The tenth annual Lake Superior College Throw-a-thon will take place from 3 p.m. until midnight on Friday, December 4 and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, December 5. Held in the ceramics studio in LSC’s Fine Arts building, the event attracts dozens of students and some of the region’s most accomplished artists to throw ceramic bowls for the Empty Bowl.

“This is the tenth year of the Throw-a-thon and it promises to be another great occasion for students and professional artists to help the community in a creative and fun way,” Sue Hansen, president of the LSC Art Club, explains. “In addition to raising funds, the Throw-a-thon is a one-of-a-kind social networking event for students and artists.  Participants return year after year to be part of something special.”

“The club and college supply materials and studio space and organize the event.  Volunteers bring their skills, creativity, and dedication,” says Bob Husby, LSC art faculty member and event coordinator. “We’ll be continuing that tradition with another great effort this year.”

College officials estimate that the Throw-a-thon has produced more than $100,000 worth of bowls for the Empty Bowl over the last nine years.

The completed works of art will be available for a donation of $15 at the Duluth Depot on Tuesday, April 20, 2010. The bowls will be offered along with a variety of delicious soups that have been donated by area restaurants on that day.

Area artists and community members are encouraged to participate. For more information, contact Bob Husby at b.husby@lsc.edu.

The proceeds from the “Empty Bowl” support the Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, the sole distributor of surplus food products to over 140 charitable food programs, including the region’s soup kitchens, food shelves and shelters.  As a non-profit food bank, its primary role is to provide food to the front-line charitable agencies that offer meals to the hungry.  The food bank also provides food to over 1,000 people per month as part of their direct service programming.   For more information about the Food Bank and its services, contact executive director Shaye Moris at shaye@northernlakesfoodbank.org.

Roxanne Frederick, LSC’s health services coordinator,  provided detail about the various activities. ”Last spring we started a chapter of Active Minds,” said Frederick. “Active Minds works to use the student voice to change the conversation about mental health and suicide on college campuses. Mental health issues are still stigmatized on college campuses.”

LSC will partner with a St. Luke’s mental health practioner who will provide students with psychological first aid training. “These trained students will serve as mental health first responders to help fellow students,” explained Frederick.  ”They will receive a student stipend for their work.”

The grant will also educate students about the health effects of alcohol and provide strategies for students to drink responsibly.  ”The reality is that 81 percent of LSC students have used alcohol in the last twelve months,” noted Frederick. “Our goal is not abstinence but responsible drinking.”  In tandem with the Center for Drug and Alcohol Treatment (CDAT), LSC will provide free confidential screenings for students. If students need further help, the CADT will provide individual asessment and then possibly treatment.

“School is really important for students struggling with substance issues. It’s a bright spot in their lives. It can be what’s going well for them,” said Frederick.  She also noted that the brain’s center of reasoning and problem-solving is among the last areas to mature and alcohol abuse by an 18 to 24 year-old student can have a lasting impact on brain development, chemical balance, and neurological “hard” wiring. An alcohol social norming campaign, part of the Tri- Campus and Community Coalition (T3C) on Student Drinking, will use advertising and speakers to educate students about using alcohol responsibly.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

The $500 mini-grants are made possible through the support of the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Other colleges receiving grants are Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Concordia University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Normandale Community College, North Hennepin Community College and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Those who register for this service will receive text and/or email messages if a crisis situation impacts the campus community. Gary Kruchowski, Lake Superior College’s Director of Public Information, said the intent of Star Alert is to reach people as quickly as possible if a crisis occurs.

“For those who are already on campus, directions for protective measures can be provided,” he said. “But ideally we’d like to reach people before they arrive.”

Registration is free, and participants must be able to receive text or email messages on their cell phones.

The process is quick and easy and can be reversed if the service is no longer desired. Visit www.lsc.edu/staralert to register.

Kruchowski also mentioned that text messaging is the student-preferred method for this type of information while PDAs and Smart Phones provide similar immediacy.

“If the computer and telephone systems are down, a wireless communications option is the most efficient means of notifying our community,” he said. “And with the increased reliance on text messaging combined with phones that can receive email messages, cell phones offer the most expedient option.”

LSC student Ashley Goodmund was one of the first students to register for Star Alert. “I think everyone should want to sign up for it, it’s kind of a no-brainer,” she said.

Star Alerts are spam-free and advertiser free so messages will only be sent in the case of an emergency.

Messages are brief and will provide directions about how best to proceed and where to find additional information.

As part of a larger emergency notification process, Star Alert is offered at every Minnesota State College and University affiliated campus. Participants are encouraged to register at every campus they attend.

“Our number one priority in an emergency is the safety of our campus community,” said Kruchowski. “Star Alert offers one more tool for reaching people quickly during a crisis situation.”

The “Governing Council Member of the Year” honor is bestowed upon one Governing Council Member annually by MSCSA.  Johnson was nominated for the award by a fellow student and chosen by statewide leadership to receive the honor.  The award was presented by Kyle Bianconi, MSCSA Treasurer.

He was also recently elected to the cabinet of MSCSA as the Vice President and will serve in that capacity during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Johnson is currently taking online classes through Lake Superior Connect e-Campus where he is pursuing a degree in Business Administration. 

The Governing Council of MSCSA is charged with conducting the business of the association. The Governing Council meets on a monthly basis and is comprised of one regional representative elected from each of the nine regions of the state, one student-at-large member and one president’s group member, who represents the opinions of the campus Student Senate Presidents. 

Photo: Lake Superior College student Travis Johnson accepts the MSCSA “Governing Council Member of the Year” award.

Routes to change in Preparation for Major Road Construction

In preparation for major road construction that will begin this spring in the Miller Hill Mall area, the Duluth Transit Authority is revising the way it serves the Miller Hill Mall area and making system-wide adjustments as well. Effective Monday, April 12, the DTA will be revising service at the Miller Hill Mall, adjusting schedules and eliminating the non-productive services. As a result of the service revisions at the Mall, boarding times on most schedules will be affected in some way. Riders are advised to obtain new DTA pocket schedules, which will be available at the Downtown Transit Center and area schedule outlets beginning April 6. New schedules are available for viewing at www.duluthtransit.com.

Route Changes
Route 5 West-to-the-Mall:
Schedules adjusted to better serve Lake Superior College students
Schedule times will be adjusted 22 minutes earlier than currently scheduled, which will give Lake Superior College students more time to get to class and catch the bus after class.

Saturday Service:
New Saturday Service Added
Route 5 buses will not serve Lake Superior College on Saturdays but will continue to provide service to Walmart, County Jail and Airport.

Route 9 Piedmont:
Minor schedule adjustments
Route 9 bus departing downtown at 8:20 a.m. on weekdays will provide service to Lake Superior College. Route 9 buses departing downtown Duluth at 5:25 p.m. and 6:25 p.m. will provide additional trips along Morris Thomas and Haines Roads. Two afternoon trips to LSC from downtown will be adjusted 19 minutes earlier than currently scheduled.

To check schedules beginning April 12, 2009 that potentially affect LSC students:
http://www.duluthtransit.com/WebworksTest/Bus-Schedules.html for travel from Western Duluth.
http://www.duluthtransit.com/WebworksTest/Bus-Schedules.html for travel from Eastern Duluth/ Downtown

For full details for all Mall Area and other DTA schedule changes that might affect your travel, visit:  http://www.duluthtransit.com/news/ScheduleRevision.aspx

All alumni, students and friends of Lake Superior College are invited to Monday Movie Mania – exclusively sponsored by US Bank!

Free popcorn will be given to the first 50 LSC alumni and students at the door. There will be a short presentation before the show a prize drawing for T-shirts and other prizes.

Tickets:
$3 for LSC Alumni, Students and Employees
$4 for everyone else. Buy tickets now by going to:
www.lakesuperiorcollege.cmarket.com/tickets

Only LSC alumni are eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing!

All proceeds support the work of The Lake Superior College Foundation.

About Dragonball Evolution:
The young warrior Son Goku sets out on a quest, racing against time and the vengeful King Piccolo, to collect a set of seven magical orbs that will grant their wielder unlimited power. The legend comes to life.

The original “Dragonball” graphic novel series appeared in Japan in 1984, and went on to become a worldwide phenomenon with more than 150 million volumes sold and successfully spinning off into countless anime features, TV versions and video games.

What:

When:
Tuesday, March 24
10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where:
LSC Internet Cafe
Free popcorn and pop!

Artist Charlie Solomon brings his Indie/folk style of music to the Lake Superior College Internet Cafe on Tuesday March, 24.

According to Solomon’s MySpace page, he’s been described as having a sound similar to legendary musician Bob Dylan and indie sensation Bright Eyes - otherwise knowns as musician Conor Oberst.

Solomon recently released an album titled “Maybe What Music Should Be.”

What:

When:
March 23-April 2

If you hadn’t noticed, the Lake Superior College Photo Club is a new and very active group on campus this year. Maybe you’ve seen signs of them around campus – but if you haven’t, start looking now – because the club will be sponsoring a campus-wide scavenger hunt!

Here’s how it works:
There are 10 film containers with a flag of the club logo placed throughout the campus. The first student to take 10 different photos of the 10 different flags/containers in the correct locations and turn them in to Student Life will win an insulated LSC Huskies windbreaker.

And don’t be afraid to get creative – the most eye-catching photo will also win a $10 gift certificate from Sip of Class. Smaller prizes for participation will also be awarded. Awards will be announced on Thursday, April 16 at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Life Conference Room. Creative judging will be done by popular vote of all who attend the gathering on April 16.

Photos need to be turned in to Student Life by April 2. A form with your name, date, and the time all 10 photos were turned in will be available there, also. Processed film and digital photos will be accepted. All LSC students are welcome to join the hunt.

For more information contact Photo Club Advisor Su Legatt at s.legatt@lsc.edu.

Guest Speaker Rosemary Christensen will give a speech titled “The Four Colors, Gifts to Humankind.” Christensen is an assistant professor of First Nation Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Christensen is a founding member of the National Indian Education Association, and in recent years, with colleagues, worked with the Ojibwe language, writing and producing 5 units for family use. She’ll be discussing “The Fires and Storytelling, an Oral Traditional Teaching Device That Works.”

What: Guest speaker Rosemary Christensen
When: Thursday, March 5 / 6-8:30 p.m.
Where: 4th Floor, UMD Library Rotunda
A soup supper will be served.

The American Indian Storytelling Conference will feature storytellers Sean Fahrlander, Richard LaFortune, Roxanne Delille and Lee Staples.

What: American Indian Storytelling Conference
When: Sat., March 7 / 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Where: 4th Floor, UMD Library Rotunda
A continental breakfast will be provided.

Questions? Call the UMD American Indian Learning Resource Center @ (218) 726-6379.