Back to the Future

Photo by Steve Stenzel

The 80's, a decade known for great music, bad hairstyles, questionable color and fashion combinations, and "who shot J.R.?" After having viewed all 158 images from the spring ball that took place on Friday, April 25, I'm happy to announce that CVA students did a wonderful job in bringing back to life the sights, sounds, and icons of a time many of us remember, and many more try to forget.

Prior to the ball, Rudy and Sam put great effort into building an enormous Rubik’s Cube, that would become the centerpiece for the event. Their hard work exceeded the expectations of the ball committee, while the cube itself exceeded the width of the door from the lounge, preventing its redeployment. Sam and Rudy had to take the cube apart and rebuild it in the ballroom, which is in reality our drawing studio. The ball committee opened the photography classroom, and with Steve Stenzel taking the lead, held a three-hour photo session for anyone wanting their picture taken with life-size pinups of Cyndi Lauper, Richard Simmons, and David Bowie (who may have received at least one formal marriage proposal).

For those of you who don't remember the 80's, or who missed the ball, you're in luck. Steve uploaded the images to the 302 Server for all to see.

The ballroom was decorated with colorful streamers that draped from the rafters to the floor. The Cube was suspended in the center of the room, above the models platform, upon which sat our still-life mannequins, each crowned with an 80's style gold wig. The center of the ballroom was illuminated from above by several colored lights, while 99 balloons were scattered about the dance floor (ok, not quite 99 balloons). An eclectic mix of 80's hits, from DEVO to Run-DMC, played throughout the evening. Two rounds of musical chairs and a dance contest were impromptu events whose contestants were greatly ballyhooed. Light refreshments consisted of marshmallows and the famed chocolate fountain, assorted chips, salsa, nacho cheese, and homemade cupcakes from Ruth. Safety and Facilities Director Shawn Leko provided a veggie tray, and Danny, our security officer, said that he had never seen college students have as much fun as he witnessed that night. Not known for his sense of humor, Danny got caught up in the festivities, as well, posing for a few shots with the students, as well as directing traffic during musical chairs.

Nick Knutson provided additional music towards the end of the evening, and in keeping with CVA tradition, when the lights came on at 12:01 a.m., the remaining students all shared in the cleanup of the studio in anticipation of the drawing co-op scheduled on Saturdays (our final co-op of the year is Saturday, May 3, sign up here). A few students (as well as some of the official cleanup crew) covertly moonwalked through the back door to the karaoke bar, which is a weekly event with Section C. Smooth criminals, indeed.

Many, many thanks to ball committee members: Megan, Amanda O, Rudy, Ruth, Andrew C, Mandy, Gail, Hannah, Jessica F, Lauren. Special thanks to Sam for making the posters, and our friends at Aveda Institute. This event could not have happened without the continued dedication of the spring ball committee, so be sure to give them their, "two thumbs up!"



STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Anyone interested in representing their program on Student Council next year needs to sign up on their respective program sheet, located near the mailboxes in Summit. I'd love to have multiple representatives from each program, but if fewer than three students are signed up on a given form, those three will serve as representatives for the year. Deadline is this Friday. ballot boxes will be placed in Summit on May 2. You may only vote for your program representatives. Ballots will be placed in your mailboxes Monday evening. Election results will be announced here and throughout the campus buildings.

Student Council has been established for students to voice concerns to administration, and to raise awareness among the student body. Without student participation, the council will cease to exist. Get involved. Stay involved.

Stop by my office if you have any questions.


CVA COOKOUT

Yes, there will be a CVA cookout. No, we do not yet have a date scheduled, but it will likely be a Friday, and most likely after the semester ends. I will keep you posted.

Enjoy the week!
PLG

Going Out in Style

On Wednesday, April 16, fifty-four CVA students, their friends, and some family members, attended the Minnesota Timberwolves season finale at the Target Center. We actually experienced two victories that night; the Timberwolves won an overtime thriller, and our group won "rowdiest section" honors at the end of the first quarter. Our prize: free ice cream bars.

The most pleasant day of the semester provided a perfect opportunity for several students to toss a football to one another on the front lawn of the Summit building while we waited for our bus. Other students exercised their peer pressuring skills to convince their classmates to join them on the trip. Most remained resolute, while temptation proved too great an adversary for a select few.

Although the event was primarily social, several things were learned by the participants. The first, is that the bus does indeed leave at precisely the time posted on the announcements. A few students were initially left behind, but fortunately for them, with the bus being less than a mile from CVA, turning back didn't cause a problem. A second learning outcome, is that we cannot enter (or in Jessie's case, re-enter) the arena with a zoom lens. Jessie had to watch the game at Hooters, but she wasn't alone. Several of her classmates and friends, unwilling to have her spend half the night alone, left the arena to keep her company for the remainder of the game. Consequently, foundation instructor Steve Stenzel and I sat with a slightly smaller, but no less raucous group of CVAers in the nosebleed seats, where we all spent more time talking than watching. Steve spent much of the second half teaching Mandy how to properly execute"the wave."

"A for effort," Mandy!

We also learned that you don't need to know anything about the game of basketball, you don't need to like basketball, or sports in general, to have fun on field trips.

Most importantly, Steve and I realized first hand that CVA students never leave their friends behind, even at the expense of attending an NBA game. It's reassuring to know that they have their priorities straight.

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Speaking of Style, you may notice the large banner (thanks, Rudy) of Michael Jackson in the Summit building, with the date 4.25.08. To set the record straight, no, The Gloved One will not be performing at our spring ball. Rather, his likeness, and the likeness of several other 80's icons will provide the backdrop for anyone wishing to be photographed during the ball. Megan and Rudy will be in charge of the Western studio, with possible guest appearances by CVA photo faculty / staff.

And...

Our friends at AVEDA are providing a special promotion to ball participants.
The first twenty five people who contact them will receive a free styling. Like you, these students are working at perfecting their craft and are not being paid for their services. Tips are appreciated, so please tip whatever you can reasonably afford. You may contact Leah at 612.378.7458. You need to be in the chair at 2:00p.m., and you must display your CVA ID upon arrival.

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Vanessa recently asked if CVA could sponsor a cookout, and the answer is yes. What I am currently working on is finding a date for the event, and finding a few grills so we can cook more than just a few burgers at a time. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the event takes place after the spring semester, but as of right now, no date has been set. I will be sending the announcement, when we confirm the date, to your CVA email address that you check daily.

You do check your CVA email daily, don't you?

Speaking of dates, keep your eyes posted for student council elections. We have revamped council structure, and are looking for two representatives from each program, regardless of class year. Please consider running so we can continue to have a forum for students to express concerns and to promote campus activities. Don't let Barack, Hillary, and John have all the fun. Get organized and start your own campaign. No mudslinging, please.

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On the topic of mud, many students have been interested in improving the condition of the sunken garden. I've taken many innovative and creative ideas, and also spoken to Professor Bergad, who has a thriving home garden. Brandon and Margit in particular have offered to volunteer their time and effort in making the space more lively and functional than it is right now. After speaking with VP Sue Short, Director of Safety and Facilities Shawn Leko and his assistant Grant Mason, we determined that the ideas presented, while noble, are just not logistically, legally, or financially feasible at this time. Specifically, water pressure in the Summit building was never designed to irrigate multiple outdoor projects. In addition to the sunken garden, we also need to regularly water the lawn, as well as the border plants. Because of this, water demand far outpaces the Summit building's current water pressure limitations. Irrigating the sunken garden alone would require up to forty hours of deep soaking when we reseed.

Facilities is still exploring options, and once the resources and direction have been determined, we will let you know. I want to thank each of you for providing your own solutions to a part of CVA we're all concerned about.

Enjoy the week!
PLG

Have an idea, question, or comment? Find or email me. pgaines at cva dot edu.

April 7 - 11

Nobody Told Her Apparently, Mother Nature missed the memo that Spring has arrived, and as a result, she's placed much of Minnesota is under a winter storm advisory. The good news for CVA is that your college will remain open (and we won't need to tell you through our new emergency text messaging system that school is closed). The bad news is that you'll have "less than ideal," driving conditions, so plan accordingly, and to coin a phrase, "let's be careful out there." If you can identify the source from where this quote came from, email me your answer.

Camp Sunrise Director Visits CVA Jeff Xiong, Director for Camp Sunrise, will be visiting CVA on Wednesday, April 16, from 11:20 - noon, in Summit 101, to talk about Camp Sunrise, and hopefully to take names for summer camp counselors.

Camp Sunrise is a year round youth development program focused on bringing together youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to live and work in an outdoor multicultural environment.

Camp Sunrise is located on the St. Croix River, 60 miles north of the Twin Cities, near Rush City, MN. Annually, 300-350 youth, 13-18 years old who face social or economic barriers, are involved in Camp Sunrise summer and school year programs. Camp Sunrise has received numerous awards and recognitions including the 2000 Nonprofit Mission Award for Anti-Racism Initiative from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Eleanor P. Eells Award from the Fund for the Advancement of Camping.

A key focus of the Camp Sunrise Summer Program is to serve youth enrolled in the summer youth employment programs operated by the Minneapolis and St. Paul Summer Youth Employment Programs.

More than 90% of Camp Sunrise participants are youth of color. Participants come from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds (African American, Southeast Asian, European American, Chicano/Latino, Native American, and African).

This is a great opportunity if you like working outside and with youth from different backgrounds, and I look forward to seeing you at the presentation on Wednesday.

Tickets Available for Minnesota Timberwolves, April 16! We still have about 20 tickets available for the Timberwolves game, and expect a surprise during halftime... sorry, I can't tell you any more... you'll have to see for yourself.

Student Council 2008-2009 Interested in being a member of student council for 2008-2009? We are looking for candidates from each academic program, regardless of class year. Please contact Paul at pgaines@cva.edu. Elections take place in Summit on Thursday, May 1.

Peer Mentor Interviews We are interviewing peer mentors for the upcoming year, and interested students need to email or drop off a resume at my office. I will be interviewing through April, and expect to have a new team selected by the end of the semester. Applicants need to remember these dates: June 20, July 16, August 21, 26-27. You are required to be on campus those dates for registration, training, and orientation. Speak with Paul if you have questions.