2011-1

BY DIANA [email protected]

January brings the start of a new se-mester at Metropolitan State Univer-sity. While registering for classes, many students may have noticed the tuition discrepancy between a “traditional” course and an online course. In 2011, the tuition and fees of an traditional undergraduate course per credit come to a total of $197.43. An online under-graduate course, including fees, costs $265.88 per credit. That means a four-credit undergraduate course can either cost $789.72 or $1,063.52, depend-ing on the delivery method. That’s a $273.80 difference. While Metropoli-tan State prides itself on being the uni-versity “where life and learning meet,” one might ask, “At what cost?” According to Minnesota State Col-leges and Universities’ (MnSCU) Web site (www.mnscu.edu), of the seven state universities within the system, Metro-politan State’s tuition and fees for the 2010-2011 school year are the low-est at $5,923. The rest of the system’s state universities have tuition rates of at least $6,000, with the exception of Be-midji State, which costs about $7,000 per year. However, according to Gary Langer, MnSCU’s associate vice chan-cellor of academic innovations, Metro-politan State’s online tuition rate is “at the high end.” Although Metropolitan State falls under the auspices of Mn-SCU, the tuition rates and fees are de-cided at the university level. However, Langer also states that a lot of fees cannot be added because it still needs to be approved by the trustees. “If it [online fees] got to be 50 percent, the trustees would start to wonder what was going on,” he said. Langer adds that MnSCU does take a five dollar per-credit fee from courses that are completely online in order to pay for the license for Desire2Learn (D2L), the program where online

courses are run. Langer says the col-leges and universities can decide to add that five dollar fee to the tuition or pay for it through other funds. Accord-ing to Langer, online course tuition is market-driven. Langer also notes that online courses are more expensive than traditional courses because “once you develop the courses, you’re not done…there’s the continued cost of the devel-opment.” Michal Moskow, the director of online learning at Metropolitan State since 2007, confirms that this is the main reason why tuition for online courses is more than tuition for traditional courses. Moskow says the extra fees for online courses go back into the Cen-ter for Online Learning for upkeep and support or they go to the University’s general fund. Staff salaries are one of the many reasons why online courses cost more than traditional courses. While a traditional course has an in-

structor, an online course has the in-structor and the staff of four to five members of the Center for Online Learning helping the instructor and students. Included in the Center for Online Learning’s staff is an instruc-tional designer, who helps the instruc-tors design the online course, and a site administrator, who maintains D2L and Moodle (a back-up system for D2L). The staff in the Center for Online Learning also spends time with students troubleshooting and help-ing them get acclimatized to working in an online environment. “We try to give good, quick customer service,” Moskow said. “We spend a lot of time helping students and showing them how to submit a quiz or a paper, etc.” In addition, the Center for Online Learning used to offer a $2,000 sti-

The cost of online learning Planning to graduate in

May?

New program recognizes outstanding students, organizationsBY ALEX HEDIN [email protected]

Every April, the Student Life and Leadership Development Office (SLLD)holds an awards banquet that recognizes individual students and or-ganizations for accomplishments they have achieved throughout the year. This includes about nine different categories, such as an event of the year or advisor of the year. All the nominations for the categories are put before a committee and then the winners are selected. Early this year, however, there will

be a launch of the Outstanding Student Organization and Student Leader of the Month program, which will auto-matically put winners from the month-ly outstanding student program up for nomination in the annual Presidential Student Leadership Awards Banquet and the title of Outstanding Student of the Year. The SLLD has a mission to develop engaged leaders with a lifelong commit-ment to diversity, integrity and social

responsibility. Activities and organiza-tions get students involved in the Uni-versity and help develop their leader-ship skills, so the SLLD office would like these students to be recognized and awarded for all of their hard work. “We decided to launch an Outstanding Student of the Month and Outstanding Organization of the Month program because we felt that there are so many driven students that are leaders on and off campus that don’t get recognized,”

Outstanding studentscontinued on page 2

said Elizabeth Pretzel, office assistant at the SLLD office. “There are so many wonderful organizations on campus that we want to start recognizing them for all the work and effort they put into their events,” she said. Pretzel explained that the program differs from the annual Presidential Student Leadership Awards Banquet

Online learningcontinued on page 3

Students who are prospective May graduates are reminded that Friday, Jan. 21, is the deadline to notify Deb-orah “Deb” Tix at the Graduation Desk at (651) 793-1231 if you are anundergraduate, Gloria Marcus at (612) 659-7258 if you are a College of Management graduatestudent, Suzanne Narayan at (651) 793-1388 if you are a College of Nursing and Health Sciencesgraduate student, Helen Correll at (651)999-5949 if you are an M.S. in technical communicationgraduate student, or Kelly Hazel at(651) 999-5827 if you are an M.A. in psychology graduate student of your intention to graduate. The link to the Declaration of In-tent to Graduate is www.metrostate.edu/msweb/pathway/registration/ gradu-ation/graduation_expo.html and click on “Declaration of Intent to Graduate form.” The form may be submitted by fax, e-mail or mail. You must be registered for all of your spring semester course work to be eligible for May graduation. No ex-ceptions will be made. Students plan-ning to graduate need to contact their advisors by Feb. 4. The Grad Expo is Saturday, Feb. 26, 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in the Great Hall at the New Main Campus.

Want to learn about staff meetings, writing resources or events happening on campus? Search “The Metropolitan” on Face-book and stay in contact with staff and writers!

T h e M e t r o p o l i t a n S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r

Published monthly in St. Paul, Minn. Volume 19 Number 5 January 2011

The

METROPOLITAN

Wabasha Deli offers new dining experience

page 2

Expansion across campus

page 4

New programs in life sciences

page 6

January 2010 The Metropolitan http://themetropolitan.metrostate.edu

BY REBEKAH [email protected]

Extreme Minnesota weather has piled snow in every corner of the Twin Cities; driving even a few blocks has become an adventure for many. After record snow-falls and intense cold early this year, heading out onto the road is not at the top of anyone’s favorite winter activity list but if you don’t want to be stranded, it’s important to think about your car. Heppner’s Auto Body on Seventh Street in St. Paul, only blocks away from Metropolitan State University’s main campus, has some recommendations for students so they can get safely to class and back, even in subzero temperatures. Auto technician Phil Gerstner was busy welding at Heppner’s, but took the time to share his tips to help students survive the winter in a safe, reliable ride. Gerst-ner recommends drivers specifically pay attention to essentials of their vehicle, like fluid levels, battery connections and tire pressure. “The most important thing,” Gerstner advised, “is to know your vehicle. Look at the pressure and temperature gauges. These are a pretty good measure of your fluid levels and indicate what’s going on with your car.” Gerstner says that maintenance should be ongoing. “The best way to prevent problems is to do constant maintenance throughout the year,” he said. Drivers should also pay special at-tention to solutions like antifreeze and windshield fluid. “In conditions like the ones we have seen lately,” said Gerstner, “have your antifreeze checked; radiators are normally filled with a 50/50 mix-ture of antifreeze and water but if not, especially in the extreme cold, you run the risk of freezing engine and coolant lines.” This can cause your vehicle to fail, because the antifreeze helps keep the engine’s moving parts lubricated. Gerst-ner also recommends regularly checking windshield fluid. “You don’t want to be driving in weather like this and run out of windshield fluid,” he said. This can cause “dangerous visibility problems.” It’s also important to check your battery connection so you are not left stranded in a cold school parking lot. Gerstner says that students can clean battery con-

nections themselves by “carefully remov-ing the battery terminals first, and then scrubbing off the corrosion with a steel brush or some steel wool, and reattach-ing the terminals.” Gerstner explained that every time you start your car, cor-rosion naturally occurs caused by the reaction of metal and battery acid. Over time, this build-up can settle around the battery connectors, causing a weak con-nection, or cars that fail to start. Proper tire pressure, Gerstner added, is crucial for winter driving. “Check your tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge and compare it to the PSI printed on the tire. The PSI is the pounds per square inch recommended by the tire manufac-turer. The tire pressure level should be the same for each tire,” he said. Irregular tire pressure negatively affects your car in a variety of ways, but especially on icy roads, “it affects handling and can cause the car to veer or shimmy over the ice.” In addition to poor handling, improper tire inflation increases the chances of getting a flat tire because it wears down the tire walls. Gerstner also says that cars do not need to warm up for an excessive amount of time in order for them to run in extreme cold. “You don’t need to let your car run for more than a few minutes before driv-ing it, although it heats the interior—I like to get into a warm car like many people.” Instead, Gerstner explained that it is better to just drive the car slowly at first, saying that cold parts need time to resolve internally to help the car run. He recommended not doing any hard driv-ing the first few minutes on the road. Reflecting on the big storm, Ger-stner suggests that students should “have a small car emergency kit and this year, carry a shovel. I always have blankets in the car because you never know when you will end up in a ditch or how long you will be there. The last and best piece of car advice I have is this: Always wear your seatbelt.” Heppner’s Auto Body is located at 395 Seventh Street East in Saint Paul. Stu-dents can learn more at www.heppnersau-tobody.com.

Winter car care tips for students

“Comfort food” now offered as dining services

BY LINDA [email protected]

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new deli on campus. The Educated Palate is now managed by Wabasha Deli Café, where meals are prepared fresh as you order and garnished with kindness. Wabasha Deli manager Bridger Merkt said his mission is to create a café atmosphere instead of the same old humdrum environment of a caf-eteria. When asked how he intended to accomplish this, Merkt said he so-licits suggestions from Metropolitan State University students, staff and faculty. “All of us with Wabasha have a strong passion for food and fam-ily,” Merkt added. “Soup is made fresh every day. And we continually look for ways to improve our menu.” Improvements seen so far include op-tions for different diets, such as glu-ten-free foods, reduced salt products, natural or organic foods and no deep fried foods. So far, Merkt said they have reached 20 percent of their goal. As part of this innovative café ap-proach to marketing, Merkt dis-played a new item sold in the café. It is a round shaped, golden yellow, fruity vegetable delicatessen called a Pepperdew pepper. Packaged in a see-through jar similar to those used for canning fruits and vegetables on farms, Pepperdews look so appeal-ing you may forget about eating it and just want to display it as part of a table centerpiece. But if you decide to chow down, it may be eaten alone or added to a salad for a fruity-pepperish flavored blend. In addition to a friendly, scrubbed down appearance, Wabasha Deli of-fers meals to go and a full service cof-fee and espresso bar. Bread bowls, weekly specials and unique desserts compliment a full menu. A regular Wabasha Deli Café pa-tron, Ed Meals, said he prefers the café’s classic soups, the chicken wild rice and chicken noodle. Meals added, “Service is superb! They get to know who you are as a person and ask for feedback.” While gesturing toward

the counter, Meals also said he feels Merkt and other workers at the café really listen to the feedback. Another patron, Elizabeth Hud-man, said, “It would be wonderful to have a full scale cafeteria, but this is so much better. There is a dedicated staff, assigned cooks, a brighter atmo-sphere and new chairs. They prepare as you order and don’t just ladle the food out.” A St. John construction site worker, John, said he comes to the café for breakfast and lunch. “It’s quiet, and I have not had a bad experience,” he said. While standing in line waiting to purchase my lunch I overheard ca-shier Amy Hungerfor stress the fresh-ness of the Up North Turkey Panini, “We don’t have anything pre-made. And for one dollar extra, you may get a drink with your meal,” she added with a smile. Wabasha Deli offers online coupons and monthly specials menus at www.wabashadeli.com. Wireless Internet is available and you may follow Wabasha Deli Café on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wa-bashadeli or become a Facebook fan at Wabasha Deli & Café at www.facebook.com/pages/Wabasha-Deli-Ca-fe/142049899951. Whatever your choice of staying in touch with the café, Merkt said Waba-sha Deli Café is a community restau-rant and he would like all of the Met-ropolitan State community to visit the café and experience “comfort food.”

because the winners will be awarded monthly and it’s strictly looking at stu-dent leaders and student organizations, where the banquet looks at more than just student leaders and organizations. Students were chosen for the Out-standing Student of the Year at the ban-quet by nominations from faculty, staff and students. A designated committee then selected the winner. “This new program allows for more students to be nominated for the award because we won’t have to just rely on nominations that come in at the time of when we’re getting ready for the annual Awards Banquet,” said Pretzel. However, it is still undecided whether or not the orga-nizations that are considered “outstand-ing” each month will have their own award like “Outstanding Organization of the Year.” There are a few different things that can cause a student or an organization to be titled “outstanding.” “An out-standing student organization has in

some way inspired staff, faculty, stu-dents and other student organizations through an event or workshop, gone above and beyond what is expected of their organization, and has impacted the campus or community in a posi-tive way,” said Pretzel. “An outstand-ing student leader would be someone who displays the leadership qualities that are beyond the call of duty, pro-motes growth of the self and among their fellow classmates, staff, and fac-ulty. They must be involved on campus or within their community, academical-ly within good standing, and can be a student leader that is paid or not paid.” The name of the Outstanding Stu-dent and Organization of the Month will be announced around the last week of the month, but will not be selected every month. Names will be announced each October, November, December, January, February, March and May. “We decided to start the program later in the year to give student organi-

zations a chance to establish themselves and to bypass months that are slow, for example, winter break and summer break,” said Pretzel. She also explained that they decided to skip the month of April since that is when the Awards Banquet is held. Earning the title of “Outstanding Stu-dent” or “Outstanding Organization” of the month or year can open many more doors for the student or the or-ganization. “Students and student orga-nizations should strive to earn the title ‘Outstanding Student’ or ‘Outstanding Organization’ because it makes a dif-ference to that individual student or organization that their work has been noticed by others,” said Pretzel. “All the time and effort that was put into be-ing a strong leader or into organizing a successful event makes it worth it when they receive an award for it.” Pretzel explained that it’s an honor to be titled “outstanding” because it highlights all the work a student or or-

ganization has done and it looks good on a resume to prospective employers. “Students can improve their chances of getting either of these titles by get-ting out into the Metropolitan State community and their own local com-munity and to really make a name for themselves,” Pretzel said. “If no one knows your name, who you are, and what you’ve been doing, then you are less likely to be nominated for either of the awards.” Staff, faculty, and students can nomi-nate an organization or a student that they feel deserves to be recognized as “outstanding.” Staff, students and fac-ulty can fill out the nomination form electronically and email it to [email protected] or it can be submit-ted as a hard copy to the SLLD office at the Saint Paul campus in Founders Hall 230A. The nomination form is not yet available, but will soon become available to the Metropolitan State community.

Outstanding studentscontinued from page 1

Wabasha Deli offers fresh bakery items and salad options, displayed daily at the front counter.

January 2011 http://themetropolitan.metrostate.edu The Metropolitan

Transitions and connections

Online learningcontinued from page 1

we were just told to go out and build the bridge.” “The problems facing veterans,” said Holzschuh, “are well-identified, but not yet completely understood or resolved.” However, Holzschuh and his associates are determined to help student veterans

thrive. Ten percent of students at Met-ropolitan State are veterans or active service members while more than that have a mili-tary connection to a spouse or parent who is serving. Both the Veterans Center and its new student organiza-tion are working

hard to link students who are veterans and active service mem-bers from all branches of the military and reserves by highlighting the variety of resources that are available to them. The Veterans Center’s mission is non-political, seeking instead to connect with others. This element of connectedness is cru-cial for the success of students who are veterans. “Our goal is to make sure that these students achieve and graduate,” said Holzschuh. “A majority of vets return-ing home often pursue higher education. Many of these students struggle with the reality that while they have been gone, the world they left behind has shifted—friends and family are in different places than they were when they left home. In an effort to catch up, students coming out of the service frequently take on a heavier load.”

Kempe explained that taking on too much initially “combined with feeling dis-connected from other students can lead to isolation and frustration, causing many to give up.” The Veterans Center and MSVN are working hard to change this pattern. “For those students and veterans who are farther along,” Kempe added, “serving as a mentor or encouraging a new student can make a huge impact especially in the first few semesters, which can be the hard-est.” Studies have shown that students who become involved in student groups or campus communities are more likely to succeed and graduate. This additional layer of accountability and support is uni-versal to all students. The Veterans Center gives students ac-cess to academic services and community resources while offering a place for students to relax, talk, do homework or grab a snack be-tween work and class. The feeling of camaraderie, said Holzschuh, with those who are sharing simi-lar experiences mirrors what often happens in the service. Illustrating this parallel, he explained, “Sometimes grandiose ideas about what you are trying to accomplish in the greater effort boils down to a mi-crocosm of taking care of the people that are serving beside you.” Taking a moment to reach out to a class-

mate or fellow student is one of Kempe’s passions. After speaking about some of his experiences in Iraq, Kempe was ap-proached by a girl from Iraq and was able to “talk about the life and people there. She showed me where I could find au-thentic Iraqi food in this area. I love that food and had really been missing it.” It is simple moments like those connections that make a huge difference to students. Kempe emphasized, “It doesn’t matter what you talk about, just reach out to the people around you.” Officers and members of MSVN were putting up Christmas decorations the afternoon before hosting an open house and recognition ceremony on Dec. 16. Kempe explained this was another op-portunity for students to visit the center who may have missed the official open-

ing and dedication ceremony in No-vember. This spring se-mester, visit the Veterans Center and be sure to ask one of the MSVN members to take you on a quick tour. Every image and item on the walls has a story packed with mean-

ing and reminders that should never be forgotten. The Vet-erans Center is located in Founder’s Hall on the second floor. Students can visit their Web site at http://www.metrostate.edu/msweb.edu/pathway/academic_success/veter-ans/index/html or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

pend to instructors for designing a four-credit course. However, the money for stipends ran out in the end of June and they are waiting for approval to continue. “Paying for all the staff and software…we pay for [that] with the tuition differential,” said Moskow. The “tuition differen-tial” is the added tuition charged for the online courses and, according to Moskow, it was proposed in 2003 to the student senate to be 30 percent of what regular tuition costs. Whatever the reason for the higher online tuition (and higher tuition in general), whether it’s inflation or en-ergy costs, Moskow says online learn-ing can still be less expensive than traditional courses when one consid-ers the cost of driving, parking, hir-ing babysitters and even scheduling conflicts with jobs. While tuition in general has gone up steadily in recent years, so too has tuition for online coursework. According to Metro-politan State’s Web site, in 2008, the cost of an undergraduate “tradition-al” single credit (including fees) was $176.43. In 2009 it was $182.43 and in 2010 it was $187.58. Aver-aged out, that is a $7 increase per credit per year. Tuition for online courses has risen at a faster pace. In 2008, an online undergraduate course (including fees) cost $232.43 per credit. In 2009 it cost $240.43, in 2010 it was $252.43, and in 2011 it is at $265.88 per credit. That averages out to $11.15 per credit per year. However,

while online course tuition went up by $8 from 2008 to 2009 and then went up by $12 from 2009 to 2010, the increase from 2010 to 2011 was only $13.45. Although the prices for online courses continue to rise, they are rising at a slower pace now than in previous years. According to MnSCU’s Web site, MnSCU’s Board of Trustees has re-quested $630 million annually from the state for 2012 and 2013 in order to “hold down tuition increases,” as Scott Thiss, chairman of the board says. Moskow notes that this latest move has been criticized because in mid-October, MnSCU posted a news release stating that they would re-duce their budget by $4.2 million, which included eliminating 41 posi-tions. According to the news release, the change is “due to an anticipated reduction in state funding for fiscal year 2012.” Then, less than a month later, a news release was posted on MnSCU’s Web site stating that “sys-tem leaders received one-time per-formance payments for the progress made.” Listed among the points of progress was “increased enrollment in online courses by 61 percent since fiscal year 2008.” For more information about the services the Center for Online Learn-ing provides, students can call the center at (651) 793-1929 or e-mail them at online at [email protected]. The Center for Online Learning is located on the St. Paul Campus, New Main Room L104.

Dear readers, My name is Randi Johnson and I am the new editor of The Metropolitan, the finest (and, well, only) newspaper I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on. A little about myself: I am an Eng-lish major at Metropolitan State Uni-versity and have been on the newspa-per staff since 2009. I work in the IT Services department on campus, so you may see me sneaking in and out of classrooms to fix computers or hide keyboards. I’ve risen in the journalism ranks over the last two years, moving from busi-ness manager to production manager and finally to editor. I know far too much about advertising rates, picas, Pantone colors and the brutal process of stipends at Metropolitan State; all of the trials and processes that I’ve had to fight to understand come in handy in my new role as leading your student voice. I have big plans for this newspaper because I believe that we, as students, can do great things. It may be corny, but I truly believe that with the writing and design talents I’ve seen at Metro-politan State, we will make the greatest newspaper this side of the Mississippi (or that side…I’m not near a map). I’ve begun by creating monthly writ-er’s meetings where the entire Univer-sity, particularly student organizations, is invited to meet with the staff of The Metropolitan to share story ideas, en-courage a profile of an outstanding student or any other aspect of Metro-politan State you want to investigate. I want to hear your opinions on

everything from stair width to the purpose of IIQs. What do you want to read about? What do you expect from your student newspaper? You have complete freedom to tell me how YOU, as the reader, want to be repre-sented. Feel free to contact me anytime. I will always want to hear what you want to say and will do my best to maintain a newspaper of high standards. Maybe you want to create a monthly cartoon to add to your profile; maybe you want to write a one-time article on the resell value of textbooks (er…if there is such a thing). Stop me in the halls, catch me in IT or stop by the newspa-per office whenever the door’s open.

Randi JohnsonEditor

A new year, a new editor

BY REBEKAH [email protected]

Active duty for any individual in the military often means giving up the very freedoms that a service member is work-ing to protect. In a military environment there are no independent decisions, just a continuous stream of orders. Freedom of speech is suspended, you are told what to wear, eat and how to spend your day. Re-entering civilian life is a challenging tran-sition. A veteran has to leave be-hind a wartime mindset and adjust back to a civilian out-look. Bruce Hol-zschuh, veterans affairs coordinator at Metropolitan State University, explains that this experience is like leaving behind a world of black and white and entering one filled with varying shades of gray, crammed with daily decisions and choic-es. There are added challenges for a veteran or service member entering an academic environment. The learning styles of the two worlds are a complete contrast; in the military, members are taught to learn skills in a physical way “often until they can perform the task in the dark,” accord-ing to Holzschuh. However, in an academic setting the ap-proach is more theoretical and reflective. Alex Kempe, vice president of the recently established Metropolitan State Veterans Network (MSVN), added, “We didn’t study bridge construction in the service,


Behind the lens

BY BLAINE [email protected]

Students who attend class on the St. Paul campus have no doubt seen the structural changes going on over the past few months. First, the decrepit yel-low brick building between St. John’s Hall and New Main, which didn’t re-semble the rest of the campus in any way, was torn down. Then, new con-struction began. Students might be wondering what that old building was, and what the new construction will be used for. The old building was the last rem-nant of the 90-year-old St. John’s Hos-pital of what became the main campus. The building was in poor shape, having been condemned, and was deteriorating badly. It wasn’t safe to use as office or even storage space, due to the leaking roof damaging the walls and an invasion of pigeons, among other things. It had to come down while, at the same time, preserving the environmental control plant beneath it. This plant is responsi-ble for the heating and air conditioning for the rest of the campus and couldn’t be shut off during the demolition. Complicating matters was the fact that the old building’s smoke stack still served as the smoke stack for the plant below it and was also failing. With

Expansion across campus

mortar that bonded its brick structure together failing, the building became dangerous with the likelihood of falling bricks. The choice was to either pay to repair a structure that would have to be replaced in time—possibly dealing with a structure collapse in the meantime and having to deal with the costs and danger going with that—or demolish it safely and build anew. Considering the costs to maintain the smokestack until it could be replaced amounted to $3.9

million or about two-thirds the price of demolition and replacement, it seemed simple to vote for demolition and new construction. With tight budgets, it made little sense to prop up a smoke stack that would be replaced at some point and have a crumbling building that served no purpose besides being an eyesore, danger, and pigeon roost. Also, more room was needed to accommodate a growing student population and end at

BY ERICA [email protected]

Thanks to e-mail in a busy holiday season, I was able to connect with Jake Callahan, president of Metropolitan State Univer-sity’s Film Club to talk about their exciting organization. I heard about the film club last semester when members came to talk to my screenwriting class about the club. As a freak for anything film-related I was really excited to hear that there was a film club on campus. What is Film Club? Film Club is a student organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of Metropolitan State students within the local film community by means of giving additional educational opportunities out-side of the traditional curriculum such as participation in film production—from inception to completion— film screenings and networking opportunities. To put it simply, we help students learn how to make short films, turn their short screenplays into reality and give them the opportunity to work with like-minded people and develop their craft, no matter what their experience level is. What kind of projects do you do? We do any short film genre one can think of from drama to comedy and even documentaries. We are always open to new ideas for short films in any genre. I understand there’s a screenwrit-ing contest coming up. What criteria is needed? There is. I would refer all questions about the screenwriting contest to James Byrne, head of the screenwriting program. The film club does have plans in the works for a film festival late this next semester and the winners of screenwriting contest may be announced there. More information will be available on that later. What type of equipment do you use? We use a Cannon Vixia HD camera so the quality of our productions is high. We also have Final Cut Pro on our club com-puter so the places we can take our films in the editing room is vast. I would encour-age anyone who is more interested in the

production side of things to come check out what we have to offer and to crew on a production of ours and see for themselves. How do you determine what films to make? We decide on films basically by seeing if anyone wants to take on the project. If there is interest amongst the club members and someone is willing to head up the film then we move forward from there. The main questions are: Is the project possible with the resources the club has available? Is it possible to make the film? If the answer is yes, then we go from there. Are you looking for new members? We are always looking for new mem-bers! The commitment to the club can be as small as being a script supervisor (mak-ing sure the actors get their lines right) to writing and directing an entire production from start to finish. You can show up to a few meetings and work for a day on a production or be involved in all of them. Whatever free time you’re willing to dedi-cate, we would like anyone to be involved. How are your films cast? We cast from a growing group of actors we know or audition new ones. It’s purely a director’s choice on who they want for the part. We cast from anywhere and ev-erywhere. Do you typically do more shorts or feature length films? We do short films mainly. With a feature length there is a huge time factor issue. A short film can take anywhere from a few hours to shoot to a few days. Then a few weeks in the editing room, depending on the project. But with a feature, the shoot could last anywhere from a few months to most of the year. Then six months to a year in the editing room. It’s not that the club isn’t interested in doing a feature but the amount of time and resources it takes up is simply some-thing the club is not able to handle without more members and additional production packages and resources. Now a long short film, let’s say half an hour or so, would be

do-able. It all depends on the project. I would encourage anyone who is interested in making any project to come to a meet-ing or e-mail us and we will dis-cuss it. Do you have a social media page? We do have a Facebook page. Just look up M e t r o p o l i t a n State University Film Club in the search bar or type in this compli-cated link into your browser www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=325778941246. How often does your club meet? We meet bi-monthly on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30 in Room 214 on the second floor of the Library and Learning Center in St. Paul. We announce meetings by e-mail to our mailing list and starting this semester we will also send out event invites on Facebook. To receive notices simply join our Facebook group or our mailing list. Our e-mail is [email protected]. Do you ever host events? We have a film festival coming up that we are trying to coordinate with the an-nouncement of the screenwriting contest winners later in the semester. We will be taking any film submissions from any Met-ropolitan State students as well as show-ing previous films the club has done. For more information or to inquire about sub-mitting your short film please e-mail us or drop us a message on Facebook. As soon as the dates become available for the con-test and the festival we will send out an an-nouncement. Do you have any big events coming up? The film festival is our biggest one but we are always open for more ideas.

Do you accept submissions from stu-dents only or are faculty and staff al-lowed to submit film as well?

The club is funded by stu-dent activity fees like all student organizations so submissions from students would be our focus. But maybe a staff and faculty film fes-tival would be a good idea. We are mainly about making films and helping students

learn how. If students were interested in joining film club, who would they contact? They can contact us by e-mail, [email protected], join our Facebook page or feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. We have a list of all our officers and their e-mails on the University Web site as well. Or just show up to a meet-ing. We always like to meet new people. Anything else you want to say? I would just like to encourage anyone to get involved with the club in any way they would like to. People seem to think the club would be a big commitment but it’s not. If you can’t make it to many meetings and want to get involved in a production feel free to e-mail us and we will do our best to get you involved. I cannot think of anything better than making films and being amongst like-minded people. What is cooler than making movies? This is an oppor-tunity to make that short film you al-ways wanted to make for free, make a nice addition to your résumé and have an experience unlike anything else. No matter your experience level I encour-age people to get involved. You could be a part of something great and make a few friends along the way.

least some of the leasing of space in oth-er locations. Demolishing and replacing the old hospital would accomplish both tasks simultaneously. But it was a hard road to get there. The bill to authorize money for the project was proposed for the fourth time over the past 14 years to make the needed renovations. But finally, Gover-nor Pawlenty signed it with some lob-bying on the part of the student senate, among others. The new building will house offices and classrooms styled architecturally like the rest of the campus. The plan is for eight classrooms, three seminar spaces, a conference room and 21 offic-es, totaling 16,500 square feet of space at a cost of $5.86 million. Demolition began in June of 2010, and is estimated to end in time for occupancy in the fall 2011 semester. Some of the classrooms will have Smartroom technology, mean-ing projectors, workstation computers, document cameras and DVD players will be installed. Students can watch the progress of the renovation, including videos and text, and check updates on the expan-sion at http://www.metrostate.edu/msweb/resources/depts_services/bldg__services/sjh-


Students participate in mentoring and diversity events

BY ERICA [email protected]

Early in December, I had the op-portunity to meet with Curtis Hall and Sidney Gardner to discuss Metropolitan State University’s Guiding and Empow-ering Mentoring Success (GEMS) lead-ership and mentoring program, which provides an opportunity for students to be matched with a mentor. The program is designed to help currently enrolled students in good academic standing explore various diverse aspects of their lives, from personal life and develop-ment, to academia and learning. Curtis Hall, student peer leader and mentoring coordinator said, “Mentees recently are more career goal-oriented and looking for people in their own majors from so-cial work, economics, marketing, biolo-gy, writing, psychology. GEMS’ current goal is to continue with their matching process and is taking applications for mentors and mentees and those looking to enhance their leadership skills.” As January is National Mentoring Month, GEMS has asked partcipants to nominate and honor mentors in their own lives at the third annual In Our Lives

dinner and celebration. “In the past it’s been focused on formalized mentorship, but this year we are going a different direction to honor all people who have mentored them in their lives—whether it’s a co-worker or an instructor—some-one who has served as a mentor,” said Curtis. The event, which is open to the public, will be featuring keynote speaker Jodi Davis. Davis works within the Twin Cities and one of her main focuses is on mentorship. She is also the author of The Promise of Potential, which touches on mentorship, building a vision and sustaining communities. The event is scheduled for Jan. 28 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. An RSVP to attend is recommend-ed; please call (651) 793-1550 to make a reservation or contact [email protected] for more information. In addition, the Diversity Learn-ing Task Force (DLTF) is holding an anti-GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender)-bullying event on Feb. 16 from 4-6 p.m. in the Founder’s Hall au-ditorium. They will be showing Bullied, a 40 minute documentary “designed to

help administrators, teachers and coun-selors create a safer school environment for all students—not just those who are gay and lesbian. It is also intended to help all students understand the ter-rible toll bullying can take on its victims and to encourage students to stand up for their classmates who are being ha-rassed.” Following the movie, a discussion will be held by local authorities in the k-12 environment including schools and teachers who partner with other programs at Metropolitan State like our urban teacher program and social work department. In addition to the efforts of the DLTF, Metropolitan State’s GLBT student ad-vocacy and support services organiza-tion, Lavendar Bridge will be partner-ing with the Feb. 16 anti-bullying event. Lavender Bridge has been in existence since the mid ‘90s and this year they are trying to take their community outreach to the next level by creating a task force of dedicated people who are trying to grow the organization and make it into

What makes a traditional marriage?Student Op-ed

BY RENEE [email protected]

My life has not been unlike any other young woman growing up mis-understood in a world of chaos. My traditional Catholic family’s beliefs are set strongly in the church and mine are not. My revelations about God have come to me with further investigation: it began with simple questioning, which led to research, dialogue and many hours of ponder-ing the subject. Because of my par-ents’ divorce as well as the divorces of many of my friends’ parents, mar-riage and family matters have always been topics that have drawn my fas-cination. Marriage is something I grew up thinking I would take part in, no questions asked. After all, it was tra-dition. However, when I opened my mind to other thought processes, the marriage tradition is no longer vital to my future happiness. It has become nothing more than a piece of paper. On every block there are cookie-cutter marriages: couples who get marriedand raise children; when their children have “left the nest,” they re-alize they don’t know each other any-more. And then, due to our recyclable society, they divorce. This pattern has become the standard for my parents’ generation. It is this pattern that has brought me here, in more ways than one. But, just recently, I have come to learn that I am not alone in my beliefs about marriage, and this pattern, which seems to be everywhere, is causing huge changes in family studies. The Pew Research Center’s study, “The Decline of Marriage And Rise of New Families”, was released at the end of November and has been caus-ing a stir ever since. It made the cover of Time magazine in November and was the topic of many discussions on Minnesota Public Radio last month. This study is far more publicized

than many that the Pew Research Cen-ter has investigated recently, partly due to the fact that their findings are thought to influence the 2020 United States census. The study shows that the definitions of family have changed drastically in the last fifty years. More people are considering different fam-ily structures as “families.” Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau counts a single mother and her child as two separate entities, not one fam-ily. With the release of this study, it is thought that the census questions will evolve to recognize these types of family units, which will produce more accurate information. Besides studying the changes with-in family structure, the topics of re-lationships, marriage and divorce are covered as well. Many people are un-der the misapprehension that the di-vorce rates have sky-rocketed in the last few decades; however, in 1978, the divorce rate was much higher than it is today. This is due to the fact that

fewer people are getting married. The decline in marriage is attrib-uted to many things, including the fact that more women are working. According to the study, “In 1960, 32 percent of wives were in the la-bor force. By 2008, that share had risen to 61 percent. Along with their greater participation in the labor force, women began to delay mar-riage and have fewer children. In ad-dition, women have been faced with the challenge of balancing marriage, motherhood and work.” Because of the decrease in marriag-es, the broad question surrounding this study is, “Is marriage becoming obsolete?” In order to get a smaller picture of this nationwide study, I asked professor of family studies at Metropolitan State University, Val-erie Geaither, to share some of her knowledge on the subject. “I think the concept of marriage, like that of family, is changing as we have traditionally known it, but those

something that’s meaningful for staff, faculty and students. As part of their ef-forts of the task force, Lavendar Bridge has been enlisted to increase involve-ment, they have enlisted GLBT student outreach to get people involved. Faculty advisor Sidney Gardner com-mented, “The overall participation among students that have been involved the last few years are students that see this as a career path or a passion for com-munity action and involvement. Metro-politan State is not like traditional insti-tutions where GLBT groups are about socializing and connecting or support-ing coming out. Students here are look-ing for ways to make connections and impact positive change on campus and within their communities. We want to help make that possible and are always looking for new members. We are very ally friendly and we invite anyone who is interested in these issues to reach out.” For more information on the Diver-sity Learning Task Force or Lavender Bridge, contact Sidney Gardner at [email protected].

changes are not obliterating the no-tion of marriage,” said Geaither. “If we are to remain a healthy, vibrant society, social institutions such as the family must be flexible.” The changes reflected in this study are only natural and will continue to change and evolve in the next fifty years. Diversity and experiences with-in family types will greatly shape how future generations view marriage and family, just as our parents’ relation-ships have shaped ours. The Pew Research Center’s study offers statistics on a range of top-ics and their changes from 1960 to 2010. Because of the fifty-year range in the data, the study results are stag-gering. For anyone who has an interest in family studies or has been affected by changes in the home, I suggest that you take a look at their web site. It has helped me gain understanding on a range of issues that have affected my life thus far and has helped me broaden my spectrum of what I con-sider “family.” The study can be found at http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1802/de-cline-marriage-rise-new-families.

Reminder: We’re online!

Visit http://themetro-politan.metrostate.edu

to view archived articles, staff information and to check out our new

calender!


New programs in life sciencesBY ALEX HEDIN [email protected]

Starting in August 2010, the college of arts and sciences began offering a few more programs in the natural sciences depart-ment. Metropolitan State University be-gan offering a B.S. in Biology, in addition to the B.A. in Biology. Starting in spring 2010, minors in chemistry and in physics became available at Metropolitan State. The B.S. in Biology is similar to the B.A., but the B.S. includes an additional semester in calculus, organic chemistry, and calculus-based physics. “Students have been telling us for years that they wish they were earning a B.S. in Biology, and not a B.A.,” says Natural Sciences professor Vir-ginia Card. “We are responding to that in-terest by students, but also our sense that the new degrees are going to help students get jobs and to compete in the market-place with students from other schools.” Tanner Larsen, a student at Metropolitan State, has decided to earn a B.S. in Biology with the help of several mentors. These mentors have given him varied advice on the decision of whether to earn a B.A. or a B.S. in Biology. “Some [those with a B.S.] tend to have the perception that having a B.S. is important—that it would be weird if I didn’t have one,” Larsen said. “Others have said that it is only important for me to have taken the foundational courses that a B.S. degree plan often includes, if I plan to apply to a graduate program.” Larsen explained that earning a B.S. in Biology allows him to address both concerns. “Ul-timately, I am trying to position myself for future successes as a graduate student,” he said. Larsen hopes to continue his educa-tion in the Conservation Biology Graduate Program at the University of Minnesota. Like Larsen, Metropolitan State student, Sarah Usher, is going for a B.S. in Biology to prepare herself for graduate school. “I decided to go for a B.S. rather than a B.A. because it’s a more competitive degree for moving on to graduate school,” she said. “There are more credits required, there’s a math requirement, and there’s more of a variety of science classes required, like higher chemistry classes and physics.”

With the B.A., students need to earn a total of 49 credits, including 20 founda-tion courses in biology and chemistry, 15 core courses consisting of classes in biology and chemistry, and 14 elective courses inBbiology. The B.S. requires 63 credits total, with 39 foundation courses in biology, calculus, chemistry, and phys-ics, 15 core courses in biology and chem-istry, and nine electives in biology. Each program requires that BIOL 101 and MATH 115 be taken as prerequisites. The foundation courses for each program are listed below: Biology B.A. and Biology B.S. •BIOL 111 General Biology I with lab •BIOL 112 General Biology II with lab •CHEM 111 General Chemistry I with lab •CHEM 112 Gen-eral Chemistry II with lab Biology B.S.: •MATH 210 Calculus •CHEM 231 Organ-ic Chemistry I with lab •CHEM 232 Organ-ic Chemistry II with lab •PHYS 211 Calcu-lus-based Physics I with lab •PHYS 212 Calculus-based Physics II with lab The new chemistry minor prepares stu-dents to apply scientific methodology to solve chemical problems, to relate chem-istry to their daily lives and environment, to think critically and quantitatively, and to understand the experimental methods, techniques and instrumentation used in chemistry. The minor complements other majors where additional chemistry knowl-edge is beneficial. Card believes that the chemistry minor will be most beneficial to students who are majoring inbiology. “I am getting a minor in chemistry, mostly because I actually like it.” said Usher. “I think any extra sciences will help on an application.” The minor consists of all chemistry cours-es and requires a total of 25 credits, 15 of these foundation courses as well as 10 core courses. The minor also requires that MATH 115 College Algebra or MATH

120 Precalculus be taken as a prerequisite. The foundation courses for the chemistry minor are listed below: •CHEM 111 General Chemistry •CHEM 112 General Chemistry II •CHEM 231 Organic Chemistry I •CHEM 231L Organic Chemistry I Lab The new physics minor introduces students to the fundamental laws that govern nature and the universes and complements other majors where ad-ditional physics knowledge is beneficial. Card believes that students majoring in applied math or computer science will find the physics minor most beneficial. The minor consists of a mixture of math and physics courses and requires a total of 19 courses to be taken, 10 of these are foundation courses, as well as nine core courses. The minor also re-quires that MATH 115 College Algebra or MATH 120 Precalculus, MATH 210 Calculus,I and MATH 211 Calculus II be taken as prerequisites to the minor. Usher added that she would have also gone for a minor in physics had she known about

it sooner. “Maybe if Metropolitan State tried to get the word out to students a bit more there would be more that were interested.” The foundation courses for the physics minor are listed below: •PHYS 211 Calculus-based Physics I •PHYS 212 Calculus-based Physics II “It’s an exciting time to be a science ma-jor,” says Card. “There’s a lot of excitement and enthusiasm going on.” Card says that the Student Science Association (SSA) is very active. The SSA has finally reached the point where there are enough students to form student activities, such as a recent bowling outing. “We’re seeing huge num-bers of students coming to Metropolitan State to be biology majors—more than we’ve ever seen before,” says Card. “It’s an attractive, impressive-sounding, and em-ployable major. With the economic situa-tion, many students are being more prac-tical about their major, than ever before.” For more information on the new B.S. in Biology, or on the new minors in chem-istry and physics, contact Virginia Card at [email protected].

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace

with your neighbors, and

let each new year find you a better man.”

-Benjamin Franklin

BY RENEE [email protected]

How would you like to meet 150 employers and possibly walk away with a job for only $15? Metropolitan State University’s career services of-fice, along with six other Minnesota state universities, is holding their an-nual job fair at the Minneapolis Con-vention Center on Monday, Feb. 21. “We usually have around 150 employ-ers and 1000 students from around the state,” said Bill Baldus, career counsel-or at Metropolitan State. This year, the committee that organizes the job fair year-round is hoping to have around 200 employers present. Registration will be completely on-line and opens on Jan. 10 at 9 a.m. The registration window will be open until Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. The cost is only $15 if you register online during this time; it is $25 to register the day of the job fair. The entire career services staff from Metropolitan State will be at the event to help you in any way they can, and there will be a Metropolitan State table to check in students at the Convention Center. All you need to do is register,

get your portfolio ready, make copies of your résumé, and make sure you are properly groomed and dressed to meet your future employer. As the main event of the year for career services, the staff hopes that everyone in attendance from Metropolitan State will walk out of the Convention Center with job prospects. Now you may be thinking that there is too much to do in order to be ready for the job fair on Feb. 21, but luckily, help is here. The career services office will be hold-ing two orientation sessions to prepare students for the job fair. They will be held on Feb. 1 at the St. Paul Campus from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and on Feb. 7 at the Minneapolis cCampus from 4:30-5:30 p.m. An employer will be present to talk about approaches that may help students. Bill Baldus and the career ser-vices team will also help with practicing introductions, clarifying what to bring, and answering questions. The room numbers and more information for the orientation sessions will be posted online at www.metrostate.edu/career.

Are you ready for a job?

More information about the job fair and career workshops can be found at the career services Web site www.me-trostate.edu/career or by e-mailing [email protected].


[email protected]

Sports, sports, sports Fifty seasons of greatness futility

Oh, w h e r e to begin when dis-c u s s i n g the train

wreck that was the Minnesota Vikings’ ceremonial 50th season? There was Brett Favre’s alleged “sexting” scandal, the unlikely return (and unceremonious release) of fan favorite Randy Moss, hapless head coach Brad Childress get-ting canned following a 31–3 shellack-ing by the hated Green Bay Packers… These were just a few of the unsavory storylines keeping the much-hyped Vikes newsworthy, even as their playoff hopes rapidly circled the drain. Then things got really bizarre. On the morning of Dec. 12, 2010, that old marshmallow of a roof atop the Metrodome buckled under the

The Cat came backLife, liberty and the pursuit of a degree

BY CAT USHER

Isn’t it just like a newspa-per to intro-duce a witty “slice of life” column, writ-ten by a well-

respected member of the community, with the intent of adding a little humor and light-hearted banter to the other-wise hard-hitting journalism…only to yank the new column under mysteri-ous circumstances after a mere two publications? And now your world is shattered because you thought The Metropolitan was above that kind of trickery? You’re right. Technically, they are. It was mostly my fault that I was unable to contribute to either the No-vember or December editions of The Metropolitan. I say “mostly” because, to be fair, we need to place some of the blame on ancient plumbing and part of it on cheap red wine. Oh, and grav-ity. Gravity was definitely involved. To make a long story short, I had some girlfriends over to my new home for a Thursday night happy hour (transla-tion: too much wine for a work night) and my plumbing decided that was a perfect time to add a lap pool to my

property’s selling features. A lap pool ON MY KITCHEN FLOOR. I should mention this was just days after paying a plumber many hundreds of dollars to fix a leaking kitchen sink. I raced to the basement to grab paper towels and, unfortunately, I tried racing back up those stairs. Instead, I knocked myself unconscious on the ceiling head-er and tumbled backwards to the cement floor below. Turns out I had fractured my skull and caused swelling and bleed-ing in between my brain and my skull. Or so they tell me. To be honest, I don’t remember much from the ten days I spent at Hennepin County Medical Cen-ter. I do remember fighting to have the catheter removed because…EEW. And also…OUCH. Those things hurt. It’s been a long recovery but I was lucky. I know from experience how dan-gerous, terrifying and unpredictable traumatic brain injuries can be. I know I could have easily broken my neck in-stead of breaking my head. I could have been in a coma. I could have been alone when I fell instead of with the friends who rescued me and called my husband. I could have had some really obnoxious roommates at the hospital. Now I’m back, but I’m not the same old Cat I used to be. At least not yet. My ego has taken a hit. When people laugh at my quips, I’m positive they’re laughing at my terrible pixie hair cut

instead of the way I worked anoth-er poop story into our conversation about grocery prices. When friends offer to visit, I’m sure it’s because they want to hurry back to their husbands and tell them how fat I’ve gotten. My family must think my ma-turity is in recession. I’m known as a professional-nap taker instead of my former status as a five star organizer. My husband and I are still living out of boxes when my former self would have unpacked in two weeks. My in-terior decorating gene is dormant. I’ve gained a ton of weight due to my inability to climb stairs or exercise, so all of my pants leave me looking like those mushrooms the doped-up caterpillar lounges on in Alice in Won-derland. But, as I’m constantly reminded, I’m alive. Everything else is just de-tails. And every day brings another killer poop story. Cat Usher is majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing at Met-ropolitan State University. While still an active student, Cat is rightfully taking time off this semester to recover but has graciously agreed to continue her column to help flex her creative muscle. To read more of Cat’s writing, visit her Web site at www.zipbagofbones.com. Extra points if you throw in a Stephen King reference in her guestbook.

weight of an epic winter storm and snow cascaded onto the field like white vomit from the heavens. Apparently even the gods were

sick from following this wretched team. What followed were dreadful losses in “home” games at Detroit and nearby Dinkytown. The snow-related insanity continued in Philadelphia when the NFL moved a Sunday Vikings/Eagles game to a Tuesday night due to a blizzard (albeit one that Minnesotans would scoff at). It was the first time professional football was played on a Tuesday since 1946—when the New York Giants took on the Boston Yanks. You just can’t make it up. A few weeks ago, I scored free tickets to the historic outdoor game versus the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium. While the experience was awesome (those throwback uniforms looked fantastic in the snow), the play by the Purple was downright laughable. During a halftime celebration honoring the great Vikings’ players and coaches of the past 50 years,

I pondered the uncertain future of this cursed franchise moving forward. There are huge question marks re-garding who will be the head coach and starting quarterback next season. There is a core group of well-paid veterans whose best days may be behind them (Kevin Williams, Antoine Winfield, and Steve Hutchinson), as well as sev-eral key free agents who are in danger of departing during the offseason (Sid-ney Rice, Chad Greenway, and Ryan Longwell). There is no General Man-ager in place to make crucial personnel decisions, no new stadium deal, and no guarantee that this team will even be here in a couple of years. Otherwise, I’d say things are pretty much under control. You know, this possible lockout for the 2011 NFL season might not be such a bad thing—at least for Vikings fans. After following this team throughout a half-century of hardship and futility, the long-suffering people of Minnesota probably deserve a year off anyway.

BY DAVID JARNSTROM

The Metropolitan welcomes article submissions from

all current students.

Writing for The Metropolitan is an

excellent way to enhance your professional

writing credentials.

E-mail [email protected] to share your article ideas or to submit your article for

publication consideration.

The best buy in town, classified advertising

is also available. Contact the business manager at

[email protected]

for rates.

EditorRandi Johnson

Associate EditorErica Shepard

Production ManagerRenee Noren

Copy EditorDiana Neuerburg

Online EditorJeff Sear

Staff WritersTorleif Sorenson Linda Williams

David Jarnstrom Alex HedinCat Usher

Faculty AdvisorLaura McCartan

THEMETROPOLITAN

newspaper

Get published!

Last-Ditch Effort By John Kroes

Feel free to stop by our office on the lower level of Found-er’s Hall near the elevators.

Founder’s Hall L113700 East 7th Street

Saint Paul, MN 55106


Not your mother’s book clubBY DAVID [email protected]

“I really wish you’d picked a different week to come,” says Books & Bars mod-erator Jeff Kamin, citing the extreme cold and excessive snow as possible rea-sons for a lackluster turnout at the club’s penultimate meeting of 2010. As show time approaches however, an increasing number of bundled-up readers shuffle through Bryant-Lake Bowl’s well-worn wooden doors and it becomes evident that Kamin has underestimated the te-nacity of his audience. Winter jackets are shed, drinks are or-dered, and copies of Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply—the subject of tonight’s discussion—are cracked open. Yes, winter has arrived in Minnesota, and it’s the perfect time for Metropolitan State University students to cozy up and enjoy the great indoors with a good book and a strong drink. But if cabin fever strikes and you find yourself yearning for a bit of socialization during these long dark nights, Books & Bars is a great way for you to get your read (and drink) on, and make a few new friends while you’re at it. Books & Bars meets bi-weekly—at Bryant-Lake Bowl on the second Tues-day of the month and at the Aster Cafe on the fourth Tuesday of the month. The club’s premise is perfect for the budget-conscious college student: en-gage in a lively discussion about books while enjoying a discounted adult bev-erage or two (or three or four). There is no cover charge and Bryant-Lake Bowl offers $2 pints of local brew Surly—an unheard of value in the Twin Cities, even at happy hour! Likewise, the Aster Café offers $3 pints of Fulton (another regional favor-ite) and $3 glasses of wine in addition to various food specials. Copies of books for up-coming Books & Bars meetings are even offered at a discount, courtesy of independent book-store Magers and Quinn. So who goes to this type of thing anyhow? The typical Books & Bars crowd draws around 100 people (there’s roughly 70 on this frigid eve) and Kamin says the break-down between sexes is approximately 65 percent female to 35 percent male (you hear that, fellas?). There is a core group of about 40 regulars in addition to a steady stream of fresh faces, which helps to prevent things from getting stale. Younger adults in their 20s and 30s comprise the bulk of the audience, though there are several who are clearly a bit older scattered about the room. At the heart of Books & Bars is Kamin, who deftly roams the room clutching a microphone and a glass of red wine. The enthusiastic 39-year-old shows no shortage of wit or charisma as he directs conversation, absorbs com-ments, and offers insightful responses

to attendees’ opinions. Possessing a background in improvization from his time spent in the Los Angeles com-edy scene, Kamin keeps the crowd in stitches, though he never overtly dis-respects anyone’s particular viewpoint (which is impressive when it becomes clear that many who’ve shown up didn’t particularly enjoy this week’s selection). In addition to being quick on his feet, Kamin is armed with extensive notes providing insight into the text—often from interviews with the author. In fact, Books & Bars regularly includes authors in its discussions, either in-person or via Skype (Chaon was slated to make a long-distance appearance but backed out due

to a last-minute sched-uling conflict). Kamin says this valuable aspect of the club gives even the “haters” something substantial to chew on. How are the books selected? “That’s actu-ally the toughest part,” says Kamin. “I know that whatever book I pick, about 100 peo-ple are going to read

it, so it’s important to pick a book that is discussion worthy—it has to be something that we can talk about for an hour and a half.” Kamin’s criteria for Books & Bars selections include: • Affordability—books need to be available in paperback. • Length—books should be around 500 pages or less so busy adults can read them in a timely manner. • Obscurity—authors are seldom well known, though there is typically one classic per year. In addition, au-thors never repeat. “In 83-plus meet-ings, we have not done this,” says Kamin. “I feel like there’s so many great people that we haven’t gotten to yet.” • Most importantly—no Oprah

books. “I’m in constant competition with her,” jokes Kamin (exceptions in-clude Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and whenever Jonathan Franzen’s Free-dom becomes available in paperback). Despite the availability of extremely affordable alcohol, Books & Bars never seems to have a problem with people getting out of hand. “It’s usually a really good thing,” says Kamin in regards to the presence of booze. “I think a lot of people need to sort of grease the wheels to get talking. There’s a lot of people who are initially sort of shy—they’ll come to five or six meetings before raising their hand for the first time.” Kamin takes pride in the fact that his club has become such a strong so-cial network for typically shy book-ie-types. Books & Bars has helped launch romantic relationships, the for-mation of kickball teams, and even some guest vocal appearances on local band We Became Actors’ latest album. The final verdict on Await Your Reply seems to be that the book is OK, but not necessarily great. However, even without Chaon present to weigh in on matters, there is more than enough “meat on the bone” (as Kamin says) to keep those in attendance engaged for 90 minutes. As the discussion comes to a close, the final comment comes from Donna—one of two elderly women who had been sitting silently in a far corner up until the end. “We both decided that we liked the book a lot more after being here, as always.” To this, Kamin smiles broadly, satisfied that he’s done his job. To learn more about Books & Bars, visit their Web site at http://booksandbars.com.

In addition to being compensated for published works, submitting articles for publication in The Metropolitan student newspaper is an excellent way for stu-dents to build their portfolio of profes-sional samples to show to prospective employers. Submissions from all stu-dents are welcome and encouraged. All article submissions should: • Be emailed as attachments to the edi-tor at [email protected]. • Be complete and submitted by the final deadline – usually the 15th of the month. • Be submitted as a Microsoft Word Document. • Be checked thoroughly for correct spelling of names. • Be single-spaced. • Be in paragraph format (indent three spaces). • Include the author’s name, as it should appear on the byline. • Contain no hyperlinks, bullets or page numbers. • Have only one space after each pe-riod. Metropolitan State University students are eligible for compensation for the fol-lowing contributions: • $30.00 per published article of at least 350 words. • $10.00 per published photo or car-toon. Qualifying students will receive a check by mail. In order to be paid for your published works, students must meet the following university mandated require-ments: • You must be a currently enrolled stu-dent (not faculty or staff) • You must be currently registered to receive payment. • You must submit a photocopy of your driver’s license or student I.D., Social Security card, and a completed employ-ment package to the business manager. • A separate invoice must be completed for each issue to which you contribute.

Need to build your portfolio?

Want to learn about staff meetings, writing resourc-es or events happening on

campus?

Search “The Metropolitan” on

Facebook and stay in con-tact with staff and writers!

Photos courtesy of www.bookandbars.com

For more information, visit:•http://magersandquinn.com•http://bryantlakebowl.com•http://aster-cafe.com

A R T SM e t r o p o l i t a n S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

700 E. 7th St., St. Paul, Minn. 55106

& entertainment

2011-1

Documents

Transcript of 2011-1