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Governor declares for second term
Background: Races campus people are watching
False fire alarm sounds at SMUWINONA, Minn., May 31, 2006 -- Firefighters scrambled at a fire alarm from St. Mary's University at 9:39 a.m., but found no fire. An alarm had sounded for no reason that firefighters could ascertain. They rest the alarm.
R.I.P.: William Edward HostettlerORMOND BEACH, Fla., May 31, 2006 -- A Winona State University business grad, Bill Hostettler, 69, died after a career as a securities trader in Minneapolis. He had retired to Florida.
Lib-comedian Al Franken to join Walz
Background: Races campus people are watching
Speaker to list Winona crime "hot spots"WINONA, Minn., May 30, 2006 -- A Saint Mary's University senior, Liam Sorensen, will present his research findings on "hot spots" for Winona crime and predictions on future high crime areas. Sorenson has conducted a geographical study on crimes in the city over four years. The presentation will be at St. Mary's. Sorensen's title: "A Spatiotemporal Trend Analysis between Crime and Environment."
Feds relax eligibility rule for new grantsWASHINGTON, May 30, 2006 -- The U.S. Department of Education announced that dual-enrollment students, who take college courses while still in high school, will indeed be eligible for a new federal grant program. Earlier the department excluded dual-enrollment students because the law didn't allow the grants for a student "previously enrolled in a program of undergraduate education." Now, says the department, students who take college courses will be eligible as long as they were not enrolled in a formal degree or certificate program. Under the Academic Competitiveness program, freshmen and sophomores who are eligible for Pell Grants can qualify for additional awards of $750 to $1,300 for taking rigorous high school courses.
23 WSU athletes on league academic listST. PAUL, Minn., May 30, 2006 -- -- The Northern Sun conference included 23 Winona State University athletes on its spring all-academic team:
Oklahoma on NCAA probation list for phone callsINDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 30, 2006 -- The National Collegiate Athletic Association placed the University of Oklahoma on probation for two years for nearly 600 impermissible telephone calls to basketball recruits over a five-year period. Former coach Kelvin Sampson showed "complete disregard" for recruiting rules and "created and encouraged an atmosphere among his staff of deliberate noncompliance," the report said. The NCAA also placed strict limits on the recruiting privileges of Sampson, who now is coach at Indiana University. The report said that Sampson and assistant failed to keep complete logs of recruiting calls. The 577 impermissible calls, which were placed to 17 recruits, were cheating, the report said.
Northern Illinois hires SMU soccer coachDEKALB, Ill., May 30, 2006 -- The men's soccer coach at St. Mary's University, Eric Luzzi, has accepted the lead assistant coach position at Northern Illinois University. From 1993 to 1997 Luzzi was a Cardinal goaltender. As coach for five years he amassed a 21-29-8 record. At Northern Illinois he will be with an NCAA Division I team. St. Mary's is Division III.
SMU poet included in Food Story show
Gophers to have 50,000-seat stadiumST. PAUL, Minn., May 30, 2006 -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed legislation for a 50,000-seat football stadium to be built at the University of Minnesota. The bill calls for the state to pay for 55 percent of the $248 million cost. The university will pay for the rest from a $35 million naming-rights deal with TCF Financial, through private donations, and through student fees. The construction schedule calls for first game in 2009.
WSU seek alum-student links for homecomingWINONA, Minn., May 30, 2006 -- The alumni director at Winona State, Kim Zeiher, called on faculty to invite alumni to their classrooms the Thursday and Friday before the university's homecoming. Zeiher said the process is under way to select this year's outstanding alumni for honoring. These distinguished alumni would be outstanding as guest lecturers, Zeiher said. One homecoming goal, she said, "is to build stronger relationships for alumni and current students." The homecoming game will be Oct. 7 against MSU-Moorhead.
Report: Expand UW-Waukesha to four-year statusMADISON, Wis., May 29, 2006 --A task force recommended against a controversial plan to merge the Milwaukee and Waukesha campuses of the University of Wisconsin. The task force recommended instead that the two-year campus in Waukesha be turned over to several existing universities, including UW-Milwaukee, to operate four-year programs jointly.
Court: Religion not issue in chaplain firingPHILADELPHIA, Pa., May 29, 2006 -- A federal appeals court ruled that a former chaplain at Gannon University may continue with law suit that complains she was discriminated against based on her gender. Lynette Petruska claims that she was forced out of her job at Gannon because she is a woman and because she objected to sexual harassment. Gannon, a Roman Catholic college in Erie, Pa., had claimed that the government cannot interfere employment disputes based on "the ministerial exception" that allows church institutions to free exercise of religion under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The appeals court ruled, however, that employment discrimination "unconnected to religious belief, religious doctrine, or the internal regulations of a church is simply the exercise of intolerance, not the free exercise of religion."
Hillman Foundation reneges on book awardNEW YORK, May 28, 2006 -- The Sidney Hillman Foundation changed its mind about honoring two Yale University professors with a 2006 Hillman Award for their book on the repeal of the estate tax "Death by a Thousand Cuts." Bruce Raynor, foundation president, said it had been learned that co-author Ian Shapiro once discouraged Yale grad students from trying to unionize. Sidney Hillman, for whom the awards are named, founded the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. The awards, first presented in 1950, are intended to honor "journalists, writers, and public figures who pursue social justice and public policy for the common good." Raynor said it would be mockery of Sidney Hillman's beliefs to honor someone who had resisted union-organization attempts.
Shapiro said he got Raynor's call abut the change of mind as he was leaving home for New York to pick up the award. The book, by Shapiro and Michael Graetz, published by Princeton University Press, has nothing to do with labor organizing. About opposing grad students' organizing, Shapiro said he recalls in the 1990s that he once told a group of grad students that he thought they had the right to form a union but that in his opinion it would not be a good use of their time. Shapiro added that he generally supports unions.
The Hillman Foundation announced Shapiro and Graetz as winners two weeks ago. Raynor said dozens of complaints came in from current and former grad assistants
School learning center may go to airportWINONA, Minn., May 28, 2006 -- A citizens task force recommended the Winona Area Learning Center be relocated to the Southeast Tech building at the airport. Twenty-five sites were considered, with Tech's Aviation Training Center emerging as the best and most economical, said School Board Chairman Larry Laber. The learning center is losing is present home in domino-effect relocations of school district programs. The Tech building was the only place that could accept the learning center in time for fall classes, Laber said.
Krage to re-seek Council seat one last timeWINONA, Minn., May 28, 2006 -- After 21 years on the City Council, Second Ward representative Gerry Krage said he's not about to give up his seat, but that, if re-elected in November, it will be his last term. Krage won re-election in 2002 uncontested. Earlier he was challenged by Tess Kruger, who then was Winona State UniversityŐs personnel director, but won handily. Krage's service on the Council has twice been interrupted by Army activation, most recently for duty in Iraq. Krage is reservist sergeant major.Background: Races campus people are watching
Sixth Barton college coach pleads guiltyGREAT BEND, Kan., May 28, 2006 -- Another former Barton County Community College basketball coach, Ryan Cross, 33, pleaded guilty to falsifying records of a student athlete. Court records show that Cross, after leaving for a Florida coaching job, arranged with his Barton successor to enroll one of his Florida players at Barton County to earn enough credits to play basketball at the University of Cincinnati. Cross is the sixth coach to be convicted in a series of athletic scandals at Barton. Meanwhile, other cases are pending against a former athletic director and a track coach. A second charge against Cross, that he helped provide test answers to another player to obtain enough credits to play at the University of Missouri, was dropped in a plea agreement. Cross faces up to 20 years in prison. Other Barton defendants all have gotten off with probation.
WSU pole-vaulter makes 12-feet, 2-1/2 inchesEMPORIA, Kan., May 27, 2007 -- Winona State University vaulter Bria Magnuson, a junior, cleared 12 feet, 2-1/2 inches in the NCAA Division II nationals for a school record. Six vaulters tied at 12, 2-1/2, but some had fewer misses at lower heights so Mangnuson was given eighth place. She was awarded all-American status.
Weinmann takes all-America in shot putLISLE, Ill., May 27, 2007 -- A St. Mary's University athlete, Amanda Weinmann, heaved the shot 44 feet, 7 inches for eighth in the NCAA Divison III outdoor championships. It was Weinmann's career best, which gave her all-American status. In the javelin, Ashley Luehmann of St. Mary's was 10th at 188 feet, 11 inches and in the shot put 15th at 41 feet, 8-1/2 inches.
Presque Isle faculty unhappy with presidentPRESQUE ISLE, Maine, May 26, 2006 -- The faculty at the University of Maine at Presque Isle unanimously called for the ouster of campus President Karl Burgher after months of complaints that he had failed to communicate well with faculty members, students or community groups. There was one abstention in the "no confidence" vote. The president of the faculty, Kim-Anne Perkins, said that profs have limited options for voicing displeasure with administrators. Perkins declined to release the letter that she sent to the university system's chancellor, but one report said it ran three pages and listed 14 complaints. Burgher, meanwhile, said he is conversing with campus people and is confident of a resolution. Burgher, a mining engineer and economist, came to Presque Isle from Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he was vice president for research, contracts and technology.
Kelley to quit governor race unless endorsedST. PAUL, Minn., May 26, 2006 -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Kelley said he would quit the race if he doesn't win the party's endorsement. Kelley, now in a wide field in the Democratic endorsement campaigns, was asked his plans in a debate. Neither of the other major candidates, Mike Hatch and Becky Lourey, said they would drop out before the September primary. Hatch denied Capitol gossip that he might quit and run instead for re-election as attorney general. In the debate the candidates were gentle on each but not on incumbent republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is expected to seek re-election. Hatch accused Pawlenty of focusing on "stadiums and casinos and baubles" when the state's future in the global economy is in jeopardy.Background: Races campus people are watching
Lewiston hires WSU grad as city clerkLEWISTON, Minn., May 25, 2006 -- The new city clerk, Deb Spitzer, was hired after telling City Council members that she had learned government fund management as part of her Winona State University accounting degree. Spitzer's hiring ended a running feud with her city Administrator Barry Kramer and Deputy Clerk Mary Jane Vogel, who resigned after City Council members complained they weren't getting monthly financial reports. Kramer and Vogel explained that they didn't know the city's accounting software. No problem, Spitzer told Council members. Not only does she have a Winona State accounting degree but she's done accounting for the St. Charles, Minn., city government. Her husband Bill is the St. Charles mayor.
WSU hammer-thrower King passes 181 feetEMPORIA, Kan., May 25, 2006 -- Winona State University's Emily King earned all-America honors in the first day of the NCAA Division II track and field nationals. King came up with her best effort of the year in the hammer throw on her last throw -- 181 feet, 6 inches. She placed third. King had qualified for the finals by placing fifth in the first flight of the event. King then fouled on her next two throws before busting out with a school record. That record was held by King and bested her earlier career best by 6 feet, 1 inch. By placing in the top eight King earned her all-America honors, the second time she earned all-American status this season. In the March at the NCAA Division II indoor championships, King finished second in the 20-pound weight throw.
Nicole Lonning of Winona State placed 12th in the hammer throw at 160 feet, 2 inches. The Warriors' Deidra Faber ran in the preliminaries of the 400-meter intermediate hurdles but, at 13th, failed to advance to the finals. Faber ranb 1:01.99 in the third heat . Last year Faber garnered all-American status by placing fourth in the event.
Report: "Little Eichmanns" abound on campusesWASHINGTON, May 25, 2006 -- The American Council of Trustees and Alumni says politically biased profs who use their courses to transmit their personal political agendas are more common than might be believed. In a study of faculty web sites, the council cited examples of courses are "platforms for propaganda, sites of sensitivity training, and launching pads for political activism." Anne Neal, the council's president, said the council doesn't advocate punishing or silencing professors for what they say. Rather, the report said, universities should expose course-based partisanship and invite profs to "debate ideas." Students deserve access to a wide range of "intellectual diversity" from their faculty, the report said. The report's title, "How Many Ward Churchills?" refers to the University of Colorado professor who likened some victims of the World Trade Center attack to "little Eichmanns" and who just last week was found to have committed research misconduct. The Churchill case is not an anomaly of fringe views being promulgated from the professoriate, the report said.<Background: Horowitz dismisses attack on book: "Stupid" Background: Committee adds to Colorado prof's woes Background: Comment: WSU conservatives not in closet
Tire-slashing reported at WSUWINONA, Minn., May 25, 2006 -- A man reported that someone slashed a tire on his car parked at Winona State University, police said. The report was turned in about 4 p.m.
Cost of Massachusetts chief's inaugural: $512,000BOSTON, Mass., May 25, 2006 -- The price tag for the inauguration of the new chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Boston, Michael Collins, has raised eyebrows in the state Capitol. The celebration, which lasted a week, cost $512,000. Although the funds were mostly from donations, some key legislators say the party may have come at the expense of donations for more pressing needs, according to the newspaper the Boston Globe. Legislators noted that the university needs to raise private funds for student services and facilities. The inauguration included a concert by the hip-hop artist Kanye West. A banquet menu featured seared sea scallops and roasted filet of beef. The total bill was triple that of the 2002 inauguration of Collins' predecessor and double the 2003 inauguration of the chancellor of the main University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst.Background: WSU inaugural budget reaches $50,000
R.I.P.: Mary Louise (Dean) PelowskiRED WING, Minn., May 24, 2005 -- A Winona State College grad, Mary Pelowski, 84, died at a Rochester, Minn., hospital. As a student at Winona State she worked as a secretary for the university president. Among her three children is State Rep. Gene Pelowski, D-Winona. She also was the mother-in-law of Deb Pelowski at the Winona State bookstore. Deb Pelowski said that although Mary and her husband Gene Sr. grew up in Winona they did not meet until they attended Winona State. "Mary selected golf instead of badminton or bowling. Since Gene Sr. was the captain of the golf team and a gracious gentleman, he asked fellow team members to assist the new women golfers. The rest was history," she said. Mary and Gene their 55th wedding anniversary this year
WSU employee donations pass $53,000WINONA, Minn., May 24, 2005 -- The annual Winona State University fund drive has exceeded $53,000 en route top a $90,000 goal, said project chief Dan Schumacher. On average, more than half of the faculty and staff participate, Schumacher said. The deadline is June 30. Last year more than $80,000 was raised.Background: WSU All-University Fund Drive hits $41,800
Researchers: Crack down on animal-rights activistsWASHINGGTON, May 24, 2006 -- A bill in Congress to classify animal-rights activists who harass scientists as terrorists has support from a University of Wisconsin researcher. Prof Michele Basso testified to a House subcommittee that she has received threatening telephone messages. Even after transferring the deed to her house to another name to hide her address, the threatening telephone calls still came, Basso said. She also testified to receiving more than 50 unwanted magazine subscriptions. Basso's lab work involves nonhuman primates to study brain disorders. Other researchers told the subcommittee of vandalized cars and homes and harassment of their families.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Thomas E. Petri, R-Wis., has drawn criticism from Democrats for going too far and confusing dissent with terrorism. Robert Scott, D-Va., said the bill might violate the First Amendment by outlawing picketing and other protests that affect research only indirectly. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., said that many offenses identified in the Petri bill already are state crimes that don't need to be federalized.
High-school leadership sessions at WSUWINONA, Minn., May 24, 3006 -- Two one-week leadership programs for high school students will be held at Winona State this summer, the university announced. Lisa Swanson, coordinator, said the programs focus on leadership, team-building and communication skills. Partial scholarships are available, Swanson said.
Family wins $1 million for campus beatin deathGALESBURG, Ill., May 24, 2006 -- Knox College has been ordered to pay $1 million to the family of a student who was beaten to death in a dorm in 1998. The jury found the college negligent for failing to provide adequate light and security. Andrea Racibozynski, 19, was knocked down in a stairway late at night and beaten with a brick by fellow Knox freshman. The assailant, Clyde Best, is serving 60 years in prison.
Racibozynski's family claimwd that the college had provided inadequate training for security guards. Also, the family noted, a number of light bulbs in the stairwell had burned out and some had been manually switched off. The college responded that tyhe assailant suffered from a personality disorder and was in a narcissistic rage. "Lighting or any other features would not have affected his anger," a colege attorney said. The jury sided with the family. Background: Mugging victim who blamed poor lghting wins $300,000 Background: 145 of 399 WSU fixtures not illuminated
Colleges in gear with motorsports programsCHARLOLTTE, N.C., May 24, 2006 -- Dozens of colleges have created motorsports programs with degrees in mechanics, engineering and management, all in response to the growing popularity of auto racing. An Associated Press report listed programs at Clemson, Indiana/Purdue in Indianapolis, Indiana State, Belmont Abbey, and East Tennessee State. The programs emerged in the mid-1990s as NASCAR popularity soared, the AP reported. In 2002, NASCAR joined forces with Universal Technical Institute to open the $12 million NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C., to train automotive technicians. The chairman of the business department at Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, N.C., Philip Bayster, is quoted: "It's evolved from just a group of guys racing cars on an oval to an enormously large business that's generating billions of dollars in revenue." This fall Belmont Abbey College is launching a bachelor's degree in business management focused on motorsports.
WSU restores historic Winona muralWINONA, Minn., May 23, 2006 -- A $25,000 project to restore a Depression-era mural by John Martin Socha in Winona State University's landmark Somsen Hall has begun. Restorative artist James Horn if Minneapolis, has done work on Merchants National Bank artworks, has been contracted for the project, which will be completed in mid-June said organizer Cathie Logan. The mural was painted under a Work Progress Administration program by Socha (pronounced "so-SHAY"), who prided himself on portrayals based on interviewing pioneers, as well as his knowledge of the region's history. The mural covers three walls in the entryway to Somsen. One wall depicts the legend of the Sioux princess Wenonah. Another wall depicts early settlers taming the wilderness and forming a new community. A third wall shows the frontiersmen and Indians coming together in peace. Prominent are two figures, the Indian chief and the riverboat captain.
Minor remains in jail in Schyde's stabbing
Reporter: Kai Oehler Background: Bar stabbing victim better, back working Background: Judge: No Arizona sun man in stabbing case Background: Bail set at $100,000 in stabbing Background: Victim, others recount what happened
News report: It pays to be chancellor's kinfolkBIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 23, 2006 -- The Alabama community college system chancellor, Roy Johnson, and his immediate family received more than $560,000 for jobs and contracts last year from the state's two-year colleges, accoridng to the newspaper the Birmingham News. A son and daughter held jobs at a college in Tuscaloosa. A son-in-law held three contracts totaling $6,000 a month. Johnson's wife earned $90,000 as executive assistant to the Opelika community college. A daughter earned $47,000 as a recruiter for the college. The newspaper built its report around payroll and other public records. Johnson, who himself earns $237,000 as chancellor, defended having so many family members on the payroll: "We are a family of educators."
Stephanie Bell, a member of the state Board of Education, expressed concern: "tt sends a very bad message. It's a poor example." Bell said that she received a complaint in 1996 that Johnson's daughter-in-law was on the Opelika campus but did not work. Said Bell: "I was concerned then about this and I'm concerned now." Bell said she had been told that the Opelika complaint would be investigated but nothing hoppened.
Barrone, Magee to region baseball teamWAYNE, Neb., May 23, 2006 -- Winona State University outfielder Ben Barrone and catcher and relief pic ther Joe Magee have been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings all-Central Region second basbelal team. Magee, a senior, hit .374 for the Warriors. Magee finished with eight doubles, five triples, six home runs, 36 runs batted in, and a .575 slugging percentage. He had an on base percentage of .415. Barrone, a junior, batted .372 with a team-high 16 home runs, 10 doubles and a team-high 46 RBI. Barrone had an .851 slugging percentage and .458 on base percentage. Barrone also pitched in 14 games of relief and totaled a team-high five saves in 12.2 innings pitched.
Lady Vols coach passes $1 million markKNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 22, 2006 -- The Lady Vols basketball coach at the University of Tennessee, Pat Summitt, cracked the million-dollar women's coaching ceiling with a $1.1 million contract for this coming year and an average of $1.3 million for the next five years. After 32 seasons as the Lady Vols coach, Summitt has more victories, 913, than any other Division I coach. The second best compensated women's basketball coach in the nation, Geno Auriemma at Connecticut, is at $975,000 this fall, passing $1 millon the year after.
Savannah State football on iceINDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 22, 2006 -- The National Collegiate Athletic Association placed Savannah State University on probation for unethical conduct, recruiting violations, impermissible summer workouts and free housing for recruits. Early in the NCAA investigation, the university reprimanded head football coach Richard Basil for his involvement in violations. Basil resigned in March. Before he resigned, however, Basil fired assistant coach Jerome Pope. Later, Athletic Director Tony O'Neal placed coaching staff members Edwin Bailey, C. Tony High and Ivy Williamson paid administrative leave. Among the most serious violations was in a tape-recording of an assistant coach encouraging NCAA-banned drugs. The assistant was not named in the NCAA report. A tipster contacted the NCAA, which promoted an investigation that widened as it progressed.
Legislature: Yes to WSU Maxwell renovationST. PAUL, Minn., May 21, 2006 -- The Legislature approved $11.1 million to remodel the old Maxwell library at Winona State University, ending a long, sometimes comical saga for the building's post-library history. The project took on new urgency in January 2005, when Juidth Ramaley was being interviewed for the university presidency. "What," she wondered," was that thumping?" It was weight-lifters in an upstairs work-out gym doing their thing. Then there was the January 2006 tour for legislators, on campus to assess the need for funding. The elevator got stuck, trapping House Speaker Steve Sviggum and others for 20 minutes. "Quite effective lobbying," Sviggum joked later. With $11.1 million, the university plans renovations to the structure, which was built on the cheap in the 1960s. With another $400,000 that the Legislature approved for Memorial Hall renovations, the university hopes for a running start on a multi-million expansion that will include a state-of-the-art workout gym to replace the third-floor Maxwell facility. Somehow in the total, $11.5 million, the university plans to find ways to make the Maxwell elevator work.
These are Winona higher-ed projects in the Legislature's final $1 billion borrowing bill to finance state construction projects statewide:
Senate Democrats choke Republican social agendaST. PAUL, Minn., May 21, 2006 -- Republican conservatives in the Minnesota Legislature will have to wait for another day to pursue their social agenda. A bill to prohibit public funds for abortions for women on welfare didn't make it in the 2006 session. Nor did a proposal for an anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution. Defeated too was a bill to crack down on illegal immigrants. It was the majority Democratic caucus in the Senate that headed off the anti-abortion bill. The anti-gay marriage referendum movement was stalled in committee, also by Senate Democrats. On immigration, both Democrats and Republicans had agendas, but it became obvious that compromise was not possible. The Republicans lost their bid to require police and social workers to turn over illegal immigrants to federal authorities for deportation. The Republicans also had wanted to deputize state officers to enforce federal immigration laws. Also lost was a Democratic proposal, the so-called DREAM bill, to give in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants who earn diplomas from a Minnesota high school.
Also failing was a proposal to reduce the role of teacher-preparation programs in the state's colleges with in the alternative teacher licensure bill. Gov. Tim Pawlenty had supported alternative licensing. A bill that would have allowed professors to be removed in certain circumstances if they could not "speak clear English" also was lost along the way.
Rochester U gets startup fundingST. PAUL, Minn., May 21, 2006-- The Legislature approved $5 million for the University of Minnesota to build a university in Rochester that will bear the city's name. The funding had been pushed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and opposed by Winona legislators, who argued that Rochester's higher-ed needs are sufficiently served by Winona State and other colleges with Rochester programs.Background: McCauley: Opt for less expansive plan
Vermont says no to Montpelier campusBURLINGTON, Vt., May 21, 2006 Ę--University of Vermont trustees rejected the proposed purchase of the former Vermont College campus in Montpelier. Financially troubled Union Institute, a Cincinnati-based nontraditional school, had bought the 32-acre Montpelier campus in 2001 but have been trying unload it.Background: Union abandons bricks-and-mortar foray
WSU offers high-school entrepreneurship campWINONA, Minn., May 21, 2006 -- An entrepreneurship mini-camp for high school juniors and seniors will be offered at Winona State by econ prof Don Salyaqrds, himself an entrepreneur. This camp will cover product selection, marketing, sales, finance and business plans, Salyards said. Students will tour Codabow, Badger Foundry and We-no-nah Canoe and meet the founders and chief executives.
MSU-Mankato dorm student dies of meningitisMANKATO, Minn., May 21, 2006 -- A Minnesota State University, Mankato, freshman died of the dread dorm disease meningitis after leaving the campus sick for home in River Falls, Wis., after , the university confirmed. Katlyn Feriancek, 19, went home May 12, after spring exams. Her ailment was diagnosed the next day as bacterial meningitis. She died May 18 at a Twin Cities hospital. Health officials said Feriancek's case probably was isolated. The university quoted her father that she had been vaccinated against meningitis but not against the strain with which she was infected.
WSU athlete, other tenant escape house fireAWINONA, Wis., May 20, 2006 -- Two tenants escaped a smoky fire at a three-story, four-unit rental house at 267 E. Ninth St. early Saturday evening. A dog in the house died. Alex Weise, a Winona State University football player, said he spotted the smoke coming from a wall when he returned home to his second-floor unit a little before 6 p.m. Weise said he shouted to a downstairs neighbor, Bill Kreidermacher, to get out. By then, Weise said, the apartment was filling with smoke. Four other tenants were not at home. Firefighters spent two hours fighting the fire as neighbors, probably about a hundred, gathered in the street to watch. Kreidermacher, who had lived at the address 12 years, said he, like Weise, had just returned home.
WSU prof wins Walton fellow prizeWINONA, Minn., May 20, 2006 -- A Winona State University prof, Kim Snyder, was named a Walton Free Enterprise fellow, which carries a $1,000 prize. Snyder, who teaches information system management, was honored for a student community outreach project.
North Dakota basketball search passes WSU's BrownGRAND FORKS, N.D., May 20, 2006 -- The basketball operations director at the University of Iowa, Brian Jones, has been named head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota. Among finalists had been Tom Brown, assistant coach at Winona State.Background: WSU assistant basketball coach on UND list
Borzyskowski on Council again? Count me inWINONA, Minn., May 20, 2006 -- Two-term City Council member George Borzyskowski, who represents the Fourth Ward, isn't ready for a formal announcement but said he will file papers for re-election by the July 5 deadline. Borzyskowski confirmed his intents after at-large Council member Tim Breza announced for re-election. In 2002 Borzyskowski defeated Dave McNally.Background: Races campus people are watching
MSU-Moorhead requires booze course for froshMOORHEAD, Minn., May 20, 2006 -- Minnesota State University-Moorhead has created a one-credit course, "Alcohol and College Life," which will be required for freshmen this fall. The course's creators say advice and statistics are interspersed with interactive video and personal testimonials. The course was developed at the University of Minnesota. Although in use at several colleges, MSU-Moorhead is the first Minnesota school to require it of incoming freshmen.
McCauley: Opt for less expansive planWINONA, Minn., May 20, 2006 -- Retired Winona State University physics prof Mac McCauley called for the public to rally behind a Minnesota Senate version of the bill for a new Rochester university as the lesser of two evils. McCauley noted that the Senate bill, unlike the House version, would preclude the new university from duplicating programs currently offered in Rochester by Winona State and other colleges. On the larger issue, McCauley said there is no need for a new four-year college because Rochester already has plenty of higher-ed options and because taxpayers cannot afford yet another state college. McCauley, who wrote his views in a newspaper opinion-page letter, is a former Winona County commissioner.
WSU men's golfers finish 13th in nationalsDANIELS, W.Va., May 19, 2006 -- Winona State University improved on its team score, but it was not enough to move up in the standings on the final day of the NCAA Division II men's golf championships. The Warriors cut off five strokes from the round, scoring 307, from the previous day to finish at 1,214. But that effort could not move the Warriors out of the 13th spot in the 20-team event. Bret Toftness had the Warrior medalist round of the day with a four-over par 74. Troy Merritt shot a seven-over 77, Kevin Loeffler and Matt Horel each posted rounds of eight-over par 78. Chad Bischoff had 89. For the tournament Merritt led the Warriors with 296, while Toftness came up with 297, Loeffler totaled 309, and Horel 312 and Bischoff 324.
WSU assistant basketball coach on UND short list
R.I.P.: Bruce W. KeilALMA, Wis., May 19, 2006 -- A 1959 Winona State University grad, Bruce Keil, 70, died at home. He had spent most of his career with American Motors, then DaimlerChrysler in Milwaukee, Wis. He retired in 1989.
Plea deal on Gordon cocaine case
Background: Jury finds Gordon guilty in assault trial Background: Gordon murder-arson trial in September Background: Jury finds Gordon guilty in assault trial Background: Judge: Impartial local jury possible Background: The night they died
WSU loses leading basketball scorer
Iowa prof targeted for provoking race labelsIOWA CITY, Iowa, May 18, 2006 -- The Black Law Students Association has protested racial slurs recited by a law school prof in a class on negotiations. One passages, read by Gerald Wetlaufer, were from Robert Caro's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of President Lyndon Johnson. The other was from a 1964 speech by black sharecropper Fannie Lou Hamer. The black law students, who number 27, said the class was a symptom of "a much larger problem" at the law school. Some complained of a hostile environment. Wetlaufer has defended the passages as germane to his course but apologized for not alerting students that his presentation would include quotations with racial slurs.
Interim WSU student affairs exec at $100,000WINONA, Minn., May 18, 2006 -- The recently appointed interim student affairs vice president at Winona State University, Ruth Schroeder, will earn $100,000 in her one-year appointment, records show. Schroeder is serving while a national search is organized for a permanent successor to Cal Winbush, who retired. Winbush's salary was $120,000 his final year. Schroeder had been at $47,000 in her former position as campus health educator.Background: Health educator to vice presidency
Clark profs to president: Please leaveVANCOUVER, Wash., May 18, 2006 -- Faculty at Clark College have told the college president, Wayne Branch, that he must go. The vote of "no confidence," usually a death knell for a college president, followed ongoing criticism of Branch's leadership style. There has been high faculty turnover at the college, which critics blamed on Branch, whom they say lacks a commitment to shared governance. Meanwhile, college trustees have contracted for an outside review of Branch's three years in office.
Good stuff in WSU good riddanceWINONA, Minn., May 18, 2006 -- The Dumpster Diversion project at Winona State University, which gave departing students an option for disposing of unwanted goods, generated 25 pieces of usable furniture, accoridng to volunteer Nick Teff at the Restore Store. Teff said volunteers also picked up 166 bags of groceries and 25 bags of clothingBackground: WSU readies Dumpster Diversion project
GOP boots Horowitz-backing legislatorLANCASTER, Pa., May 18, 2006 -- Two-term state legisdlator Gibson Armstrong, who backed an investigation into what he claimed was left-wing political bias in college classrooms, lost a bid for nomination to another term. Armstrong was defeated by a law student who works part-time as X-ray technologist to raise his fanmily and pay tuition. Lancaster Republicans were decisive: 59 percent for upstart Bryan Cutler. Cutler, 31, attributed his victory to a scandal over legislative pay raise, perks and per diems. Referring to the state's capital city, Cutler said: "For too long, Harrisburg has abused tax dollars." Armstrong had voted against legislator pay raise but accepted unvouchered expenses, which he later gave back. On college liberalism, Armstrong had favored the so-called Academic Bill of Rights from conservative crusader David Horowitz, which several state legisatures are considering. Horowitz has touted the bill as an antidote what he calls liberal indoctrination of impressionale young people.
NCAA to McMurray: Let Kaw goINDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 18, 2006 -- The National Collegiate Athletic Association rejected an appeal by McMurry University of Texas to continue the use of its Indians nickname. McMurray had claimed its first president, James Winford Hunt, selected the name out of "respect for the Kaw Indian Nation." The NCAA responded: "Well-intentioned motives are not sufficient to overcome the harm done by stereotypical nicknames that can create hostile or abusive environments." Other colleges with Indian mascots and nicknames continue under NCAA pressure to also change.
Mississippi crusader cleared of 1960 hate convictionHATTIEBSURG, Miss., May 18, 2006 -- A black war Korean War veteran who went to jail on trumped-up burglary charges in 1960 nafter seeking admission to the all-white University of Southern Mississippi has been exonerated posthumously. In declaring Clyde Kennard innocent, Judge Bob Helfrich said: "I'm compelled to do the right thing." The newspaper the Clarion-Ledger had conducted a three-month investigation into a charge that Kennard, a decorated war veteran, had stolen $25 worth of chicken feed. His sole accuser, Johnny Roberts, told the newspaper that he had been threatened to make the false accusatuion against Kennard because of thye black man's persistence to break the Southern Miss segregation. Kennard died of cancer in 1963 after serving prison time. Said Judge Helfrich, who did the sentencing in 1960 and presided now over the exoneration: "It did begin here, and, yes, it should end here."
Science, tech enrollment not keeping paceWASHINGTON, May 18, 2006 -- Even though college enrollment has been growing, the proportion of students obtaining degrees in science, technology, engineering and math has declined over the past 10 years, acording to the Government Accountability Office . Only 27 percent of students received degrees in the so-called STEM disciplines in 2004, compared with 32 percent a decade earlier. The federal government put $2.8 billion into more than 200 programs to increase the number of students and employees in STEM fields in 2004, the GAO said.
Ohio hacker patch didn't work; data outCOLUMBUS, Ohio, May 18, 2006 -- Computer records with personal information on 300,000 Ohio University donors were unprotected on a server for more than a year after a break-in, the university confirmed. Accessible informatuion included Social Security numbers, and the names and addresses. Credit-card or bank data were not. The breach was discovered April 24 after two people reported that their personal information was used illegally. The university set up a toll-free hot line for donors to learn more about the breach how to place a fraud alert on their credit report. Hackers both in the United States and abroad had gained access to a server in March 2005, and the fix-up patch, it turned out, did not do the job.
Liquor store posters stolenWINONA, Minn., May 17, 2006 -- A downtown liquor store, Third Street Liquors, reported seven two-foot by four-foot posters advertising alcohol were stolen from outside of the store, police said.
Warriors fall to 13th in golf nationalsDANIELS, W.Va., May 18, 2006 -- Winona State University struggled to a team total 312 and fell to 13th place in the NCAA Division II national men's golf championships. The third day of the four-day, 72-hole tournmaent left the Warriors with at 907 -- 22 strokes from the top five and 39 strokes off the pace. Bret Toffness had the team medalist honors with a seven-over par 77 and dropped from a tie for 31st to a tie for 41st. Troy Merritt also had his difficulities as he shot an eight-over par to tumble from a tie in fourth place to a tie in 15th with a 219 total, 10 strokes behind the leader. Matt Horel also carded a 78 and imporved form a tie in 77th to a tie in 73rd. Chad Bischoff posted an 82 for a three-day total of 239 and fell from a tie at 84th to a tie at 89th.
Boehner on college loan critics: "Hollow stunt"WASHINGTON, May 17, 2006 -- The House majority leader, John Boehner, R-Ohio, has downplayed a march on his office by two dozen college graduates as a lame stunt. A Boehner spokesperson said the sponsor, Campaign for America's Future, was a liberal advocacy group acting on a false premise that Republicans don't favor quality education. The students, donned in caps and gowns, were not addressing quality, however, but cuts in the federal student-loan programs that Boehner supported. The graduates delivered a petition with 15,000 signatures urging Boehner to change his position and to support a Democratic plan to cut the interest rates on college loans in half. The Boehner spokesperson called the demonstration "a hollow political stunt."
Warriors advance to 10th in national golf meetDANIELS, W.Va., May 17, 2006 -- -- Winona State University shot one stroke better and moved up one place to 10th by the completion of the second day to the 2006 NCAA Division II national men's golf championships. The Warriors turned 297 for the second day. Sophomore Troy Merritt turned in one of the top rounds of the day as he shot a two-under par 68 to move from a tie in 23rd to a tie for fourth place, two strokes out of third and four strokes off the lead. Merritt's 68 was one of only three rounds under 70 and the second best of the day. Bret Toftness also made a move with a one-over par 71 to move up from a tie for 23rd to a tie for 31st. For the rest of the Warriors, Kevin Loeffler faultered with a nine-over par 79, Matt Horel struggled to an 11-over par 81 and Chad Bischoff recorded a nine-over par 79.
New WSU academic chief starts Aug. 1WINONA, Minn., May 16, 2006 -- The new academic vice president at Winona State University, Sally Johnstone, will join the payroll Aug. 1, university President Judith Ramaley confirmed. The office will continue to be occupied in the interim by former business Dean Ken Gorman, who has held the position on an acting basuis since September. Johnstone has been with the Colorado-based Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, where she served 17 years as director of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. As academic vice president at Winona State her salary will be $140,000.Background: New WSU chief academic officer named
College-entrance exams firms face new pressureALBANY, May 16, 2006 -- A powerful state senator, Ken LaValle, called for legislation requiring college admissions testing comopanies to disclose all questions and answers after the exams without charge. LaValle, a Long Island Republican, criticized recent mistakes in correcting SAT exams.
WSU sends four to NCAA track nationalsWINONA, Minn., May 16, 2006 -- Four Winona State University athletes, including senior hurdler Deidra Faber, have been chosen to compete in the NCAA Division II women's outdoor track and field championships May 25-27 in Emporia, Kan. Faber will be making a return trip in the 400-meter intermedite hurdles. Faber earned all-American status in the event by placing fourth in last year. Also heading to Emporia is junior Bria Magnuson in the pole vault and juniors Emily King and Nicole Lonning in the hammer throw. King advanced to the indoor nationals this season and became an all-American when she placed second in the 20-pound weight throw event. Faber has the 16th best time (1:01.66) out of a field of 18 in the 400 hurdles. Magnuson is tied with the sixth best height (12-5 1/2) in the field of 17 in the pole vault. There is a field of 16 in the hammer throw. King's throw of 175-5 3/4 is the seventh best. Lonning ranks 15th with a throw of 166-11 3/4.
Committee adds to Colorado prof's woes
Background: New Colorado charges against Ward Churchill
Warriors 11th in national men's golf tournamentDANIELS, W.Va., May 16, 2006 -- Winona State University stood in 11th place after the first day of the NCAA Division II men's golf championship at the Resort at Glade Springs. The Warriors toured the course in 298 strokes, 18-over par. and 13 strokes off the lead. WSU's Kevin Loeffler and Troy Merritt each carded three-over par rounds of 73 to be in a tie for 23rd. Matt Horel was two strokes further back in a tie for 50th. Bret Toftness shot a 77 and was tied for 64th. Chad Bischoff came in with a 78 and was tied for 71st. Three more rounds remain.
Sprint cuts last Winona phone operatorsWINONA, Minn., May 16, 2006 -- The Sprint long-distance telephone call center in Winona, once with 230 employees, many of them college students who liked the relatively high wages, is being eliminated. The last 28 employees will leave in June, according Sprint Nextel, Sprint's successor company. A new sales division without 100 employees is being put together at the Sprint building at Third and Johnson, a spokesperson said.
Northwestern investigates "bad jocks" photos
An end to dorm telephones?WASHINGTON, May 16, 2006 -- Colleges may yank telephones out of dorm rooms if the Federal Communications Commission switches to a flat rate for every phone line, according to a coalition that opposes the change. The Keep USF Fair Coalition issued a report, "Flunking Numbers," which argues that colleges would see its Universal Service Fee skyrocket 10-fold on average. The proposed flat rate would be $1 or $1.50 for every phone line and web access point. The current system charges by long-distance call, not by phone line. The coalition says eliminating dorm-room phones would disadvantage students without cell phones.
IRS revokes credit agencies tax-exemptionWASHINTON, May 16, 2006 -- The Internal Revenue Service revoked the tax-exempt status of 41 nonprofit credit-counseling agencies that borrowers, including college students and grads with college loans, go to for help to get out of debt. The IRS said an audit found the agencies either were not providing enough financial education to their clients, were compensating their chief executives too highly, or were channeling too much revenue into sibling for-profit entities. The 41 agencies account for some $410 million of the $1 billion the credit-counseling industry, according to the IRS. Federal revenue Commissioner Mark Everson said: "These organizations have not been operating for the public good and donŐt deserve tax-exempt status. They have poisoned an entire sector of the charitable community."
La Crosse arts fund-raiser to bardfest job
WSU nursing student examines role of unionWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- A Winona State University nursing grad student Jennifer Pittman, presented her research, "Registered Nurse Job Satisfaction and Collective Bargaining Unit Membership Status" at the Research Forum.
AAUP faults prof's dismissal in religion spatWWASHINGTON, May 16, 2006 -- The American Association of University Professors reported that Greenville College, a church school in Illinois, demonstrated "an unacceptably low toleration for dissent" in dismissing a tenured computer professor. The prof, Gerald Eichhoefer, who also is a lay minister, had accused profs in the religion department of encouraging students to lose their Christian faith. The AAUP said the college's explanatiion that financial problems led to the dismissal were tranparently false. The AAUP also said that criticism of Eichhoefer's teaching were cooked up. Meanwhile, Eichhoefer and the colgee have reached a settlement. Greenville College is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church.
WSU nursing grads write on competency outcomesWINONA, Minn., May 16, 2006 -- Two Winona State University nursing grad alums, Beth Sievers and Sherry Wolf, wrote an article, "Achieving Clinical Nurse Specialist Competencies and Outcomes Through Interdisciplinary Education" in the journal Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Nudity's power: UCal tackles sweatshop sourcingBERKELEY, Calif., May 16, 2006 -- The University of California will begin working to identify logo apparel coming from overseas sweatshops. President Robert Dynes announced. Suppliers will be required to buy at least 25 percent of logo apparel from factories that pay a living wage and respect employee unions, Dynes said. The program could be expanded if it indeed improves foreign working conditions, he said. Dynes' decision follows several protests, including at least three in the nude, at Berkeley and other campuses. In April, 18 students were arrested at a sit-in at the office of the Berkeley chancellor.
Editorial: Winona's summer quiet has downsideWINONA, Minn., May 16, 2006 -- Summer quiet has arrived in Winona, but with the college students largely gone it'll be lonely, bemoaned a Daily News editorial. Chief editorialist Jerome Christenson, writing for the newspaper's management, said:
"For a few days, we townies will luxuriate in shortened checkout lines, quiet nights and a shorter line of cars backed up at Huff and Sarnia, but fortunately for all of us -- before long -- they'll be back. Bringing their wallets, checkbooks and Social Security cards along with them. Because, frankly, without Saint MaryŐs, Winona State, and Southeast Technical, Winona wouldn't be much of a town."
Christenson made the point that Winona relies on the colleges for thousands of employees, many aprt-time, to staff local businesses Also, he noted, college payrolls have 1,000 well-paid people, many of whom would likely be living and spending somewhere else if Winona weren't college town. He credited the colleges too for Winona's high concentration of educated people. Twenty-five percent of the populatuion has at least a bachelor's degree, he said.
Prof walks out on Hampton j-programHAMPTON, Va., May 16, 2006 -- The retired Washington bureu chief of Time magazine, Jack White, resigned from the faculty at Hampton University because the dean, he said, has a "repressive attitude" toward freedom of speech. "The atmosphere in Hampton is in contradiction to the goals of a journalism program," White said. Incidents at the primarily black college include administrators confiscating copies of the student newspaper after editors ran a letter by the provost on Page Three rather than on Page One, as she had requested. In another incident a student was threatened with explusion for fliers about the Bush administration, genocide in Sudan, AIDS awareness and homophobia. The Hampton School of Journalism and Mass Communications was founded in 2002 with $10 million from the Scripps Howard newspaper chain foundation. Said White: "I don't believe that Hampton thought through what it means to have a journalism school on its campus."
Code violations found in UConn constructionSTORRS, Conn., May 16, 2006 -- Construction inspectors have found dozens more code violations in new buildings at the University of Connecitcut, according to the newspaper the Hartford Courant. The newspaper said problems include fire hazards and centilation problems that allow a build-up of deadly carbon-monoxide fumes. The Courant said that code violations were found in 37 buildings erected in a $2.3 billion construction program begun nine years ago. According to the newspaper, the inspectors have found multiple code violations in every building. The inspections were ordered by the Gov. Jodi Rell, a Republican, after other deficiencies were identified earlier. Nine more buildings remain to be inspected. Problems include too little space for water heaters in dorms. One water heater caused a fire in September. Carbon-monoxide fumes were found in a dorm basement. Twenty-eight violations were found in oceanography building, 38 in an agricultural biotech building.Background: Construction, spending flaws plague UConn
Pelowski: Rochester would sap other colleges
Background: Comment: Rochester's great budget heist
California moves to shield college pressSACRAMENTO, Calif., May 16, 2006 -- The California House voted 76-0 to strictly limit the ability of college administrators to censor student-run newspapers. The bill's main author, Assemblyman Leland Yee, a Democrat, predicted the State Senate would also approve the protection for student journalists. Lee said the bill is in response to a federal appeals court decision in Hosty v. Carter, an Illinois case, that opens the way for censorship at campuses in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Lee said the California law would address the concerns raised by the Hosty case by enhancing the free-speech rights for students under the First Amendment and also proscribing campus administrators from interferring with college-funded student publications. College newspapers' facuilty advisers and editors had requested the legislation, he said. Alarm over the Hosty decision among college newsapper advisers and editors was heightened in June when Christine Helwick, the general counsel for the California State University System, advised campus presidents that the Histy decision may give them more latitude "to censor the content of subsidized student newspapers."Background: Student press adviser foresees rocky road Background: Supreme Court passes on student media case
SMU trustees put off football decisionWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- The possibility of resurrecting varsity football at St. Mary's remaine on the table, the chair of the university's trustees confirmed. Rob Figliulo said the issue was discussed last week by trustees, who considered a 15-month feasibility study by the university staff. Figliulo acknowledged interest in reinstating football, including by university recruiters, but, he said, more study is needed on fiscal implications. Among unanswered questions: Where would games be played. The university has no stadium. The issue, Figiulo said, will be on the trustees' agenda Sept. 29. For budget reasons St. Mary's discontinued football in 1955.Background: SMU football again? Being discussed Background: Fan: SMU football? Don't be silly
New Jersey governor cracks ethics whipNEWARK, N.J., May 15. 2006 -- After investigators concluded that members of the governing board of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey were doing business with the school, Gov. Jon Corzine ordered all state colleges to list all their vendors for public review. Under the Corsine order, every trustee of a state college will need to certify not to be doing business with the college. At the University of Medicine and Dentistry, millions of dollars in no-bid contracts went to politically connected individuals and companies. Corzine, a Democrat, has removed the president of the university and replaced the chairman of its governing board.
WSU team reports on interdisciplinary prepWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- A resarchr eport on clinic nursing was presented by a Winona State University team at the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists in Salt Lake City. The report, "Interdisciplinary Quality Improvement Education: The Role of CNS Students," was delivered by prof Julie Ponto and students Beth Sievers and Sherry Wolf.
Third Duke lacrosse player indicted for rapeDURHAM, N.C., May 15, 2005 -- A third lacrosse player at Duke University was indicted on charges of raping a North Carolina Central University student at a team party in March. David F. Evans, a team captain, was accused of rape, first-degree sexual assault, and kidnapping. Two teammates were indicted earlier. Evans called the charges "fantastic lies." He has been released on $400,000 bail. Attorneys for the players claim that two rounds of DNA testing have found no conclusive with any team member.Background: Report faults Duke for lacrosse team excesses
WSU hurlder named league athlete of yearWAYNE, Neb., May 15, 2006 -- Winona State University hurdler Deidra Faber has been Northern Sun conference outdoor track and field female athlete of the year. Faber helped Winona State to a second-place finish in the conference championships by winning the heptathlon, 400-meter intermediate hurdles and 800-meter run and also anchoring the winning 4 x 400 relay and 4 x 800 relay teams. The Warriors made it a clean sweep of the relay events by winning the 4 x 100 event. Samantha Lisowski won the 100-meter dash. Nicole Lonning won the hammer throw competition. All individual winners and runnersup and the members of the winning relay teams were named All-Conference. Third-place finishers received All-Conference honorable mention. Winona State's all-conference members:
College applications increasing nationwideWASHINGTON, May 15, 2006 -- Most colleges, 73 percent, experienced an increase in applications for this fall, accoridng to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The association attributed the increase to a surge high-school grads this spring. Also, the association said, more students are to several colleges. The association said the numbers sugegst that students who applied late and are on waiting lists run a higher risk than usual of not being admitted.
Factoids from the National Association for College Admission Counseling: Background: WSU ups standards for late frosh applicants
WSU students make nursing reportsWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- Two Winona State University nursing students, Kevin Elker and Mark Outzen, preesented a paper, "Pressure Ulcer Prevention: Do Nurses Learn?" at Franciscan Skemp Health System Research Day. Other Winona State presentgers:
New WSU chief academic officer named
Background: WSU narrows academic chief search to three Background: Johnstone's curriculum vita
New WSU exec started career at MarylandWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- This biogaphy has been extracted from information providced by Sally Johnstone, the incoming academic vice president at Winona State University, when she applied for the position:
WSU nursing students report on researchWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- A team of Winona State University students presented session at the Midwest Nursing Research Society Research Conference in Milwaukee:
Judge: Cop dorm patrols unconstitutionalPULLMAN, Wash., May 15, 2006 -- A judge ruled that campus police cannot walk through Washington State University dorms listening for parties or sniffing for marijuana. County Court Judge David Frazier said that police patrols violate student privacy. The county plans to appeal. The patrols became an issue after a student was arrested in a friend's dorm room. A campus cop had smelled marijuana from the hallway, obtained a search warrant, and gained access to the room. The cops had brought a drug-sniffing dog that found cocaine in the woman's purse. The student argued that the cop's presence in the dorm violated the Fourth Amendment and the evidence should be suppressed. Judge Frazier agreed.
Breza to seek new City Council termWINONA, Minn., May 15, 2006 -- Veteran City Council member, Tim Breza, whose constituency as an at-large member is the entire city, announced his candidacy for a sixth term. No one else has announced for the position. The deadline for filing candidacy papers is July 5. Breza made his announcement at a Council meeting. To voters, Breza said, he would emphasize his experience. The city needs to continue working to help local companies compete in a global economy, he said. Breza also said more efficiency needs to be sought in offering municipal services.Background: Races campus people are watching
AAUP gigs Highlands for dismissing profWASHINGTON, May 15, 2006 -- The American Association of University Professors said that a prof at New Mexico Highlands University was wrongfully fired after criticizing the adminsitration. The dismissal of tenured math prof Gregg Turner violated the AAUP's principles on academic freedom and tenure, the association said. The AAUP also concluded that a separate tenure denial had violated the associationŐs procedural standards. Top administrators at Highlands had acted "in disregard of the principles of shared governance," the AAUP said. Such findings can lead to an institution going on the dreadded AAUP censure list.
The Turner case is among numerous issues at Highlands, located in Las Vegas, N.M., since Manny Aragon, a powerful state legislator, was named president in 2004. Non-Hispanic profs have claimed discrimination under Aragon.
Horowitz dismisses attack on book: "Stupid"CHICAGO, Ill., May 15, 2006 -- Conservative crusader David Horowitz, whose book "The Professors" argues that colleges lean left politically and indoctrinate students, responded to a report that's critical of his book. "Stupid," he called the report. Horowitz said the source of the criticism must be considered. It's a leftist civil liberties coalition that includes faculty union activitists, he said. "It's a political campaign," he said. "It's really inappropriate for an academic discussion." About the report's charge of factual errors, Horowitz responded that any 400-page book inevitably has errors.
The recently published book, whose subtitle is "The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America," draws largely on interviews with the academics. Horowiotz argues that profs promulgate leftist views on students rather than promote the free exchange of ideas. His ideas are the core of laws that have been proposed in 20 states to require colleges to take steps to assure that counter ideas be offered. The proposals, going under the title of the Academic Bill of Rights, have prompted fiery legislative hearings, notably in Pennsylvania, and stirred a largely negative reaction, as Horowirtz would predict, on campuses. Background: Civil liberties group assauls Horowitz book Background: Comment: WSU conservatives not in closet
Background: Study: Rightists need not apply Background: Critcs fault "Dan gerous Profs" book
Shakespearefest pioneer Mark Hauk leaves
R.I.P.: Florence M. (Honsey) RonnenbergWINONA, Minn, May 14, 2006 -- A Winona State College grad, Florence Ronnenberg, 96, died at a nursing home.She taught in rural Houston and Winona county schools, retiring from the Pickwick grade school in 1974. She later substituted in Winona schools.
R.I.P.: L. Dolores (Pesch) EvensLEWISTON, Minn., May 14, 2006 -- A Winona State college grad, Dolores Evens, died at a nursing home at age 89. She taught at the Washington-Kosciusko grade school in Winona. Earlier she taught at the suburban Minnesota City grade school.
WSU grad publishes nursing articleWINONA, Minn., May 14, 2006 -- A Winona State University nursing grad, Kara Mangold, wrote an article, "Educating A New Generation: Teaching Baby Boomer Faculty About Millennial Students," in the journal Nurse Educator.
Florida OKs extra dollars for first-generation collegiansTALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 14, 2006 --- The Florida Legislature approved $6.5 million for extra financial aid for in-state students who are the first in their family to attend college. The state's colleges will need to match the state funds from private donations.
WSU eating disorder events start slowWINONA, Minn., May 14, 2006 -- A Winona State University counselor, Lynda Brzezinski, hopes for more student participation in National Eating Disorder Awareness Week next year. In March she organized meetings for students to come together to feel "comfortable in their genes." Six showed up the first day for screening. "Many students do not want to come to the screening because the students are ashamed and afraid to talk about it with people," said Brzezinski. The screening was designed to encourage students to talk about their disorders so counselors couild classify how intense their situations were and help them from there. For mild cases, Brzezinski advised students to set goals and eat healthy foods -- instead of not eating. For severe cases, Brzezinski recommended help from a medical group, group counseling, or the hospital. The week of campus activities included videos, discussions and also, activities in the courtyard.Reporter: Ashley Schultz
Warriors second in league meetWAYNE, Neb., May 13, 2006 -- Winona State University won five events on the second day of the Northern Sun conference field and track championships and placed second in the final team standings. Senior all-American Deidra Faber led the Warrior effort by winning both the 800-meter run and the 400-meter hurdle events and anchoring the winning 4 x 400 relay team that set a Warrior record in 4:01.76. Faber won the 800 in 2:22.21 and the 400 hurdles in 1:02.94. The Warriors picked up a first place from Samantha Lisowski who turned in a time of :12.38 seconds in the 100-meter dash and ran the anchor leg in WSU's winning 4 x 100 relay team (:48.98). vAdding to the Warrior efforts was:Statistics: Results and standings
SMU twin ceremonies graduate 789WINONA, Minn., May 13, 2006 -- St. Mary's University graduated 225 undergrads from the Winona campus in a morning commencement ceremony. In an afternoon ceremony, the names of an additional 564 students in professional and graduate programs, most from the university's Twin Cities operation, were graduated.
WSU places two on ESPN softball teamWINONA, Minn., May 12, 2006 -- Winona State University placed two players, Jenny Dobbertin and Kristen Fossell, on the ESPN magazine all-District V softball team. Jenny Dobbertin, a senior first-base player, made second team. Fossell, a sophomore pitcher, made the third team. The Warriors completed their season with a 41-15 record. Dobbertin batted .339 (42-124) with 26 scoring runs, eight doubles, two triples, five home runs and 34 runs batted in. She finished with a .556 slugging percentage, .370 on base percentage and finished off the year by not committing an error in 261 total chances. Fossell finished the year with a 12-4 record and 2.01 earned run average. She hurled one no-hitter in her 27 appearances and led the team with 123 strikeouts in 111.1 innings of work. Opponents earned only 36 walks and a .205 batting average.
NCAA gigs St. John's on player paymentsINDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 12, 2006 -- The National Collegiate Athletic Association has placed St. John's University of New York on probation after an investigation concluded that former basketball director Alex Evans issued cash regularly to a player. Although the player, Abraham Keita from Ivory Coast, did not qualify for a scholarship Evans gave him $2,400 toward his freshman tuition, investigators said. The next year, according to investigators, Evans helped negotiate a $500 monthly deduction from his off-campus room-and-board stipend to pay overdue tuition. Evans also gave monthly payments to Keita of as much as $300, much of his own money but some from a petty-cash athletics fund. The probation is for two years.
Gordon murder-arson trial set for September
Reporter: Mollee Sheehan Background: Jury finds Gordon guilty in assault trial Background: Judge: Impartial local jury possible Background: The night they died
"101 Most Dangerous Profs"? Critics: Read carefullyCHICAGO, Ill., May 12, 2006 -- A book that energetically attacks colleges as hotbeds of liberalism, by conservative David Horowitz, has been criticized as loaded with errors, misrepresentations and distortions. A civil liberaties coalition, Free Exchange on Campus, issued a report, "Facts Count," which cites "problems of argumentation." Horowitz has taken quotations out of context, misstated professors' intended meanings, and ignoreed facts that don't support his position, according to the report. The book, "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America," is part of Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights campaign in several state legislatures, including Minnesota, for laws to end what he calls liberal indoctrination in college classrooms.
Free Exchange announced its report at a news conference at the University of Chicago, where Hororitz was scheduled to speak. Jamie Horwitz, of the American Federation of Teachers, a coalition member, said it would be a mistake to write off the book as mere rantings of a political ideologue. Horowitz, he noted, is the source of the so-called academic-rights legislation. At the news conference, Free Exchange promised to distribute its report wherever Horowitz is scheduled to speak.
Horowitz's research is "sloppy in the extreme" and "manipulated to fit his arguments," according to Free Exchange report. The report faults a Horowitz premise that colleges are failing to ensure students' academic freedom. Also, according to the report, Horowitz assumes incorrectely and in insultingly that students lack the critical-thinking skills to work through controversial ideas and come to their own conclusions.
WSU speaker sees ruin ahead from overfarmingWINONA, Minn., May 12, 2006 -- The loss of native grasses across the United States' midsection worries David Kline, a farmer from Elgin, Minn., who spoke recently at Winona State University. According to Kline, wonderfully fertile land is being ruined by large-scale farm operations that rely on chemicals and pesticides and repeated annual crops that don't allow soil restoration. "As we talk about native grasses and that there is not much left, it is quite true and quite sad to see," he said. Kline and his family practice sustainable farming. Mostly they raise livestock that graze on native grasses. He doesn't use chemicals or overgraze. Kline carefully watches the grassland that he farms and leaves some areas untouched for a season to enrich the soil.
Kline and his family are known for their success in direct marketing. Their Hidden Stream Farm brand offers beef, pork, chicken and dairy products free of chemicals and hormones. Hidden Stream Farm products can be found at Winona's Bluff Country Co-op at 121 West Second St. or online.
Among his neighbors, Kline is known as the guy with 180 acres of grass in the middle of farming country -- an odd sight in this day or big-scale monocultural farming. Kline, who spurns pesticide sprays, wonders what kind of reaction he will get this year when he will use an all-natural fish oil spray to feed the soil" "I think it will throw my neighbors off a little bit."
Kline spoke as part of a three-part program sponsored by Winona State biology prof Bruno Borsari with a $2,000 grant from the universityŐs Learning for the 21st Century initiative. Borsari said hed wanted to develop awareness of farm and agricultural issues in southeast Minnesota.
The series began with a history of the tall grass prairie, which once stretched from Minnesota into most of Texas. A movie covered the long-running Native American era, when the prairie flourished, through the present day, with prairie existing only in restoration sites. Since the large-scale European settlement after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the tall grass prairie has been turned into America's most fertile farm land. But for how long? Those who believe in sustainability worry about how long the land can be milked at the current rate.
The Winona State series began after Borsari conducted a survey on campus enthusiasm for buying local foods. The survey received about 1,000 responses. Another survey will be available online to see if his series generated new interest in local foods. This fall Borsari would like to seek additional funding to measure the intensity of student and community demand for local food products. Borsari said, "We need to learn about food production, and we need to support local food production for sustainability." Reporter: Sam Molter
Brooklyn College art show closed: "Inappropriate"NEW YORK, March 12, 2006 -- The city parks supervisor, Julius Spiegel, shut down an exhibit by 18 Brooklyn College artists at the Brooklyn War Memorial, declaring that their show was inappropriate. Exhbits inbcluded a live rat, watercolors depicting gay sex and sculpted male genitalia illuminated in a box. A supervisor showed up with a locksmith, who changed the locks, and ordered the artists out. Students are worried that the rat, Daisy, is going hungry. They planned a rally outside the memorial to protest the censorship.
Background: How Somsen-Senate meltdown was averted Background: WSU president: J-students not learning ethics Background: Previous Ramaley report cards
SMU veteran named Cardinal softball coachWINONA, Minn., May 11, 2006 -- With experience being coached and helping coach at St. Mary's University, Jen Miller has been named head softball coach. Miller, 26, succeeds Nikki Fennern, who has been named athletic director. Miller was on the all-conference 2002 team as a senior. She also was staring pitcher on the 2000 team that won the NCAA Division II national title. The past four years she has been an assistant coach at St. Mary's.
Warriors falter in Northern Sun tournamentWAYNE, Neb., May 11, 2006 -- Winona State University could not contain the bats of Conoordia of St. Paul and lost 19-4 in the opening game of the Northern Sun conference baseball tournament. The Warriors used four pitchers, who gave up 25 hits. Josh Maggertm who came up with a solo home run in the third inning for Winona State, finished the game with two hits. Ryan Manske also chipped in two hits. Tony Lubarsky drove in a pair of runs for the Warriors. Winona State fell into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament.Statistics: Opening game
300 Southeast Tech students receive diplomasWINONA, Minn., May 11, 2006 -- More than 300 Southeast Tech students in 48 fields were graduated in a ceremony at a Winona State University gym. The largest group was in nursing, 43 as registered nurses and 75 as practical nurses. The number of registered nurses graduated from Tech is approaching the number from Winona State's more broadly based four-year program, 55 this spring, although Winona State's nursing college is expanding its enrollment cap from 120 to 200 this fall to help meet a growing shortage.
Hacker pleads guilty in 2004 bot attackSEATTLE, Wash., May 11, 2006 -- A 20-year-old Vacaville, Calif., man, Christopher Maxwell, has pleaded guilty to using high-power university computers to launch a bot network that attacked computers at a Seattle hospital and several universities. At Northwest Hospital, according to the criminal complaint, the bots downloaded so much data that a surgical team lost communication. Fixes cost almost $150,000, the hospital said. Prosecutors claim that Maxwell used computers at California State-Northridge, the University of Michigan and the UCLA to launch the automated porgrams, called "bots," and then commandeered 13,000 computers as zombies to install adware on compromised computers. Maxwell is charged with fraud. His commissions from the adware reaped $100,000 for himself and co-conspirators, accoridng to the prosecution. The attacks occurred in 2004.
ESPN tabs two Warriors to district baseball teamWINONA, Minn., May 11, 2006 -- Winona State University has had two players, seniors Josh Maggert and Jay Horner, named to the ESPN magazine all-District V academic baseball team. Maggert, an outfielder, made the fist team. He now be placed on the ballot for all-American consideration. Maggert came into the final week of the season with a .389 batting average, .580 slugging percentage and .454 on base percentage. Maggert was 61-of-157 with 43 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 24 runs batted in. He has also stolen 14 bases in 19 attempts. Horner, a designated hitter, was picked to the second team. M Horner was hitting .291 on the season (34-117) with a .496 slugging percentage and .382 on base percentage. He collected 28 runs scored, nine doubles and five home runs to go along with 23 runs batted in.
Smith drops Sudan-related investmentsNORTHAMPTON, Mass., May 11, 2006 -- The governing board at Smith College withdrew investments that directly or indirectly support the Sudanese government, which is under international criticism for genocide in the country's Darfur. The college's Committee on Investor Responsibility, which made the recommendation, said that the Sudanese government has equipped militias to carry out the genocide. Other colleges, including Brown Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Brown, and the University of California have also instructed their investment teams to stay clear of companies deadling with the Sudan government.
Steinquist has jail pass for job
Reporter: Megan Buesgens Background: What happened that night Background: Mom mum on Steinquist assault case Background: Friends, Facebook paint Fitzy as likeable guy Background: Fitzy, 'Quist both had earlier petty offenses Background: Beating victims' son still in Texas jail
Students object to bounties for marijuana rallyBOULDER, Colo., May 11, 2006 -- Campus police at the University of Colorado are harassing students who participated in a pro-marijuana rally by posting their photos online and offering $50 for their names, according to an attorney for three students. Photos of 150 students, some smoking, some not, have been posted. Attorney Perry Sanders said he will file suit in federal court to force the university to remove the photographs, expunge whatever information has come in response to the online request, and stop harassing the students. The rally was part of the annual April 20 event at many campuses nationwide, sponsored by the National Organization for Reform of Marjuana Laws. There was no violence at the rally. A university spokesperson said police had paid out $2,000 in reward money to callers responding to the online photos. The rally was on a field that the university had closed off in anticipation of the event. About 40 signs stated that the field was closed and under photo surveillance.
Gallaudet profs say no to new presidentWASHINGTON, May 11, 2006 -- Faculty at Gallaudet University, which emphasizes programs for deaf students, voted "no confidence" in President-designate Jane Fernandes, who has been criticized as insufficiently strong as an advocate for deaf people. Earlier students demonstrated against the appointment of Fernandes, objecting to her leadership style and how the university's governng board wenbt about her selection. At the "no confidence" meeting, more than 140 of the university's 240 faculty members turned out. Two-thirds voted no confidence.Background: Gallaudet students upset at new president
Texas campus drops all flags rather than oneARLINGTON, Texas, May 11, 2006 -- Because of objections to a Vietnamese communist flag among 122 other foreign flags in a display at the University of Texas at Arlington, all the flags have been removed. The decision was msde by university President James Spaniolo after some state legislators threatened to cut off funding to the Arlington campus. Earlier Spaniolo had said the Vietnamese flag would remain in the display.
Study: 6 percent of college men pop ViagaraCHICAGO, Ill., May 10, 2006 -- About one in 30 college men take erectile dysfunction medication to "have more fun" and other non-medical reasons, according to a study by Children's Memorial Hospital. Researcher Najah Musacchio said that another one in 30 college men take the medication, like Viagara, Cialis and Levitra, for lame penises. The non-medical uses to which the medications are put include less wait-time for additional bouts. In almost all cases, Musacchio said, men buy pills without prescription, mostly online. The study, of 234 sexually active men at three campuses, sound that 64 pecent simultaneously use the medication with alcohol or illicit drugs, which can lead to severe reactions and death. Also, in an altered mental state, judgment about partners and safe sex can be compromised.
WSU has new infield, outfield softball signeesWINONA, Minn., May 10, 2006 -- A shortstop and third base player who has 18 career home runs, Annie Stuedemann of Mattawan, Mich., has signed a national letters of intent to play softball for Winona State University, coach Greg Jones announced. Stuedeman has a career batting average of .400, slugging percentage of .767 and an on base percentage of .509. "Annie is an incredibly gifted athlete who can play in any post in the outfield," Jones said.. "We look for her to make an immediate impact with her bat and defensive play as soon as she steps onto campus next fall. Jones also announced a new leter of intent from infielder Katie Maultra of Stevens Point, Wis., whose team won state championships the past two years. Maultra has set the school record with 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in. Her career batting average is .408. "Katie is capable of playing anywhere on the field," stated Jones. The Warriors completed this p0ast season with a 41-15-1 record.
The new signees: Early signees:
Brandeis takes down Palestinian kids' artWALTHAM, Mass., Mass., 10, 2006 -- Paintings intended to represent Palestinian perspectives were removed from an exhibit at the Brndeis University library after complaints that the works depicted only one side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Administrators at the laghely jewish university ordered the removal. Palestinian teenagers had painted those images at the request of an Israeli Jewish student at Brandeis, Lior Halperin, who accused the university censorship an alternative view. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Halperin said:A university spokesperson said that the university would consider displaying the artwork again in the fall, alongside pieces showing the Israeli point of view.
Editorial blames elders for grads' debt levelWINONA, Minn., May 10, 2006 -- The new crop of college grads has been failed by their elders, who have decided to go cheap on the historic Minnesota commitment to higher education, according to a Daily News editorial. "As members of Winona State's class of 2006 are packing away their gowns and mortarboards, most are looking at a future shadowed by significant debt," the editorial noted. "For some, earning the degree that qualifies them to apply for a $23,000-a-year job as an elementary school teacher meant accumulating nearly twice that figure in debt." Why? The editorial, written by Jerome Christenson for the Daily News management, blamed "self-centered public parsimony." Christenson said state college system data that MnSCU grads now carry an average debt that will take more than 6 percent of their income to service. "This is a burden our children can ill afford," he wrote.
Citing history, Christenson noted that in its first year of statehood, Minnesota created tuition-free teacher colleges. It wsa, he said, a recognition of the value of investing public resources in the minds and talents of the coming generation. Now, he said, legislators are voting for measures that reduce funding to state colleges and push up tuition and fees -- and student debt. The state is failing in its commitkment to the future of its people, he said.
The state has systematically reneged on a commitment as old as the state itself -- leaving students of modest means with no alternative but to shoulder ever increasing burdens of debt, Christenson said. "As, year after year, tuition and fees have increased by double-digit percentages, student aid has shrunk, wages for part-time work have stagnated, and the cost of housing and other necessities has gone up and up," he said. "While a generation ago, a debt-free state university education was affordable to an ambitious young person with a part-time job and a willingness to put in a few hours of overtime during the summer, nowadays that job running the cafeteria dishwasher, shelving books in the library or pulling beers at the corner tap isn't likely to cover rent and groceries, much less tuition, books and other expenses. For most, the only way to obtain the education they believe to be the key to a better future is to mortgage that future."
The saving in the state higher-ed budget is short-sighted, Christenson said: "As it is, we can only wish this year's graduates good fortune as they struggle to begin careers, buy homes and start families. The taxes not paid by their parents' generation will be coming due, as will student loan payments." He concluded: "We need to give serious thought to the legacy we are leaving our children -- a heavy burden of debt before their adult lives really begin."
WSU College For Kids registration opensWINONA, Minn., May 10, 2006 -- Registration opens Monday for Winona State University's 19th annual College For Kids program for students who have completed Grades 3 through 8. Courses include journalism, foreign languages, computer programming, statistics, forensic science, music, photography and art. In a robotics course, students will learn about artificial intelligence and build their own robotic device. In aviation, students will study aerodynamics and build a small model airplane.
Background: Club leader faults WSU diversity chiefs Background: Black club needs special stopgap financing
Beating victims' son still in Texas jailWINONA, Minn., May 10, 2006 -- A son of a couple who were beaten mercilessly in their home in March, who was catalytic to what happened, remains in jail in Texas, Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams confirmed. Williams declined to release the man's name, consistent with the police decision to shield the name of the couple. The son, believed to be 19 or 20, had stolen a security box containing cash and marijuana from a party, according to police accounts. As police have pieced togetehr what happened, the men accused in the beatings, John Michael Fitzgerald, 21, and Drew Steinquist, 19, went to the home of the parents on West Fourth Street to recover the box even though the son had been kicked out of the home and was en route top Texas by bus.
The son was arrested as soon as he got off the bus in Texas, Williams said: "He had a warrant in Texas." Williams was not sure why the man was arrested, but he thought it was for assault or possessing a controlled substance apparently from eralier time in Texas. Questioned about the Winona beating, the son told Texas police where he had stashed the security box. Investigators then found the box -- empty. No one has asked that charges be filed for the theft of the security box, and the son has not been charged with any Winona crime. Reporter: Megan Buesgens Background: What happened that night Background: Friends, Facebook paint Fitzy as likeable guy
Health educator to WSU vice presidency
Background: Two make cut for interim WSU veep Background: Comment: Not a man among them
Schism decimates Christian college facultyPURCEVILLE, Va., May 12, 2006 -- Five of the 16 professors at Patrick Henry College have resigned, signaling a schism in the vision of its founder, Michael Farris, over the supremacy of the Bible as the core of a liberal arts education. The departing profs expressed concern at Farris for intervening in lectures and classes to denigrate the value of Homer, Aristotle, Machiavelli and Marx in instruction. The departures are a setback for Patrick Henry College, which, although with only 300 students, mostly home-schooled, has become a darling of right-wing Washington leadership. Students have interned for top Republican luminaries, including Bill Frist, Tom DeLay and Karl Rove -- a far greater percentage than from big-name East Coast colleges.
The schism began when rhetoric prof Todd Bates was asked to submit a speech to Farris in advance. Farris declared that the speech, onj St. Augustine's pursuit of truth, did not sufficiently reflect the college's Christian mission and didn't mention the Bible. Further, according to Bates, Farris asserted that St. Augustine was burning in hell. Bates said that the president threatened to cancel the lecture, which was to be part of a student warm-up for the fall semester. Bates plugged in a mention of "scripture." The speech was allowed to be delivered.
Bates is among the profs who are resigning, citing other instances of what they call heavy-handed interference with academic freedom. One incident began when the father of a student complained to Farris that government prof Erik Root had not allowed the Bible sufficient deference in a class discussion on the philosopher Hobbes. Farris demanded an explanation and said he would withhold Root's teaching contract for next year unless the response were satisfactory.
When classics prof David Noe and history and literature prof Kevin Culberson wrote an article for the student magazine that challenged whether the Bible is the sole source of truth and asserted that Parmenides, Plato, Machiavelli and Marx have much to offer, the college chaplain sent a rebuttal to profs. Farri said he endorsed the rebittal.
Then, as the academic freedom issue boiled, government prof Robert Stacey got fired for reading the college's statements of faith and biblical worldview in class and inviting students who disagreed with his interpretation to leave. One did. Farris fired Stacey, saying he had forced the student to leave the classroom because she disagreed.
Among those leaving in an absolute sense is the affairs dean, who hs used the words "absurd" and "horrific" to describe how profs have beenn treated. Farris, meanwhile, is resigning as president but is believed to be planning to remain intimately involved in college affairs.
Lande: WSU tunnel work could start by fall
Reporter: Carrie Frillman Background: House dilutes proposed pork-barrel disclosures Background: Gutknecht denies pork in Huff Street money
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WINONA, Minn., May 10, 2006 -- A man accused in a brutal assault on a Winona couple in their home in March, Winona State University junior John Michael Fitzgerald, is described by campus friends and fellow students as a nice guy. They call him "Fitzy." Except for a bloody altercation in the Morey dorm two years ago, Fitzgeralds record had looked like that of a typical college student. On Facebook.com, Fitzgerald calls himself a liberal who likes all kinds of music. He likes women, especially good-looking women and smart women, he said on his Facebook page. Fitzgerald described himself as an assistant chef. Most recently he had been at the Cedar Valley golf course restaurant a couple weeks. Before that he was Putnam Grey's burger place at Winona Mall and some pizza joints. On Facebook he said he and likes sports. At Winona State he had completed his junior year in business.
In 2004 after the Morey fight Fitzgerald was evicted from Winona State dorms, as was football player Phil Capuzzi, with whom he had fought. Capuzzi's friends said Fitzgerald was at fault, but Fitzy's friends said Capuzzi was part of a group that started it by taunting Fitzgerald. There were no criminal charges because, police said, it was impossible to determine who was more at fault. Fitzgerald's Winona County court record, until the March assault, included only a step sign violation, not having his insurance papers in his car, and having open alcohol in a motor vehicle. After he was arrested in March the day after a protracted pool-cue beating of the Winona couple, age 57 and 55, Fitzgerald's family arranged $250,000 bond for to get him out of jail poending further court dates. Fitzgerald pesumably is with his parents in the St. Paul, Minn., suburb of Oakdale. Attempts to reach Fitzgerld for an interview were unsuccessful. His attorney is Richard Bowen of St. Paul. | CONTRASTING PORTRAITS
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| Date: Friday, July 7 Time: 8 a.m. registration Place: Performing Arts Center Cost: $70 Contact: Jenny Lamberson at 457-2963 |
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| WINONA, Minn., May 8, 2006 -- A 19-year-old Winona man, Drew Steinquist, accused with a buddy of assaulting a mid-50s couple in their home in March, remains in jail on $200,000 bail. Asked about the case, Steinquist's mother, Gayle Steinquist, said: "There's nothing to say, he hasn't even gone to court yet." She added: "Our lawyers told us not to talk about it." Gayle and her husband Dave live at 921 Birch Boulevard in Winona. Steinquist, a Winona High School grad, is believed to have had the first physical contact with the victims by pushing the woman to the floor, according to prosecutor Chuck MacLean. The second man accused in the case, Winona State University junior John Michael Fitzgerald, 21, was released March 31 on $250,000 bail. The couple who were asaulted have returned home. They had been hospitalized with severe injuries after beung tied up and beaten with a pool cue. |  DREW STEINQUIST Held for $200,000 still |
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WINONA, Minn., May 8, 2006 -- With retirement imminent, Winona State University English prof Sandra Bennett says she doesn't know where the 30 years went. A lot has changed, she said, pointing to the quality of the students. When she joined the faculty in 1976 Bennett taught journalism and editing and served as faculty adviser for the Winonan campus newspaper. In late years she's focused on Indian literature. She was one of the founders of the Winona Women's Resource Center. She also had a hand in developing the Winona State gender studies curriculum. Bennett served on the board of members for the county Historical Society. "I'm going to be leaving Winona, which makes me very sad," Bennett said. "I've been involved with this community." She said that she plans to move to Arizona, where her parents and sister live.
Other retirees recognized at commencement: Reporter: Susan Nicol |  SANDRA BENNETT Arizona bound |
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| WORTH READING |
| Mortimer Zuckerman. "The Cambridge Question," U.S. News & World Report (April 10, 2006), Page 76. Zuckerman, the magazine's editor, blames faculty absortion in research for the growing disappointment of Harvard grads in their undergaduate preparation. Reform will be difficult, he says. Lamenting the search ahead for a new university president after Larry Summers was run out of office, Zuckerman asks: "How can Harvard expect to rectuit a genuine reformer now that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences has tasted blood?" Read anything good lately? Please share your recommendations |
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| Date: Thursday, June 8, and Friday, June 9 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: Science Lab Center Cost: $75 to $350 Contact: Tracy Rahim at 474-3902 |
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| Date: Thursday, May 11 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: Madison Elementary School Cost: Free informational meeting Contact: (507) 457-2300 |
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RECENT DAYS IN THE CITY POSTED MAY 7, 2006 MUMPS HERE. The Midwest mumps epidemic apparently has reached Winona. A 70-year-woman was quarantined pending tests to confirm what's suspected, said county nurse Pat Thomas. About 1,000 cases have been diagnosed in Iowa, largely among college students. Background
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WSU SECURITY REPORT WEEK ENDING MAY 6, 2006 May 4, 2006: Someone reported at 1:18 p.m.that his unlocked bike was removed from the Minne bike rack. May 4, 2006: At 8:30 a.m. a faculty member reported a broken window in her Somsen office. It appears a pellet caused the damage.
May 3, 2006: At 9:05 p.m. a student reported the theft of a clothing item from the Lourdes dorm laundry room. May 3, 2006: A astudent reported at 10 p.m.that her locked bike had been taken sometime within the past week from outside of the Maria dorm. May 3, 2006: At 8 p.m. Security and the fire department responded to the Quad dorms, where a student was stuck in the elevator. May 3, 2006: A student reported at 1:08 a.m. that her purse was taken in Kryzsko Commons between 11 p.m. and midnight. May 1, 2006: A staff member reported at 1 p.m. that she struck another vehicle on Ninth Street near the Prentiss-Lucas dorm. May 1, 2006: A student hurt her ankle walking down the steps in Somsen about 9:30 a.m. Security guards helped the student to the campus nursing station. May 1, 2006: At 5:14 p.m. security guards responded to the Smaug, where a student was feeling faint. An ambulance took the student to the hospital. |
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COURT CONVICTIONS WEEK ENDING MAY 6, 2006 IN WINONA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT UNDERAGE CONSUMPTION
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WASHINGTON, May 5, 2006 -- Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., faulted southern Minnesota's member of the U.S. House, Republican Gil Gutknecht, for silence on allowing the Dakota, Minensota & Eastern Railroad to add more trains through the outskirts of downtown Rochester near the Mayo Clinic. Dayton also faulted Sen. Nick Coleman, R-Minn., and Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Dayton accused railroad President Kevin Schieffer of "incredible arrogance" in ramming through a railroad upgrade without consent from Rochester people. The upgrade, the laregst U.S. railroad project in a century, would bring Wyoming coal through Rochester to Winona for loading on barges. Dayton, who revels in calling Republicans mindlessly pro-business, said: "It's time the governor, Sen. Coleman and Rep. Gutknecht to stand up and tell one businessman he's not going to ramrod a project through a vital sector of Minnesota."
Dayton, a lame duck in the Senate, said he's alone in Congress against the project: "I've done about all I can. I'll continue to try, but I've eight more months here, I'm in the minority caucus, and Im not close to this administration." |  MARK DAYTON Their silence speaks volumes |
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WINONA, Minn., May 5, 2006 -- The Winona bar bouncer who was stabbed outside of Schyde's Drinks and Whatnot in February, Steve Adams, 24, is now working in Chippewa Falls, Wis., his hometown. In a phone interview, Adams said he now lives in an Eau Claire, Wis. and is working full-time in nearby Chippewa Falls as an outside sales rep for the Winona-based industrial distributor Fastenal. After living with his parents in Chippewa Falls for a month after the stabbing, Adams moved out on his own and got the Fastenal job. He is not receiving medical treatment anymore, and the recovery is going well, he said. "My back is not too bad," Adams said. "There are some problems, lots of scarring, but I'm doing well." Fatigue, mostly in his lower back where he was stabbed, is what bothers Adams most. "It doesn't get sore, it gets weak," said Adams, a former varsity football player at Winona State. "When I'm out trying to be active like I used to, I have to tell myself to slow down."
Along with tiredness, Adams is having problems with scar tissue building up around the wounds in his lower back. Adams said doctors encouraged him to get deep tissue massages and work out to alleviate the scar tissue. He has yet to have a deep tissue massage but is working out.
On the legal side, delays and postponements have slowed the process. "Everything keeps getting pushed back," Adams said, "but it doesn't bother me." Court dates for the man accused in the stabbing, Jonathan Hanz Minor, 21, have been rescheduled twice in the last six weeks.
Adams said living a normal life and moving on is what he wants most, but the process has been difficult. "I want to move on and put it behind me, but it's not easy," Adams said. "I try to keep it out of my mind and get back to normal, but I see the scars. I'm not normal."
Jonathan Hanz Minor, meanwhile, remains in custody in Winona under $100,000 bail. Before the stabbing Minor held two part-time jobs, as a painter and pizza delivery man in his hometown of Anoka. In interviews his employers spoke highly of him. Minor worked at MansettiŐs Pizza for two months up until the stabbing. "Everyone liked him, and I never had any problems with him," manager Joe Johnson said. "He seemed like a nice guy, very friendly." Minor painted houses for Gary Grinde, owner of Infinity Painting, for nearly two years. "I thought he was a great kid," Grinde said. "Actually, I was ready to give him a raise." Grinde said Minor was outgoing and bright. He said he could not imagine that Minor acted so irrationally. "He must have been in fear for his life," Grinde said in speculation. Minor's next court appearance is set for 3 p.m., June 7, before Judge Margaret Johnson. |  STEVE ADAMS Ex-WSU football player: "I see the scars. I'm not normal."  JONATHAN HANZ MINOR Jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail |
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ST. PAUL, Minn., May 4, 2006 -- The leading House opponent of the proposed stand-alone University of Minnesota campus in Rochester, State Rep. Gene Pelowski, D-Winona, said the new campus would cost almost 3-1/2 times to operate per student than the average for existing state colleges. Pelowski drew on data provided by supporters of the UM-Rochester proposal in arguing that there would be no cost-effectiveness. Further, he said, a projected revenue shortfall worsens the sccenario: "They have only identified funding sources of $36.7 million, leaving a funding gap of almost $27 million," Pelowski said. "In other words, UM-Rochester is in the red almost from the beginning." Pelowski's comments were on the Minneapolis Star Tribune opinion page.
Rep. Gene Pelowski is the lead Democrat on the House Higher Education Finance Committee. He also serves on the House Capital Investment and Education Policy and Reform Committees.
Pelowski said the proposed Rochester campus, a potential rival to Winona State programs in Rochester, is projected to cost $44,000 per student to operate. Universities in the MnSCU system of which Winona State is part average of $13,000 per student, he said. |  GENE PELOWSKI Winona legislator Where would dollars come from? |
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An editorial in Tuesday's Minneapolis Star Tribune opines that the state legislature should not go home this session without making a down payment of $5 million on the future University of Minnesota in Rochester. A research firm in Pittsburgh has concluded that the $60 million yearly budget that will be needed for the new campus -- one that is projected to serve approximately 1,400 students -- is a good investment. What value are we really getting for that $60 million? Just to compare, in 2005, UM-Duluth spent an average of $10,500 on each of its 10,496 students; UM-Morris spent $15,680 on each of its 1,684 students, and UM-Crookston spent $7,175 for each of the 2,134 students enrolled. MnSCU schools spend an average of $13,000 per student. Projections for the UM-Rochester, however, show they will spend approximately $44,000 on every student. It is hard to believe there will be an adequate return on this investment.
To seek further clarification, go to the same report on UM-Rochester that was used for the editorial in the Star Tribune. Here's what you will find: By the year 2015, the grand total for operating and facility costs for UM-Rochester is $63.3 million. However, they have only identified funding sources of $36.7 million, leaving a funding gap of almost $27 million. In other words, UM-Rochester is in the red almost from the beginning.
To add to this budgeting dilemma, no new source of money has been identified for higher education.
The obvious conclusion to be made is that the UM-Rochester will be paid for at the expense of students at every other college and university in our state. Are the supporters of a new college in Rochester so dazzled by the idea that they are overlooking the facts? These are big questions that need answering, before any investment of public funds is made in Rochester. Budgeting decisions such as these belong in state budgeting years -- not passed as part of a Deficiency and Supplemental Budget Bill as a "good investment" without competing against the other real needs of MnSCU, the University of Minnesota and the private colleges.
In a perfect world, where we spend as much money as we want on our colleges and universities, the UM-Rochester is a good idea. But, we don't live in a perfect world. We live in a world that has significantly cut state funding to higher education since 2003, a world where more and more of our students cannot afford higher education, and those who do, pay double-digit tuition increases and leave with record high debt.
Here is the message to those of you who want a new college in Rochester: we no longer fund wants with regard to higher education in Minnesota. The challenge now is to fund our needs; they are great, and I'm not convinced they include a new University in Rochester. |
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| ST. PAUL, Minn., May 4, 2006 -- A Winona State University varsity soccer player, Kathryn Kramer has been named thed winner of the Willis Kelly Award as a standout athlete and scholar. Kramer received all-conference, all-region and all-America honors as a goal keeper for the Warrior soccer team that was finished the season ranked 11th in the nation. Kramer recently was named to the Kappa Mu Sigma Theta Tau nursing scholars organization. The Kelly Award, in its 21st year, is presented to the Northern Sun conference's top woman student-athlete. The award is named for the late athletic director at the University of Minnesota-Morris. |  KATHRYN KRAMER Soccer-playing nursing student |
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| Date: Sunday, May 21 Time: 8:30 a.m. departure Place: Watkins Hall Cost: $17 to $22 Contact: Anne Plummer at (507) 457-5393 |
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| WORTH READING |
| Sean Wilentz. "The Worst President in History?" Rolling Stone (May 4, 2006), Pages 32-37. Wilentz, a Princeton historian, assesses how fellow historians are coming down on the current president. Hint: George W. Bush isn't on the same list as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. This is a wide-reaching and provocative analysis of the first six Bush years, which included the highest voter approval ratings since Gallup began serious polling in the 1930s and now some of the lowest ratings. |
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PHOTOGRAPHER: MEGAN BUESGENS |  JOHN FITZ- GERALD 58 W. Mark his former rented house | PHOTOGRAPHER: MEGAN BUESGENS | DREW STEIN- QUIST 855 W. Fifth, his former rented house |
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| April 28, 2005 | No proof of insurance |
| June 16, 2005 | Vehicle passenger with open pottle |
| Jan. 5, 2006 | Failure to stop at stop signs or stop lines closed |
| March 29, 2006 | Kidnapping (to facilitate felony or fight) Kidnapping (to facilitate felony or fight) Kidnapping (to commit great bodily harm/terrorize) Kidnapping (to commit great bodily harm/terrorize) First-degree burglary (assault person in building/on property) First-degree burglary (assault person in occupied dwelling; non-accomplice; present) First-degree burglary (assault person in occupied dwelling; non-accomplice; present Second-degree assault (dangerous weapon) Second-degree assault (dangerous weapon) |
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| April 28, 2004 | Speeding (44 mph in 30 zone) |
| Feb. 16, 2005 | Speeding (65 mph in 55 zone) |
| Sept. 29, 2005 | Traffic regulation (driver must carry proof of insurance) |
| Feb. 16, 2006 | Careless driving |
| March 30, 2006 | Kidnapping (to facilitate felony or fight) Kidnapping (to facilitate felony or fight) Kidnapping (to commit great bodily harm/terrorize) Kidnapping (to commit great bodily harm/terrorize) First-degree burglary (assault person in building/on property) First-degree burglary (assault person in occupied dwelling; non-accomplice; present First-degree burglary (assault person in occupied dwelling; non-accomplice; present Second-degree assault (dangerous weapon) Second-degree assault (angerous weapon) |
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WINONA, Minn., May 4, 2006 -- A Winona State track jumper accused of possessing drugs is unsure whether she will be returning to the university in the fall. "I might transfer," Maria Helene Kiselicka said in an interview. Kiselick said she is looking at the Twin Cities, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Oshkosh. Kiselicka, 20, said she would decide this summer. She said the reason she might transfer has nothing to do with track or the drug charge but a sparsity of Winona State course in Spanish, one of her two majors. Kiselicka said her $500-a-year athletic scholarship for track and field hasnŐt suspended even though she didn't participate.
Kiselicka said she didnŐt practice with the track team at all after the arrest and that she didn't really talk to the coach that much. "I started backing off from it," said Kiselicka. "I like working out on my own."
Kiselicka last appeared in court April 27, when the judge set her pre-trial date. Kiselicka said her best bet would be to enter a bargain with the prosecution, agreeing to plead guilty and being placed on probation. As long as she doesn't mess up, the charges would be dropped, she said. "It's such a good deal," said Kiselicka. "I know I'm not guilty." Kiselicka said it's hard to prove she wasn't in possession of somebody else's prescription drugs no matter how complicated the situation was: "I technically had possession."
Kiselicka called the whole situation frustrating. "I didn't really do anything," she said. "It's a pain in the ass, and I shouldn't be dealing with it." Kiselicka said she wasn't drinking the night of her arrest and that she didn't know what the pills were at the time. Police claim her blood alcohol content was .019 on the night of the arrest. Asked about pictures she has posted on her on Facebook.com page with beer in hand and at a bar, Kiselicka, 20, admitted: "I obviously drink."
Kiselicka has hired Winona attorney Kurt Knuesel to represent her. Her next court appearance will be June 8. |  MARIA KISELICKA Scholarship athlete may depart WSU |
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We, the undersigned members of the faculty at Boston College, strongly disagree with the decision of the university's leadership to grant Condoleezza Rice an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and to invite her to address the 2006 commencement. On the levels of both moral principle and practical moral judgment, Secretary Rice's approach to international affairs is in fundamental conflict with Boston College's commitment to the values of the Catholic and Jesuit traditions and is inconsistent with the humanistic values that inspire the university's work.
As a matter of moral principle, Rice maintains that U.S. foreign policy should be based on U.S. national interest and not on what she calls the interests of an "illusory international community." This stands in disturbing contrast with the Catholic and humanistic conviction that all people are linked together in a single human family and that all nations in our interdependent world have a duty to protect "the common good of the entire human family."
On the level of practical judgment, Rice has helped develop and implement the strategic policies that have guided the United States in the tragic war in Iraq. Pope John Paul II and the United States Catholic bishops opposed initiating this war on ethical grounds. We also believe the policies that have shaped the war's ongoing conduct cannot be justified in light of the moral values of the Catholic tradition or the norms of international law.
For these reasons, we object to Boston College honoring Condoleezza Rice at its 2006 commencement. Doing so contradicts the university's Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic identity. |
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| WINONA, Minn., May 3, 2006 -- The student president-elect at Winona State University, Carl Soderberg, denied a request for an interview on the troubled Minnesota State University Student Association proposal for a fee increase on students. After three e-mnail requests, Soderberg responded that he was too busy. The reporter had asked for 10 minutes. As incoming student president at Winona State, Soderberg will move onto the governing board of St. Paul-based MSUSA. The association has been under fire for running up $400,000 in legal bills and concealing the expenses from students at member campuses, including Winona State, who pay $12 a year on average to fund the organization. The association, meanwhile, is seeking roughly an additional $1 levy per student to stay afloat. |  CARL SODERBERG WSU student presdient-elect |
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WINONA, Minn., May 2, 2006 -- The College Access and Opportunities Act, which Congress has approved despite being widely assailed as anti-student, was supported by southern Minnesota's member of Congress. Rep. Gil Gutknecht did not respond to repeated requests for an interview to explain his vote, although his publicist, Jon Yarian, forward what he said Gutknecht regards as positive aspects of the law. These include a government requirement for colleges to explain tuition increases and to come up with strategies to hold tuition down. Critics, however, argue that the law will make attending college more difficult for low-income families. Gutknecht voted with the Republican majority to pass the law. Critics included student government associations that argued that the law would make the single largest cut to federal financial aid in 40 years.
Chief among student objections were that the law would:
In an e-mail, Yarian as Gutnknect's communicatiions director listed these points that he said were positive components of the law:
Students have been unimpressed with such observations. At Winona State student President Ryan Flynn said that while in Washington in September he lobbied against the College Access and Opportunities Act and tried to sit down with Gutknecht to discuss provision. The closest the Winona State student delegation got, said Flynn was a Gutknecht staffer who "asked us if we knew how many zeroes were in $35 billion."
Tim Walz, the Democrat challenging Gutknecht in November, also is critical of the College Access and Opportunities Act, whose title he regards as a misnomer. "This bill represents a major missed opportunity to make college more affordable, to boost America's economic competitiveness, and to invest in America's continued prosperity," Walz said in an interview. Walz noted that he was able to attend college only because of the GI Bill he earned while serving in the National Guard. His younger brother, Walz said, received Social Security survivor benefits for college after their father. "Today we are both contributing members of society and have paid back the federal government many times over," Walz said. "Pell Grants and federal loans serve the same purpose as the GI Bill and Social Security survivor's benefits. They help our children become contributing members of society." Reporter: Chad Larimer |  GIL GUTKNECHT Minnesota Republican in Congress  TIM WALZ Democratic challenger  RYAN FLYNN WSU student president unable to get an audience |
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 | "TRAJECTORY SLIGHTLY ALTERED" Allison Engelsma Michelle Berth Susie Soukaseume Katie Moses |
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WINONA, Minn., May 3, 2006 -- Whether Winona State University student Sen. Alex White gets off the hook for the police bust of his Halloween house party may hinge on whether the cops had sufficient reasons to seek a search warrant to get inside the house. White's attorney, Rich McCluer, says that the warrant that police obtained from Judge Jeff Thompson at 4 a.m., Oct. 28, was not legally justified. Therefore, McCluer says, the evidence obtained in the search cannot be used against White and charges should be dismissed. The information that the cops provided the judge in seeking the middle-of-the-night warrant was insufficient, McCluer says. The cops, he says, had only suspicions of illegal activity at the house. The search warrant application, he says, lacked sufficient detail for "probable cause," a legal term for whether a warrant should be issued. McCluer's argument, in a brief field in February, has been under advisement by Judge Margaret Johnson. The judge is expected to rule on the issue any day.
After police entered the house, ending a four-hour standoff, White, 20, was cited with underage liquor consumption, possession of more than one keg of beer, and possession of unregistered kegs. Another charge, violation of a city noise ordinance, is not related to the search warrant.
It was police Sgt. David Allen who, after several attempts to contact the tenants of the party house, signed the application to Judge Thompson for a search warrant Allen's two-page document, sworn under oath, describes the events as he saw them from the time that he arrived at the scene to the time that he left to get Judge Thompson out of bed. Allen said that he and another officer, responding to a noise complaint, sighted three women in the alley behind the house and ticketed them for underage liquor consumption. A little later, after the doors of the house were locked to keep them out, Allen said the police detained a young man who was trying to regain entrance to the house. The man, he said, lied about his age and identity. Allen said too that officers had seen a half barrel of Busch Lite in the backyard, along with orange cups, some with beer. Allen said his observations suggested that White's house was being used as means of committing a crime. Allen told Judge Thompson that the search warrant was needed on the spot. Immediacy was important, he said, to preserve evidence within the house.
Upon entering the house, Allen said in a court document, he gave White a copy of the original warrant before pursuing the search. Taken in the search was the half barrel of Busch Lite in the backyard, one keg tap, and two 1.75-liter bottles of vodka. Other empty keg barrels were found at the house during the investigation but were not taken as evidence.
On White's behalf, McCluer says that none of the information in the application for a search warrant was sufficiently detailed. Mere suspicion does not lead to probable cause, he said. McCluer's brief argues that Minnesota law requires more facts than they did in order to link illegal activity to the house. |  ALEX WHITE Did underage boozers around the house, a backyard keg, and beer cups strewn around constitute probable cause? |
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 | SIXTY SPECIES Maintaining trees and grounds has been a trial through recent construction |
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WINONA, Minn., May 2, 2006 -- Winona State UniversityŐs senior groundskeeper, Bill Meyer, has been hard at work over the last couple of weeks to keep the campus spruced up for graduation and the rush of summer visitors. "It's a beautiful campus, and I just want to keep it that way so that everyone can admire it," Meyer said. According to Meyer, it often becomes difficult to work around campus construction because the areas around the buildings are constantly changing and in need of replanting. Many trees such as the ones near the most southern entrance of the Pasteur science building needed to be protected or moved during construction projects. "We made sure there were fences around them but we were ready to transplant them if necessary," said Meyer.
The three Donald Wyman crabapples outside Pasteur, unscathed by construction, and are actually in bloom. Showing their characteristic white flowers, other Wyman crabapples also are in bloom between the Minne classroom building and the Baldwin Lounge of the Kryzsko Commons.
The campus has a tree plan that includes red pine, magnolia, American yellowwood, river birch, and northern catalpas. In fact, every species indigenous to Minnesota is growing onb campus. As the main designer of the plan, Meyer is in charge of species selection, placement and maintenance.
Meyer said that the spring season is most crucial. Grass and trees need plenty of nutrients that they did not have during the winter, he said. "With all the construction and activity on campus, it is sometimes hard to fertilize grass or keep certain trees in good health," said Meyer.
Meyer began his work at Winona State in 1988 and carried out his tree plan under former university President Darrell Krueger. Sixty new tree species planted on main campus during those years, said Meyer. With the Kryzsko solarium and Pasteur construction projects nearly complete, Meyer has some landscape designing to do. He will begin planting this summer in preparation for the solarium's fall grand opening. "I have a few ideas, but nothing is final yet." he said. Reporter: Carrie Frillman |  BILL MEYER WSU groundskeeper |
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WINONA, Minn., May 2, 2006 -- A candidate for the Winona State University Student Senate, Theresa Stahota, who came in fourth behind Alex White in April elections, said that White's legal problems shouldn't be held against him. "As long as behaviors don't give a bad image to the Senate they shouldnŐt hurt the eligibility of the senator," Strahota said in an interview. Strahota minimizes the significance of multiple charges against White from a Halloween house party, including possession of more than one keg of beer, possession of unregistered kegs, drinking under the legal age and a noise ordinance violation. "There could be worse things," said Strahota.
In the election for three seats to represent the junior class next year, Jared Stene led with 191 votes, followed by A.J. Schuler, 181; White, 155; and Strahota, 126. Only because Stene was also elected to a liberal seats and opted not to take a junior seat did Strahota move into third place and win re-election to the Senate. She has been an at-large senator this year.
Strahota said that White has done good deeds for the Senate. "He's a good resource for information and knows a lot about the university," said Strahota. "He's always able to discuss what's going on and give feedback." Strahota, a public relations major, as is White, noted that he has been active on the public relations committee and is good at getting people to help out and get involved.
Although White generally has turned away questions about the legal aftermath of the Halloween party, he defended his Senate accomoplishments in a recent interview. "Just last week," he said, "I went around and got over 43 people to sign up for the blood drive."
In a separate interview Strahota called White focused and dedicated to the students as any senator. She said the party issue has not affected White's performance. About the recent elections, Strahota said that although she and White were rivals they campaigned together. "It's not about winning or losing," she said. "It's about having the best people represent the school." Did the attention White's received for the party hurt his candidacy" "It might have increased his name recognition," Strahota said. |  THERESA STRAHOTA Now a junior senator, barely ALEX WHITE Now also a junior senator |
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WINONA, Minn., May 2, 2006 -- The case against a Winona State University football player and student senator, stemming from a Halloween party seven months ago, may be only days away from being settled. Judge Maragret Johnson is expected to rule within a week whether to dismiss the case against Alex White or set a further court date for the next step toward trial. Shaw has briefs under advisement from the city attorney and from White's attorney. At the party, which was at White's house, he was was cited for noise ordinance violation, underage liquor consumption, possession of more than one keg of beer, and possession of unregistered kegs. There were also 22 other arrests or citations issued after partiers locked police out, leading to a four-hour standoff that polarized students, many of whom argued they had a right to party, and townspeople, who saw the incident as an escalation in unruly and lawless college partying. Of the 23 cases, only White's case remains unsettled. The other partiers have paid fines totaling more than $4,000.
White, 20, meanwhile, has been suspended from football pending the outcome of the case. He was, however, re-elected to the Student Senate in April -- a distant third in a four-way race for three seats from the junior class.
Rich McCluer, the attorney representing White, made a case to dismiss the charges in documents filed with Judge Shaw on Feb. 8. Judges typically have 90 days to consider such briefs and assess reports, documents and evidence. It is not known how McCluer framed the issues for the judge. White, although avoiding interview questions on the legalities, has claimed on numerous occasions that the police were rude to him and his friends. That, he said, is why the door to the house was locked in the first place. That the police called in reserve officers, surrounded the house in a four-hour stand-off, and then obtained the search warrant could have been avoided, he said. "The whole thing just got out of hand," said White. | ALEX WHITE Judge pondering his dismissal motion |
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WINONA, Minn., May 2, 2006 -- A global studies prof at Winona State University, Michael Bowler, says illegal immigrants into the United States should be granted amnesty. The option is deporting millions of people already living and working in the country, Bowler said, citing logistical and other problems that would arise from trying to kick so many people out. These people, he said, are contributing to the workforce and to the economy. Although Bowler favors amnesty for existing immigrants, he called for tougher measures to prevent more illegal immigration. "We need immigration," he said. "It is a part of what this country is. But we need to make it very difficult so that we don't see this problem again."
In an interview Bowler said the nation needs clear laws and regulations so that so that legal immigration can continue. He noted that only recently has the have Hispanics become the largest than other group of illegal aliens. Until five years ago the largest group was from Ireland, he said, Ireland had been the second poorest country in Europe, he said, but now is the second wealthiest. Helping Mexico's economy would be a great step in deterring illegal immigration, Bowler said. Bowler pointed out that it would not be easy for Mexico to make the drastic transition that Ireland did, but, he said, it could be done. "Ireland made higher education free for its entire population. It increased healthcare and gave tax breaks to other countries that invest there," Bowler said. If Mexico could follow Ireland's example it could become a thriving country and people would no longer need to leave to find work, he said. Reporter: Mark Chryst Background: Immigration protests largely bypass campuses |  MICHAEL BOWLER Tighter borders also needed |
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| RAMALEY AND THE PRESS |
ITHACA, N.Y., May 2, 2006 -- It's not unethical for a reporter to ask probing questions, according to the vice chair of campus affairs of the national Society of Professional Journalists. "It's the reporter's job to ask them," said Mead Loop, when asked about recent criticism by Winona State University President Judith Ramaley's at being asked questions in an interview that she hadn't expected. Ramaley called surprise questions "unethical" and "unprofessional." She had similar words for student reporters who flagged her in various places around campus to put questions to her. Said Loop, who is a journalism prof at Ithaca College. "It's appropriate to make an appointment, but sometimes that just isn't possible and a reporter has to find other means to meet with the person." Ramaley has granted only two sit-down interviews with campus journalists in nine months.
On what's ethical and what isn't, Loop said it usually is more or less the attitude of the student conducting the interview. "How do the students conduct themselves?" said Loop. "Are they polite?"
Loop said that Ramaley needs to expect that student reporters will try to ask her questions. It is something she should have been prepared for before becoming a university president, he said. "Presidents are public figures," said Loop. "They have to know that they this is going to happen." Before his faculty aapointment at Ithaca College in 1995, Loop was national editor of the Nashville, Tenn., Banner newspaper. Earlier he was a copy editor at the Lancaster, Pa., Intelligencer Journal and at the Kansas City, Mo., Times and Star. He holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. |  MEAD LOOP Campus issues vice president for national journalism society |
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| Date: Tuesday, May 2 Time: 5:30 p.m. Place: Student Activity Center, Kryzsko Commons Cost: Free Contact: Alex Hines |
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MSUSA FINANCES WHY SO MUCH? The Minnesota State University Student Association has three staff people in St. Paul. To run the operation, the typical student at Winona State and other state universities is taxed $12.49 a year. The tax is added to the activity fee. The Arizona Student Association, whose mission also is lobbying for student interests, has a three-person staff too. But Arizona students pay only $2 a year. What is wrong with this picture?
And now the MSUSA leadership has engineered a plan to hike the levy on Minnesota students to $13.76 -- up more than 10 percent. Sadly, the Winona State Student Senate has endorsed the hike with nary a glance at the MSUSA balance sheet, which the association's Executive Board has intentionally tried to shield from public scrutiny. Winona State students need to press their student senators with tough questions. Also for transparent governance and openness and honesty at MSUSA. |
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RAP MUSIC THE PERVERSION OF IMAGE TRUMPING FREEDOM After all his decades in college you would think Cal Winbush would know something about academic freedom. Apparently not. In a sad episode in his finale semester, the outgoing student affairs vice president at Winona State University shut down the Soul Food Dinner, an annual celebration of blcck culture sponsored by a student club. He didn't like the students' choice of rap music as the theme. This wasn't the fist time that Winbush imposed his cultural values to deny students the freedom to explore and examine what interests them and to express themselves. Two years ago he pulled the plug on National College Television monitors in cafeterias because performers in music videos weren't wearing enough clothes to suit him. Last fall he tried to ban beer-theme t-shirts at homecoming.
In every case, Winbush has proclaimed himself a guardian of the university's image. Uhh? This guy has a perverted view of what the image of a university should be. A university is a sacred place for students to be free to inquire about all questions and to express themselves. The best image of the best universities is that of nurturing robust exploration and examanation of values. This includes the big and profound questions -- and rap, music videos and t-shirts too.
We wish Cal Winbush well in his pending retirement. The fact is, however, that Winona State will be a better without his misplaced attempts to protect the place's image. What he's done over and over has undermined the core academic freedom premises on which the image of a truly great university must be based. |
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WSU CLUB AUTONOMY BLACK CULTURAL AWARENESS CLUB NEEDS FINANCIAL SUPPORT To jumpstart the floundering Black Cultural Awareness Association at Winona State University, the Student Senate must step forward with funding to jumpstart the club's recovery. We see this as a one-time Senate commitment to replace administration subsidies that, no matter how well-intended at one point, left the club financially dependent on the administration. The result, in effect, was university administrators, ever conscious of university image, dictating club policy on a matter that to outsiders looks so petty -- whether the annual Soul Food Dinner should have a rap music theme. The larger issue, however, is not petty -- club autonomy. Black Cultural Awareness needs financial help to start afresh as a student-governed entity and get the Soul Food Dinner going after what we hope is only a one-year hiatus and to do it with whatever theme the club membership chooses.
The key to the recovery of Black Cultural Awareness is Kari Winter. As vice president of the Student Senate, Winter is responsible for the Alliance of Student Organizations. Through her power of persuasion, Winter can convince other clubs to sacrifice a bit of their subsidies from activity fees, over which the Senate has significant control, to help their troubled sibling clubthrough a rough strecth. |
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WINONA, Minn., May 1, 2006 -- The Office of Cultural Diversity at Winona State University was a hotbed of vile gossip about the home life and sex life of Kamau Wilkins, president of the Black Cultural Awareness club, during the time that his proposal for a rap theme for the club's annual Soul Food Dinner was being undermined, according to Heidi-Mae Hardy, who has had a long-term, live-in relationship with Wilkins. Hardy quoted from an e-mail she received from Alex Hines, the university's director of cultural diversty: "My advice is to question your own values and morals. I don't know what goes on in your home except for what students say and what one of you have written in the face book in regards to your open relationship. My house is in order, is yours?" Hardy, who is white, said she remains offended at the e-mail, which she received Feb. 18. She acknowledged that Hines later apologized but said the apology was forced. Hines is black, as is Wilkins. Wilkins, in criticizing Hines, has accused the university's Cultural Diversity office of trying "to run Black Cultural Awareness "like a Christian youth group."
The latest revelations, released by Heidi-Mae Hardy, are from Hines in response to a lengthy message from Hardy that charged him, as club adviser, with "hasty, vindictive and belligerent" comments at club meetings and also door-slamming. Hardy said she had joined the club last year because she found "love and the family-type atmosphere." The "joyous" feelings dissipated after a later club meetings at which, she said, Hines walked in and without hearing what had happened at the meeting lambasted members, most of whom were black, for knowing nothing about where they came from or their history. "This continued on for many meetings" she said. Hardy blamed Hines for a drop in club membership. Most estimates are that membership has fallen from about 50 to 10 or 12.
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I am writing this email with a sad and angry heart. The problem is, I have felt disrespected for way to long, and I hate to pass anymore disrespect along on the karmic plane, but I have sat idly by for far to long. I believe that too many other people have as well.
I started attending BCAA events at the end of last year. I wasn't yet a student, but had plans to enroll. The BCAA was thriving and healthy. I came with Kamau and being one of the only white people involved with the BCAA at this time; I was a bit nervous at how I would be received. My fears were quelled quickly when I saw the love, and the family type atmosphere that surrounded the group. I was welcomed and accepted. I made friends within the BCAA that I still continue to surround myself with. The BCAA put on amazing events last year. The Soul Food Dinner was a hit, and the Winona State Idol was even a bigger hit. The word on campus was that the BCAA put on fun, well planned events, and everyone was welcome. It really felt like family.
In our first meeting this year at least 50 people showed up. The feeling in the air was joyous and full of excitement. This was shot down quickly. In one of the first meetings, Mr. Alexander Hines walked in and without hearing what had happened at the meeting lambasted everyone about their knowledge. He stated that they knew nothing about where they came from or their history. Bottom line, he called the group ignorant and truthfully implied it in his demeanor that we were all stupid. This continued on for many meetings. He would show up at the tail end of a productive meeting, make a hasty, vindictive, and belligerent speech, then walk out and slam the door. The group quickly went from 50 odd members to a lowly 20. People specifically told me, I don't show up anymore because Alex walks in and makes me feel bad.
There was one meeting in particular in which everyone went around the room and stated their reason for being there. The most popular reasons were, "I was looking for a place to go to make friends," "I heard the BCAA was fun," "I heard the BCAA was like a big family etc".
Everyone was feeling good at the end of this meeting, people had bonded, and we were about to walk away feeling good about the group. Once again Mr. Hines walked in, made an angry speech, and people walked out with their heads down looking defeated.
When planning for the Soul Food Dinner he walked in on many occasions and stated that Cultural Diversity wouldn't support what the group was working on. After much planning and work on the Soul Food Dinner people got scared and changed the theme a month before the show. Unfortunately now Ms.Carmen Mahlum made the statement that she thought it was going to be boring to a group member. Whether there will be a Soul Food Dinner at all this year is up in the air as of today.
There are now about 10 people that show up to BCAA meetings. No one else cares to partake in all the drama that Mr. Hines has created. Yes, I blame this solely on you Alex. Your job as an administrator and leader is to support the students in the decisions they make. Let me say that again, your job is to SUPPORT the students in the decisions they make. There has been no support from the Culture Diversity office in any of the decisions that have been made by this group. For this I am angry.
Not only has this effected the group, but it has effected my home. There have been statements made about what happens in my home. How things are "run". The fact of the matter is that none of you have any idea of what goes on in my home. The fact that this statement was even made infuriates me. The fact that I have corrected people in that office on numerous occasions that Kamau is not my husband, (due to our belief in the corruption of the term "marriage") yet everyone there insists on calling him my husband. My home is full of much love, and mutual respect, although no one in that office would know because no one has cared to ask before making unfair, and blasphemous judgments. Ms. Maudi Williams is the only person that has constantly shown my family and I respect.
I am disgusted that Kamau has been pigeon holed as a bad leader when no one in that office has given him the opportunity to show his leadership abilities. I am also disgusted that your judgments about him are based mostly on a few select peoples opinions about him. I am offended that there have been statements made to myself and other members that "because we are white we just don't understand." I am frustrated that the woman of the BCAA have been told by administration in the Culture Diversity office to steer clear of black men. I see so many forms of discrimination, hypocrisy, and disrespect coming out of that office it makes me sick.
I hope that in the future the Cultural Diversity staff take on the duty of supporting students, instead of creating drama between a once tight knit group. As of right now I have no desire to attend any "culturally diverse" activities through the school, and sadly enough I am not the only one." |
| I will not lower myself by responding in-depth to this email. I question the cowardice of this email this late in the year in regards to your issues. My advice is to question your own values and morals. I don't know what goes on in your home except for what students say and what one of you have written in the face book in regards to your open relationship. My house is in order, is yours? One more piece of advice, Black Culture is not Hip-Hop; read other books related to Black Culture, there's more to Black History than what you learned in High School. Alex (Links to articles discussing hip hop and single-parent homes, as well as black students who are failing to succeed. The links were not clickable) |
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RECENT DAYS IN THE CITY POSTED MAY 1, 2006 'TWAS A WOLF. A canine struck and killed by a car on near suburban Homer last week was an 80-pound male gray wolf, wildlife officials confirmed. State experts speculate that the wolf either was a pet or had been kicked out of a pack n central and northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the animals are more common. The Minnesota wolf population is thought to be about 3,000 but none normally this far south. BANK PARKING. Merchants Bank wants to raze the storefronts adjacent to its main building on Third Street for a 49-slot employee parking lot. The eight buildings, all one or two stories, all date to the 1890s. The bank plans a decorative wall to shield the lot from pedestians. Vehicle entry would be from the alley.
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| WINONA, Minn., May 1, 2006 -- Congressman Gil Gutknecht has voted for every one of President Bush's unbalanced budgets despite his vow never to vote for an unbaloanced budget when he was first elected from southern Minnesota, a letter-writer to the Daily News opinion page charged. The letter, by Marc Fredrickson of Rochester, Minn., noted too that Gutknecht was firm on term limits back then but no more. "Sometimes staying in Congress too long changes the tune a person marches to," Fredrickson said. Gutknecht has announced for a seventh term. |  GIL GUTKNECHT Seventh term? |
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U.S. SENATE Ford Bell (Democrat): Seeking nomination Mark Dayton (Democrat): Not seeking second term Mark Kennedy (Republican): Seeking nomination Amy Klobuchar (Democrat): Seeking nomination
GOVERNOR Kelly Doran (Democrat): Seeking nomination with Sheila Kiscaden as runningmate Mike Hatch (Democrat): Leader from party's precinct caucuses Peter Hutchinson (Independence): Has announced his candidacy Steve Kelley (Democrat): Has announced his candidacy Tim Pawlenty (Republican): Expected to seek second term Bud Philbrook (Democrat): Has announced his candidacy
U.S. HOUSE Gil Gutknecht (Republican): Announced for seventh term Tim Walz (Democrat): Announced candidacy
MINNESOTA SENATE Brenda Johnson (Republican): Has announced candidacy Kevin Kelleher (independent): Has announced candidacy Bob Kierlin (Republican): Not seeking re-election Lewis Relman (Republican): Has announced candidacy Sharon Ropes (Democrat): Has won the party endorsement.
MINNESOTA HOUSE Gene Pelowski (Democrat): Has won the party endorsement for an 11th term
CITY COUNCIL (2nd Ward) Gerry Krage: Expected to seek re-election CITY COUNCIL (4th Ward) George Borzyskowski: Expected to seek re-election CITY COUNCIL (At-large) Tim Breza: Expected to seek re-election |
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THE NEW FACE OF WSU MALES NEED NOT APPLY We hope we're wrong, but there are signs that Winona State may be posting a sign at the university employment office: "Males need not apply." A pattern is emerging. The first three vice presidents to depart under new President Judith Ramaley, either fired, moved aside or retired, were men. The finalists for the academic vice president vacancy, including one with long Ramaley connections, are all women. Ramaley's finalists for the student affairs vice president vacancy both are women. Two men have departed jobs closely tied to the president's office. The powerful position of running Ramaley's pet project, L21, has gone to a woman. The only student journalists to whom Ramaley has granted interviews have been women. To interview requests from male journalists, the answer uniformly has been no.
Our observation reflects not at all on the quality of candidates for the vacant executive positions. They all look good on paper. But not a man among them?
Ramaley had a record at the University of Vermont, where she was president, of shepherding women up through the ranks. She did the same at the National Science Foundation. Winona State also has a proud record of actively righting historic wrongs to be sure that women have equal career opportunities and, when all other things be equal, giving female candidates the edge. What we fear now is the possibility of wholesale gender preference the other way. |
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| ACE REPORTER CITATION  TOM WILDER WSU JOURNALISM STUDENT For identifying important news through public documents and pursuing explanations imaginatively
COVERAGE New revelation: MSUSA legal bills top $400,000 Colleges trustee: MSUSA fee hike no shoo-in MSUSA organizer wishes he had known more MSUSA legal expenses burn up $262,000-plus MSUSA seeks 10% student fee hike One-third of students pay WSU fees online Independence caucus favors more higher-ed dollars Turn-out about 30 for textbook "burial" Students mount battle against tuition hike OTHER ACE REPORTERS IN GOOD COMPANY |
| OBNOXIOUS PARTIES  WHEN GOOD TIMES GET OUT OF HAND CONVICTIONS Winona County District Court |
| UNDER-AGE BOOZERS  WHO GOT CAUGHT BEING STUPID DON'T TELL THEIR MOTHERS |
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