Sieben, Michael

https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:7444#/kaltura_audio

Biographical Information: Michael Sieben was born in 1946, in Hastings, Minnesota. His father's family had been in Hastings since the 1880s, while his mother's family came from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sieben graduated from Hastings High School in 1964, and decided to attend St. Cloud State. He knew he either wanted to become a teacher or a lawyer, and chose to get his degree in Education with a major in Social Studies. While at St. Cloud State, he became active in student government, even serving as Student Senate president during his senior year. Sieben graduated in 1968, then went to teach 12th grade Social Studies for a year at North High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He decided to go to law school at the University of Minnesota. He graduated from law school and went on to practice law. At the time of the interview, he had been a lawyer in Hastings for 10 years.

Transcript Summary: Sieben described family history, as well as his motivations to attend St. Cloud State. He mentioned that his family lived in Minnesota for quite awhile. Sieben described his decision to attend St. Cloud State. He desired to leave Hastings, but also wanted a school that was financially reasonable. Sieben was able to pay for most of his college education himself by working construction during the summers. Since he was on the debate team in high school, Sieben received a small debate scholarship from St. Cloud State. Sieben discussed being part of the baby boomer generation and always being part of a very large class.

Sieben described the activities he was involved in while attending St. Cloud State. He discussed his participation in student government in the mid to late 1960s, claiming that students simply wanted more control over their destinies. He talked about many issues, such as student fees, dorm rules, regulations for women, and teacher evaluations as some of the causes he and his fellow students fought for. Sieben felt Vietnam created a new feeling at the school, one where students just sensed a need for change. Seiben described life in the dorms, his involvement in Sigma Tau Gamma, and attending football games. He talked about the majority of students would leave the campus on the weekends, Sieben mentioned students from the Iron Range, and his perception that most students came from a middle income family.

Sieben chronicled briefly his activities after graduating from St. Cloud in 1968. He discussed law school, which he believed he was well-prepared for thanks to St. Cloud State. However, he felt that some of the teacher preparation courses were mediocre and did not prepare him well for teaching. Overall though, he said his experience in St. Cloud was very beneficial to his future endeavors and career as a lawyer.