Bars still snub fire safety crowd limits

WINONA, Minn., April 29, 2005 -- Despite fire marshal restrictions on capacity, police raids and repeated news media reports, downtown college bars are failing to keep too many boozers from coming in the doors. Schyde's Drinks and Whatnot, Bulls-Eye Beer Hall,and Brothers Birthday Bar were all over capacity these past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights -- and not just a tad. MORE Schyde's. By a reporter's headcount, more than 320 people were jammed into the bar at 11:45 p.m. Thursday, 149 more people than the legal cap of 171. Asked about the violation of the posted fire safety limit, bouncers said they guessed about 225 people were in the bar. Even so, that would be 31.3 percent too many. Brothers. The crowd grew from 100 around 10 p.m. Thursday, to more than 220 by 11:45 p.m., Thursday. The fire marshal's max, posted prominently at the door, is 171. Winona State student Luke Hansen said the bar was so crowded he could hardly move. That is why the fire marshal has capacity restrictions: What if there were a fire? Bulls-Eye. A headcount showed 185 people stuffed within the walls around 11 p.m., Thursday, but dropped to around 160 by 12 a.m. -- still higher than legal capacity of 117. The bar was raided shortly after midnight by police for underage drinkers, but police overlooked the capacity violations. MORE Friday night fewer patrons packed the downtown bars, perhaps because of the Bulls-Eye raid the night before, but the bars were still over legal capacity: Schydes, more than 200 people at 11:30 p.m.; Brothers, 215 at 11:15 p.m.; and Bulls-Eye, roughly 147 at 11:15 p.m. The Winona State University spring concert featuring Guster was going on during that time and may have shrunk the number of bar-goers that night. MORE On Saturday too the bars were above capacity around 12 a.m.: Brothers, 200; Bulls-Eye, 160; and Schydes, 225. MORE Although, Schyde's bouncers were turning away people Saturday night, saying the bar was at capacity, the problem has existed for at least six months. Schyde's was fined $205 Oct. 7 for being 100 persons over limit. Police Chief Frank Pomeroy said his officers had counted 226 people in the bar with 30 to 40 were waiting to get in and another 20 were running away during the raid. Too, the CyberIndee has carried multiple headcounts that document significant violations. MORE Confronted with hard data on the fire violations, Mayor Jerry Miller said action will be taken, probably a sit-down meeeting with bar owners. Capacity codes exist for safety in case of emergencies, he said. Miller said he was unaware that the capacities were being violated to the extent they were last weekennd. The city may have to beef up code enforcement, he said. Even though studentys want into these places, safety must come first, he said. Miller said emergencies of all kinds can occur in the bars -- fires, fights, and violence. Miller said he would never want a targedy like the 2003 fire at the Station rock club in Warwick, R.I. Panicking to escape the Station, 96 people died. "The big crowds make it difficult for people to escape emergencies, and for emergency personnel to do their jobs," Miller said. "The codes are there to protect everyone." MORE Miller said he would call a meeting with bar owners to discuss capacity limits and issues. City offciials have not met with bar owners in three years, he said. Miller said he wants Fire Chief Ed Krall and Police Chief Frank Pomeroy at the meeting. The mayor did not know how soon the meeting would be scheduled. MORE Brothers, Schyde's and Bulls-Eye management all refused to comment for this article. MORE Miller said he does not have a problem with people going and having a good time at the bars but that they need to be responsible when they go out. "Bar owners should have a responsibility in making this happen," Miller said.

BROTHERS 129 W. Third St. Fire marshal max: 171 Last weekend: 220 BULLS-EYE 107 W. Third Sty. Fire marshal max: 117 Last weekend: 185 SCHYDE'S 102 Johnson St. Fire marshal max: 171 Last weekend: 320

UPCOMING EVENTS
ST. MARY'S	SOUTHEAST TECH	WINONA STATE

TO EARLIER ITEMS TO TOP TO HOME TO NEWS ARCHIVE

Cops halt party, issue two tickets

PHOTOGRAPHER: MATT KASPER

"But I gotta go now, right now"

NOW HIS FACE SHOT AWAY David Parnell did it to himself while high on meth. Now off the drug, Parnell's message at WSU was that meth is a growing problem not just for addicts for all of society. Young people can make a difference, he said.

THEN

At party break, student hear of meth horror

Democrats tracking Pawlenty to WSU

WSU men's tennis team to regionals

TENNIS MEN'S

WINONA, Minn., April 28, 2005 -- The Winona State University men's tennis team won a berth in the NCCA Division II North Central tournament. The Warriors, seeded eighth, will start against top-seeded Southwest Baptist on May 6. The Warriors carry a 13-8 record into the chanmpionship, Soujtwhest Baptist a 15-11.

Here's a nay to 12-game football season

WSU chemists offer polymer paper

Police comb Gordon's duffel bag for clues

WINONA, Minn., April 28, 2005 -- The things that Paul Allen Gordon was carrying in his green duffel bag when he was arrested in California in January contained significant information in furthering the investigation of the Sugar Loaf murders, according to court documents. When Gordon was arrested crossing the border from Mexico, federal agents confiscated the duffel bag and also a black Gap backpack. According to police documents, which had been sealed by a judge until this week, the clothes in the bag were to be examined for remnants of soot, ash and other materials related to the fire that destroyed the apartment where Winona State University student Stacy Smith was strangled and her 10-year-old daughter were strangled and raped. Also to be sought from the bags' contents, according to the document, was evidence of physical and sexual assault -- blood, hair, fingerprints, and body tissue and fluids. MORE The two duffel bag and back pack contained: One yellow and black Motorola C202 cellular telephone. Onebelt. One gray jacket. One green notebook. One letter. Keys. A Michigan driver's license. One pair brown work boots. A black/gray jacket. One yellow shirt. Six sets of Hanes underwear. Other shirts. Scissors. Safety razors and blades. Vaseline. Latex gloves. MORE Other items of special interest to the investigation, according to police documents, were the latex gloves and green notebook. Police documents stated that latex gloves are often worn by people committing a crime so as not to leave fingerprints. The green notebook might contain information and details related to the investigation, the document stated. The police document also stated that an examination of material found underneath Stacy Smith and Taylor Swanson's fingernails would be conducted. According to the documents, if victims struggle they will often scratch their assailant and skin cells containing the assailant's DNA can be trapped underneath the fingernails. MORE There was no information in the police documents about the results of the examination of the bags' contents. The documents were attached to the Feb. 28 criminal complaint against Gordon, although the documents were sealed from public examination at the time. It is believed the examination and testing of the bags' contents was completed for a grand jury that later indicted Gordon. A complete record of the grand jury's proceedings has not become available. MORE Police documents also stated that on March 10 a buccal swab and physical and medical inspections, including photography, were to be conducted on Gordon. The use of photography was included to document scratches, bruises or other physical blemishes that could heal and disappear over time, according to police documents. MORE When police searched Smith's apartment after the fire on Dec. 16, they could not find a single key, either to the apartment or to her car. Two sets of keys were found in Gordon's green duffel bag, one set had an extra extension for another set of keys but there were not any keys on it, according to police documents. MORE Police documents also listed two instances in which Gordon was known to have used an alias. The first instance occurred on Dec. 9 when he purchased $300 worth of flowers from Nola's Flower Shop in Winona. The flowers went sent to Amber Scott at a military base in California. An attached note said: "I didn't know if you'd like the poinsettia. To my favorite Lil Mama. Love, Casino." The note included a happy face. MORE A second instance involving an alias occurred on Dec. 22, six days after Smith and Swanson were murdered and the apartment set on fire. After seeing a photograph of Gordon in a newspaper, a landlord came to police and said that Gordon, being sought then as a "person of interest," was his tenant but that he had identified hismelf as Xavier Jones. Gordon had rented Apartment 2N at 206 Harvester St. in October and had paid through December, the landlord said. The landlord told police the rent was always paid in cash and by a woman driving a cream-colored car. MORE According to the police documents, Gordon's girlfriend at the time drove a cream car, the same car Gordon was driving when he had an accident two months earlier. Police then searched Gordon's "secret" apartment, according to the police documents. They reported finding a silver and black Nokia brand Sprint cellular phone, a steak knife in the couch, a screwdriver on the headboard of Gordon's bed, and a Cheeto's container with a secret compartment in the trash. The discovery of another cellular phone brought the total number of that phones Gordon was known to have carried to three.

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders

Senate: Yes, go ahead, buy Maria dorm

Broken exhaust triggers SMU dorm alarm

Senate acts against pending parking limits

R.I.P.: James R. Schulz Jr.

Students' New U anger in boil at rally

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2005 -- Students rattled off their objections to Winona State President Darrell Krueger's plan for reinventing the university at a rally, focusing mostly on costs. Incoming student President Ryan Flynn proclaimed: "Don't sell us the extras until you provide us the basics." The Krueger plan involves a series of extra $250 tuition increases for travel abroad, field trips and a variety of enriched learning experiences. But, as Flynn has noted, a continuing shortage of faculty has delayed students from enrolling in basic classes. Also, faculty have been pressured to teach larger and larger classes, one this year with 450 students. MORE Student objections have manifested themselves repeatedly in recent months, including two referendums in which students overwhelming rejected the Krueger New U plan; in a series of Student Senate votes, almost all unanimous; rallies, including a March on Somsen under Krueger's office in March; and in lobbying of both the state college board of trustees and legislators. Since March, Krueger has ignored the student objections and vowed to press on over the summer to win St. Paul approvals. Although summer is traditionally the doldrums of student activism, student President Dusty Finke said at Wednesday's rally: "This is not a done deal." Finke and Flynn plan testimony against the New U before the state trustees over the summer. With the first of the tuition surcharges this fall, on top of higher base tutition and new fees, Krueger wants to push the cost of attending Winona State to almost $6,924 -- a 9.5 percent increase, which would follow several years of double-digit increases. MORE Flynn slammed Krueger, alleging a lack of interest in student perspectives on the New University. Flynn also accused Krueger of blatantly ignoring any student opposition. Reis reminded people at the rally that Krueger had called student disseenters ignorant in a discussion on the New University with the Senate leaders earlier this year. Reis expressed hope in an interview that incoming university President Judith Ramaley would be open to student concerns. Reis also said that Krueger decided well before any student involvement that the New University was going to happen. Having a new president who is not that close minded will help the students, Reis said. MORE The rally was held on the entrance to the Winona State library, scheduled, ironically, to be renamed he Darrell Krueger Library on Friday to honor the retiring university president. MORE At the rally, junior Lindsay Pizzino picked up on Flynn's characterization of New U initatives as extras. Pizzino called them "fluff." The proposed changes lack a cohesiveness, Pizzino said: "It's miscellany strung together." Other students accused administrators of being less than forthright on what the proposed tuition surcharge would buy them. The surcharge would generate $2 million next year. To Student Senate questions two weeks ago, Krueger's key lieutenant, academic Vice Presdient Steve Richardson, said it all was "too complex" to explain. At the rally, sophomore Alison Sweeney carried a poster: "I Am Not Ignorant." Student Sen. Mick Reis, chair of the Student Senate's new U committee, said students shouldn't be expected to take a "blind leap" about the spending of their dollars. MORE A few hours before the rally, the first breakthrough in an administration lockdown on New University budget information appeared in the Winonan student newspaper and on the CyberIndee. Reporter B.J. Puttbrese, using state open-record laws and implying the possibility of legal action, gained a skeletal breakdown of New U costs so far. The information, extracted from university Comptroller Scott Ellinghuysen, listed $716,000 as having been spent over the past 18 months to explore possibilities for New U program content. That roughly was $100 per student. Ellinghuysen, however, did not offer any more information than what Puttbrese had specifically requested. MORE Where the $716,000 came from is not known outside of a small circle of top admninistrators. Ellinghuysen offered a line-item breakdown of only nine broad categories of spending, nothing more. Reporters: and Dustin Sharmstrom Background: WSU has spent $716,000 so far Ramaley funds information vacuum Ramaley gives up on New U wooing New data introduced in New U debate WSU officialdom vague on New U dollars Krueger testy in showdown with students

NEW UNIVERSITY The Krueger reform package Proposed annual tuition surcharges Fall 2005: $250 Fall 2006: $500 Fall 2007: $750 Fall 2008: $1,000 DUSTY FINKE WSU student president: "Not a done deal yet" RYAN FLYNN Student president-elect: "Don't sell us the extras until you provie the basics" MICK REIS Student New U chair: Don't ask students to take blind leaps About 55 students, many of them student senators, braved an unseasonably chilly April morning for the New U proptest rally. Across the courtyard about the same number of students were gathered for a dunk-the-prof fundraising toss and splash game.

UPCOMING EVENTS
ST. MARY'S	SOUTHEAST TECH	WINONA STATE

TO EARLIER ITEMS TO TOP TO HOME TO NEWS ARCHIVE

WSU fall orientation bash funded at $688

Federal aid to tiny Bible school impugned

SMU hurdler set for nationals

TRACK MEN'S

DULUTH, Minn., April 27, 2005 -- St. Mary's hurdler Jenny Folgers ran the 100-yard hirdles in 15.06 seconds at the Bulldog Open to qualify provisionally for the NCCA Division III Outdoor Championships. Folgers also made nationals last year. Background: Hamstring slows Folgers

ACLU pursues vagina button issue

Ramaley finds New U information vacuum

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2005 -- The incoming Winona State University president, Judith Ramaley, said there clearly is a need to inform students the New University makeover plan that's been in the works since 2004. At a campus reception at which she mingled with a gaggle of students, she found some who didn't know what the project was, despite 18 months of publicity and and a $716,000 outlay. About the student information vacuum, Ramaley said: "That troubled me a little. We have a little work to do there." At the rception about 100 administrators, profs and a few students stood in line for half an hour to to shake hands with Ramaley. MORE Later she spoke to the crowd, shunning a microphone, joking that she felt a need to croon whenever she was in front of a mic. She called Winona State's a wonderful opportunity all in one package. "Winona State University holds remarkable promise," she said. MORE In interview snippets at the reception Ramaley said she had been able to get out and experience the community during an extended weekend in Winona. Mike Rivers' Holiday Inn was her base station for the visit, but she said she attended a baseball game, a jazz concert and spoke to a lot of people, including student President-elect Ryan Flynn, with whom she dined on Thursday. Asked why she applied for the Winona State presidency, she said the main reason was to help facilitate the New U and to educate the students about the plan. She said she looks forward to July, when she takes over the presidebnt. July also is when she will move into a 1,500-square foot rambler on the Waterford Circle cul-de-sac off County Highway 15 beyond Southeast Tech.

JUDITH RAMALEY WSU president-designate

Doubt cast on Rochester U plan

RED WING, Minn., April 27, 2005 -- State Sen. Steve Murphy, D-Red Wing, doubts that the funding requested of the Legsislature to get a new, independent university started in Rochester will make it through the Senate. The proposal has been included in the House Higher Education finance bill, which appears to have enough support for passage in the House, but Murphy said he is opposed. The House bill, which inclues $3.2 million requested by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, is a dead idea in the Senate, Murphy said. He noted that the Rochester business community has not formally endorsed the need for a new university. MORE Also, he noted resistance from the University of Minensota and the MnSCU system's Winona State University, both of which offer four-year degrees in Rocheste and would, under the Pawlenty plan, be replaced by the new institution. Murphy said Gov. Pawlenty created the new university proposal as a scheme to boost declining Republican support in Rochester.

STYEVE MURPHY Red Wing Democrat

Jail taking extra steps to protect Gordon

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2005 -- The man charged with the murders of a Winona State University student and her 10-year-old daughter, Paul Allen Gordon is switched to a different cell nightly in an extra security measure, said Sheriff Dave Brand. And to keep him separate from other prisoners, Gordon is kept in the juvenile holding cells, Brand said. The juvenile holding area contains two separate cells, each with their own bed, sink, toilet and window, a common room where a brown picnic-style table and television are located, and a separate shower. MORE While most prisoners are checked on every 15 minutes, Gordon is checked on more often, Brand said. Brand said Gordon is considered a "red-eye" prisoner because if sentenced he is facing possible life in prison. "We are checking in on him more often to make sure he doesn't try to escape or commit suicide," Brand said. In the 35 years Brand has been with the sheriff's department, two prisoners have succeeded in hanging themselves. "We are not only responsible for ourselves but for the prisoners as well. They are our responsibility," Brand said. "If they hurt themselves we are liable." MORE At 10 o'clock Wednesday morning Gordon was still sleeping in his cream-colored cell. Lying on his stomach, Gordon had his head covered with a white sheet, the tattoo on his right arm peeking out from his short-sleeved white undershirt. Brand said Gordon has not been any trouble since he's been in the sheriff's custody. "We take away privileges if a prisoner acts up," Brand said. Privileges consist of phone and television use, visitors, and recreation time. MORE Brand said the sheriff's department followed the usual booking procedures when Gordon was brought back to Winonan in February. "We only book one prisoner at a time," Brand said. "If we have more than one person to book we hold then in a separate cell." The small, separate room in which priosners are held contains a brown metal bed and a toilet. Drunk or unruly prisoners are also held in this room as a safety precaution. Prisoners, still in handcuffs, are then logged into the computer and their fingerprints are taken in the yellow and orange room. Prisoners then take a shower and are dressed in their orange "bibs" and orange flip flops. Any personal belongings a prisoner brings in with them are stored in the cream lockers in the booking room. MORE If the prisoner is kept in the maximum security ward of the jail, they are taken to their cell on the same floor. If a prisoner is considered minimum security they are escorted downstairs. Most maximum security prisoners are kept in cell blocks with up to eight other prisoners. These blocks have a central open area with a table and television, surrounded by the eight personal cells. "Because of the magnitude of Gordon's charges, he is being kept separate," Brand said. The jail does not have a specific room for high-risk prisoners, which is why Gordon is being held in the juvenile holding area, Brand said. Brand said, "Right now we are just watching to make sure he does not try and escape or hurt himself."

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders

NEW UNIVERSITY

WSU has spent $716,000 on New U

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2005-- Winona State University has spent more than $716,000 to develop the New University package of curricular and other changes, according to a document created by university Comptroller Scott Ellinghuysen. The document, a brief tally of expenses going back to August 2003, was provided after Ellinghuysen was presented a formal, written request noting that the state open-record law requires the data to be made available at any citizen's request. For months academic Vice President Steve Richardson and New University project coordinator Carol Anderson had refused reporter requests for an accounting of their spending. Also, a deaf ear had been turned to Student Senate inquiries. Early in the 18-month New University project, university President Darrell Krueger said he expected planning would run $450,000. MORE

NEW UNIVERSITY The "Winona Experience"

Social work honorary inducts 10

Police: Trinity hate-mail case solved

GUSTER Attendance 1,900 to 2,000

Cops arrest 10 at WSU concert

Prof: Cannibal case upturns legal concepts

WINONA, Minn., April 27, 2005 -- A new legal precedent could result from the retrial that has been set for the German cannibal convicted of manslaughterfor killing and eating a willing participant he found over the Internet, according to Winona State University political science prof Fred Lee. In the case, 42-year-old Armin Meiwes fulfilled his sexual desire to consume another person by eating his flesh. Because the victim wanted to be eaten, it hard to render a verdict using traditional reasoning, Lee said. MORE None of the currently used not-guilty verdicts in U.S. law apply, Lee said. Not guilty, which means that substantial evidence was lacking. Not guilty by reason of self-defense. Manslaughter, in which the person the death was accidental. Not guilty by reason of insanity. Non-insane automatism, in which a person claims to have been in a state of sleep when committing the crime. MORE Lee said he does not see manslaughter as being the appropriate conviction, since Meiwes obviously intended on doing it, but a murder charge would be difficult to pursue as well because murder victims are, by definition, not volunteers. Meiwes' eight and one-half year sentence may be overturned now that a German appeals court has ordered a retrial. The conviction on a manslaughter charge was too lenient, the court said. Meiwes' defense team, meanwhile, plans to argue for a lesser sentence on grounds that the killing was euthanasia. MORE Lee noted there are differences between the German and U.S. legal systems, but said, "If I were a jury member in this case, it would be hard to convince me that Meiwes didn't commit pre-meditated murder." By U.S. standards, Meiwes met all three circumstances to be convicted of pre-meditated murder, Lee said. He knew it was wrong, he thought about it ahead of time through many fantasies, and he did it anyway, Lee said. Reporter: Zack Stogenson

FRED LEE WSU political scientist

Prof: Perceptions matter in vagina button issue

Gordon attorney: Expect delay in trial

WINONA, Minn., April 26, 2005 -- A trial for Paul Allen Gordon, accused of killing Winona State University student Stacy Smith and her daughter, will likely be delayed, said a public defender. The trial is scheduled for Aug. 29, but, said Julie Maxwell, one of Gordon's attorneys, more time will be needed to prepare their case. Maxwell said she and Gordon's other attorney, Carol Weissenborn, just received a box of police reports and evidence Thursday when the grand jury indictment was released. The evidence, she said, will take more than the four months between now and Aug. 29 to analyze. The defense not only must analyze the grand jury's report but also interview witnesses and prepare motions to challenge evidence, she said. Maxwell said she expects there will be a trial, suggesting that her thinking is that Gordon will plead innocent, but, she said, a delay is essential to ensure fairness for Gordon. MORE Maxwell said she and Weissenborn are considering asking for a change of venue. Winonans are so informed about the case that most have already decided if they think Gordon is guilty or innocent, making it difficult to find an unbiased jury in the area, she said. Prosecutor Chuck MacLean too has said he sees relocation of the trial as a strong possibility. MORE Maxwell commended the news media on their coverage and said she understands why the case is important to Winona people. If the trial is moved to a different area, Winona people will be able to follow the case because Minnesota media, including Twin Cities newspapers and television stations, have diligently followed it for their statewide audiences. "We're not going to keep the media away," said Maxwell. "They'll report what they're going to report." She said the change of venue is to ensure a fair trial and not to deny the pubic information on the case. MORE Maxwell said she and Weissenborn are considering asking for the jury to be sequestered. "A lot's going to depend on where we are," she said. If moved, the trial may be in Fillmore or Olmstead counties, Maxwell said. She noted that Fillmore County is sparsely populated with little media saturation, making it ideal for a trial, she said. Olmstead County also is an option, Maxwell said, but noted, on the downside as far as contamination of the jury pool is concerned, that Rochester media coverage could be intense. MORE Maxwell said she is uncertain of what changes will happen regarding the trial because it is still early. "We're just at the beginning," she said. "I can't even begin to tell what we're going to be focusing on."

PAUL ALLEN GORDON Accused in Winona strangulation murders

Profs urge anti-racism task force

WSU women's prof defends vagina button

WINONA, Minn., April 26, 2005 -- Winona State University women's studies prof Tamara Berg says that an opportunity for learning about violence against women was lost when Winona High School officials told senior Carrie Rethlefsen to remove her I Love My Vagina button. Berg said that the context of the button was connected to the "Vagina Monologues," a play that's been produced at more than 700 high schools and colleges across the country, criticizing violence against women and expressing female sexuality. "'The Vagina Monologues' is a cultural artifact that is clearly linked to a movement ending violence against women, said Berg. "It's about reclaiming our bodies and the way they're talked about." Within the context of the play, the button has a larger meaning than a genitalia reference, she said. MORE Although Berg doesn't think the button is obscene, several members of the community have been asking how it is any different from a boy going to school wearing a I Love My Testicles button, which some people might see as threatening. In response, Berg asks what the context is: "If it were a part of a prostate awareness type of health plan, the buttons would be fine. That's great. But just putting it out there as an equal to I Love My Vagina isn't possible." MORE It wasn't a Winona High student who complained about the button but an office worker, Berg said. She's not sure if someone disliking the word "vagina" should be enough for the school to order a student to take the button off. Berg said that students have worn other things to school that are almost a direct threat, like Hitler-related memorabilia. Rethlefsen was trying to use the button to inform and teach other students, Berg said. As a First Amendment act of rebuttal, Rethlefsen has sold about 80 t-shirts that give information about ending violence against women. She also has been explaining what I Love My Vagina means. MORE Berg says that she'll stand by Rethlefsen. "If she were to have to go to court, I believe that the American Civil Liberties Union would stand by her, and she would win," Berg said. "The school does not want to be sued, and the school officials have made it clear that she won't be expelled, so who knows what will happen."

TAMARA Context and intent make a difference

11,000 Bardfest tickets on sale

BARD FEST June 24 premier "Much Ado About Nothing" "Richard III"

WINONA, Minn., April 25, 2005 -- Winona State University faculty and students will be competing with area businesses and schools to see who can attract more ticket buyers for the Great River Shakespeare Festival this summer. For every ticket sold, the Festival will donate $1 to Winona high schools for college scholarships to graduating seniors, said Tess Kruger, vice president of university affairs. As much at $12,000 can be earned, she said. The university itself will not sell tickets for the project, Kruger said. Part of the deal, she said, is that the people selling it will survey customers about the festival. Tickets are $21 and $22.

SMU dedicates ice arena lobby

WSU student editor called diversity insensitive

Cuts coming in Pell grants

Ramaley gives up on New U wooing

WINONA, Minn., April 25, 2005 -- Winona State University President-designate Judith Ramaley has decided that it would be futile to keep trying to sell the New University campus makeover plan to students, according to student President-elect Ryan Flynn. After a dinner meeting with Ramaley last week Flynn said that Ramaley wants to build consensus on broad issues but recognizes that students are implacable on the New University. "We came to the conclusion that the New U cannot be sold to students," said Flynn. The New U dominated their conversation but they talked too about general atmosphere on campus, Flynn said. MORE Administrators under outgoing President Darrell Krueger have tried numerous tactics to overcome student resistance to the $1,000 tuition surcharge associated with the New University. Ramaley's comments, as reported by Flynn, suggest that she will charge ahead on her mandate from state Chancellor Jim McCormick to put the New U reforms in place even though the project is crippled by explicit student opposition. MORE Flynn said that he and Ramaley agreed over their dinner, at the Hillside Fish Shop in Wisconsin, to "hit the ground running" to improve administration-student relations. Both of them see problems at Winona State but pledged to work toward solving them together, Flynn said: "We started down the path toward a stronger relationship between students and administration." MORE Flynn said Ramaley was confident and talked about doing her best to find consensus. She showed a unique energy and gave off a vibe as someone who wants to get something done, said Flynn. Asked if Ramaley seems to possess better qualities for gaining student support and confidence than Krueger, who is retiring, Flynn deferred, saying he hasn't had enough conversations with Krueger to answer fairly. It's not, though, as if Krueger and Flynn haven't met. It was in a confrontation over the New U two months ago that Krueger snappishly called Flynn too ill-informed to judge the New U, to which Flynn responded coolly that he had worked hard in early stages of the New U planning process and knew well what it entailed. The exchange became a cornerstone in Flynn's March campaign for student president as a champion of student causes. MORE About his dinner meeting with Ramaley and administration-student issues, Flynn said: "We both looked at the issue with fresh views and worked toward a compromise, opposed to the previous mudslinging from one side to the other." Flynn said that the dinner, although leisurely, didn't afford enough time to get into details about other matters for fall semester. Flynn said he and Ramaley will meet again and discuss issues such as tuition, state underfunding of the university, student club email addresses, recycling and policymaking.

NEW UNIVERSITY The "Winona Experience" JUDITH RAMALEY Incoming WSU president RYAN FLYNN Incoming student president

Cracks in WSU Student Senate clubbiness?