♪♪ >> CATHY: THE STAR TRIBUNE HAS HIRED ITS FIRST NORTHERN MINNESOTA BASED EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER.

HE'S A KNOWN PRESENCE ON THE IRON RANGE AS AN AUTHOR, RADIO PRODUCER, AND INSTRUCTOR AT MINNESOTA NORTH COLLEGE.

HE'S NO STRANGER TO "ALMANAC," EITHER.

HERE TO TALK ABOUT HIS NEW FULL-TIME GIG WITH THE STRIB, WRITER AARON BROWN.

HEY, CONGRATULATIONS!

>> THANK YOU, CATHY.

YEAH, LOTS OF FUN.

AND, YES, OLD TERRITORY HERE FOR ME, BUT NEW JOB.

>> Cathy: HEY, I READ YOUR INTRO COLUMN YESTERDAY.

AND YOU REFERENCED YOUR STUDENTS' FRAME OF MIND COMPARED TO, SAY, 20 YEARS AGO.

I'M GOING TO QUOTE YOU NOW, IS THAT OKAY?

>> THAT'S FINE.

>> Cathy: WHEN I STARTED TEACHING 21 YEARS AGO, MY WORKING CLASS TUDENTS TOLD ME THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS.

TODAY THEY TELL ME THEY'RE BROKE, THEY CAN'T AFFORD RENT, THEY DON'T SEE HOW THEY'LL EVER OWN A HOUSE.

FAR TOO MANY TRAIN FOR JOBS THEY DON'T WANT BECAUSE THEY NEED THE MONEY.

IMAGINATION AND AMBITION WERE REPLACED BY FEAR.

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO KIDS ON THE RANGE, DO YOU THINK?

>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S JUST THE RANGE, BUT I KNOW GIVE AN ASSIGNMENT WHERE I ASK THE STUDENTS AT THE END OF A SEMESTER TO TELL ME WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IN THE FUTURE.

AND QUITE OFTEN, IT WAS STUDENTS, WHEN I STARTED, IT WAS STUDENTS TALKING ABOUT THEIR, LIKE I SAID, HOPES AND DREAMS, THE THINGS THEY WANTED TO DO WITH THEIR CAREERS.

AND QUITE OFTEN, THE SPEECHES NOW GO, WELL, I WISH I COULD DO THIS, BUT I NEED ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY MY BILLS, SO I'M GOING TO TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT MAKES SOME MONEY.

AND IT'S JUST A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE, I THINK.

I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE BASKET WEAVING OR CERTAIN KINDS OF PROFESSIONS MIGHT NOT PAY THE BILLS AND THERE'S SOME OF THAT, BUT A LOT OF THIS IS REALLY JUST STUDENTS MAKING DECISIONS LESS ABOUT THEIR ALLING, WHAT THEY WANT OUT OF LIFE AND MORE ABOUT JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE.

AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING THAT BECAUSE THE COST OF LIVING HAS GONE UP SO MUCH IN THE LAST 20 YEARS I'VE BEEN TEACHING.

SO, LIKE I SAID, YOU KNOW, I LOVE TEACHING, BUT THE CHANCE TO EXPLORE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES PEOPLE ARE FACING ACROSS THE STATE AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, GATHER INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THESE KIND OF CHALLENGES AND TRY TO FIND IDEAS, THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO SOLVE THOSE KIND OF PROBLEMS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE STUDENTS TO HAVE HOPES AND DREAMS THAT THEY CAN FOLLOW.

>> Eric: SO WHAT'S THE MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE COLLEGE?

FOR THE COLUMN?

>> MISSION STATEMENT.

OF TO TRY TO MAKE BORING THINGS INTERESTING, O TRY TO FIND PEOPLE AND THEIR STORIES AND BRING THEM TO THE FRONT TO REALLY REPRESENT PEOPLE WHO, FOR ME, THIS IS IMPORTANT, PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE POWER AND ACCESS, YOU KNOW, THOSE FOLKS HAVE THEIR OWN COLUMNISTS, I'M TRYING TO FIND PEOPLE WHO MAYBE FEEL A LITTLE LEFT OUT.

SO THAT'S THE KIND OF STORIES I LIKE TO TELL.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING A LITTLE BIT OF TRAVEL AND REALLY JUST TRYING TO BRING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE TO A REALLY RESPECTED NEWSPAPER WITH A LOT OF GREAT WRITERS, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE IN THE WOODS AS I M IN MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW, AND YOU DRIVE BY MINES AND PAPER MILLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU SEE DIFFERENT WORLD THAN WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING AROUND THE TWIN CITIES.

>> Cathy: SAY, I'M WONDERING HERE, AARON, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

I MEAN, THERE'S THE EDITORIAL PAGE FOR SOME PEOPLE IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN, SAY, REPORTING, RIGHT?

SO, HOW DO YOU FRAME YOUR ACTUAL JOB IN TERMS OF YOUR POSITION?

>> YEAH.

WELL, I'M A MEMBER OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD, AND IN THE OLD DAYS THAT WOULD MEAN I'M ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD GATHER UP AND WE'D WRITE SINGLE EDITORIALS THAT WHAT I CALL THE VOICE OF GOD EDITORIALS FROM THE NEWSPAPER THAT WE'D TRY TO FIND AGREEMENT.

AND THERE MAY YET BE SOME OF THAT, BUT A LOT OF WHAT THE MINNESOTA S "STAR TRIBUNE'S" DOING NOW IS VOICE OF INDIVIDUAL WRITERS, THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE, BRINGING THAT FORWARD AND THEN MAKING MAYBE A DIVERSE ARRAY OF OPINIONS THAT WOULD APPEAR IN THE PAPER.

SO, THE THING ABOUT THE BOARD, THOUGH, IS WE STILL COLLABORATE AND TALK ABOUT TOPICS AND ISSUES, AND ACTUALLY I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

I'VE DONE MOST OF MY CAREER AS SOME KIND OF A LOANER -- LONER IN THE WOODS WRITING IN MY OWN LITTLE WORLD AND TO HAVE SUCH TALENTED PEOPLE AROUND ME AND GET SUCH GREAT GUIDANCE, FRANKLY, AND INPUT FROM OTHERS IS KIND OF COOL.

IT'S A COOL TEAM ENVIRONMENT.

AND REALLY THE IDEA IS THAT YOU HAVE A BROAD ARRAY OF THOUGHTS IN THE NEWSPAPER.

>> Eric: ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR COLUMN TIME TO TIME IN THE STRIB.

GOOD LUCK WITH THIS NEW ENDEAVOR.