Minnesota State University Moorhead News Releases January 2007

*Activist Peery speaks on Racism & Rights
* Dancers place 9th in nationals
* New Rivers Press releases new anthology in Minneapolis
* Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.: Thursday, Jan. 18
* Border States Electric Supply gives $125,000 for Dragon Wellness Center
* McKeever new assistant admissions director
* Performing Arts feature: "Songs You Know by People You Don't"
*The Forum renews Mass Comm pledge
* Two person show at gallery
* Bear tales playing at Planetarium
*Alums play central role in National Guard reintegration

ACTIVIST AUTHOR NELSON PEERY SPEAKS AT MSUM FEB. 8 ON RACISM & RIGHTS
Minnesota native Nelson Peery, the author of the award-winning “Black Fire: The Making of an American Revolutionary,” will talk on “Racism, Class Struggle and the Future of America” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 in MSU Moorhead’s King Auditorium.

His talk is sponsored by the university’s TOCAR Initiative (Training Our Campuses Against Racism). He will also be visiting a number of classes while on campus.

Peery grew up in Wabasha, Minn., the son of a postal worker and the only African American family in town until his father was transferred to Minneapolis. During the Depression, he became a hobo, an experience that gave him a unique view of racism and the American economy.

After author Meridel Le Sueur taught him to write during evening classes in Minneapolis, he published “Black Fire” in 1994, a book that explored the contributions of Black soldiers during World War II and, using his own experiences, demonstrated how to become a “revolutionary” for civil and human rights.

He’s also the author of “The Future Is Up to Us: A Revolutionary Talking Politics with the American People” (2001), and “Black Radical: The Making of an American Revolutionary 1946-1968,” scheduled for release this spring.

Recently the Minnesota Historical Society interviewed Peery for its “Minnesota’s Greatest Generation” project.

A activist for civil and human rights for 60 years, Peery is also a founding member of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. He currently lives in Chicago.

MSUM’s History department and Black Student Alliance are also sponsors of his appearance on campus.

MSUM DANCERS PLACE NINTH AT NATIONALS
Thirteen Minnesota State University Moorhead dancers jetéd their way to a ninth place finish at the United Dance Association National Competition Jan. 12-14 in Orlando, Fla. It was the team’s second big finish in as many years. They finished 11th at the same competition last year.

“This year was so different,” said head coach Mikal Kenfield. “Last year we thought making it to Florida was a huge achievement. Coming into this season, we knew we needed to make it to finals and place in the top ten. It was a more stressful goal, but so much more is expected of a team that’s been to nationals before.”

Twenty-seven teams made it to the semi-final round and 18 teams advanced to the finals. The team’s assistant coach is Laura Beauchamp, a 2006 alumna and former dance team member. Rachel Koep, a 2004 MSUM alumna and former dance team member and coach, did the choreography for this year’s competition. They performed to, “Every Time It Rains” by Charlotte Martin, which Kenfield describes as more of a “lyrical, modern piece as opposed to traditional jazz choreography.

“Rachel’s choreography appealed to the judges and highlighted the skills of our team,” Kenfield said. “The choreography complemented the music and the judges loved the emotion in the song and the story it told.”

The team also placed second at the Spirit of America Competition Jan. 5-7 in Bloomington, which included 16 of the top college dance teams in the Midwest. “That finish was really our biggest accomplishment of the season,” Kenfield said. “We beat out a lot of the teams at this competition that beat us at nationals. It reminded us that we are a good team.”

The dance team participated in four competitions this year and performed at six basketball games. They’ll conclude their season with an exhibition performance at the North Dakota Association of Dance and Drill Jan. 26-27 in Grand, Forks, N.D.

Tryouts for next year’s team will be Saturday, March 31 and Saturday, April 14. For more information, contact Coach Kenfield at 218-299-3899 or mikal@airpost.net.

Below is a list of students from your area who are members of the 2006-07 MSUM dance team.

Maren Ronningen, Bismarck, N.D., is the daughter of Kristi and Paul Ronningen and is a freshman special education major.
Liz Brandenburg (captain), Fargo, N.D., is the daughter of Scott and Anita Brandenburg and is a junior mass communications major.
Vida Murphy, Jamestown, N.D., is the daughter of Blaine and Terezinha Murphy, and is a senior psychology major.
Kari Okonek, Eagan, Minn., is the daughter of Ron and Gretchen Okonek and is a senior social studies major.
Alexis Prater, Chaska, Minn., is the daughter of Susan and Jess Prater and is a junior biology major with a Spanish minor.
Kalli Kourajian, Bismarck, N.D., is the daughter of Melodie Schulz and Chad Kourajian and is a freshman.
Brittany Gries, Burnsville, Minn., is the daughter of John and Karen Gries and is a sophomore elementary education major.
Jess Strait, Bismarck, N.D., is the daughter of Fran and John Strait and is a frehman early childhood and special education major.
Brea Sandness, Bismarck, N.D., is the daughter of Mark and Sheila Sandness and is a freshman biology major.
Carrie Hubbard, Albert Lea, Minn., is the daughter of Mary and Edward Hubbard and is a sophomore communication studies major.
Kimberly Ness, Eden Prairie, Minn., is the daughter of Ron and Donna Ness and is a sophomore nursing major.
Samantha Stroh (captain), Bismarck, N.D., is the daughter of George and Christina Stroh and is a senior elementary education major.
Tia Trierweiler, Sauk Centre, Minn., is the daughter of Jim and Vickey Trierweiler and is a senior mass communications major.

MSUM’S NEW RIVERS PRESS LAUNCHES NEW ANTHOLOGY OF MINNESOTA WOMEN POETS
New Rivers Press will launch a new anthology, “To Sing Along the Way: Minnesota Women Poets from Pre-Territorial Days to the Present,” from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3 at The Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. South,  Minneapolis.

The anthology is edited by three award-winning Minnesota poets––Thom Tammaro (an MSUM English professor), Joyce Sutphen and Connie Wanek.

The first historical and contemporary anthology of Minnesota women poets, the book document’s the state’s sociological and cultural changes from the Ojibwe oral song-poems through contemporary free verse.

It includes the work of more than 100 women poets, arranged chronologically, dating back to 1849.

New Rivers Press has been headquartered at MSU Moorhead since 2001, where it serves as a teaching press to provide learning experiences to students in a variety of academic area—from design and visual arts to editing and marketing.

The mission of African American Family Services is to help the African American individual, family and community reach a greater state of well-being through the delivery of community-based, culturally specific chemical health, mental health, and family preservation services.

An international business graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, Jones has been CEO and executive director of the Minneapolis organization since 2002.

CANDLELIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AT
MSUM SCIENCE CENTER, BUFFALO RIVER STATE PARK
MSUM’s Regional Science Center and the Buffalo River State Park will host an evening of candlelight cross-country skiing Saturday, Jan. 27 and again Saturday, Feb. 3 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Buffalo River Site.

Skiers should bring their own skis. A Minnesota ski pass is required and can be purchased that evening. A daily ski pass is $5 and a season ski pass is $15.

The trails are in good skiing condition. A hot beverage and a fire will await skiers after they are done skiing. For more information on the trails, call 218-498-2124.

Meet at the Regional Science Center’s interpretive center or at Buffalo River State Park’s warming house located in the park’s picnic grounds.

The Science Center and Park are located 15 miles east of Moorhead, just off Highway 10.

BORDER STATES ELECTRIC GIVES $125,000 TO SUPPORT DRAGON WELLNESS CENTER
MSUM has received a $125,000 gift from Border States Electric Supply to support the new Dragon Wellness Center.

It’s anticipated that the 42,000 square foot, two-story structure will open in 2008.

“We’ve spent years planning the right kind of wellness center for our students—a highly used landmark facility,” says Warren Wiese, the university’s vice president of Student Affairs.

Border State Electric Supply, with corporate headquarters located in Fargo, is an employee-owned company that offers industrial, construction, data communications, utility and automation services. With more than 1,000 employees and sales exceeding $700 million, it has 43 branch locations in 11 states and Mexico.

“This gift is an investment that will improve the lives of generations of students,” says Border States Electric CEO Tammy Miller, who earned both her undergraduate accounting degree and MBA from MSUM.

LAURIE MCKEEVER NAMED NEW MSUM ASSISTANT ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR
Laurie McKeever has been named an assistant director of Admissions here.

A North Dakota State University business administration graduate, she served as enrollment manager for the past eight years at the Minnesota State Community and Technical College Moorhead campus.

Her responsibilities at MSUM will focus on the university’s campus visitation and outreach programs.

McKeever is replacing Veronica Michael, a former Admissions assistant directors, who’s been named the university’s new student success coordinator.

She and her husband Brian, a nurse at MeritCare Hospital, have a son, Jacob, 6, and live in Fargo.

PERFORMING ARTS FEATURES‘SONGS YOU KNOW BY PEOPLEYOU DON’T’ THIS THURSDAY
“Songs You Know By People You Don’t,” a tribute to songwriters who had only one or two hits in their careers and never found success again, will be on stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 in MSUM’s Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre as a feature of the university’s Cheryl Nelson Lossett Performing Arts Series. Featuring pianist, singer and raconteur Marty Henne, the show is filled with stories and insights about the writers and the times they lived in. For tickets, contact the MSUM Box Office at 477-2271.

FORUM COMMUNICATIONS RENEWS PLEDGE TO SUPPORT UNIVERSITY’S MASS COM DEPARTMENT
The Forum Communications Foundation will continue and increase its support of MSUM’s Mass Communications department with a new gift that will span four years.

The philanthropic arm of Forum Communications Company has pledged $160,000 to continue educational projects that began with a multi-year pledge of $100,000 in 2002. The new Forum Foundation gift will also jumpstart a project to provide valuable career experience for mass communications students.

“Funding from the Forum Communications Foundation has helped us to develop video documentary, online and print magazine projects,” said department chairman Mark Strand. “This new gift will support those and other opportunities for years to come.”

The department will use some of the funds to develop an in-house business reporting and marketing communications agency for student interns. The agency will assist the MSUM Small Business Development Center and other small business and non-profit clients with marketing communications and business writing. At the same time, it will provide practical experience for students in those programs.

TWO-PERSON EXHIBIT SHOWING AT GALLERY
A two-person exhibition featuring sculptures by Cedar Marie, a lecturer at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and drawings by Erin Holscher Almazan, who teaches art at the University of Dayton (Ohio) runs from Jan. 9-31 at MSUM’s Roland Dille Center for the Arts Gallery. A reception is scheduled Thursday, Jan 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. followed by a public presentation by both artists. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6. p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. (or by special arrangement, e-mail gudmunja@mnstate.edu)

BEAR TALES AT THE PLANETARIUM
The MSUM Planetarium presents “Bear Tales” at 2 p.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Mondays from Jan. 14 through March 5. The story follows a family camping trip under the stars as they listen to Grandpa Ben's tall tales about the night sky. Hear stories from ancient Greece and Egypt, up to modern tales about Blackbeard the pirate. Grandpa takes us on a tour of the spring constellations, explaining how and why they are there. He draws freely from all mythologies and his own imagination to explain the stars' positions in the night sky. The result is a fun and educational show that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. General admission is $3; children 12 and under, senior citizens and Tri-College students are $1.50.The Planetarium is located on the MSUM campus in Bridges Hall, room 167 at 11th St. and 8th Ave. S. in Moorhead. Please use the south entrance to Bridges Hall. For more information, call 477-2904.

For 2,600 returning Minnesota soldiers…
MSUM ALUMS PLAY CENTRAL ROLE IN NATIONAL GUARD REINTEGRATION
Life in a combat zone is pretty much black and white: pull the trigger, don’t pull the trigger; take a risk, don’t take a risk; obey orders, give orders; terror, exhaustion; live, die.

Not so in civilian life, where a more mundane set of circumstances casts a gray ether of indifference over even the most insignificant decisions.

So how does a soldier––who’s spent more than a year making life and death decisions daily while fighting off stretches of boredom and exhaustion––adjust to civilian life after a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan?

It’s a good question that the Minnesota National Guard is trying to resolve when 2,600 of its citizen soldiers return home this spring, the largest deployment since World War II.

“Fortunately, Minnesota is at the forefront in making an effort to integrate its National Guard soldiers back into civilian life,” says MSUM alum Capt. Aaron Krenz, operations officer for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division’s reintegration team. “It’s a pilot program that other states will be looking at.”

Gov. Tim Pawlenty echoed that sentiment last fall at the Minnesota Summit on Returning Veterans: “Our goal is to make this the most veteran-friendly state in the United States.”

MSUM is also playing its part, hosting the Minnesota National Guard’s first Family Reintegration Academy on Jan. 6, aimed at the spouses, children and families of soldiers who will return in March, April and May. It’s part of a larger overall program that all of these transitioning soldiers will be required to participate in two, 30, 60 and 90 days after arriving home.

Ten sites have been organized around the state to host these sessions.

“We’re partnering with community providers, businesses and government agencies across the state to create a safety net,” he said. “We’ll provide all of them with professional help dealing with difficulties they may face at home, work, school or in their private lives.”

Krenz, a 1996 MSUM criminal justice graduate and former linebacker for the Dragon football team, was chosen to be a major player in the reintegration team because he encountered a few problems himself after returning home from a year’s tour as commander of Alpha Company, 1/151 Field Artillery that trained Iraqi police forces in southeast Baghdad.

Krenz left behind a 9-month-old daughter and his wife Monica, who developed her own routine for running the household while her husband was overseas.

“Things change over a year, and we were both exhausted from our ordeals,” Krenz said. “My challenge was finding out how to fit back into my family and my family’s challenge was how they would adjust to me.”

The hurdles for other returning soldiers can be more exacting. “Take a typical Humvee turret gunner whose job was to patrol the streets of Baghdad,” Krenz said. “Most of these guys are very young. But the responsibilities and risks they faced were enormous.”

Few of the civilian jobs they’ll return to, he said, match the responsibilities, the adrenaline rush or the intense emotions of being in a combat zone—whether it’s teaching school, flipping hamburgers or running a company.

“Readjusting can be frustrating,” he said. “But I know this: after facing the possibility of death daily, when these soldiers return they want to live life to the fullest. That’s why we want to funnel that passion into education, jobs and family.”

Not the darker avenues, which can range from drugs and depression to traumatic stress and homelessness.

Minnesota Adjutant Gen. Larry Shellito, another MSUM alum (’68 accounting, ‘72 business administration and ’79 master’s degree in education)) pointed out that since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 11,000 Guard members have been deployed to 33 nations, with about 1,100 returning from Iraq. “We want all of our soldiers to know here’s how we can help you,” he said. “You get a welcome home, a hug and a kiss and a week later, you’re in the house all alone, and that’s when reality can set in. What we’re working on is providing preventive medicine instead of just waiting to see what happens.”

A Vietnam veteran with more than 30 years of military service, Shellito said “The genesis of this program goes back 30 years when the same people came back and no one gave a damn.”

MSUM’s part in this reintegration program will basically be to provide facilities and coordinate day care during the sessions taking place on campus.

Krenz, who grew up on a farm in Wheaton, Minn., joined the Minnesota National Guard in high school. He spent most of his service time as an enlisted soldier with an artillery battery in Ortonville. After completing officer training in 2003, he’s been commanding the battery in Marshall, Minn. 

In civilian life, Krenz is a Clay County youth counselor. But for the time being, he’s been activated in Moorhead to coordinate the reintegration program for one of the largest inflows of new combat veterans in the state’s history.

Krenz wasn’t disillusioned by his experience in Iraq. “I was a bit skeptical at first, but by the time I left I was pleased with the progress we made training Iraqi police,” he said. “There’s a lot more to do, but I think it can be done.”

One of the more satisfying experiences he had in Iraq was the monthly trip his unit took to Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa’s Orphanage to deliver supplies and toys for the children. “You rarely see that kind of event covered by the media,” he said.

He’s a bit skeptical on how the media covers the war. “We were in Baghdad one day when a vehicle exploded right in front of us. A propane tank the driver was taking home to his family to cook with exploded in his truck. It was a terrible accident. Later that day while we were eating supper we watched CNN report the incident as a car bombing. Frustrating.”

Krenz believes returning veterans are getting more attention now than any previous war. And they’ll need it.

A recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that 15 to 17 percent of Iraq vets meet "the screening criteria for major depression, generalized anxiety, or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)." Of those, only 23 to 40 percent are seeking help––in part because so many others fear the stigma of having a mental disorder.

“This pilot program will be successful and I hope catches on throughout the nation” Krenz said. “These veterans deserve our best efforts.”

Other connections: Aaron’s brother Neil (‘01, Sociology and Criminal Justice) and a wide receiver on the Dragon football team, also served in Iraq; their uncle Joel Krenz,(’69, Health & Physical Education), was a stand-out Dragon basketball player who served as an assistant basketball coach under Dave Schellhause. He died in 1995.