Hagel: Rudeness in Politics Must End

Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska delivers the third annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture on Wednesday in the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater at St. John's University. (Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com)


By Dave Aeikens • daeikens@stcloudtimes.com • September 24, 2009

COLLEGEVILLE —

Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said the political discourse in the country has turned so poor that it threatens democracy and America's international standing.

Hagel spoke for about 40 minutes Wednesday night at the Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture at St. John's University. Hagel, who served in the Senate from 1997-2009, was the first Republican senator to speak out against the Iraq war.

"I am concerned our country has lost a good deal of what Eugene McCarthy is all about," Hagel said.

Addressing an audience of more than 400 students and other guests that included McCarthy's family and former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger and former U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, Hagel questioned whether the country will allow rudeness to take over the political system.

"Public discourse has gotten so raw, so rude, so embarrassing it has really debased our system," Hagel said.

He said any fool can stand up and scream and any fool can stand up and call names.

"It takes conscience and courage to find a solution to a problem," Hagel said.

The world is as combustible and interconnected as it has ever been, Hagel said. But the U.S. has great capacity to solve the problems of the world.

"We will never get there if we so debase the process we use to get there," Hagel said.

Hagel pointed to the tenor in the debate on health care policy changes as an example of where the public discourse has gone off the tracks. He said the screaming and rudeness has to stop.

"This is not what a civilized society does," Hagel said.

Hagel said McCarthy, a St. John's graduate from Watkins who served in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, worked to solve problems and disagreed with others in a respectful and honorable way. McCarthy in 1967 was among the first to challenge President Lyndon Johnson, a fellow Democrat, on the U.S. policy in Vietnam.

"That is another dimension on why McCarthy was so important at a very important time," Hagel said.

Hagel said President Obama is confronting more problems than Abraham Lincoln.

He said he has seen how the country has lost its ability to self-govern because it is paralyzed by partisanship.

"We have to bring some semblance back of a governing coalition in the country," Hagel said.

Is the Media ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Fair?

Is the Media ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Fair?

Can our government ensure balance in viewpoints better than the media market?


COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – David Rehr, Ph.D., the former president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters and a 1981 graduate of Saint John’s University, speaks on “Is the Media ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Fair?” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 at the Alumni Lounge, Quadrangle Building, Saint John’s University.
His appearance, sponsored by The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, is free and open to the public.
The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission introduced in 1949 that required the holders of broadcast licenses to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was (in the FCC’s view) honest, equitable and balanced. In 1987, the FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine.
No legislation has been introduced in the current Congress to reintroduce the doctrine. But prominent legislative leaders and former Presidents have called for its reinstatement. It could also be reinstated by a simple majority vote of the five members of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) or through other FCC regulatory orders.
Rehr will review the history of the doctrine and argue that the federal government should not regulate media fairness or balance. “It was a mistake to ever institute the doctrine and we must prevent any attempt, directly or indirectly, to regulate speech under the guise of balance.” Rehr contends. Dr. Rehr will argue that in the past both Republicans and Democrats have used the doctrine to suppress their opponents speech.
Any FCC regulation or law which has the outcome of restricting political speech must be opposed by the citizenry with vigor.
Rehr will make the positive case that technology and market competition is generating a better informed electorate than ever before in the history of the nation.
Rehr earned a bachelor of science degree from SJU in business administration, and went on to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from George Mason University. He has served as a member of the SJU Board of Regents since 2007.
Prior to joining the National Association of Broadcasters in December 2005, Rehr worked as the president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association and as a chief lobbyist to the U.S. House of Representatives for the National Federation of Independent Business. Rehr has been ranked by Beacham’s Guide to Key Lobbyists as one of the 125 most influential lobbyists in Washington, D.C., was listed in Washington Life magazine’s “Power 100” list in 2007 and was annually listed as a “Top Association Lobbyist” by The Hill publication.

2 St. John’s alumni to be honored for public service

September 10, 2009

2 St. John’s alumni to be honored for public service
Men will receive the first Eugene McCarthy Public Service Award

St. Cloud Times staff report

COLLEGEVILLE — St. John’s University will honor two alumni posthumously for their public service.

John Brandl and Gerald Christenson will receive the first Eugene McCarthy Distinguished Public Service Award during the third annual McCarthy Lecture and Dinner on Sept. 23.
Brandl served in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, first as an analyst with the Defense Department and later as a deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He later served 12 years in the Minnesota Legislature representing parts of south Minneapolis.

Brandl also was a regent at St. John’s from 1991-2000 and helped launch the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. He was a distinguished professor of public policy at St. John’s and the College of St. Benedict, and a professor and former dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Christenson, a native of Litchfield, helped design the Minnesota school funding system known as the “Minnesota Miracle” because it made the state responsible for most public education funding. He helped create a federal youth employment program during the 1960s and was chancellor of the Minnesota community college system.

He was also the first commissioner of the state’s Department of Finance, and instituted the revenue forecast.

Christenson was a chief of staff for Fourth District Congressman Joe Karth and a candidate for lieutenant governor in 1966.
Brandl died in 2008; Christenson in 2005.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel to speak in Collegeville, Minn.

Star Tribune

Last update: September 3, 2009 - 8:52 PM

Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel will deliver the annual Eugene McCarthy Lecture at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., this month. The speech by Hagel represents something of a historical convergence: Dedicated to the memory of one of the most trenchant Democratic opponents of the Vietnam War, it's being delivered by the first Republican senator to oppose the war in Iraq. McCarthy, whose 1968 presidential run effectively toppled President Lyndon Johnson, attended St. John's and was a member of the Benedictine community at St. John's Abbey. He served in Congress from 1949 until 1971. Hagel represented Nebraska in the Senate from 1997 until this year. A Vietnam veteran, he was considered a maverick in the GOP and his name was floated last year as a potential running mate or Cabinet member for President Obama.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public,
will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23.

BOB VON STERNBERG

The Limits Of Force:

Iraq and Afghanistan Aren't Ours to Win or Lose

Washington Post - Chuck Hagel

The other night I watched the film “The Deer Hunter.” Afterward, I remembered why it took me so many years to be able to watch Vietnam movies.

It all came tumbling back — the tragedy, the innocent victims, the waste. Too often in Washington we tend to see foreign policy as an abstraction, with little understanding of what we are committing our country to: the complications and consequences of endeavors. It is easy to get into war, not so easy to get out. Vietnam lasted more than 10 years; soon, we will slip into our ninth year in Afghanistan. We have been in Iraq for almost seven years.

When I came to the Senate in 1997, the world was being redefined by forces no single country controlled or understood. The implosion of the Soviet Union and a historic diffusion of economic and geopolitical power created new influences and established new global power centers — and new threats. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, shocked America into this reality. The Sept. 11 commission pointed out that the attacks were as much about failures of our intelligence and security systems as about the terrorists’ success. The U.S. response, engaging in two wars, was a 20th-century reaction to 21st-century realities. These wars have cost more than 5,100 American lives; more than 35,000 have been wounded; a trillion dollars has been spent, with billions more departing our Treasury each month. We forgot all the lessons of Vietnam and the preceding history.

No country today has the power to impose its will and values on other nations. As the new world order takes shape, America must lead by building coalitions of common interests, as we did after World War II. Then, international organizations such as the United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and GATT (now the World Trade Organization) — while flawed — established boundaries for human and government conduct and expectations that helped keep the world from drifting into World War III and generally made life better for most people worldwide during the second half of the 20th century. Our greatest threats today come from the regions left behind after World War II. Addressing these threats will require a foreign policy underpinned by engagement — in other words, active diplomacy, but not appeasement. We need a clearly defined strategy that accounts for the interconnectedness and the shared interests of all nations. Every great threat to the United States — whether economic, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, health pandemics, environmental degradation, energy, or water and food shortages — also threatens our global partners and rivals. Accordingly, we cannot view U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan through a lens that sees only “winning” or “losing.” Iraq and Afghanistan are not America’s to win or lose. Win what? We can help them buy time, or develop, but we cannot control their fates. There are too many cultural, ethnic and religious dynamics at play in these regions for any one nation to control. For example, the future of Afghanistan is linked directly to Pakistan and what happens in the mountains along their border. Political accommodation and reconciliation in this region will determine the outcome.

Bogging down large armies in historically complex, dangerous areas ends in disaster. In Vietnam, we kept feeding more men, material and money into a corrupt Vietnamese government as our own leaders continued to deceive themselves and the American people. Today’s wars are quite different from Vietnam. But the Obama administration, Congress and the Pentagon must get this right because it will frame the global architecture for the next generation. We must put forward fresh thinking. We can no longer hold ourselves to narrow “single issue” engagement when dealing with nations such as China, Russia, India, Brazil, Turkey or South Korea. The United States needs all these countries and many more if we are to engage the most dangerous challenges — not one at a time, but all together. Our relationships with these nations have matured since World War II, as these nations have matured. Does anyone believe we will get to a responsible resolution on Iran without Russia? There’s a reason we are part of a Group of 20 rather than a G-8. Even the world’s largest economies cannot handle today’s problems alone.

Global collaboration does not mean retreating from our standards, values or sovereignty. Development of seamless networks of intelligence gathering and sharing, and strengthening alliances, diplomatic cooperation, trade and development can make the biggest long-term difference and have the most lasting impact on building a more stable and secure world. There really are people and organizations committed to destroying America, and we need an agile, flexible and strong military to face these threats. How, when and where we use force are as important as the decision to use it. Relying on the use of force as a centerpiece of our global strategy, as we have in recent years, is economically, strategically and politically unsustainable and will result in unnecessary tragedy — especially for the men and women, and their families, who serve our country.

Are our policies worthy of these Americans’ great sacrifices? That question must always be at the fore of our leaders’ decisions. Threats to America come from more than Afghanistan. Consider Yemen and Somalia. Are we prepared to put U.S. ground troops there? I doubt we would seriously consider putting forces in Pakistan, yet its vast Federally Administered Tribal Areas and mountainous western border harbor our most dangerous enemies today. We must shift our thinking, now, to pursue wiser courses of action and sharper, more relevant policies.
The president and his national security team should listen to recordings of conversations that President Lyndon B. Johnson had with Sen. Richard Russell about Vietnam, especially those in which LBJ told Russell that we could not win in Vietnam but that he did not want to pull out and be the first American president to lose a war. Difficult decisions with historic consequences are coming soon for President Obama.

The writer is a former Republican senator from Nebraska.

Jackson Fellows in the Community

Summer music program looks to educate youth on instruments

By Dave Aeikens (daeikens@stcloudtimes.com) - July 29, 2009

Carlos Borgert sat on the floor in one of the event rooms at the St. Cloud Public Library and told a visitor why he was there.
“I really like to play the flute,” the 6-year-old said in a booming voice.
It was the flute that was on display Tuesday in a program called “The Sounds of Summer: Music Exploration.”
Children this week can take part in the program that introduces them to instruments of the orchestra by listening to music, interacting with musicians and expressing themselves through games, arts and crafts.
The first event was Tuesday and it runs through Friday from 2-2:45 p.m. It is open to children in first through sixth grade. Children can preregister, but walk-ins are also welcome.
“We already have education programs during the school year, but during the summer there is kind of the lapse in the program,” said Chris Beckstrand, a St. Cloud symphony intern who is a College of St. Benedict student from Elk River. She helped organize the summer music program.
“The library is such a beautiful space in St. Cloud, we wanted to take advantage of the space,” she said.
Alvin Yu brought his son Willie to stoke his interest in orchestral music.
“I think it is a good chance to give children the opportunity to see instruments from the symphony,” Yu said.
Beckstrand demonstrated the flute on Tuesday. Today, Patrick Thorn will show off the trumpet, and the violin will be featured on Thursday with percussion instruments on Friday.
“I want to play the flute when I am older,” said 10-year-old Ashlyn Kotcho of Sauk Rapids.
Children at the library worked on crafts and watched demonstrations of instruments. The children made masks by using colors on white paper plates. They were told to use the colors they hear when they listen to music. Symphony music played in the background as they colored and the library set out children’s books about musicians and music to entice the children.
“We’ll have a lot of different creative things that get the children thinking and have fun during the summer,” Beckstrand said.

9 students work in honorary fellowship

By Frank Lee, July 4th, 2009


Not all learning takes place inside the classroom.

This summer, nine students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University are working on community service projects that build leadership skills and social development.

The students are part of the Marie and Robert Jackson Fellows program, which was established in 2008 through an anonymous donation made to St. Ben’s in St. Joseph.
“What the fellowship does is allows students to do full-time work that would not be ordinarily compensated,” said Matt Lindstrom, associate professor of political science at CSB/SJU and director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement.

The students attend six to eight seminars throughout the summer where they focus on leadership skills, philanthropy, public speaking, grant writing and other topics.
The goal of the program is to improve community life by engaging in both political and community service activities.

“A long-standing tradition at St. Ben’s, St. John’s has been the Benedictine influence of giving and civic work, so this Jackson fellowship continues the tradition of a holistic education where students are not only exposed to classroom theories and ideas but apply them,” he said.

The program is open to students of all majors and includes a highly competitive application and selection process.

The summer work sites vary by degree of leadership and interest from each Jackson Fellow.

“The anonymous donation to St. Ben’s provides funding for nine students, and it’s proven to be quite successful last year, and we’re hoping to expand the program,” said Lindstrom, who directs the fellows program along with Marah Jacobson-Schulte, CSB/SJU service-learning coordinator.

Throughout the summer, students in the program will also learn from each other’s experiences and take part in a reading curriculum intended to develop leadership, entrepreneurial and civic skills.

“We were looking for students who are willing to take risks, who want to do something beyond just sort of building their resume. We wanted students who have been leaders throughout their campus as well as community, or have traveled internationally or volunteered,” Lindstrom said.

More than 40 students applied to be in this summer’s program. They were then narrowed down to a pool of about 15 who were interviewed for the nine spots that would receive a $4,000 stipend.

“The idea is that we want to pay them a wage that allows them to work full time and not have to worry about working two or three other jobs, so they can focus their entire summer on their community involvement and for that reason it’s growing in popularity,” Lindstrom said.

“A lot of students are very qualified and interested in working the public sector or working in politics, public policy or community service, but they simply can’t afford it. Very few people can.”

The Jackson Fellows for this summer are:
Christen Beckstrand, a German and music double major. Beckstrand is working for the St. Cloud Symphony developing a curriculum template for the fourth-grade school outreach program, executing an educational music program for children 7-12 at the St. Cloud Public Library and writing a grant.

Emily Bina, a communication major. Bina is working for the Midday show with SJU graduate Gary Eichten on Minnesota Public Radio News in St. Paul. She is responsible for updating the Web site, writing scripts and editing audio.

Jacqueline Duchschere, a political science major. Duchschere is working for the Office on the Economic Status of Women for the Minnesota Legislature on an archiving project and on a pay equity project.

Catherine Hansen, biology major. Hansen is working for The Center for Cross-Cultural Health in Minneapolis, engaging the Somali community. Her work includes anatomy education for women and a study of interaction between patients and health care professionals.

Laura Huiras, a political science major. Huiras is working for Minnesota 2020 in St. Paul. Her duties are focused on keeping up with educational news, identifying problems and recommending tangible solutions to focus on the success of Minnesota’s educational policy.

Yesenia Murillo, sociology major. Murillo is working on a civic engagement project for Anna Marie’s Alliance in St. Cloud.

Ashley Ver Burg, a biochemistry and environmental studies double major. Ver Burg is working for 1000 Friends of Minnesota in Brainerd on conservation design development, natural resource protection and citizen involvement in land-use processes.

Michael Johnson, a political science major. Johnson is working for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services in St. Paul as an intake screener, court courier and researcher dealing with cases in family, housing and benefits law while supplying legal services to the poorest in the community.

Brian Long, a communication and English double major. Long is working for PrideAlive through the Minnesota AIDS Project in Minneapolis, an outreach program that works to educate young gay men about HIV prevention, the risks of HIV and STDs.

Nick Coleman named Senior Fellow of the McCarthy Center

As a Senior Fellow, Coleman will organize several events on campus, write columns for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, mentor students and serve as a resource for the McCarthy Center.


Star-Tribune Articles:

A Remedy for Fort Snelling's Forgotten War

MIAC Profiles of Excellence: Jeff Schnobrich, Saint John's University

Jeff Schnobrich '09, McCarthy Center participant, featured in College Sporting News.

by Rich Mies, CSN Mapping the MIAC Columnist

There are all kinds of family traditions, ranging from how we worship to whether we serve in the military to how we celebrate the holidays. For many, like Jeff Schnobrich, the choice of college is influenced by family tradition, too. There is a long line of men in Jeff’s family who attended Saint John’s University, and Jeff has continued this tradition. In doing so, he has been a key part of the SJU football team as well as having many off-field activities and accomplishments. In addition, he has become a semifinalist for the Draddy Award, also known as the “Academic Heisman.”

“My dad, grandpa, several uncles and cousins have all attended Saint John’s,” Jeff said.”My brother did, too, for a year. One of my cousins who went here is Matt Schnobrich, who won a bronze medal in rowing at the Beijing Olympics this summer.”

Because of his family connection, Jeff was familiar with SJU, so when the time came to choose a college, his choice did not surprise anyone. “I didn’t even apply at any other school,” he said. “I pretty much knew for a while that I wanted to be a Johnnie.”

While at Saint John’s, Jeff has excelled in the classroom, maintaining a 3.90 GPA. He has been involved in various activities in the political science department, including an internship this summer in Washington, D.C. Jeff also has participated in an overseas study program in Guatemala and several related programs. As a result, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) has named him as one of 164 semifinalists for the 2008 Draddy Trophy. He also is a candidate for the NFF 2008 National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

“Jeff is blessed with many fine qualities,” stated SJU coach John Gagliardi. “He is almost a straight A student, an excellent running back, and all around fine young man in every way.”

Jeff grew up in New Ulm, a city of 14,000 about 100 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. He has two older brothers. “Andy, the oldest, has Down’s syndrome,” said Jeff. “He works back home in New Ulm. Corey went to Saint John’s for a year before transferring to Iowa State, where he earned a degree in architecture. He works in Chicago now.”

He attended New Ulm Cathedral High, where he played football, hockey and baseball. On the ice, Cathedral fielded a cooperative team with New Ulm’s public high school. Jeff played forward, seeing time at both wings and center, as the team needed. He skated on the third line as a sophomore and moved up to the first line for his junior and senior years. Jeff was named to the all-conference team as a senior, as well as the MVP of the New Ulm team. He also won the Hobey Baker Character Award. New Ulm lost in the quarterfinals of Section play in Jeff’s sophomore year and in the semifinals each of the next two seasons.

On the diamond, Jeff was a three-year starter. “My sophomore year, I played second base, third or center field,” he recalled. “I started in center the last two years.” He was named to the all-conference team his junior and senior years after being honorable mention as a sophomore. Jeff also earned All-Section honors as a junior and as a senior, and was named to the all-area team by the New Ulm Journal.

The Greyhounds are among the better high school programs in the state. “My sophomore year, we lost to Sleepy Eye-St, Mary’s in the Section final,” said Jeff. “We lost to them in the playoffs in my junior year, too. We beat them the next year and went on to win the State Class 2A championship.”

Jeff was the starting running back for Cathedral his junior and senior years. As a junior, he had a breakout season, eclipsing the school single-season rushing record with more than 1,100 yards, leading the Greyhounds to a 9-3 record. Jeff was named to the all-conference team and the Journalnamed him to its all-area team as the Greyhounds won their Section but lost to Medford in the opening round of the State.

In his senior year, Jeff topped his own rushing record, rushing for 1,390 yards. He also broke school records for single game yardage (302), single season all-purpose yards (2,050), single season touchdowns (19), career rushing yards (2,487) and career all-purpose yards (3,487). He was named offensive player of the year for the conference as well as all-conference. Jeff was also all-state honorable mention and was the Journal’s area offensive player of the year. “We made it to the Section championship game, but lost to Mankato Loyola,” said Jeff.

Jeff was named Cathedral’s outstanding senior male athlete his senior year.

He was active in drama throughout high school, playing roles in Annie, Little Women, and Fiddler on the Roof before landing the lead role in Music Man his senior year. He also competed on the Speech Team for two years. Jeff also sang in the choir. He was named an AAA award winner for Subsection 7. The AAA award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and the arts.

The summer before Jeff’s senior year, he and a group of friends organized a community theater group. “There were 10 of us who started our own theatre group,” he said. “That summer, we put on Godspell. The organization we started still is in existence.”

Jeff was a member of the National Honor Society and was commended for the National Merit Scholarship program. The Mankato Free Press named him to its All-Area Team for Academic Excellence. He was valedictorian of his graduating class.

He was a member of the Knowledge Bowl team for four years. “My senior year, we made it to State, where we took 13th,” he said. “We had to compete in the larger schools division, and were one of the smallest schools in that division.”

Jeff was a member of the student government for four years, and was Council President his senior year. He was chosen to represent his school at Boys’ State before his senior year.

As a senior, Jeff was the recipient of two prestigious awards. The New Ulm Rotary Club gave him its annual Service Above Self award, and he was named the winner of the Lumen Christi Award. “That goes to the senior who best exemplifies the principles the school stands for,” he explained.

While many of his peers agonized with trying to decide where to attend college, Jeff’s decision was a quick and painless one. He considered only one school, Saint John’s, knowing well from familial experiences what to expect of SJU as well as the benefits of a Saint John’s education.

During his time at Saint John’s, Jeff has been part of the Johnnies’ football team all four years. He did not see action as a freshman, but he saw action in seven games his sophomore year. He carried the ball 10 times for 29 yards and hauled in three passes for 24 yards as the Johnnies tied for first place in the MIAC with Bethel and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs. They beat Central (IA) 21-13 and Whitworth (21-3) to advance to the quarterfinals, where they lost to UW-Whitewater, 17-14, finishing their season 11-2.

Last fall, Jeff was the Johnnies’ third leading rusher, garnering 206 yards in 11 games. He also caught 16 passes for 139 yards and scored six touchdowns. Saint John’s finished second in the MIAC but earned an at-large berth in the NCAA playoffs. In the opening round, they beat Redlands (CA) 41-13 before losing to Central, 37-7, ending the year 10-2.

This fall, the Jays are off to a 3-2 start and are 1-2 in league action. Jeff leads the team in rushing with 202 yards and is the Johnnies’ second leading receiver with 23 catches for 246 yards. He ranks ninth among receivers in the MIAC.

Jeff decided to try his hand at track his freshman year. “”I thought it would be fun to try something new and different,” he explained. He ran various sprints and sprint relays for the Johnnies during the indoor and outdoor seasons his freshman and sophomore years. He is contemplating returning to the cinder this winter and spring.

He did not compete in track last year as he was participating in a study abroad program in Guatemala. “I initially became interested in studying abroad before coming to SJU after hearing about my cousin Matt’s semester in Spain,” Jeff stated. “After coming to SJU, I heard other great endorsements for studying abroad and realized that it would be easy to ‘fit in’ academically, as it is for most students. I knew that I wanted to study abroad in a country where I could be immersed in and learn another language. Having taken some Spanish classes, my choices were then narrowed to Spain and Guatemala. Chile, the other Spanish language program offered through CSB|SJU, is in the fall, and I was not going to miss a season of football. I decided to go to Guatemala both for the set-up of the program, which included lots of one-on-one instruction and other interesting classes, and because I thought it would be a more unique experience.”

He spent the semester in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. “It was an incredibly eye-opening experience,” related Jeff. “We were completely immersed in the local culture. This included staying with a host family the entire time I was there, as well as taking one-on-one Spanish classes for four hours a day for the majority of the program. Another academic highlight was a Mayan Cosmovision class, team-taught by a Mayan priest and a cultural anthropologist. Among the highlights of the semester were climbing numerous volcanoes. We also learned about Guatemala’s history and culture, especially its Mayan history and culture.”

There were numerous volunteer opportunities as well. Jeff participated in one that helped with marketing for Kuchub’al, a cooperative of small women producers. He also got involved in a hydroelectric project for Finca La Florida, a small group of communal farmers.

Jeff sports a 3.90 GPA, majoring in Political Science with minors in Spanish and Economics. He has made the Dean’s List five (of six) semesters and is a Regents’/Trustees’ scholar as well as a recipient of a Lynn Gresser Political Science scholarship.

At Saint John’s, Jeff has been involved in the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. The Center is a nonpartisan learning and outreach center that emulates the principles the late Senator espoused. It fosters enhanced civic engagement and dialog about public policy. The Center hosts a series of lectures in the area of public policy and public affairs on campus and sponsors a Washington (D.C.) study program that enables interested students to intern in a government, political, or non-profit office while earning academic credit.

“I became interested in doing the internship through some political science professors, and I knew I needed some work experience related to my field of study,” he said. “I was one of 12 CSB-SJU students in the program who spent the summer in Washington. Not only did we live together and discuss our internships as a group, but we also had seminars, organized by our professors, with alumni and professionals in various fields in DC. The professors helped with application to various sites and helped us prepare for a summer as working professionals in D.C.”

Jeff spent the summer of 2008 working as an intern for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I applied to the Transportation Committee because of my interest in transportation issues,” he said. “My duties and responsibilities varied: wherever I was needed, I would help. This would often include assisting in the preparation and conducting of committee hearings and meetings. I also did administrative work in the office, and I did research as needed for committee staffers. I was able to sit in on Congressional briefings and staff meetings, and I was also able to attend presentations by important D.C. figures.”

Currently, Jeff works as an office assistant in the Political Science department. One of his main responsibilities is promoting and organizing the Summer Study Program.

After graduation, Jeff is strongly considering Grad School. “I may delay that and get involved in something public policy related,” he said. He is unsure at this point if he will return to DC or get involved in something at the local or regional level.

Because of his familiarity with the school, Jeff arrived at Saint John’s with anticipations about the education SJU would provide him. His experiences not only equaled those expectations but greatly exceeded them. “I’ve gotten what I consider to be a great education, not only in the classroom, but beyond,” he stated. “It stretched from the rain forests of Guatemala to the halls of DC. At the same time, I was still able to play football and run track. It has been a great place to be.”

[The photos are used courtesy of the Saint John’s University Sports Information Office.]

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) is widely respected as one of the premier conferences in nearly every sport competed in Division III. Year after year, the MIAC produces teams and individual student-athletes who excel in their given sport. At the same time, the MIAC schools maintain a reputation of commitment to academic excellence. This article is one in a series of spotlights on some of the young men and women who represent the league’s commitment to excellence, both in the classroom and athletics during the 2008-09 academic year.

This feature will be included in the “Profiles of Excellence 2008-2009″ book which will be available for order at RDM Publishing. It will feature profiles of student-athletes from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, written by CSN’s “Mapping the MIAC” columnist Rich Mies.

Romney Blasts Obama's 'Apology' Tour

Posted: Monday, June 01, 2009 4:01 PM by Mark Murray

From NBC's Abby Livingston, Katelin Schartz, and Mark Murray
At a speech today in DC sponsored by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, Mitt Romney called for increased defense spending, and also again criticized President Obama for going on a "tour of apology" while traveling abroad.

"It’s not because America hasn’t made mistakes -- we have -- but because America’s mistakes are overwhelmed by what America has meant to the hopes and aspirations of people throughout the world," he said, adding: "Britain’s Guardian newspaper noted that Mr. Obama has been more critical of his own country, while on foreign soil, than any other president in American history. That would be a most unfortunate distinction at any time."

Seeking to bolster his national security credentials, especially if he makes another White House bid, the one-term Massachusetts devoted much of his speech to calling for more defense spending. "We cannot allow the economic crisis to conceal the very real threats to our nation’s security," Romney said. "We cannot ignore the intentions of competitors who would replace America’s leadership with their own, and set back the cause of freedom."

In fact, Romney was fiercely critical of Obama's "domestic" spending at the expense of funding for national defense. "I fear ... that he will look to the military budget to find the biggest cuts and finance his domestic priorities.”

The potential 2012 presidential candidate detailed a litany of other criticisms of the Obama administration -- including its handling of North Korea. “Arrogant, delusional tyrants can not be stopped by earnest words and furrowed brows. Action, strong bold action coming from a position of strength and determination, is the only effective deterrent.”

After the speech, Romney spoke to reporters about GM filing for bankruptcy. He cited a November op-ed he penned advocating for bankruptcy and showed frustration that the action has taken so long and that the federal government has been a party to that delay. When asked if either the Bush or Obama administration were to blame for the drawn out bankruptcy, he expressed a hesitancy to "point fingers" but ultimately said, "Both."