| Summary: | NEWS THE CONCORDIAN - CONCORDIA COLLEGE - MOORHEAD, MINNESOTA Volume XCVI, Issue 19 - Friday, February 18, 2005 6 02 18 This is precisely the reason why freshman Rose Flagg is eager to begin her ARA posi-tion next year. Ever since the first week of school she knew she wanted the chance to be an RA and to make a differ-ence to students. “I guess the overall experi-ence is something you can’t get anywhere else,” Flagg said. “Being responsible for some of the girls and helping the transition (to college) be as smooth as possible.” Although she’s sure the position will be a full load, she’s excited to help. Flagg hopes she’ll be able to help the girls on her floor with all their problems, but she acknowledges that some things may be beyond her capabilities, so she’ll give them the resources they need. Sophomore A i m e e F i t z g e r a l d , who was an ARA this year, looks forward to her RA position next year. Being part of the residence life staff has made a significant difference to her, she said, so it was hard to imagine not being a part of that again next year. “(It has) given me an opportunity to grow so much individually while helping other people, which I proba-bly wouldn’t have gotten, at least that much, in any other way,” F i t z g e r a l d said. Being an ARA has made her more confi-d e n t , F i t z g e r a l d said, and has taught her communica-tion skills, teamwork, and the impor-tance of reaching out to peo-ple. Although enforcing the rules isn’t particularly fun, she said, it’s part of the job, but the rewards outweigh the uncomfortable parts. Thompson said she has been fortunate in that she hasn’t had to apply her con-frontational skills very often, but it was beneficial to learn them, as it has helped her in other aspects of her life. But overall, the biggest thing these students have taken away from their experi-ence is the friendships that were formed. Thompson said the people have made the position so rewarding in the end. Fitzgerald agrees. “I have built so many strong friendships with so many people,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s been the best part for me.” which Ulness feels is an excellent start for one summer’s worth of work. Hoch and his team are attempting a long term study of nine prairies in Minnesota to see what plant species are most important to wildlife by studying the correlation between ani-mal abundance and the richness of plant species. Hoch’s goal is to determine what plants should be intro-duced to restored prairies to support the greatest and most diverse amount of wildlife. Over the past summer, Hoch and his team determined small mammal populations, invertebrate biomass, and nesting bird numbers. Hoch’s team did not find a significant relationship between plants and animals last summer but that did not surprise Hoch. He said that the relationship would most likely be determined after several years of study. Both Hoch and Ulness feel that their projects were well-received at the event. They were grateful for the opportunity to discuss their results with others. The event was both enjoyable and educational for those who attended, as they were able to present their own work and see other work from across the state. “It was really interesting to see the breadth of research you can do at private colleges,” Cosert said PRIVATE RESEARCH FROM 2 Hoch and Ulnes felt projects well-received RA STAFF FROM 2 Aimee Fitzgerald says being an ARA taught her communication skills and teamwork The arctic contains all three species of North American bears (grizzly, polar, and black), seals, muskoxen, moose, thousands of migrato-ry birds, and a variety of other flora and fauna. “This area probably has the greatest concentration of ecosystems of any conserva-tion area in the circumpolar north,” Kelly said. The area is also known as America’s Serengeti because of the variety of life the region supports. A reason in itself to conserve the area but the controversy only begins with the natural conservation aspect. “What makes this case so complex is rapid climate change in the region, global politics (referring to America’s dependency on oil in other countries), indigenous people living a subsistent lifestyle, as well as all the biodiversity f a c t o r s , ” T h o m p s o n said. Thompson is a native of K a k t o v i k , Alaska, a vil-lage of 300 people on the north coast of Alaska bor-dering ANWR on the west. He discussed the urgency to stop this bill from being passed by giving first hand accounts of what is happening and what would likely happen to his village if oil fields were to be constructed and a pas-sive policy on global climate change con-tinues. The porcu-pine caribou p o p u l a t i o n could dimin-ish by one half, polar bears could go extinct in the region in 15 to 30 years, and Glacier Bay National Park would have to change its name as gla-ciers are esti-mated to vanish completely in 30 years, he said. Not to men-tion the added risk of oil spills that would also pose a threat to wildlife if oil fields were constructed. Since the area is at such high latitude, the sun shines continuously from late April to mid-August creating a short 6-8 week growing period every year. “Life is fragile,” said Thompson, “and it would take a long time for the area to recover even if oil fields were built and then torn down after the oil was extracted.” “We would be allowing long term, if not permanent destruction of an area for a short term immediate solu-tion. It just doesn’t make sense,” said senior environ-mental studies major Ariel Wolf, who attended the pres-entation. All attendees were encour-aged to take action and “step up and conserve your land,” as Kelly declared several times. Kelly encouraged those that feel that the refuge is important to write to: Senator Norm Coleman, U.S. Senate, Washington DC, 20510, or to Representative Collin Peterson, US House of Representatives, Washington DC, 20515. For updates and additional information on this issue visit alaskacoalition.org. ANWR FROM 1 Thompson says that the reserve, known for its variety of animal life, is threatened by climate change, global politics and development One environment. One simple way to care for it.® www.earthshare.org Simple. Visit www.earthshare.org and learn how the world’s leading environmental groups are working together under one name. And how easy it is for you to help protect the prairies and the penguins and the planet. How can you help protect the prairie and the penguin? At this very moment an entire corner of the globe is suffering the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the worst natural disaster of our time. The time to act is now. Just visit www.usafreedomcorps.gov for a complete list of reputable charities ready to turn your cash contributions into hope. Your money will bring desperately needed food, water, medicine and so much more. No one can change what happened. But we can all change what happens next. The world’s most impressive relief organization is you. go to usafreedomcorps.gov xinhua/XINHUA/Corbis President George H.W. Bush and President William J. Clinton Graphic courtesy anwr.org with information and the Alaska DNR. This area probably has the greatest concentration of ecosystems of any conservation area in the circumpolar north. Andrew Kelly Speaker “ ” I guess the overall experience is something you can’t get anywhere else. Rose Flagg ARA for 2005-06 “ ”
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