photo submitted
MSUM students found success this past weekend at the Midwest Journalism Convention.
The mass communications department celebrated a successful weekend at the Midwest Journalism Conference, April 16 and 17, in Bloomington, Minn.
Members of MSUM’s Campus News, Horizonlines.org and documentary class came away from the conference with a plethora of awards, both group and individual.
The National Student Exchange is an academic exchange student program that MSUM is associated with. There are over 160 schools in the U.S. and Canada that are part of the student exchange. Any one of those schools is a potential opportunity for an MSUM student.
“I hear over and over from students that it’s the best thing they’ve ever done,” said Sherry Estrem, the National Student Exchange Coordinator at MSUM. Students who are interested in participating in the National Student Exchange program should contact Estrem.
Dan Heckaman, director of information technology at MSUM, recently informed student senate of the university’s intention to start up a “authentication” service for students on all school computers.
self portrait by chris franz / the advocate
Chris Franz won College Photographer of the Year at this year’s Minnesota News Photographers
Association Convention on April 17.
BY KELSIE O’KEEFE / Staff Writer
Chris Franz’s journey to success is much like that of the many college students before him—littered with doubt, fear, change and revelation.
While attending NDSU for engineering, Franz realized that it wasn’t for him, and began the search for a new career path. Photography was a hobby of Franz’s, and for lack of a better path, he followed his interest to the mass communications department at MSUM.
“When I first started photojournalism, I sucked,” Franz said. “I thought I was taking good photographs but I really wasn’t.”
After a year of photojournalism, Franz developed his concept of telling stories through photographs.
Photo taken in London, England in spring 2009 during the mass communications study abroad program at University of Lincoln, England.
The world is laid out for students as they walk through the doors of Flora Frick 153. This is the Office for International Programs; with the popularity of studying abroad increasing many new people have been walking through those doors.
“The demand (for studying abroad) is increasing,” said Janet Haak, the new director of study abroad. “Students need to make as serious of an effort as possible to study abroad.”
The number of students studying abroad has gradually increased each spring with the exception of this year when it dropped from 122 students studying abroad in spring 2009 to only 52 this semester. This is mainly because faculty-led tours are only available every other year or on-demand. Not as many faculty-led tours are offered this semester.
photo not published in paper
You may have wondered what’s been going on at the library recently, what with all the workers, machines and noise. The library is being renovated with new energy-efficient windows the extensive brickwork currently being done is to allow for more light to enter the library, thus helping alleviate lighting costs.
The semester nearing its close signals the end of the McGrath Visiting Writers Series. The program brings new and much- talked-about writers to campus, and breathes fresh literary enthusiasm and curiosity into students.
Long-time director, Thom Tammaro, reflected on the 24th season of the series with the sentiment that a writer’s visit can remind readers of the value of hearing material read aloud by its creator.
Photo Submitted
Marlow Kulish, MSUM theater technician, builds a rocking horse every year to be raffled off at the Council on Staff Affairs spring social.
When it comes to a college campus, administrators are the first to be recognized, followed closely by professors. Within the same departments, but often overlooked are the classified staff members, which consist of the non-teaching, non-faculty members within each department. For example, classified staff makes up the secretaries and general maintenance workers.
BY Kelsey Fecho / Staff Writer
By this time in our lives, a majority of students have been in a car accident or know someone who has. There are many sources that provide information on how to decrease the number of accidents and how to eliminate possible injuries, but many people don’t participate in the easiest way of injury protection—buckling your seat belt.
Chris Franz / The Advocate
Junior Mara Litzer pitches during the Dragons’ April 2 double-header against Wayne State College.
The women’s softball team has had a rough season going 5-35 so far and giving up more runs than head coach Kristin Boyes said she would like them to.
“This season has been a struggle,” Boyes said. “We’re scoring more runs than we have in the past, but it’s been a struggle pitching wise. We’ve been giving up too many runs.”
The team hopes to perform better in the final four games of the season, all of which take place at the Dragons’ home field.