“I put a lot of my back into those buildings,” Bigos said. With the help of his father, Bigos began purchasing, renovating, and reselling apartment buildings at age 19 while he was a student at Augsburg College. Eventually, he retained some of the renewed properties and began renting them to tenants himself.

About the current state of the downtown area, which has seen many development projects in recent years, he said, “In all the years I’ve been in St. Paul, it’s never felt as good as it feels today.”

Read: on the Pioneer Press site.

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MinnPost recently published an article covering efforts by the City of St. Paul to more strictly enforce crosswalk laws and change a driving culture that places drivers and vehicles ahead of pedestrians. State crosswalk laws dictate that drivers should stop for pedestrians at every crosswalk, marked or unmarked, but drivers in the city rarely comply. This has led to fatalities and, more recently, sting operations designed to ticket drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians.

Lars Christiansen, associate professor of sociology and urban studies at Augsburg College, feels that the problem is larger, and less easily addressed, than simply ticketing individuals. “This isn’t about an individual flouting the law, it’s a very real feeling of pressure from motorists,” he said. “One feels the heat of the other cars around you as you’re moving, so to do something unusual [like stopping for a pedestrian] feels dangerous.”

Read on the MinnPost site.

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(MINNEAPOLIS) – A group of nearly 100 students, parents, high school��students and members of the Augsburg College community will launch the nation’s first-ever River Semester on Sept. 1 at Kelley’s Landing��on Harriet Island in St. Paul by paddling a flotilla of 24-foot voyageur canoes from St. Paul to South St. Paul.

Members of the media are invited to participate in��the kickoff event and to paddle in one of 13 voyageur canoes with students and guests to South St. Paul.

Guests and media will be transported back to Kelley’s Landing and Augsburg College.

The 16 students in the Augsburg College River Semester will continue to travel nearly 2,000 of the 2,350-mile-long-Mississippi River from St. Paul to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. The group will live and study on the river until mid-December.

Members of the media can��reserve paddling spots by noon, Thursday, Aug. 27, by contacting Stephanie Weiss, director of news and media services for Augsburg College at weisss@augsburg.edu.��

Event Details and Photo Opportunities

• 5 a.m.:�� arrives with 13, 24-foot voyageur canoes
• 5:30 a.m.: Boats arrive at��, St. Paul
• 5:30 – 6:30 a.m.: Students carry boats to landing, start packing their gear into dry bags
• 6:30 – 7:30 a.m.:��Students load River Semester gear loaded into canoes
• 7:45 a.m.: River Troubadour Larry Long, Smithsonian/Folkways Recording Artist
• 7:50 a.m.:�� Shuttle of Augsburg attendees arrives from campus
• 8 – 8:30 a.m.: Formal Program
  • Augsburg College President
  • St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
  • Explorer��Ann Bancroft (tentative)
  • Professor
• 8:30 a.m.: Special Music��–��Somos El Barco��by��River Troubadour Larry Long
• 8:45 – 9:30 a.m.: Flotilla orientation and safety, distribution of personal flotation devices, load voyageur canoes
• 9:30 a.m.:��Launch!
• 9:30 a.m. – Noon: Paddle to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Boat Launch in South St. Paul (D23 on list).��Directions: I-494/Hardman Ave., N to Verderosa Ave., E and over tracks to site.
• 1 p.m.: Shuttle back to Harriet Island
• 2 p.m.: Shuttle back to Augsburg College

Learn more about the River Semester program in “.”

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(MINNEAPOLIS) – A class of 16 Augsburg College students led by Professor Joe Underhill will depart Sept. 1 in 24-foot voyageur canoes to spend the semester studying, researching and living on the river. The students taking part in the nation’s first-ever River Semester will travel nearly 2,000 miles of the 2,350-mile-long Mississippi River to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. The group will depart from in a launch event that is open to the public.

Students participating in this hands-on, interdisciplinary program will earn as many as 16 credits studying biology, environmental studies, health and physical education, and political science.

“The River Semester is a great example of the interdisciplinary, hands-on education for which Augsburg College is known. It shows the dedication of our faculty to build and deliver engaging learning programs that foster civic engagement,” said Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow.

During the trip, students will:

• Conduct a field research project on a topic such as water pollution, the Clean Water Act, agriculture in the watershed, political organizing around environmental issues, race relations and social justice, or urban riverfront revitalization.
• Explore the history, literature, food, music and culture of the Mississippi River.
• Gain skills tailored to meet the needs of partner organizations, including businesses, ��graduate schools, nonprofits and government agencies.
• Attend town hall meetings and meet with environmental organizations along the river.
• Hear from guest lecturers about authors Mark Twain and William Faulkner, ancient river civilizations, American Indian communities and their fight for justice, and the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

To deliver the program, Augsburg is partnering with , a nonprofit and inclusive travel provider that specializes in educational programming and outdoor travel for persons with disabilities.

“Wilderness Inquiry has a decades-long commitment to place-based and environmental education. We’re thrilled to be part of this innovative, experiential program that is a first in higher education,” said Jeff Kemnitz, outreach director for Wilderness Inquiry.

Students will return to the Twin Cities via train on Dec. 17 and will arrive at St. Paul Union Depot.

,��paddling about two hours from St. Paul to South St. Paul as part of a flotilla of 13 voyageur canoes that will include the Augsburg students, parents, high school students and members of the Augsburg community. Transportation will be provided from South St. Paul back to Kelley’s Landing.

An can be found on the River Semester website.

CONTACTS

• Stephanie Weiss, Augsburg College Director of News and Media Services, 612.330.1476
• Jeffrey Kemnitz, Wilderness Inquiry Outreach Director, 612.676.9427

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Kristin Anderson

“The immediate expectation was that it had to match the things around it — ye old ballpark — and I don’t think that’s necessary … The subtlety of the exterior allows the action of the place to shine,” Anderson said.

Read, “St. Paul Saints: Not your grandfather’s ballpark” on the Star Tribune website to learn more.

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Ashley, a St. Paul native, began working with Admission Possible this summer as a program coordinator. In this role, Ashley supervises six AmeriCorps members, known as Admission Possible coaches, who assist students in three St. Paul area high schools — Arlington High School, Highland Park High School, and Community of Peace Academy. The coaches work with juniors and seniors on ACT preparation and assist with applications for admission, financial aid, and scholarships.

Her passion about achieving equality in education and providing equal access to higher education drew Ashley to Admission Possible. “Some kids have no idea that college is even an option for them, and some want to go to college but have no idea how to navigate the application process,” Ashley said. Admission Possible has made college a reality for many students.

Access to higher education is important to Ashley because she sees it as a way to tighten the racial and socioeconomic gaps in academic achievement and to address the lack of diversity on college campuses. She says she is both angered and saddened by the fact that she is often been the only person of color in many of her college courses. “Until all students have equal access to resources including higher education, I believe the achievement gap will persist,” Ashley said. “Everyone has the right to pursue an education, and I am dedicated to making that process more inclusive.”

Ashley plans to complete her graduate program in 2009 and is interested in a career in educational policy. At Augsburg, Ashley said she has learned the importance of culturally responsive teaching, creating inclusive learning environments, and accommodating learners with special needs. These lessons, she believes, will help guide her work at Admission Possible and as a future policy-maker.

Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promising low-income high school students prepare for and earn admission to college. Admission Possible works to make college possible by providing their students with ACT and SAT test preparation, intensive assistance with college applications, help in applying for financial aid, and guidance in the transition to college. Admission Possible currently serves 1,300 students at 17 high schools in the metro area, and has helped 98 percent of its students earn admission to college since its founding in 2000.

The newest Augsburg staff members who have made the journey from AP to Augsburg are Justin Nash, an undergraduate admissions counselor, Andy Haug and Steve Fenster in the Enrollment Center, and Kelly Strang, the new Luther Hall director. All four finished their terms of service in June and were quickly hired by Augsburg. Janet Bertok, another undergraduate admissions counselor and Michele Kidwell, Augsburg’s director of retention, were also involved with Admission Possible through the AmeriCorps program. Watch for their stories in an upcoming feature.

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