BSU Parking

Students Struggle to Find Spaces on Campus

By Tony Barber and Max Hodgdon

For years there has been constant grumbling about student parking on the Bemidji State University campus and the spaces available. According to the BSU Web site, there is  a 3.8% enrollment increase in student population on campus since the fall of 2009. BSU is nearing its largest enrollment since 1991, but there are no more parking spots. Parking is still an issue today. 

 “There is enough parking by the dorms, but not enough by the classes,” said freshman Jeff McDonald, an exercise science major.  Director of Public Safety Casey McCarthy, on the other hand, thinks there is plenty of parking on campus. According to McCarthy, there are 1700 spots total. This does not include the street parking which is open to the general public.  “BSU parking is very well placed," said McCarthy.

 “I usually walk,” said freshman Kayla Alexander, a sports management major. Many students take the same approach to avoid high parking costs and the headache caused by the overcrowded parking lots.

Students and Administrators may disagree on the availability of parking spaces on campus. However, BSU is very similar to the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University-Mankato, and Hibbing Community College in the number of spaces provided.  BSU has a ratio of 2.9 students per parking spot, while the University of Minnesota has 2.6. Also, Hibbing has 2.78 and 2.71 in Mankato. While the space ratios are similar, the prices for parking spots are not.

According to all the schools Web sites, The University of Minnesota’s average cost to park is $870 per academic year. BSU's average  is $99.43. MSU- Mankato only charges an average of $47.85 per academic year. Hibbing Community College parking price depends on the student’s class credits taken per year. The college charges $2.00 per credit to park.  For example, a student taking fifteen credits would pay $30 to park per semester.  This would make the cost per academic year $60. The information above was collected from University Web sites and staff members at each respective university. The parking prices at BSU are set by a parking committee made up of security officials.

 During the last fiscal year BSU brought in approximately $166,000 in parking permits alone.  This does not include the money received from other sources like parking tickets.  This money is used to improve parking lot quality and general maintenance. Instead of using this money to build more parking lots, money is used to improve current lots, and keep the campus looking pristine.When asked about adding  more parking spots, McCarthy said, “The beauty of BSU would be disturbed,”  McCarthy explained that the only potential place for parking is the Maple Hall site.  However, the costs to tear down and pave a parking lot are too high.

 Several students park their cars on the street to avoid the high costs of on-campus parking. Photo by Tony Barber 

 The Oak and Maple parking lot are a  typical on campus parking lot.  Photo By Max Hodgdon

Who is Bemidji’s new Mayor?

Mayor Dave Larson hopes his biggest accomplishment is getting more people involved

By Taylor Klinke

Word Count: 596

On November 2, 2010 Bemidji residents went to polling places around the city to vote for a new mayor. Coming out on top was Dave Larson – who has been living in Bemidji for the past four years.  As new mayor, he hopes one of his biggest accomplishments will be to get more people involved in the government.

Larson is a native of Kensington, Minn. where he grew up on a farm with his two sisters. He went to high school in the nearby town Morris and attended the University of Minnesota. “I moved to Bemidji for two compelling reasons,” said Larson, “I was offered a job I couldn’t refuse and I had the map upside down,” He said with a smile on his face.

Something that people might not know about Larson is that he has been a registered architect for the past 26 years. He is currently the senior architect at EAPC Architects Engineers – which is one of the top 200 fastest growing Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting firms in the United States – according to www.eapc.net -  The company has about 100 employees with offices in Bemidji, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Jamestown, Minot, and Norwich.

In his free time, Dave Larson enjoys spending time with family. He and his wife have three married daughters and eleven grandchildren that keep them busy. He also enjoys boating on their pontoon, spending time with friends, and getting involved in church activities.

Dave Larson was interested in becoming mayor after attending council meetings as an observer for more than three years. He felt that he had a really good feel for how other cities had handled things and felt he had a much broader perspective than the other mayoral candidates. “I’m a firm believer in something called common sense and logic, “ said Larson. “And that’s something that’s definitely needed in government.”

When asked what he hopes will be his biggest accomplishment as mayor, he responded, “Surviving two years – And I really want to get people involved in the government.” Larson believes that availability is critical. He makes himself available every month at various area restaurants to hear from Bemidji residents. “Someone asked me what I was going to talk about. I said, nothing but I’m going to listen.” 

Larson believes that the relationship between the city and the mayor should be on the same page. He has worked with Bemidji State University in the past – so he is already familiar with many people on campus. He said that the city has authorized a study called the Quality Neighborhood Initiative (QNI), which deals with issues such as off campus housing and how that does or doesn’t conform to the way the city rules and regulates. This involves issues with parking and on a very limited basis – behavior. QNI is still in the process of being formulated and finalized but it hopes to resolve many issues.

“Most of all I want to let students know that they’re welcome all over town,” said mayor Dave Larson. He encourages everyone to come to a council meeting to see how it works. The meetings are held the first Monday of each month at 7 P.M. “We need to hear at City Hall from the students,” said Larson, “What are your issues with the city?”

If Dave Larson could give advice to all BSU students, he would say, “Enjoy Bemidji, study hard, and graduate. Getting a degree will open up doors of opportunity.”

Mayor Larson at a City Council Meeting

Working It!

New Year’s Resolutions to Better Fitness

By DJ Haffely and
      Maggi Stivers

The evening is dark and the crowds are large. It’s New Year’s Eve, and among all the cheers and midnight kisses, people begin to think of what they want out of 2011. Resolutions to find a job, find love, study harder, hold on to loose change, and even losing weight are typical of midwestern college students. “My main New Year’s resolution is to be more active,” said a BSU freshman, Emily Malterud.

Weight loss is the most common New Years resolution among BSU students in an informal study. Due to pressure from media and peers, the New Year justifies everyone to actually stick to a plan and be fit.

Now the holiday presents now all opened and ready to be used, the gaming systems were at the top of many gift lists. According to VGCharts.com that gives statistics on video games, the gameWii Fit Plus has sold 17,752 copies since its release 68 months ago; the average number sold weekly is 162, 602 and growing strong in the New Year.

Game systems such as Xbox and PlayStation have been competitive with the Nintendo Wii in terms of making their players experience physical activity with the games. The Xbox released the Kinect and Playstation has The Move.

People who take their resolution of weight loss seriously realize they can do their workouts right in their dorm rooms. The convenience of being able to exercise right then and there, people realize their resolution can be successful.

A few popular games are Wii Fit, Just Dance 2 and Mario vs. Sonic: Olympic Games. The Wii Fit, for example, allows users to keep track of their progress and how many calories are burned by doing different activities. Possible activities include yoga, aerobics, strength-training and balance. Just Dance 2 provides dance moves for popular songs and lets users dance along. Mario Vs. Sonic: Olympic Games lets users participate in Olympic events, including running, pole vaulting and several more.

College students also have facilities available on campus where they can work to achieve their New Year’s resolution to get fit. The Gillette Center gives students many options to work out: a rock climbing wall, a weight room, a swimming pool, a track, basketball courts, racquetball courts and exercise equipment. “New Year's is always a great excuse to hit the gym!” said Emily Wendland. “It’s that little extra push of motivation to get you moving.”

Students can also take classes, including yoga, boot camp training, and several more. These classes do cost money but are cheaper for BSU students than the general public.  Students can also reach their weight-loss goals by joining an intramural team. Hockey, basketball and indoor socce

r are all offered this season. “I love using the weight room and running on the track with my friends,” said Spencer John, a BSU junior. On a recent weekday afternoon at the Gillette Center, many students worked out on exercise machines and ran on the track.

Kierstin Hoven, director of campus recreation said, “With finals and semester ending in December, student numbers were lower.” During the entire month of the December, a total of 5,694 students used the Gillette Center. Hoven added, “With increased enrollment, cold wea

ther, and a new semester, the student numbers are way up.” During the month of January, 6,489 students have scanned their student identification cards to check in.

Although losing weight and becoming fit is a common goal for the New Year, Keith Hartung, an Ezine online author wrote, “While 52% of all of the participants in a resolution study believed that they would accomplish their goals, only 12% actually achieved them.”  

Emily Wendland works her core by playing Wii Fit.

Many people go to the Gillette Center to work off the holiday pounds.






Photos by DJ Haffely