On Campus with Minnesota Public Radio's Alex Friedrich
In May 2014 "On Campus" reporter Alex Friedrich spent a day on campus in Red Wing visiting the musical instrument repair labs, the student commons, and even chemistry professor Leah Schnaith's office. He reported on the day in a series of blog entries, listed below in reverse chronological order.
The workload of the musical artisan at SE Technical
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 5:08 PM
If there's one thing I've learned here, it's that the creatives and artisans work hard. (Remember my visit to MCAD, after all.) Student after student on this campus has told me: The instrument programs are like a full-time job. The pace is intense. (And with the semester winding up, a lot of people looked stressed.)
What's that smell at SE Tech? Oh, it's just the forensic science course.
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 4:14 PM
I've written a lot about the musical instrument programs here at SE Tech in Red Wing, because they're a hallmark of the school. But in looking into other areas here, I've found a pretty cool version of the standard "general ed" class. I'm talking with chemistry professor Leah Schnaith.
From classic to steampunk: SE Tech's guitar thing
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 3:39 PM
I've written about the band-instrument repair program, and MPR News colleague Elizabeth Baier has written about the school's violin repair program. I thought I'd drop in on the two-year guitar repair and building program. Aaron Paul, a 30-year-old from Austin, Texas -- and he came HERE for instruments?
What you might see in the SE Tech cafeteria during lunchtime
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 2:29 PM
Now this is a nice accompaniment to the food. I hear they meet most Wednesdays.
What makes SE Tech's BLT a little different
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 2:16 PM
Those women in the dining hall think of everything. After eating a pretty juicy chicken burger with fries, side salad and a cola ($10), I had to try a BLT on the recommendation of 23-year-old student Franziska Andonopoulos of Chicago. She tells me why: "Most BLTs have to strips of bacon lying across the sandwich.
Red Wing's answer to the Chicago cows and St. Paul's Peanuts statues
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 2:00 PM
It's the Red Wing boot, of course.
What the instrument world apparently calls MN State College SE Technical - Red Wing
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 11:01 AM
This might solve my campus naming problem -- at least as far as the musical instrument programs are concerned. Band-instrument repair instructor Greg Beckwith tells me those in the business "don't know us as Minnesota State college. We're just known as 'Red Wing.'" Good to know.
The brassiness of SE Tech students
Alex Friedrich May 7, 2014, 10:52 AM
The hallmark of SE Tech in Red Wing -- that's how we're solving the naming problem here -- is its focus on musical instruments. Its programs in instrument repair and construction are among the few offered in this country, and they draw students from all over the globe. Sounds very Old World. So why here?