Winona State University OpenRiver The inonW an - 2000s The inonW an – Student Newspaper 2-7-2007 The inonW an Winona State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openriver.winona.edu/thewinonan2000s Recommended Citation Winona State University, "The inonW an" (2007). The Winonan - 2000s. 169. https://openriver.winona.edu/thewinonan2000s/169 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the The inonW an – Student Newspaper at OpenRiver. It has been accepted for inclusion in The inonW an - 2000s by an authorized administrator of OpenRiver. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Wednesday, Feb.Feb. 7, 2007 Volume 85 Issue 15 INSIDE: News Making the DREAM 111 -University Elena Grimm Last year, the act was capitol on Feb. 14 for Rally WINONAN scratched from a large higher Day 2007. switches Web education bill when Gov. The student senate portal from Isabel knows what it's like Tim Pawlenty said he would announced its support said. to dream. veto the bill if it included the for the DREAM Act - "(The DREAM Blackboard to Growing up in Yucatan, DREAM Act clause. as a "symbolic" way to Act) opens up the D2L Mexico, she dreamt about This year, the Winona State enhance its parent organization, scope of students who going to college and becoming University student senate will Minnesota State University want to attend a university 11 Wes Jackson a nurse. be pushing for passage of the Student Association, student like Winona State," Three years ago, Isabel act when they head to the state senate president Carl Soderberg discusses soil moved with her family to See DREAM, Page 6 salvage and Minnesota where she attended Owatonna High School and non-renewable graduated last spring. resources Now, after completing one Students react to residence hall termination semester at Minnesota State III Faculty senate University-Mankato, Isabel is putting her dreams on hold. advocates envi- The 19-year-old immigrant has ronmental pro- moved back home to Owatonna to work full-time at a small posal parts manufacturer. "I couldn't pay it," she said. "It's a lot of money." The National Immigration Law Center estimates that Arts 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school 111 FREE HUGS: each year. Their parents The story brought them here to live, go to be- school, play sports and musical hind the sign instruments and participate in other school activities. But unlike their classmates, intervarsity they pay thousands more to hosts Valen- attend the same colleges within the state they reside. tine's Day The DREAM (Development, events Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act is a piece of 1111 Athenaeum ex- legislation that would allow Doug Sundin/WINONAN Isabel and other undocumented Winona State University student Annie Stadstad voiced her opinion at a Tau and Maria Hall plores univer- students to attend college at the council meeting Feb. 5 about three resident assistants and one assistant hall director from sity's history same price as their American the Tau and Maria residence halls being fired over the weekend. Ruth Schroeder, acting vice classmates. president of student affairs, fielded questions from about 75 frustrated students, but was unable to respond with specifics due to data privacy. Phone: (507) 457-5119 http://www.winona.edu/winonan Winona State makes the switch from blackboard to D2L Web portal replacement due to cost and conformity rather than the campuses convience Shanthal Perera tract with Desire2Learn, or because the university felt fac- it," Killion said. "I don't have Other students tout D2L's WINONAN D2L, a Canadian counterpart ulty needed a transition period, time to figure out all the subtle immediacy and slick design. of Blackboard, in 2005 making Feller said. features." "I like the online quizzes," Alejandro Gallegos took the the program a staple to every Winona State couldn't im- Killion also enrolled in said freshman Jason Raleigh. plunge. It was inevitable, he institute in the MnSCU system, mediately leave Blackboard some of the faculty D2L train- "We can see what scored right thought. according to Dean Feller, Wi- due to the language present in ing classes at the E-Learning away and don't have to wait for Gallegos, a Winona State nona State's technical support their contract and decided to center. the professor to correct them." University economics profes- operations director. sign a one-year lease. "People could teach them- No major problems with sor, transferred all his courses Technologically, Black- When Winona State first selves on how to use Black- D2L have been reported, but from Blackboard to Desire- board and D2L are virtually the implemented Blackboard in board, but D2L doesn't look Gallegos said he experienced a 2Learn last semester. same, Feller said, but D2L of- fall 2001, many professors on quite that intuitive," said Judi glitch since he began using it. "Blackboard seemed more fered one main advantage over campus appreciated the extra Euller, instructional designer Some of his students re- user-friendly," said Gallegos, the competition. time for adjustment. at Winona State's E-Learning ceived a mysterious error who teaches 75 percent of his "Basically, D2L doesn't cost "We were the only campus center. message saying they were not courses online. "D2L has more us," said Feller, who mentioned to keep Blackboard (since the Euller said the center also authorized and asked them to features, but my main respon- that Winona State had to pay to D2L contract)," said Cindy provided one-on-one sessions report to tech support. It's been sibility is to teach, not spend keep Blackboard running. Killion, a mass communication with faculty. occurring every now and then time learning new stuff." Switching to D2L allowed associate professor at Winona "D2L has a lot of options and he still has no idea to why When Winona State an- for the convenience of cam- State. "And I'm glad we did." that are not quite visible to stu- it happens. nounced it would switch online pus uniformity for the MnSCU The D2L server in the Twin dents," Euller said. D2L averages 13 million courses management software system. The Wisconsin system Cities handles large amounts Student reactions have var- hits a day for February 2007, from Blackboard to Desire- also has a contract with D2L. of data from all the institutes ied. according to latest statistics 2Learn in 2004, many students "It gives us the ability to ex- in MnSCU, she said, while Senior Phasuthorn Viryasiri, from MnSCU's D2L imple- and professors like Gallegos change ideas on how courses Blackboard's server was locat- who has taken several courses mentation project Web site. were wary of change. are developed," Feller said. ed on campus so any problem with D2L and Blackboard, felt "D2L is gaining ground," Minnesota State Colleges Despite the 2005 deal, Win- could be quickly resolved by Blackboard was easier to navi- Feller said. "It's not as big as and Universities signed a con- ona State kept Blackboard un- tech support. gate and its contents were bet- Blackboard, but it's a major til the end of fall semester 2006 "I haven't gotten deeply into ter organized. player." Looking for a gym. Special! $179 $24.95 1 Year Membership 1 Month Tanning No Joining Fee w/ Package 30% Off Purchase All Major Label Lotions Cal Tan, Supree, Nitro & More Boardwalk Open Until Midnight 71 West 3rd Street, Downtown Winona Fitness STannin 507-452-7133 "The m business that sta s in business." 2 News Wedffesdau, February 7, 2007 • 4.? :• • e . •••.,. +XX ,42.. • :V • ■ft,„"se Ats, AVS, 4104$0444#1',414:144"4: 0A,M;440; "44,-"„tnr rafr, 0:,4wAr. Proposal to make .404 Winona State more environmentally sound Ryan Kieswetter 2 that it is "very likely" WINONAN humans are the cause of global warming. Some effects of Winona State University global warming include a faculty senate proposed a rise in sea levels by 11.2 to contract that would require the 13.6 inches, a disappearance university to develop a plan to in Arctic summer sea ice, become more climate neutral an increased number of heat and inventory its greenhouse waves in certain world regions gas emissions within a year. and a likely increase in tropical "We recognize the scientific storms, according to the British consensus that global warming Broadcasting Company. is real and is largely caused by According to the humans," the agreement states. Environmental Protection "We further recognize the need Agency, America announced to reduce the global emissions a strategy to reduce the of greenhouse gases by 80 greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent between 2002 and percent by mid-century at the Monday w th a carem9 latest." 2012. Details on how Winona State would accomplish If President Judith Ramaley ua ro'OesOonOfi3O0 signs the agreement, Winona climate neutrality have not ti been determined, but Winona Color State wouldbecome one ofmore oA State's facility manager Dick ion than 60 universities that have ig Lande has already found ways are signed the American College 0 mare and University Presidents to save energy. Climate Commitment. "Anything we can possibly In partnership with do, we do that," Lande said. ecoAmerica and Second The campus is currently able Nature, the Association for the to power 4.2 megawatts for Advancement of Sustainability 150 hours on energy-efficient Winona State International Music in Higher Education started generators, he said. the national campaign and Lande also struck a deal aims for 500 college and with Xcel Energy to buy the Series presents Paddy O'Brien generators. Xcel Energy gave university presidents to sign The Winona State Univer- and through the Minnesota nior accordion competition the commitment statement.