St. Olaf College Board of Regents met with the Collective for Change on the Hill yesterday afternoon as per the agreement reached with President Anderson on Tuesday after students protested all weekend when a black student found a racist note on her vehicle. Board Chair Larry Stranghoener opened the meeting with a mission statement and resolution which includes in part, finding the perpetrator of the hateful notes and finally, “point 5 the Board empowers college leadership to do everything within it’s power to
promote understanding and genuine reconciliation among all St. Olaf community members and stakeholders”. He affirmed their endorsement of President Anderson’s agreement with The Collective to form a Task Team. Organizer Tia Schaeffer spoke saying they chose St. Olaf because the school presented themselves as welcoming to diversity and inclusivity but they have fallen short. She said, “As Oles we shall aim at awareness and inclusivity being present in not only the college Mission statement but everything from curriculum to administration, faculty, staff and students”. Udeepta Chakravarty then gave The Collective’s statement. While he thanked the Board for engaging, he said, “we must try because our hurt and alienation have become unbearable”. He then named off 10 incidents of hateful messages dating back to 2009 and said they were not about the perpetrators and called it a simple conclusion, making them a scapegoat. Adding, “they remind us that perhaps this place that we imagine St. Olaf to be is a myth a fantasy that we can only desire but not deserve”. He went on to say students of color are tokenized. The Collective sent a lengthy list of questions to the Board a couple of hours before the meeting. When asked if he would answer them, Stranghoener said he would not at the meeting, “again, I think these are thoughtful questions that deserve thoughtful answers”. RESPONSETOBOR There was also a statement The Collective wanted signed.DocumentofSupport Stranghoener said that it would not be signed at the meeting and urged them to read the resolution. He said, “I understand full well that the words we say ring hollow to you. It’s our commitment to you to put substance behind those words and make this indeed a campus that welcomes people of all faith, creeds and colors from wherever they might be. And we will do everything we can to make that happen”. The entire meeting is on St. Olaf website . click on the link.
More charges filed in Prostitution case
The criminal complaint against a Northfield man charged in a prostitution case at Mystic Massage, has been amended to include another felony. The Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force and the MN BCA were alerted by Northfield Police of possible prostitution at the parlor on Hwy 3. An undercover agent was sent in on 4 separate occasions between December and February. Based on the amended criminal complaint it’s evident the massage offerings were more sexual in nature. It is far more explicit in detail. 45 year old Zuqiu Chen has been in the Rice County jail since February 3rd when he was arrested for Promoting Prostitution. He was the Proprietor and also drove the 2 woman to and from the business. At his arrest he was found with $14,000 in cash on his person, some of which was marked as government buy money, the dollars used to pay for services by the Undercover agent. Officers then searched his apartment at 1180 Cannon Valley Pl. where he lived with his girlfriend, the woman who performed most of the suggestive acts, and her daughter. There’s a contested omnibus hearing set for May 11th.
Fewer applicants for Law Enforcement
It’s getting harder and harder to find qualified applicants for a law enforcement position. Rice County sheriff Troy Dunn said they’re seeing fewer and fewer people applying. He said 3 years ago they had 125 applicants, this latest round, just 67. Northfield and Faribault are also going through the same thing as they work to recruit good officers.
