Two Veterans Share Their Experiences

And Recall what Veterans Day is all About

By Casey Dainsberg (Story #6)

The waitress brought a plate full of food and set it down in front of Retired IBM Employee and Veteran, Paul Nast. Picking up his fork, he started poking at the eggs on his plate—prepared over easy. It brings a smile of recognition to his face as he hearkens back to his Army days. “I never liked my eggs done this way,” he recounts, “This is the way they used to serve our eggs in the army.” Picking up the salt and pepper shakers pushed to the far end of the booth, he gives the runny eggs a healthy dose of each and continued, “This is how I learned to eat them. I just had to make sure there was some egg with the salt and pepper.”

It wasn’t until the 1950’s that Veterans Day got the name it is referred to as today. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year 1918, World War I ended. According to a web article about Veterans Day on History.com, the day was first called Armistice Day. However, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. Since that transition took place, the date no longer just represents the end of World War I. Veterans Day remembers the men and women who have served, and are honorably serving in the United States Military.

Nast is one of many Veterans who served during World War II. As a young man during the 1940’s, his experiences in the army shaped his future in things such as education, and vocation. It also established habits that would stick with him throughout the years of his life, such as a strong coffee habit and, how he ate his eggs.



Paul Nast, now retired enjoys fishing and spending time
with Friends and Family.
(Photo Submitted)



 Nast enlisted at eighteen years old and was assigned with the 445^th Ordnance Company Heavy Automotive Maintenance CO. (H.A.M. Co.) After Boot Camp he attended Track and Wheel Vehicle Electronics School. “I graduated with honor; the top student they ever had in the class.” He was sent overseas in November of 1944 where his first stop was in Marseilles, France. They stayed there for about a month while his Company waited for their gear, trucks, and equipment to catch up with them. During that time his company slept in pup-tents. A blanket and sleeping mattress (which also served a secondary purpose as a body bag) were all they had to separate them from the cold ground. Nast said he would trade cigarettes or candy bars with local farmers for straw to sleep on.

Every year on November 11, United States citizens celebrate a national holiday. For some, Veterans Day might be about getting a day off of school or work. For others, it is a day to honor and remember the men and women who are serving, and have served in our nation’s military. “I really do not see it as a holiday,” wrote retired Command Sergeant Major Reno Wells in an e-mail. “It is personal to me, not just remembering those who died but those who lived [and] how we as Marines and soldiers were able to be there for each other.”

In December of 1944, Nast and his company moved on to Cirey, France. “Our mission became the 7^th Army motor pool,” said Nast as he described the responsibilities of his company. It was their job to assemble motor vehicles for soldiers on the front lines. They would assemble the vehicles during the day, and at night go out as a convoy to deliver them under cover of darkness to the front lines. One of the youngest in his company, Nast was the sole electrician and responsible for setting up generators to provide lighting for the buildings as well as the electrical wiring for the various vehicles they assembled.



Only about seventy miles away from where the Battle of the Bulge was taking place, Nast recalled that officers came requesting 10 percent of his company to go fight on the front lines. Twelve men were chosen from his company to go. Nast was allowed to stay behind after his commanding officer demanded he remain with the company because of his skills as an electrician.

While some people are trying to decide which college they are going to go to, others are choosing the branch of the military in which to serve. Wells reminded readers that “Some body’s mom, sister, dad, brother, uncle, aunt, grandma and grandpa will probably die today,” and he questioned, “Does anyone other than a family member really care?” Many today have served overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan. Wells reminds students in his e-mail that “It is not a movie. Veterans are real people doing what they believe is right and doing everything they can to help and protect each other.”  He added, “We made a decision to serve our Country because of what we believe is important.”



“We were in Cirey [France] until March when the big push came through to end the war.” Nast wrote in a memoir. The pancakes and eggs gone, the now-cold coffee sat hardly touched as he continued to share his war experience. On March 28, 1945, his company headed for Germany. “Besides our own equipment we also has about two to three hundred other vehicles that we were processing” he said, “So moving was quite a project in itself.”



The Germans had left the day before, so as they came into Zweibrucken, Germany. They had to be mindful of snipers. Nast described the journey into Germany.“The first time we hit the Autobahn, it was unbelievable,” He said. The driver of the truck he was in “was zipping down the Autobahn and blew the engine on the truck!” On March 31, 1945, the company moved to Worms, Germany, where they set up in a former brewery. It was at this time that the war began accelerating and the company was moving every couple of days to keep up with the front lines.



Currently, war continues in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. Wells encouraged readers to “Do something for the single parents left back here; they are struggling to make ends meet, dealing with the negative media as to how bad the war is and hoping and praying they don't get a visit to tell them something bad happened!” He also talked about protesting, saying that it “does not do much for those [soldiers] over there [in Iraq and Afghanistan] and sure does not extend the same love for our fellow human beings for those back here in the States.”





The day the war ended, Nast said his Company was in Augsburg, Germany. Along the way men in his company had picked up bottles of champagne, “As you can imagine, there was plenty of celebrating around there.” He continued to share about staying indoors in fear of getting hurt in the mayhem outside. “It was a few wild days before things settled down.” It was early May when the war ended with Germany. Nast and the younger members of his Company remained in Europe, waiting to be reassigned to serve in the Pacific Theatre. However, the war in the Pacific ended before they were officially reassigned. For the next year he was moved around Europe before, on May 20, of 1946, he received his separation papers and an Army Honorable Discharge and finally returned home.

Nast slid out of the booth, the cup of coffee still only about half gone, the plates long cleared. “Now you know my life story,” He said. The two restaurant staff bustled about serving customers while he paid, and made his way out the door. Age has slowed the pace of his gait and the length of his strides, yet the vivid memories and experiences he recounts from his war service proves his mind is still sharp and very much engaged. Having experienced a time in history that future generations can only imagine, he gives his listeners a snapshot into the lives of the countless men and women who have served.  May they never be forgotten.

 

WORD COUNT: 1,375

Story #6

Bemidji Boys and Girls Club, more than just a daycare

Club praises college work programs

By Andrew Pooch and Nick Jelacie

Word Count: 770

            It’s still morning and the Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji lies dormant.   “Mornings are when I get a chance to get to my administrative duties,” said Karl Mork, Program Director. Once the final bell rings to end class for the day, the Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji comes alive with children of all ages.  “When the kids get here, my job becomes supervisor and sometimes I have to play principal.”

The birth of the Bemidji Boys & Girls Club was made possible by a grass roots movement pioneered by dedicated citizens, local businesses, foundations, the school district, city, state and federal government entities and the non-profit community. The process started when a committee was formed by now Executive Director Leonore Potter, to address the possible reuse of the former Bemidji High School.

  “Former BSU President Jon Quistgaard and I met and decided that this would be a good spot for the Club and BSU would keep the land around it,” said Potter.  She realized there was potential and wanted to move out of their facility at the old Seventh Day Adventist School.

             According to the Boys and Girls Club Web site, Bemidji was the only town of its size in the region that did not have a Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, or a community center.

The mission of the club is to have core programs that support the development of children.  The programs help instill confidence in an environment that helps children achieve their full potential.  Children have the opportunity to participate in the technology center, gaming, sports activities, arts and crafts, and educational activities.

The club is located at the site of the old Bemidji High School on the B lot. The facility was built in 2003 to be a Boys and Girls club.  The two-basketball court gym and locker rooms are the only remaining pieces from the original 1960 structure. 

Since the action by the Club to move closer to BSU, a relationship has grown.  BSU has been able to form work-study, internship and volunteer programs with the Club and the programs are growing annually.  “We started with only one work-study spot when the program began in 2006,” said Mork.  “Last year we had six, and this year we have twelve.”  This gives more one-on-one time for each child and Mork believes the larger the pool, the better chance there will be someone that shares his or her experience with others.

            Sophomore Steve Mayer is a current work-study employee that has worked in the program for two years.  “I’m from Bemidji and did my Eagle Scout work here.  I liked the people I worked with and wanted to continue working here if I got the chance.”  He had the option to work in maintenance, tutoring, technology, lunchroom or supervising.  He chose maintenance work.  “I take care of random tasks that need to be done.”

            BSU is responsible for 75 percent of the wages and the Club pays the other 25 percent.  “It’s an advantage for BSU, because students with certain majors such as social work or education find it complimentary to their studies,” said Potter.

The Club is the second largest employer of work-study students in Bemidji behind the university.  Many students have also done unpaid internships with the club.  Majors that have fulfilled internships include: psychology, education, social work, criminal justice and business.

            Volunteers are also a crucial part of what makes things run at the club.  “We are very fortunate to be next to a college.  Not many clubs can say that,” said Mork.  “The students are young, talented, energetic and willing to make a difference.” 

             Mork explained that many students have come through the club to volunteer.  Many volunteered on a mandatory basis and others for enjoyment.  “The majority will put in their four to six hours then never come back,” said Mork.  “Out of the pool of volunteers there is usually someone who is positively affected and will turn their volunteering into 100 plus hours – that’s something special.”

            

BSU Sophomore Steve Mayer does one of his odd jobs at the Boys and Girls Club before the children show up.  Photo take by Andrew Pooch

The game room at the Boys and Girls Club allows students to participate in foosball, air hockey and a variety of board games.  Photo taken by Andrew Pooch

The Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji offers work-study, internships and volunteering opportunities for BSU students.  Photo taken by Andrew Pooch

Getting to know Phyllis St. Peter

Cook for exhibition line at Northwoods Dining Center continues to put smiles on students’ faces

By Caley Jorgensen

Story #6

November 10, 2010

Word Count: 849



Phyllis St. Peter was ready to make the featured dish of the day, the peanut
butter and jelly wrap. Photo by Caley Jorgensen.



                Whether the chicken Caesar wrap is being served or the chef salad, students wait patiently in the exhibition line at Wally’s. As Phyllis St. Peter carefully prepares the featured dish for each student, she starts conversations asking students how their day was, or about their weekend plans.

            The students know her as Phyllis because it’s embroidered on her uniform. She wears a black, collared top with a white apron over it to keep it clean. St. Peter works every weekday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She can be found behind the glass serving wraps, salads, or deserts. “They call me the Exbo Cook,” she said. “It’s short for exhibition.”

            Phyllis St. Peter has worked at Northwoods Dining Center, or Wally’s, for 11 years. She was born in Chicago, Ill., and at the age of six months, she and her family moved to the small town of Puposky, Minn., where she grew up, about 15 miles north of Bemidji. St. Peter is number three of the four sisters. She grew up with many childhood memories. “We were country kids,” she said. “The neighbors had a barn and we played for hours, we rode the cows in the pasture, played in the creek, we had a really good time.”

            St. Peter has not always worked on BSU’s campus. Before working in culinary, St. Peter attended a trade school in Thief River Falls and was a licensed cosmetologist for several years. She has also worked at Thunderbird Graphics, an embroidery and screen-printing store west of Lake Irving.



Along with the Homecookin and Vegetarian Entree, the Grill Special,
the Grain bar, and the ice cream line, the exhibition line can by found
with St. Peter serving in Wally's. Photo by Caley Jorgensen.



            St. Peter started working with food when she worked at the Beltrami county jail as a cook and then found a job at BSU. “I had to work every other weekend there,” she said. “This job came up and there were no weekends.” St. Peter explained how she first supervised the Upper Deck when it was serving pizza from Pizza Hut. After a couple years, she started working in Wally’s and has been there ever since.

            “It’s nice to talk to Phyllis when I’m waiting in line,” said BSU sophomore Tom Alexander. “It’s not like high school where they just slap food on your plate, because she’s willing to talk and she makes it a better experience.” Students can find a variety of wraps and salads at the exhibition bar. Dishes, including the chef salad, Santa Fe wraps, chicken Caesar salad wraps, fajitas, and even smoothies, can be found where St. Peter serves.

            St. Peter starts out with an empty plate, a smile, and asks her customers, “What can I get for you today?” The wraps, one of the most frequently served dishes in the exhibition line, start off with a flour tortilla. St. Peter then carefully lays lettuce, meat, and other toppings students ask for. She is very neat as she prepares and rolls up the wraps. She hands off the finished product, along with a comment such as, “Here you go!” or “Have a nice day!”

To find out what's being served in St. Peter's line, as well as
the other lines, BSU makes menus that are posted around
campus (top). A black board in the entrance of Wally's
makes it easy to glance at what each line is serving (bottom).
Photos by Caley Jorgensen.

            BSU sophomore Anna Connelly enjoys eating the food St. Peter prepares. “She absolutely makes the best chicken Caesar wraps and she’s super nice,” she said. BSU alumnus Tom Bornetun remembers St. Peter serving him. “She’s very polite and she always puts in the right portion of food for the hungry students,” he said. St. Peter likes talking to students as she prepares the dish. “She always has a smile on her face and brightens your day by the way she makes our wraps and salads with love,” said BSU sophomore Christine Bauer. “She’s like a little piece of home up at school!”

            St. Peter lives with her husband of 38 years and has two sons who live and work in Bemidji. She also has five grandchildren. In her free time she likes to get in touch with her creative side. “I love to go to flee markets and find old pieces of furniture to strip down and refinish, and I also do some dry floral arrangements,” she said. “I have given some away to relatives and I like to keep some myself.”

            St. Peter still enjoys her job, even after a decade of serving college students. “I get three weeks off for winter break and summers off. It’s great,” she said. Her favorite part of the job is serving the students. “I love the kids,” she said with a smile. “It’s something about them that gets me.” BSU sophomore Brandon Buske thinks she fits the job perfectly. “She’s a great worker for this environment,” he said. “You can tell she really enjoys her job and loves serving us.”

            When St. Peter retires she plans to spend time with her husband, who is also retired. “I’m going to have him take me traveling, anywhere we can drive,” she said. “I don’t like to fly.” She plans on working at Wally’s for a couple more years. Until then, she can be found behind the counter in the exhibition line, serving with a smile on her face.

Commuting for Education - Story #1

Commuting for Education

Several Students Losing Time and Money to Reach Graduation Goals

By Tara Hjermstad

Word Count: 671

                College is a luxury that students quickly find out isn’t as easy as it sounds. Whether it is the workload, living away from home or any other sort of re-adjustment, it may come as a struggle to some. For these five students, their major setback is just getting to and from school.

                Commuting to and from school really tests the dedication of these students; each of them driving at least an hour to fulfill their education desires. While living on-campus would work better for each of them, each has their own situation that makes that wish unrealistic.

                Although there isn’t a definite number, there are approximately 4,500 students enrolled at BSU and out of that 4,500, approximately 1,100 live on campus in the resident halls; thus leaving approximately 3,400 students to commute daily, whether it be one block or 100 miles.

                For Jess Gendron, a junior at BSU majoring in Sales, Marketing and Management, has been commuting, for the most part, daily from Walker, which is 80 miles one way from Bemidji. Gendron says that while she doesn’t mind the drive itself too much, actually enjoying time to herself, by the time she goes to and from school, she is out of the “school and studying mode.”  The $60 that she spends a week on gas is inevitable since making the move to Bemidji is out of the question. Her family and work are both in Walker, and she has no intention of uprooting any of that.

                Heather White, a sophomore in the Elementary Education department that’s on her second year of commuting the 80 miles from Walker, does not like the commute one bit.  She chose BSU because they have an “a great education program, and it’s the closest school that offers it,” but cannot afford to move here because she does not want to pull her son from daycare or away from his dad. The $40 per week drive for White is tiring by the end of the day, but she plans on continuing it for another two years until her degree is completed.

                Breah Johnson, also a sophomore in the Elementary Education/Pre-Primary/Special-Education department at BSU, commutes the 80 miles daily, and plans to do so until her degree is completed in another year and a half. Her reasoning behind commuting rather than living in Bemidji is similar to that of Gendron and White; “her family life and work is in Walker. “

                Molly Leacox, a freshman majoring in Social Work, commutes about 100 miles one way from Park Rapids daily. The commute is especially hard for Leacox, because not only does it take time away from her studying and work (about an hour for each), she also loses time with her daughter. While the drive is “tiring,” it also gives her a chance to “brainstorm ideas.” Leacox had already bought a home in Park Rapids before deciding to go to school, and selling her home to move to Bemidji is not in her plans; it seems the $60/week drive will continue for the next three years.

                Dan Etter, a junior majoring in Math Education, makes a 56 mile-a-day commute from the Park Rapids area every day. It costs Etter about $50/week to fill his Toyota Celica, and he loses about 2 ½ hours a day just driving. He chose BSU because it was the closest University that he could drive to, since moving to Bemidji was not an option that Etter could even consider. His “wife and four children rely on him to keep a job,” and commuting is the only way he can do both. He has one year left of this “tiring” drive, but is confident that graduating with his degree will be worth it.

                While commuting is not always practical, it’s sometimes the only realistic option. With the cost of tuition and education going up, that will only add more stress and expenses to the commuters’ load.

No Room Left in BSU Budget Plan for Campus Childcare Center

 

No Room Left in BSU Budget Plan for Campus Childcare Center

Center to Close After Spring Semester

By Tara Hjermstad

Word count: 987

                For nine years, the fully–licensed Campus Childcare Center has offered daycare to students, BSU faculty and the Bemidji community for children from 6 weeks to 5 years. Now these students and families are forced to find an alternative daycare, after BSU’s decision to close the Campus Childcare Center after the 2010 spring semester, due to budget cuts.

                According to the center’s webpage, the Campus Childcare Center is currently open Monday – Friday throughout the school year from 7:30 am – 5:00 pm, with the option of either part time or full time. The curriculum highlights are daily sign language, creative art, singing, routines, music, physical education, and Spanish are also offered with no extra charge. There are also Single Parent Parenting classes offered on Thursday nights at CCC. All teachers have early childhood education and experience, and are part of the Headstart Partnership in Preschool Program. Not only does the daycare center provide jobs to members of the community, it also helps with campus profit. It is a place for early education major students to do training without having to travel off–campus or go through the trouble of finding a place to volunteer their time at. With such a practical schedule, the campus daycare offers a program that works well with not only students and faculty, but members of the community that work day hours as well. Another wonderful thing is that it’s connected to the Cedar Apartments, making it that much easier for single–parent or families in school that live in the apartments to drop off their child(ren), and make it to class on time, study or be involved in any school activities.

                Amity Seitz, a 1998 graduate of BSU with a major in elementary education and also going on her 8^th year as the director of the on-campus center, said they will be closed down after spring semester 2011, and she has “no idea” what will happen with the building once it’s no longer a daycare. She said there are about 45 families that depend on the daycare, as well as five other daycare employees. “I think it’s very sad for all the families,” she said. According to Seitz, the center is open to BSU students first, but if there are openings, the community is next in line. If a student is in need, but all of the spots are already filled, even if they’re filled with members of the community, it’s against the rules to remove any family. The student’s next option would be to fill out the application and be put on a waiting list. Seitz said, “This will put a big wrench in anybody’s schooling with kids.” Once the daycare does close, Seitz, and the other 5 employees, will each lose their position with BSU, and she said of the job loss, “I will be taking a few years off to spend with my kids,” but is unsure of plans after that. She also mentioned that Cedar Apartments may be closing, because of budget cuts as well, but is not positive on that.

       As for the Cedar Apartments, which a lot of times go hand–in–hand with the campus childcare, they are also in review for closing. They are under review, but with the decline in occupancy over the years, it doesn’t sound hopeful. Erwin said, “The University’s intent is to have an overall residence hall program that has great options for students at the best possible price. There is a Residential Life Masters Facilities Plan in complement to the Campus Masters Facilities Plan, and consideration for the future is part of that planning. If the University decides to close a residence hall, the residents are provided a notice as far in advance as possible.

                According to Lisa Erwin, Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment, the daycare center will no longer be open after Spring 2011 semester, due to budget cuts. Erwin explained, “The campus childcare has three sources of income: the fees paid by parents, small grants to pay for meals/snacks for the children, and a University subsidy. In the 2008-2009 budget reductions, the University subsidy to Campus Childcare Center was eliminated. We spent the next year (2009-2010) studying ways to operate the center in a different manner, but in the end we were not able to sustain the Center without a subsidy from the University.” 

                She went on to explain that the subsidy to Campus Child Care was about $150,000.00 last year, and this was the minimum amount of savings projected. The cost of running the daycare was running at a higher rate than revenue, thus resulting in the closing of the center. Consequently, the subsidy from the University has increased each year for the past eight years.

                When asked about the future of the six daycare employees, Erwin replied, “Conversations with AFSCME Local #1949, who are the exclusive representative of childcare staff, started in 2009. The AFSCME meet and confer committee was informed of the conversations with the Bemidji School District and Headstart then. The childcare center staff will be given notice as provided in the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement. HR/Affirmative Action staff will provide the staff with assistance regarding benefit continuation and other opportunities available to them. “

                As of right now, the Child Care Center is to close after Spring semester. There are proposals being made about the possibility of it re – opening in the future, but no dates have been set yet. If Bemidji State can reach an agreement with  the Bemidji School District and HeadStart, then childcare on campus will again be an option. Until then, no more childcare is being offered through BSU.

                  Until further decisions are made, the building that was once a lounge space for Pine Hall, might be returning to just that.

Bemidji Soup Kitchen

Volunteering at your local soup kitchen is an experience you’ll never forget

By Taylor Klinke

Word Count: 722

As you’re driving to work, you see a man standing on the side of the road holding a sign that says “Will work for food.” You see some cars stopping and handing the man their spare change, so then you have a decision to make: Stop and hand the man a few quarters, or keep on driving by and pretend you didn’t notice him.

We have all seen this at some point in our lives. Whether it is in Bemidji or a huge city, such as, Chicago or New York City. Homeless or less fortunate people are everywhere in the world, and they need our help.

According to Wilder Research – who conducted a statewide survey in 2009 – there are 9,654 homeless adults, youth, and children living in Minnesota. That number was a 25 percent increase over the 2006 study, so that number has likely increased in the past year.

Soup kitchens began to appear in America in 1929 when the economy headed toward the Great Depression. At that time soup kitchens were found in every large city in America; however, the numbers have greatly decreased throughout the past several decades.

The Bemidji soup kitchen dates back approximately 20 years. It’s still up and running thanks to several devoted volunteers, including Gloria Joy, who has been working with the kitchen for 15 years. “I like working with the volunteers and talking to the folks who come to eat,” said Gloria Joy, “I think the only thing that I dislike is scrubbing floors.”

Originally there were only 25-30 people being served each week. But with the help of people like Gloria - currently, about 450 servings are given each week, and volunteers each night include BSU students, BTC students, high school students, and probably anyone you can think of who lives in the area. But the help is needed with the high number of people who comes in to enjoy the food – which can vary from 40-200 people.

The kitchen operates each Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. However, volunteers at 2:00 P.M. Gloria Joy and a few others are the first to show up - they wrap silverware in napkins while they sit around a table and enjoy a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, Merrylynn Wenaas is in the kitchen getting all the food and utensils laid out. 

When more volunteers arrive – they set up tables and chairs, place tablecloths, set out salt and peppershakers, and if it’s a special holiday, each table is also decorated. “We want our guests to feel welcome,” said Gloria.

As BSU and Bemidji High School students show up – they work in the kitchen buttering bread, making salad, and helping with the main course. It’s a very organized ordeal – as Gloria and Merrylynn help everyone with what they should be doing. When the food is ready, the group gathers in a huddle, puts their hands in the middle and yells “soup kitchen” before serving the guests.

When it’s serving time the volunteers and guests say a short prayer together before the food is dished out. Then each volunteer is in charge of something different – whether it is distributing the chicken, scooping up the mashed potatoes, or handing out the dessert. As each person goes through the line, a smile is exchanged and maybe a short conversation. After everyone is through, the volunteers can eat if they choose to.

As the room quiets down -- volunteers get a couple buckets of warm water and wipe down each table and sweep the floor – as others clean the dishes and the rest of the kitchen. Before they know it, another night is complete.

The food is purchased from the North Country Food Bank in Crookston, along with donations from Luekens and the Farmers Market. “We also get meat, bakery products, and grocery from Wal-Mart,” said Merrylynn Wenaas, a long-time cook at the kitchen.

The Bemidji soup kitchen is held at Mt. Zion Church (414 South Lincoln Avenue) on Monday and Tuesday, and the United Methodist Church (9th and Beltrami) each Thursday. 

Bemidji Politics Strike

Bemidji Politics Strike

Signs are taking over

By Jake Kelly and Zuzka Tomcikova


story #5

         

             The race for the office of  mayor is coming to a close in Bemidji. All over the BSU campus and neighboring houses it’s difficult to find a yard without a sign for a candidate for mayor.  One could tell the top candidates in the election solely based on the number of signs spread out across Bemidji.  “A lady came and knocked on my door about a month ago and asked if she could put a sign up,” said BSU construction management major Matt Larson. “I didn’t realize that it would be here for over a month and I’m kind of sick of having it there.”

           Hundreds of these signs have been put up on rented property belonging to students, as well as owned properties of teachers, and local residents. It is understood that these signs are necessary to get the word out about a certain candidate but the volume of signs and candidacy commercials, between the competing politicians, is overwhelming. The fact that these signs are often grouped together creates a lot of clutter as far as who the candidates are and it's difficult to specify one particular candidate amongst the number of signs.

            “It’s necessary because even if someone can’t see your campaigns sign you don’t want them paying attention to the opponent so you crowd the opponents sign with your own and they sort of cancel in a way,” Said Mark Schealler, a campaign volunteer for one of the Bemidji mayor candidates Jim Thompson. The people responsible for the signs are usually volunteers and not the actual candidate. They walk the streets for hours promoting their candidate's campaign. “It’s pretty exhausting work to be walking around with dozens of signs every evening,” said Schealler. “I’m not really a fan of going door to door but if it helps us win the election than I’m willing to contribute my help.”

            What the candidates don’t seem to care about is that most of these yards that they’re putting signs in house students who are not full time residents of Bemidji and thus cannot vote. This upsets some people whose yards have been taken advantage of such as BSU’s Lauren Williams a junior business major who said “There was a bunch of people who came and asked to put signs up and at first I didn’t mind because I wanted to be friendly.” After a pause she said, “But now there’s ten signs in my yard and I don’t even have any say in the election.”

            A look at this yard and others like it on Paul Bunyan Dr. is truly a sight as an almost uncountable number of signs scatters as far as you can see. The main placement of the signs is focused in the yards lining Paul Bunyan Dr. This is to allow the signs as much exposure as possible by being visible for passing traffic. "I drive down Paul Bunyan every day and see those signs," said Daniel Marcikowski a senior Spanish major at BSU. "I'm not a resident so I don't really care to much about the election but honestly no names really stick in my head there's too many of them to really pick one out." Most of the signs that have the name of a candidate on them are overshadowed by their competitors, who often put signs in the exact same spots as one another. This makes it impossible for someone who is driving by to even see a specific candidate leaving the residents of the area, most of whom can’t vote, to stare at theses imposing signs.

            The fact that the different campaigns are basically battling for sign turf doesn’t sit well with many people including Erin Roach a junior chemistry major “I hate the signs because I can't vote and it seems like every corner is littered with a bunch of different signs and honestly it just looks horrible and it’s really annoying,” she goes on to say “I rejected at least six or seven different people from putting signs up in my yard, and I just really don’t want them there.”

            Whether one is for or against the signs, their presence cannot be ignored and with the election campaigns coming to an end the yards of Bemidji will once again be sign free.



Lauren Williams, a BSU business major who's yard is overtaken by signs.



Some of the signs that  are overtaking Paul Bunyan Dr. can be seen from this students lawn.



Matt Larson, a construction management major who disapproves of the signs.




Spanish major Daniel Marcikowski has an up beat attitude before heading to class.