Katz stars in and aided in the production of “Bits.” Though he did not start out studying film at Augsburg (his first major was psychology), his first filmmaking course showed him that all he wanted to do was make films. “I realized that [making films] made me happy, and I would not be happy unless I was making films.”

Katz’ passion for film helped him finish all of the film production courses at Augsburg by the end of his junior year. For his senior year independent project, he worked with film professor Wes Ellenwood and researched the documentation needed to produce an independent feature. Working with a 90-page script, he created a scene-by-scene breakdown of the script , a shooting schedule, a budget, and a business plan. The final production book was over 100 pages long. He remarked, “The best part about it was that it was for a real feature film. And I recently traveled to Los Angeles [where I] presented my project to the writer. That was a really fulfilling experience.”

“Bits” is the first film by Minneapolis-based FRD Productions. To create the film, an entirely local cast and crew of over 50 people relied on intuition, collaboration, and improvisation rather than traditional narrative methods. For more information and to watch the trailer, go to http://www.bitsmovie.com/

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Nearly 80 military veterans or currently-serving military members are enrolled at Augsburg — one of the highest number at any private college in Minnesota. In order to help faculty and staff understand the relatively high risks for difficulty in college, especially among veterans returning from high-stress deployment, Morris — along with a mental health specialist and a returning veteran — will talk about the challenges and issues faced by these students. Augsburg registrar Wayne Kallestad says, “We want as many of our faculty and staff to be aware of these issues so we can possibly cut the percentage rate of academic failure experienced nationally by returning troops.” He adds that there is a strong chance that faculty will have returning veterans in their classes based on enrollment numbers.

The response to “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” has been so positive in Minnesota that the program has been identified by the U.S. Congress as a national model for implementation in all 50 states under the 2008 National Defense Act.

Kallestad says that Augsburg’s high enrollment of students in the military is partly due to the tuition discount offered military students in the Augsburg for Adults undergraduate and graduate programs. Michael Bilden, director of Augsburg for Adults admissions, coordinated the implementation of this benefit in 2006. In November, Augsburg’s Military Support group sponsored a reception to recognize military students and allow them meet each other. A similar reception will take place on Feb. 12 and again on April 17. The members of Augsburg’s Military Support Group are Ann Garvey, Mike Bilden, Karena Jones, Sadie Curtis, and Wayne Kallestad.

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The series begins at 7 p.m. in the Sateren Auditorium, which is in the Music Hall. Admission to this production is free, and Augsburg students, faculty, and staff are welcome.

“Freudian Fairy Tales… and Other Stories” features four 15-minute vignettes, each written, performed and produced by the first-year honors program students. The vignettes feature themes such as love, God, and the meaning of life. They also feature flamenco dancing, modern twists on fairy tales, and a relation of the work of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud to modern-day life.

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