Some snow graffiti I saw at St. OlafDecember 1, 2011 7:35 AMBy Alex FriedrichI’m walking through campus and find juniors Meghan Bodie (sociology-anthropology) and Christine Franzel (biology) stamping out some figures in the snow. Apparently it’s World AIDS Day, and the duo just wanted us to know about it. It’s not just a passing fancy — and it tells something about the student body. Franzel is a member…
Who goes to chapel at St. Olaf College — and whyDecember 1, 2011 7:12 AMBy Alex FriedrichI’m walking through campus, and around 11 a.m. I hear the Boe Memorial Chapel bells ringing. I head in to find several dozen students, faculty and administrators in the pews. Junior music and psychology major Catherine Oliver tells me these late-morning chapels aren’t full services, just 30 minutes or so of singing, music, and usually…
Where Oles sleep and hang outDecember 1, 2011 6:42 AMBy Alex FriedrichWhen it comes to late-evening socializing and partying at St. Olaf College, it all seems to be about the dorms. Almost everyone lives on campus, either in the dormitories or in “honor houses” on the outskirts. (The administration “encourages” students to dorm it, spokesman David Gonnerman told me, and a student said you have to…
Play3min 41secShort on cash, school districts will borrow to meet expensesDecember 1, 2011 4:00 AMBy Tom WeberMore than two dozen metro-area school districts say they will have to borrow money this year to meet cash flow needs — and this year's state budget is to blame.
How Oles leave their backpacks just hanging aroundDecember 1, 2011 3:31 AMBy Alex FriedrichAs I walk out of the dining hall, I see book bags strewn around both sides of the walkway. To my right I see rows of cubby holes, but they’re only partially filled. And the ones farther on down the hall are completely empty. Spokesman David Gonnerman says students usually just leave their bags on…
Why a winter's morning at St. Olaf is like a vacationDecember 1, 2011 3:20 AMBy Alex FriedrichWhen I arrive at St. Olaf College, it’s 6:30 a.m. and still completely dark. As I head to Stav Dining Hall in Buntrock Commons for breakfast, I look around campus at all the old buildings, all sprinkled with snow. I feel more like I’ve arrived at a mountain resort and lodge, not a college. Buntrock…
Visiting the Oles todayNovember 30, 2011 11:40 PMBy Alex FriedrichToday I’ll be visiting Northfield’s St. Olaf College. This liberal arts school is known for, among other things, its Norwegian history, Lutheran faith, strength in music, and its beautiful campus — one of the prettiest in the state, I hear. And food. It apparently has some of the best food of any college in the…
Play3min 42secLawmakers unlikely to heed call to cut grants for students at for-profit collegesNovember 30, 2011 4:39 PMBy Tim PostLawmakers aren't likely to take up the issue in the next session, but that could change if the state's lawsuit against a for-profit college is successful.
Metro schools to borrow $382M in lieu of delayed state fundsNovember 30, 2011 12:37 PMBy Tom WeberMore than two dozen metro-area school districts expect they'll borrow nearly $382 million this year to meet cash flow.
Video: Bright Ideas' forum on financing collegeNovember 30, 2011 6:58 AMBy Alex FriedrichIn case you missed our coverage of the MPR Bright Ideas forum on how to get a good, affordable education, here’s the video (above) and the transcript (below). ***********FULL TRANSCRIPT*************** Stephen Smith: This is “Bright Ideas: Fresh Thoughts on Big Issues” from Minnesota Public Radio News. I’m Stephen Smith. Each month we invite a guest…