Opinion

John 4: 9 “Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” Several years ago we witnessed a surge of young people in the church being called as missionaries to Africa, Asia or parts of South and Central America. When this was announced in churches of various denominations around this country, halleluiahs and amens were heard echoing off the church walls.

As I begin my final year as president of Minnesota State University Moorhead, I marvel at the work of our faculty and staff to make an MSUM education accessible and affordable for all students. Last year, we revamped our scholarship program to offer larger automatic scholarships for incoming students, up to $14,000 over four years. We’ve removed our ACT requirement, allowing students to be admitted to MSUM based on their academic achievement in high school. And we’ll begin offering in-state tuition for everyone beginning in Fall 2023.

After nearly 30 years as an election administrator, I have the Election Day routine down to a science: Arrive at the precinct by 6:15 a.m. Turn on the voting machines. Take the ballots out of the safe, where they have been secured since the county delivered them the day before. Greet election judges as they arrive. Make sure two judges — each representing a different political party — inspect each machine. Set out the United States and Minnesota flags. Swear in the judges. Have two judges (again from differing parties) count and initial each ballot. The checklist list goes on, step by methodical step, until the polls close, each vote is counted, and I finally head home 15 or so hours later.

“You Can’t Take My Slaves”, Part IV: “Lincoln’s Assassination to the 14th Amendment” Following the Union victory at Gettysburg, there were a number of key changes. First, the morale among Union troops was raised substantially. Equally significant was the withdrawal of English and French for the Confederates. Victories and the Western front also had become im-pressive; key among these were triumphs of troops led by General Ulysses S. Grant. Following his Union victory at Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), and the lengthy siege at Vicksburg (concluded on July 4, 1863, one day after Gettysburg), his troops triumphed in a key Southern engagement at Chattanooga, Tenn. (November 23-25, 1863). In April, 1864, upset by the string of mediocre Union generals, President Lincoln appointed Grant the Union “General-in-Chief”, while making General Sherman William Tecumseh his chief lieutenant.