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.