Voice Shorts

Students share creative, nonfiction works
On Nov. 16 the Student Reading Series presents the second student reading of the semester. All students are welcome to come watch their peers share creative and nonfiction works. If you are interested in reading, there is a sign-up sheet posted outside the English department student lounge on the second floor of Kleinpell Fine Arts.
The event is at 3 p.m. in the Chalmer Davee Library breezeway.

Faculty to perform chamber music
At 3 p.m. Nov. 18, faculty members from the music department will be presenting a concert of works for winds and piano. Included in the concert will be music by Saint-Saens, Strauss, Lutoslawski and Mozart.  Songs will be performed by Roger McVey (piano), Carolyn Britton (piano), Polly Meyerding (flute), Stanley King (oboe), Pat O’Keefe (clarinet), Andrew Parks (horn) and special guest Matthew Bertrand (bassoon).
The fee for the concert is $5 general admission, $3 for seniors, $2 for students, and will be held in Abbott Concert Hall inside Kleinpell Fine Arts Center.

Economic inequality discussed at series
The series is hosting a discussion on “Historical Perspectives on Income Inequality in the U.S.,” led by Betty Bergland, a UW-River Falls history professor. The session will take place at 3 p.m. Nov. 26, in the Falls Room of the University Center.
Bergland, who received her undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College, is the chair of the UWRF history department. She received a master’s degree from the UW-Madison and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.  Bergland teaches several history courses at UW-River Falls, including women’s history in the U.S.
This event is free and open to the public. “Coffee with The Times” is sponsored by the American Democracy Project, the New York Times Readership Program, Pi Sigma Alpha, the Student Voice and WRFW 88.7 FM. For more information, please contact Colleen Callahan, chair of the UWRF journalism department, at 715-425-3169.

Mill rate increase hits River Falls Schools
According to the River Falls Journal, stagnant property values and a late state budget will contribute to the first mill rate increase for the River Falls School District in five years, and the largest one in 10 years.
The three-month delay by the state Legislature to okay a new budget left Democrats and Republicans haggling. Wisconsin school officials were left in limbo planning for their own budgets, but not knowing how much state aid they would get.
A provision was included to tack on $79.3 million in “school levy credit” to prevent a hefty increase in property taxes. The figure represents extra money for school districts from the last year. The credit helps, but it is not distributed the same as school aid.
As a result, some districts got more than they would have under the normal state-aid formula, and others like River Falls got less. It will cost tax-payers about $60,000.

River Falls mayor attends climate summit
According to the River Falls Journal, River Falls Mayor Don Richards joined a large group of mostly big-city mayors at the National Climate Summit in Seattle. He came away more committed than ever to involve local citizens, businesses and government in energy conservation.
The two-day summit was sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, whose members come from cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Speakers included former President Bill Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Last year Richards and hundreds of other U.S. mayors signed the Climate Protection Agreement (CPA).
The CPA seeks to advance the goals of the Kyoto Protocol, signed by 141 nations but not the United States. Goals set by the CPA commit cities to pass anti-sprawl, land-use policies and urban forest restoration programs, to urge state and federal government lawmakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by seven percent of 1990 levels by 2012 and to urge Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation that would establish a national emission trading system.
The Clinton Climate Initiative is geared to make the biggest impact possible, so support is only available for very large cities. Richards says if the concept catches on, it will include mid-size and small cities.

Online system eases account management
UW-River Falls accounts receivable will introduce a new online system Nov. 20: eSIS QuikPAY&reg. The system will allow students and authorized third parties to electronically view and print tuition bills, make electronic payments to student accounts and sign up for direct deposit of refunds.
Online payment options will include payments from a checking or savings account with no service charge. MasterCard and Discover credit cards will be accepted with a 2.75% fee. Direct deposit of student refunds is new with eSIS QuikPAY&reg. Direct deposit eliminates picking up a refund check at the cashier’s office.
E-mail notifications will be sent when direct deposit transactions are processed. Paper tuition bills will be phased out by February 2008.
Students and authorized users will get e-mail notification when tuition bills are available. Current account activity will be available along with a sixteen month history of tuition bills generated from the system.
More information will be available next week, or go to www.uwrf.edu/accounts-receive/QuikPayFAQ.htm

Police officer from Hudson hit by car, dies
According to the Hudson Star Observer, the Minneapolis Park Police Department officer, who died last week from injuries suffered in pursuit of a suspect, lived in the Hudson area.
Officer Mark Bedard, 34, was struck by a Minneapolis Police Department squad car, also involved in the pursuit, on Nov. 1 in North Minneapolis. He suffered serious internal injuries and was taken to North Memorial Hospital where he died on Friday. Bedard is survived by his wife and a young son.

Man stabs girlfriend, gets 40 years in jail
According to the Pioneer Press, a man convicted of stabbing his girlfriend to death as the two fought at their St. Croix County cabin was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Peter Whyte, 51, was found guilty of second-degree intentional homicide in the death last year of Suzanne Weiland, 39. Whyte testified that Weiland attacked him with a knife and he stabbed her in self-defense. An autopsy found the victim had 19 stab and slash wounds, including seven that would have been fatal. He was ordered to serve 20 years extended supervision if he is ever freed from prison.