Concordia held the dedication for the Offutt School of Business on April 27, 2013 in front of a crowd of 3,800 people who were there to see Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates speak. Photo by Olivia Gear

In the words of Ronald Offutt, “It’s an epic day for Concordia.”

Saturday morning, Concordia held the dedication for the Offutt School of Business in front of a crowd of 3,800 people who were there to see Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates speak. His talk was preceded with opening comments from President William Craft, Ronald Offutt and the man who made this even possible, Harold Hamm.

Gates had stressed since initially being asked to speak that he wanted to interact with Concordia students and answer their questions. The event was held as a live question and answer session with students who had been selected to ask their prepared questions.

Gates was asked about topics such as donations, vaccines, education and philanthropy work. One of the key points he stressed was the importance of giving back to the world in any way possible.

“Having your eyes open to the needs of the world will help you to pick your career,” Gates said.

He encouraged young people to start giving now, saying, “It’s not just something to leave in your will.”

Gates said some of the biggest issues of our time are education, healthcare and awareness of the great divide between the rich and the poor. In response to a question, his suggestion to improve the K-12 education system was to give more feedback to schoolteachers.When President Craft asked him how to improve higher education, Gates replied that “face-to-face (interaction) is the most important part of higher education.” He spoke to how disengaged young people are when they are lectured in class or told to just read a book.

The United States used to be near the top of education all around the world, but Gates said that now students don’t show as much motivation. Craft replied, “Concordia students are very motivated,” which garnered a round of applause.

Overall, Gates was optimistic about the future of philanthropy and said he was a semi-fanatic about it in the same way he was a fanatic about Microsoft. In response to the question “How can we cultivate philanthropists?” he answered that it starts with family and learning from your parents how to give.

HAROLD HAMM
Forbes’ 35th Wealthiest American
Chairman & CEO of Continental Resources
Member, Global Leadership Council, Concordia College
Speaker, Concordia Corporation Banquet
Net worth: $11.3 billion (Forbes, 2012)

It was a lunch date that started it: the relationship between the nation’s 35th most wealthy individual and Concordia College.

On a beautifully blue-skied 70-degree day in April 2010, Concordia hosted an event called “Lunch with a Titan,” which was arranged to introduce local business leaders and politicians to Harold Hamm, the CEO of oil giant Continental Resources.

Dr. Greg Cant, dean of the Offutt School of Business, remembers this “typically Lutheran ‘let’s meet for lunch’” clearly.  “At the end of it Harold said, frankly, it was one of the best days he’d had in an extraordinarily long period of time,” Cant said.

Not only was Hamm impressed by the conversation with local VIPs, including several Concordia graduates and largest public donor Ron Offutt, but according to Dr. Mark Krejci, Concordia’s provost and dean of the college, Hamm was especially taken with the students. The business school organized a question and answer session for Hamm and around 100 students.

“(Hamm said) they are so engaged, they asked such good questions, they asked about fracking, and how’d you get your start,” Krejci said.

After his day at Concordia, Hamm’s friendship with Offutt and with the school took flight; now, he stands among a group of donors who have given more than half a million dollars to the college, and helped bring Bill Gates to the campus this weekend.

IN THE BEGINNING

Hamm was born the youngest of 13 children in Lexington, Okla., and began his career in oil after graduating from high school. With one small loan Hamm started a one-truck oilfield service, but his intuition and risk-taking allowed his business to expand rapidly. Today, Continental Resources, self-branded as “America’s oil champion,” develops drilling operations in several states, including North Dakota and Montana where the Bakken field, a gigantic oil formation, exists. Hamm’s net worth is $11.3 billion, according to Forbes.

Improved technology and the advancement of hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) have sent the oil industry skyrocketing. Fracking, a process involving deep, horizontal drilling to reach layers of oil previously untouchable, uses rig machinery that injects fluids into the ground at high pressures. This fractures the shale rocks so the natural gas inside can be released.

The resulting economic gains for oil companies, including Continental Resources, have been significant. The Bakken, a giant oil field where Continental has erected multiple drilling operations, produces more than 700,000 barrels of oil per day; at the time of press, the trade price for one barrel was listed around $88. Additionally, the growth of the industry has contributed to low unemployment in North Dakota, which hovers well below the national average at 3.5 percent, according to the US Department of Labor.

Graphic by Emilie Bowman.

However, fracking has recently taken a lot of flack for its unknown but potentially negative environmental impacts, especially where ground water and community infrastructure are concerned. Questions about ground water contamination and health implications have been raised. In the past two months, the North Dakota legislature has debated House Bill 1348, which would require oil wells to reside 1320 feet from any dwelling, as opposed to the currently stated 500 feet. No vote has been taken, according to the Bismarck Tribune.

Multiple calls to inquire about the hydraulic fracturing process at the North Dakota Petroleum Council, North Dakota Oil and Gas Division and Continental Resources offices in Tioga, N.D., Kildeer, N.D., and even the Oklahoma City offices resulted in a carousel of hold and transfer.

DONOR DEBATE

Some Concordia students have expressed concern about the environmental and social impact of oil exploration and Hamm’s involvement in the practice. Krejci said it’s possible that they haven’t considered the source of oil before fracking allowed the national industry to flourish.

“A lot of our students don’t realize what an environmental drain the places the oil was coming from were,” he said. He was referring to tar sands in Canada and refineries in Venezuela and Nigeria, and referenced a National Geographic article he’d read, which detailed some drilling operations in the Arctic Circle that seemed “abyssmal in terms of their safety records.”

“Then you take a look at fracking. It’s legal. It’s regulated. I’d rather have domestic oil produced in a regulated atmosphere than some of the oil that comes to us that isn’t regulated,” he said.

Members of the Concordia community hold varied viewpoints on Hamm’s chosen business, with some concerned about the environmental implications and others in support of his from-the-ground-up, capitalistic success.

With plans for the new OSB facility underway, the college set out with an ambitious fundraising goal of more than $50 million. A major campaign like this, Cant said, could not have been accomplished by alumni donations $1000 at a time, so they needed to reach out and find new sources. The goal was to finish the Grant Center building project without debt.

“When you build something like this,” Cant said, “you either have the money, or your borrow the money. There’s no magic money.”

Krejci said he is not aware of an official college list of individuals or industries Concordia would not approach with a donation request, nor is there a protocol that requires administrators to ask students about their opinions on certain donors.

“The reality is, your college education is being paid for by you, (the student), but also by donors,” Krejci said. “We don’t really go out to students and ask them to weigh in on whether or not we take money from this person or that person. I’m not even involved in that.”

In Hamm’s case, Cant thinks this was a case where he truly bought into the mission of Concordia. Despite the absence of any typical connection to the college (Scandinavia roots, Lutheran faith, or alumni status among them) Hamm made what Cant said was a decision based not on obligation or PR purposes, but on belief in Concordia’s vision.

“It’s the whole ‘your treasure follows your heart’ notion,” he said. “If you truly believe in what we’re doing and you have the capacity, then you’re likely to support us.”

FRIENDS FOREVER

While the financial contribution Hamm has shared with the college was integral to the completion of OSB, perhaps the most significant gift he gave Concordia occurred when he asked Bill Gates to visit campus for the dedication of the business school, which will happen Saturday.

Hamm is among signers of The Giving Pledge, a project created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with other philanthropic billionaires. The program invites the nation’s wealthiest individuals to give away 50 percent or more of their wealth. This helped link Hamm and Gates, which then helped connect Gates to Concordia.

In an email interview, Hamm said he had the idea to invite Gates to the campus because of its established legacy of preparing students to do great things.

“As someone who is taking on the world’s challenges and inspiring others to join him, Bill Gates will add to that legacy,” Hamm said.

“I respect his accomplishments,” he said, “and it’s my hope that his visit will spark the minds of Concordia students to also change the world.”

Cant points to Gates’ commitment to the OSB dedication as a unique gift that could never be replicated.

“No other person that we know could have said to Bill Gates, ‘Bill, I’d like you to do a favor for me. Come to this college I like and give up a day of your life,’” Cant said.

He believes that having industry leaders like Gates, Hamm, and Offutt present for the dedication positions Concordia in a unique role for national attention and additional prestige, and he’s thankful Hamm took the time to help orchestrate the event.

“On any given day, there are a hundred important things he could do,” Cant said. “A relationship with Harold isn’t a one-off. You really want to stay his friend forever.”

FROM ALL SIDES

Cant and Krejci both agree that open dialogue on campus is welcome.

An ad hoc student group has collaborated with two off-campus groups to hold a panel discussion before the Gates event today at 4 p.m. The panel members include a Dakota Resource Council representative and a MN community member affected by pesticide drift.

They will further explore environmental and social questions surrounding fracking, pesticide use in large-scale farming, and sanitation waste worker conditions.

According to Kelsey Kava, an organizer of the event, Offutt has been the target of lawsuits involving pesticide pollution, while Gates has recently been scrutinized for holding more than 25 percent of shares in Republic Allied Waste Services, whose employees have been on strike for inadequate worker conditions.

“Unashamedly, Harold is in the petrochemical industry,” Cant said. “He digs up oil that gets turned into gasoline. He’s not ashamed of it, and all of us who drive cars probably shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”

With the current technology, few feasible options exist outside of using internal combustion engines for driving, which require gas, and therefore a continuation of the petrochemical industry. Cant, Krejci, faculty and students have all acknowledged the complexity involved.

“(There are) students who’ve seen a movie about water being polluted in Pennsylvania and think ‘wow, we’ve got to stop fracking,’” Cant said, “We should ask questions, but to poo-poo Harold about it is just frankly missing the point.”

Then, some might ask, what is the point? Caitlyn Schuchhardt, a 2012 Concordia graduate, will travel from Bemidji to campus for the panel discussion. For her, this conversation about the wider issues is vital to the future of the college.

“I’m disturbed that Concordia would uphold them as figures of success,” she said. “(But) I don’t want to sound like I’m entirely ungrateful for the money they’re giving.”

Schuchhardt said that if Concordia uses these connections to teach about social and environmental injustices, and not just gloss over the issues or mask them with the philanthropic successes of the donors, then she would feel better about their financial contributions.

“This is a huge game changer for Concordia right now,” she said. “That’s why I’m so nervous. And that’s why I’m so thankful for the students who are organizing events like the panel. It’s really critical for us to be engaged in dialogue.”

The panel discussion is open to the public and will take place in Jones Science Center 212 at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 26.
Gates will speak at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in Memorial Auditorium. The ticketed event no longer has seats available.

Photo by Gia Rassier. Mike Doyle returned to campus to recognize the third recipient of the President Pamela M. Jolicoeur Endowed Memorial Scholarship, Katharine Spencer (right) at the Celebration of Student Scholarhip. Also pictured: Steph Barnhart and Matthew Gantz, past winners of the award.

Katharine Spencer was named as this year’s Jolicoeur Scholar at last Thursday’s Celebration of Student Scholarship. The scholarship is given to a second semester sophomore that proves to be an emerging leader on campus.

“It came as a total surprise,” Spencer said. “It’s a great honor.”

The Scandinavian studies and religion double major is involved in the Scandinavian club, Office of Ministry, is a co-coordinator for the Campus Ministry Commission, works for the Academic Enhancement and Writing Center, and helps with the Wednesday night church program at Trinity Lutheran Church. Spencer’s future plans include working in global mission.

Spencer was nominated by religion professor Elna Solvang and Pastor Tim Megorden.

Professors receive an email at the beginning of the spring semester each year to nominate students with leadership abilities for the President Pamela M. Jolicoeur Endowed Memorial Scholarship. Engagement, vision, inclusiveness, and community orientation are identified by scholarship materials as some of the indicators of leadership ability.

This is the scholarship’s third year. Stephanie Barnhart was the first recipient in 2011, followed by Matthew Gantz in 2012.

The award was established in honor of Concordia’s late President, Dr. Pamela Jolicoeur, who served as Concordia’s 10th President from 2004 until her death in 2010.

“There was this tremendous outpouring of support. The community wanted to show their appreciation, and everyone connected with contributions,” said Mike Doyle, Jolicoeur’s husband.

The leadership celebrated in the scholarship is not limited to traditional leadership, according to Doyle, but instead may be shown through athletics, music, service, and other activities.

“They’re looking everywhere on campus for potential,” Doyle said.

After receiving notice that they have been nominated, students must submit a current vitae and an essay explaining how the they envision themselves as a student leaders during their final two years at Concordia.

The applications are reviewed by a committee composed of college administrators and two members of the faculty, which alternate every year.

“I think the committee has picked good people every year. I think they’ve picked the right people,” Doyle said.

While the scholarship was originally to be given to a Concordia junior, Doyle suggested that it be moved back to the sophomore year, stressing that it would then go to students with two more years left at Concordia.

“It fosters leadership by not only recognizing stu ents who are doing good things on campus right now, but, to some extent, holding them to a commitment to continue doing good things throughout the rest of their collegiate career,” Gantz said.

Spencer said that she is excited to continue to serve the Fargo-Moorhead area and the global community, but that she does not know exactly what is in her plan for the future.

“It’s about taking the opportunity when it arises,” Spencer said.

Photo by Britt Bublitz. Sarah Raeker performs “In Trutina” during last Sunday’s Oratorio concert.

Concordia’s large spring concert, Oratorio, was especially unique this year. Usually, professional soloists are featured, but for the first time in years, the concert of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana was performed entirely by students.

Rene Clausen, who conducted the Concordia Orchestra and the 350 member Oratorio choir, explained the basic concept of the concert.

“(Oratorio) is a large work, usually a half hour or more, (which is) considered to be for orchestra, chorus and solos,” he said. “Oratorio is that time when… we put all of our choirs together with the orchestra and do a major work.”

Though this is done every year, the concert had an added element to it this spring. Oratorio usually features faculty soloists for the production. Faculty did not partake in the concert this year.

“The vocal performance faculty all agrees that when we have the opportunity, it’s nice to give (the students) that professional engagement,” Clausen said. “We have decided to use students (this year) because we had such a high level of talent.”

Clausen said that the soloists give a professional dimension to the performance, and that the students are capable of the writing, even though it was written for professional vocalists. Thirteen solos were covered by eight students, including Erik Krohg, Chris Kenny, Anthony LaFrinier, Laura Pancoast, Jessie Braaten, Russell Wustenberg, Sarah Raeker and Justine Scarborough.

“I think they are incredible,” Dr. Clausen said. “It’s really something.”

The soloists, who all auditioned for the spots, likewise approve of the decision.

“I think it’s a really neat opportunity, especially for those students looking to go into vocal performance,” said junior Raeker. “A lot of students who got solos are looking to do that, so it’s a really neat opportunity to sing with a full orchestra.”

Photo by Britt Bublitz. Justine Scarbrough and Christopher Kenney sing “Tempus Est Locundum” in front of the orchestra during the performance.

Another soloist, senior Justine Scarborough, agreed.

“It’s a really special opportunity for all of us,” she said. “I haven’t had much opportunity for solos in the past, so I’m just grateful for another chance to sing a solo in choir.”

While it is a great opportunity, Carmina Burana poses a challenge to each soloist.

“I have to be really bold with my singing, especially since it’s in my lower range,” said Scarborough. “My solo is singing over the entire freshmen women’s choir. It wasn’t something that I thought I could do.”

Raeker also found the experience to be humbling. “The other girls that got (solos) are fantastic sopranos,” she said. “It was cool to even be able to audition for (a solo) and to get it was even more cool.”

Photo by Britt Bublitz. Anthony LaFrinier sings “Olim Lacus Colueram” during Oratorio.

The audition process was open to everyone, but certain students were recommended by the voice faculty due to their vocal tone and capabilities. Soloists are chosen not on a basis of age or personality. Each solo is given to the voice which fits it best, according to Clausen.

“It has to be the voice that fits the music the most,” said Dr. Clausen. “That’s always the fairest way. What’s best for the music? What are the demands of the solo and who best fits those demands?”

As the audition process confirmed that the students fit the solos well, the decision to not use faculty members in this year’s Oratorio was maintained.

“The unique thing about this concert is that it is all undergrad,” said Dr. Clausen. “Every player, every singer, every solo, everyone in the chorus (and) everyone is the orchestra (are undergraduates). This is an entirely homegrown production. I think that’s an attainment right there.”

Photo by Olivia Gear. While Concordia operates under a “dry campus” policy, students have stated they feel the regulation is outdated, especially for students over the legal drinking age.

After she left for fall break, senior Natalie Dillemuth got a call from her roommate saying they had gotten an alcohol violation. Dillemuth, who lives in the campus townhouses, was fined $100 for having Mike’s Hard Lemonade in the apartment.

“I know that it was our fault for getting the violation because we shouldn’t have had (the alcohol),” Dillemuth said. “I think it’s kind of stupid because I’m legally allowed to have it.”

College drinking is seen often in movies and TV shows and, for some students, is part of the allure of college. However, most campuses have policies that restrict or prohibit drinking on campus.

Concordia has a strict “dry campus” drinking policy, explicitly stating in the student handbook that “the possession, use and/or sale of alcohol or illegal drugs by any student or their guest is not permitted on campus.”

However, the policy itself isn’t a deterrent.

So far this academic year, there have been 78 alcohol violations, and last year there were 161 violations.

Concordia’s drinking policy isn’t completely unique. Some schools, including St. Olaf College, have a very similar policy. According to their handbook, “the possession, distribution or consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on the St. Olaf campus, on land owned by the college, and in college-owned honor and language houses.”

However, other schools, such as Gustavus Adolphus College, have different policies.  Gustavus’ student handbook states that the school prohibits the “possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by persons under the age of 21. Providing alcohol to a minor, or assisting a minor in any way in obtaining alcohol… is also a violation of State law.” However, according to their handbook, alcohol use on campus by someone who is 21 years old or older is permissible.

Gustavus and other schools like St. Johns University align their alcohol policies with State and Federal drinking laws, prohibiting underage consumption along with possession and distribution.

Concordia’s alcohol policy is designed with those laws in mind but still doesn’t allow possession for students over 21 years old.

“If you look at the age of our student population, the number of people who are of legal drinking age is fairly small,” said Sue Oatey, vice president of Student Affairs.

She says that only 25 percent of seniors are living on campus, so most of the students are under the age of 21.

“That plays a part in conversations when you talk about a completely dry campus,” she said.

Dillemuth said that the ease of living on campus outweighed not being able to have alcohol on campus.

“But I’m looking forward to graduation so that way I can drink or even possess alcohol,” she said.

Drinking policies need to be enforced and understandable to students in order to limit the consequences of binge drinking. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks in the span of about two hours.

According to the Century Council, an organization that strives to diminish binge drinking, drunk driving and underage consumption, 41 percent of 18 to 25-year-olds report binge drinking. The rates of binge drinking are highest among this age group.

Some of these are college students just starting college and potentially experiencing alcohol for the first time.

Oatey said this is one possible reason for some of the more serious incidents that have occurred this year involving ambulances being called to campus.

“My concern is if people become ill, often times friends feel like the best thing to do is to bring them home,” she said.  “But if no one is there to watch them, they can become ill and asphyxiate themselves.”

When students are in situations where they made need medical assistance, Jasi O’Connor, the director of Residence Life, says that the school doesn’t allow other students or staff to watch students who are in danger. If staff members determine that urgent care is needed, an ambulance may be called, and students can be taken to the hospital.

There are many other reasons to prohibit alcohol on campus besides health. Campus Security is often an underlying factor in determining alcohol policies.

“By prohibiting alcohol on campus, we can hopefully limit things like vandalism, violence and sexual assault,” O’Connor said.

The annual Clery Act Report, a yearly report that combines crime statistics with policies on campuses, illuminates on how alcohol affects those issues. The 2012-2013 Report for Concordia shows that in the last three academic years only one act of vandalism was reported and four instances of sexual assault.

By comparing the Clery Act Reports from both Gustavus and Concordia College, the differences are staggering. In the 2010 calendar year, Concordia issued 123 violations and had 26 arrests for liquor law violations. Gustavus, however, issued 163 violations and 73 arrests in the same calendar year. Even St. John’s, which has a  policy is similar to Gustavus’, has high rates for violations, coming in with 438 liquor violations and 35 arrests.

Concordia looks at policy violations on a situational basis. Depending on the severity of the violation and how many times a violation has occurred, the penalty may be different.

If a student is in possession of alcohol, they are fined and required to take an eCHUG assessment. eCHUG is an online survey that assesses the amount of alcohol students use and offers statistics about alcohol usage.

“There is a gap in the amount of drinking that students report that they do and the perception that students have in terms of the amount of drinking,” Oatey said. Students typically believe that more students actually consume alcohol than reports actually show.

According to the National College Health Assessment that students at Concordia complete, in 2012 28.3 percent of students on campus report ed never having used alcohol but overall believed that only 1.2 percent of students on campus don’t use alcohol. Also, 49.6 percent of students reported having used alcohol within the last one to nine days of the survey, but overall, students believed that 61.7 percent of students have used alcohol in the last one to nine days.

There are incidents on campus when rumors of high levels of intoxication circulate, but those are isolated. Concordia has fewer violations than many of its MIAC peers, and the policy may be the reason behind that. However, student perception of the policy is mixed.

Junior Jenna Rosvold, who is 21 years old and lives on campus, says the policy is irrational and not well thought out.

“It’s unfair for those of us who are actually 21,” she said.

Junior Nicole Pachan, who also lives on campus, believes that it should be altered for those who are 21 year old.

“If it’s contained in your room or apartment, then you should be able to (drink),” she said.

Sophomore Ashley Robideau says she doesn’t care about the policy because she doesn’t drink, but she feels bad for those students who get in trouble because their roommates are possessing alcohol.

“I think it could be enforced in a better way,” she said.

Dillemuth believes it’s annoying as well as an inconvenience.

“When I cook dinner for my friends, I go to their apartment,” she said. “That way, we can have a glass of wine.”

This article was submitted by Mykayla Zwiener, a contributing writer. She can be reached at mzweiner@cord.edu

In future meetings, up to five members-at-large could become members of the forum if confirmed by existing members of the forum. Traditional residence halls will also be allowed to have one student representative, and there will be representatives from Campus Entertainment Commission, Campus Ministry Commission and Campus Service Commission.

“Our rational behind (adding members-at-large) was that we just wanted to make sure that anybody that wanted to be on…SGA had an avenue to serve and get involved,” said Austin Keller, chief of staff.

He gave the example of a student studying abroad as someone who wouldn’t be able to serve all year but may want to be involved while they are on campus. According to the new bylaw, members-at-large must take classes at Concordia’s campus, and they must be nominated and confirmed by current members of the forum.

Each traditional residence hall will also now have the opportunity to appoint one residential hall representative to have voting power at the forum. The halls will select this person using their own methods. In the future, forum members intend to approve the opportunity for campus apartments and townhouses to also have representatives.

A representative from each of the three commissions, CEC, CMC and CSC, will also now have voting power within the forum next year. In the past, members of these commissions attended meetings but did not have voting power.

In other news:

The Executive Assistant position held by Emma Connell was amended and renamed “Chief of Operations.”

“We felt (the new title) reflected the roles and obligations more,” Connell said. “‘Executive Assistant’ sounds a little demeaning.”

The budget proposal of $26,148 for 2013-2013 was approved by forum members. This is the same total as last year with some funds moved around, according to Connell.

Future forum meetings will require a quorum of currently seated SGA members to pass business.

A bylaw proposal to change the approval process for requests from the Special Project and Initiatives Fund was tabled for a later date. The bylaw would have changed final approval power from the executive team to forum members.

SGA President Levi Bachmeier said this change would invest power into SGA as a whole instead of a select group of people, and it would make funding more transparent.

Colin Sullivan, elections and credentials commissioner, said the Elections and Credentials Council had serious reservations about the quickness of this proposal.

“The forum at this point doesn’t have the background knowledge to approve a bylaw change like this simply because…the necessary conversations have yet to take place,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s most important that we just don’t rush into a decision about how to allocate those funds.”

Steve Schuetz, vice president of Enrollment at Concordia, said that events such as Gates’ visit serve as another way to get the Concordia name into potential students’ ears.

“It raises awareness of the Concordia name,” Schuetz said.

If prospective students are interested, he said, they have most likely already heard the college’s name. However, the more times it’s mentioned and referred to in different contexts, the more likely the students are to investigate Concordia further, he said.

Gates’ visit comes just days before the National Candidate Reply Date on May 1. This deadline is a day colleges use as a cutoff for refundable deposits for the incoming students. After May 1, accepted students can still send in their deposits, but they are non-refundable.

Schuetz said that throughout the past year, the overall number of applications Concordia received was higher than last year. This did not come as a surprise to Schuetz.

“We looked at our communication flow (for reaching out to prospective students) and changed our strategy,” Schuetz said.

In addition to revamping their communication flow, Concordia also worked on getting new publications and messaging out to potential students earlier than in the past. The initial emphasis of the messages sent was based on the experiences offered during their time on campus as well as the outcomes of a Concordia education.

The increase in applications resulted in more admitted students than last year, Schuetz said.

Now, it’s a waiting game to see by how many.

Jasi O’Connor, director of Residence Life at Concordia, said that the incoming class’ numbers will not be solidified until mid to late August. Residence Life is planning on an occupancy level similar to this year, however, some changes may stem from next year’s sophomore class being a noticeably smaller class, O’Connor said.

If changes do need to be made to accommodate the smaller sophomore class, O’Connor said they are prepared to close two female floors, but nothing is definite until they have specific numbers from the incoming students.

Nathalie Rinehardt, assistant director of Student Involvement, said that there is one definite change happening for next year’s student body. The student activity fund, which has been set at $210 for the past four academic years, will increase to $214.

This decision was made not necessarily based on predicted enrollment, she said, but instead due to the increase in the number of student organizations on campus and their requests for money.

“Student organizations started to feel the pinch this year,” Rinehardt said.

The number of student organizations present on campus does not necessarily change with enrollment, nor does it affect what they request money for, such as experiential opportunities.

“There is no way to predict the number of students participating in organizations,” Rinehardt said. “It’s all based on the activity level on campus.”

Although the participation in organizations fluctuates year to year and is not directly impacted by enrollment, the organizations’ funding is affected. Fewer students result in less money coming in for student organizations to access.

After research done by the Student Involvement Council and the Student Business Office, the small increase in the activity fee was proposed to the Board of Regents and passed. This will help sustain and support the work of student organizations on campus next year.

“The group is inclusive and not just meant for secular folks,” senior religion and biology major Kristi Del Vecchio, the group’s publicist, said. “We hope to be a support system, but also (want to talk) about what it means to live a good secular life.”

On April 2, six months after the group’s proposal, executive members received an email from Natalie Rinehart, assistant director of Student Service and Leadership, announcing the committee’s approval.

“We were worried at first,” said sophomore Taylor Tielke, a political science and global studies major, who is the group’s president.

Members of the group had heard rumors saying their proposal had been rejected and others saying their proposal had been accepted, Tielke said. The group wasn’t sure what to believe.

The proposal was submitted in October of last year, only a couple of months after Eboo Patel spoke on campus about the importance of interfaith dialogue and leadership.

Recent graduate Andreas Rekdal, a founding member of the Secular Student Community who graduated in December, thought it was a good decision to submit a proposal following Patel’s speech, Del Vecchio said.

“Eboo had a very powerful message of creating a campus of inclusion,” Del Vecchio said.

The group submitted a proposal because they believed their official recognition would help the campus put Patel’s words into action.

Sue Oatey, vice president and dean of Student Affairs, said the process of approval took longer than usual.

Part of this reason was committees were working to understand the difference between the current proposal and past proposals for a recognized secular club, Oatey said.

A group of students submitted a proposal in 2009 to form a group called Secular Students of Concordia. The proposal was rejected because it didn’t coincide with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and College Standards, according to an article posted in The Huffington Post on April 8.

In January 2011, a redrafted constitution was sent in for reapplication. It was rejected.

“Because of history, we wanted to be sure to clarify the differences between the past and present group,” Oatey said. “We wanted to make sure…that there weren’t lingering questions because (people) didn’t understand what the purpose or intent of the (new) group was.”

The Secular Club Community was proposed to create a place of belonging for nonreligious students and to foster dialogue regarding secular values as well as to advocate for seculars’ inclusion in Concordia’s community.

The waiting period before their proposal was accepted was full of “white noise,” Tielke said, because the group wasn’t informed about the direction of the application process.

Communication with the executive members was minimal, Del Vecchio said. The discussion took place predominantly within the faculty and administration.

Now that the group is officially recognized, they have access to Student Activity Fee money and rights to publicize with campus publicity spaces, among other advantages.

“The length of the time it took was both frustrating (and) encouraging, because the institution was taking the time to have this critical conversation about what it means to include nonreligious voices at a Lutheran institution,” Del Vecchio said. “I know it’s not an easy conversation to have.”

Richard Gilmore, professor of philosophy, contributed to the creation of the secular club, as well as Tielke, Del Vecchio, Rekdal, Brittany Widseth, Emma Connell, Evan Marsolek, Riah Roe, Courtney Glasner-White, Jacob Amos and Charlie Tirey.

Additional executive members include Connell, vice-president, and Widseth, secretary and treasurer.

For more information about the club, contact Taylor Tielke.

Photo by Paul Flessland. Students from Concordia College make up the vast majority of student escorts at the Red River Women’s Clinic, said Tammi Kromenaker, director of the RRWC. She believes this is because of the service value the campus promotes. Before escorts are able to volunteer, they are required to read a manual that includes rules such as not engaging with protesters while they are in uniform.

North Dakota’s abortion laws have been at the center of controversial debate recently, as three anti-abortion bills were signed into law by Gov. Jack Dalrymple in March, and a 2011 anti-abortion law is currently being challenged in the Cass County District Court.

In the face of this law making, some Concordia students and faculty are engaged in the dialogue by volunteering as escorts at the Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, N.D., the only clinic in the state that provides abortions.

Junior sociology major Courtney Gasner-White and sociology Professor Natalie Peluso both volunteer as escorts to ensure patients and couples can safely enter the clinic.

“The duty of the escorts is, essentially, to act as a buffer between the (people) who are using the services of the clinic and the people who are protesting at the clinic,” Gasner-White said.

While the nation’s abortion rate has dropped, North Dakota’s abortion rate has remained stable, according to an article posted in The Forum on Nov. 28, 2012.

Students from Concordia College make up the vast majority of student escorts at the RRWC, said Tammi Kromenaker, director of the RRWC. She believes this is because of the service value the campus promotes.

“Concordia instills that sense of community involvement,” Kromenaker said.

Not all patients or couples prefer to be escorted. If they do prefer an escort, conversation between the escort and patient or couple is usually minimal, Gasner-White said.

Even if the patient or couple doesn’t acknowledge the escort, it is still important for escorts to be present, Peluso said.

“The added commotion can be overwhelming and intimidating,” Peluso said.

Before they are able to volunteer, escorts are required to read a manual that contains rules they must follow while acting as an escort, Kromenaker said.

One of these rules is to not engage with protestors while wearing the neon green vest that identifies volunteers as escorts.  The focus should be on the patient or couple entering the clinic.

“It is a time for you to be a supportive, welcoming person with people entering the clinic,” Kromenaker said.

However, if escorts choose to take the vest off, Kromenaker said, they are able to engage with the protestors as fellow citizens.

Normally, Gasner-White won’t take off her vest to engage with the protestors.  However, when protestors make comments she considers especially disrespectful, Gasner-White isn’t afraid to take off her vest and speak her mind.

“I would say that I’m way more vocal in comparison to a lot of other people,” Gasner-White said.

In Peluso’s case, she never takes off her vest while she is volunteering because she doesn’t believe anything would be accomplished.

“At the end of the day, what we’re there for (are) the clients,” Peluso said.

Verbal remarks are aimed at the patient or couple entering the clinic, as well as the escort, and range from religious messages, including Bible verses to racial slurs, Kromenaker said.

Singing, praying the rosary, and signage is also common, Peluso said.

Sometimes, protestors try to hand paper information to the patient or couple entering the clinic. Peluso tells the people she is escorting that they don’t have to take the information.

“These signs and symbols can potentially be detrimental to the person going into the clinic that day,” Peluso said. Verbal threats or physical assault will result in staff members or volunteers calling the police; however, arrest is rare.

At the end of their time spent escorting, volunteers leave with mixed emotions.

Sometimes, Gasner-White leaves feeling inspired because of the love and compassion she feels from the other escorts. Other times, she leaves feeling disheartened because of hateful behaviors she witnesses from more hostile protestors.

Peluso added, “(The way the) protestors are behaving will impact how we feel at the end of the day.”

Regardless of fluctuating feelings, Gasner-White and Peluso continue to return to the RRWC to escort.

Kromenaker believes part of the reason individuals are attracted to the experience is because it is an immediate action that people can take to channel their emotions.

“I’m really passionate about women’s issues,” Gasner-White said.  “I think that access to contraceptive services is really important for women. I would like to aspire for a world where every child is a wanted child.”

The money to purchase the iPads came from what was left SGA’s budget for the 2012-2013 year. Levi Bachmeier, SGA president as of April 1, said that the new executive team was trying to search for good ways to use the leftover money.

“We were trying to decide how can we most responsibly invest that into our organization to promote long-term growth,” Bachmeier said.

Bachmeier hopes that by purchasing the iPads, SGA will be able to cut down on the amount of paper they use in addition to increasing their communication and improving their record keeping.

Matt Dymoke, SGA vice president, says that they use about 4,500 to 5,000 sheets of paper each year and that they want to practice what they preach regarding sustainability.

“No one likes it when someone’s telling them to do something (to improve sustainability)… and then we’re sitting here killing trees every weekend,” Dymoke said.

Dymoke also said that they have created a new position, the Sustainability Commissioner, to help promote and coordinate sustainability efforts across campus. The individual in this new position will work with student organizations such as the Student Environmental Alliance to further sustainability efforts.

The iPads, Bachmeier said, will not be given to members of SGA to keep. Instead, they will be kept as one unit and brought to committee and forum meetings for members of those meetings to use. That way, students at these meetings will be able to use an iPad to access documents and to take notes during the meetings. The iPads will then be returned to SGA for safekeeping. SGA also purchased cases and keyboards for the iPads to further ensure their safety.

Concordia’s IT department helped SGA with the purchases, which were tax free.

Both the iPad purchase and the creation of this new position are a part of a large series of changes that the SGA executive team plans on putting into place next year. Tony Sang, academic affairs commissioner, said there is a purpose behind these actions.

“The vision is to make it (SGA’s actions) really mean something and add some credibility to it,” Sang said.

He also said that students often complain that they don’t know about what SGA is doing and that this frustrates them. Therefore, “bridging the gap” was the campaign slogan for Bachmeier, Dymoke, Austin Keller and Emma Connell and continues to be a goal for next year.

SGA hopes to improve communication by creating four new committees. The new committees will be based upon four of the commissioner positions: Sustainability, Student Services, Program and Events and Academic Affairs. These committees will be open to the public so that anyone can stop by and participate.

In addition to this, SGA plans on creating member-at-large positions for students who consistently attend the meetings. At the time of press, SGA was still defining what these positions might entail.

Dymoke said that these meetings would help to remove some of the strain from individual members of SGA, who often have to work on a project by themselves. By creating committees, commissioners will have a team to help them work on major proects rather than having to work solo.

“To put that all on one person doesn’t make sense to me and with a committee you’re able to bring in so many different perspectives,” Dymoke said.

It would also allow for a forum to discuss issues and propose solutions that don’t get addressed within the main body of SGA.

“As an organization, we sit on a lot of various committees, but there hasn’t been an intentional place in the past for that information to be discussed or shared,” Bachmeier said.

Sang, who will chair one of the committees as academic affairs commissioner, said that he is looking forward to hosting meetings.

“I want the people there to look forward to it… You want it to mean something to all the members,” Sang said.

Another change will involve how forum meetings are run. SGA will implement a more formal method for running meetings with the hope that it will allow more voices to be heard, especially on controversial issues. Also, in order to increase the formality of forum meetings, SGA has suggested that those in attendance dress in a business casual attire. However, this is not required.

Submitted photo. Kari Neutzling and Katie Randklev will lead the first international Habitat for Humanity trip to Costa Rica this May.

Despite a location change that occurred late in the game, two Cobbers have successfully planned Concordia’s first international Habitat for Humanity trip since 2008.

The trip will take place from May 12 to May 19. A total of nine students as well as Trip Leaders Seale Swedlund and Jack Rydell will be traveling to Costa Rica. Senior Katie Randklev and junior Kari Neutzling have coordinated and will be leading the Habitat trip.

According to the Habitat website, Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry that has helped to build over 500,000 houses, serving 2.5 million people worldwide. In 1991, Concordia formed the Habitat for Humanity college chapter.

Randklev and Neutzling worked with Thrivent Financial to help organize and fund the trip. Since their initial collaboration, Habitat and Thrivent Financial have built more than 2,000 homes together. Thrivent works with countries all over the world, including Costa Rica.

Randklev and Neutzling chose this location when their original trip to El Salvador, South America’s smallest country, was canceled. In late January, the U.S. Government issued a no travel advisory for El Salvador due to alarming homicide rates within the country. Therefore, the trip was suspended due to Concordia’s Global Learning policy.

Because of Thrivent’s connections with Costa Rica, it was a natural replacement. Swedlund and the group’s Thrivent representative agreed that this would be a better trip, and Randklev and Neutzling also learned that flights to Central and South America are less expensive than many other international options. As a result, they started to pursue the idea of going to Costa Rica.

“We were thrilled,” Randklev said.

RECRUITING ADVENTURERS

Senior Rachel Pulju met freshman Tori Benders through Concordia’s sorority Lambda Delta Sigma. In 2012, Pulju went on a Habitat trip to South Carolina, but she has never been to Central America. She thought it would be a great opportunity, so Pulju encouraged Benders to go on the trip as well.

Pulju has taken many trips with Concordia including a Justice Journeys trip and a May Seminar.

“I thought I’d be good to have one last Concordia trip,” Pulju said.

Benders was involved with Habitat in high school and wanted to stay involved at college.

“I’ve never been out of the U.S. (other than going to Canada when I was five),” Benders said. “I’m excited to experience their culture.”

During the trip, the students will spend time at the work site, learn about Costa Rican culture, and spend one day sightseeing.

Freshman Kelly Vold found out about the trip after signing up for more information about Habitat for Humanity at the Cobber Expo. She is looking forward to her first opportunity to serve with Habitat for a variety of reasons.

“I love traveling. Plus, I’d get to help other people,” she said. “Plus, it’s also the beginning of the summer, and I don’t have much planned.”

“I’m looking forward to a great international service experience,” Randklev said.

AT WHAT COST?

The trip will cost $1,600. This includes housing, food, airfare, transportation and cultural events. The coordinators applied and received a Special Projects Initiatives Fund grant from Concordia to cut costs. Randklev and Neutzling also worked with Thrivent Financial, reducing the price by $350.

Last year, Habitat tried to plan an international trip to Guatemala, but it was canceled because the details weren’t finalized by February.

“This year, we are much more ahead of the game,” Randklev said. “Last year gave us the tools and resources needed to be more efficient in the planning process.”

IMMERSION OPPORTUNITY

Coordinator Neutzling says that the idea of going on a mission trip that lets her practice her Spanish excites her, for although Neutzling is a Spanish minor, she has never been to a Spanish speaking country.

Randklev and Neutzling said they enjoy working with Habitat.

“I like getting my hands dirty,” Neutzling said

Randklev agreed and added why she thinks Habitat for Humanity is important.

“Habitat is a great organization. It’s wonderful locally within the community, the wider area, in Minnesota and North Dakota, and it has the ability to reach nationally and internationally,” Randklev said.

This article was written by Kaia Lunde. She can be contacted at klunde@cord.edu

Last year, late on the night of April 19, 2012, a group of 20-some Concordia students lit up on Olin Hill.

At 11:55 p.m., two joints packed with marijuana in tow, they sat in a circle on the grassy hill and waited for April 20 to begin.

“The second it hit midnight we sparked ‘em,” said *Sam, one of the students there that night.

According to The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, marijuana is the most frequently abused illicit drug in the U.S.  Marijuana is not legal in Minnesota or North Dakota but that doesn’t always stop area people from using it.

Earlier this school year, Sam said he had a “stoner party” in his garage.

“People would bring Bud and music and just get baked,” he said.

The group decided that day that they would relive the experience come April 20.

Dr. Susan Larson, a psychology professor at Concordia, said the social aspects of marijuana impact its prevalence on college campuses.

“I think the college culture results in some people using (marijuana) who didn’t in high school,” she said.

Sam guesses that at least 50 percent of Concordia students have used marijuana.

“Just a lot of people are better at hiding it than others,” he said.

*Anna, a Concordia student who has used marijuana since she was a freshman in high school, has a more conservative estimation.  She thinks that 20 percent of the student population has at least tried marijuana.

Sam’s estimation is consistent with what many Concordia students think about their peers’ use of marijuana.

Concordia puts out a health survey every other year to assess students’ attitudes towards and activity when it comes to things like marijuana and alcohol.  The American College Health Association National College Health Assessment was administered during the spring 2012 semester.

Jasi O’Connor, director of Residence Life at Concordia, said the survey asks students about their own marijuana use and the prevalence of marijuana among their peers.

The disparity between actual and perceived use is dramatic.

According to last year’s results, just under 7 percent of students reported using marijuana anywhere between one and nine days consecutively.  The perceived usage was 50 percent, just like Sam guessed.

This disconnect occurs in the actual versus perceived use of other substances, O’Connor said.  Students frequently assume that their peers are drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes more than they actually are.

People who use marijuana face the stigma that gets placed on the drug and the so-called “pothead” culture it has created.

Anna is well aware of this stigma.

She said the popular belief about marijuana is that people who use it are unmotivated and apathetic.  But Concordia students, even if they do use marijuana, tend to be very driven and motivated to succeed, she said.

Despite her disagreements with the way marijuana is perceived by society, Anna limits her use to every once in a while on the weekend.  She said her desire to succeed in college and having a major that requires a lot of time and dedication have both led her to cut back.

“I think the feeling of accomplishing something is way more rewarding than a quick fix,” she said.

While this stigma has led Sam to restrict his use, he has another, more pressing reason to quit.

In late October, Sam smoked with a couple friends.  Instead of experiencing a relaxing high, Sam’s heart began to race, and he felt dizzy.  His body temperature rose swiftly and plummeted in a succession of hot and cold flashes. A panic attack was nothing he had ever experienced as a result of smoking marijuana.

According to the Mayo Clinic, illicit drugs, among other things such as alcohol and caffeine, can cause or worsen panic attacks.

Since that experience, Sam said he has been trying to quit using marijuana.  He said it has helped to have friends who don’t smoke so that the temptation isn’t there.

“I’ve been trying to surround myself with positive influences,” he said.

Though the data suggests that a high percentage of students don’t use marijuana, O’Connor said she worries that students who use don’t fully understand the negative effects the drug can have on their well-being.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana can impact a person’s health in different areas.  Physically, the drug raises the heart rate and can increase the risk of having a heart attack.  Also, marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, causing respiratory problems in frequent smokers.  Studies have shown connections between chronic users and mental illness, although more research is needed to determine whether these are mere coincidences.

Students might not always recognize when getting high or drinking for that matter becomes an issue.

While she believes marijuana is a choice that each individual should be free to make, Anna said that marijuana can be abused.

“Marijuana isn’t addictive, but some people rely on it,” she said.

If students get the idea that this kind of behavior is normal while they are in college, it can easily carry on into post-college life, O’Connor said.

April 20 (commonly referred to as “4/20”) is a day devoted to the celebration of marijuana.  Different theories exist about its origin, but the saying got its start in the 70s with a group of high school students who met at 4:20 p.m. every day to smoke marijuana.  The phrase is now synonymous with getting high.

Despite the white scenery in Fargo-Moorhead, Concordia students may be seeing more green than expected this weekend.

Sam, on the other hand, will be breaking from “4/20” tradition.  He will not be having another get-together in his garage.  This year, Sam will be staying sober.

Presentations ranged from “Emerson and the Ordinary” to “Nazi Germany, Rwanda, and ‘Star Trek’: The Use of Propaganda in the Justification of Genocide.”

“We really want to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of our students,” said Susan Larson, director of undergraduate research and head organizer of the event.

Larson focused on the importance of showcasing research in all fields of study, which she cited as a goal for this year’s Celebration of Student Scholarship. While the natural and social sciences generally dominate poster sessions, the event’s focus on other means of presentation has allowed other disciplines to put forth their work naturally. Almost every department on campus was represented this year.

Annabel Olson, junior biology major and member of the planning committee, stressed the importance of attending events outside of one’s specialty.

“It spurs different conversations on a subject that you wouldn’t typically have had,” Olson said.

The Celebration’s planning committee was dedicated to representing work across the board.

“We want to encourage a culture of research,” said Andrew Lindner, sociology professor and member of the committee.

While the committee is happy with this year’s event, they are looking for ways to make it bigger and better in the years to come.

Next year’s Celebration of Student Scholarship will be much more like the fall symposium, with presentations occurring during the day.

Faculty Senate approved that classes be suspended, and students will be expected to attend events in place of their classes.

Larson hopes that this shift will encourage participation and attendance. She cited evening obligations as a reason why some students aren’t able to come to the celebration at its current time slot.

The event has grown significantly in the last four years since its inception in 2010. The number of oral presentations has grown just in the last year from just over 30 in 2012 to 47 this year.

While many students are taking advantage of the opportunity, Lindner believes that a large number of students don’t think their work is worth showcasing.

“It’s sometimes hard to persuade students that in-class projects are worthy of presenting,” Lindner said.

Olson came to be on the planning committee through her work as a research ambassador. The shift from informing students about research opportunities to planning this event was a natural step, she said.

She said that she would not have thought about research as being a viable option in her early undergraduate years. A professor encouraged her to look into research for the summer after her freshman year, which she said she didn’t think would happen at a bigger institution.

The focus the planning committee had on the needs of the students was especially encouraging to Olson. Phillip Comella, Eliza Hartmann, Madeline Johnson, Meagan McDougall, Ryan Smith, Dawn Duncan, Susan Larson, Megan Orcholski, Shirley Sorensen, Krystle Strand, Jennifer Thomas and Graeme Wyllie were also on the planning committee.

Olson and Lindner said Concordia’s smaller size and dedication to student research on campus is different from larger institutions.

Lindner stressed that while research institutions have great research opportunities for their top students, Concordia has been focusing on bringing the educational benefits of research to as many students as possible.

“Students change from being consumers of knowledge to creators of knowledge,” Lindner said. “Research promotes the best of thinking, allows students to pursue their passions, and empowers them to take charge of their learning.”

“Christiana Hennings is the hottest girl on campus. #noticeme,” they wrote on March 12.

The statement was copied and pasted from the submission onto the Facebook page, Concordia College Confessions. An anonymously run Facebook page, Concordia College Confessions is a place for students to submit confessions they have about the Concordia Community under the coat of anonymity. Several other colleges and universities, such as St. Olaf and the University of Minnesota, have similar pages.

University of Minnesota’s page is how Hennings first found out about such sites but said there is a big difference between the University and Concordia’s pages.

“The University of Minnesota is big, so you have no idea who the posts are talking about,” she said. “It makes it less personal.”

Hennings also said that the topics discussed on the University of Minnesota’s page include lighter topics, such as partying, whereas Concordia College Confessions talks about self-esteem issues.

Dr. Stephanie Ahlfeldt, associate professor of communication studies at Concordia, teaches Computer-Mediated Communication, a communications capstone that highlights anonymous communication. Anonymity can be empowering, according to Ahlfeldt, and it allows one to say what they honestly feel without facing judgment.

Hennings said she thinks the anonymity of the page at Concordia is a positive. If a name was attached to a post, people may be afraid to posts concerns or doubts they have. A specific instance came to mind for her.

On March 14, someone submitted a post regarding their suicidal thoughts, and the administrator of the page published it. Ten comments were made on the post offering concern, support and suggestions.

“(If their name would have been attached to the post), they wouldn’t have written anything,” Hennings said. “They need help, and if we can somehow help them, then that’s a positive.”

The protection of anonymity, however, may not always be good thing. Ahlfeldt said that with face to face communication, where anonymity isn’t an option, people have to filter what they say and think about the implications. She said when we remove that from our discourse, we take away a step of human interaction–consideration of others.

While protected under anonymity, some take advantage and exploit the freedom of simply being unknown. There can be significant implications, she said. Some people post to get reactions. If they don’t get what they are looking for something bad could happen—some recent cases have led to suicide, she said.

“How can we help them if we don’t know (who they are),” Ahlfeldt said.

Hennings said students need to know that they can get help outside of the Facebook page.

“We need to get to the underlying problems,” she said. “There are some people who need help. They don’t need to be insecure (about it).”

Ahlfeldt said that the anonymity of the pages, specifically the Concordia College Confessions page, raises the question of power. Who is the gatekeeper? Is every submission posted?

The posts are submitted via a link found on the page where people can write in a confession and submit it.

The administrator of the page responded to a post on March 13 apologizing for inaccurate posts—they simply copy and paste statuses. They reassured that from now on, posts would be double-checked for accuracy before being published. This raised discussion by other Facebook users over whether or not posts previously published were offensive or infringed upon the rights of others.

Ahlfeldt said that with the Concordia name attached to the page, the reputation of both students and the school itself are on the line. Students posting are future graduates, and therefore representatives, of the college, she said. The behavior on the page and comments being posted are disrespectful and aren’t an accurate reflection of the entire student body, she said.

Vice President for Student Affairs at Concordia, Dr. Sue Oatey, said that students have approached both her and other faculty and staff members regarding their concerns for the page. She has referred a few students to Chief Information Officer Bruce Vieweg, who is helping them file the necessary complaint forms to Facebook, which Oatey says can be a very long process.

Ahlfeldt said that even on the Internet, students are influencing the world through their behavior and actions.

“It’s irresponsible to not think about the impact on other people,” she said. “Is this responsible?”

Oatey said that even if the page is taken down, it has still been published and exists. You never know when it might pop up again, she said.

The Twitter account, which went under the same name, was shut down. However, the tweets sent from the account are never fully erased. Steve Lohr, writer for The New York Times, explained in his April 2010 article, “Library of Congress Will Save Tweets,” that “the library will archive the collected works of Twitter.” He went on to say that although the library is doing it primarily for documenting the social media aspect of the nation’s history, it also has the potential to influence the habits of the site’s users.

“People thinking before they post on Twitter,” Lohr wrote. “Now that would be historic indeed.”

The same extends to Facebook,in this case.

The administrator of the Concordia College Confessions page posted March 24 about being criticized for the contents of the page, for some users viewed some posts as offensive, even though the posts were copied and pasted from the submissions. They mentioned shutting the page down, however, after comments from people in support of their page, it remains up and running as of Sunday.

Another page has recently surfaced, attempting to do the same thing as Concordia College Confessions, but so far with a much lighter tone. Hennings said that these pages have provided her with entertainment and she comments on them when she feels as though she has a response.

Although the pages may not necessarily be productive, she said, they are fun and the people submitting might just need to get something out of their system. But Hennings recognized the dangers of the page, even if students feel the anonymity is therapeutic.

“I think we need to be careful of what we say on Concordia Confessions,” Hennings said. “Even though people can’t tell who you are it doesn’t mean that it’s not hurtful.”

Submitted by Jen Thomas. Jonathan Wells rehearses a scene with Hannah Amundson and Karli Mazzone on the set of “Vinegar Tom,” which addresses issues of women’s rights. The show opened Thursday, April 11, and runs through Sunday, April 14.

According to the cast members of “Vinegar Tom,” this is a play about witches with no witches at all.

The play “Vinegar Tom” was written by Caryl Churchill in 1976, but it is set in 17th century England. The show has strong feminist themes, which director Jen Thomas is excited to bring out and give the women at Concordia a chance to perform in some non-traditional roles.

Thomas explained (without giving away too much) how research has shown that the women who were persecuted in the 17th century weren’t witches at all; instead, they simply fell outside of societal norms and were labeled as witches because people didn’t understand them.

“The script really focuses on what we don’t speak about,” Thomas said.

Due to the nature of the script, Thomas wrote a “sensitive material advisory” to send out to the president and provost of the college to make sure it would be approved. The play contains themes and vocabulary considered inappropriate by the general public, but Thomas doesn’t want this to stop people from coming.

“Be open to possibilities.” Thomas said. “The script doesn’t allow for the audience to be complacent, and as our mission statement at the college says, we can’t be complacent. If that means moments of discomfort to learn and progress, then that’s what we have to do.”

She and the actors in “Vinegar Tom” also found this play to be very timely, considering what is happening in the legislature right now.

“These themes about a struggle for women’s rights are still relevant today,” freshman Jonathan Wells said.

His fellow cast member junior Rachel Honz agrees and says the themes of abortion and abuse are very timely. “Women on the outside especially are being victimized,” Honz said.

Her comment was made by others in the cast as well and a few have described how appropriate this play is after the Steubenville rape trial and North Dakota’s recent vote about abortion last month.

The play also questions what society knows as the norm for class and gender roles. Senior Theodore Coonradt, who plays Man in the very first scene of the show, says “Vinegar Tom” can help audiences question gender roles.

“It’s very important at Concordia,” Coonradt says, “because even at a strong female ratio school, I still see situations where women are being indoctrinated into a male-centric world.”

The women in the cast have been empowered to push boundaries of these gender roles. Some of these roles include a woman who has a child out of wedlock, a woman who is going through an abortion and girl forced to marry someone she doesn’t want to.

Submitted by Jen Thomas. Rachel Honz and Karli Mazzone rehearse “Vinegar Tom.”

Senior Maggie Larrivee proposed her acting thesis on a play that would give her a role to challenge her in a way she hadn’t yet been challenged. She will be playing the role of Alice.

“She’s very dark and complex,” Larrivee said. “There is not a right or wrong way to play her, and she’s not necessarily good or bad.”

Alice is one of many women in the play who is accused of being a witch and must stand up for herself while being scrutinized by an entire group of people. One such person is a character named Jack, who is played by Wells.

“He is one of the accusers,” Wells said. “I have never played this much of a villain before, and it is hard to find empathy for such a character.”

Thomas picked the entire cast at the beginning of the year, but none of the students were assigned roles right away. Thomas wanted everyone to read the script together and do research. This way she says everyone was invested in all of the roles and not just their own.

“We need our comedies, but we also need to do our work,” Thomas said.

In addition to all of the tough themes the actors in this play must explore, the show has a musical element to it as well. Thomas describes playwright Churchill’s decision to add music as her inserting social commentary into various scenes.

“The modern songs stop the narrative action to have you question your place in the grand scheme of things,” Thomas said. “When we go to the theatre or the movies, we melt into the stage and don’t think until later about how this works into our lives. This puts the discussion in the moment.”

“Vinegar Tom” opened on Thursday, April 11, and it will run through Sunday, April 14, with show times at 8 p.m. (Thursday through Saturday) and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Submitted photo. Jenna Wawers performs on stage during the Fargo Star competition.

Fargo native and Concordia freshman Jenna Wawers has known about the Fargo Star competition for years. This year her parents encouraged her to audition by submitting a YouTube video. Wawers agreed.

For her audition, Wawers sang “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.

“It’s my go-to song. It was nice and upbeat and that’s what I gravitate towards,” she said.

The Fargo Star is a singing competition that takes place each year in March. Once the YouTube video submissions are in, the videos are divided into three rounds and then posted with the contestants names on the Fargo Forum website.

Then fans were allowed to vote for the top two in each round. These singers would advance to the final. In round four, everyone who hadn’t made the final could audition for one of four “wild card” spots. Although Wawers didn’t make it in the first round, she made it through during round four.

“I knew that if I just stopped it (the competition) altogether I probably wouldn’t make it in,” she said. “So I tried to stay positive.”

After the finalists were announced, Wawers picked the song she would sing in the final. Wawers chose “Fine by Me” by Andy Grammer.

The songs are then sent to Russell Peterson, who is part of the band Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome. Peterson is also an associate professor of music at Concordia. Transcribing the music usually takes about 40 hours, he said. Then the night before the competition, the competitors rehearse with the band.

This is the second year that the Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome has played for the Fargo Star competition. One difficulty about the Fargo Star competition is that many of the competitors sing country songs, Peterson said.

“I think we are a little out of our comfort zone,” he said. “But I think we do it well.”

Freshman Sarah Gerber attended the event to support Wawers.

“It is great opportunity to sing at a venue with a live band. I think it was more about the experience rather than the actual winner,” Gerber said.

Finalists were encouraged to invite friends and family to the event. Wawers enjoyed having people there to support her. Celia Holten, who went to watch, has known Wawers since elementary school.

“I know this sounds cheesy, but I loved seeing how passionate Jenna is about singing,” Holten said.

During the final, Wawers competed with nine other finalists at The Venue at The Hub. When audience members arrived at the Hub, they received ballots to cast their vote. Wawers performed last.

Wahpeton high school senior 18-year-old Addie Onchuck, who brought a fan bus to the event, won the competition.

“It is not always talent…it’s who you can get to vote,” Wawers said.

Freshman Moorhead native Erik Bye agreed.

“It seemed like it was more of a popularity contest,” he said. “The girl that won wasn’t the best (musically), but she had a lot of people there supporting her,” he said.

Peterson agreed.

“Oh, it’s totally based on the audience voting. If you bring the most friends…you win,” he said. “That’s how that gig is. Whether it’s fair or not, that’s not the point.”

Wawers began singing when she joined choir her freshman year of high school, but she doesn’t participate in choir at Concordia. Fargo Star was a fun chance for her to get up on stage and perform.

Before the final, Wawers’ friend, freshman Antonio Burks, didn’t even know she sang.

“I’m the belt-it in my basement kind of girl,” she said.

This article was submitted by Kaia Lunde, class of 2013. She can be reached at klunde@cord.edu.

Jordan Elton

Photo by Melisa Barish. Jordan Elton, class of 2015.

Elton will take over as the second director of communications for SGA. This position was created last year to help improve student involvement and communications between SGA and other student organizations. Elton says that she hopes to continue the work that the first director, Meagan McDougall, started.

Elton, from Apple Valley, Minn., is currently a sophomore. She plans to major in journalism and religion with a Spanish minor. Elton says that the director of communications position was suggested to her by her advisor.

“I had never ever thought about (being part of SGA) before,” Elton said.

Elton thinks the position is ideal for her since she has experience in journalism and public relations, which both focus on communications. She is currently a staff writer for The Concordian and is also a co-chair for Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, she serves as the group sessions coordinator for Lead Now. Elton says that these experiences have helped her to learn effective communication.

In addition, Elton says that writing for the paper and taking journalism courses have helped her learn a lot about what groups and organizations are up to.

“Just being involved, I’ve gotten to know several different parts of campus,” Elton said.

During her free time, Elton said that she likes to get involved in more things on campus. Being involved is a source of fun for her, and she likes to get to know new people.

“I like to keep busy—that’s why I’m involved,” Elton said.

Elton will be responsible for ensuring that SGA is communicating well with all parts of campus. These responsibilities include gathering feedback from students, serving as liaison to the Concordia College office of Communications and Marketing and writing press releases about SGA events. She is also responsible for SGA’s social media presence and publicity for events.

Michael Chambers

Photo by Melisa Barish. Michael Chambers, class of 2015.

Chambers will fill the event and programs commissioner position with SGA next year. He says that he became interested in the position because he sees event planning as a career possibility for him.

Chambers is a current sophomore from Blaine, Minn. He is majoring in public relations with English and music minors.

The reason that Chambers is interested in event planning is because he enjoys the process behind planning and the leadership experience it involves.

“I like pulling different things from different areas together and seeing how they work well together,” Chambers said.

Chambers is currently helping to plan the Social Media Summit that is planned for April 14. He is also part of the PR club, the Concordia choir and works in the Career Center.

During next year, Chambers said that he hopes he will be able to bring a fresh perspective to SGA as well as encouraging other student organizations to get involved. He said that he is also excited to plan the MLK day events for next year, since it is the main event that he will be responsible for planning.

In his free time, Chambers likes to read, listen to music, use social media and watch “Grey’s Anatomy.” He said that he also likes to take long naps because it is “a very important part of college.”

Chambers’ position is responsible for organizing several of SGA’s events. These include the MLK Day events, SGA’s fall information booth and Political Awareness Week. He will be working with other groups on campus to make various events happen.

“Everyone’s getting prepared, but there’s no sense of urgency, no sense of panic,” said William MacDonald, director of public safety at Concordia. MacDonald acts to create disaster plans for Concordia, including flood planning.

The National Weather Service is projecting that there is a 50 percent chance that the river will reach 38.1 feet and a five to ten percent chance that it will reach 41 feet, according to a brief issued by the City of Moorhead on March 21. Moorhead is currently protected up to 40 feet, according to MacDonald.

The river is expected to have crested by the third week in April.

Mark Krejci, provost and dean of the college, said there will be no disruption of classes or services at Concordia during this year’s flood.

“The city’s infrastructure is so vastly improved,” said Krejci. “Hats off to the city.”

The City of Moorhead and State of Minnesota have invested $80 million in long-term flood protection over the last four years. This includes the building of levees, installation of backflow preventers and buyouts of houses along the river.

Weather conditions have also contributed to the expected moderation of this year’s flood, according to Krejci. The record-setting 2009 flood was a result of the enormous amount of snow that melted extremely quickly. This year’s snowfall was only slightly higher than average. Daytime temperatures in the 40s combined with nighttime temperatures below freezing have moderated the melting process.

“Both cities are in such better shape than four years ago,” MacDonald said.

More than 400,000 sandbags are filled and in storage at this point, which satisfies the need for sandbags at a 41 foot crest, according to the brief by the city.

At this point in time, the City of Moorhead has not requested any volunteers. Concordia students will be encouraged but not required to sandbag if the city requests assistance from the colleges, and many K-12 students were dismissed from class in the last couple weeks to assist with the making of sandbags.

The city has focused on facilitating open communication with the Fargo-Moorhead area colleges to make sure that everyone is on the same page about the flood. The city sends weekly updates via email, and a group of administrators and faculty from Concordia meets regularly to ensure that Concordia is prepared for the worst. This group also sits in on city meetings regarding flood preparation.

Both Krejci and MacDonald stressed that while administrators, faculty and staff of the college have played a large role in flood preparation for the college this year, and in the past, student participation has played a vital role in protecting the city.

“It’s students, both in K-12 and higher ed, that saved the city in 2009,” said MacDonald.

Krejci pointed to continued student involvement in the community to show how connected students are to the Fargo-Moorhead area, specifically referencing the total number of hours students spend in community volunteer work, coaching and internships.

“If a need is there, I expect our students will respond,” Krejci said. “I just don’t think there’s a need.”

Photo submitted by J. Alan Paul Photography. Christoffer Birch-Jensen takes on an opponent in the final round of rock–paper–scissors during an icebreaker at Startup Weekend in downtown Fargo, held March 8 and 9. Birch-Jensen was one of four Cobbers to attend the event. He did not win the round.

Zach Lipp, Christoffer Birch-Jensen, Matt Gantz and Levi Bachmeier signed up for the Startup Weekend event expecting 54 hours of serious work committed to ideas that would significantly influence the community. Once they arrived, they witnessed something else.

Startup Weekend, a nonprofit initiative that promotes entrepreneurship, came to Fargo on March 8 for the weekend with eight teams competing to be the top Startup project. The event revolves around giving groups of professionals and non-professionals 54 hours to pitch an idea for a business and then to plan the implementation of that idea.

The program was met with mixed feelings.

“I was dissatisfied because it was so different from what I was expecting,” said Zach Lipp, a freshman majoring in business with an economics concentration. He attended the first day of the Startup Weekend but left on the second day.

Lipp was hesitant after he heard the pitches on Friday night.

“I was expecting a different kind of business person,” he said. Lipp said that he had anticipated pitches for nonprofits, brick-and-mortar businesses and the like. Instead, most pitches were for cell phone applications.

“I thought the ideology of the event was great, but the practicality of it wasn’t there,” said Levi Bachmeier, a junior social studies education major.

Bachmeier said he would have preferred that brainstorming and research went into creating the pitches, rather than having an end product in mind throughout the entire process.

A pitch that stuck out in Lipp’s mind is BeerFlowers: an application that allows a person to order alcohol to be delivered much like a bouquet of flowers.

Pitches ranged in seriousness—from Shirt Roulette, a website in which people can swap shirts with people from around the world, to TherApptainment, a mobile program that “gameifies” physical therapy and helps physical therapists check-in with their clients remotely.

Another application pitched at the event was called “New York Sock Exchange,” in which a person can pay a membership fee to have a new distinctive pair of socks delivered to them by mail every month. The socks would be donated to charity at the end of the month.

Greg Tehven, one of the organizers of Startup Weekend, pointed to the New York Sock Exchange as an example of a business model in which companies can do good with the resources available to them.

Tehven, a social entrepreneur originally from the Fargo area, focused on how events like Startup Weekend can build community. Tehven has organized past Fargo events like TEDxFargo and Fill the Dome, an area-wide food drive.

“It’s important to shine light on the fact that Fargo has amazing, talented people,” Tehven said.

Tehven stressed that while the Fargo-Moorhead area is not generally viewed as a place that breeds innovative business models, it is home to adroit people who can create things and businesses that benefit the community.

“Our economy is built by small companies. The more startups we can support the better chance our local economy has to thrive,” Tehven said.

Lipp pointed to the size of the community as being a hindrance on the kinds of pitches that were presented at Startup Weekend.

“A big thing about events like this in Fargo-Moorhead is that it tends to appeal to a fixed set of people in the area. If there was a more diverse set of people, it may have not focused as much on mobile apps and more on social entrepreneurship or brick-and-mortar businesses,” Lipp said.

Tehven and Lipp were both impressed by the amount of community support for the event, which involved local businesses providing space and food for the participants. The Fargo Theatre, Atomic Coffee, Sundog and Mezzaluna supported the event, among many other businesses.

Startup Weekend events have happened around the world in communities of all sizes since 2007. According to Startup Weekend’s website, there have been 1068 of these events in 478 cities, ranging from New York City to Izmir to Cleveland.

While Lipp was frustrated by the event, he believes a lot of it has to do with the event not being as accessible to students as he had expected.

“I think the problem is that we were on the less valuable end of two spectrums. We couldn’t help with coding or design; we could only help with marketing,” he said.

Startup Weekend’s website identifies attendee’s backgrounds as being about half technical, including coders and designers and the other half business-oriented, including marketing, finance and law.

“The teams wanted to make supergroups made up of masterminds,” Bachmeier said. He said that this made it difficult for non-technical attendees to learn a lot from people with more technical experience.

Tehven said that while college students don’t have the work experience of other participants, their presence was beneficial.

“Everyone can add value to an event like this,” Tehven said. “It’s a learning experience for everyone.”

Photo by Olivia Gear. Matt Walker and some gaming club alumni challenge each other during the Game-A-Thon March 8-10. More than 25 Concordia alumni returned to campus for the event.

Seven out of the last eight years Kayse Kruschke, a 2009 Concordia graduate, has returned to the Concordia campus for one thing— the Game-A-Thon.

Kruschke was not alone. Nearly 25 alumni that came back for last weekend’s annual Game-a-thon sponsored by the gaming club.

During her freshman year, her husband, Peter, introduced her to the gaming club. Since she attended the Game-A-Thon for the first time, the event has become part of her year.

The Game-A-Thon started more than 15 years ago as an idea, and now, it has become a yearly tradition. Kruschke enjoys that it brings alumni together.

“Alumns come from across the state and country,” said Matt Smit, a 2007 Concordia graduate.

Walker added that there are always things that affect this turn out.

“Life and weather permitting,” said Matthew Walker, a senior and gaming club vice president.

Not only alumni come back. Nearly 25 students and friends also attended the event.

“(The Game-A-Thon) is for everybody even if you have not experienced gaming before,” Walker said. “A lot of alumni come back. It’s a chance to network. Ultimately, it’s just fun.”

Gaming club charged an entrance fee to attend the event, but the money went to the charity Child’s Play, an organization that aims to improve the stay of children in hospitals by providing them with video games.

“This is gaming club’s way to BREW,” Walker said.

Sophomore President Tim Peterson agrees.

“I’m glad we can do something to help the world as gamers,” Peterson said.

Many alumni return for the live action role play, an annual highlight of the Game-A-Thon.

“LARP is like an impromptu play with characters and a scenario, but no script,” Smit said.

He has written the description for the LARP for the past six years. This year’s LARP lasted for 4.5 hours. The winners are selected by a group of judges. The winners are often hard to determine because the results are based on perception.

Gaming club began in 1990, and the group now meets on Thursdays in Bishop Whipple. During each meeting, the club shares what games they have been playing that week as well as news about what new games are coming out. Peterson estimates the gaming club has 15-20 regular members.

“I don’t think I’d play nearly as much ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ if I didn’t have the club,” Peterson said.

The event ran until midnight on March 10. According to Walker, the event went until Sunday, but most years by Saturday night, most participants are tired. So, the event unofficially ends every year with a Perkins run where participants then discuss the LARP event.

“You can’t mess with tradition,” Kruschke said.

This article was submitted by Kaia Lunde, she can be reached at klunde@cord.edu