SEPT. 4, 2009
RECORD@CSBSJU.EDU
COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT/ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY
CSBSJU.EDU/RECORD
Campuses expand summer employment
by Joey Fiedler
jdfiedler@csbsju.edu
Due to the tight economic situation, many college students had trouble finding work this summer.
St. John’s did its part in helping students out by creating 80 new full-time summer jobs through a Summer
Student Initiative.
The program was so successful that the university, along with the
College of Wooster in Ohio, was
featured in USA Today for its efforts in increasing student employment. The article, titled “Colleges creating summer jobs for students in tight times,” ran in the newspaper on July 6 this year.
Of the 80 full-time jobs that were created, the Arboretum, the paint shop and summer research facilities saw the greatest increase.
The Arboretum created 20 new jobs, the paint shop added 10 and there were nine additional summer research positions.
The other 41 jobs were spread out in 30 departments, which included the pottery studio, custodial, the physical plant, the art department and the
Abbey. The school had no trouble finding demand for the newly-created positions.
“There was more demand than jobs,” said Barb Fahnhorst, the Director of Student Employment at SJU.
The initiative was created and led by former St. John’s interim President Dan Whalen.
“Dan knew of the hardships
students would have finding jobs back home,” Fahnhorst said. “He wanted to create as many jobs as possible, as well as instill an even greater sense of
.See JOBS Page 7
Summer employees work in new jobs
KYLE FRENCH • kjfrench@csbsju.edu
Students spend their summer hours constructing a new bridge.
Reef re-do brings options to the table
Koopmann takes office as president
By Kira Garrett
ktgarrett@csbsju.edu
After months of deliberation and a strenuous interview process, the St. John’s Board of Regents elected Rev. Robert Koopmann, OSB as the president of St. John’s.
The selection process required over 12 interviews from each candidate. At most other institutions, each candidate would typically interview just three times and would not know their challengers.
“The process was not so much stressful as grueling,” Koopmann said.
The process was not all bad though. “The student forum was the most fun,” Koopmann said, “and we did some video conferencing for an alumnae interview which was a neat use of the technology.”
Koopmann was thrilled with his election.
“I was very excited,” Koopmann said. “This is such a wonderful school with such a great partnership to
St. Ben’s.”
July 1 Koopmann took over as the 12 th president of St. John’s.
As president, Koopmann has many things on his agenda, but choosing where to start proves the difficult challenge.
“My top priorities keep changing, but I am trying to refine the vision for St. John’s. I have been working with my cabinet members and we are getting very close to a consensus,”
Koopmann said.
The president must present his agenda and vision for St. John’s at the board meeting on Oct. 1.
Students and staff
offer their opinions of the summer’s most talked about renovation, the Refectory
By Megan Atkinson
maatkinson@csbsju.edu
Out with the old, in with the new: SJU’s Refectory recently opened after undergoing a $3 million renovation over the summer.
“The Ref. renovations have been in the works and the back of our minds for the past four years,” executive director of dining and events at
St. John’s, David Schoenberg said.
“The last time we did a major renovation was in the early ‘80s, so I was excited when this project ranked high enough on the priority list and
became a reality,” Schoenberg said.
Same Great Taste
The Ref. not only offers a wider
selection of its signature food, but now the food is prepared and
displayed in a more visually appealing manner.
“The food is a good blend of the old mixed with new elements and
options such as catering to
special-diet students” executive chef Jeff Chounard said. “I’ve never seen the staff so enthused and involved. All around, I think everyone around here is very happy and appreciative of the final result.”
The new alterations are drawing new attention.
“I really like the new Ref. because it offers a much wider variety of food. There is always something for everyone, including picky eaters like me,” CSB junior Megan Barrett said.
“I kind of expected the same type of food over and over at a college dining facility. I like that there are a bunch of different food options,” SJU first year Brandon Oswald said.
New Look, Same Space
“The idea behind the renovation project was to create a community gathering place that complimented the other dining spaces, while maintaining the St. John’s ambiance,” Schoenberg said.
“It looks new, yet it’s still the same good old Ref.,” junior Tyler
SILU MA • s1ma@csbsju.edu
Students eat at the newly renovated Refectory. The renovations have spurred a variety of responses from students and staff.
.See REFECTORY Page 7
New design gets positive reviews
At first meetings, senates fund Collegiate Readership
.See PRESIDENT Page 7
Koopmann makes plans for future
by Doug Trumm
dmtrumm@csbsju.edu
At their meeting Wednesday, the St. Ben’s Senate (SBS) passed a motion 15-1 to fund the Collegiate Readership Program for the third year. Upper Class Representative Alison Gresback proposed the motion.
The SBS will provide up to approximately $13,800 for the program, slightly more than the St. John’s Senate (SJS) has pledged to the program.
Sperl said the SBS will pay more than SJS because CSB has higher enrollment and conceivably gets more use out of the program. The exact figure SBS will contribute will be based on tenth-day enrollment and should be determined later this month.
The motion had the stipulations that the papers are recycled and that a system be developed to gauge the program’s effectiveness.
Faculty Advisor Emily Esch said the schools could get more use out of the Collegiate Readership Program by encouraging the faculty to promote it and even to incorporate it into their classes.
Students should expect to see
copies of the Star Tribune, USA Today and the New York Times on the racks outside the cafeterias and bus stops in the near future.
In the next order of business, the SBS unanimously passed a motion to dissolve the Joint Senate Committee and to replace it with the Joint Executive Board.
The motion means that leadership of both senates will meet once a month to discuss their joint
efforts, rather than having a committee to deal with the issue.
Vice President Rebecca Peichel proposed the motion, which she said had been
debated at their recent retreat.
The SBS heard from a representative from the SJU Senate and heard news that they had already sold 244 SBS shirts, amounting to $1,240 in revenue.
. SBS UPDATES
by Mike Johnson
mrjohnson@csbsju.edu
Following the first Saint John’s Senate (SJS) meeting of the year, the Activities & Allocations Board (AAB) met and approved an allocation of up to $12,200 for the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program. This will provide free copies of local and national newspapers to students at CSB/SJU.
“We received overwhelming positive feedback about the newspapers and decided to continue this very popular program through the next year,” Board Chairman Colman
Silbernagel said.
Together with a $13,800 allocation from the Saint Ben’s Senate, the program will cost up to $26,000 for both campuses.
Executive Session
The SJS met Monday night for the first time this academic year. President Emmanuel McDonald delivered his first board report in that capacity, thanking thanked the senators for a productive weekend retreat.
For 45 minutes during the course of the meeting, the senate went into executive session. The student
senates rarely call this type of session, in which all guests are asked to leave the room as the senators discuss a sensitive issue in private. PR Representative Joe Gair said he could not comment on the content of this part of the meeting.
Time Limit
The senate passed one substantive motion at the meeting. The
motion by Sen. Patrick Niyibizi placed a two-hour time limit on
general session meetings, with the understanding that senators could begin to leave once that limit is reached, while the meeting would continue as long
. SJS UPDATES
Emmanuel McDonald
SJS President
Alison Gresback
Upper Class Representative
.See SJS Page 2
Senators vote during first meeting
Photo courtesy of Record Archives
President Koopmann poses
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