Eight students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, along with Professor Matt Lindstrom, director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at St. John’s, volunteered for the center’s first roadside cleanup. The McCarthy Center recently adopted a 3.2-mile stretch of highway south of Avon. The cleanup was Oct. 9. The McCarthy Center will invite members of the CSB/SJU community to participate in this cleanup again each spring and fall. Photo submitted by Melissa DeOrio, Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement Written by
Submitted by Melissa DeOrio
Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement
Filed Under
Citizen Times
College Of St. Benedict
Eight students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, along with Professor Matt Lindstrom, director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at St. John’s, volunteered for the center’s first roadside cleanup. The McCarthy Center recently adopted a 3.2-mile stretch of highway south of Avon. The cleanup was on Oct. 9. The McCarthy Center will invite members of the CSB/SJU community to participate in this roadside cleanup again each spring and fall.
EmailPrintShare LinkedIn Tumblr StumbleUpon Reddit Del.icio.us Digg AA
November 22, 2011
8 CSB/SJU students, professor volunteer for roadside cleanup
August 31, 2010
DC Program Intern is quoted in Time Magazine
Tania Dumas / El Nuevo Dia
At least that was the case until last month, when Figueroa-Agosto, 46, was captured while driving through a Puerto Rican neighborhood wearing a wig as a disguise. Living up to his brash reputation, Figueroa-Agosto, when asked by the arresting officers for his identity, said, "You all know who I am," before attempting to run off. His arrest has only served to heighten his status in the Dominican Republic, where a tell-all book was released last week — written by no less than the press secretary of the country's President, Leonel Fernández. The Power of Narco by Rafael Nuñez is an in-depth tale of the hunt for Figueroa-Agosto.
The book and the sex footage — which came into circulation after it was allegedly confiscated during a raid on his Santo Domingo apartment last year — have become something of a comic sideshow to what officials and analysts say is a major step in combating a deadly scourge. "The significance of this arrest can't be overstated. He was the head of a major drug-trafficking organization," says Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, provost of York College at the City University of New York and an adviser for Caribbean governments on how to combat drug trafficking. "This arrest shows that the bad guys can be brought to justice." (See the origins of the Caribbean's drug-trafficking crisis.)
Authorities say Figueroa-Agosto, a Puerto Rican, worked as a drug-boat driver until 1993, when he carried out a hit on a truck driver who allegedly stole a shipment of Colombian cocaine. Puerto Rican courts convicted him of the murder and sentenced him to 209 years in prison. But in 1999, he walked out of the prison's front gates after presenting the guards with a falsified release order. He was on the run for the next 11 years, leading his criminal organization while living what U.S. Marshals described as a luxury lifestyle in both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. He allegedly bought homes and cars under false identities. At one point, Figueroa-Agosto — or a man claiming to be him — called a popular Dominican morning radio show and offered an $800,000 reward for the murder of either of the country's two top police officials. (See "Baseball Dreams: Striking Out in the Dominican Republic.")
Puerto Rican and Dominican anti-narcotics units tell TIME that his organization controlled as much as 90% of the drugs that were run from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. The FBI says Puerto Rico is the Caribbean's most sought-after drug territory because much of the cargo from there does not have to clear customs before entering the eastern U.S. seaboard. Considering his alleged criminal network's size and influence, Figueroa-Agosto faces shockingly thin charges: the feds have filed a single passport fraud charge that dates to 1999 (he has pleaded not guilty to the charge). But he has already been convicted in Puerto Rico of charges for which he will have to serve 205 years in prison. Agencies are mounting a drug-trafficking case against him and declined to answer questions about the reach of Figueroa-Agosto's organization.
Puerto Rico's Attorney General, Guillermo Somoza-Colombiani, and other sources tell TIME that two of Figueroa-Agosto's partners have been arrested and charged. One is his alleged right-hand man, Elvin Torres Estrada — better known as "El Muñecón" — who was arrested in Puerto Rico in June. According to court documents, Torres supplied a Puerto Rican drug gang called "the Combo of the 70s," which operated out of a fortress-like base in public-housing complexes in Bayamon, just south of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan. From there, the gang supplied "narcotics to drug traffickers throughout Puerto Rico, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida," an April federal indictment against Torres and 64 other alleged members of the organization states. The organization made millions off the distribution. According to the indictment, they threw a free annual Christmas concert with performances by some of the biggest names in Puerto Rican reggaeton for residents. They reportedly built recording studios and gyms. And they traveled to the U.S. to buy cars to compete in drag-racing events, according to the indictment.
Allegedly feeding it all was Figueroa-Agosto's trafficking ring, receiving shipments from at least three South American routes. According to federal charges filed against the second of Figueroa-Agosto's alleged accomplices, Ramon Antonio Del Rosario-Puente, better known as "Toño Leña," the organization transported South American cocaine and heroin from three routes. A small airplane would drop bundles in the Dominican Republic, where they'd be collected, repackaged and moved to Puerto Rico or the U.S. (Torres, who is in jail awaiting trial, has not entered a plea. Neither has Del Rosario-Puente, who in custody in the Dominican Republic. The U.S. Attorney's office in Puerto Rico has asked for his extradition.) (See a brief history of extraditions.)
The racket apparently made Figueroa-Agosto a millionaire. When Dominican authorities raided his Santo Domingo apartment and other residences last year, they confiscated the equivalent of $4.6 million hidden in an armored Mercedes-Benz, eight other vehicles — including two Ferraris — and the animals of a small petting zoo he'd set up in a countryside home. Figueroa-Agosto, however, escaped. A man claiming to be him later told a popular morning radio show that he paid police $1 million to evade the arrest. President Fernández has said there would be no "sacred cows" in routing out the corrupt officials with ties to the case. Last week, 13 police and military officers were removed for their alleged involvement.
Yet similar corruption throughout the region has some questioning the focus of the Obama Administration's major regional anti-drug effort, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. Launched last year with $37 million divided among 15 countries, the initiative was needed to mop up the "spillover" from the Colombian and Mexican drug wars, officials say. This year, the Administration has requested $72.6 million, distributed to areas such as military and narcotics control. "The initiative needs to go further in strengthening the local institutions," says Colin Frederick, a Trinidad and Tobago–born research associate with the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs. Frederick says the Caribbean has long been a way station for drug shipments to the U.S. and Europe, but lately drug traffickers are seeking out more routes in the region. "These are small countries that lack border and maritime security ... And these days, traffickers are looking for alternatives to Central America and Mexico." Many Caribbean countries, including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, have linked increasing murder rates to the drug trade. Analysts expect a new wave of violence to follow Figueroa-Agosto's arrest as rival cartels battle for control of the lucrative route. "He'll be replaced by someone else. They'll fight for control," Frederick says.
Figueroa-Agosto's career as a drug trafficker may have come to an end, but back on the streets of Santo Domingo, it seems his cinematic life is just getting started. Police arrested dozens of DVD vendors, but that did little to cut demand. A week after the video first hit the streets, Ortiz says he tripled his asking price for it. "They're selling like hot bread," he says.
November 6, 2009
Catch-22's Inherent in Today's Welfare System Block Pathways to Prosperity
By Bob DeBoer and Anna Schumacher
"Catch-22” is a commonly-used phrase in American culture. Coined in the 1961 novel of the same name by Joseph Heller, Catch-22 describes a no-win situation or a double bind. Two years ago, the Citizens League began examining its institutional history on poverty and gathering additional information through community meetings and interviews and research. The resulting project, New Pathways to Prosperity, is intended to reframe the issue of poverty in a way that can produce new ideas and new policy approaches.
So far, our efforts have convinced us that the current policies and conflicting incentives in place to address and alleviate poverty today often create a series of Catch-22s for the people living in poverty. For example:
• Current policies on poverty actually penalize people for earning more.
• The bureaucratic maze of agencies and requirements set up to address poverty waste the valuable human capacity of both those who administer the programs and those who benefit from them.
• Programs designed to help the poor fail to offer clear pathways out of poverty.
These conflicting incentives are difficult to address, but it is essential we understand them in order to develop new solutions to address poverty and the ways it contributes, both as a causal agent and negative outcome, to many other public policy dilemmas, including:
• dysfunctional families and generational cycles that increase crime and violence
• poor educational outcomes and disparities based on race and income
• poor health outcomes and disparities based on race and income (including criminalization from sexual exploitation)
• lack of mobility and access to job opportunities.
Since we began this inquiry in September 2008, the Citizens League, working with the Public Policy Project, has sought to broaden the conversation about poverty and its causes and impacts by applying a civic policy approach to the issue. Part of that approach has included convening conversations between community leaders and people directly impacted by policies on poverty. A working document available on the Citizens League website details the first phase of the New Pathways to Prosperity project. The findings and conclusions presented in that work provide the foundation for a committee to develop policy recommendations this fall.
THE WELFARE WALL AND DISINCENTIVES TO EARN
There is a cultural assumption that many Americans hold, and some assume is translated into public policy: If you hold a job and work hard, you should be able to work your way out of poverty. Yet, it is clear that our current policies and the major programs and tax structures created to address poverty make it difficult for people to climb out of poverty without extraordinary effort. Government policies and programs actually penalize people for improving their economic situation.
For those receiving government assistance, working more and earning more usually results in losing more economically than they gain, except for those able to make an astounding leap in income. “Disincentives to Earn,” a 2007 study by the Minnesota Center for Public Finance Research, reveals the conundrum: For a single parent with two children, an increase in annual earnings from $12,800 to $44,000 would result in a significant reduction in monetary resources when all the program eligibilities, tax credits,and deductions are factored in. That single parent would:
• take home $23,600 more in wages
• lose $30,600 in tax benefits and wage assistance.
This is the scenario for someone whose earnings jump from $12,800 to $44,000. The disincentives can be even greater for those who make more modest gains. If that same single parent’s earning grew from $33,000 to $34,000, the family would lose $2.50 in monetary resources for each dollar earned. These structural disincentives to earn are more commonly referred to as the “welfare wall.”
While it may seem that an increase in income would create positive change for a family, for those up against the welfare wall the outcomes are more complicated. For someone relying on government help for food, housing, or child care, each decision can lead to a serious Catch-22 that might mean the difference between working or not, having a place to sleep or not, or putting food on the table or not.
There is another important element to the welfare wall. Families and individuals receiving assistance are also discouraged or often prohibited from accumulating capital in the form of cash or assets. Without a financial cushion, people living in poverty are ill-equipped to face even the smallest financial mishap. A working mother who attended one of our convening sessions explained how this impacted her family. At one point, she earned too much to receive medical coverage for herself and her oldest child (her youngest child was covered by Medical Assistance), so she spent years paying off a bill for an emergency room visit for her oldest son while trying to work her way out of poverty. A number of things happen to a family when income rises. A parent may lose health coverage, for example, but one of the most consequential losses is the loss of a child care benefit. Child care, or the lack thereof, is one of the biggest barriers to employment faced by those living in poverty. Under the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), child care is one of the last benefits phased out as income rises. But, proportionally, it represents the biggest benefit, due to the extremely high cost of childcare. When presented with the opportunity to work, many parents will choose to work even if it means losing medical coverage. But losing the child care benefit is often an insurmountable barrier to employment. A parent can work while uninsured, but cannot work if there is no one to take care of the children. Forced to choose, some people leave their children with relatives, friends, or others who may not be equipped to provide appropriate care.
HUMAN CAPACITY WASTED NAVIGATING THE LINE
Efforts to alleviate poverty in Minnesota and the United States have evolved into a fragmented and often contradictory system that relies on sanctions and punitive regulation to control individual behavior and choices. The choices that do exist are fraught with Catch-22s and require those receiving assistance to navigate a maze of agencies and requirements that siphon off large amounts of human capacity in efforts that often do not offer clear pathways out of poverty—even for those individuals who successfully navigate the maze.
The need for recipients to report to different agencies is just one example of the fragmented nature of the welfare system. Eligibility for various programs and tax benefits are determined by a complex set of equations, and even if an individual is eligible to receive benefits, he or she may not receive those benefits for any number of reasons. Inconsistent practices and regulations between and within county systems present another time consuming set of challenges.
One example that illustrates this dynamic takes place around nutrition and health care eligibility. Recent changes in income requirements for the Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program caused a number of women to lose their benefits. However, a clause in the regulation states that women can retain their WIC benefit if at least one child receives Medical Assistance(MA). One of the organizations we interviewed reported numerous referrals from clients who were instructed to apply for MA in order to maintain WIC benefits. Clients may not have needed or wanted MA, but both parties still had to expend human capacity in the application process just to comply with the rule change.
A very important issue to note in the area of health care coverageis that the application and renewal processes were designed andare mainly administered by people with generally stable lives toserve an economically unstable and highly transient population.
The result is a system that is often not well designed to meet the needs of those it serves.
Postal Service: The welfare system relies on permanent addresses, which are generally difficult for poor people to get and keep. All application and renewal activities are conducted via the postal system. That means the system relies upon a person’s permanent address to deliver important and time-sensitive information regarding eligibility, acceptance, denial, and penalties or sanctions. Backlogs in county systems can delay important notices and the variance in grace periods make reinstating medical coverageafter a sanction difficult and time consuming. Imagine a woman in an abusive relationship who takes her children to live with a relative. If her name is not on the mailbox, she can lose her benefits and have to reapply.
Proof. Proof. Proof: As noted before, a person may be eligible for benefits but still be denied. MA and MinnesotaCare require recipientsto turn in every pay stub and renew coverage every six months or annually. Many people in poverty do not have steady employment, but instead receive cash payments for odd jobs and seasonal or temporary employment. Failure to provide proof of this income results in denials or a termination of benefits.
The 50% Rule: At a certain income level, welfare recipients become ineligible for MA and are referred to MinnesotaCare, a health coverage plan that charges discounted monthly premiums based on ability to pay. But an individual is only eligible for MinnesotaCare if his or her employer does not provide medical insurance and pay at least 50 percent of the monthly premium. If the employer does offer coverage, that individual becomes ineligible for any public medical assistance, regardless of income and regardless of whether they can afford employer-based insurance. Those who can’t often chose to work without insurance. There is also no assessment of the coverage provided by employer-basedplans, so workers who do buy employer-based insurance may incur significant out-of-pocket costs and receive poor coverage.
CATCH-22s AT EVERY TURN
People in poverty who try to “do the right thing” are often confronted by a system riddled with Catch 22s. At one community meeting, a young woman shared this story: She had worked to attain her associate’s degree for three years and then lost her childcare benefit the day she graduated, leaving her with no one to care for her children while she tried to find a job with her newly acquired skills. This and other systemic Catch 22s waste huge amounts of human capacity and resources when people who work to improve themselves are then unable to compensate for the immediate loss of benefits that results from their improved situationand return instead to poverty and dependency.
A particularly vicious Catch-22 circles around the dynamic of those in poverty trying to keep stable housing, a requirement that must be met in order to keep custody of children and maintain benefits. That requirement gives landlords extraordinary economic power over impoverished tenants. If a woman cannot pay rent on time, there are predatory landlords who will settle the debt by accepting payment in other forms, most often sexual favors. Most often it is women and their children who are targeted for these “payments”. Because eviction can permanently ruin the family’s ability to find and keep housing, a woman can feel pressured to accede to such payments. If she does, she can be prosecuted if she refuses future sexual demands and seeks help. Prosecution can result in the loss of child custody and benefits.
SEEKING A NEW FRAMEWORK
The ideas presented in this article are an attempt to reframe poverty in a way that we hope will spur new ideas and new approaches. They are part of a working document available on the Citizens League website.
This fall, a Citizens League committee will take the New Pathways to Prosperity project to the next level, developing policy recommendations to resolve the Catch 22s that make it difficult for people living in poverty to climb out of poverty.
The committee’s work will be guided by our civic policy agenda and two assertions that we think will push the discussion to thenecessary policy level:
• Systems designed to support people when they are poor shouldnot keep them poor.
• Policies should not encourage family breakdown or penalize families trying to stay together.
These two statements will be tested broadly as the Citizens League seeks policy solutions that move us forward. If you are interested in participating on the committee, visit us online at http://www.citizensleague.org/.
•Bob DeBoer is the Citizens League Director of Policy Development. He can bereached at 651-293-0575 ext. 13 or at bdeboer@citizensleague.org.
Anna R. Schumacher is a senior at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’sUniversity where she received the first John Brandl scholarship. She interned at the Citizens League over the summer.
October 28, 2009
SJU Graduate Chase Cushman '06 -Where’s Obama? Ask 'the Minnesotans’
Chase Cushman, Political Science Major, CSB/SJU ‘06
Where’s Obama? Ask 'the Minnesotans’
ERIC ROPER, Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 23, 2009
WASHINGTON
Only a handful of people have their hands on the president's daily schedule. In the Obama administration, four of them come from Minnesota -- a tightknit crew that helps plan almost every detail of the commander-in-chief's day.
They spent years bouncing from campaign to campaign together, in a happenstance journey that has landed them at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"It's always a joke that it's the Minnesotans who have kind of taken over the scheduling office," said Chase Cushman. "And it's been that way since the [Obama] campaign."
Not long ago, Cushman's biggest worry was likely shaving seconds off his swim time as a student at St. John's University.
Now his responsibilities are weightier and on occasion can even put the 25-year-old associate director of scheduling in the Oval Office with President Obama and his advisers. Last spring Cushman was there to brief Obama on an upcoming trip to the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad.
"You sit in a room with David Axelrod and like the guys that know stuff and they're looking at a kid from Monticello to ask him what they're doing," Cushman said.
But usually the Minnesota contingent operates behind the scenes, keeping people such as the communications team, advance planners and cabinet secretaries on the same page.
Working alongside Cushman is associate director of scheduling Lizzie Nelson, a 26-year-old Wayzata native who describes herself as "air traffic control" among the dozens of stakeholders at any given event. They create detailed timelines of the president's day two or three days in advance.
"As it gets closer to the time frame where you need to get down to the nitty gritty, that's sort of where we come in," Nelson said.
Deputy director and surrogate scheduler Joe Paulsen, 25, a Minnetonka native, coordinates with members of the cabinet when they participate in events with the president and keeps the rest of the White House updated on the cabinet's schedule. When cabinet members arrive for a public presidential event, it's usually Paulsen who greets them. He is also the son of Terri Bonoff, a Minnesota state senator who ran for Congress last year.
Their point of contact in the West Wing is St. Paul native Jessica Wright, 27, deputy director of scheduling. A University of Minnesota graduate, she focuses on Obama's schedule several weeks out, translating the goals of top advisers into a rough timeline.
"My job I would say is more just kind of taking all of the different things that people want to do and finding a way to make a day fit all of the different messages and all of the basic day-to-day things that we have to do," Wright said.
The influence of orderly Minnesotans in the administration extends beyond the president's scheduling staff.
Just down the hall from scheduling is Pete Selfridge, a 38-year-old Minnetonka native who leads advance operations for Vice President Joe Biden.
"They'll put the schedule on paper and then we make it real outside of the White House," said Selfridge, who began working in the White House more than 10 years ago, sorting invitations in Bill Clinton's scheduling office.
Long journey together
Many of the young Minnesotans on the White House staff have spent their entire careers in politics together.
Several met on U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's campaign. Wright was Klobuchar's personal aide, Paulsen worked in advance and Nelson coordinated volunteers. Cushman was the personal aide to DFL House candidate Patty Wetterling.
Paulsen, Wright and Nelson each moved to Iowa to join the Obama campaign, where Franny Starkey, formerly Klobuchar's director of scheduling and advance, was the Iowa trips director. Starkey is now Michelle Obama's director of scheduling and advance, working alongside Minnesota native Semonti Mustaphi, the First Lady's deputy press secretary.
After the Iowa caucuses, Paulsen, Nelson and Wright moved to Obama headquarters in Chicago, where Selfridge and Cushman were also employed.
"We've known each other for a while and our department is sort of a family," Nelson said. "We hang out outside of work. I mean they're my friends, they're my co-workers."
So how did so many Minnesotans end up in scheduling?
"We've talked about it before," Cushman said. "We just kind of thought maybe it's because Minnesotans are pragmatic, we like to plan things."
Every day in the White House brings its challenges.
"One of the things I like most about my job is that it's not very routine and every day is very different because the nature of what we're doing just changes constantly," Wright said.
Selfridge relies on a vast network of freelance advance planners around the country to help him arrange dozens of events a month. He spends most of his time coordinating the entire operation from Washington.
But working for the president and representing the United States also has its unforgettable moments.
Wright, who reports to the director of scheduling, recalled representing the United States during negotiations in Canada before the president's trip there in February.
"You sit on either side of the table and they talk about what they want to do and then they're like, 'United States delegation, what do you think?' " Wright said. "And I turned and everyone was looking at me."
Eric Roper • 202-408-2723
January 6, 2009
McCarthy Center sponsors participation in Student Conference on United States Affairs
From Nov. 5 through 8 the McCarthy Center for Public Policy sent Sean Suter and Jenny Schwope to participate as student delegates in the Student Conference on United States Affairs held at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.
This annual conference brings together college students from across the country and around the world to discuss American foreign policy.
December 12, 2008
Opportunity for publication: Encyclopedia on U.S. Government and the Environment
The U.S. Government and the Environment: A Reference Encyclopedia is edited by Dr. Matt Lindstrom and will be published by ABC-CLIO in 2010. This two-volume encyclopedia covers the actors, institutions, events, issues, politics, and policies related to U.S. environmental politics and policy from historical and contemporary perspectives
There are currently over two hundred entries ranging in length from 250 to 2000 words. Authors will be paid a stipend for all accepted work. To get a copy of the list of entries or to propose entries, please contact the encyclopedia editor, Dr. Matt Lindstrom at mlindstrom@csbsju.edu or (320) 363-3364.
Professors, government professionals, graduate students, independent authors and other experts will be issued contracts and deadlines upon acceptance by the editorial team.
November 6, 2008
Audio: CSB/SJU students featured on All Things Considered on election eve
Students Laura Huira, Joal Reeves, and Brian Wieliczka were featured in "I'm a college student - where should I vote?" on Minnesota Public Radio News.
August 2, 2008
Alumni and student event in D.C. a success
A celebration of the first year of the McCarthy Center was held on June 26, 2008 in Washington, D.C. This event brought the 2008 Washington interns and Alumni/ae & Friends of the McCarthy Center together to celebrate and network.
Group with Senator Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader, current national co-chair of Obama 08, co-chair of Bono's One Campaign, author of Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis
Lisa Spoden ('83), reception co-host, Senior Partner and Executive VP of Strategic Health Care and new member of CSB Board of Trustees, talking with Mary Winzenberg, CSB '06, with the National Assn. of Attorneys General, and Erik Anderson, current SJU student and intern at Rep. Ellison's office
Al Eisele ('58), editor at large, The Hill, McCarthy Center 2008 Scholar in Residence, discussing his residency at the 2008 First Annual Washington DC McCarthy Center reception
CSB students and DC interns Laura Johnson (intern at David Turch and Associates) and Jessica Vining (intern at Dutko Worldwide) along with other CSB and SJU alums at the reception
Charles Howell, son-in-law of Senator McCarthy, husband of Ellen McCarthy-Howell with CSB and SJU alums and students at the reception
Dan Whalen ('70), former SJU Board Chair, benefactor of McCarthy Center, with Hon. John Lindstrom ('63), and David Turch ('63) reception co-chair and founder of David Turch and Associates at the reception
Washington D.C. intern update
Sean Suter, SJU '10, is one of thirteen CSB/SJU students to participate in the Washington D.C. Summer Program. Continue to follow the McCarthy Center website for updates, pictures, and stories from the summer interns.
Senator Obama and Sean Suter
Senator Obama's summer intern group
June 29, 2008
Student Conference on US Affairs in West Point, NY
Each fall semester, the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement sends one CSB and one SJU student to the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY for an undergraduate student conference focusing on international public policies. Students live in the barracks, eat in the mess halls, and enjoy debate and discussion with other students from around the world. All expenses are paid by the McCarthy Center.
More information about the conference is in the conference email below and at the web site linked in the following email.
If you are interested in being considered for nomination, email the following to Suzanne Reinert no later than August 15, 2008. Late applications will not be accepted. Early applications are welcomed.
Your application to be a CSB or SJU delegate should include the following:
- A cover letter no longer than three pages explaining why you'd like to go, what you could offer the conference and elaborate on your experiences that help prepare you for this conference
- Unofficial transcript
- Resume
Thanks for considering this opportunity. Have a great summer.
May 8, 2008
Students participate in Washington Summer Study Program 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thirteen students from the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, and Saint John’s University, Collegeville, are participating in the Washington Summer Study Program through the end of July.
The program, operated by the political science department in conjunction with The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at CSB-SJU, is designed to provide students an opportunity to live and work in the Washington, D.C., area while earning academic credit. Each student serves in a Congressional office, on a committee staff, in a government agency, in a nonprofit organization, or with a public affairs group, learning and working in a community. They apply for their internships based on their interests.
In addition to the work experience, program co-directors Matt Lindstrom, associate professor of political science at CSB-SJU, and Claire Haeg, assistant professor of political science at CSB-SJU, conduct weekly seminars and arrange supplemental meetings with alumnae/i and other professionals to enhance the learning experience. Among the alumnae/i who have spoken to the students are David Rehr, ’81, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters; and Peg McGlinch, ’95, former chief of staff for Rep. Tim Walz (D, Minn.).
Students serving internships from CSB include:
- Bibi Abdalla, a junior political science major from St. Paul, Minn., is interning at the office of Representative Keith Ellison (D, Minn.);
- Laura Johnson, a junior political science major from Minnetonka, Minn., is interning at the offices of David Turch and Associates, a government relations firm which provides strategic planning, legislative goal setting, and political analysis;
- Kristina Nesse, a junior political science and economics double major from Albert Lea, Minn., is interning at the office of Senator Amy Klobuchar (D, Minn.);
- Jessica Vining, a senior political science and philosophy double major from Troutdale, Oregon, is interning at the offices of Dutko Worldwide, a government affairs strategy firm.
- Erik R. Anderson, a junior political science major from Eden Prairie, Minn., is interning at the office of Representative Keith Ellison (D, Minn.);
- Colin Blair, a sophomore political science and prelaw major from Anchorage, Alaska, is interning at the offices of the Americans for Tax Reform;
- Barry Griffin, a junior political science major from Nassau, Bahamas, is interning at the offices of Caribbean-Central American Action, an organization working to promote economic development in the Caribbean and Central America;
- Brad Hagemeier, a senior political science and economics double major from Eden Valley, Minn., is interning with the Agriculture Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives;
- Jacob Haider, a junior political science and history double major from Forest Lake, Minn, is interning at the office of Senator Norm Coleman (R, Minn.);
- Daniel Haller, a junior political science and peace studies double major from Albertville, Minn., is interning at the D.C. Public Defender’s office;
- Jeffrey Schnobrich, a junior political science major from New Ulm, Minn, is interning at the Transportation Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives;
- Boris Sekulic, a junior political science major from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is interning at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Sean Suter, a sophomore political science major from Rochester, Minn, is interning at the office of Senator Barak Obama (D, Ill)
May 3, 2008
Eleven students participating as delegates in state party conventions
You don’t need to be a political science major to realize there are major differences between the Minnesota Republican and DFL political parties. But one thing is clear – students from the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, and Saint John’s University, Collegeville, will meet those differences head-on at each state convention.
Five students from SJU are delegates to the Republican state convention May 29-31, and six students from CSB and SJU are delegates to the DFL state convention June 6-8. Both conventions are in Rochester.
The Republican state delegates are SJU students Chase Kroll (sophomore, history major, Orono, Minn.), Colman Silbernagel (junior, political science and history, Perham, Minn.), Kurt Sorensen (senior, mathematics, Burnsville, Minn.), Heath Stoll (junior, accounting, Apple Valley, Minn.) and Chris Van Guilder (senior, political science, Delano, Minn.). SJU student Ryan Lais (sophomore, management, St. Paul) is an alternate delegate to the convention.
“CSB and SJU students add vibrancy to the Republican community with their youthful enthusiasm,” Sorensen said. “Even at the end of the day, we are standing up and speaking before the convention to talk about what we believe in. It’s encouraging to see so many students involved in the process – it shows that this generation cares about the direction of our country and who’s in charge.”
The DFL state delegates are CSB students Ashleigh Leitch (senior, political science/pre-law, Willmar, Minn.) and Robyn Meyer (senior, political science and Spanish, St. Cloud, Minn.), and SJU students Nick Hansen (sophomore, environmental studies, Wyoming, Minn.), Michael Johnson (sophomore, political science/pre-law, Eagan, Minn.), Joe Kane (senior, political science, Golden Valley, Minn.) and Matt Steinrueck (junior, environmental studies, Minneapolis). CSB student Sarah Gaida (senior, political science and peace studies, Rice, Minn.), and SJU students Eric Loehr (first-year, music, St. Cloud) and Zachary Shaheen (senior, biochemistry/pre-med, Elk River, Minn.) are alternate delegates to the convention.
Leitch has also been selected to be an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver.
“The importance of civic engagement at CSB and SJU has sparked a new interest and dialogue on campus and this is the end result: People are getting excited about the change and impact they have in making a society that reflects the Benedictine values of the common good, service, stewardship, hospitality, justice and respect for all individuals,” Kane said.
April 23, 2008
Scholarship and Creativity Day
To all members of the CSB/SJU community: you are invited to attend student oral presentations today for the Public Policy Analysis and Recommendation project (Pols 114) in which students diagnose some policy problem and recommend a solution. The presentations will be in Simons G-40. The afternoon session goes from 1-4 PM, and the evening session from 7-9 PM. You do not need to stay for the entire session. These presentations are part of the Scholarship and Creativity Day activities. -James Read, Department of Political Science
Participating Students and Presentation Titles:
1:00-4:00 PM
- Anna Schumacher: Universal Pre-K Program
- Brian Strauss: Southwest Light Rail Transitway: The next step in MSP public transportation
- Ashleigh Leitch: Addressing Human Trafficking through Mandatory Reporting
- Sarah Gaida: Reintegration of Africa's Child Soldiers
- Dan Burgstaler: China's manipulation of currency.
- Casey Wojtalewicz: Feed-In Tariffs in Minnesota: Renewable Energy For and By All
- Jacob Lantry: "Refuse Derived Fuel: A Solution to the Dilemma at St. Paul's Rock-Tenn Recycling Plant."
- Jacob Law: Public Buildings and Environmental Regulation
- Michael Swanberg: Metropolitan Water District
- Kellianne Lauer: Pro Bono Legal Assistance for Undocumented Minors
7:00-9:00 PM
- Amy Hoeschen: Common Curriculum: waving an Environmental Flag High
- Tasha Truskolaski: Homeowner Protection Package
- Michael Cronan: The Reinforcement of the Fairness Doctrine
- Sarah Biro: Consistency in Nutritional Education in Public Schools
- Hannah Lammer: Reevaluating Efficiency and Health: Food Stamp Program Reform
- Joe Eiden: Judicial Bypass: Minnesota’s Flawed Option for Minors Seeking Abortion
- Rachel Kohout: Real Costs of War Profiteers: Inefficiency of Private Contracting
- Erik Anderson: Indoor Air Quality in Minnesota Public Schools
- Alan Albert: A New Reformed Health Care System in America
August 1, 2007
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge honored at annual Red Mass
Judge Diana Murphy of the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be honored with the Fidelis Apparitor Award during the sixth annual Red Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, on the College of Saint Benedict campus. The public is invited to attend.
The award, which means “faithful servant” in Latin, is given to individuals who have been good and faithful servants of the law. John Simonett, a former associate justice with the Minnesota Supreme Court and a 1948 graduate of Saint John’s University, received the award last year.
Honorees are chosen by virtue of their exemplary service, outstanding competence and leadership, and their adherence to the directive in the Rule of Saint Benedict: “No one is to pursue what is judged better for oneself, but instead, what is judged better for someone else.”
Murphy, who was born in Faribault, Minn., received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, and her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. She was in private practice from 1974-76 in Minneapolis, then served as a judge on the Hennepin (Minn.) County Municipal Court from 1976-78 and as a judge on the Minnesota District Court Fourth Judicial District from 1978-80.
In 1979, she was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat created in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. She was confirmed by the Senate in 1980, and served as chief judge from 1992-94. In 1994, she became a judge in the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals following a nomination by President Bill Clinton. Murphy also served as chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 1999-2004.
Murphy served for 19 years on the SJU Board of Regents, chairing the board from 1995-98. She is now a Regent Emerita. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul.
The celebrant and homilist for the Red Mass is Abbot John Klassen, OSB, of Saint John’s Abbey.
The judicial year in many jurisdictions around the world is traditionally opened with a Red Mass. The celebration of the Mass is designed to provide judges, lawyers, civic leaders and academics of all faiths the opportunity to reflect on the powers and responsibilities that are part of their offices.
Red Mass participants ask God to grant the virtues and gifts necessary for the proper and just administration of their duties. The Red Mass name comes from the red vestments and garments that early legal participants wore on this occasion.
April 18, 2007
Writing contest for high school students to recognize interest in public policy
Students from public and private high schools from across the Upper Midwest are invited to enter the second annual College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University Public Policy Learning Community Essay Contest.
“Contested Ideas and Methods: Debating Public Policy” is the topic of the essay contest, sponsored by the Public Policy Learning Community at CSB/SJU. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2007. Entries should be submitted by e-mail to mlindstrom@csbsju.edu or by mail to: Dr. Matthew Lindstrom, Public Policy Learning Community, Saint John’s University, Simons Hall 150, Collegeville, MN 56321.
The Public Policy Learning Community at CSB/SJU is offering this essay contest to foster awareness of and interest in public policy issues at any area and level of government.
Entries may address policy in any area of government, from domestic to foreign, and any level of government, from local policy to international law. Essays will be judged on the quality of writing and support of the theme through evidence, not on the policy issue chosen or specific position held by the writer. A bibliography using any standard academic style is necessary.
Papers should address the importance of the issue and the policies involved in that issue, why they are important, and what improvements could be made to the policies or their implementation. Topics within the scope of public policy include, but are not limited to, education, war, environment, poverty, health care, taxation, trade, criminal justice, civil rights and liberties, international refugees, and much more. Essays should be 1200 words at a minimum.
“This writing contest is meant to show students how public policy affects their lives, and how they can affect public policy,” said Lindstrom, CSB/SJU associate professor of political science and director of the Public Policy Learning Community.
“Through active citizenship, we can help government advance the good of society,” Lindstrom continued. “Many of us are unaware of the effects of even the smallest policy changes on important issues. This writing promotes thought among students about the issues of interest to them, and allows them to research these issues and suggest improvements to public policy that would improve life in society today. With this encouragement, students will hopefully become more politically aware and active citizens.”
There is a first prize award of $200 and a second prize award of $100. Certificates of merit will also be awarded.
October 1, 2006
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice honored at annual Red Mass
The fifth annual Red Mass is at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, on the College of Saint Benedict campus, St. Joseph. The public is invited to attend.
A reception follows the Mass at Teresa Reception Center, Main Building, CSB. Those who wish to attend the reception must register by Nov. 2.
John Simonett, a former associate justice with the Minnesota Supreme Court, will be honored at the Red Mass as recipient of the Fidelis Apparitor Award. The award, which means “faithful servant” in Latin, will be given to individuals who have been good and faithful servants of the law.
Honorees are chosen by virtue of their exemplary service, outstanding competence and leadership, and their adherence to the directive in the Rule of Saint Benedict: “No one is to pursue what is judged better for oneself, but instead, what is judged better for someone else.”
Simonett is a 1948 graduate of Saint John’s University, Collegeville. Following his graduation cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1951, he was a partner from 1951-80 at Rosenmeier and Simonett in Little Falls, Minn.
Simonett served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1980-94. He then joined the Minneapolis law firm of Greene Espel as a partner in August 1994. He serves as a mediator and arbitrator, listed with the American Arbitration Association and authorized under state’s rules governing alternative dispute resolution.
The celebrant and homilist for the Red Mass is Abbot John Klassen, OSB, of Saint John’s Abbey. A welcome will be given by Sister Nancy Bauer, OSB, prioress for Saint Benedict’s Monastery.
The readers include Judge James Rosenbaum, chief judge, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota; and Minnesota First District Judge Martha Simonett, who is John Simonett’s daughter. A reflection will be provided by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Russell Anderson.
The judicial year in many jurisdictions around the world is traditionally opened with a Red Mass. The celebration of the Mass is designed to provide judges, lawyers, civic leaders and academics of all faiths the opportunity to reflect on the powers and responsibilities that are part of their offices.
Red Mass participants ask God to grant the virtues and gifts necessary for the proper and just administration of their duties. The Red Mass name comes from the red vestments and garments that early legal participants wore on this occasion.