University Chronicle

I am writing this letter because I am concerned about the safety of St. Cloud State University students. Students now are afraid to walk the streets of their own town because they don’t feel safe. The St. Cloud police and public safety need to concentrate more of their work on violent crimes in the area. This is so concerning to me because I myself am a student enrolled at St. Cloud State, and I am worried about my safety and the safety of my friends and family. My brother is a junior at St. Cloud State and during his sophomore year he was walking to the gas station a few blocks from his house to grab a snack before the store closed. On his way back to his house, he was confronted by two men and they demanded him to fork over his wallet. Being the tough guy he thinks he is, he refused. The two men proceeded to mug him. Luckily he landed a few good punches, and managed to escape with his wallet and his life. Hearing this, I was a little intimidated to come to St. Cloud for college, but I didn’t think it was a serious reoccurring problem.

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Over the years, there have been many changes to education in an effort to reform the educational system to better our society. With all our efforts, why is it that the U.S. falls 25th in math, 12th in reading and 20th in science in comparison to other industrial countries?

The goal of education is, and should be, to prepare students for what is to come in their lives, to encourage students to achieve a level of knowledge that will allow them to continue to learn without the support of an educator. This goal is understood and accepted as fact through many of the publically funded schools within the U.S. Why is it that our society continues to teach in a method that does not support this form of education?

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Year by year St. Cloud State University has decreased issues with the campus and other issues. There are still current issues and a major issue affecting student at this university is parking. Where can you park? Parking tickets? Any parking places for students who commute? This is a big topic that needs to be revised.

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Happy National Condom Week! So what?

So, nearly 19 million new sexually transmitted infections and more than 3 million unplanned pregnancies occur each year. The best way for sexually active people to prevent both STIs and unintended pregnancy is to use condoms correctly and consistently, even if you’re already using another form of birth control.

Take a moment during National Condom Week, Feb. 14-21, to discuss with your partner whose responsibility it is to provide condoms. Be open and honest about your desire to protect your reproductive health and to respect one another.

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In my State of the Union Address, I laid out ways Democrats and Republicans can work together  to reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class.

We should ask ourselves three questions every day: How do we bring good jobs to America?  How do we equip people with the skills those jobs require?  And how do we make sure hard work leads to a decent living?

Strengthening the middle class requires making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing, and rewarding hard work with wages that allow families to raise their children and get ahead.  But it also means recognizing that the surest path into the middle class will always be a good education.

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Two editorials in the Chronicle caught my eye last week, both about the same topic: gun control. It’s the topic of the month in political circles, sparked in large part by the shootings in Colorado and Connecticut, and people are lining up on both sides for what appears to be an epic political battle. Those who are pro-gun claim that the solution to gun violence is not more gun control, but less. Those who are anti-gun claim that getting these weapons off the streets will help make people safer. At least, that’s what they try to say before someone starts calling the other side names and the whole thing turns into one big mud-slinging war.

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I have one question. Where would the pro-choicers be if their mothers had supported abortion?

Make the choice before engaging in an activity that may make a baby.

By Phyllis E. Vanburen
SCSU Professor of Spanish, German, and Foreign Education

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“I have a dream…” Those powerful words spoken by the man we take time as a nation to honor last week.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uttered those words, his hope for the future nearly 50 years ago. His dream for his children to not be judged by the color of their skin, but by who they are as a person. Looking through the pages of recent history and the events unfolding not only here in Central Minnesota but throughout the nation and even the world, I think it’s time the world could use more dreamers.

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I, as the Regional Coordinator for the program TXT4Life, would like to provide clarity and correct information regarding an article posted by an anonymous writer on the University Chronicle’s website on Dec. 5 titled “TXT4LIFE isn’t effective; more preventions needed for teen suicide”.

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On Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 the long awaited arrival of air service returned! It was a bitter-sweet day for everyone who worked on getting an air carrier into the beautiful new St. Cloud Regional Airport terminal! For me personally it was exciting to see! I have followed the airline industry for the past 10 years and I know how difficult and challenging it is in this day and age to get new air service to any small community. With the oil prices and the economy still in a struggle, to have Allegiant here is a positive for the area. I think Allegiant is a great carrier for the St. Cloud market, fitting the profile of what the carrier stands for, flying from small markets to warm city hot-spots. One thing that excited me the most was the fact that the first flight out had close to the maximum amount of seats filled! But what is also encouraging to the people of St. Cloud (whether you like to fly or not) is the fact that over 100 people in one day arrived here! That means more money for the local economy. Those people spent time renting cars, hotels, shopping at our stores and that 100 or so people came from just one flight. Imagine the day when St. Cloud gets a carrier that can offer daily flights to and from St. Cloud. We will have many people arriving to Central Minnesota on a daily basis. Boosting more and more of the St. Cloud region’s economy! I myself (living in Florida) can’t wait for the day to come back to the area by plane! I believe it is only a matter of time!

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