WSU mascot may be updated

TIME- WORN Freshening in works

WINONA, Minn., April 23, 2002 -- A change in the Winona State mascot, the Roman warrior, is being considered, university Vice President Jim Schmidt confirmed. "We want to make the mascot more identifiable with the university," said Schmidt. Something more animated and modern would be good, he said. One goal is to create a standard image "that everyone recognizes as our mascot," said Schmidt. He said the University of Minnesota's Goldie the Golden Gopher is a good model. Schmidt said changes would be phased in slowly. "As stationery and things are replaced we will simply replace them with the new mascot items," he said. The university's tightly controlled alumni groups, including the Warrior Club, have already approved a change, Schmidt said. Details are still being worked out, he said. Something as memorable as the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame would be good, he said. Schmidt said that Jostens, a school memorabilia supplier, has provided some possibilities but all were lacking."Some were too old, some where too young, some just looked nasty," said Schmidt. Reporter: Andy Weldon

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Football player settles loud party case

MITCHELL Warrior cornerback This news item was inserted chrono- logically into the CybderIndee archives on Nov. 10, 2003.

WINONA, Minn., April 23, 2002 -- A Winona State University football player, Kyle Mitchell, 18, paid a $163 fine in Winona County District Court for driving while under the influence, third-degree, and an open bottle violation. The judge also put Mitchell under supervised probation until Aug. 20 and required him to undergo training through a Mothers Against Drunk Driving program. Mitchell was arrested near Main and Broadway on April 6, after being pulled over at 12:40 a.m. Police Sgt. Chris Nelson said he spotted Mitchell driving with no headlights. Nelson followed him for a few blocks, after which, he said, Mitchell turned on his parking lights. A few blocks later, Nelson pulled Mitchell over, when he finally turned his headlights on. When Nelson approached the car, he said, he could see five people inside and smelled alcohol. Also, he said, Mitchell's eyes were red and his speech was slurred. Nelson asked Mitchell to step out of the car. Nelson said that Mitchell failed several field sobriety tests, mostly due to poor balance. Mitchell was placed under arrest and taken to jail. In the car, police found an open liter of vodka that was only full one-third, according to documents file with the court. None of the passengers admitted to owning the bottle, but all admitted they had been drinking, police said.. At 1:05 a.m. Mitchell agreed to a breath test and blew .134 percent on the intoxilizer, about one-third more than legally acceptable limits under state law, records show. The other passengers, Andrea Olson, Kelly Mcwaters, Jeffrey Stevens and Margo Tighe, all freshmen, were cited for minor consumption. Mitchell, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound freshman, is from Kenosha, Wis. At Tremper High School he was voted most valuable defensive player and all-conference choice. Reporter: Cailin Flattery

Dissident: Saudis engaging in PR smokescreen

AL-AHMED Reform needed

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2002 -- By focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Saudi Arabia is laying a smokescreen on its involvement in the September 11th attacks on United States, said a Winona State University alum who heads a dissident Washington thinktank, the Saudi Institute. Ali Al-Ahmed, a 1998 Winona State journalism grad, said in a television interview that Saudi Arabia has pumped millions of dollars into public relations and lobbying to clear its image in the United States. "The subject is suddenly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Middle East peace, not September 11th," said Al-Ahmed. "Nobody is talking about September 11th." Speaking on the PBS NewsHour, Al-Ahmed acknowledged that U.S.-Saudi relations are strained but said the two nations are interdependent: "They both need each other. " To Al-Ahmed, who often speaks against Saudi policies, the country's monarchy is a factor in the strained relationship. "The relationship between the leader of the free world with an absolute monarchy is anomalous and unhealthy. There should be some reform," he said. A solution would be to moderne Saudi Arabia, Al-Ahmed said: "If it's not modernized it will carbonize, and we'll have the same problem. We'll have another Iraq, another Iran." Reporter: Ben Grice

Prof doesn't see WSU grade inflation

BUTTRAM "Not here"

WINONA, Minn., April 23, 2002 -- Somehow Winona State University has avoided the "grade inflation," giving students higher grades than they deserve, that's afflicted many colleges, said a Winona State English prof. At least Chris Buttram doesn't see grade inflation at Winona State. At some universities, especially the Ivy League, profs inflate grades to avoid the hassle of dealing with unhappy students. "Professors are inflating grades so they don't have to deal with the stress of upset students who are unhappy about their bloodied, marked-up papers," she said. Buttram defended detailed evaluation of student work: "It is not a power trip to mark up a paper. Papers are a learning tool, a free tutorial, that expresses what students need to work on. Getting red marks on a paper is often just rough love. It is a real commitment to thoroughly correct a paper and students tend to not understand that." To do a thorough job grading a paper it takes a lot of time, about 30 minutes for an average two-, three-page paper, she said. "It is a labor of love to devote the time necessary to do a thorough job," she said. "One could easily get away with grade inflation or not putting in the effort it takes to correct a paper and no one would know." Reporter: Katie Lindsay

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WSU music series "out with a bang"

WINONA, Minn., April 23, 2002 -- Winona State University's International Music Series will feature its final concert with the Winona International Dancers with the Maritza Band from Decorah, Iowa, ending the series' seventh year. According to production coordinator Laura Putzer, these groups were chosen because they involve the crowd "They get the crowd up and dancing. It's a go-out-with-a-bang sort of thing." Putzer said that, in all, the year has been a success. She said each concert has drawn at least 120 people. A few have been attended by more than 300, she said: "People from all over have started coming to see some of the concerts." She said that it's impressive that the series has been able to attract popular acts from around the world, despite that the performers aren't paid Date: April 25 Time: 7 p.m. Place: Lourdes Hall North Lounge Cost: Free Reporter: Shane Hawley

PUTZER Concert coordinator