11/15/2011                                                                                                                         Erin Sundvall

Slug: Campus Book Launch

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Anchor in Studio:

Study abroad programs are a fun way for colleges to give students an experience that will not only teach academics, but also a new perspective of the world as a whole.  Bemidji State offers many of these programs. 

Reporter:

“The Journey That Matters” is a collection of forty eight short essays that students at B-S-U wrote describing their study abroad experiences.  The most popular topic of the essays is Eurospring. The program starts in Oxford, England, and takes students around the European continent in two months. It is a long standing program at B-S-U that has been going strong since 1977. 

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Intro: “So many students had stories…”

Extro: . . . needed to be heard.”

This statement was the force behind compiling short essays to give readers an inside view on the happenings of study abroad programs.  Informational meetings and flyers give a person only a small idea of the potential experiences that would be involved. “The Journey That Matters” gives readers far beyond basic information.

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Intro: “I have so many memories . . .

Extro: . . . the best trips of a lifetime.”

Meeting new people is a major part in study abroad programs. As Andrea Kroll’s excerpt from her essay published in the book explains, the friendships made on these trips will last forever. 

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Intro: “The cost of study abroad programs are . . .

Extro: . . . is the large bill worth it?”

Despite the conflicting views on the price tag of these programs, “The Journey That Matters” gives the clear statement that these trips are priceless.  Eurospring, for example, has a price tag of around $15,000 before personal expenses.  This price tag would be impossible to beat if one traveled on their own.  The experience at Oxford University and befriending Professor Chapman does not hold a price.

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Intro: “More effort has been going . . .

Extro: . . . to keep these trips from being cancelled.”

In years past there have been study abroad programs cancelled due to lack of interested students.  More effort is being put forth to advertise these trips to get the word out to the student body. “The Journey That Matters” is an essential tool to this effort.  If this book is read by the student body, it will educate and hopefully

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influence more students to attend informational meetings and hopefully lead to a full group for each study abroad program.  

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Confusion Over BSU Mandatory Health Insurance

Student Body Wondering Why

By: ERIN SUNDVALL

Underneath all of the controversy about the mandatory health insurance BSU’s student senate passed last April, it seems like a good idea. Health insurance is meant to protect students and the U.S. population from harmful events that cannot be predicted. The U.S. population has a choice in the matter. The student senate has made the decision for the student body and is now under scrutiny.

A quote from an email sent to BSU students on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 by Barbara Eriksson-Capes states, “By requiring students to have health plan coverage, the University ensures all students have access to medical and mental health care and can maintain good health, which is essential for academic success.” On Oct. 28, Joe Vito Moubry and Sarah Shepherd of BSU’s student senate met with a group of confused students to explain their decision and why it has taken so long to inform the student body.

United Health Care Student Resources conducted a one-hour presentation to the student senate mid-April on the policy. “A study was shown to us that stated there is a lower drop out rate for students with health insurance,” Shepherd claimed when asked from an attending BSU student what information they were presented before making this decision.  The student senate was also told that 50 percent of nation wide campuses make health insurance a requirement.

The email that was sent out to BSU students on Oct. 18 was raised as a concern.  According to a BSU student attending the press conference, the one-week time frame that was given for students to find adequate health insurance or sign up for the mandatory policy was “ridiculous.”

Another topic raised at the press conference pertained to answering the question “do you have health insurance?” seriously. A quote from BSU’s interim vice president of student development and enrollment stated if a student lies about having health insurance it would “question their integrity.”  An attending BSU student pointed out that “questionable integrity” will not stop students from lying to save themselves from not being able to register for spring 2012 classes and money.

BSU’s mandatory health insurance policy is through United Health Care Options PPO.  According to the online insurance policy brochure on the UHCO Web site, all students that are taking six or more credit hours are “required to enroll in this insurance plan unless the request for waiver form is completed and accepted.”

An overview of the required insurance policy includes: coverage that can be dealt with exclusively at the BSU health services. A screening for Chlamydia, HIV and Gonorrhea and birth control are included in these exclusive services.  To make a visit to the hospital or clinic, students must have a referral from health services to a preferred provider.

According to the United Health Care brochure for BSU, dental and eye are not covered by this insurance.

I am a BSU student and receive health insurance through my parents. I believe that everyone should have health insurance but do not understand why MnSCU or BSU needs to know this information.  In the future, BSU’s student senate and administration need to use their resources in a more efficient way.  Informing the student body well before a major change in policy or scheduling will help confusion like this not repeat itself.

Erin Sundvall is a student at Bemidji State University with a major in marketing communications. Expected graduation date is May of 2013.

Critical Mass Bike Ride Planned To Take On Bemidji
Sympathy Occupy Wall Street Rally To Follow

By Erin Sundvall

An example of a Critical Mass Flyer -- taken from Bing Images

Since 1992 Critical Mass, a mass group of people taking over streets via bicycles, has become a phenomenon in the United States.  Cyclists have made this event an international happening as well.

According to chicagocriticalmass.org, the name Critical Mass stems from “Return of the Scorcher,” a documentary made in 1992 by Ted White.  The documentary was made in China and showed how human powered transportation and motorized transportation has an understanding in that country. With no traffic lights or stop signs, a group of people are pushed together in an intersection. When critical mass occurs, according to Critical-Mass Web site http://critical-mass.info/ “they are able to all move together with the force of their numbers to make cross traffic yield while they cross the road.”    

At noon on Saturday, Oct. 26, Bemidji’s “unofficial” Critical Mass organizer Luke Holden will be leading a group of cyclists into the streets of Bemidji.  Paul and Babe will be the meeting place for this specific ride. 

Luke Holden had a laid back or go-with-the-flow presence.  Wearing a puffy red vest, brown pants and sporting shaggy brunette hair, Holden is the epitome of a hipster.  He brought his bike into a Bemidji State University classroom with him as a “prop.” He explained how he got involved in Critical Mass and why.

He told a story about how the movie “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” got him involved with bicycles. He had a replica of the bike in the movie when he was young. Holden since has obtained an appreciation for older style bicycles with a potato as a passenger.

Holden also talked about his first experience with Critical Mass in Minneapolis, Minn. He was 18 and saw a flyer for the event stating that food would be provided.  That was an immediate yes for Holden. The social aspect is also an attraction.

Critical Mass is an international event for cyclists on the last Friday of every month.  The Bemidji event is being held on a Saturday in hope of recruiting more people to get involved. There is not a set path or distance for the ride.    The point is to “get cyclists to ride in a big 

cluster and to take the city for a little bit,” said Holden. 

There are many ideals behind Critical Mass.  In Holden’s words, Critical Mass “can be about politics, but the most important thing is cyclists’ rights.”  Many sources have claimed that Critical Mass is a protest. A quote from the Nov. 2010 Los Angeles Times blog "Cyclists cited, bikes impounded in Long Beach Critical Mass ride,"written by Stephen Ceasar describes a Critical Mass ride shut down by police for “riding unlawful bikes,” and “running stop signs.”

After the Bemidji Critical Mass bike ride is finished there will be an Occupy Wall Street rally. This rally is in sympathy for the protesters on Wall Street. 

Feature Paper on Prof. Chapman

Bemidji State University’s Favorite 

Englishman Makes His Annual Visit
Aliens and Eurospring 2012 were the main topics of discussion

Oxford Prof. Alan Chapman speaks to a full lecture
hall of fans at Bemidji State University.

An hour and ten minutes.

That is how long it took for Oxford Prof. Allan Chapman to mesmerize every person who was sitting in Sattgast 208 lecture hall on Monday afternoon with his lecture Aliens: Fact, Fiction, or Fallacy.

Chapman was wearing a black suit with a small union jack pin on the left side and his signature-crooked bowtie. He carries a gold pocket watch that he set down on Donna Allen’s desk (Eurospring alumni) to keep track of time. When he spoke it brought so much intensity into the room.  His white and untidy hair that gives him a friendly grandfather feel calmed this.

“I have met students whose parents met on Eurospring!” Chapman exclaimed in the introduction to his lecture followed by laughter.  The excitement and passion that Chapman brought into the room while he discussed Eurospring was contagious.  His charisma is an asset that never fails to recruit students to take part in Eurospring.

 Chapman also spoke to two mass media classes prior to his main lecture about the history of mass communications. He did not use a PowerPoint nor did he use any form of notes to read from.  He spoke purely from his own knowledge and nobody else’s.

Bemidji State University’s favorite Englishman makes an appearance annually to promote the Eurospring program.  Chapman is the main ingredient to an amazing and eventful two month program that starts off in Oxford, England and ends on the West side of continental Europe.  He has been the face of Eurospring since 1977 and proud of it. “My goal is to encourage and inspire students to achieve their goals,” Chapman said after the Eurospring 2012 informational meeting.

“I have had the pleasure of attending his science and alchemy class in Oxford during the Eurospring 2011 program,” said JD Schindlar, a participant in Eurospring 2011. “He has a twinkle in his eye when he speaks about science and also has the gift of making a boring subject more interesting.”

Chapman makes Wycliffe Hall and Oxford feel like home to students. This is why previous Eurospring students have felt sadness when leaving after five weeks.  According to an essay by Jennifer Helblad in “The Journey that Matters,” she quoted the day her group left Oxford as “the fateful date of April 21, 2005.”  She also goes on to explain her puffy eyes and fond memories of her last days in England. 

Chapman and Eurospring are unique to Bemidji State University.  He holds a special place in past Eurospring directors and students’ hearts and the many participants to come.  “I will be a part of Eurospring until I physically can’t do it,” said Chapman.

Project #3 - Obituary

Erin LaRae Sundvall, Photographer and Entrepreneur, dies at 75Published: April 15, 2066

Erin Sundvall, an established photographer for National Geographic and well known contributor to new age advertising, died on Wednesday in the home she and her husband, world famous photojournalist Massimo Bassano, bought in 2022 in Cinque Terre, Italy. She was 75.

The cause was a heart attack, said her sister, Kayla Sundvall. 

  

Erin Sundvall with her first camera given
to her for a graduation gift from her parents,
Tony and Sara Sundvall of Bemidji, Minn.
Age 23.

  Ms. Sundvall, who was honored with the Crain’s Best Place to Work in New York City award for her privately owned advertising and marketing firm, has always been given the title of mother hen by her pervious employees.  “Erin was always there for me and the other employees,” said Sundvall’s sister, Kayla. “She was the greatest boss I could have ever asked for.”  

  Along with her advertising success, Ms. Sundvall spent most of her career traveling the world as a photographer for National Geographic magazine.  She took fifteen covers for the magazine and gained respect from her co-workers and the lives she touched while traveling abroad.

  Bemidji State University is where the ideas and drive first started.  “She absolutely loved her mass media and society class,” said Sundvall’s cousin, Amy Larson.  “After the first semester of her sophomore year of college she knew exactly what she wanted to achieve.” After graduating with honors, a successful run as photographer for the Bemidji State University Northern Student and a bachelor of science in marketing communications, Ms. Sundvall landed an entry level photography job with National Geographic.  Her participation in the Eurospring program through Bemidji State University “changed her outlook on life and wanted to learn more about how other cultures work,” said Sundvall’s sister, Kayla. 

Ms. Sundvall’s first photo collection came from Morocco.  She spent eleven days around the city of Marrakech.  Her collection of photos from this trip made her first National Geographic cover in July of 2015.  On this trip she met her future husband, Massimo Bassano, an Italian photojournalist who was the leader of her expedition.  They were married in December of 2020.  They worked alongside each other until Mrs. Sundvall resigned in 2026.

Ms. Sundvall’s knowledge obtained by traveling abroad was the foundation of Global Persona, her advertising and marketing firm that was founded in New York City.  The focus of the company was marketing American goods in foreign cultures. She is well known for the company winning the Crain’s Best Place to Work in New York City in 2032.  She accepted the honor with her husband Massimo Bassano. The company has since been taken over by Ms. Sundvall’s sister and long time employee, Kayla Sundvall.

Erin LaRae Sundvall was born on April 28, 1991, to a boiler mechanic in Bemidji, Minn. She is survived by her husband, Massimo; and a sister, Kayla Sundvall of Minneapolis, Minn.

Letter to the Editor - NY Times

TO THE EDITOR:

What would the world’s Internet users do without Google search engine or YouTube?  Giving out information on Google’s electricity use should not be considered “embarrassing.”  A significant amount of energy needs to be used in order for every Internet user to be able to use a cell phone or laptop for their everyday questions and searches.

Users of the Internet are probably not aware that a typical person uses enough watts that “are equivalent of running a 60-watt light bulb for three hours.” Google should be applauded for this acknowledgment and for the steps they have made to make their electricity use more green-friendly. Modern technology is used all over the world at all times of the day and night.  Instead of looking down on Google, Internet users and green supporters should ask themselves this; “How many times do I click the Google Search button?” 

ERIN SUNDVALL
Bemidji,Minn., Sept. 9,2011

Ten Days Spent in Poverty

My volunteer experience in Juarez, Mexico, that changed my outlook on life.

A street in Juarez, Mexico, that is very similar
to the street that I lived on for ten days.
Picture taken from James Florio's personal blog and photography page.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Juarez+Mexico&view=detail&id=969622EAFE2FDD038F68942ECB6ECE59E1F93F99&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

The best job I have ever had was in the summer of 2005.  I had just gotten confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church, my childhood church, the previous fall and signed up to participate in a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico.  The year I decided to go was the first and only mission trip thus far that has traveled out of the country.  There was some skepticism from my family and friends at first, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions that I have ever made.  My best friend that i have went to school with since elementary school, Kacey Malterud, came with me on this trip.

Juarez is a city of 1.5 million and lies very close to the United States border.  I stayed in a rundown church that is owned and operated by a company called Youth Works.  the church is only a couple miles away from the border.  Inside the church there are bunks made of boards where I slept.  there is also a huge kitchen and a sanctuary in the basement of the building.  Outside of the church there were houses made of sticks and did not have roofs.  Children often ran in the streets barefoot with puffed out stomachs due to malnutrition.  I attempted to play soccer with them frequently, the usual response was laughter and calling me a "loco gringo".  A correct English translation would be crazy foreigner.  

One of the responsibilities that i had during the mission trip was to help run the American equivalent of a summer Bible school.  Every morning I woke up at around six a.m. to get supplies ready, plan and organize a small skit or song to teach and sing to the children.  Throughout the day I played with the local children, took them to the park, colored with them and taught one of the young boys names Jorge how to say, "What's up?" in English.  The language barrier was almost nonexistent; body language and smiles were how I communicated.  My day ended at around five or six in the evening.  I was in bed fast asleep by eight or nine p.m..  

The second project that I participated in during my mission trip was helping build a small school ina downtown area of Juarez.  My friend Kacey and I were in the same group for this project.  Our group made our own concrete (that means mixing all ingredients together with a  shovel, not a machine) and helped construct the first half of a wall to that school.  It was hard working in extreme heat (around 102 degrees.)  Good humor and positive attitudes made this project and working as a team much easier.  Working on this project was very rewarding because of a family that made my work group a home cooked meal voluntarily and welcomed us into their home.  That meal was my favorite evening that I had the entire trip.  

My mission trip to Juarez, Mexico, taught me that volunteering can be just as rewarding as getting a paycheck.  The memories that I have from that trip will never leave my mind.  the trip also made me more appreciative for the luxuries that I have in life.  simple things like food, shelter, education and a family that loves and cares about me are not as common in other parts of the world.  I was very thankful when I stepped off the bus and saw my whole family waiting for me. Not to mention when i arrived home and had a comfortable bed and a lot of food on the table.  This is why my mission trip was the very best job I have ever had.