher-ed by eliminating a $5,000 tax break for people earning more than $800,000 a year. The state also could increase college funding by dropping out of the costly No Child Left Behind program being pushed on by the Bush administration for local public schools, Pelowski said.
Pelowski's Republican challenger, Nick Ridge, said tuition can be lowered without raising taxes. Ridge suggested taking 25 percent of the profit from Indian casinos that gross more than $250 million a year. Minnesota, he said, is the only state that doesn't tap casino profits. Ridge also suggested taxing purchases made on the internet. He said that it would be ideal to put a cap on college tuition.
Ridge is a recent Winona State grad, where he was a campus Republican leader and vice presdient of the Student Senate. Pelowski, also a Winona State grad, has taught for 25 years at Winona High, as well as night classes at Winona State. Pelwoski has been in the Minnesota House 18 years.
On tuition, Pelowski said he would never vote for double-digit tuition increases, which the Republican-controlled Legislature has done for two years by approving the state college system budget. That "weight" should not be put on students, Pelowski told several hundred Winona State students at the debate.
Ridge said his main objectives would be to have jobs available in Winona for grads who want to stay and also to find new revenue to decrease the state deficit. Ridge emphasized that he would bring a young mind that thinks independently to the Legislature. Pelowski, now in the House nine terms, emphaszied his experience. In a suggestion that Ridge is a carpet-bagger, Pelowski said he has interacted with Winona students and the Winona community as a high school teacher for 25 years and through teaching night classes at Winona State. For 29 years he has been an adviser for a model legislature for kidsâ ages 6-16. Ridge, who came from Illinois for college at Winona State, said he can offer students a can-do attitude. He promised to fight for his generation.
Ridge said he knows what all students are going through when it comes to tuition. However, to a question from the audience about why he voted to raise tuition when he was a member of the Student Senate, Ridge replied that the Senate meeting were taking too long and no one was making a decision so he changed his mind to move the process along. Pelowski, in his rebuttal, said that sessions of the House sometimes run several hours but that his vote would never be swayed by the clock.
Reporters: Katie Carlson and
Brittney Richmond
Background: Races campus people are tracking
WSU students mobilize for school levyWINONA, Minn., Oct. 28, 2004 -- With funding cuts resulting in the loss of programs in Winona public schools, Winona State University students and profs have been spreading the word to vote for an education referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot. Voting yes would increase in property taxes to generate new school funding, said education major Whitney Gerdes, who is leading a campaign for the $4.1 million levy. Gerdes has asked EMSP club members to encourage education majors to vote for the $4.6 million levy. Gerdes has passed out a fact sheet that says the schools have been forced to make more than $5 million in cuts since 2000, forcing teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts that included media centers to textbooks. The referendum would raise property taxes about $90 a year for a $100,000 house, said Gerdes.
Gerdes said that the new money would help re-implement sports at the middle school, reinstate a gifted and talented pupils program, and to improve the music and debate and speech programs. In addition, money would help repair and maintain buildings. Right now, Gerdes said, there is hardly any budget for upkeep. The EMSP club has not actually registered students to vote but pointed them to where they can register. Gerdes would like to see 70 percent of students at the polls. History prof Colette Hyman also is organizing a pro-levy campaign on campus, and the entire education college is closely involved, Gerdes said.
Reporter: Jen Lundberg
WSU SECURITY
REPORT
OCT. 28, 2004 |
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| Guards discovered a garbage can burning in a bathroom in the Lourdes dorm at 5:03 a.m. An alarm was activated and the fire extinguished. The Fire Department was called to investigate.
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GREETINGS FROM THE A&R RANCH
In a departure from usual academic decorum, the Winona State University advising an retention staff duded up for Halloween: Maggie McDermott, Deb Huegel, Jean Bellman, John Wayne, Barb Oertel, Toni Zaborowski, Richard Kotozich; front row: Nancy Dumke, Sheila Rinn, Alma Johnson, Karen Johnson.
QUICK
SPORTS
OCT. 28, 2004 |
BASKETBALL (MEN'S): Northern Sun coaches picked Winona State guard Randy Zellman as pre-season player of the year. Northern Sun coaches voted this pre-season ranking: Northern State (1st), Winona State (2nd), Wayne State (3rd), Bemidji State (4th), Concordia of St. Paul (5th), Southwest Minnesota State (6th), MSU-Moorhead (7th), UM-Crookston (8th).
BASKETBALL (WOMEN'S): Northern Sun coaches voted this pre-season ranking: Concordia of St. Paul (1st), MSU-Moorhead (2nd), Wayne State (3rd), Northern State (4th), Southwest Minnesota State (5th), Bemidji State (6th), UM-Crookston (7th), Winona State (8th).
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WSU as foreign currency exchange site?WINONA, Minn., Oct. 28, 2004 -- Winona State University could find itself providing job opportunities for 1,200 students a year in currency trading, said student President Dusty Finke in an upbeat report after a university-funded trip to Virginia. Finke said he learned that the currency trading company Concorde Forex is ready to set up a student-staffed trading site at Winona State -- if the university first comes up with $10 million. On the Virginia junket with Finke were university President Darrell Krueger, econ prof Gabriel Manqrique, and student Sens. Mick Reis and Chad Thomas.
An obstacle is finding a $10 million financier, Finke conceded. A possibility, Finke said, is contract for a financer to share earnings. If the scheme comes together, Finke said, students would enter a 12-week training program. Then, using Concorde Forex money, the students would begin trading. Students would work for 30 hours a week, earning $300 a week during a three-month internship. The Tau dorm conference has been discussed for the campus trading center, Finke said.
Concorde Forex, run by Dan Snellgrove, has approached several universities about participating in his company's expansion beyond its Richmond, Va., headquarters. Snellgrove has already expanded to Jacksonville, Fla. His goal is 100 trading sites throughout the United States and 1,000 globally, said Finke. Snellgrove is pushing for a quick decision from Winona State, Finke said.
Reporter: Veronica Langel
ALCOHOL-
RELATED
CONVICTIONS
Winona
County
District
Court
OCT. 22,
2004 |
Traci Ann Hoehn, 19, St. Peter, Minn., $100.
Jacob Peter Merchkewitz, 19, Rushford, Minn., $100.
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Tuition plan triggers student referendumWINONA, Minn., Oct. 27, 2004 --The Winona State University Student Senate voted to put the proposed $1,000 tuition charge for the New University on its November ballot. The ballot question wlll be whether to call a referendum on the tuition increase. For a referendum, 10 percent of the student body, about 800 students, will have to vote for it, said Senate adviser Joe Reed.
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NEW UNIVERSITY
Project logo
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The New University is a wide-reaching program developed in recent months to improve the educational experience of students. Its price tag includes a tuition increase of $250 the first year, $500 the second, $750 the third and finally $1,000. Some student senators have accused university administrators of telling less than the whole truth in pushing for student support -- and not even mentioning the tuition increase in presentations. Through a referendum, the Senate seeks to learn if students feel that New University benefits are worth an extra $1,000 a year.
Putting the issue on the November student ballot escalates tension between student leaders and university President Darrell Krueger, who sees the New University as his ultimate accomplishment before retiring in June. Already a student petition questioning the New University programs has 500 signatures. The petition has set administrators into a frenzy to generate student support. For the Science Lab Building dedication last week, New University project director Carol Anderson hurriedly put together a fact sheet , extolling New University changes. But the changes, including fundamental curricular changes and a job guarantee after graduation, had not been run before the Faculty Senate. Faculty senators, furious that faculty perogatives have been short-circuited, talked about a possible grievance against Krueger.
Reporter: Meghan Frain
Background: Profs erupt over promises to students
Kerry wants Bush's "hard work"ROCHESTER, Minn., Oct. 27, 2004 -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, in a battleground visit at the packed Mayo Civic Center six days before elections, bashed George Bush, saying the President has more excuses than Minnesota does lakes. It was Kerry's second campaign visit to Rochester, which, as home to the Mayo Clinic, is heavily populated with medical people. About his health-care plan. Kerry said he wants to lower the cost of healthcare to make it available, accessible and affordable to everyone. Public radio host Garrison Keillor delivered the "Star Spangled Banner." S inger Carole King and Kerry's stepsons, Andre and Chris Heinz, made guest appearances.
Kerry commented on Bush's remarks during the three presidential debates that took place prior to the Wednesday rally. About Bush repeatedly saying in one debate that his job is "hard work," Kerry said: "Well, I am ready to relieve the president of his hard work." Bush does have one thing straight, said Kerry, and that is that U.S. troops are doing a heroic job overseas. "But," Kerry said, "our president, the commander in chief, is not doing a heroic job." Kerry said he will fight a tougher, smarter, more effective and more strategic war than President Bush.
Reporter: Brian Olson
Background: Races campus people are tracking
COMMENT:
POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT
KERRY FOR PRESIDENT
On pocketbook issues for college students, John Kerry is dollars ahead of George Bush. Kerry wants to reinvigorate Americorps and create new community and national service programs through which students could earn $4,700 a year for tuition. In contrast, Bush has largely dismantled Americorps.
For middle-income families for which college is a growing financial crisis, Kerry has promised a $2,500 tax credit for tuition payments -- a 100 percent credit for the first $1,000 in tuition and a 50 percent credit on the next $3,000. Bush comes no where close. The squeeze that the middle class is experiencing has worsened under Bush tax and other policies. The Bush tax breaks have been uneven, benefiting the rich more than the rest of us.
Kerry wants to tackle zooming tuition. Under the Kerry plan, states would receive $10 billion in federal incentives to keep tuition growth at less than increases in inflation. On tuition relief, Bush is silent.
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Gutknecht to ambassadorship?| WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2004 -- Five-term southern Minnesota Congressman Gil Gutknecht said that a persistent rumor that President Bush would name him as U.S. ambassador to Germany after the election is not completely out of the realm. Asked about the rumor in an interview, Gutknecht said that he understands issues between the United States and Germany better than most members of Congress. Gutknecht added, though, that he is doubtful that he will be appointed. "The chances are very small, but if the President calls, I would consider it." Right now, Gutknecht, who is from Rochester, is seeking re-election and favored over Democrat Leigh Pomeroy of Mankato and Independence candidate Greg Mikkelson of Lake Crystal. |
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GIL
GUTKNECHT
Bonn-bound? |
The possibility of a Gutknecht ambassadorship has been circulating in Republican circles in the First Congressional District for weeks, even to the point that party leaders have identified likely candidates to succeed Gutknecht. The short list includes State Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, who is in a tight race for re-election; state Republican Deputy Chair Michelle Rifenberg of La Crescent, a former state legislator; State Rep. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester; and first-term State Rep. Jeff Anderson, R-Albert Lea. A party insider offered this analysis:
"Nelson would be hands-down favorite if she wins re-election this year. However, Rifenberg is deputy state chair with 100 percent name recognition among First District GOP regulars. Davids would be a long-shot, but his chances improve if he survives (his Democratic challenger) Peggy Hanson. Jeff Anderson of Albert Lea is up and coming."
At Winona State University political science prof Fredrick Lee said that if Gutknecht were a senator, an ambassadorship would be more likely. Noting that Gutknecht has been a reliable supporter of President Bush's programs in the House, Lee said: "Tactically, it wouldn't make sense to give up a sure vote. That would be one less vote the President can count on." Also, Lee said, it is "very rare" that someone from the House of Representatives would be given such a high-profile position as ambassador.
Who would take over representing southern Minnesota if Gutknecht went to Bonn? If Gutknecht were a senator, Gov. Tim Pawlenty could appoint a replacement to the vacancy, most likely a Republican, possibly himself, Lee said. For House vacancies, however, a special election would have to be held. By federal law and the Rules of the House of Representatives, the seat would remain vacant until the special election. In the interim, the district would be without representation in the House.
Reporter: Alison Patnaude
Background: Races campus people are tracking
WSU SECURITY
REPORT
OCT. 27, 2004 |
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| INCIDENT NO. 1: Guards received a report of a damaged window at the Maria dorm. It was found that the damage was accidental.
INCIDENT NO. 2: A tenant at the Lourdes dorm called at 2:05 a.m. to have a student removed. The student was drunk and, disorientated, entered the wrong room.
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WSU EYES BELLEVIEW STRIP
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| WSU AIMING EAST? Although unofficial and hypothetical, this plan disturbs City Council candidates. The sketch surfaced in April. Soon after, the university bought and demolished a few houses in the target area, removing them from the city's tax base. |
Plan concerns tax-conscious candidatesWINONA, Minn., Oct. 27, 2004 -- When Winona State's facilities manager, Dick Lande, laid out an unofficial sketch of university's possible expansion eastward, he added fuel to neighborhood and community concern about the inevitable encroachment of the steadily growing university beyond its hemmed-in Main Street border. Incumbent City Council member Chris Arnold, from the Third Ward, said the financial and social implications of university growth deserve attention. Noting that the university is exempt from taxes, the growth means the amount of taxable residential and business property will shrink, Arnold said: "Anytime we lose any tax base there will be a concern."
About social issues, he said: "It's great that the university is improving its buildings and adding others, but they must also realize that people have made their homes near the university." Their dislocation must be taken serioiusly, he said. With the loss of the largely traditional residential neighborhood along Belleview Street, as laid out in the Lande plan, Arnold fears, also, that the quotient of rental units around the campus will increase. "I don't want to see the area around Winona State to just become a rental area, because a mixed neighborhood provides community and stability," he said. On a personal level, the Lande plan would move the campus closer to Arnold's own house at 660 Lafayette St.
Arnold's challenger in the city election Tuesday, Deb Salyards, lives across Main Street from Winona State's Memorial Hall in one of the oldest houses in Winona, where she operates the Carriage House Bed & Breakfast. Salyards said a difficulty about the university's expansion is that many historical homes are near the university and she doesn't want to see any more of them destroyed to build parking lots. Salyards' place, however, is not in the Lande path. The Belleview Street strip is mostly modest bungalows that nobody has argued have significiant historical value.
"It's too bad that the university is blocked in," Salyards said. "If it would have been built outside of the city there would have been more room for it to grow." Salyards said that she is grateful to live within the core of Winona and reared her children in the same neighborhood.
City Council at-large candidate Dave Kouba recognizes the university needs more room. "Winona State students are generally good kids," Kouba said. "There are a few stinkers, but as the university grows, we need to allow some room for them." Kouba said the city needs to value the money that a growing university will bring to economy. Kouba's opponent, Debbie White, sees partnering with the university as it expands as a good idea, but, she added, the city should be mindful of a shrinking tax base if too many houses are taken. "I love the campus, but how far can we go?" she asked. "We need a residential area in Winona."
First Ward incumbent Al Thurley said in an interview he had not heard about the Lande sketch, but noting plans for a 400-bed dorm on Main Street, he said: "I think eventually the dormitories on Franklin and Sarnia will be linked to the university." That, precisely, is what Lande laid out. Thurley said he too is concerned about the impact of university growth on the city tax base.
Reporter: Laura Gossman
Background: Lande shares eastward vision
Background: WSU adopts friendlier acquisition mode
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Compare college sports budgets: How?INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Oct. 27, 2004 -- Trying to come up with a uniform accounting system to compare how much colleges spend on sports may be impossible, experts on college bookkeeping and finance told the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. The problem: Idiosyncracises in college budgeting and less-than-transparent accounting practices. The Knight Foundation is considering a new financial report that would enable colleges to list their revenues and expenses in a comparable way. There have been called for unifrom reporting from Congress as part of its hearings on rebewing the Higher Education Act. Also pressing for reform has been thethe National Association of College and University Business Officers.
If you don't know which fork firstWINONA, Minn., Oct. 27, 2004 -- Winona State University students whose mothers didn't teach them manners, or who got rusty after leaving home, have been invited to an etiquette dinner to help get ready for job interviews. Vicki Decker, the university's chief career counselor, said a four-course meal will follow a brief social time with etiquette consultant Maureen Cooney. "This is an opportunity to learn and practice your professional decorum," said Decker.Date: Monday, Nov. 15
Time: 5:30 p.m., Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday
Place: East Hall. Kryzsko Commons
Cost: $8
Contact: Ticket information at (507) 285-7137 |
COMMENT:
DO THE RIGHT THING
VOTE FOR THE KIDS
Winona schools are falling apart. The new superintendent, Paul Durand, toured the schools when he arrived in town and pronounced he had never seen facilities more deteriorated. Durand asked the School Board to go to the voters to raise repair money and to put jeopardized programs, like music, back on track.
Despite the obvious need, a great many Winona people oppose hiking their property taxes. Tax increases, no matter how needed, are a tough sell in Winona. This is one reason why it's important for conscientious Winona college students, who value education, to vote on Nov. 2. The future of the schools is on the ballot.
A few years ago college students made a difference when the city desperately needed a new middle school. Without college students, mobilized by Winona State education majors, the bond issue would have failed -- and kids would still be going to school in a decrepit building with falling ceilings, drafty windwos, crumbling plaster, warped floors and leaky plumbing.
If collegians don't vote, old-line Winonans who value their pocketbook more than the next generation may prevail. We can't let this happen.
Already, college students are being told not to vote because they're only interlopers with no continuing stake in the community. Don't be taken in by that false argument. The quality of schools is everybody's business, and college students pay the property taxes that support the schools just like everybody else, albeit indirectly through rent. College students also pay full sales taxes. This is our community and we shouldn't be deterred from voting to make it better.
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Background: Profs support school levy
Background: Superintendent seeks repair money
QUICK
SPORTS
OCT. 27, 2004 |
SOCCER (WOMEN'S): St. Catherine 1, SMU 0.
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Mental health workshop at WSUWINONA, Minn., Oct. 26, 2004 -- A counseling prof at the University of New Orleans, Theodore Remley Jr., will conduct a workshop, "Legal and Ethical Issues in Mental Healt," at Winona State University in Rochester. Remley, who holds a law degree, said the workshop will be geared to mental health professionals.Date: Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6
Time: 4-10 p.m., Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday
Place: Rochester Atrium, Room 103
Cost: No announced
Contact: (507) 285-7137 |
ALCOHOL-
RELATED
CONVICTIONS
Winona
County
District
Court
OCT. 25,
2004 |
Chad Michael Hanson, 20, Eagan, Minn., $165.
Megan Jean Johnson, 19, 417 Huff St, 15 days and $265.
Keira Gab Sutcliffe Stephenson, 19, Rochester, Minn., $165.
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WSU profs support Winona school levyWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- The Winona State University Faculty Senate voted unanimously to support a $4.1 million referendum to address problems in Winona schools and to donate $250 to the cause. The so-called Learning Levy, on Tuesday's ballot, is a tax that would become effctive in 2006 and run six years. At the Senate meeting, polysci prof Ahmed El-Afandi, who has campaigned for the levy for weeks, called the revenue to be raised by the levy a stabilizing mechanism to enhance the educational needs of the children. Referring the school district's continuing financial crisis, El-Afandi said: "Support of public education is the only viable way out."
If the levy passes, the funds would go to enhance academics, athletics and fine arts, and to make facility repairs. El-Afandi said. Without the levy, the school district would be $3.6 million in the hole by the end of the 2006-2007 school year, according to supporters. Noting that he has no children in the system himself anymore, El-Afandi assured the Faculty Senate that he had no immediate vested interest. The Winona Chamber of Commerce earlier went on the record favoring the levy. Said faculty President Mary Kessler: "We all know the importance of adequate resources in higher education and the same holds true for K-12." |
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AHMED
ELAFANDI
"Only viable way out" |
Reporter: Erin Feger
Background: Repairs need called desperate
Hit-and-run case at East LakeWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- A Winona State University student found her car banged up in the East Lake dorm parking lot, police said. It was a hit-and-run case, police said. The report was made at 8:43 p.m.
A college student on City Council?WINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- Mayoral candidate Paul Double said in a candidate debate at WInona State University that he's open to creating a college student position on the City Council. Incumbent Mayor Jerry Miller responded that he wouldn't go that far. Miller said the city shouldn't just give out a position. Aa student would have to be elected just like any other city candidate, Miller said: "That's the way a free democracy works." He said: "If you are 18 years old and a Winona citizen you are as qualified to be up here as I am." Double said having a student position would be a good idea: "When I was on the school board, there was always a student who helped us see the issues at hand."
Double and Miller found much to agree on, including the value of Winona's three colleges. Not only do students eat at Winona restaurants and shop in Winona stores but the university's construction projects create jobs, Double said. The city needs, however, to attract more people in the child-rearing age bracket, Doluble said: "We are losing most of our young people to the Metro area. Something needs to be done to attract the 22- to 44 year-old age range." Said Miller said: "Every company I have talked to asks, 'How can we attract families who are considering taking a job with us?' Healthcare and education play a big role when people are thinking of moving to Winona." Winona's higher education reinforces this role, because nursing and education are two of the top academic programs at Winona State, Miller said.
Double said that Winona State's composite engineering program has helped the city's economy and brought more families in by jump-starting more manufacturing. Miller said the city has many attractions: "There is plenty for citizens to see and do in Winona, including bicycle trails, canoeing, Frisbee golf, swimming and theater productions." About students, he said it's not the city's responsibility to provide activities to college students but more actuivities need to be considered: "College graduates don't want to stay in a community with senior citizens."
Reporter: Laura Gossman
Background: 10 candidates to debate at WSU
Background: Races campus people are tracking
WSU Residential College seeks ideasWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- WInona State students have been asked to submit proposals to improve the university's Residential College for perhaps a $750 prize. Ron Elcombe, directior of three-dorm living and learning program at the old College of St. Teresa,. Details of the award are still to be worked out, he said.
Reporter: Kimberly Mella
Winona jail scores near perfectWINONA, Minn., Oct. 26, 2004 -- The Winona jail received a near-perfect evaluation from the State Department of Corrections after its annual comliance visit. The inspector found fault with recreational space for the inmates, said chief jailer Steve Buswell. Other concerns were the detention information system and the availability of medical and dental resources, Buswell said. In the 113-point ratings mandatory categories, the jails cored 99 percent.
Candidates on parking: One-ways?WINONA, Minn., Oct. 26, 2004 -- With only 1,525 parking spaces at Winona State University and about 8,000 students, it's no wonder that students are irked daily at not finding parking near campus. Some city government candidates that hope is on the way. Mayor Jerry Miller, who is seeking re-election, said that he will continue to look for alternatives, including one-way streets. Both Miller and Third Ward council member Chris Arnold have suggeted turning north-south streets near the university into one-ways, which would open space for more on-street parking. Arnold said he is consulting with the city Planning Commission on whether one-ways would be possible. Noting that downtown Winona has also become packed with cars during the day. Arnold said a downtown ramp is part of his complete parking plan.
Paul Double, Miller's opponent, favors letting student pressure on university administrators solve the problem. He suggests parking ramps. "The college needs to 'go up, not out' and find more parking," he said."Winona State needs to alleviate its own parking issues by making more room for its consumers."
Arnold's opponent for the Third Ward council seat, Deb Salyards, isn't keen on ramps. "I don't want to see the center of Winona gutted out," she said. "Every time they close off streets at the university, they are taking away a part of Winona." Salyards said the problem is lifestyle: "In the 1970s you could have eight kids in one house. Now everyone wants there own room, plus they're own parking space." Salyards said there isn't enough room for Winona State to keep expanding. "Mankato had to move their campus to create more room, but it's too late for Winona to do that," she said.
Al Thurley, the unopposed First Ward incmbent, pointed out in an intgerview that Winona State's West campus also has a parking problem, even though it hasn't been talked about much. Thurley said there is more land in that area that could be used for parking purposes. "There have been a number of alternatives brought up," he said. "Parking permits and diagonal parking are both good, and now is the time that something needs to be done." Thurley said one-way streets would be a surprise for the Winona neighborhoods and would be a learning experience. "The problem is that we want to park as close as we can to wherever we are going," he said. "There is this theory that people will only park where they can see the front door of where they are going." Weather permitting, Winona citizens should find alternatives like riding their bicycles around the city to help alleviate the parking situation, Thurley said.
Debbie White, who is running for the Council's at-arge seat, supports both one-way parking and permits and wants do away with the alternate-side parking ordinance. "Permits should not be required exclusively in areas surrounding the university," White said. "All of Winona should require parking permits." White said the City Council needs to look at other university towns to see what they have done about parking issues. As an outsider, White said a parking ramp at Winona State is a viable option, but she is concerned on whether or not the parking problem warrants a ramp. "Are all the present lots being used to the max? If so, what is the over-flow? Those are the questions that need to be answered," White said. "I've heard that Winona State staff along with their students haven't been using the lots to their full potential," she said.
White's opponent Dave Kouba is an advocate for Winona State's proposed parking ramp. During a forum in September, he said if Winona State would have built a parking ramp 10 years ago there wouldn't be the current parking problems around the campus. "Winona State just needs more room," said Kouba, ñand we need to find a place for them to park besides the streets. Kouba said a parking permit system is also needed.
Reporter: Laura Gossman
Background: 10 candidates to debate at WSU
Background: Races campus people are tracking
LAKE SUPERIOR
FIELD TRIP
WSU geoscience student Joe Staloch checks the bedding to see if shoreline rocks are upside down or right-side up. Conclusion: The beds have been overturned. |
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WSU SECURITY
REPORT
OCT. 26, 2004 |
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| INCIDENT NO. 1: Guards responded at 1 a.m. to a noise complaint at the Maria dorm. Alcohol was also found.
INCIDENT NO. 2: At 11:50 p.m. guards conducted a welfare check on a student in the Sheehan dorm.
INCIDENT NO. 3: A student reported at 8:05 p.m. that several items missing from her work station in the Watkins classroom building sometime on Oct. 19 or 20.
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WSU women's choir to mega-festivalWINONA, Minn., Oct. 26, 2004 -- The 60-voice Winona State University Women's Chorus, conducted by Harry Mechell, accompanied on the piano by Jonelle Moore, will be participating in one of the nation's largest choral festivals. In all there will be 950 singers at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn.,Êon Saturday.
Assessing impact of WSU student voteWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- City Council candidate Deb Salyards isn't comfortable with the voter registration push at Winona State University. Asked about the Dorm Council and Student Senate's recent Rock to Vote concert, Salyards said she hadn't heard anything about it, but, she added. if students are going to vote, they need to be educated about the candidates. Salyards said she is afraid that students will go the polls to cast ballots in the presidential election but then vote also for the city elections without really knowing much about the candidates. Salyards is challenging incumbent Chris Arnold in the Third Ward, which includes Winona State.
Arnold, said student voters probably won't hurt his campaign because even if they are not educated they typically vote for the incumbent. More important, Arnold said: "Even if educated about the election, they'll still give me their vote because I have done a good job." In the past month, a number of student organizations have passed registration cards at booths at Kryzsko student building. The WSU Greens have sponsored concerts and rallies in the university's courtyard and are planning another rally and march this week. College Democrats and College Republicans have also sponsored separate film nights to inform students of the views of candidates in their party. This week the Student Senate is hosting candidate debates.
Reporter: Laura Gossman
Background: 10 candidates to debate at WSU
Background: Races campus people are tracking
Voters face contests on campus issuesWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- These are the candidates in races that Winona campus people are watching:
Profs erupt over promises to studentsWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- Winona State University profs accused administrators of "blatant disregard" for faculty governance for distributing a promotional sheet for the New University project. About 100 copies were handed out to students at the dedication ceremony Friday for the new Science Lab Building. In promoting the elaborate and expensive New University, the finale pet project of university President Darrell Krueger, the promotional sheet promised 18 free credits to students who don't get a job after graduation. The sheet also promised that 25 percent of class time would be spent learning outside the classroom.
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NEW UNIVERSITY
Project logo
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Bruce Svingen, vice president of the faculty, said profs had never seen the promises, let alone endorsed them, which would be a legal violation of faculty rights. In a heated Faculty Senate meeting, Svingen said: "This goes to the heart of our contract." Svingen, a chemistry prof, posed the question whether the promo sheet held empty promises: "Am I expected to spend 25 percent of my time out of the classroom?" Svingen felt this promise implied he and other professors were expected to give up almost four weeks of class time over the course of a 15-week semester. Class structuring of that sort is almost always a faculty perogative in U.S. higher education.
Matt Hyle, clearly riled at the promo sheet, said the administration "is are trying to do more with less and making promises on behalf of the faculty without consulting us." Hyle, an economics prof, is influential as Winona State's faculty union negotiator of state-wide faculty contracts.
Carol Anderson, Krueger's appointee to head the New University project, responded that the promo sheet was distributed at the ceremony because of "a need to communicate immediately to students." Anderson said speedy communication was necessary after an anti-New University survey began circulating among students. At the time of the Faculty Senate meeting, on Monday, more than 500 students had signed the petition against the New University plan for new programs, more organized student services, and new construction along with a $1,000 tuition increase to fund them. Foer students the issue is the tuition, which come across back-to-back years of 15 percent increases.
Hyle cautioned the Senate not to take the language of promotional materials lightly. ""Words have meaning," said Hyle. "To say that they don't is a slap in the face to what we do at this university." About the information in the promo sheet, Hyle said: "It will be a mess to take back."
The Senate spent time in a closed session, which is a procedure for strategy discussions. It was not clear whether the Senate plans to file a formal grievance against the administration for a violation of faculty rights, which seemed to be suggested in the open session. A grievance can become a legal issue in the courts. The next contractually required meeting between faculty and administrators to hash out issues is Nov. 1. It probably would be then that the faculty would present a grievance.
Formal grievances are unusual. Last spring the Faculty Senate presented Krueger with a grievance for promising Republican students that they could hang a U.S. flag in every classroom. The profs claimed that what went on inside classroom is a faculty matter. not administrator business, and that at least conferral was required. Krueger quickly backed off.
Reporter: Brianna Gallett
Background: Anti-New University petition at 500
New University petition at 500WINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- More than 500 signatures have been collected from Winona State University students againsnt Winona State's New University plan for new programs, more organized student services, new construction -- and a tuition increase to fund them. Craig Pearson, who started the petition, confirmed that more than 500 people have signed. "The faculty have taken it rather well," Pearson said. "We weren't quite sure what kind of response we were going to get."
Despite grumbling from some administrators, two of Winona States leaders on the New University committee say that the petition was a good thing. Tom Grier, director of public relations for Winona State, said that he was surprised to hear about the petition even more so when he found out that student senators, including Pearson, were the ones whom had started it. "I was surprised, but not in a bad way," said Grier. "We want students to have the information they need to make informed decisions, and despite our efforts, we have not done a good enough job of this."
With multiple brown bag sessions in the spring and summer, students were invited to give their input on all aspects of the New University plan. "In those sessions we did have good student involvement and it affected how things were set up for the New University, but when only 20 or 30 students are involved and we have 8,000 or so here at WSU, some students are going to be uninformed," said Grier. To remedy this, Carol Anderson, coordinator of the New University, along with other key members of the project steering committee, plans to devise ways to inform students: "We are now going out and making a more aggressive effort to inform students." Speaking to a group of more than 100 last Thursday, Anderson said she and others received great feedback from students: "A good portion of them said that they had signed the petition and were looking for answers, and I think that we were able to help them understand better what the New University is all about. We are constantly tweaking things and need students' help and opinions. These are just developing proposals."
With less than two months to go before the New University plan is to be presented to the state college system board of trustees, Grier thinks that things will stay on schedule. About the petiion, Grier said: "This did get the administration's attention that students need more information, but I don't believe that it will delay the December presentation."
Reporter: Chris Warrington
Background: 500 petition against New University |
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NEW UNIVERSITY
Project logo
CRAIG
PEARSON
Petition leader
TOM
GRIER
New University planner
CAROL
ANDERSON
New University project director |
WSU gives kidnap site video to copsWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- A surveillance video tape has been turned over to police who are investigating the knifepoint kidnapping and robbery of a Winona State University student the night of Oct. 13, campus security chief Don Walski said. The tape is from a camera that pans Johnson Street, where the kidnapping occurred, from the library's south rooftop. The digital camera. No. 11, sweeps back and forth between the parking lots and streets behind the library. Campus security dispatchers monitor the cameras 24 hours a day, Walski said. Walski has been reluctant to discuss details of the investigation. The night of the kidnapping was cold and rainy night, which might have affected image quality. Also the scene could have been obscured by campus landscaping.
It is not believed that police have located any witnesses, although the location is heavily trafficked and well lit. Christy Anderson, a senior, said she goes in and out of the library every night and usually parks her car on Johnson Street, where the kidnapping occurred. "I've never noticed anything strange about that area. It's always felt safe to walk to my car," Anderson said. About 100 feet from where the incident took place is a so-called blue light emergency call box. Kendall Larson, a librarian, said there have been no incidents this year that can compare to what happened on Oct. 13. Larson said the library staff wasn't even aware of the incident until the next Monday morning, when people found an e-mail alert waiting for them from Walski. "There is security working in the building every night in case someone needs an escort to their car," Larson said.
Reporter: Chris Selbitschka
Background: Victim froze at pointed knife
Background: Police still seek kidnap clues
Upgrades planned for WSU disabledWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- The new student services coordinator for the Minnesota State Universuity Student Association, Ezra Kazee, said he will focus on improving disability services. The campus is in technical compliance the Americans with Disabilities Act, but "we can go above and beyond the call of duty," said Kazee. Some ramps are extremely narrow, which makes it hard for students in wheel chairs, he said. He would like yellow tapping on stairs for low-vision students. Many doors in pre-1992 buldings need braille signs, he said. Also, he said, deaf students need more access to telecommunication devices and text telephones.
Describing disabled students as an untapped resource, Kazee said: "My hope is that by improving our facilities and improving resources for those students, we can draw them to our university and give them the opportunities that most students currently have." Nancy Dumke, the university's disability service coordinator, said that Winona State University has always met the letter of the federal Disabilities Act. "We are hoping to meet the spirit," she said. "We just want a little more welcoming and universal design."
Kazee said he is working up a draft of a plan to present. the university Student Services Committee. The plan will include braille signage in buildings, wider ramps, technological additions and more staff support for disabled students, Kazee said. The plan, he said, will reflect concerns he's heard from students with disabilities.
Reporter: Kristin Maloney
Police still seek kidnap cluesWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- The campus kidnapping and $700 robbery of a Winona State University student two weeks ago remains an open case, said Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams. There have been no arrests. Police are still searching for clues, Williams said. In an interview Thursday, the victim, who is 19, said he is working with police detective Scott Bestul to help locate the suspects. The victim has asked that his name not be used in the news for his own protection from his two still at-large abductors.
In the interview, the victim said he has learned from the experience and would do things differently if it happened again. He said he would have tried harder to get out of the car after he was approached from behind with a man holding a knife. The victim said he figured at the time that if he were patient and cooperative, the man would have let him go on the spot. "I wasn't thinking at the time," he said. "I was in shock of what was going on. If I knew what was going to happen I would have made a better effort to escape." Running would have been difficult, he said: "I was carrying a heavy backpack and a laptop carrying case with the computer inside."
Still haunted by the attack, he has made lifestyle changes. "I no longer carry heavy amounts of cash on me," he said. "I always lock my doors, and I'm always looking behind me wherever I go." He said he is especially looking forward to going back home to Saudi Arabia at the December break to see his family.
Reporter: Chris Selbitschka
Background: Victim froze at pointed knife
Background: Recruiter: Honesty best policy
Better grad rates seen for jocksNDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Oct. 25, 2004 -- Scholarship athletes are graduating at record rates with the exception of white football and basketball players, according to a report by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The association's president, Myles Brand, attributed improvements to tougher academic standards and the association's academic initiatives. The report said that 60 percent of Division I scholarship athletes entering college as freshmen in 1997-98 earned degrees within six years, compared with 58 percent of all students.
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ALBERT-
SEN
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GEIGER
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NATHAN
BORTZ
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SARAH
GOBER-
VILLE
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CAROW
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TOMORROW'S GREATEST BYLINES TODAY |
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Trustees' tuition vote not end of roadST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 25, 2004 -- The decision of state college system trustees to raise tuition 4 percent next year was "heartbreaking," said Emilie Wiener, legislative coordinator for the Minnesota State University Student Association. "But in a way," she added, "we knew that was going to happen." Wiener, of Winona State, said the student campaign aimed at the trustees was hurried. In only three weeks the campaign was put together, Wiener said. In that short of time 2,000 students showed their support by signing a tuition-freeze petition, she said. Originally MSUSA Weiner had planned to go straight to the Legislature this winter but at the last minute decided to go to the board of trustees to try and get additional support. "The more support we have, the easier it would be to get the Legislature to side with us," said Wiener.
Clayt Freed, executive director for state student association, put a positive spin on the 7-5 trustees vote against a tuition freeze. "The fact that we came that close is quite amazing," Freed said, noting that the board usually rubber-stamps what its finance committee recommends. "In this case the board reconsidered the finance committee's proposal and actually debated our tuition- freeze proposal," said Freed. "This is just a small speed bump. We have a lot of momentum because really it is the Legislature's decision," Freed said. He said that MSUSA will try to get parents, alumni and business leaders to help carry the cause to the Legislature.
Reporter: Kristin Maloney
Background: WSU sent 810 signatures
Background: How trustees decided |
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EMILIE
WIENER
MSUSA legislative coordinator
CLAYT
FREED
MSUSA executive director |
WSU recruiter: Honesty best policyWINONA, Minn., Oct. 25, 3004 -- The advice of Winona State University's chief recruiter is to be honest if prospective students and parents ask about the campus kidnapping two weeks ago. Carl Stange, director of admissions, said that parents and students need to know the truth: "Being honest and truthfully reporting what happened is the most important thing." He was unaware of questions from prospective students and parents about the kidnapping, but said that anyone who is interested can find information because of the 1990 Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act. The federal law requires colleges to compile crime statistics for an annual summary that is available to the public.
Stange said that incidents the kidnapping are rare and usually do not affect the number of applications. "This was a one-day event," said Stange. "There are 364 more." Stange, who is in charge of campus tours, has told guides to tell parents and students the truth if the subject comes up. "When you hide from the truth, it just makes parents more concerned," said Stange.
Reporter:
Danielle Sotir
Background: No special alert to dorm chiefs
Background: "Don't say a word or I'll stab you"
WSU SECURITY
REPORT
OCT. 25, 2004 |
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| INCIDENT NO. 1: A fire alarm station was pulled in the Maria dorm at 6:35 a.m. Firefighters were called. It was a false alarm.
INCIDENT NO. 2: A student asked guards for help at 9:15 a.m. after injuring a foot and was unable to walk.
INCIDENT NO. 3: A student fainted in a class in Somsen Hall at 9:30 a.m. An emergency medical team was notified. The student was not transported to hospital by the crew.
INCIDENT NO. 4: Guards responded to the Lourdes dorm at 9 p.m. concerning a student with medical problems. The student was transported to hospital by ambulance.
INCIDENT NO. 5: A student reported observing a vehicle strike a parked vehicle at the East Lake dorm and drove off at 7:08 p.m. Police were notified.
INCIDENT NO. 6: A purse was reported taken from an office in the Minne classroom building about 12 p.m.
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UNDER-AGE
BOOZERS
WHO GOT
CAUGHT
BEING
STUPID
DON'T
TELL
THEIR
MOTHERS
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CAMPUS
SALARIES
Darrell
Krueger
WSU president
2003: $211,836
Louis
DeThomasis
SMU president
2001: $155,245
Jim Johnson
Tech president
2001:
$125,000
OTHER
SALARIES
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The CyberIndee is financially independent of campus administrators and student politicians.
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CYBERINDEE
PEOPLE
EDITOR
John Vivian
WEB DESIGNER
Matt Del
Vecchio
2004
CONTRIBUTORS
Michelle Adank
Megan Akre
Michele Bailey
Ruth Bailey
Amber Bakeberg
Amy Baumgart
Lindsay Bauer
Meredith Bocian
Nathan Bortz
Seth Brantner
Sarah Brechtl
Katie Carlson
Rachel Cherry
Joanna Chinquist
Tanya Cooke
Brent Danz
Amber Dulek
Lauren Elizondo
Allison Ethen
Christina Ferrise
Emily Finley
Meghan Frain
Brianna Gallett
Ty Gangelhoff
Matt Geiger
Sarah Goberville
Laura Gossman
Kate Goyette
Leticia Graf
Tracie Groen
Jens Hanson
Colleen Harer
Sarah Hovey
Anne Jungen
Tino Kaltsas
Ezra Kazee
Adam Keith
Sarah Knopp
Kasey Kolberg
Adam Krahn
Brian Krans
Steven Kuzenski
Sarah Lang
Veronica Langel
Eric Leibundguth
Katie Lokker
Jen Lundberg
Stephanie Magnuson
Kristin Maloney
Melissa Mathern
Erik McClanahan
Kelly McFerran
Brendan McVoy
Kimberly Mella
Kaylyn Messer
Brian Mogren
Jen Olafson
Brian Olson
Katie Pillsbury
B.J. Puttbrese
Sarah Ricci
Brittney Richmond
Kristie Rossi
Miranda Rundquist
Sara Ryan
Michael Rytilahti
Dustin Sadnick
Patricia Salisbury
Erin Sather
Krista Sieben
Chris Selbitschka
Aubrey Shermock
Teri Silvi
Nathan Simonson
Jamie Sires
Danielle Sotir
Ian Stauffer
Doug Sundin
Alison Turner
Rob Venz
Pam Volk
John Yehambaram
Liz Wagner
Patrick Walsh
Julie Welscher
Teresa Woodall
Angela Wurst
Andrea Zellmer
EARLIER
CONTRIBUTORS
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