A new social activism minor, and cuts within the world languages and cultures department and classical studies department; changes in Concordia’s offered majors and minors. This year a new minor, social activism, is being offered. “Social activism is an interdisciplinary minor that provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge to assist them in enacting social…
Concordia enrollment rises above the rest
The number of freshmen and international students at Concordia is growing, thanks to new enrollment and recruiting strategies. This year’s class of freshmen and incoming transfer s is up 5.4 percent. This year there are 546 in the freshmen class, compared to 522 last year. According to Karl Stumo, vice president for Enrollment and Marketing…
Concordia’s alcohol policy to change
In a move that is bringing good news to upperclassman, the longstanding prohibition of the possession and consumption of alcohol on Concordia’s campus is getting an update. Students who are of legal age will be permitted to have alcohol in their apartments following their return to campus in January 2017, in accordance with a decision…
Writing from the heart: Singer-Songwriter PJ performs at Concordia
The bass drops and the crowd screams, eardrums and hearts vibrating with the beat. PJ comes out on stage. She crouches and waves her arms as her crisp, high voice floats above the beat, diving down every so often to duet with the bass. Singer/songwriter PJ just started touring. She has been to Arizona, the…
Refugees face long, grueling process
In February 2014, Faris Alghanimi left his job in Bagdad, escaping the danger of the Taliban to face a new challenge: The U.S. immigration system. Alghanimi was born in Iraq and lived in Bagdad most of his life. In 2011 he began to feel he was no longer safe in his country. In May, he…
A not-so-natural process: becoming a U.S. citizen
Sun glistened through the windows of Concordia College’s Centrum on April 4, adding brightness to an already joyous occasion. More than 216 New Americans were about to realize their long-held dreams—to become U.S. citizens. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website, the U.S.A. naturalizes 680,000 new U.S citizens each year. These new…
Resettlement starts with access to screenings and healthcare
Dipshikha Dahal, the refugee coordinator at Family HealthCare center, enters the birth date, Social Security number and address of the refugee sitting across from the desk from her, an Iraqi refugee dressed in a black hijab and a long dress that covers everything but her face. She came to Fargo alone. She quietly states the…
News media influence perceptions of refugee resettlement
The telephone rings. On the other end of the line is an employee of the Mason-Dixon Polling and Research firm. “Do you support or oppose the continued resettlement of refugees in the Fargo-Moorhead area? Do you support or oppose public funds being used for refugee resettlement programs, such as cash assistance? Do you feel the…
Opponents petition against refugee resettlement
Damon Ouradnik knows his opinion is a controversial one – the arena of social media comment boards can attest to that – but he also knows he can’t be the only person opposed to refugee resettlement in his state of North Dakota. By the looks of it, he has at least 3,287 people backing him….
New American students succeed with help from education programs
Nirmala Rai remembers the day she arrived in Fargo from a refugee camp in Nepal. It was Nov. 11, 2011. She remembers the yellow and orange leaves, and it feeling so cold outside that she thought she would throw up. In a short story she wrote this past semester for class at Fargo South High…








