Carleton in the Media :: Carleton College

Tun Myint Quoted on America.gov on Individual Aid Efforts to Burma

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:32:39 -0500

Tun Myint, assistant professor of political science, was quoted on America.gov regarding individuals in the United States and their efforts to provide financial relief to family members and others in Burma following the Cyclone Nargis and ensuing devastation on May 2. Myint said the best way to make sure aid is delivered directly to the desired recipient and not taken by the military junta that controls the country is by trusting “people you know in the human network. I’ve sent money through friends traveling to Burma who will be able to deliver it to the people that I want to receive it,” he said. According to America.gov, to enable Burmese immigrants to speed aid to their families, Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control -- in consultation with the Department of State -- lifted long-standing restrictions on personal money transfers to Burma. The May 12 ruling permits U.S. financial institutions to process unlimited funds transfers for non-commercial, personal remittances to and from Burma. Transfers were previously limited to $300 every three months. “You don’t know if the money you send is being used for building a temple, a school, a water project and what not,” Myint said. “If these projects were to be conducted by the citizens inside Burma without any consultation with the local government officials … they could get into a watch list of the regime.”

Carleton Part of "Jeopardy!" Answer on Recent Episode

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:23:13 -0500

Carleton College was part of an answer on the game show "Jeopardy!" in an episode that aired on Tuesday, June 17. In the show's second half, dubbed the "Double Jeopardy! Round", the answer "Senator Paul Wellstone once taught at Carleton College in Northfield in this state" was correctly asked "What is Minnesota?" by contestant Dave Simpson, a pastor from Belcamp, Md. The answer, worth $800 to Simpson, came under the "Colleges and Universities" category. Simpson's correct answer was one of many, as he locked up the victory after the "Double Jeopardy! Round" with more than twice the amount of money as his nearest competitor. He ended the day with $21,600 in earnings.

Carleton has had numerous alumni participate in the game show over the years, including current U.S. Rep. Rush Holt '70 (D-N.J.), a five-time winner, MaryAnn Toner '95, Jill (Young) Vollbrecht '97 (1992 Finalist in Teen Jeopardy!), Katy Beebe '00 (2000 appearance), Cheryl Klein '00 (2000 appearance) and Lee Tucker '06 (Jeopardy! College Championship in 2003). Current college archivist and quiz bowl coach Eric Hilleman is also a past participant of the show, as is professor emeritus of English George Soule (senior tournament champion in 1990),.

Brendon Etter's Blog Gets High Honors in Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:31:56 -0500

In the January 2008 "Best of the Twin Cities" edition of Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, Brendon Etter '92 gets high praise for his blog s, "A Play A Day" and "Lysteria."

Dunn '11 Quoted in Hometown Paper about Coed Roommates

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:10:31 -0500

Alexandra Dunn '11 (Walnut Creek, Calif.) was quoted in the Contra Costa Times regarding Carleton's recent decision to allow males and females to room together in residence halls. "I'm not planning to live with a guy next year, but it's an option we should have. I know that having men and women on the same floor caused a lot of controversy when that first began, so I'd expect this to be controversial as well, and I understand why parents are concerned," she said. "College students are adults who have the right to make their own decisions about their living situation. It's already common for students to live in coed off-campus apartments, so I think the choice should logically extend to on-campus dorm rooms." The article looked at numerous colleges and universities which have made or are making the decision to allow these types of rooming situations.

Mueller '01 Featured on MinnPost About Cannes Film Festival Experience

Thu, 29 May 2008 10:23:59 -0500

Aleshia Mueller '01, a geoscience assistant with the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton, is featured on MinnPost.com regarding her recent experience at the Cannes Film Festival. Also a media producer, Mueller promoted her film "Lady of the Woods," a 10-minute documentary portrait of North Country cookbook author and botanist Alma Christensen.

Schier Quoted in Wall Street Journal

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:03:58 -0500

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, is quoted in the Wall Street Journal regarding Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's possible veto of a state bill that would defer foreclosure sales until one year after the measure takes effect. It applies to some subprime and negative-amortization loans. [Pawlenty did veto the bill.] The article examines the effect of a possible veto on Pawlenty's possible spot on the Republican presidential ticket with John McCain. "Anything he does right now is magnified because of his possible role as a vice-presidential nominee," said Schier. "He has to consider whether any actions he takes now could show up in the fall campaign."

Gilbert's Film Featured in Newsweek Article on BIID

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:37:21 -0500

Melody Gilbert's short film, "Whole," is featured in a Newsweek article about Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), an exceedingly rare condition characterized by an overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or become paraplegic. Gilbert, a visiting professor of cinema and media studies at Carleton, showed in her film a patient that froze his leg off with dry ice. Another blew one off with a shotgun. In one case, a man traveled to Mexico and paid $10,000 for an illegal amputation, only to die of gangrene.

Sarvi's Chances of Unseating Kline in Second District Assessed by Schier

Tue, 27 May 2008 10:14:24 -0500

Paul Demko of the Minnesota Monitor pens an article that appeared on Twin Cities Daily Planet looking at Steve Sarvi, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota's second district. Sarvi is looking to defeating three-time incumbent and Republican John Kline. Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, assesses Sarvi's chances by saying it all comes down to the money. “It’s all about money,” says Schier. “If by mid-summer we’re not seeing a significant increase in his fundraising totals, it’s hard to see how that will be a competitive race in the fall.”

Schier Comments on Rep. Peterson Getting Farm Bill Override

Fri, 23 May 2008 11:19:47 -0500

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, commented for the Star Tribune regarding Congress' recent override of President Buch's veto to the farm bill and its meaning for Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. "Not succeeding in this way would, I think, ... weaken his ability to impact future farm legislation."

Waterford Bridge Replacement Announcement Covered Statewide

Fri, 23 May 2008 11:12:46 -0500

Carleton's join announcement with Waterford Township regarding the replacement of the “Iron Bridge,” located over the Cannon River on Canada Avenue in Waterford received statewide coverage. The Star Tribune featured a story on the announcement, which was picked up by the Associated Press and outlets across the state. The Northfield News ran an article on its front page regarding the bridge replacement.

Liben-Nowell's Research on Online Chain Letters Featured

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:00:32 -0500

David Liben-Nowell, assistant professor of computer science, conducted research on how mass e-mail messages such as online petitions, chain letters and jokes are forwarded, along with Jon Kleinberg of Cornell University. Their research was featured in U.S. News & World Report, ScienceDaily, vnunet.com and Net News Publisher. ScienceDaily wrote "Kleinberg and Liben-Nowell's research suggests that these messages travel in a less direct and more diffuse pattern than was previously assumed. It also means that messages can reach some groups of people very quickly and take a relatively longer period of time to reach others, creating opportunities for the original message to be altered or abbreviated. This insight has potential implications for scholars in computer networking, sociology, marketing, political science and other fields." The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Google, Yahoo and the MacArthur Foundation.

Schier Offers Opinion on Obama, McCain Backgrounds as Factor in Election

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:50:02 -0500

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, offers an opinion on how John McCain and Barack Obama's backgrounds might play out in the upcoming presidential election in the Chicago Tribune. Schier says McCain has cast himself in the maverick, loner, individualistic Westerner image. "He needs that to help separate himself from the Bush Republicans," said Schier. Obama's Chicago connection might call up what Schier noted was the city's "rather seamy politics—no offense." But he also noted that, as our nomadic society becomes ever more rootless, hometowns may matter less. "It might get to the point where voters just don't care."