The trip was different from a typical vacation because nearly every day we did something that got me out of my comfort zone: simple things, like navigating a bus system with a huge language barrier; continually introducing myself to strangers, from fellow students to members of the government; and less meaningful but more memorable things like trying real parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy after seeing (and smelling) the not-so-pleasant way it was made. We were able to develop such rich relationships because of our shared experiences. When, halfway through the trip, we shifted from staying in a hotel to home stays, we bonded over the nervousness that each of us had about whether or not the experience would be a success. And it was.

Going on that trip, meeting those people and, as a result, forming lasting relationships with them has had me itching to go abroad again and again. I’ve returned to Italy since but have not had the opportunity to meet with my friends from the trip. This May, I’m traveling with Concordia on a Summer School Abroad trip to Scotland. I’ll have the great pleasure of reconnecting with one of my friends from World School, who is now studying at the University of St. Andrews. We’ve stayed in touch for nearly four years.

The Summer School Abroad trip looks excellent. With extended stays in Scotland’s largest cities—Glasgow and Edinburgh—along with a three-day trek to the Highlands, I think it’ll be a top-notch time.

Traveling abroad is an essential part of a liberal arts education, and that is why the May Seminar and Summer School Abroad programs are so appealing to me. For an action-packed month you’re able to submerge yourself in a different culture while learning theoretical background in a classroom or, with the May Seminar format, before traveling, to create a memorable and meaningful trip.

If you’ve got the time (and the cash), traveling on a Concordia-sponsored seminar is an excellent way to 1) have a grand time, 2) have fresh ideas to bring to classroom discussions upon return and 3) develop lasting relationships, like the one I have with the St. Andrews student.

So my end of the year advice: Go abroad, get out of your comfort zone and share great stories.

Photo by Melisa Barish. Student Government Association President Meg Hendrickson and Vice PResident Colin Sullivan pose for a photo in their office. The SGA administration started their new roles on April 4.

Student Government Association President Meg Henrickson and the rest of her staff were officially installed into office on April 4.

Since the installment ceremony, Henrickson and the new Vice President Colin Sullivan have been working to get to know students and staff across campus.

Sullivan explained that they are “continuing to foster these connections” with students and staff. In addition, SGA wants to make itself more accessible to the student body.

SGA staff have also been working on a number of smaller projects including laying out their budget and preparing for speeches and events such as President William Craft’s inauguration and next year’s orientation.

In addition to the work being done before the end of the school year, a large portion of SGA’s members will be participating in the May leadership internship. This is a two-week program that brings together representatives from some of the major campus organizations to work on leadership skills.

“I think May will be a good time to come together as a group,” Henrickson said.

Some of the other groups that will be represented at the May internship are the Campus Entertainment Commission, the Campus Ministry Commission, the Student Environmental Alliance, the Campus Service Commission, Habitat for Humanity and Intercultural Affairs.

“It’s a good time for us to connect with other groups,” Henrickson said, and she explained that SGA could learn what other groups want and need from them for next year.

In addition to the work SGA will be doing in May, Sullivan stated that they would “make sure we get as much done over the summer as possible.”

“April’s kind of a weird month,” Henrickson said.

Kate Engstrom, SGA’s facilities and services commissioner, said the limited time before the year’s end makes productivity difficult.

“When there’s only three or four weeks left it’s hard to get any projects started,” Engstrom said.

The months of April and May will be spent as a transition period, especially for new members of SGA, and staff will convene for their first meetings during this time. Next year, they will begin their large initiatives.

Some of these initiatives include those outlined in the duo’s campaign platform. The first of these was recognizing student success, whether that is in the form of student leadership or the activities performed by student organizations. SGA hopes to establish an award for this category that will be continued on in future years.

The next of their main initiatives is to advance student-led sustainability. To do this, SGA will be working with the Student Environmental Alliance, the sustainability coordinator and the newly created sustainability taskforce. They also hope to showcase the new ecohouse and the students who live there by sharing the students’ experiences with the campus.

Another initiative is to improve the visibility surrounding the core requirements. SGA wants students to be able to know why certain courses count and others don’t.

Their purpose for this is to make it easier for students to access this information and to increase conversation about this subject.

Finally, SGA wants to increase the amount of time that vital facilities on campus, such as the skyway and the campus center, are open. They have already begun work on this initiative by talking to staff about the feasibility of opening up these facilities for longer hours.

In addition to the goals expressed in Henrickson and Sullivan’s campaign platform, they say they will probably take up some of the initiatives that other campaign pairs wanted to focus on. One reason for this widened focus is that many SGA presidential candidates are now on staff, including Cole Kantos, Chris Banken and Kate Engstrom.

“At first, after something like that, there’s always a little bit of awkwardness,” Engstrom said.

However, she said that the new SGA team will be able to work together effectively.

“We’ve kind of put the election in the past,” Engstrom said.

Photo by Rachel Torgerson. African Student Union members Elvire Rubyiza and Kenny Nindorera run a table in the Atrium to collect books for the Worldwide Book Drive. The organization will collect books until May 4.

It’s that time of the year. School’s almost over, and its time to figure out what to do with all the books from this semester. Normally, options would include keeping them, lending them to a friend or selling them back for a measly sum. But this year, the African Student Union is asking the campus to donate old books to the nearly 800 million illiterate people around the world during their book drive through the month of April.

The African Student Union, in its fourth year as a student organization, decided this year to become more visible by organizing some sort of community service. The only problem was, they couldn’t decide on what. After months of searching, they were approached by the Worldwide Book Drive—an organization that reuses second-hand books and sends them around the world.

Zacharie Petnkeu, a French professor and the faculty advisor for the African Student Union, explained that although they weren’t looking to do a book drive, when they were contacted by WBD, it all made sense.

“We know the importance of books, and many of us have had experience with lack of books at schools,” Petnkeu said.

He said that because a large portion of the donated books go to Africa, it was a charity that was very welcomed by the student organization.

The Worldwide Book Drive began seven years ago by two graduates from Brigham Young University, and since then has donated more than two million books globally. The WBD does not do the distributing of the books themselves but instead partners with several non-profit organizations, including Myanmar Book Aid, Books for Africa and World Vision to distribute the books.

“Education is important, and there are so many things you can use to educate yourself. One of those is books,” said Stephanie Awuah, a junior business management major and president of ASU. “We are more than happy to provide books to those who need them.”

Of the donated books, 150,000 have gone to underprivileged youth and schools right here in the United States. In addition, 250,000 textbooks have been donated to Africa.

Textbooks specifically are what ASU is hoping to collect a lot of this April as students and professors clean out their shelves.

Their goal is to collect 500 books, and they are already well on their way.

With two weeks until the drive ends on May 4, Awuah believes they have already collected about 200.

“By the business department that box is full,” Awuah said. “It looks like people are just dumping them in.”

Drop-off boxes have been placed around campus. Right now there is one by the Coffee Stop, one in the music building by the couches, one on the second floor of Old Main and one in the entrance to the library. However, more boxes will be going up soon.

Additionally, ASU is looking at working with the English Club to get even more books and to work toward greater publicity.

ASU is hoping that this event raises more awareness about who they are and what they do. When they began four years ago, Petnkeu said that African students at Concordia felt a sense of emptiness and wanted a place where they could come together to feel at home.

However, now it has grown into something much more. Over 30 students from many countries across the world are now involved in the organization.

“Basically we just want to bring students from all walks of life together,” Awuah said. “We want to bridge some gaps.”

Petnkeu agreed.

“This is a campus for diversity. We want to be a part of an effort to improve and promote diversity,” he said.

Overall, Awuah and Petnkeu’s dream for this book drive is to give the same gift of education that so many Cobbers already have to those around the world without that same reality.

“There is nothing more important than education, and books are tools that foster the acquisition of knowledge,” Petnkeu said. “A book you discard is something that can help someone else somewhere else in the world.”

Awuah concluded by urging all students to donate what they could.

“When you think about how books change you or give you a haven, the effect that books have on your life, that’s what you should think about when deciding to give books,” she said. “I have been fortunate to have books in my life, and that makes me want to give to other people.”

Photo by Kaia Miller. Concordia student longboarders (from left to right): Philip Rossin, Lars Watkins, Bobby Person, Chris Lundquist, and Eddie O'Byrn.

This article was written by Kaia Miller, a Sports Writer for The Concordian.

Walking down a sidewalk on Concordia campus, it is not unusual to see a skateboarder or longboarder whiz past on his or her way to class. This mode of transportation is a unique and fun way to get moving, but can also be quite a challenge to those just learning how to longboard.

Although boarding may seem intimidating to beginners, friendly faces all around campus are willing to help out and offer a few tips.

“Learn to fall,” sophomore Bobby Person said.

This idea may seem scary, but wearing protective gear can help to lessen any injuries.

“There is a site called theiantilmannfoundation.org that gives free helmets to those who promise to wear them every time they board,” senior Lars Watkins said.

The parents of Ian Tilmann created the Ian Tilmann Foundation after he passed away from a skateboarding accident. This site is especially useful to those who do not have the finances to buy protective gear.

Those who consider learning how to longboard or skateboard should be cautioned first.

“It’s becoming a fad and it’s not actually that easy. You benefit from starting early too,” junior Philip Rossin said.

The best way to learn is to first find a good stance, then learn to push and stop.

“Start in a parking lot or somewhere with flat ground,” junior Chris Lundquist said.

Also, before going out and buying a longboard, ask someone who already owns one to try out theirs.

The sport is no more dangerous than any other; there is always risk of injury when doing any physical activity, but wearing proper protective gear can help to avoid most dangers. Not everyone is made for boarding, but it can be very rewarding with the confidence that is gained and the ability to travel in a new way.

People choose to learn how to board for different reasons.

“My brother was into longboarding and bought me my first longboard,” Watkins said.

Others have started boarding because of friends who enjoyed it or found it to be similar to snowboarding and a good alternative in warm weather. Lundquist has been skateboarding since he was in the third grade and has done it religiously ever since.

Boarding is not just a way to get from class to class either; it is quite a workout.

“You need stamina, and once you get sore you just can’t stop. It will get better,” Lundquist said.

Just like any other activity, it gets better with time and practice.

“Learning how to manage the different kind of muscles in each leg can be a challenge. Your legs can get sore in different places,” Rossin said.

Some of the biggest challenges for boarders are getting over the initial fear of falling, not having brakes and watching out for traffic. That is why it is best to practice in open places like a spacious parking lot.

Once the basic skills are mastered, there are many new challenges that boarding can present to people with a competitive side.

“There is a brand of longboards called Loaded that encourages longboarders to get better at the sport. They post YouTube videos of tricks, and if you film yourself doing those tricks they will give you money towards a new longboard,” Lundquist said.

Another active group for longboarders is called Outlaws, which holds a few different competitions and races in Minnesota each year.

“I’ve been to some with about 80 people there,” Watkins said.

Outlaws is one way to meet other boarders and stay active.

With boarding, some people may assume that they will encounter conflict with other civilians based on the reputation that skateboarding and longboarding have gained in the past. Skateboarding was popular for being an anti-authority activity in the ‘90s.

“A lot of people think everyone on a board is a punk,” Person said.

Boarders are trying hard to stop these negative views.

“We try to be good ambassadors to skateboarding and wave or talk to people in residential areas,” Watkins said.

Friendly little reminders like this to other sidewalk and street users can be an easy step towards acceptance for those who like boarding.

“I made the case once that we’re not any different than a biker,” Rossin said.

Some women may feel discouraged from boarding by the seemingly male-dominated longboard culture on campus. For those women who are afraid to be one of the few, the number of female boarders is growing.

“When I see female longboarders, it’s like, ‘Way to go,’” Person said.

Although it may take a while to become proficient at tricks on longboards and skateboards, some of the best components of boarding are the simplest.

“I like to just cruise,” Rossin said.

Cruising along the sidewalk on a warm day can feel very refreshing.

“My favorite thing from experience is the fact that I know I have complete confidence in myself with my board,” Lundquist said.

The possibilities of this summer are endless. I am so excited my thoughts are discombobulated. I am excited to see people on lawnmowers and the prospect of sleeping past noon without the fear of homework. I am excited to sit down in front of my TV, watch weird movies and grill things. You are looking at a grill master my friends: beef, chicken, whatever you’ve got, I’ll grill it.

Curfew? You have a curfew when you live at home? Sorry, I don’t. I can do what I want. I can watch infomercials until 5:00am. Everyone knows the best infomercials are at 5:00am.

Also, I don’t know about you guys, but I really don’t enjoy living in the middle of nowhere like I do at home. I enjoy being able to walk to Taco Bell, Erberts and Gerbert’s and various other things. I enjoy being able to walk around the prettiest campus ever and be right where my mail is, and getting snacks at the store down the street. I am also jacked to be able to walk on this campus without giant groups of people in my way, and if that’s not enough, I have a bike and I am not afraid to use it.

If you are staying home, I don’t actually hate you. Seriously, I don’t. I have to affirm my friends who are staying up here and make them feel good about themselves. I am glad you’re going to go home and see your old friends, eat other people’s food and have free laundry.

So Concordia, let us move on past these stupid things called finals, those soul-sucking pieces of paper that are holding us back from our grilling, movie-filled summer.

How to move past them you ask? Let us have a chat. First of all, do not forget sleep. There is no amount of studying that will compensate for a good night’s rest. We all forget that, and then the day after we finish our year, we get around 23 hours of straight sleep and feel 1,000 times smarter. Never underestimate the amount of power studying in groups can have on you; you need to remember that other people exist and that they can help you.

Let us go forth, and defeat the world, for at dawn, we ride. FOR NARNIA.

“We have to leave right now, I can’t do this,” she said. “We have to leave.”

Each year, only 50 percent of applicants for accredited internships through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are offered one. Considering that the Wall Street Journal listed dietitian as the 17th best job in the nation for 2012, it’s no shocker that so many people covet these positions. Rising awareness due to Michelle Obama’s nutrition campaign, along with growing diet-related health issues, causes an increased demand for people who, like Ashley, know their food science. But to become a registered dietitian, three things are required: complete an undergraduate degree at an accredited university, complete an internship through an accredited program, and take the RD exam. So far for Ashley: zero down, three to go.

* * *

At age 13, Ashley was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her body wasn’t producing the right amount of insulin on its own, and she was admitted to the hospital. The news devastated her self-esteem; no one will like me, she thought, I’m ugly, she thought, I will never be able to do anything with my life, she thought. She spiraled into depression and struggled with it throughout junior high. But her nurse, a young, beautiful woman, admitted to Ashley that she was also a diabetic. Her perspective changed, and she decided she wanted to help kids with diabetes one day, too. She knew throughout high school that she would study dietetics.

And she did. After four years of rigorous nutrition classes at Concordia College – paying careful attention to grades, developing leadership skills, working long clinical hours at the Hennepin County Medical Center – Ashley submitted her application to the electronic national pool from which interns are selected to fill dietetics positions at medical centers, dietary facilities, and colleges around the country. I deserve this, she thought, Smash Burger resting uneasy in her stomach as she logged in to the online portfolio. She had applied to Rush University in Chicago as her first choice, and all she wanted was for them to select her, too. Without an internship, Ashley or any dietetics major cannot become a Registered Dietitian.

At her computer, her hands shook, and she didn’t want to look; what she would see on the screen would determine the course of her life after graduation in four weeks. Back in Ashley’s freshman year, Betty Larson, the director of Concordia’s nutrition and dietetics program, told her that she might consider changing her goals and switching to track two. That meant that, because of some of Ashley’s early grades, she might not make the internship cut. For most programs, a 3.0 GPA is required to even apply, but most accepted applicants have at least a 3.5. A switch to track two would mean Ashley wouldn’t become an RD but could do other jobs in the dietetics industry, including food service or Women, Infants and Children food programs. She didn’t want to compromise her goal of working with diabetic kids, and so she got motivated.

She developed leadership skills to set herself apart, working with the Campus Entertainment Commission to plan health and wellness events for students. She raised her grades, exiting organic chemistry and anatomy with top grades. She gained professional experience at the Hennepin medical center. Her hard work and fiery spirit earned Ashley the 2012 “Outstanding Senior Award” from the Fargo-Moorhead Dietetic Association. But like everybody else who did their best to qualify themselves, she was stuck, waiting, with a 50-percent chance.

Loading…I deserve this, she thought. Loading…please. ZERO MATCHES.

Shock, initially, then devastation. “I need to calm down,” she said aloud to her roommates. “I need to call Betty.”

So she took a breath, and dialed.

* * *

Betty always goes to the office on match night. Prepared for the worst, hoping for the best, she waits in her second-floor corner office with a list of second options in case any of her “daughters” call. Over the course of four years, Betty has each dietetics student in class at least three or four times. They build relationships, become close. When the phone rang just before 7 p.m., she could tell by the tone in Ashley’s voice.

“We’ll find one,” Betty said, reassuring. “There will be someone who declines an offer, someone who wants a Concordia graduate. We’ll find one.”

Ashley sobbed, hung up, and had cried herself to sleep by 8 p.m.

In the morning, they would start searching for programs that had openings. It’s a complicated process. For a match to be made, two things have to happen.

First, the student must submit her application to a school and list them as one of her top choices, and second, the school must chose to select the student. No interviews are involved. For most programs, hundreds of applications pour in for fewer than 15 spots. If a student lists a school as her third choice, and that school wants her, too, then she’s matched. But if her first choice school offers her a position, and she accepts, then there is an opening at the third choice school for someone else.

Betty received an email on Wednesday from the program coordinator at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. notifying her of an opening in their combined internship and master’s program. Betty thought Ashley might be a fit. Ashley hadn’t listed McNeese as an option because she didn’t think the master’s degree route was one she wanted to take.

“Think about it,” Betty said. “Think about if this is somewhere you want to go. Talk to your parents. And then get back to me.”

“I’ll take it,” Ashley said, thrilled to have somewhere to go after graduation. But Betty, who knows of students who weren’t accepted into dietetics intern programs but then applied for medical school and were accepted, needed Ashley to discern if McNeese was a good fit before taking it. If a student enters a program, and does not finish, that could give the undergraduate institution a bad reputation.

“Think about it,” Betty said.

* * *

In August, Ashley will move to Louisiana just days before her 22nd birthday. From her class of 10 Concordia dietetics majors, she will be one of two to begin a master’s program. She will join nine other students at McNeese, most from La., as they study clinical and community nutrition, with a heavy focus on diabetes. When her 18 months at McNeese are finished, Ashley will be eligible to take the RD exam. She couldn’t have planned it better. And the thing is, she didn’t. In Concordia’s campus center only two weeks before graduating, Ashley’s hazel eyes light up as she talks about it.

“It’s not what I expected, but wow,” she said, “I’m excited.”

President William Craft’s inauguration draws ever closer and, as it approaches, so approaches the arrival of the Concordia College Corporation, Concordia’s final legal authority. Slated for this governing body is a schedule that promises legal business as usual but also a special presentation by a professor and students about a unique and new organization on campus– the Forum on Faith and Life.

Set to assemble April 27, the Concordia College Corporation will once again gather its delegates for the annual meeting to attend to the greater business of the college. The Corporation consists of 135 voting members, all elected from different conference clusters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America branches around Concordia. This is what the Rev. Tom Schlotterback refers to as “the 5 and 5” area. Concordia’s delegates come from 5 synods of the ELCA– Montana, Western North Dakota, Eastern North Dakota, Northwestern Minnesota and Northeastern Minnesota– as well as 5 counties southeast of the Fargo-Moorhead area, which are, for all other purposes, part of the Southwestern Minnesota synod.

The Rev. Robert Quam, who has served 3 congregations that were all corporate members, said that the corporation serves a dual purpose. Besides the legal aspects– the corporation does technically own Concordia– he explained that the corporation becomes a way for the college to hear the concerns of the congregations and vice versa.

“The real importance is maintaining that bridge between the college and the churches of the college,” Quam said.

The assembly of the corporation is scheduled for Friday to allow delegates to stay for Saturday’s inauguration, although the event will not formally be a part of the agenda. For those who cannot remain, an online link to the inaugural address will be available.

However, while the delegates are still around on Friday, Concordia will be showcasing two of its newest developments. The Offut School of Business is on the schedule, but Craft has also asked Jacqueline Bussie to present the Forum on Faith and Life, which she directs.

“They basically want to know, ‘what are the big things going on at Concordia?’” said Blake MacKenzie, a senior who will be presenting to the assembly as a member of the Forum. “I guess, in the past, they’ve kind of inundated [the delegates] with a lot of different goings-on at Concordia, but this year they’re just focusing on these two.”

MacKenzie is co-president of Concordia Better Together, a movement at the college that deals with interfaith dialogue in the college setting. Concordia Better Together originally started as a part of the Forum on Faith and Life, but next year the group hopes to become an independent student organization. MacKenzie will present his story on interfaith dialogues during the session with the delegates on Friday morning, along with Bussie and two other students: Mary Beenken and Anastasia Young.

Young’s story will be a little bit different. After spending the first semester of the year in India, Young came back with a renewed interest in the diversity of religion and became involved in the Forum and Concordia Better Together during second semester to further conversations between people of her own and other faiths. Next year she will be accepting the role of one of two interfaith scholars, a new position on campus that “will primarily deal with getting more students involved in interfaith events on campus as well as further exploring Christianity,” Young said.

MacKenzie’s own story will also reflect the growth he has seen in discussions among members of different faiths in the past year.

“When I came to Concordia four years ago… the interfaith conversation was pretty much nonexistent,” MacKenzie said. “Those conversations happened in certain classrooms and certain settings, but as far as just the general student population talking about it? It wasn’t really a conversation that was happening.”

MacKenzie expects Concordia Better Together to do nothing but grow in the coming years. He says there are about 20 core members in the group, and around 70 to 80 names on the group email list.

It is this growing interest in a more open communication about different faiths that MacKenzie hopes to present to the delegates.

However, he insists that the interfaith dialogue is only part of the Forum’s presentation.

“The Forum on Faith and Life is just serving as a catalyst for something that’s already going on,” MacKenzie said. “That conversation [about Better Together] would have kept happening, it would have kept growing, but not as much if we didn’t have the Forum.”

Young is excited about the receptiveness of the delegates to the idea of an interfaith program.

“I think it’s still new to many people, and to see that this is where the school’s going is something they should see,” Young said. “And we’re really inspired and hopeful that they’ll have a good reaction.”

She did mention, however, that speaking in public to the delegates would be “pretty nerve-wracking.”

MacKenzie agrees that it will be sort of uncomfortable to present this kind of idea but is excited and honored to present nonetheless.

Tom Schlotterback shares none of the students’ trepidations about presenting the idea to the delegates.

“What I said to [the students] was this: ‘These are engaged and caring people who love this college. They deeply want to learn about the college, see how the college is living out its mission in daily life in the world that God so loves,” Schlotterback said. “‘They are here ‘cause they support you. They are not here to assess, to evaluate, to grade, to critique. They are really here to deeply listen and learn from you as students.”

Photo by Rachel Torgerson. Nathaniel Dickey directs the Symphonic Band at their Earth Day concert outside of Francis Frazier Comstock Theatre. This is the first outdoor Earth Day concert the department has performed and was seen as a success by students and faculty.

The Earth Day Concert’s major obstacle was Fargo-Moorhead’s rather unpleasant weather. That, however, proved insignificant as April 20s weather was suitable for the Symphonic Band to perform outdoors in front of the Frances Frazier Comstock Theatre.

“We have had outdoor concerts held before in the summers,” said Nathanial Dickey, director of the Symphonic Band, “and then there is also Cornstock, but this is the first time one of the large ensembles has played outside.”

Anyone passing by between 4:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. would have been shocked at the unusual view of the large ensemble, made up of about 70 students, strumming away.

For this event, Dickey worked with the Student Environmental Alliance, in particular with junior Sarah Vlasak, treasurer of the SEA and bassoonist in the band. Unlike most events on campus, the concert was not one that had been in the pipe lines for a very long time.

“Planning started about a month ago,” Vlasak explained. “But due to logistics, it did not come to play until a week ago.”

Dickey also described the concert as more of a trial run, something that he had been imagining for some time as a result of his experience at Harvard.

“The concert is an experiment,” he said. “I have always thought of having a spring concert here on campus. I was the Assistant Director of Bands at Harvard, and they had Arts First every year.”

He described Arts First as an outdoor festival held every spring dedicated to celebrating the arts.

With the various events planned for Earth Week by SEA, Dickey saw this as a means for this dream to be realized.

Songs performed during the 45-minute concert had no relation to nature or the Earth, but they did include two student compositions: “Unknown” by freshman Jasmine Schafer and “Letting Go” by junior Jared Hoeft.

Dickey said that if the concert was a success, probable future events will contain compositions that would be more relatable to Earth week. He further stated that feedback from students and the audience would be a factor in knowing whether to make it an annual event.

If that is the case, this concert may be held next year as the sizable audience that contained not only students but faculty alike was rather impressed by the event.

Colleen Hyde, a technician in the Biology department, was one such person.

“I loved it. I wish we had more music outside in this area,” she said. “It is nice to get close enough to the band, and you feel more a part of the audience.”

She was also impressed and stated that she was “fascinated with the fact that they linked up with Earth Week, that they decided to honor Earth Day.”

Vlasak also saw the event as a success, especially since it was a first.

“It brought in a diverse group of people, which is what SEA is all about,” she said.

Speaking as a band member and not an SEA member, she also expressed the views of the band on the concert.

“There are people from the band who think it is a good idea,” she said. “They would be more comfortable with the idea if there was more to do with nature.”

The aim for this first Earth Day concert was purely for entertainment purposes, according to Dickey.

“The main thing was to play fun, festive music that will get people entertained,” he said. “A sense of enjoyment of spring and Earth Day.”

That being said, the brilliant weather along with the upbeat music of the Symphonic Band had the audience sprawled out and relaxed on the grass.

“When we do things as a family,” Judith Young said, “we like to go out.”

She sits in the West Acres mall by Lighthouse Coffee. Curly, brown hair hits her just below the shoulder as some gray shows near crest of her forehead. Her oldest daughter, Adele, 22, sits next to her, each holding their steaming drinks in blue styrofoam cups. Her son, Evan, 17, sits across from them, mostly silent but gently offering responses to their direct questions. He draws in a sketchbook, working on a warrior at first until his sister says, “draw me some broccoli,” and he works on the three-inch-by-three-inch sketch for 45 minutes.

This single mother of three has lived in public housing for nearly eight years, and it has allowed her to care for her children’s special needs without sending them into foster care. She has used the system so her kids can escape it, she said.

Her two youngest kids, Amber, 14, and Evan, are still in high school, and Adele is preparing to graduate from Concordia College on May 6. Adele will become the first person in her family to obtain a four-year degree, and she will be the first child to follow mom’s rule that all of her children must attend college immediately after high school and obtain degrees in four years. She made that rule because of her own struggles with career and finances.

“If you have a college degree, that’s something that can never be taken away from you,” she said. “Not getting that degree, especially when [my] kids are so intelligent, and with our limited means, not having it in your tool box is just not OK.”

After high school graduation, Judith’s dad died, and she moved to Grand Forks to be with family. She struggled in college because of his death and ended up dropping out. She completed a two-year degree and had her first child all within a few years of leaving high school. And yet, she dreamed she would find a husband to raise her daughter.

“I thought I would be able to do ‘middle class’ for Adele,” she said. “I really thought that would happen.”

Adele would never need to know the difference, Judith thought. When Adele was one year old, Judith met Jeff. They were married four years later.

Adele had always been a unique and irritable child, but as she was the oldest, Judith had no point of reference. She assumed Adele’s actions were normal. Adele wouldn’t learn until her senior year of college that she was allergic to nearly all meat proteins, but she knew at an early age that meat made her feel sick. One daycare provider required the children to eat all of their food, so Adele pocketed it in her cheeks. At the end of the day, Judith would bring her home to find meat in her mouth from lunch.

A few years after Evan and Amber were born, and the divorce finalized, Judith got her dream job at the as a surgical assistant and returned to Fargo. But what seemed to be a dream job turned out not to have hours conducive for a woman to care for three kids. Judith’s mother had just died two weeks prior to their move, in the same hospital where Judith would be working, and transplanting kids, ages 3, 5 and 10, was a complicated issue.

“I was as much of a mess as an eighth grader could be,” Adele said.

Combined with puberty and anxiety issues, Adele’s lack of comfort in social settings manifested itself in “not so sociable ways,” she said. Her school in Grand Forks valued individualized education, she said, but Fargo was different. It wasn’t as much of a priority, she said, and anxiety about doing the new type of homework resulted in it not getting done.

One day, a math teacher who habitually ignored Adele’s individualized education program made fun of her in front of the class for not completing her homework. That’s when Adele threw a desk at the teacher.

“[Adele’s] favorite game in school was ‘how much can I piss these people off so they tell me to leave?’” Judith said.

“It was a good strategy,” Adele said, shrugging her shoulders.

When Adele received medication, she slept for three days, Judith said. She woke up a whole new person. She no longer crouched or hunched over into herself. Her voice was different.

“There’s no other way to say it,” Judith said, “but it’s like in the Bible when a demon is cast out.”

As Adele began to recover, however, Judith began to see some of Adele’s mysterious behaviors in Evan, and Amber’s physical health continued to be poor. Amber had had the stomach flu and chicken pox within her first few months of life, and she always had any sickness for three times as long as the rest of the family, Judith said.

These growing health problems plus the nearly $30,000 Judith spent every year on child care eventually required her to pull Evan and homeschool him for the year he would have had Adele’s non-IEP-believing math teacher. Not to mention Judith’s awareness of the risks for unwatched teenagers in their neighborhood.

The people who live in their public housing community are genuinely nice, hard-working people, Judith said. Rent is proportional to income, but getting a raise at work is still worthwhile since rent only increases by a fraction of that raise, she said. Parents work, but pre-teens and teenagers often go unsupervised. They can’t be in child care, and they get bored. That’s why she gets her kids away from home: not because the once-innocent faces have turned dangerous, but because kids without a guiding hand more easily find trouble. They drop out of high school. They lead difficult lives by all standards. So Judith has used the system for her kids to be free of it.

“My real job is being a parent,” she said. “I’ve done what it takes to get through.”

She credits her children’s success to scholarships to Trollwood Performing Arts School, financial and emotional support at church, social services in schools and through the government and Concordia’s support of Adele. Public housing helped them pay rent.

Food stamps helped buy food. Trollwood gave Adele an outlet. Every step of the way, they’ve needed everything they’ve had. These three kids would not be graduating from college or consistently lettering in academics. Judith believes they would not even be alive.

“We have pieced together a life,” she said, “and we’re piecing together a future as a family.”

Judith now works at Bank of the West, where she has worked since May 2011. If she can move into a full-time position, she plans to utilize the education benefits to return to school and finish a four-year degree like she requires all of her kids to do. After years of counseling and rebuilding their family, they are finally in a better place. Judith is finally able to pay her bills.

Adele’s recent allergy testing revealed she is allergic or sensitive to wheat, eggs, corn, dairy and most meat proteins as well most environmental allergens, such as trees and mosses. She also has a high-functioning case of Autism Spectrum Disorder, but on May 6, 2012, she will receive the same bachelor’s degree as any other English writing major at Concordia, and her family will be there to see her walk.

Judith pulls out her EBT food stamp card. The outline of North Dakota sits in the upper left corner, filled with pink wild prairie roses, the state flower. Using the card was the biggest source of embarrassment while she needed the aid, she said. But now, she keeps it in her purse as a reminder of the social services that saved her family.

“The whole world can end, and we’ll figure it out,” Adele said. “I’m seriously not afraid of a zombie apocalypse.”

This is it: The end of the year, the end of the line, the end of those ridiculous research papers most of us have been trying to write. If you think endings are hard, try writing a meaningful last editorial. I was reading my predecessors’ final editorials earlier this week for inspiration, and most of them were kind of lugubrious (with the exception of the one written by Adam Voge, my immediate predecessor, who wrote about freedom. But he was kind of a weird dude, and I mean that endearingly). I personally deal with grief by being ridiculous, so lugibrity (new word!) will not be what you get now.

Here are some of the liberal and/or artsy things I learned during my time at Concordia:

• Sometimes Prexy’s Pond produces four-legged ducks. Chemicals in the water, people, chemicals in the water.
• When in doubt, school-owned instruments can usually be fixed with scotch tape.
• The bell tower never actually rings on time (but what is “on time,” really? Ooh! See, my liberal arts critical thinking/penchant for subversion of convention at work!)
• No matter how much time you try to give yourself before class, the Maize printer will never work when you need it to. Editor’s Note: Just give it some love. After all, it might save your life someday during the robot uprising. -Ryan Bloom, Web Editor
• Ending sentences with prepositions is probably ok after all, since somebody just made that rule up arbitrarily to begin with—and coming from an editor-in-chief, that’s advice you can count on. Copy Editor’s Note: Lies. Your academic papers will not be taken seriously. I’ll still love you, but your professors might not. Also, I might cringe. -Carrie Johansen, Copy Editor
• If you can’t think of a way to get people to come to your event, advertise with cats and offer food.
• Sometimes, the best time to leave a place that you love is just when you feel you have come to love it most—it’s bittersweet, or perhaps just straight-up painful, but at least you don’t have time to burn out. And sometimes, no matter how much you may long for another year, you have to recognize that some of the people who made this place what you love are graduating with you (and I don’t just mean students), and it’s time for somebody else to make it their school.

Now, get back to work. It’s finals week, and if you’ve legitimately read this far you’re probably procrastinating on something. Good night, good luck, godspeed.

And thank you.

Peace—and I mean that with all my heart—homes,

Mary Beenken, Editor-in-Chief

As I write this column I stand at the edge of a vast canyon. With my time at Concordia nearly done, everything that I have come to know and love during the past four years is suddenly about to end, with the future seeming like a scary black void, filled with uncertainty. If you’re like me, one of the many graduating without a definite plan in the works, things can be daunting and very intimidating. Naturally, at times like this there’s nothing that I’d rather do than run in the opposite direction. But all good things come to an end, regardless of how hard we try to prevent them from slipping away from us.

Like all seniors, during my time here at Concordia I’ve had the chance to learn lots of valuable lessons, things that I find too important to keep to myself and not share with you. While everyone’s college experience is truly unique, I’ve found that there are several unifying themes that can bridge our differences and bind us together. Thus, I will now transition to each senior’s obligatory list of advice that I hope you will consider during your remaining time at Concordia.

First, and probably not surprisingly, get involved. Find a club, organization or activity that can connect you to others that share your passion and interest in the greater campus or Fargo-Moorhead communities. Aside from the tangible benefits like resume padding and friend-gaining, being involved can provide you the necessary time to disconnect from the stress of classes and pursue something completely different. By no means am I preaching that everyone to go and audition for the choir or try and be on Residence Life staff or the Homecoming Committee. Those organizations are all well and fine, but the key is to find a group that provides meaning to you. Does that mean that it has to be a campus-sponsored organization? Absolutely not. Should you find that there’s a group of you that simply like watching “Veronica Mars” on Friday nights or having thought-provoking conversations in Atomic Coffee, more power to you. Think outside the box in terms of involvement. If you don’t feel at home in the group you’re in right now, there’s no shame in looking for something else. The key is to not overwhelm yourself. Concordia has so many options for getting involved, it’s easy to sign up for everything. Instead, be proactive in your choices. Like the old saying goes, “quality is better than quantity.”

Somewhat related, always remember that you don’t have to be friends with absolutely everyone. Although I encourage you to be social and participate in Concordia’s strong community, strive to find and forge strong friendships. Friends should be those that help challenge your beliefs, expose you to new experiences and provide a shoulder to lean on. Just like that clichéd line says, to have a friend you need to be a friend. Be willing to go that extra mile for those you are closest to when they need you. Take the opportunity to not only use these friendships to explore aspects of others, but also see how your friendships help you learn about yourself.

Also, try and take courses that you know will challenge you. Concordia is blessed to have strong liberal arts expectations built into the Core Curriculum. Although we all may complain about having to take so many different classes, realize how much better of a scholar you will be because of it. Find professors and courses that interest and test you, and those that will help you to make connections to issues going on outside of the classroom.

Finally, don’t take anything (especially yourself) too seriously. Give yourself a chance to have fun every now and then (responsible fun of course). Stay up ridiculously late watching YouTube videos with your roommate, go to Kroll’s on Shakey Mondays and, by all means, don’t worry about embarrassing yourself when having fun. Take time to be yourself and keep things in perspective so you don’t sweat the small stuff.

That’s all that I can think of at the moment. Of course there are literally hundreds of other things that I wish I could have included, but these seem to sum up the experience the most. By all means, if you take anything from my column this year I would hope that it’s the importance of the day to day. Sure life is full of milestones, but in the end it’s the funny things that can happen to us at Target or when crossing 8^th Street that can define us. I challenge you to find ways to savor even the most mundane aspects of your daily routine, because before you know it, your time here will be gone.

Live long, and prosper. Soli Deo Gloria.

Although graduation is an exciting moment for most people, it also means that people are going to be separated after a long time of bonding and creating emotional ties. Just like when you left home and high school friends for college, your graduation means people are going to miss you. The only hope is that we will finally have a reunion, bump into each other at some random place or keep on creeping on each other’s Facebook walls to see what each of us is up to.

Goodbye is such a simple word, yet it is usually associated with heartbreak. It means we are going to miss all those awesome moments we spent eating in DS. It means saying goodbye to fun Thursday nights spent at Mick’s Office (aka Cobber Bar) and the OB or wonderful Monday nights spent in worship at The Remedy and Chapel. How about those moments you invited us to your apartments to have homemade meals and just hang out to have fun. Most importantly, the mentor role you played. Whether you acknowledge it or not, as a senior you somehow created bonds and played a mentor role to a junior, sophomore or freshmen and you will be missed for that. However, it’s time for us to say, “Adios amigos.”

Some members of the older generation have accused our age group of being apathetic to the world around us—perpetually engulfed in social media and selfish thought. Make it your mission to prove them shortsighted. As a Concordia graduate, you are one of the best and brightest students in the world. Prove that you are worthy of that title. Challenge what is on the surface and dig deeper while thinking about life (especially politics). Take the time to consider the concept of the Tragedy of the Commons, which states that individually logical decisions can add up to a final outcome that is negative for all parties involved. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, Google it—it takes seconds.

Finally, congratulations for maneuvering the four years of rigorous academic work, which is a great achievement. Remember to wear your Cobber ring during job interviews! We wish you the best in all your endeavors. We hope that Concordia was able to equip you with all the tools to BREW. We just say, “Hasta la vista Amigos”

“They have nothing,” she said, “but they have so much hope.”

Thiele received the award for her embodiment of Concordia’s heart of service and living a Christian life, most notably in service in Haiti. She will be on campus during graduation weekend and will host the Senior Farewell Banquet on Friday, May 4 with President William and Anne Craft and the Office of Alumni Relations. But Thiele isn’t used to being the center of attention: the work stems from her nurturing personality and her habit of simply caring.

When Thiele graduated from Concordia with a degree in nursing, she didn’t set out to save the world. She thought she’d be married and have a family by this time. And while she had a passion for people and justice, she never imagined she would co-found a non-profit dedicated, as the Haiti Mission Project Website says, to sharing “God’s love and hope in Haiti.”

Until she recently switched churches to attend with her fiancé, John Dols, Thiele attended Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minn., where she worked with the youth program. After one uninvolved teen committed suicide about eight years ago, the leaders made a conscious effort to get teens who were not regularly attending more involved. Thiele noticed that there was a group being overlooked: the children of pastors, leaders and other highly involved church members. She began mentoring students and still does today.

Physical challenges during one youth group trip to Washington, D.C. wouldn’t have allowed Nick, a boy with cystic fibrosis, to attend. However, because Thiele is a nurse, she was able to talk to Nick’s parents and work with him on the trip. He currently attends the University of Minnesota, and they still meet up monthly for lunch.

It wasn’t until she was approaching her 30th birthday, a milestone that pushed her to check off a few items on her bucket list, that she ran a half-marathon and went on her first mission trip. The half marathon was an unpleasant experience—“never again,” she said— but the trip to Haiti ignited a fire. During the trip, the group built an orphanage, visited children’s hospitals and other orphanages and had daily time for individual devotionals.

“My heart was totally captured,” she said.

Near-constant political upheaval, hurricanes, earthquakes, food scarcity and feces-contaminated water fill the Haitian life. Diplomats have called Haiti a “failed state.” Four out of five Haitians live in poverty, according to an April 2, 2012 article in the New York Times, and more than half live in abject poverty. Barren, over-farmed land washes into the sea as food prices skyrocket on the tiny island.

“It would never be acceptable to anyone here,” she said. “It is disheartening.”

When Thiele returned from Haiti after that first trip, the culture shock created a sense of numbness. She was overwhelmed by happiness, sadness and gratefulness. She was so overwhelmed that she had difficulty functioning in this life of affluence, an average American life of running water and predictable meals, a life with technology and expendable income.

“I couldn’t believe that 300 miles off the coast of Florida life could be so different,” she said.

She was grateful to be alive.

Her early trips were primarily construction-oriented, but then she was in Haiti during the 2010 earthquake that left the country in shambles. She joined with other missionaries to organize a field hospital and pharmacy and provide medical care to hundreds of wounded people, said Beth McHoul, director of the Heartline Maternity Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She worked 16-hour days in the field hospital’s pharmacy but still made silly signs and baskets of candy to make the pharmacy fun.

“She created an atmosphere of order but lightness,” McHoul said in an email nominating her for the Award. “She created a sanctuary during those dark days of non-stop chaos.”

As a nurse at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minn., she works in labor and delivery. Since the earthquake, she has been transferring her professional skills in America to her service in Haiti. She now helps women by working in a women’s program at the Heartline Maternity Center. She works in prenatal and child development classes, and she even came down with gifts, according to McHoul.

Thiele is loved for who she is, and her co-workers recognized her as an outstanding nurse who goes above and beyond what is necessary when they awarded her the Sarah Harrison Knight award in 2005. She also received the 2009 Community Service award for her excellent work with patient care and her community service that overcomes social barriers. Yet, even after two awards that recognized her service, she is still not used to the spotlight shining on her.

“People go ‘Haiti equals Joanna, Joanna equals Haiti,’” Thiele said, “but I’m just a small drop in the ocean.”

This June she will leave for her 15^th visit in the last seven years, and the shock that used to last for days has become much more bearable, she said. Counseling has helped her develop tools to manage the disparity between a day here and a day in Haiti.

Back home in Plymouth, Minn., Thiele is currently planning her wedding.

She and John Dols have been together since last Christmas when her co-worker, Dols’ dad, realized they have all the same passions.

“He does Africa,” Thiele said.

Dols goes to Africa every other year for five weeks, but he has never been to Haiti. Thiele goes to Haiti about twice each year and usually is gone for a week at a time. They value remaining themselves, something that many couples lose when they meld two lives into one. And while they both hope to visit the other’s country of passion, it’s a dream that live in the future.

In 2006, Dols received St. Norbert College’s equivalent to the Sent Forth Award in recognition for his work in Africa since graduating from St. Norbert, Thiele said. He is currently an assistant principal and campus minister at Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Minn., but students approach him as if he were a friend, Thiele said.

“Our passions just line up,” she said, smiling and shrugging her shoulders.

Ten years out, Thiele hopes to be living a life very similar to her current life. She and Dols will be invested in their local community and reaching out to those who often slip through the cracks in society. They plan to live in North Minneapolis where there are many opportunities for them to be purposeful about outreach, she said.

“Another adult being a positive influence on someone’s life,” she said, “it can never be bad.”

Photo by Rachel Torgerson. The Higher Education Reauthorization Act is a federal law that impacts classroom hour and seat time requirements. Concordia is currently not meeting seat time requirements and changes will be made to correct this in the future.

It is 10:00 p.m. on a Monday, and a class of students files tiredly out of Bishop Whipple, completing their weekly class commitment. Though many leave the classroom sleepy, junior Elise Dukart does not mind the long stretch on a Monday night.

“Night classes are nice because they are only one night of the week,” she said. “The lateness doesn’t bother me. I think the time is better than a morning class.”

Though some students do not mind night classes, which have been around for years, the agenda for them, as well as May seminars, might change in the future because of the Higher Education Reauthorization Act.

The federal law change impacts classroom hour and seat time requirements. Concordia is legally required to reevaluate seat hours for classes like night classes because the campus is not currently meeting seat time requirements. This could mean enforcing attendance during finals periods, requiring students to show up to finals blocks even if they are not required to take an in-class final. Other options include longer night classes in the future.

“It is hard to predict where it will go in the future. Daytime classes will stay the same,” said Carol Pratt, chair member and associate professor of biology. “One concern is that night classes that do not have significant seat time are proposed to increase, but faculty senate voted that down.”

Alternative solutions proposed by the committee include demonstrating stricter learning requirements or providing co-ops to ensure learning requirements are being met. Other solutions include having night classes twice a week.

Other alternative programs where credit is earned are a little more ambiguous.

“It’s sort of trying to be one size fits all, and one size does not fit all… Faculty would need to document the out-of-class work time.” Pratt said. “My assumption is that Concordia is never going to get audited about these guidelines, but if we do, we need to be prepared.”

In general, though, big changes are being made and standards reexamined, not much will change for the average student. When commenting on homework, Provost Dr. Mark Krejci noted in an interview, “We already…give you plenty of homework as it is… We expect a lot out of you, and we want you to get the best education possible.”

The change in seat time, though it will affect students, is nothing to stress too much about.

Josh Willingham has made his presence known by hitting with power. He is in the top ten players for each of the offensive categories and had a hitting streak for the first fifteen games of the season, tying Kirby Puckett’s record. So far, he has been a great upgrade for both Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. Willingham’s bat has been the most important factor in the number of wins the Twins have had so far.

It is great to see that Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are healthy, playing often and even producing runs. They both could be doing better, but the season is still early. Their productivity is crucial for the Twins’ success this year, but we can win with or without them. We can do this because of Ryan Doumit.

Doumit is currently our backup catcher, occasional right-fielder, option to play first and designated hitter at times. He is the utility player we now need since Cuddyer left us. His ability to play catcher and outfield makes him an asset that we underappreciate.

So far, his bat has been weak. It took him two weeks before he hit his first homerun. But he is the player who will dictate how well our team does this year. I claim this because Joe Mauer cannot catch every single day. On average, an MLB catcher only catches 140 games of the 162. Mauer will catch a lot less because of his recovering injury from bilateral leg weakness. Therefore, Doumit will get the remainder starts.

There simply is no replacing Doumit this year. His backup to catch is Drew Butera, whose batting average last year for the Twins was a whopping .167 and just 23 RBI’s in 93 games.  Butera was not the reason for last year’s woes, but he definitely was a bleeding wound that needed to be clotted. If Doumit hits only his career average of .271 with 71 RBI’s, he will already have generated 48 more runs than his replacement. That is the difference between last place and second place in the division; it has happened before.  So Doumit alone stands as the key. He will make the difference this year if we are in last place, or have a chance at the postseason.

The rest of the team does not need to have career years for us to win the Central Division. Our pitching staff needs to get the team’s ERA lower than the league average, which they had been for a decade before last year.

We also need to average at least one homerun a game; last year we only hit 101 in 162 games. It would help if Mauer and Morneau returned to their MVP selves, but if they just put up their career averages for the whole season we should have a chance.

Just watch out for Doumit because he will be the reason we are winning or losing.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Concordia brought two National Book Award winners to campus about a month ago. During the authors’ visit, they discussed their writing as well as themes from their own lives that they use to inspire their own poems and stories. Socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexuality and immigration were all topics discussed. However, one thing I noticed was the prevalence of bullying as a topic in both authors’ writing. Finney focused on GLBTQ and racial bullying while Lai focused on the immigrant’s perspective of bullying. The school and administration funded and publicized these authors and recognized the importance of hearing what these author’s opinions about contemporary issues in the United States are.

However, when students and faculty of the school decided to make an “It Gets Better” video, the same enthusiasm was not shown. The “It Gets Better” campaign describes, on its website, its mission thus: “to show LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone – and it WILL get better.” To date, the administration of Concordia College has not acknowledged or backed the message the short video tries to share. “It Gets Better” is a global attempt to lower suicidal thoughts and actions on the part of those who have been singled out and picked on. Concordia’s video does just the same. A positive message is shared, telling those who are struggling that it does, in fact, get better.

This isn’t a cry to our administration to recognize the Straight and Gay Alliance’s work. We’ve already achieved recognition with over 6,000 views of the video on YouTube alone as well as secured a spot on the “It Gets Better” Project’s website. This is a public letter asking the school why they won’t stand behind a message of hope for those who are struggling with their identity and place in the world.

The school currently has a YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter feed. I, as well as many others, would like to see the video on these social networks, announcing to the public that Concordia College is a place where we recognize the struggle of identity formation and realize the importance of every person’s life. Mark Hanson, an ELCA bishop, has also backed this mission. We should do the same.

The support from students and faculty is overwhelming. I, myself, have been approached by numerous staff and faculty commending me for what we have accomplished.

SAGA has also received emails from guidance counselors in two different school districts who said they loved our video and shared it with their students. Why wouldn’t Concordia College want to support this message, especially when so many people find their place here?

What’s hard for me to reconcile is that we belong to a school which touts rhetoric about being globally engaged and inclusive. But at the same time, they do not show public support for a project which does exactly what our mission statement calls us to do.

In a world that is rapidly progressing towards more inclusivity, I sincerely hope that Concordia College is not taking a step backward when it should be stepping forward.

When I was eight years old, I got a globe for Christmas. I still have it; it’s not particularly fancy, but it has the raised areas for mountains and all the countries with their major cities. More than ten years later, what interests me most is that my globe, this map of our planet, is out of date. In only a decade, countries have split and been created, and slowly but surely, the physical face of the earth changes as islands grow and humans continue to shape the planet.

My little obsolete globe is a great reminder of the change that we are constantly faced with. Change is one of the hardest things for people to deal with, yet ironically, it may be the one true constant in our lives. A lot of times we see change as foreboding or ominous—something that we need to grapple with and tailor to our expectations.

However scary it may be, change can be good for you and a necessary part of life. Change of scenery, pace, friends, career and any combination of the above can be pretty jarring, but it also forms much of what we see of ourselves (psychologists measure this with “life change units,” which won the “Most unsciencey name ever” senior superlative). This time of year is one where no matter who you are, change is coming quickly. The next few weeks will see change in work load, finals schedule, the percent of your income rerouted towards buying caffeine and then the abrupt release of summer break. The end of the school year challenges us to cope with huge changes to our everyday lives.

Here’s where I offer a toast to the senior class—to all of you who have been asked “what are your plans for the real world?” and “What jobs have you applied for?” too many times to count already. You all have been my friends and friends to many during your time here, something that never gets said enough and something for which it is often hard to show the appreciation deserved. We genuinely want you to succeed in your next endeavors because we are the next to followm, and we want to learn from you. Thank you for putting on a brave face while looking forward in the face of a whirlwind of monumental life changes.

To underclassmen, learn from those graduating next week. Many of them have gone through the same changes you are about to embark upon and have more to say than I do on the subject. Also, be aware that before you feel ready, you will be the one influencing the younger students and leading them through the massive changes ahead. It’s a big responsibility, but you’re up to the task.

In short, your world is ever changing, whether you mean for it to happen or not. Ignore change and it will pass you by. Keep up with it, however, and you will be able to get the most our of your experience here and the real world.

This phenomenon is not confined to my clubs, or even to Concordia. For over a decade, nation-wide, participation in civic organizations, political campaigns, churches, neighborhood interaction and even family time has declined. In his book, “Bowling Alone,” Robert Putnam explored this phenomenon and came to the conclusion that “The bonds of our communities have withered, and we are right to fear that this transformation has very real costs.”

One of the most common explanations for the migration away from traditional social organizations lies in new, virtual organizations. Facebook, Twitter, and other “social” media, some claim, distract from or replace old-fashioned, in-person relationships. I fear that this is perhaps too simple—people, if in smaller numbers, are still involved in many things. In fact, just this year The Concordian has published stories that discuss increased strain on the Counseling Center caused by overi-involvement and the success of vibrant student initiatives as Cobbers prove that they are, without doubt, involved on some level.

Could it be that typical Cobber over-commitment is actually resulting in less engagement? Perhaps. Or maybe it’s just a sign that, societal trend or not, we’re just tired. We give ourselves excuses: maintaining our ties and responsibilities to so many organizations is simply exhausting–and besides, there’s homework, practice and work. We tell ourselves that as long as we still know what our friends are up to via tweets, maybe meeting attendance isn’t so important.

There is hope. Following the publication of “Bowling Alone,” Putnam continued to study the phenomenon of social interactions between people and concluded that, just maybe, Americans were actually simply re-defining social relationships. Digital relationships are no doubt one way this happens—Facebook, it seems, does not completely isolate us and erode our interactions. In fact, it probably does the opposite in many cases. But digital relationships, for any merit and strength they carry, cannot ultimately accomplish as much as true action and interaction.

Maintaining strong organizations on campus remains vital to the success of any education at Concordia. The importance of social networking and digital interaction shouldn’t be ignored or avoided, for they have many boons. But it takes actual involvement—actual participation—to meaningfully accomplish much that is worth accomplishing. So get off the computer, get our of your comfort zone and show up for a meeting or two. You may even forge a few real-life relationships along the way.

Peace Homes,

Mary Beenken, Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Zach Forstrom. The Fargo Theatre served as the red carpet for Concordia's English Film and Literature Capstone course, taught by professor Dr. Dawn Duncan, that showed four short films.

On Sunday April 15^th, the lights go down in the Fargo Theatre; the audience, comprised of Concordia students, family and community members, excitedly waits to view the short films created by the students of the English Film and Literature Capstone course. The course, which includes students from many majors including German and science, brings twenty-two students together to study film, adaptation and reception theory before applying what they had learned to create film projects of their own.

The Fargo Theatre event was the public premiere of the Capstone projects. The class divided into four groups with their final projects of adaptations from William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and “reFracTion,” a film adaptation based on the one-act play “Legend” by Floyd Dell. Other groups used “The Interlopers” by Saki and “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe.

Each group was given the freedom to choose the short story they worked on, and then they created the storyboard and film angle/adaptation. The groups were also given no budget, and they had to be creative problem solvers to avoid legal copyright issues and create props and scenarios.

The group that worked on the film adaptation of “The Interlopers” admitted that some aspects were difficult to film with no budget, as their storyboard included a tree falling on the two protagonists and an end appearance by a pack of wolves. The group relied on implied actions, the expressions of the actors and also their soundtrack to portray the features they could not film visually. Instead of getting a shot of wolves approaching the protagonists at the end, the group chose to focus on the protagonist’s face and his crazed laughter while wolf noises are heard in the background.

“The plan with the laughing was because of the wolves, one of the challenges to get the audience to realize, with zero budget,” junior Tom Knowlton said.

The props and locations used in the films were varied and pulled greatly from the community and various other resources.

“We used my parent’s house,” said senior Ben Jacobson, describing the filming location of “Masque of the Red Death.” “It worked really well because there is a giant field in the yard, which we needed.”

Other props included masquerade masks, a portrait of Dr. Edward Schmoll and homemade blood.

Most of the short film adaptations were darkly filmed and played with ambiguous endings, though each group was unique in its project and adaptation of the short story. The genres of the four films ranged from Gothic to Romantic. The group who worked on “reFracTion” took a very romantic take on their film.

English professor Dawn Duncan was very interested in some interpretations during the storyboard development stage, especially with “reFracTion,” which she interpreted very differently from the group to which the story was assigned.

“I thought Luke [the protagonist] was a swine, but we were presented with a clearly romantic interpretation and, you know what, the screenplay actually reads better than a more cynical adaptation would have,” Duncan said.

Other groups, such as the one who worked on “A Rose for Emily,” wanted to do something darker. When junior Katie Carstensen’s roommate introduced her to the story, Carstensen and her group was intrigued by the story’s dark tale of love and its power to drive people over the edge. They used a mockumentary style film and haunting piano melodies by Chopin to portray the dark story on camera.

Duncan wanted her capstone class to take advantage of the growing film-world opportunities, connecting film projects at a global level from both an artistic expression and international business perspective. With film equipment becoming more affordable and technology becoming more easily accessible, the independent film industry is blooming and becoming more local. While Fargo has a budding independent film community, the capstone class took advantage of the growing interest in independent filmmaking.

“I am a film freak. Whether I’m watching them in the theater, at home, or on a computer, I knew that there are people out there, younger than me, doing these things. It’s centrality to the arts and we are thankful,” Duncan said about her student’s films and the budding independent film industry.

Though the class admits that the learning experience the capstone course offered was intense, it was also exciting and collaborative, and all of the proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to the upkeep of the Fargo Theatre.

That is my typical response whenever I see or hear about an absurdity in our neighbor state and do not feel like justifying it (which occurs at least weekly). The latest absurdities—proposed amendments to the state’s constitution—are mind-boggling and worthy enough for me to sit down and write about them.

Earlier this week, I attended an event at North Dakota State University called Politics on the Plains. This event featured two candidates for the state’s legislature, a Fargo City Commission candidate, social science faculty and several other local leaders affiliated with various non-profits. At the event, I learned quite a bit about North Dakota politics, including Measure 2 and Measure 3: two of four ludicrous proposed referenda that will be coming to a ballot box near you this June.

Measure 2, the North Dakota Property Tax Amendment, is the more well known of the two and would eliminate all property taxes throughout the state. With the elimination of property taxes, the amendment would require local municipalities to go to the state legislature whenever they need, say, a bridge repair or more funds for their schools. Keep in mind, North Dakota’s legislature meets once every other year and most local structural improvements are funded by property taxes. As a result, this amendment would disproportionally affect rural communities that are unable to use funds locally for structural improvements.

However, North Dakota is not hurting for cash, and many people (at least 25,000, the number of signatures required for an amendment to appear on the ballot) believe they are throwing their money away by paying property taxes.

Yet, clearly people from both sides of the political aisle recognize the absurdity of Measure 2. Andy Peterson, the president of the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, has called the amendment “an extremist measure.”

Next up is Measure 3, or the Religious Freedom Amendment.

The referendum appears on the ballot in the following form:

“Government may not burden a person’s or religious organization’s religious liberty. The right to act or refuse to act in a manner motivated by a sincerely held religious belief may not be burdened unless the government proves it has a compelling governmental interest in infringing the specific act or refusal to act and has used the least restrictive means to further that interest. A burden includes indirect burdens such as withholding benefits, assessing penalties, or an exclusion from programs or access to facilities.”

The vagueness of “sincerely held religious beliefs” is very troubling. Walk into a pharmacy with a birth control prescription from your family physician and the pharmacist can simply say, meh, I can’t help you out because it is against my religion; it is a burden. Or, for example, a gay couple in need can be refused food or assistance at a shelter, just because homosexuality goes against the religious beliefs of a person in power at the shelter.

Statewide, Catholics and affiliated family alliances have rallied behind the proposed amendment. One of the main supporters of Measure 3 is Bishop Samuel Aquila of the Diocese of Fargo. Neither the Bishop’s Office nor the North Dakota Family Alliance (NDFA) immediately responded to a request for comment for this piece.

According to the NDFA blog, the urgency for passing the amendment this year is because of contraceptives.

“We can’t wait,” Tom Freier, Executive Director of the NDFA, writes “As we see an administration…by government mandate, forcing religious organizations to provide contraceptives, sterilization drugs, and abortifacients in violation of sincerely held religious beliefs. These attacks are on our religious liberty. We need protection, and we need it now.”

I’m not sure how Freier connects the dots, yet one thing is clear: North Dakotan conservative religious groups are using fear to bring people to the ballot box to support an unnecessary amendment that would undoubtedly hurt more people than it would help.

Just imagine if these groups used the same amount of energy to focus on real problems in the state, such as the approximately 1,000 Fargoans that stay in local shelters each night. From focusing on housing to health, it seems nearly anything is more fruitful than a rights-infringing constitutional amendment.