SCSU News Archives - University Chronicle

February 4, 2017 News/SCSU News

Education Abroad offers more good than bad

During a time where chaos seems to reign supreme in the world and college debt scares more than a fraction of students, studying abroad is not high on everyone’s list. Although you have to sometimes shell out more than you would like for an opportunity to study in a foreign country opposed to going on a vacation to that place, the benefits when you return seem to be more heavily in your favor. “Study abroad boosts students self-confidence and helps them find their place in the world,” Peggy Johnson-Finnerty, Associate Director of Education Abroad at SCSU said. “[It] pushes students in a good way to learn.” Immersing yourself in another culture with a language barrier bodes well for many students who are working on improving their skill set. “The Chile program here at St. Cloud State is where many students go to improve their Spanish,” Johnson-Finnerty said. Kate Fearing, a… Keep Reading

December 7, 2016 News/SCSU News

The financial burden of a college education

“College is like paying $40,000 to be punched in the face,” said Elizabeth Rudd. One of the leading causes that determine whether or not a student will pursue college is cost. It is no secret that college is expensive. Travis Mitchell of U.S. News said from 2000 to 2016, tuition for public institutions rose by approximately $6,000. “There is a tuition rate that is determined by the state legislature that is usually agreed upon in May or June, before the semester starts in fall. There’s also different types of fees that each student does have to pay based on the number of credits they attend. Those fees are usually determined by the student fee committee along with the business office. They have some part in determining exactly what fees are placed on each student’s bill,” said Simon Bauer, assistant director of financial aid at St. Cloud State University. When a… Keep Reading

November 15, 2016 News/SCSU News

Metro Bus proves challenging for students

Being away from home or not having a car up at college could prove a challenge to some people, especially if they are not used to riding public transportation. In interviews, St. Cloud State’s students discussed some of the difficulties of relying on public transportation to get around St. Cloud. Sophomore Megan Howell, from Rochester, Minn., rarely took public transportation at home. Howell said the maps are confusing and the routes that Metro Bus takes do not seem clear to her. “When I tried to go donate plasma, I ended up taking three different buses and actually got let off in the middle of the road by one of the drivers because none of them knew where I was going when I asked for directions,” Howell said. Finally one of the bus drivers at the Metro Bus hub downtown took out a map and circled her destination and explained in… Keep Reading

September 21, 2016 News/SCSU News

St. Cloud community come together in Unity

Over 200 people gathered in Atwood Mall at SCSU on Tuesday evening for the #StCloudUNITED event, just three short days after the attacks at Crossroads Center by previous SCSU student, Dahir Adan. The idea for the event came after the Somali Student Association contacted Student Government on Monday morning, wanting to collaborate on a peaceful celebration in light of the recent occurrences. “We didn’t know what kind of event we wanted,” Randy Olson, Vice President of Student Government said. “But this is just about unity. It’s about building a bridge where I think people didn’t think there was one.” Olsen said numerous organizations were happy to support the event, as well as community leaders. Among the leaders was SCSU Interim President, Ashish Vaidya, who spoke proudly of the student leaders who organized the rally, as well as those gathered in Atwood Mall. “We are a family, a community, and we… Keep Reading

September 20, 2016 News/SCSU News

City Council approves liquor sales at athletic events

Fans attending St. Cloud State University athletic events will now be able to buy alcohol at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center and adjacent facilities according to St. Cloud City Council documents. The St. Cloud City Council approved the law on August 8th after the State Legislature earlier this year approved a law that will allow the city of St. Cloud to issue St. Cloud State University on both sale wine and 3.2 liquor licenses. Beer was sold at two SCSU hockey games last season under temporary licenses as a means to test out the program. City staff has met with representatives from St. Cloud State University to ensure both parties have the same expectations for liquor service on campus. A diagram of the proposed liquor service area is included in the application documents. Other on campus events are not authorized to sell liquor as part of the licensing process.… Keep Reading

June 27, 2016 A & E/Events/SCSU News/The Shot

Lemonade Concert & Art Fair hits SCSU campus

The 43rd annual Lemonade Concert & Art Fair took place on the St. Cloud State University campus this past Thursday, with a collection of home-made art ranging from photography to robot sculptures welded from car parts. Live music played throughout the day and was concluded with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra concert in the Atwood Mall. Keep Reading

June 14, 2016 News/SCSU News

SCSU President Potter dies in I-694 crash

St. Cloud State University’s President, Earl H. Potter III died on Monday night in a one-vehicle crash, according to a statement from Steven Rosenstone, Chancellor of MNSCU at approximately 1:00 am on Tuesday morning. Potter was on his way to the Twin Cities to meet with the Foundation Board Chair. “Earl’s passing is a huge loss to SCSU, to the state of Minnesota, and to higher education,” said Rosentstone. “His leadership, on so many fronts, will be missed. Earl was a colleague and a friend – a thoughtful, insightful leader – who cared deeply about the university, its students, and the St. Cloud Community. I know he was deeply respected on your campus, as well, and my condolences go out to you all.” Rosenstone released that SCSU Provost Ashish Vaidya will serve as Acting President and consideration will be brought to the board next week of his appointment as Interim President. According to the… Keep Reading

May 31, 2016 News/SCSU News

Budget cuts affect SCSU students and faculty

Over the course of 2016, St. Cloud State University has endured extensive budget cuts in order to meet financial demands. This has cost students, faculty and community members a lot of anger and hardship. To understand what is being cut and why, we have to take a look at the state and federal budget, along with financial incentives that the university has. St. Cloud State’s Financial Recovery Plan Before 2015, St. Cloud State relied on a lot of its income from financial reserves. SCSU President Earl Potter calls this “The Bleeding.” In 2011, St. Cloud State reached its highest student population, but the fiscal year ended and enrollment declined. The slow decrease in student population made the university rely on more money from these reserves. This is around the same time Minnesota stopped spending as many resources on education, with state money covering 60 percent of costs. Now the state… Keep Reading