MSU plans for a new course in audio storytelling Lessons from snow removal crew

By CARLY BAHR Staff Writer

With temperatures predicted to approach 80 degrees as soon as next week, winter appears to be wrapping up. With that in mind, Minnesota State’s Grounds Supervisor Bruce Leivermann is reflecting on this year’s snow removal.

The biggest thing students and faculty can do to improve this process is obey parking rules, especially overnight parking.

By EMMA JOHNSON News Director

Minnesota State is hopping on the multimedia train by offering an audio storytelling course.

Starting fall 2023, three classes totaling eight credits will cover “the history, craft and promotion of audio storytelling.”

Dave Engen, associate professor in communication and media, is teaching Audio Storytelling. The class is semester-long and covers many aspects of audio stories such as interviewing and editing.

At the end of the semester, specific podcasts will air on KMSU.

Engen, who teaches Communication and Community, wanted to start the course for communication skills before podcasting became popular.

“You learn how to interview, you learn technology and you learn to be a better listener and you piece them together into something meaningful,” Engen said. “It became a really powerful way to teach just some of the general communication things I teach.”

Jen Tiernan, assistant professor in communication and media, is teaching the Art of Podcasting.

For the first eight weeks, students will listen to a variety of podcasts and understand what makes a great podcast.

The remainder of the semester will be taught by an unknown adjunct who will assist students in marketing their podcasts and building their brands.

While taking all courses simultaneously is not required, it’s recommended students do so in order to get the best understanding.

“If students take all three of these classes together, I think they’re going to have a much better idea by the end of the semester, what differentiates podcasts and audio documen- taries, where they intersect and what they maybe prefer,” Tiernan said.

Tiernan said students, regardless of their major, should take the course for improving communication skills.

“No matter what you’re going to go into after you graduate college, you need to be a good communicator, whether that’s trying to explain data to a board room, writing a newsletter or doing something media oriented. Really, anybody who’s interested in the idea of telling stories,” Tiernan said.

Tiernan said she hopes the course will help build a storytelling center and allow students to be creative through telling stories.

“After the last three years, I think we all have a lot of stories to tell right now. It’s good to tell those stories and it’s fascinating to hear them,” Tiernan said.

“You learn so much from listening to other people talk about what’s important to them. I think this class will help students do that.”

Engen said the course allows students to step outside their communication comfort zones.

“It’s a really fun way to practice communicating with different people. (Most students) don’t exactly know how to do it and this forces you to do it in a fun, guided way,” Engen said.

Tiernan said students shouldn’t worry if they have no technical skills before taking this course.

“Students shouldn’t feel intimidated if they’ve never recorded anything or used software. We’re going to give students all the skills that they need to do this,” Tiernan said.

“This is going to be an opportunity to hone those skills and put together something really fantastic.”

Students can sign up for the courses under COMM 340 and COMM 440.

“We have a lot of people who park illegally at night, which then turns our work into more work because, if the cars are in the lots when they’re not supposed to be, now we have to go around them to not hit them. If the lots are empty after school, it’s a lot simpler for us to plow, we get more done quicker. One or two cars can mess up the whole parking lot,” Leivermann said, adding that one or two cars in an otherwise empty parking lot can add an extra hour of labor.

They won’t tow vehicles to clear the way for snow plows, but they will ticket them.

“It’s very, very dangerous for us,” Leivermann said of cars left in place when plows arrive.

This winter had more rain than years past, which posed challenges for the Leivermann’s snow removal team.

The rain freezes on the ground while snow piles on top, which creates a dangerous lack of traction.

“There really is no typical day,” for snow removal with the ever-changing weather, according to Leivermann.

The typical schedule includes day and on-call night shifts from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., then 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. from November to April.

“Basically, when there’s a half inch of snow on the ground, you start.”

Leivermann said this winter required more time for hauling snow, which took about two to three days compared to years past where they would plow snow one day and haul it away the next.

Equipment consists of two front loaders, which are the large wheel loaders that are found in the parking lots.

They also have Bobcats for lots and sidewalks, and lawn mowers and shovels for smaller and more detailed areas. The snow is discarded in parking stalls to protect grass from salt.

“We don’t have a lot of stalls available on campus,” Leivermann said. “They get mad at us because parking stalls are used up. So that’s why we have to get out there quickly to get the snow out of the parking stalls, so people can park in the stalls. So that’s probably the biggest complaint we get.”

The snow removal team is made up of 60% students, and Leivermann said that this is beneficial because “they know the campus.”

There is currently no snow to be expected for the next 10 days, and every day has a chance of rain ranging from 4-53%, according to the Weather Channel.