International Flare At VCSU

The article I read this week was found on VOANews.com. It is the story of how and why a foreign student chose Valley City State University. It was interested to hear that many of the reasons Fakira Soumaila chose VCSU coincides with why many students choose VCSU.

Fakira indicates that she wanted to study in the United States and size was a determining factor in her decision. She talks about the teachers being very willing to help in and out of class. She also talks about the friendly staff helping to integrate her into the campus and city community. Being in smaller class sizes helped Fakira quickly improve her English speaking skills.

Fakira’s goal is to be a pediatrician and she will go to medical school when she graduates from VCSU. She feels VCSU is challenging her to be prepared for that next step.

It’s interesting that no matter where students are from, they choose the college they choose for much of the same reasons. If you poll VCSU students, you’ll hear that smaller class size is a big reason for coming here.

VCSU is fortunate to have students like Fakira willing to travel to a country and quite small town she’s never been to before to gain her education. Not only is she getting what she wants, but those on campus are learning from her also. My family has been host family to her and we have learned so many things about her home country as well and her growing up years in Rome. Because I’ve not been overseas, this was a great opportunity for me as well as for her. I feel richer having Fakira and other foreign students at VCSU and I hope I return that to them as well.

I was fortunate enough to be involved in a Holiday dinner with the foreign students on campus. After dinner they played Taboo – a game where you try to get your team to say a word you describe without saying a provided list of words. It was amazing to hear the students from various countries talking so fast I couldn’t understand much of what they said while they had no problem at all.

Blog # 13

Bobcat Cuts MORE Jobs

The Fargo Forum reported this week that 150 employees at their Gwinner plant were being laid off. The layoffs will go through at least the first quarter of NEXT year. The layoffs are caused by reduction in demand for the Bobcat Skid Steer they have been famous for for decades.

This is another example of world marketing company –no matter where they are located – having to make tough decisions. If a company sells there produce anywhere outside the region, they have been deeply affected by the poor world economy. It isn’t just in the U.S.
When a company is affected, so is the community. The article says that about half of the students in the school district have parents employed at Bobcat.

When you are a community of 750 like Gwinner, the whole town will feel it. In this case, not just Gwinner. Employees come from Lisbon, Forman and Valley City and every other town nearby. One of those employees is my brother. He’s been at Bobcat for about 14 years. So far he has a job. But one small mistake and the company will use that to dismiss him. Like during one of the last big snow storms when everything was closed. That day was the only operating day Bobcat had scheduled to be open for the week (due to earlier cuts). If you didn’t show up, you got a slip. After a couple slips for any other reason they could find, you could be dismissed. Since many of the employees drive out of town to get to work, they had to decide what was more important, my job or my life? How can you expect someone to make that choice!

For the employees laid off there are no other job choices in the Gwinner area. They have homes they could lose without employment. They have children rooted in the community and schools that are affected also.

I can’t imagine what those losing their jobs are going through. I just hope something breaks for the good before it gets any worse.

Week 12 Blog ... Still Flooding

The Fairfield’s made the news again … and of course it’s related to flooding.

This past weekend Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Assistance Employee Ken Jordan, for Region 8 toured the Sheyenne River Valley and made his way onto the Fairfield Ranch, or lake as it has appeared the past couple weeks.

The Valley City Times Record covered the story tells that because President Obama has declared this area a federal disaster area, FEMA will cover 75% of costs accrued by local governments for diking, sandbagging, police and sheriff's offices. Dave Lowry, a FEMA public affairs officer based in Arizona indicates that if there is enough dollars claimed by individuals in the area, they can get assistance also. No dollar amount of damage is listed to quality. I believe it has to do with the numbers effected as well as the dollars but I couldn’t find anything specific about that.

The two federal employees and various Barnes County Officials toured “Columbia Grain facility, damaged when high water caused soybeans in a hopper to swell, dislodging the feeder which loads grain unto railroad cars.” It is a business that has never had water issues before.

The group made their way down the valley and that’s when they talked with my husband, Dan. We live on the farm where Dan has lived his whole life. He is part of that land. And for the first time in his life, he’s talked about leaving it. We’re not as young as we were during the last two or three floods and the exhaustion of continued checking water and pumps will last a few more weeks. We’re both ready to relocate in order to avoid this ever again. If that means leaving this land that is in Dan’s blood – and mine – that’s what we’ll do. So ... if you know of about 60 acres of higher ground looking for an owner, we’re in the market.

Week 11 Blog - Cherry Blossom Festival

Needing a break from the water, ice, and snow that dominates my life in the Sheyenne River Valley the past couple weeks, I found something that I’ve heard about and would someday like to experience … like today maybe!!!

The Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. lasts about two weeks. It is a city wide event with “more than 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other special events”. Over 1 million people flock to Washington each year for this celebration. It is said that the most picturesque scenes are found at the Tidal Basin where you can view the various national monuments surrounded by the pink blooms.

“The Japanese flowering cherry tree, known in Japanese as “sakura,” is a symbol of affection, good fortune and new beginnings.” In 1912, Japan gifted the U.S. with 3,000 trees that are planted throughout the city and bloom about this time each year, dependent on weather. The celebration takes place annually and has for so many years, it’s an automatic. Crowds of people that continue to attend the festival make a sure thing for continuing indefinitely.

For some great video about the festival and reactions from those in Washington, click the following: http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/2038749

Not only is there is festival in Washington, but also in Northern California, Philadelphia, Southern California, Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia, and Brooklyn just to name a few. And don’t forget – Japan!

A little known fact about this year’s festival in Washington is that North Dakota Rodeo Queen and VCSU alum, Jessinta Hammer will be riding in the parade in Washington, D.C. She was invited by Miss Rodeo Virginia to ride with her and Jessinta will be on her way east at the end of this week. Jessinta is from Fort Ransom.

If Washington, D.C. needs a celebration of this sort after their winter, imagine what North Dakota residents need – or will need – if winter every leaves us. I know our city and county people haven’t had a chance to think about the celebration after all we are going through but I will do what every is necessary to help make it something with smiles and appreciation for all who have given to our flood fight.

Week 10 Blog

There is a country song that goes “Here he comes again …” That song could be sung by those around the Sheyenne River Valley with “He” being rising water. The specific story I’m referring to was in the Valley City Times Record on Friday, March 27. My Blog is late because I spend most of last week fighting those rising waters at my home. I attended the meeting referred to in this article because it directly affects me and my home. The topic was the crest expected in Valley City and how home owners downstream can gage the plans according to what they remember from 1997 or neighbors can tell for those who were not there 12 years ago.

The article indicates that there were “maps of the Kathryn Road showing the 100-Year flood plain”, indicates that there are people who can help and who to call if needed, reports on getting sand and sandbags delivered to rural areas, and the amount of water that will be coming out of Baldhill Dam north of Valley City. It was good information but only raised more questions.
The meeting was relatively calm compared to the meeting held earlier in the week with towns people. Some were upset about their sprinkler system being destroyed by trucks hauling dirt for a dyke. If wish someone would destroy something putting a dyke by my house. On Tuesday night, March 24, water from the beautiful Sheyenne River was about 4 yards from my door – about 2.5 feet higher than in 1997.

On the positive side, everyone I know has offered help for us and others up and down the valley as well as in Valley City. This same issue of the TR has a story about people giving of their time to sandbag. Our phone rings constantly with offers of manpower, generators, trucks, and a place to stay if we have to evacuate. We truly do live in an area of generous people. Doesn’t save me house, but it does save my belief that tragedy brings us together.

Week 9 - Pulling at the Heart Strings

The Valley City Times Record has been following the story of seven month old Paityn Elstrom who was born with a failing liver. Initially she received surgery to correct the situation. Unfortunately, the surgery was not successful and her only chance of survival is for a liver transplant.

The Valley City community has rallied around the little girl because of so many family connections in the community. Her parents grew up in and around Valley City. She has grandparents and other close relatives in the community.

Father Jason’s 5 year old cousin started a fundraiser in his elementary classroom to help fund the enormous medical bills. Before he knew it, he raised $1300. Since then there has been a benefit to help as well as an account at Bank Forward in Valley City. Dakota Medical Foundation’s Lend A Hand program matched $5000 during the benefit.

It’s such a heartwarming case of a good, hard working young couple starting their family with such challenges. And to see pictures of little Paityn you just want to help her get a fair chance of growing up big and strong.

Many parts of this story are amazing to me. First, how far medical science has come. I can hardly imagine have a piece of someone else keeping me alive. About 2 ½ years ago my 24 year old nephew found out he had only one kidney and that kidney was failing. He had no idea before a life insurance physical that there was anything wrong. His best shot was for a transplant and his older sister gave him life. He is doing great and living a full life – with a changed attitude. He was a bit inside himself much of his growing up years and all the sudden he’s so full of sharing and life – but that’s another story.

The other thing that amazes me is how even during very tough financial times, people will rally to help others with needs more than our own. It’s humbling to know that this little girl needs all of us to help her survive this. And even though it may be difficult to share the little we have, we will do it because it’s the right thing to do and we feel great doing it. Good human nature succeeds no matter what!

Week 8 Blog

The Ron and Jodi Hansen family are quite unique. This feel good story is about a family working and enjoying life together while building their dream life. The Hansen’s have five home schooled daughters who work with them on their ventures which include horse and dog boarding.


Last year they bought a piece of land next to the Sheyenne National Grasslands about 40 miles southwest of Fargo. They are developing the land into the Sheyenne Oaks Horse Camp and RV Park which they expect to open in April. According to the article, “Sheyenne Oaks Horse Camp and RV Park will offer 21 sites with sewer, water and electrical hookups, plus corrals for horse owners, on 120 acres.”

The Hansen’s have worked for years to get to this dream. At age 25 Ron went to engineering school while in the process of raising their family. It made Ron employable as a mechanical engineer at Loegering Manufacturing in Casselton and income to sustain the family. The job also gave Ron the expertise to develop their geothermal heat system used in their home.

The whole family is involved in all aspects of their lives from working with the animals and all the chores that go with that to haying in the summer for winter feed. And they sound happy! It appears the kids don’t mind the work. They don’t have TV and Ron says they don’t have time to watch it anyway.

This is a great story of an American dream come true. As a horse enthusiast, I see a real market for this. Every kid wants a horse growing up and this is the next best thing. The location of this business venture is perfect. Less than one hours from the fastest growing community in North Dakota. I think they have individuals and groups come to trail ride on their horses on a regular basis. Their location lends itself perfectly for an inexpensive day or weekend trip in a beautiful area of eastern North Dakota.

I think they’ve got a real shot at completing this part of their dreams. Those with horses will have great riding opportunities and those without will have a place to rent and enjoy the outdoors. Check out the photos and rates on their web site. I was impressed.