Hawaii study abroad course too important to cut

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Normally when people think of Hawaii they think of grass skirts, hula and relaxing on the beach.

But this January I was fortunate enough to study in Hawaii with the Multicultural Communication in Diverse Organizations course. It was a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else. But even after 12 successful years as a class, it is one of the study abroad courses being cut next year.

Concerts ‘put people in the Christmas spirit’

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More than 300 St. Thomas students rang in the holiday season with the 22nd annual Christmas concerts.

The concerts, entitled “Tis Love That’s Born Tonight,” were held Sunday evening at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.

“It was very festive and energetic,” said junior Jeffery Stocker, who has sang with Liturgical Choir since his freshman year.

LEED tag for student center, not athletic center

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Right down the road from St. Thomas, Macalaster College reached a milestone in sustainability. In 2009, Macalaster opened the doors of Markim Hall, its new LEED platinum certified building.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED provides building owners and operators a framework for identifying practical and measurable green building design, construction and maintenance solutions.

Bus crash near Austin kills 2, injures 21

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At least two people are dead and 21 are injured after a tour bus ran off a southern Minnesota interstate and rolled over in a ditch, officials said.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesman Andy Skoogman has confirmed the deaths from the crash that happened about 3:30 p.m. today just two miles west of Austin on Interstate 90.

Can’t finish caf meal? These pigs will

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The St. Thomas cafeteria produces nearly 5,000 meals each day. With the high number of people being served, it is common to see nearly 200 gallons of wasted food at the end of the day.

In an effort to become more sustainable, the cafeteria puts the wasted food to good use. Scraps from the cafeteria help feed nearly 3,000 pigs at a pig farm just north of Andover in St. Francis.