But I recently found out this year’s census could affect the number of House of Representative seats Minnesota gets, and I suddenly began to care.

The census is taken every 10 years and the numbers are used to allocate federal funding and determine how many House of Representative seats each state gets. Minnesota is currently in a population-based “race” with a few other states. If the last available seat goes to another state because Minnesota’s population isn’t increasing as quickly, the number of Minnesota seats could drop from eight to seven, according to Election Data Services.

If Minnesota loses a seat, Minnesotan citizens lose some of their say in the national government. That’s why it’s important for every Minnesotan to fill out his or her census form, and especially important for college students.

College students have traditionally been underrepresented in the census. They ignore official-looking documents. “Oh, looks like something about government student loans. I’ll throw it on my desk to look at later.” Or students think that because they’re in college, they’ll be counted along with the rest of their family at their parents’ house.

But the census records where you live and sleep most of the time, so every student who lives on-campus or off-campus around St. Thomas would be counted there, even if they’re renting.

Another problem occurs when students don’t fill out the forms and census takers visit their houses to follow up. Many census takers visit houses in late spring, and if they come in May, students might have already moved back to their parents’ houses and might not get counted.

It’s not that difficult to fill out the form, and the questions aren’t overly personal. Of course, for college students the forms come at inconvenient times – around midterms and spring break. Still, it’s important to remember to send the form back in, because the more Minnesotans respond, the better the state’s chances of hanging on to that eighth seat.

State universities have been working hard to remind students to complete census forms because the schools’ federal funding depends partly on census counts.

Students at a Texas university created a census-themed “Real World” parody, a Missouri university gave out screwdriver sets with census information on them, and at the University of California, Berkeley, students who turn in census forms will be registered in a drawing to win free textbooks.

I don’t know of any census promotion events at St. Thomas, probably because federal funding isn’t as much of an issue for private schools, but St. Thomas students should still respond to the census. Even if a student isn’t originally from Minnesota, by going to college in Minnesota, that student is affected by the amount of federal funding Minnesota gets and the decisions Minnesotan representatives make.

Let’s help Minnesota keep all its seats in the House of Representatives by returning our 2010 Census forms and proving to the rest of the nation that college students do care about politics and what goes on in their state.

Katie Broadwell can be reached at klbroadwell@stthomas.edu.

Known for its red Solo cups, dance music and raucous behavior, the house party was a liberator for many students who spent far too long in the library or at work during the week. For those Tommies, the house party provided social refuge — always dependable, always loyal.

Whether or not you were involved with it, you could always tell when the house party was near. Beginning Thursdays and continuing through Saturdays, one could usually spot a number of St. Thomas students wandering through the Merriam Park neighborhood, trying to find the house party that night.

The house party was always ready to celebrate when a team played, a “hell week” ended or a holiday arrived. It served as the main outlet for birthday revelry and gave students a chance to set school aside for a few hours and meet new people.

Despite strong resistance from the university and local law enforcement, the college pastime flourished behind the scenes for many years, welcoming new supporters with each incoming freshman class. The house party managed to sneak past authorities, thanks to black sheets over windows and concrete basements, but such transparency couldn’t last forever.

Two years of ups and downs

Worries for the health of house party began to build in spring 2008 when St. Paul police issued 76 citations for underage drinking at a residence in the 2100 block of Temple Court. The event sent shockwaves through the St. Thomas community, alerting students, neighbors and administration of the magnitude the house party had reached.

But the fear that incident lit inside students eventually faded, and soon enough, another semester arrived, staging the house party’s comeback. Besides rumors of “ZAP patrols” dampening some weekends, the 2008-2009 school year bore witness to many successful nights for the house party. For awhile, things seemed to have returned to normal for the house party.

As classes resumed in fall 2009, the house party got some unsuspected news. The Zero Adult Providers project, previously one of the house party’s main adversaries, was becoming unstable. With university officials and Public Safety officers confused about budget concerns and cuts to the ZAP program, the house party saw students become less anxious and greet it with open arms. Such openness didn’t last long, however.

Only a couple weeks into the semester, TommieMedia posted a letter from Elaine Weber Nelson, a 1986 St. Thomas graduate who was fed up with students’ disregard for the surrounding community. She had had enough of the litter, the puke, the late nights, and the house party was somewhat to blame. At this point for the house party, the end was near, and some students could sense it.

City ordinance brings final days

The house party’s last breath came soon after the city of St. Paul passed its social host ordinance Dec. 12. When the ordinance went into effect, the house party suffered a large hit in prominence and popularity. At the time, many denied the ordinance’s effect and attributed the house party’s dip to the stresses of finals week and the holiday season, but slowly and surely, the house party was letting go.

Some had hoped to see a revival in the house party’s condition after a long J-Term break, but the fear of a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail proved too much for the party and most of its advocates. Small groups fought to sustain the house party, hosting sporadic tournaments and themed get-togethers to show not all support had been lost. Unfortunately, though, the grandeur was gone.

No one was willing to risk getting caught fraternizing with the house party, especially with so many banding together to put it to an end. Why take a chance at getting busted when the local bars offered a safe and legal alternative?

Moving on in the house party’s absence

Gone now are the Facebook invites and mass text messages telling of the house party’s next blowout. Instead, students are planning weekend getaways and renting buses to hang out with their friends, as if they have forgotten what it was like to walk into a house full of classmates—both friends and strangers—all singing, dancing and having a good time. Undoubtedly, bars around the area have seen a growth in attendance. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, we’ll have to wait and see.

The house party will surely show up again in some new incarnation, but never as it was before. The house party as we knew it, with all its spontaneity and camaraderie, is gone. It will be missed.

Grant Goerke can be reached at gdgoerke@stthomas.edu.

On St. Thomas’ St. Paul campus, about 40 to 50 percent of recyclables end up in the trash. (Theresa Malloy/TommieMedia)

That bottle of Aquafina you saw on the ground this morning was near the end of an incredibly long journey. Starting out as perfectly benign tap water, it went through a redundant and energy-intensive purification process before being shipped hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles to get to that cooler in the Grill. From there it was finished in a few gulps and carelessly dropped on the ground to let nature sweep it along its wayward path.

“Sure, that’s a sad story, but I never litter,” you may say. The truth is, however, most disposable plastic water bottles end their long journey in a landfill, which is by no means better.

Even here at St. Thomas, most of the disposable plastic water bottles are found in the trash, according to Bob Douglas, coordinator of recycling and central receiving. We dutifully follow the trend that industry research shows: Less than 25 percent of all plastic water bottles are recycled.

In a world where dwindling resources are the cause of international conflict, it seems utterly irresponsible to use oil to extract water from the ground, package it in containers made from more oil and then ship it thousands of miles, using lots more oil, so it can be used and tossed aside without a further thought.

Far too much blood has been spilled for these resources while the industries cash in. Water, a necessary component of life, is too vital to be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold.

But Aquafina tastes great, so we’ll cut it some slack.

St. Thomas should follow the University of Portland in eliminating disposable plastic water bottles sold on campus, and students have the power to make this happen.

First, stop buying water in disposable plastic containers. You vote to continue this system with every dollar you spend. Instead, fill a reusable bottle with water from the fountain. Minnesota has some of the cleanest water in the world, but if you are still concerned with quality, find a Brita pitcher, which is cheap and easy to refill.

Second, educate yourself. There is a plethora of information online at your fingertips. Check out water statistics from the United Nations and read up on issues such as water privatization and availability of clean drinking water.

Finally, engage the university in this effort because change doesn’t happen on its own. The administration is more concerned with its pocketbook than being a leader, which is why this has to be a student initiative. There are many university officials who would love to see this happen, but need student support. Check out sustainability-oriented clubs like Green Team, Students for Justice and Peace and Engineers for a Sustainable World, or see what your own club can do to make this happen.

By rallying around this cause, we can show the community that St. Thomas is not a place full of irresponsible, self-centered students, but a university brimming with committed citizens and bold leaders. Standing hand in hand, we have the power to achieve anything we imagine.

Aaron Hays can be reached at hays2206@stthomas.edu.

But I’m one of the lucky ones because I graduate next year, not this year.

Every senior who graduates this year has experienced the smells, noises and inconveniences of the building’s construction but will most likely never get to use the athletic facilities – at least not without coughing up a lot of cash.

That’s not a fair trade. I know current students haven’t paid directly for the athletic complex, but they’ve paid for it indirectly. The money that was donated for the construction of the complex could also have been put toward scholarships or making tuition more affordable. But most students don’t mind because they know we need a new athletic complex. It’s just too bad seniors won’t get to experience the benefits.

We haven’t even had athletic facilities available this year. Sports teams have been practicing and playing games off campus, and students have been working out under the bleachers. The senior class deserves at least a year of free admission to the new facilities to make up for it.

But I think it would be in the university’s best interests to give every alumnus free access to the new athletic complex. I understand the university needs to make money off the athletic complex, which is why it will probably make alumni pay. The university isn’t considering the fact that alumni donations are more important than money from yearly athletic passes, though.

How do you get alumni to donate? By making them feel like they are still part of the campus. And what better way to make them feel like that than by offering free passes to the athletic complex?

Free access to the complex would draw alumni back to St. Thomas. They could work out in the new facilities, then take a walk around campus and relive old memories. They could talk with some students, grab a bite to eat at the new student center, and then, when that next phone call came asking for money, they’d feel more inclined to donate.

I’ve seen how this process works at other universities. My dad graduated from St. John’s, and we used to go up there as a family when I was younger to use the athletic facilities. He didn’t have to pay anything for himself or the rest of our family.

I’m reluctant to admit St. John’s is better than us at anything, but it did seem to work. My dad felt connected to his school and was more willing to donate because he thought St. John’s treated its alumni well.

In the long run, keeping the athletic facilities free for alumni would pay off at St. Thomas, too. Maintaining a positive relationship with alumni is more important than getting the extra money from alumni memberships.

Katie Broadwell can be reached at klbroadwell@stthomas.edu.

STAR is considering charging students a small ticket price for the formerly free fall and spring concerts so St. Thomas can afford to host bigger-name bands.

The annual fall and spring concerts are events I especially look forward to here at St. Thomas. I support the concept of on-campus concerts available exclusively to St. Thomas students. Even if the band or musician may not be my particular favorite, it is fun to attend these concerts with a group of friends simply to enjoy the atmosphere of live music.

There is something exhilarating about going to a show and feeling the rush of hearing a beloved band or musician play the opening chords of a favorite song. I enjoy attending a variety of concerts: both big-name bands as well as lesser-known and local musicians. I adore sitting (or standing) in a packed venue buzzing with the anticipation of experiencing quality musical talent.

When I received word STAR was considering scheduling bigger acts to perform on campus, my initial reaction was one of wary suspicion. Why mess with a good thing? Would this be yet another way for the university to charge students for campus-related activities?

The more I considered the idea, though, the more I realized this would be a positive change. STAR is considering booking more current bands that receive a lot of radio play. To book these bands requires additional funding, which would explain the necessary ticket sales. But if these ticket prices are only a fraction of regular ticket prices, I imagine St. Thomas students would welcome the change. Plus, students would be in closer proximity to the band on-campus than if they had attended a show at a large venue.

After talking to quite a few St. Thomas students, most seem more than willing to pay a small price in exchange for a popular band performing on campus. More students may also attend these concerts if the bands or musicians appeal to a wider audience.

STAR is still considering this decision carefully, which is smart since many students may still appreciate the complimentary aspect of the fall and spring concerts. If the organization decides to move in this direction with the annual concerts, I will support the decision by buying a ticket if the band or musician interests me.

Although students are able to enjoy live music at these annual concerts, why not book bands and musicians a wide variety of students are interested in seeing? As a strong appreciator of live music, I know booking more prominent bands and musicians will draw the best crowd. This is the option the university should go with.

Rebecca Omastiak can be reached at omas5009@stthomas.edu.

An image that has stayed with me, even two weeks later, is the footage of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili’s fatal practice run at this year’s Winter Olympics. NBC ran the video during Nightly News, and although anchor Brian Williams repeatedly warned the audience of the video’s graphic nature, much of America was taken off guard when the 21-year-old athlete lost control of his sled at nearly 90 miles an hour, throwing him over the wall and into a concrete support.

Not only did NBC choose to show the violent crash that killed Kumaritashvili, but it showed the clip again and again as I, like many others around the world, watched in awe from my living room. I was shocked by the network’s decision to show these images. For the first time as a journalist, I wondered what was this business I was getting myself into.

In my disgust, I turned off the television and remembered a discussion I had only a few days earlier in my Christian morality class about the media’s responsibility to society. We were discussing the images, or lack thereof, coming out of Haiti after January’s earthquake. The class agreed the media were hiding the real, raw images of death and destruction from the American audience. Many of my classmates blamed the government for this, while others singled out the media for not allowing the public to see the reality of the situation in Haiti.

When I returned to class Monday, instead of hearing this argument used in support of NBC’s decision to show the Georgian athlete’s death, I was surprised to find my classmates were as angry as I was. In essence, my class was saying it was OK to see the images of thousands of dead Haitians, but it was atrocious to see this single man be killed in a luge accident. For the second time in only a few days, I was completely shocked.

In what world do we live where it is socially acceptable to see piles of human bodies decaying on the sidewalks, but we are outraged at a much less graphic luge accident? The case involving the Olympic athlete is much more personal to an American audience and the athlete’s family is likely to see the coverage of their son’s death; however, why is this standard not upheld when it concerns pictures from Haiti?

Obviously, some people will want to see more graphic images in the news, while others will be outraged at the sight. So what is the media supposed to do?

News shouldn’t be candy-coated. We should see the world as it is. But we do need to draw the line of civility somewhere. We, as journalists, have the responsibility to decide which images further the story and which images in themselves become the story.

In the case of the Georgian athlete, one picture in the barrage of images NBC showed summed up this story. It was a still picture of the athlete’s sled lying empty on the track. That image could have told this story. We didn’t need to see him hit the concrete with the force that he did, and we didn’t need to see the images of rescue workers trying to revive him. We do not have the right to see another human being die in that way on national news, not as his family watches along with us.

We should hold this same standard for images coming out of Haiti. Yes, we need to see the reality of the situation, but what good will it do to see close-ups of people dying on the street? I fail to see how this furthers the news rather than just furthering our societal appetite for graphic images.

In some ways, America has become desensitized to human suffering. Because of this, we sometimes confuse the right to know and the right to see these kinds of images.

Ashley Bolkcom can be reached at awbolkcom@stthomas.edu.

According to the guidelines, which debuted in November, a prospective speaker’s previous writings and presentations must “be in harmony with the teaching and discipline of the church.” In addition, “those living a lifestyle at variance with church teaching would also not be eligible [to speak].”

These guidelines make some sense for parishes as well as for Catholic elementary and high schools. But if the archdiocese tries to replace St. Thomas’ current speaker policy with these more restrictive rules, the university’s claim to be a school that is “inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition” would be weakened.

If a university is inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, it is open to the discussion of different opinions. It encourages informed debate among students and doesn’t restrict students’ access to speakers, as long as those speakers are respectful and don’t insult the Catholic faith.

St. Thomas’ current speaker policy strikes a healthy balance. The Rev. John Malone, vice president for mission, said St. Thomas’ policy allows for the expression of a diverse range of opinions while simultaneously advancing Catholic teachings.

“We would insist regardless of who’s speaking that we state our Catholic position,” he said. “People who come here who have a different position than that, they should talk about what they’re here to talk about, not to take a tack on various positions of the Catholic Church.”

This is a rational way of deciding which speakers should be allowed at Catholic universities. Prohibiting speakers based on their lifestyle choices, on the other hand, could have harmful repercussions. Students would benefit from listening to a speaker discussing poverty in Third World countries, even if the speaker’s personal lifestyle isn’t perfectly in line with Catholic teaching. As long as the speaker is there to talk about the issue and not to sell the benefits of his or her lifestyle, I don’t see a problem.

Malone said no one has decided yet exactly how or if the new guidelines will apply to St. Thomas, but he doesn’t think they will replace the university’s current policy. However, he also said he thinks the archdiocese would like some form of the new policy to be put into place at St. Thomas.

This can’t happen if St. Thomas wants to keep its reputation as a university that promotes intellectual freedom and informed discussion. The policy we have now provides us with a good mix of new ideas and respect for Catholic teachings. It’s always a precarious balancing act, of course, and I’m sure there will be numerous discussions in the future about which speakers should or shouldn’t come to campus.

But as we debate what being a Catholic university means, we should remember that listening to opposing viewpoints can actually strengthen our own beliefs. St. Thomas should continue to offer students access to different opinions so we can be informed citizens who are aware of many viewpoints, not just our own.

Katie Broadwell can be reached at klbroadwell@stthomas.edu

Tiger Woods plans to talk Friday but will not take any questions. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Tiger Woods will be making his first public appearance Friday after he took a leave of absence from golf in December and St. Thomas students are not without opinion on the billion-dollar athlete.

Woods will be speaking to friends, colleagues and associates about his infidelity to his wife, Elin, and his future in golf, according to the PGA Tour Web site. The speech will be held at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse at 10 a.m. Central Standard Time Friday, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Woods will not be answering questions from the press.

Woods’ decision not to take questions has disappointed some students who are looking for answers.

Freshman Bernie Kolar said Woods is being selfish for not answering questions from the press.

“He did something wrong. He has to deal with it, especially with the cameras on him 24/7,” Kolar said. “He answers questions about golf, and he does something like this and it’s a huge surprise to the nation. You should be able to answer their questions correctly and honestly.”

Senior A.C. Clouthier

Other students, such as senior A.C. Clouthier, think Woods doesn’t need to answer questions if he doesn’t want to.

“As a media and as people we look at our heroes or our athletes or our celebrities, if you will, at a higher standard,” Clouthier said. “I don’t feel he needs to answer questions if he doesn’t want to. There comes a point in time where it’s not everyone’s business. It’s his business, his wife’s business.”

Sophomore Hannah McCrossan said Woods’ actions will negatively affect his reputation with children.

“He’s Tiger Woods, and is a role model for people,” McCrossan said. “He needs to be careful about his actions and he should avoid doing things that are going to hurt his image because, obviously, this has.”

Senior Amanda Leaveck

Some students, such as senior Amanda Leaveck, think Woods should should be held accountable, especially because he is an athlete.

“It just happens to be that he’s in the public eye, so it’s wrong,” she said. “But he shouldn’t be given a break because he’s a celebrity.”

Zach Pagano and Kelly Trussell contributed to this report.

Miles Trump can be reached at mttaylorjohn@stthomas.edu

Amazon introduced the Kindle, its electronic reader, in 2007 and now has over 400,000 electronic books available for customers. In Christmas 2009, for the first time ever, more e-books were sold on Amazon.com than traditional print books.

Even the St. Thomas O’Shaughnessy-Frey library has started to realize that in a few years, the print books languishing on library shelves collecting dust will be bypassed in favor of electronic readers.

The library recently purchased five Kindles, loaded them with popular novels and non-fiction books and made them available for students to check out. The library is acknowledging that this is the way the future is moving. Every one of the Kindles has already been checked out, and most have waiting lists.

Although none of the Kindles contain St. Thomas course textbooks, I think it’s an idea that deserves consideration. Imagine how much cheaper textbooks would be if students could purchase them on library Kindles instead of through the bookstore. It would be just one of the many benefits of having electronic readers available on campus.

Of course, many people will say nothing can replace the feel of paper between their fingers or the faint scent of ink as they flip the pages. They will claim there is something special about holding a book, that it connects the reader to the material in a deeper way than reading words on a screen.

And they may be right. Those are all aspects of the traditional book that, in the near future at least, electronic reader manufacturers have no way of replicating. But electronic readers such as the Kindle have their own unique attributes that make them even more alluring.

For example, portability. The Kindle 2 holds up to 1,500 books. Lugging around that many traditional print books in a backpack would get a little heavy. The Kindle condenses all those books into one 10.2 ounce item that’s easy to slip into a purse or hold in your hands.

When I traveled to Greece and Turkey for J-term, we flew on two flights for a total of 12 hours before we reached Athens. Due to the stricter luggage weight limits on international flights, I had to limit the number of books I could take along. I would have loved to have an electronic reader with hundreds of books on it to distract me during those long hours in-flight. Instead, I used up the two books I brought on the first flight.

Electronic readers are the iPods of the literary world. Just as purchasing a song for an iPod takes less than a minute, Kindle users can purchase a book and start reading it in less than 60 seconds. The new iPad, made by Apple, is even more technologically glamorous than the Kindle and should attract additional converts looking for a quick and easy way to purchase reading material.

Electronic readers could even be the key to saving the struggling newspaper and magazine industry. A one-month subscription to the New York Times on a Kindle costs $13.99, and that’s $13.99 more than people currently pay to read articles on the newspaper’s website.

The New York Times also worked with Apple to create an application for purchasing the newspaper’s content on iPads. These moves will bring publications much-needed revenue while making it even more convenient for people to keep up with the news.

Technology moves forward, not backward. Electronic readers and e-books won’t necessarily replace traditional books, but they will provide people with even more reading opportunities. I think we can all agree that’s a good thing.

Katie Broadwell can be reached at klbroadwell@stthomas.edu

Fleck’s car was parked in his assigned spot, his keys in the center console. The car’s engine was cold to the touch and police found no evidence that Fleck had recently driven.

Nonetheless, Fleck was arrested and convicted of driving under the influence, a conviction that was appealed until it appeared before the Minnesota Supreme Court.

On Jan. 21, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld the decision, ruling that the sleeping man was in control of the vehicle. The court cited a 1992 ruling stating that “physical control” includes situations where a drunk person is found in a parked vehicle that might be started and driven.

Under this interpretation of the law, sleeping off a night of drinking is treated the same as attempting to drive home. Essentially, a person can be guilty of driving drunk without having driven.

While I understand the rationale behind these laws that have legitimate intentions of discouraging drunk driving, I have a problem with the overly broad nature of these laws that do not take motive into account in any way.

In Justice Alan Page’s seven-page decision, he wrote that a jury could reasonably determine that “Fleck, having been found intoxicated, alone, and sleeping behind the wheel of his own vehicle with the keys in the vehicle’s console, was in a position to exercise dominion or control over the vehicle and that he could, without too much difficulty, make the vehicle a source of danger.”

The question is how do you make this determination?

Isn’t a person drinking inside a bar with their keys in their pocket “in a position to exercise dominion or control over the vehicle?”

Couldn’t they, “without too much difficulty, make the vehicle a source of danger?” Where do you draw the line?

Should all gun owners be charged with murder because they have the potential to do so? Of course not. While that’s not a perfectly analogous example, I think it points to the illogical nature of these laws.

I should make it perfectly clear that I’m not arguing for Fleck’s innocence. Fleck had three prior drunken driving convictions and is by no means an example of responsible decision making.

What I’m afraid of is that Fleck’s reputation allowed the jury to justify the conviction, thus expanding on a precedent that incorporates presence in an undriven car into the definition of drunk driving.

But what I’m most afraid of is the message this sends to potential drunk drivers leaving the bar.

Suppose the bar just closed and you’re alone, intoxicated and without any alternate means of transportation; what do you do? Do you sit in your car and await arrest for DUI, or risk driving home knowing that getting caught would result in the same penalty? In this situation, there’s little motivation not to drive.

I find great issue with a law that punishes people for doing the responsible thing and choosing not to endanger the lives of themselves and others.

Brent Fischer can be reached at bafischer@stthomas.edu.